he ſaid, Unto Hebron. | | a By Urim, as 1 Sam. 23. 6, 9. and 30. 7, 8. Thus David be- gins at the right end, and lays his Foundation in God's Counſel and Aſſiſtance, which now he ſeeks. b He asketh nor whether he ſhould Take the Kingdom ; for that was appointed and known before ; and he would not offend God, nor diſhonour his Ordinance with frivo- Jous and unneceſſary enquiries; bur only where he ſhould enter upon it; Whether in 7uaah, as he ſuppoſed, becauſe of his Rela- tion to that Tribe, and his intereſt init; Or, whether in ſome 0- ther Tribe: For he doth nor limit God, but reſolves exattly to follow his Counſels, c Which was next to Jeruſalem (part where- of the Jebuſtes now poſſeſſed ) the chief City of that Tribe, and a City of the Prieſts, Joſh. 21. 10, &c. And in the very center or middle of that Tribe, to which the whole Tribe might ſpeedily reſort, when need required. _ VA . 2 So David went up thither, and his two wives al-
ſo, Ahinoam 'the Jezrecliteſs, and Abigail Nabals wife
the Carmelite. | PER 3 And his men that ere with him, did David bring up, every man with his houſhold : and they dweltin the
Cities of Hebron 4.
d (i. e. ) The Cities or Towns belonging and ſubje& to He- bron, which was the Metropolis, Joſb, 21. 11, 12. , ſelf there was not ſpace for them all, becauſe it was filled with Prieſts, and with David's Court.
4 And * the men of Judah came, and there they a-
nointed. David king over the houſe of Judah : and they told David, ſaying, That * the men of Jabeſh-Gilead
were they that buried Saul.
e This they did upon moſt juſt Grounds, becauſe not only the Kingdom was promiſed to that Tribe, Gen. 49. 10. but David was deſigned and anointed by God, whoſe Will both they and all 7- 7ael were obliged to obſerve and obey» And they Piouſly reſolv- ed not to negle& their Duty, though they ſaw the other Tribes would. Yet their prudent Caution and Modeſty is obſervable, That they make him King of Judah only, and not of all /rae!. And therefore there was'need of a Third Anointing to the Kingdom over all Iſrael, which he had Chapter 5. 3. Burt as for that Firſt Anointing, 1 Samuel 16. 13. it was only a Deſignation of the Per-
ſon who ſhould be King, but not an aQual Inauguration of him to the Kingdom.
5 © And Darid ſent meflengers unto the men of Ja- beſh-Gilead, and ſaid unto them, Bleited be ye of the LORD, that + ye have ſhewed this kindneſs f, unto
our lord, ever unto Saul, and have buried him. f This Reſpe& and AffeQtion to procure him Burial. For as it
' 3s, and ever was eſteemed an aCt of Inhumanity to deny Burial ro ' the Dead; So it is an AQ of Mercy and Kindneſs to bury them.
6 And now the LORD ſhew kindneſs and truth
becauſe ye have done this thing. /
g (i. e.) True and real Kindneſs; not in werds only, but alſo in aftions, as you have now done to your King, the Lords anointed. h So far am from being offended with you for this Kindneſs to my
. late enemy, that I will requite it. 7 Therefore now let your hands be ſtrengthned,
and + be ye valiant ;: For your maſter Saul is dead &,
> v4" and alſo + the houſe of Judah have anointed me king ' $*bmow this over them.
i; Be not afraid leſt the Philiftines ſhould puniſh you for this FaQ, but take good Courage, I will defend you. k Or, though your Maſter Saul be dead, and ſo your Hearts may faint within you, -as if you
+ Heb. the were now Sheep withour a Shepherd.
8 © But Abner the ſon of Ner 1, captain of + Saul*s hoſt, took [| Iſhboſberh- »» the ſon of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim ».
I Partly, out of envy and malice againſt David; And partly, out
* of his own ambition and deſire of rule, becauſe he knew that 1þs
King of
For in Hebron 1t.
M D E LI, boſherch would have only the name of King, whilſt he had the Power. m Called alſo Eſbbaal, i Chron. 8. 34. and 9. 39. It being uſual with the Hebrews, in ſtead of Baal, the name of falſe gods, to put Boſherh which ſignifies ſhame, or confuſion, or a ſhameful thing; as appeareth by comparing Judges 9.53. with 2 Sam. 11. 21. and 2 Samyel 4. FY with 1 Chron. 8, $34. and from Jerem. 3. 24. Hoſ. 9. 10. n A place beyond Jordan, whither he carried him; Partly to ſecure thoſe brave and valiant Men of 7abeſh-Gilead to himſelf; And principal- Iy becauſe this place was moſt remote from David and from the Philiftines too ; And therefore here he might recruit his Forces with leſs diſturbance than in other places.
9 And he made him King over Gilead o,- and over the Aſhurites p, and over Jezreel 9, and over Ephraim and over Benjamin, and over all f Iſrael r. | 0 Largely fo taken for all the Land of 1/-ae! beyond Jordan, as it 1S Joſh. 22. g. Judges 10. 8. þp (i. e-) The Tribe of Aſher, as the Chal- ace Paraphraſt and others underſtand it. 9 A large and rich Val- ley ſituate in the Borders of the Tribes of Zebulun, Iſſachar, and Napthali, and ſo put Synecdochically for them all. » Except 7u- aah, as it follows.
10 Iſhboſheth Saul's ſon wes forty years old when he
began to reign Over Iſrael, and reigned two years /* but che houſe of Judah followed David.
ſ To wit, before the following War broke forth. Compare 1 Som. 13. 1. For that he reigned longer, may appear both from the fol- lowing verſe, and from chapter 3. r. and from the following Hiſto- ry. Though ſome think he reigned only two years, and that the reſt of David's ſeven years the Iſraelites by Abner's inſtigation ſtuck to the Houſe of Saul, but were in ſuſpence whether they ſhould confer the Crown upon Mephibeſbeth the right Heir, but a Child ; or upon J/bvoſbeth a grown Man, whom with ſome difficulty,and after long debates amongſt themſelves, they preferred-
11 ('And the f time that David was King in He- bron over the houſe of Judah, was ſeven years and ſix months.)
I2 © And Abner the ſon of Ner, and the ſervants, of Iſhboſheth the ſon of Saul, went out from Mahana- im to Gibeon «.
t (i. e.) His Officers, and Commanders, and their Army. » In the Country of Benjamin, Joſhua 18. 25. near Judah, to fight with wm s Army, and to bring back the reſt of the Kingdom to Saul's
ouſe.
13 And Joab the ſon of Zeruiah, and the ſervants of David, went out x, and met together y by the * # e+ |
pool of Gibeon : -and they fat down, the one on the one ſide of the pool, and the other on the other ſide of the pool.