OZ will by my ſecret Providence ſo diſpoſe of matters, and of the Hearts of $#:l and his Father, that Saul ſthal come to thee, though with another delign- g For though they were now moſt preſſ=<d with the Gmmmites, as we read Chap: 12; 12. yet they looked upon theſe as a Land-Flood, which they hoped would be foon up, and ſoon down again * but the Phil:fines, their conſtanty invererace, and j areſt Enemies, they moſt dreaded. And from theſe Saul did in' mas ſave themy and ſhould have ſaved them much more, ifhis and the Peoples manifold fins had not hindredit- þ To wir, with Compaſſion and Reſolution to help them. An uſual Synedg- che. i i.e» Their earneſt Prayers to me for help.
P . 17 And when Samuel ſaw Saul, the LORD ſaid nn- to him &, Behold the man whom 1 {pake to thee of; this
all f reign over my people. _ | —_— , * Saha 15. by fecret inſtinQ, ſo as none but
LL SA4MUE TI.
4 man of Go, which ſignified the ſame thing. 9 Becauſe |
£ Otherwiſe, F:aft . Bur it ſeems |
he Gould hear Its
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18 Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate 7, and faid, Tell me, I pray thee, where the Seers houſe 75 BS Ty
I The Gare, either Firft, Of Samue!'s Houſe. But he was Come out thence before, v. 14. Or rather, Secondly, Of the City, for the word Gate being put by its ſelf, according to reaſon and” com- mon uſe, muſt be underſtood of the moſt eminent in irs kind, which the Gare of the City is. And through this Gate Samuc! ſ:ems now to have been paſſing to go to the High-place, which probably was without the City : andthere he makes a ſtand, to hear what theſe Perſons now approaching to him were about ro ſpeak;
19 And Samuel anſwered Saul, and ſaid, I am the Seer : Go up before me unto the high place, for ye ſhall eat with me to day, and to morrow I will ler thee go, and will tell thee all that 5s in thine hearc ”m; I |
m Eitherall that thou deſiceſt to know, as concerning the Aſſes : or rather, the ſecret thoughts of thy hearr, or ſuch a&ions as none know but God and thy own heart; that ſo thou mayeſt be aſſured of the truth and certainty of that which I am to acquaint thee rae And this might be done, though it be not here particularly relared.
'20 And as for thine aſſes that were loſt + three days ago, ſet not thy mind on them », for they are found: And F on whom 3s all the defire of Ifracl o ? on thee, and on all thy fathers houſe p ?
» Trouble nor thy mind about them. 0 Who is he that ſhal be
f Heb: day thre
is it not days, T Gr: for
whom are
that thing or Perſon which all 1/-ael d:ſi-e to have, to wit, a King? the deſrabl
Þ That Henour :s deſigned for thee, and after Family or Poſterity, if by thy ſin thou doft tail. 2t And Saulanſwered and ſaid, 4m not I a * Ben- jamute, of the ſmalleſt of the tribes of. Iſrael 9 } and my family the leaſt of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin r ? wherefore then ſpeakeſt thou + fo to me /?
7 For ſo indeed this was, having been a!l cut off except 6ooy Juages 20. which Blow they never Recovered, and therefore they were ſcare reckcned as an intire Tribey but only as a Remnant or Fragment of a Tribe ; and being Ingrafted into Judah, in the diviſion berween the Ten Tnbes and the Two, they in ſome ſort loſt their Name, and th:y, together with Judah, were accounted but on Tribe, as 1 Kings 11; 32, +" 7 le. Que of the leaſt ; obſcure and incon- liderable, in compariſon of divers others. Whence it may ſeem that Saul's Family was not ſo Noble and Wealrhy, as ſome imagine. os on v: 1- { Why doſt thou feed me with vain hopes of che King«
om ?
22 AndSamuel took Saul and his ſervant s, and brought them into the parlour, and made them ſit in the Chicfeſt place « among them that were bidden, which were about thirty perſons.
t Whom he honoured for Saul's ſake: thereby both giving all the Gueſts ccafion to think how great that perſon was, or ſhould be, whoſe very Servant was advanced above the Chief perfons of the City, who were doubrleſs preſent upon this occaſion ; and ſhewing how far himfelf was from envying Saul thar Honour and power, which was to be tranſlated from him to Saul. u Thereby to raiſe all their exp-Qation, and to prepare them for giving that Honour ts Saul, which his approaching Dignity required, :
23 And Samuel faid unto the cook, Bring the porti- on which I gave thee x, of which I ſaid unto thee, Set it by thee.
* Or, I appointed or diſpoſed to thee ; i. e«» which TI bad thee reſerve for this uſt.
24 And the cook took up the ſhoulder y, and that which 5-45 upon it 2, and ſer it before Saul s and Samuel ſaid, Behold, that which is |}left «, ſer ir before thee and eat: for unto this time b hath it been kept for thee fence I faid c, I have invited the people d: ſo Saul did eat with Samuel that day.