4 And the men of David ſaid unto him e, Behold, the day of which the LORD ſaid unto thee, Behold, E will deliver thine enemy into thine hand, that thou | mayeſt do to him, as it ſhall ſeem good unto thee f. Then David aroſe and cut off the skirt of + Sauls robe privily g.
e Buef. How came it to paſs that Saul did not hear the Debates of David and his Men? Arſw. Firſt, The greater noiſe of Sar!s Menand Horſes juſt by the Caves mouth, might eaſily drown the leſſer. Secondly, Fhere were in theſe large and capacious Caves, ſeveral Cells or Parts, whereof ſome were more inward and remote from the Caves mouth, in which they might freely converſe and diſcourſe, and yer neither be heard nor ſeer: by Sas!, though they could eaſily ſee him, and obſerve all his poſtures and 2&iens, be- cauſe he was in the mouth of the Cave. Thirdly, Saul might be | aſleep, as hath been diſcourſed. # Nor that cither God faid theſe
| S & & vor ds
where was a cave, and * Saul went in to cover his feet c: * Pla!.57.\ title, and | I4
and particularly in the Engl:ſþ Tongue at this day, in which the uſe _
@ ©, #2
2 tisie,
p Heb. the robs which was Savls.
Chap. XXIV. I. S 4
Je any ſuch particular promiſe, as ſome apprehend ; | | vor - Hoyer DT abedioa upon thoſe confeſſed and known Pro- | miſes which God had made to him, of delivering ham from all x Enemies, and carrying him through all hinderances and va me | ties to the Throne and Kingdom: Which promiſe they conceivec | put him under an Obligation of watching and taking all __— | ties which God by his providence ſhould pur into his hand fort - accompliſhment, whereaf this was an eminent Inftance. g _ How could David do thus, and Saul not perceive it ? ſw. Eult, This might be ſome looſe and upper Garment, which Sau! might then Jay at ſome diſtance from him, as we oft do on the ſame OC- liq caſion. Secondly, In thoſe vaſt Caves there were divers particular "| Cells and Rooms which were diſtin& one from another, yet ſo as if there were ſecrer paſſzges from one to anorher, as may be _ red from the relations of Hiſtorians and Travellers. Atthe —_— of one of theſe, Saul might lay his upper Garment : which Dav: perceiving, and very well knowing all the Cells and paſſages of _ Cave, might go ſome ſecret way to its and cut off a little part © It. Thiidiy, The noiſe which Davidsmotion might be tuppoted ro make, was but ſmall, and that he well knew would be perfeQly drowned with the far greater noiſe of Sauls Army, which lay at rhe mouth of the Cave. Fourthly, The Heroical Attions of great Men in Scripture are not to be meaſured by cominon Rules. And as di- vers of the Prophets and Saints of old were in ſome of their Ati- ons, ſo David might be 1n this, moved to it by a ſecret and divine impulſe, which alſo gave bim confidence of Gods afliſtance therein, and of the ſucceſs of his Enterprize. Fifthly, This difficulty dorh perfely vaniſh, if Saul was now afleep. And as no man can prove that he was not ; ſo that he was, may ſeem probable from what 1s | ſaid on v. 3.
* , Sam. F And it came to paſs afrerwards, that * Davids heart | 24-10 ſmote him, becauſe he had cut off Sauls ski:t 6. | ; þ Not only becauſe it was injurious, and reproachful, and dan- gerous to the King ; bur poſſibly becauſe he had ſome ſecret chought of doing more to him, though he ſuppreſſed and overcame it ; for he art:mpred this in purſuance of his Souldiers ſuggeſtion, v, 4. which if followed would have carried him to further ACtion.
6 And he ſaid unto his men z, The LORD forbid
that I ſhould do this thing k unto my malter / the LORDS anointed, to ſtretch forth mine hand againſt him »», ſeing he is the anointed of the LORD ».
; Either, Firſt, Before he cut off 5auls lap. Or rather, Second- ly, Afterwards, when he returned with Sauls lap in his hand, and his Souldiers were enraged that he had not alled him. k Which you Perſwade me to do, even cut off Saul. I Whom 1 muſt ſtill own for my Sovereign Lord and King, to whom I owe Allegiance whilſt he lives, although sfter his death the right of the Kingdom be mine. m Towit, to kill-him. A Synecdochical expreſſion. See Gen. 37. 22. x. i» e Anointed by God to the K-ngdom ; by which UnQtion his Perſon was made Sacred and Invioiable,and is fo to be accounted by me, and youz and all hisSubje&s. And 2s God only Exalted him, and God only could pronounce a Sentence of Deprivation ef his Kingdom againſt him ; ſo it beiongsto God only to execute hisown Sentence, and aQually to Depoſe 1m. ;
+ Heb 7 So David © ſtayed o his ſervants with theſe words, cur of and ſuffered them not to riſe againſt Saul : but Saul roſe up out of the Cave, and went on his way.
0 Heb. cut, or clave, or divided, or cut them of The word notes borh the eagerneſs and violence of Davias Men in proſecuting their Defire, and Davids reſoluteneſs in oppoſing them, as it were, b force. Whercin he ſhews great Piety, and Generoſity, and Loyalty to Saul.
$ David alſo aroſe afterward, and went out of the cave, and cried after Saul, ſaying, My lord the king, And when Saul looked behind him, David ſtooped with i his tace tothe earth, and bowed himſelf. U * Pl: 9 4 And David faid unto Saul, * Wherefore hear- 141.6. eſt thou mens words p, ſaying, Behold, David ſceketh thy hurt ? þ He prudently and modeſtly tranſlates the fault from Saul to his followers, and evil Counſellors.
10 Behold, this day thine eyes have ſeen, how that
the LORD hath delivered thee to day into mine hand
* 2 Sam. jn the cave: and ſome bade me kill thee, but * mine eye 13-139. q ſpared thee, and I aid, I will nor put forth mine * *-* hand againſt my lord, for he is the LORDS anoin-
ted. g Which words are eaſily underſtood both from the nature of
the thing, and from the uſe of this Phraſe in other Scriptures, as Deut. 7. 16. and 13- 8+ The Eye is ſaid to ſpare, becaule it affeQs the Heart with pity, and moves a Man to ſpare. |
1x Moreover, my father r, See, yea, ſee the $kirt of thy robe in my hand : for in that I cut off the $kirt of thy robe, and killed thee not, know thou and ſee, that thereis neither evil nor tranſgreflion in mine hand /. and I have nor ſinned againſt thee ; yet thou hunteſt
my ſoul to take it. ;