Nahaſb beſiegeth them of Jabeſb-Gilead: offereth them a reproackful condie tion ; they have ſeven days granted them to conſult and ſeek relief; they ſend meſſengers to Saul, 1, —- 5, He is provoked : ſends meſſengers to all the Iſraelites to come in to their help ; they come to the number of three hundred and thirty thouſand men, 6, — $8. He ſends word to the beſieged, who deceive Nahaſh : who with his army u ſlain, 9,—x114, The people | are ready t0 ſlay Sauls enemtes; in which he oppoſeih them ; he us inveſ- | ed in the kingdom at Gilgal, 12,-—15. |
Hen a Nahaſh the Ammonite b came up c, and en- | b by wy againſt Jabeſh-Gilead d: and all the men | of Jabeſh {aid unto Nahaſh, Make a covenant with use,
and we will ſerve thee f.
a 1 e. About that time ; this Particle being uſed in ſome Latitude, as is frequent for that this happened before, and was the occaſion of their deſireof a King, may ſeem from chap. 12: 12, Although it + is poſſible. that Nahafb his preparation, and declared intention of Warring againſt them, might cauſe thar deſire, and that Ns+aſh did not attually come againſt them ( which is here related ) rill their King was choſen. 6 Either the ſame with him, 2 Same 10: 2:0r his Father and Predeceſſor- c To war, probably to revenge and to re- cover their former great Joſs by Zephthah, Judg. 11; 33. d Which
* Joſh
was beyond Jordan, and near the Ammoniter, who dwelt in part of Arabia.
Chap. " Y
Ieb, the 7 livk
* Chap
| Or,bt: PAs A rbough bt bad bia deafe
T.
e To wit, upon good Conditions, ſoas we ſhall enjoy our Religicn and Properties. f In other things we will be thy SubjeQs and Tributaries. The occaſion of this offer was, that they ſaw no likeliho:d of relief from their Brethren the Jraebtesin Canaan, who were remote from them, and then weak and divided, and ſcarceable to defend them(elves from the Philiſiines.
> And Nahath the Ammonite anſwered them, On f1-b.cut. this condition will I T make 4 covenant with you, that I $Exod- may thruſt out all your right eyes g, and lay it for are-
23-32» proach upon all Ifrael. |
Gen- g Partly for a Reproach,' as it here follows ; and partly, to diſa-
15. 18 112 them from managing offenſive Weapons in Batrel ; fortheir letr
or chiefly for Defence, being covered by thoſe
XI.
Ara bit.
1.3415. 1:1 ſerved only, , Shields which then they uſed, and held 1n their lefr i and. He laves them one Eye, that they might be fit ro lerve him in any
raean and baſe Othces : ; ;
Heb 2 And the elders of Jabeſh ſaid unro him, # Give us rec »s. ſeven days reſpite b, thatwe may ſend meſlengers unto | all the coaſts of Iſrael: and then, if zhere be no man to
ſave us, we will come out to. thee.
h Which it is very probable, and Joſephus and others affirms That Nahaſb granted, out of a fooliſh ſelf-confidence, and contempt of the broken Condition of the Iſraelites, which he choughe utterly un- able to give them any relief ; ar leaſt, in a thort time.
4 { Then came the meſſengers to Gibeah of Saul z, and told the ridings in the ears of the people : and all the people lift up their voices, and wept &,
; Partly, becauſe it was not far from'them ; and partly, becauſe it belonged to the Benjamites, who had a ſpecial Obligation to rake more care of that place from whence they had their Wives, Judges 21-10, &c- And partly, becauſe Saul, their new choſen King, was there. & Both in compaſſion towards them, and for fear of themſelves, 1c{ ir ſhould ſhortly be their own Lot.
5 And behold. Saul came after the herd out of the field /, and Saul ſaid, Whar azlerh the people that they weep ? and they told him the tidings of the men of Jabelh. - Ou,
1 For being only anointed King and not publ:ickly inaugurated, nor owned, nor preſented by the generality of the people, nor ha- ving yet had opportunity of doing any thing worthy of his place, he rhought fir to forbear all Royal State, and to retire to his former private, and Country Life, which, howſoever deſpiſed in theſe lat- rer, vain, ambirious, and flothful Ages of the World, was ancient- ly in great eſteem among the Greeks and Romans, whoſe princes and Generals did frequently exerciſe themſelves in it. Though ſome conceive that he now lived in ſome State, and that he had been in the fields only to recreate himſeif, and that his coming after the Herd was but accidental, and is mentioned only to uſher in what follows of the yoke of Oxen.
6 And the Spiric of God came upon Saul 2, when he heard thoſe tidings, and his anger was kindled greatly 7. : :
m Inſpiring him ſuddenly with more than ordinary Courage, and 7Z:al, and Reſolution, to ingage himſelf and the p:ople fer: their Reſcue. Compare Juag, 3- 10. and 6. 34. and ti: 29. » Againſt Na+ajb. for ſo inſolent and barbarous a propoſition.
7 And he took a yoke of oxen, and hewed them in pieces. and ſent them throughout all the coaſts of 1f- rael o, by the hand of meſſengers, ſaving, Whoſvever cometh not forth after Saul, and after Samuel p, fo ſhall it be done unto his oxen: and the fear of the LORD 9
+ Heb, fell on the people, and they came out F with one con- as one 10a ſeat.
o Wiſely conſidering, that the fight of Mens Eyes do much more affe& their hearts,than what they on'y hear with their Ears. þ Whom he joyns with himſelf, both becauſe he was preſent wich him; as appears from v- 12. and that hereby he might gain the more Autho- rity to his Command.and ſtrike the greaterTerror into all Deſpiſers of it. q Either, 1. A great fear ; great things being oft thus ex- preſſed ; as Cedars of God, Mountains of God, &c. Or, 2. A ſear ſent
2 - uponthem by God, as Ger, 35+ 5. that they ſhould not dare ro deny their help. 8 And whenhe numbred them in Bezek, the chil- dren of [Iſrael were three hundred thouſand r, and the men of Judah thirty thouſand s.
7 This great Terror drew ſo many forth : which is not ſo ſtrange
to hm that knows what none deny, That the Land of Canaan con-