Historical chapter commentary
Verse 1. Day. It was distant from Aphec about 90 miles.—Smitten, yet without killing any. Calmet.—We may adore a merciful Providence, which prevented these barbarians from treating David’s men as he had treated theirs. Calmet. 27:11. Salien, A.Calmet. 1074.—He would allow them to burn the city, and so forth that David might be roused to execute the divine vengeance upon them. Theodoret.
Verse 4. Tears. Hebrew “till they had no more power to weep.” Menochius.—See Lament. 2:11. Cicero exclaims, Hei mihi! consumptis enim lachrymis, infixus tamen hæret in corde dolor. Philippians 2.
Verse 6. Stone him, as the author of all their losses, because he had not left a sufficient garrison at Siceleg, and had irritated the Amalecites. Inconstant people! they thought that he we indebted to them for all that he possessed! Calmet.—David, without being too much dejected, sought out for an immediate remedy, and led them on to battle. Their ancestors had once threatened to stone Moses. Exodus 17. and so forth Tirinus.
Verse 7. To David. Some think that David put on the ephod; but this was the function of the high priest, who, according to Grotius, turned towards David, that he might see the brightness of the precious stones. See Exodus 28:30. By means of the priest David was enlightened. Worthington.
Verse 9. Besor is formed by the water falling from the mountains of Idumea, and discharges itself into the Mediterranean, below Gaza. Calmet.—Some take it to be the torrent of the desert, or the river of Egypt. Adrichomius makes it run from the mountains of Juda, so as to form the southern boundary of the tribe of Simeon. Bible.
Verse 10. Weary. Hebrew pigru, denotes those who are “lazy and dead.” Septuagint “some sat down on the other side of the torrent.” Syr. and Arab. insinuate, to defend the passage. But why then do the rest complain? Calmet.—They acted irrationally, as David shewed afterwards. Some of the 600 might well be more exhausted than others, and these were selected to guard the baggage, verse 24. This was only the third day since they left Aphec, verse 1. Bible.
Verse 12. Raisins. Hebrew tsimmukim. See Calmet. 25:18. Calmet.—The soldiers very prudently took some provisions with them, as they were going into a desert country. Menochius.
Verse 13. Ago. His master’s inhumanity was justly punished, and God provided for the safety of his poor slave, while he sent a guide for David. Bible.
Verse 14. Cerethi, denotes the Philistines, (R. David. See verse 16. Bible.) who came originally from Crete. 2 Kennicott. 15:18. Ezekiel 25:16. Calmet.—They might be natives of some province of the Philistines, (Vatab.) belonging to Gaza, ( Menochius.) or Geth. Bible.—Caleb. Hebron and Cariath-sepher fell to his share. The enemy had a good opportunity to ravage all those places, as most of the soldiers were absent ( Calmet.) at Jezrahel. Bible.
Verse 15. Him. David did not require this slave to betray his master, for the latter had lost all his claim, and David had acquired it by relieving the distressed. Si herus negaverit servo suo alimenta, & alius suppeditet, sit occupantis. See Martyr. and the Roman laws. The Amalecites dwelt in tents, and the slave knew where they commonly lodged. Calmet.—Perhaps his master had told him where to meet him, in case he recovered.
Verse 16. Drinking. Hebrew adds, “and dancing,” (Salien) in honour of their gods.
Verse 17. Evening. Hebrew “twilight,” in the morning ( Calmet.) or evening. Bible.—Some think that the pursuit lasted three days; others only from three till five in the evening. But David more probably slaughtered the intoxicated people, during the space of a whole day, from morning till evening. Calmet.—Septuagint “from the morning or evening star rising, αρο εωσφορου, till the afternoon, and on the following day,” ( Bible.) which commenced at sun-set. Calmet.—It was no battle, but flight and carnage. Menochius.
Verse 19. All, excepting what had been eaten, or consumed with fire. Menochius.
Verse 20. And made. Hebrew “which they drove before those things (or cattle,” taken from the Amalecites. Bible.) “which were separated from those which David had recovered.” Each one reclaimed what he had lost. Perhaps David’s portion was placed by itself. Calmet.—Grotius thinks that, as the things taken in war cannot be reclaimed by the former proprietors, all was equally divided. See Seld. Jur. vi. 16.
Verse 22. Unjust. Hebrew Belial. See Deuteronomy 13:13. Calmet.—David saluted those who had remained at Besor, to shew that he approved of their conduct, unless we may attribute it to his great clemency. Menochius.
Verse 24. Alike. Nothing could be more just and prudent; as this decision prevents continual murmurs and inconveniences. Those who are left behind, are bound to defend the baggage at the hazard of their lives, and each man must obey the orders of the general. Hence all nations seem to have adopted similar regulations, though Achilles declaims against it. Iliad i.—Coriolanus observes, that formerly the Romans brought all the spoil into the public treasury. Halicar. vii.—The soldiers promised on oath to bring all they should take, and an equal division was made to the whole army. Polyb. x.—The sick and absent also partook of the plunder. Calmet.—The same was observed by the Machabees, 2 B. 8:28. Bible.
Verse 25. A law. Custom, ( Calmet.) and a particular injunction, had long before made way for it. Numbers 31:27. Bible. Joshua 22:8.—We might translate the Hebrew “And this law had been observed in Israel from that day and before.” David restored to its full vigour this ancient regulation. The Hebrews have no compound verbs, such as re-establish, re-build, and so forth instead of which, they say, to establish, ( Calmet.) and build again. Thus, by the addition of adverbs, they can explain the same things. Prot. “from that day forward he made it a statute,” and so forth Bible.—It is not, therefore, unlawful to make new laws, provided they be conformable to those of God. Deuteronomy 4 and 12. Worthington.
Verse 26. Neighbours. Hebrew “friends;” some were at a distance, verse 28. Bible.—The number of presents shews the quantity of the spoil, and the generosity of David towards those who had formerly assisted him. Calmet.
Verse 27. Bethel, “the house of God,” as the priests had afforded him protection. Bible.—It is not certain whether he speaks of a town of Ephraim, or of the cities where the ark and the tabernacle were now fixed.—Ramoth, in the tribe of Simeon: ( Calmet.) there was another in the tribe of Gad. Menochius.—Jether, or “Jethira,” (Euseb.) a priests’ town, called Ether. Joshua 15:42.
Verse 28. Aroer, on the Arnon. David had sojourned among the Moabites.—Sephamoth: perhaps Sephama, (Numbers 34:10,) though it was a great way beyond the Jordan. Calmet.—Abulensis assigns Sephamoth to Juda. Menochius.—Esthamo was in the same tribe, belonging to the priests. Joshua 21:14.
Verse 29. Rachel; perhaps the same with Hachila. Calmet. 23:19. and 26:1.—Jerameel. See Calmet. 27:10.—Ceni, a canton to the south of the Dead Sea.
Verse 30. Arama, or Horma. Numbers 21:3.—Lake. Hebrew “at Chor Aschan.” It is called Asan, Joshua 15:42, and 19:7.—Athach, or Athar. Joshua 19:7.
Verse 31. Hebron, twenty miles south of Jerusalem.—Rest. David remunerated all his old friends, which was the sure way to procure more. Bible.—He was still uncertain what would be the event of the war between Saul and the Philistines; and desirous to make friends, who might smooth his way to the throne, according to God’s appointment. Salien.