Three of the thirty chief men went down, and came to David in the harvest time to the cave of Adullam; and the troop of the Philistines was encamped in the valley of Rephaim.
ExplanationCommentary
Verse 13. Before this. The exploits performed before the death of Goliath have been recorded. The following took place soon after the taking of Jerusalem. Hebrew simply, “And three of the Schalischim came to David at harvest-time, (Paral, more correctly, to the rocks,) and into the cave,” and so forth Calmet.—Three is undoubtedly the proper word, though the printed Hebrew copies have thirty in the text; except the most ancient edition of Ximenes, 1515, which retains three, with all the versions, and some Hebrew MSS. and as verse 17 itself reads among would be better above; (verse 23,) as the three officers aforesaid were not of the body of thirty, but of a still higher order.—Harvest. Hebrew el Katsir, is never used elsewhere in this sense; and the Septuagint have left the latter word as a proper name, “at Kasoar;” etsur seems to have been the original word, as in Paral. “to the rock.” Such places had frequently caverns or strong holds, 1 Kennicott. 24:1, 4.—Camp. The Septuagint also seem to have read mene, as in Par. instead of eith, which never occurs, for “a troop.” Ken.—This camp was distant from the station at Bethlehem, ( Menochius.) which was distant from Jerusalem “two hours travel.” Maundrell.—Giants, or Raphaim, 2 Kennicott. 21:18. Menochius.