LORD, nor executedſt his fierce wrath upon Ama- lek 1, therefore hath the LORD done this thing unto
thee this day.
1 He mentions this as an eminent inſtance of his diſobedience.
19 Moreover, the LORD will aiſo deliver * tral with thee, into the hand of the Philiſtines : and to morrow. ſhalt thou ard thy ſons be with me m : the LORD ſhall deliver the hoſt of Iſrael into the hand cf the Philiſtines.
2 i: e. In the ſtate of the dead ; and fo it was true both of Sau! and Jonathan, Or, in the ſtate of reſt : For though thou ſhalt ſuffer here for thy ſin,yet after death thou ſhalt be happy, as dying in the Lord's Quarrel ſo the Devil's deſign mighr be to tlatter Saul into an opinion of his own furure happinefs, and to take him off from all {crious thoughts and cares about ar. obſervable Thar as it was the manner of the Heathen Oracles to an- ſwer ambiguouſly, the better to fave his credit in caſe of miſtake, (the Devil himſelf nor being certain of future events, but only con- jeQuring at what was moſt likely) : ſo doth this counterfeit Samue! here. For, as concerning the time, he 1ays to morrow : whach he underſtood indifferently for the very next day, or tor ſome ſhort time after. And, as concerning the condition, thou ſhalt be with me ; Which may be underſtood either of a good condition, if un- derſtood as ſpoken in the Perſon of Samuel ; or, of a bad condi- tion, if underſtood as ſpoken by an evil Spirit ; or, at leaſt inde
| finitly of a dead 'condition,be ir good or evil : which laſt he fore- ſaw by circumſtances to be very like)y.
20 Then Saul 7 fell ſtraighrway all along on the
| mace Fa#t exrth », and was ſore afraid, becauſe of the words of
Samuel, and there was no ſtrength in him : for-he had caten no bread all the day. nor all the night.
» Being quite diſ-ſpirited with theſe {ad and ſurprizing ridings, and ſo unable to ſtand.
21 T And the woman came unto Saul s, 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.
o From whom ſhe departed, whea ſhe had brought him and $Sa- muel together, that they might more freely converſe together, as being alone.
22 Now therefore, I pray thee, hearken thou alſo unto the voice of thine hand-maid p, and Jet me ſet a morſel of bread before thee 3 and eat, that thou may- eſ{t have ſtrength when thou goeſt on thy way.
Þ This earneſtneſs did not come meerly from her humanity and reſpe& to Saul, but from a prudent and neceffary care of her ſelf, becauſe if Saul! had died in her Houſe, his Blood would have been charged upon her.
23 Bur he refuſed, and faid I will not eat, Bur his ſervants, together w.th che woman, compelled him q, and he hearkened unto their voice : ſo he aroſe from the earth, and ſat upon the bed.
. 9 4. e. Did over-periwade him,by importunate intreaties,as the next words ſhew.
24 And the woman had a fart calf in the houſe, and ſhe haſted, and killed ic, and took flour, and kneaded zt, and did bake unleavened bread r thereof.
7 Not haviog time to Leaven it. -
25 And ihe brought i: before Saul, and before his ſervants, and they did- cat: then they roſe up, and went away that night /.
J 3. e. Before Morning. For he came by Night,v 8. and went
away before Day ; not willing to have ir diſcovered that he had conſulted with a Witch. "I | CH A P. XXIX. David marching with the Philiſtines : Is diſallowed by their Princes : Achiſb pleadeth for him, and. againft his Will, diſmiſſith him, 1==7, He expoſtulateth with Achiſb, 8, His Anſwer, 9, 10. David de- parteth 11. OW the Philiſtines gathered together all their armies to Aphek # : and thg Iſraelites pitched by a fountain which #z- in Jezreel.
And it is here |
M QD E LT.
a Fither, that in the Tribe of 4ſher, 7of. 19. 24+ or rather ano- ther Town of that Name of 1/achar, though not mentioned elfſe- where in Scripture ; this being the caſe of many places,to be but once named. ORs |
2 And the lords of the Philiſtines paſſed on by hun- dreds, and by thouſands : but David, and his men paſ- {ed on the rereward with Achiſh b.
b i. e. As the Life-guard of Ach.ſb, as he had promiſed,chap,2$.2, Ach;ſh being, aL ir ſcems, the General of the Army.
3 Then ſaid the princes of the Philiſtines c, What do theſe Hebrews here ? And Achiſh ſaid unto the princes of the Philiſtines, 7s not*this David the ſervant of Saul the king of Iſrael, which hath been with me
no fault in him, ſince he fell wnts me day.
ES |
were confederate with him in this expedition. 4 Q. d. did I fay Days ? I might have faid Nears ; either becauſe he hath now been with me # full Year and four Months. 27: 7: or becauſe he was with me ſome Years ago, 1 Sam; 21: 10. and fince that time hath been known to me- And it 1s not improbable, but David, after his eſcape from thence, might hold ſome correſpondency with Achiſb, as finding him to be a Man of more generous Temper than the reſt of the Philiſtines, and ſuppoſing that he might have need of him for a Refuge in cafe Saul continued to ſeek his Life. .". 7. e. Since he revolted, or lefr his own King to turn to me. For that ſenſe Achiſb put upon this eſcape of David ( as it is called chap. 27. 1. ) and fo is the Phraſe of falling to a party, elſewhere uſed, W437. 43, bt: : 1*N* .
4 And the princes of the Philiſtines were wroth with him e, and the princes of the Philiſtines ſaid unto him, * Make this feliow return, that he may go again to his place which thou haſt appointed -him f, and let him not go down with us to batrel, leſt in the battel he be an adveriary to us : for wherewith ſhould he reconcile n1mfeilf unto his maſter ? ſhow/d it not be with the heads of theſe men g ?