6 If thy father at all mils me 7, then ſay, David ear- neſtly asked leave of me m, that he might run to Beth- | FOr, feaſt. lehem his city », for there 55 4 yearly || ſacrifice o there for all the family ® _ TR
1 Oueſt. How could David imagine that Saul would expe&t his Company, whom he had once and again endeavoured to kill? An). Firſt, He might ſuppoſe that David would aſcribe al] that to his Madueſs and frantick Fits, which being over, .he would promiſe
think that Saul would indeed exp=& him to Fraſt with him, con- lidering his late and great danger from Saul; bur that Saul would mzke uſe of this prete<nce, and require his preſence, thar he mighr lay hoid upoa him ; and therefore he deſired to try the Experiment. » Who being the Kings Son and Deputy, uſed to give Licence to Military Men to depart for a ſeaſon upon juſt occaſions. mn i.e. The
was offered up in ſome high place there yearly; upon iome ſpecial ccczfion nor mentioned in Scripture, which was accompanied with a Feaſt : or, a yearly ; p Whercin all the Members rf our Family uſed to meet frogerher, when they will earneſtly expe& me above others, and w:1! charge me with Pride and Unnaturaineſs, if I negle& their Invitation.
7 If he ſay thus, I: 3s well, thy ſervant ſhall have
peace : but if he be verywroth hen be ſure q that evil is determined by him.
Heb. know thou : For indeed David knew well enongh that Saul defigned ro kill him ; but he uſeth this courſe for Jenarhans Informa- tion and Satisfaftion, and for his own greater Vindication, if he did wholly withdraw himſelf from Sau; and from his Wife ; which he forelaw he ſhould be forced ro do. } WET
8 Therefore thou ſhalt deal kindly with thy ſervant r:
* Chap. for * thou haft brought thy ſervant into a covenant of 18.3:& the LORD [with thee: notwithſtanding, if there be 23- +8. in me iniquity, flay me thy ſelf :: for why ſhouldeſt thou bring me to thy father « ?
7 In giviig metimely notice, and a true 2ccotint of Saul; Diſpo- ſition and Intention rowards mes ſ i.e. A ſolemn Covenant, not
[
himſelf ſfery in the Kings preſcnce. Second'y, David might nor | comprehending their Poſterity. And therefore as Jonathan ſpeaks
place of his Birth ard Education, Jon 7.4%. 0 A Sacrifice which ;
Feaft, as the Hebrew word 1s ſometimes uſed. |.
David did faithfully inform him of the whole Truth, as may be g-ti.ered both from the. words here following, and from chap. 23. 17. And that thek;.owledge hereof did not raife Jealouſie, and En« vy, and Rage in him, who was the next Heir of the Crown, as it did in his Father, muſt be aſcribed ro Jonathars Piery towards God, to whoſe diſpoſal he chearfully ſubmitted himſelf, and to his lincere Friensſhip to David, in whole happineſs he rejoyced as in his own.
14 And thou ſhalt not only while yetT live, ſhew me
the kindneſs of the LORD c, that T die not d; c Or, Aud wiltſt ch mt, if T ſhall then be alive, ( to wit, when he Lerd ſball be with thee, as he hath been wiih my Father, as he now ſaid;
him : ) yea, wil:ſt thou not ( the ſame Particle twice repeated for af< ſeveration ; i. e. Tam well afſured thar thou wiltſt ) ſhew me 1he kinds neſs of the Lord ; 1. e. either ſuch kindneſs as the Lord hath ſhewed to thee in/preſerving thy Life in the midſt of ſo many, and ſuch great Dangers : or, that kindneſs ro which thou haſt engaged thy ſe'f, in the Covenant Sworn between thce and me in Gods preſence. d That thou do nor kill me or mine, as Princes of anctker Line uſe to kill the neareſt Relations of the former Lint from whom the Kingdom was tranſlated ro them; which they de either by way of
Revenge, or in Policy,and reaſon of State, to ſecure the Kingdom to themſelves.
hath cut off the enemies of David, every one from the face of the earth f.
e Heſaith not, 'the kindngſs ef the Lord, as before, becauſe the Co. venant b<tween them ſeems to have been only Perſona), and nor
cenfidently of his own preſcrvation by virtue of that Covenant - ſo te here lays this acdiriona] Obligation upon David, That he would extend his kindneſs to all his Progeny. f Which he will certainly do without exception of Saul my Father, and thoſe of his Children who have joyned, or ſhall joyn with him in his Hoſtilities and Cruelties againſt Davida. And by this word, Enemies, he implies tie realonableneſs of his Requeſt, becauſe Jonathan was none of thax number, and therefore not to ke treated as ſuch.
16 So Jonathan f made a ceverant with the houſe of David g, ſayirg, Let the LORD even require jt at the hand of Davids enemies h. £ The Cevenant which before was Perſonal, he now e
the whole Houſe cf David, expeCting a reciprocal "hs ams of it on Davids ſide, which dcubtleſs he obrained. þ Iteither I or any of my Houſe ſhall break this Covenant, and fhall prove Ene« mies to David or to his Houſe, let the Lord, the Witneſs ofthis Co. venant, ſeverely puniſh the Violators of it, whoever they are. O= thers thus : Let the Lord require and puniſh the breach of this Coe venant in Dav.d. if he break ir, But becauſe ir was emnious and reproackful ro ſuppoſe ſuch a thing of David, by a Figure called
| Euphemiſmus , he names Davids Enemies for David ; as they alſo ex«
pound 1 S477. 25. 22. But the former ſenſe ſeems more probable,
' becauſe this Verſe contains only Jenathans Stipulation or Covenanz
withDavid and hisHouſe,which being exprefled in the former part of it, 1s in this Jatter part confirmed by the uſual form of Imprecati« on ; and the Reſtipulation cr Coverant of David to Jonathan and his Houſe, is mentioned in the next Verſe, Yet may that other ſenſe ſtand well enough ; taking theſe words for Jonathan; Adjuration of David to be kind to him, cenfirmed with an Imprecation in caſe ke
lightly undertaken, bur ſeriouſly entred into, in the name and fear
breaks it. #t IT am contented thou ſhouldeſt kill me. « Why ſhoul- d-{t rhou betray me to thy Father, by concealing his evil intenti- ons from me ?. |
9 And Jonathan faid, Far be it from thee x * for if | I knew certainly, that evil were determined by my fa- ther to come upon thee, then would not [ tell itthee ? |
x I abhor the thoughts of either killing thee my ſe)}f, or giving | thee up to my Father ro ſlay thee. |
10 Thenſaid David to Jonathan, Who ſhall tell me? or what if thy father anſwer thee roughly ?
y By what means or Meſſenger ſhall I underitand rhis? for perad- venture thou wilt not be able ro come to me thy {c]F.