INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 26
This chapter relates that Saul, upon the information of the Ziphites,
went out again with an armed force to seek David, 1 Samuel 26:1; of
which David having intelligence, and of the place where he pitched,
came with one of his men and reconnoitred his camp, and findi... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE ZIPHITES CAME UNTO SAUL TO GIBEAH,.... Of Benjamin, called
sometimes Gibeah of Saul, because it was the place of his birth and
residence; hither Saul had returned after his last interview with
David; whether, notwithstanding what had passed between him and David,
he had privately encouraged... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN SAUL AROSE,.... Immediately, glad of an opportunity to seize on
David, having the same disposition towards him as ever; and perhaps
had repented he had not laid hold on him when he followed him out of
the cave:
AND WENT DOWN TO THE WILDERNESS OF ZIPH: or towards it:
HAVING THREE THOUSAND CHOS... [ Continue Reading ]
AND SAUL PITCHED IN THE HILL OF HACHILAH, WHICH [IS] BEFORE JESHIMON,
BY THE WAY,.... To the wilderness; the very same place where the
Ziphites suggested David was:
BUT DAVID ABODE IN THE WILDERNESS; not in the hill of Hachilah, but in
the wilderness of Ziph itself:
AND HE SAW THAT SAUL CAME AFTER... [ Continue Reading ]
DAVID THEREFORE SENT OUT SPIES,.... To observe if he was coming or
come, and where he was, that he might not be surprised by him; for
though David knew the Lord was and would be his protection, he thought
proper to be upon his guard, and to make use of means for his safety:
AND UNDERSTOOD THAT SAUL... [ Continue Reading ]
AND DAVID AROSE, AND CAME TO THE PLACE WHERE SAUL HAD PITCHED,....
Came near it, within sight of it; so that he could take a view of it
with his naked eye, and observe where and in what manner he was
encamped:
AND DAVID BEHELD THE PLACE WHERE SAUL LAY, AND ABNER THE SON OF NER,
THE CAPTAIN OF HIS... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN ANSWERED DAVID,.... Or addressed himself to the two following
persons:
AND SAID TO AHIMELECH THE HITTITE; who was either an Hittite by birth,
but was become a proselyte, or he was an Israelite that had dwelt
among the Hittites, and so had this name given him; the former seems
most probable; so... [ Continue Reading ]
SO DAVID AND ABISHAI CAME TO THE PEOPLE BY NIGHT,.... Josephus l
wrongly says, that he took with him both Abishai and Ahimelech; he
chose to have but one, for the greater secrecy. This was a bold
enterprise, for two men to go into a camp of three thousand men,
though it was in the night; when though... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN SAID ABISHAI TO DAVID,.... Seeing Saul fast asleep, and a spear
so near him:
GOD HATH DELIVERED THINE ENEMY INTO THINE HAND THIS DAY: or at this
time, properly it was night:
NOW THEREFORE LET ME SMITE HIM, I PRAY THEE, WITH THE SPEAR; with
Saul's own spear, which was stuck in the ground at hi... [ Continue Reading ]
AND DAVID SAID TO ABISHAI, DESTROY HIM NOT,.... He laid his commands
upon him not to hurt him:
FOR WHO CAN STRETCH FORTH HIS HAND AGAINST THE LORD'S ANOINTED, AND BE
GUILTLESS? since Saul was king, and appointed to that office by the
Lord, and was anointed by his order for it, and invested with it... [ Continue Reading ]
AND DAVID SAID FURTHERMORE,.... In order to make Abishai easy, and
prevent his doing what he proposed:
[AS] THE LORD LIVETH; which was the form of an oath, made to assure
Abishai of the truth of what follows, and therefore he need not be
hasty to put Saul to death, since it would not be long before... [ Continue Reading ]
THE LORD FORBID THAT I SHOULD STRETCH FORTH MINE HAND AGAINST THE
LORD'S ANOINTED,.... Or suffer any about him to do it; he speaks of it
with the utmost detestation and abhorrence:
BUT, I PRAY THEE, TAKE THOU NOW THE SPEAR THAT [IS] AT HIS BOLSTER;
not to smite him with, as he desired, but to carry... [ Continue Reading ]
SO DAVID TOOK THE SPEAR, AND THE CRUSE OF WATER, FROM SAUL'S
BOLSTER,.... Abishai either refusing to take them, since he might not
take away his life; or it may be rather David thought better of it,
and took them himself, lest Abishai should be tempted, when so near to
