who raiseth

Before CHRIST

up Samuel.

Saul, hearing his ruin, fainteth.

18 Because thou obeyedst not the voice of the LORD, nor executedst his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the LORD done this thing unto thee this day.

19 Moreover the LORD will also deliver Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines: and to morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me: the LORD also shall deliver the host of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.

Before CHRIST about 1056.

made haste

fulness of his

hand of prophets.

|| Or, for himself.

b Chap. 15. 28.

+ Heb. mine hand.

16 Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the LORD is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy?

17 And the LORD hath done || to him, as he spake by me: for the LORD hath rent the kingdom out of

feated. The woman was herself terrified at a real appearance, when probably she designed a deception, and was preparing her incantations. Dr. Gray. The gravity and suitableness of the answer shew that it was the spirit of Samuel himself: and the event shews that it was from God. Bp. Wilson.

The son of Sirach, who seems to have had as much wisdom, penetration, and piety as any critick that came after him, is clearly of opinion with the sacred historian that it was Samuel himself who foretold the fate of Saul and his house, ver. 19, in this interview: and it is no unfair presumption, that such was also the judgment of the Jewish Church in his time. It should be well observed, that whereas it has been made a question whether the Jews believed the existence of the soul after death; this history affords a full decision on this point; and perhaps the establishment of that truth on sensible evidence was one of the purposes of Samuel's appearance on this occasion. Dr. Delaney.

13.-I saw gods ascending] The Hebrew word Elohim (here translated gods) is often taken in the singular a god, or a great person; and so it should have been rendered here. Dr. Wall. Others translate the words, I saw a judge. Bp. Patrick, Locke. A person like a judge. Dr. Wells. Or, if the plural be retained, we must suppose that, in order to raise Saul's attention, and his opinion of her art and power, she pretends that she saw 66 gods" rising out of the earth, as if she had brought up several ghosts by her enchantments. Dr. Chandler.

15.- and God is departed from me,] We should well observe, from the history now before us, how miserable, how melancholy a thing it is, for a man to have sinned

21 ¶ And the woman came unto Saul, and saw that he was sore troubled, and said unto him, Behold, thine handmaid hath obeyed thy voice, and I have put my life in my hand, and have hearkened unto thy words which thou spakest unto me.

22 Now therefore, I pray thee, hearken thou also unto the voice of thine handmaid, and let me set a morsel of bread before thee; and eat,

to such a degree, as to be entirely abandoned by God, and to have the best friend in the world become his enemy. There is no condition so disconsolate, so deplorable, as that is; there is no expedient that can help him, when so circumstanced, no contrivance that will not turn against him, and increase his misery instead of relieving it. What could unhappy Saul do, under his pressing difficulties? God would not assist him, and no one else could. He might think of his court-flatterers, and of his ablest counsellors, and of his troops and armies; but nothing in this world could give him comfort or afford him relief. Then he thought of deceased Samuel, whom he had often slighted and despised, when alive; and was even foolish enough to imagine, that he could steal a favour from God's servant Samuel, when he could not obtain one from God Himself. Let this sad example convince every man who attends to it, how impossible, how impracticable it is, to lay any scheme of happiness that shall at all answer, without first taking care to make God his friend. Without this, every toil and endeavour must come to nothing. What can any man do, when God becomes his enemy, or but ceases to be his friend? Though he search the whole universe for a moment's protection, yet all is to no purpose for all is in God's hands: to Him all creatures bow, and every element submits to his will and pleasure. Dr. Waterland.

19. - to morrow shalt thou &c.] "To morrow," that is, not the next day, but very shortly, shalt thou and thy sons be as I am, or amongst the dead. Bp. Patrick. I have put my life in my hand,] I have exposed my life to hazard, by letting thee know I practise arts of divination. Dr. Wells.

21.

The Amalekites spoil Ziklag.

Before CHRIST

And the Philistines went up to Jezabout 1056. reel.

CHAP. XXX.

1 The Amalekites spoil Ziklag. 4 David ask ing counsel is encouraged by God to pursue them. 11 By the means of a revived Egyptian he is brought to the enemies, and recovereth all the spoil. 22 David's law to divide the spoil equally between them that fight and them that keep the stuff. 26 He sendeth presents to his friends.

AND it came to pass, when David

and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire:

2 And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their

way.

3¶ So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives.

4 Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.

5 And David's two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.

6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was + Heb. bitter. † grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.

or betraying his benefactor. The alternative was indeed distressful to Achish he owed allegiance; for protection exacts allegiance-but to Saul he owed more. Dr. Delaney. What peculiar Providence was here, that David should be delivered out of his great strait, of either being false to his patron, or fighting against Saul and his own nation. Bp. Wilson.

Chap. XXX. ver. 8. And David enquired at the Lord,] David on this occasion shewed his piety in consulting the Lord to know what he was to do. And God having ordered him to pursue the Amalekites, he recovered all that they had taken away, delivered his wives, and took from them a considerable booty. By these means the evil that befell David turned to his advantage, and to his greater glory; and thus, those who in their troubles make the will of God their rule and guide, never fail to experience his favour and protection. Ostervald.

Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake] At the time when this answer was given, the accomplishment of it was highly improbable; for the Amalekites were

9 So David went, he and the six hundred men that were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those that were left behind stayed.

10 But David pursued, he and four hundred men: for two hundred abode behind, which were so faint that they could not go over the brook Besor.

11 ¶ And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he did eat; and they made him drink water;

12 And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins: and when he had eaten, his spirit came again to him: for he had eaten no bread, nor drunk any water, three days and three nights.