Saul, and his spear in his han... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN DAVID WENT OVER TO THE OTHER SIDE,.... To a hill on the other
side, opposite to Hachilah, where Saul lay encamped; or "passed over
the passage" q, the valley that lay between the two hills, and perhaps
passed over a brook that ran in the valley, which is not unusual; so
Josephus r says, that he... [ Continue Reading ]
AND DAVID CRIED UNTO THE PEOPLE,.... To the army of Saul with a loud
voice, that he might be heard:
AND TO ABNER THE SON OF NER; particularly to him, because he was
general of the army:
SAYING, ANSWEREST THOU NOT, ABNER? it seems he had called to him more
than once, and he had returned no answer;... [ Continue Reading ]
AND DAVID SAID TO ABNER, [ART] NOT THOU A [VALIANT] MAN?.... Or a man
u, a man of great fame for courage and valour, a man of great
authority, who had the next post in the army under Saul, but had not
behaved like a man, worthy of his character and office:
AND WHO [IS] LIKE TO THEE IN ISRAEL? none... [ Continue Reading ]
THIS THING [IS] NOT GOOD THAT THOU HAST DONE,.... Yea, it was very
bad, a great fault, and very blameworthy, if he had neglected to set a
watch over the king, whose business it was as a general; the words are
expressed in a figure called "meiosis", in which less is said than was
intended:
[AS] THE... [ Continue Reading ]
AND SAUL KNEW DAVID'S VOICE,.... Though Abner at first did not, as
appears by his words, but Saul did, by being this time thoroughly
awake through the discourse that passed between David and Abner:
AND SAID, [IS] THIS THY VOICE, MY SON DAVID? the same question he put
before, when he followed him ou... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE SAID, WHEREFORE DOTH MY LORD THUS PURSUE AFTER HIS SERVANT?....
Suggesting that it was both below him to do it, and against his
interest; for David was his servant, and he would gladly have
continued in his service, and done his business, but he drove him from
it, and pursued him as a traitor... [ Continue Reading ]
NOW THEREFORE, I PRAY THEE, LET MY LORD THE KING HEAR THE WORDS OF HIS
SERVANT,.... Whether David waited for an answer to his question is not
certain; probably he did, and observing none returned, desired
audience of what he had further to say:
IF THE LORD HAVE STIRRED THEE UP AGAINST ME; if he had... [ Continue Reading ]
NOW THEREFORE LET NOT MY BLOOD FALL TO THE EARTH BEFORE THE FACE OF
THE LORD,.... For should it be spilled, God, who is omniscient, will
see it, and take notice of it; and being righteous, and to whom
vengeance belongs, he will avenge it: some render it, "my blood shall
not fall to the earth before... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN SAID SAUL, I HAVE SINNED,.... Which is more than he acknowledged
before, and yet, it is to be feared he had no true sense of his sin,
and real repentance for it; but, like Pharaoh, his guilty conscience
for the present forced this confession from him; see Exodus 9:27;
RETURN, MY SON DAVID: mea... [ Continue Reading ]
AND DAVID ANSWERED AND SAID, BEHOLD THE KING'S SPEAR!.... And which
perhaps was his sceptre, and which David therefore would not keep,
lest it should be thought or said that he had deprived him of an
ensign of his royalty, and be interpreted as a token of his design to
seize his crown and throne:
A... [ Continue Reading ]
THE LORD RENDER TO EVERY MAN HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, AND HIS
FAITHFULNESS,.... Or recompense every man that deals justly and
faithfully with others, as he had done with Saul; or the Lord, who is
just and faithful to his promises, reward the men that act the good
and upright part; and this was a prayer of... [ Continue Reading ]
AND, BEHOLD, AS THY LIFE WAS MUCH SET BY THIS DAY IN MINE EYES,.... Or
"magnified" y; and made great account of, as being the life of the
king of Israel, and the Lord's anointed, and so spared:
SO LET MY LIFE BE MUCH SET BY IN THE EYES OF THE LORD; he does not say
in the eyes of Saul, as it should... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN SAUL SAID TO DAVID, BLESSED [BE] THOU, MY SON DAVID,.... He
desired God to bless him, and pronounced him blessed himself,
believing he would be a happy and prosperous man:
THOU SHALL BOTH DO GREAT [THINGS]; he had done great things already,
in slaying Goliath, obtaining victories over the Phil... [ Continue Reading ]