13 And David said unto him, To whom belongest thou? and whence art thou? And he said, I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; and my master left me, because three days agone I fell sick.

14 We made an invasion upon the south of the Cherethites, and upon the coast which belongeth to Judah, and upon the south of Caleb ; and we burned Ziklag with fire.

15 And David said to him, Canst

greatly superiour in number to David's forces: the route which they had taken was uncertain, and the chance of recovering the booty they had taken very small; still the oracle was positive, full, and express, and the success was answerable. Dr. Chandler.

12.

a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins:] In the history of the piratical states of Barbary, it is said, concerning an expedition of some of the natives, "Their temperance is admirable: some meal, a few figs and raisins, which they carry in a goat's skin, serve them a seven or eight days' journey." This is similar to the account here given by the sacred writer, of the provisions carried by David and his men in their expedition against the Amalekites, as appears by what they gave the poor famished Egyptian. The bread of the Israelites answers to the meal of Barbary; and the figs and raisins are what the Moors carry at this day. Harmer.

the south of Caleb ;] We read no where else of this land: it means, probably, the south part of Judah, which was given to Caleb. Josh. xiv. 13. Bp. Patrick.

Saul killeth himself.

Before CHRIST

about 1056.

+ Heb.

Abinadab, and Melchi-shua, Saul's

sons.

3 And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers + hit him; and he was sore wounded of the Heb. found archers.

shooters, men with bows.

him.

|| Or mock

me.

4 Then said Saul unto his armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me. But his armourbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword, and fell upon it.

5 And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise upon his sword, and died with him.

6 So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armourbearer, and all his men, that same day together.

7¶ And when the men of Israel that were on the other side of the valley, and they that were on the other side Jordan, saw that the men of Israel fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook the cities,

to the Divine will; yet still there seems to be a direction of Providence in suffering him to be slain, that David might more easily come to the throne. For, though Jonathan might have made a voluntary surrender of the throne, yet, as he was the people's favourite, there might have been some who would not allow of it. Stackhouse. In the story of Jonathan and David, we see an instance of friendship properly founded, and animated with warmth and tenderness: conducted too with prudence as well as warmth. Jonathan saw enough, in the virtues and distresses of David, to excite his love and pity; yet he conducted himself not only with a friendly regard to the merits and distresses of David, but with a filial regard to him who was the author of that distress. He followed the call of friendship, but not beyond the call of allegiance to his father. We hear little more of Jonathan, after his separation from David when in exile; but it is easy to conclude, that, by remaining with his father, he had more opportunities of serving him than if he had followed him into exile. If he had gone to David, he must have struggled, not only with the envy of a jealous king, but with the resentment of an injured father; and would have lost the merit of his friendship in the guilt of rebellion against his father. By remaining at home, he could watch his father's heart, improve every favourable sentiment he saw rise within it, and soften, if not suppress the malignant ones. In short, Jonathan chose, not only the most honourable, but the most important post of friendship, from whence he could dispense the several benefits which flow from the united character of a great man, a true subject, and a faithful friend. Dr. H. Stebbing. Who can fail to drop a tear over the faithful, the amiable, the excellent Jonathan! There are few characters among men more amiable or more extraordinary: he was endowed with fortitude, fidelity, magnanimity, a soul susceptible of the most refined friendship, yet superiour to all the temptations of ambition and vanity; and all these crowned with the most resigned submission to the will of God. Dr. Delaney.

The Philistines triumph.

and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them.

8 And it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen in mount Gilboa.

9 And they cut off his head, and stripped off his armour, and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to publish it in the house of their idols, and among the people.

10 And they put his armour in the house of Ashtaroth; and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan.

Before CHRIST about 1056.

11 And when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard || of that which Or, conthe Philistines had done to Saul;

12 All the valiant men arose, and went all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, and came to Jabesh, and burnt them there.

C

cerning him.

b Jer. 34. 5.

13 And they took their bones, and buried them under a tree at Jabesh, e 2 Sam. 2. 4. and fasted seven days.

4. - unto his armourbearer,] It is the constant tradition of the Jews, that this armourbearer was Doeg. Dr. Delaney.

·lest these uncircumcised come &c.] He was afraid they might put him to some ignominious death, or make sport with him as they did with Samson. Bp. Patrick.

6. So Saul died,] There is nothing to commend in the manner of Saul's death. He died, not gallantly fighting, but by his own hand: he died, not as a hero, but as a deserter. Self-murder is manifestly the effect of cowardice, and it is as irrational and iniquitous as it is base. God, whose creatures we are, is the sole Arbiter, as He is the sole Author of life: our lives are his property, and He has given us our country, our family, and our friends: thus, besides the injury done to our fellow-creatures in a variety of relation, the act of selfmurder incurs the heavy guilt of desertion of the post assigned to us by God, and of rebellious disobedience to his commands. Dr. Delaney.

9.—in the house of their idols,] That they might give thanks to their gods for the victory they had obtained. Bp. Patrick.

10.

in the house of Ashtaroth:] The custom of dedicating to the gods the spoils of a conquered enemy, and placing them in their temples as a trophy of victory, is extremely ancient. Frequent instances of it are mentioned in the Greek and Roman writers. See note at chap. xxi. 9.

and they fastened his body] To expose it to publick shame and reproach, as we do the bodies of great malefactors. Bp. Patrick.

Beth-shan.] A city in the tribe of Manasseh : to this place the people of Jabesh might march (ver. 12.) in the course of a night. Bp. Patrick.

13. —fasted seven days.] As a token and expression of great sorrow. Bp. Patrick.

The death of Saul is well deserving of our serious attention. This prince, who had been chosen by God to the throne, and who began his reign so well, made a