x To Battel. Queff. How could or durſt this one Tribe oppoſe all the reſt. ſw. Firſt, This Tribe was very numerous and vali- ant of themſelves, and they had a King of extraordinary Courage, and Condu&, and Succeſs. Secondly, There were great numbers of the otheg, Tribes which favoured them , as appears from 1 Chron. 12. hirdly, They had the Encouragement of ſpecial Promiſes of God, made both to their Tribe, and to David. ) 1. C. _ Un oppoſite Army, and put themſelves into a Poſture for
attel.
14 And Abner ſaid to Joab z, Let the young men now ariſe, and play « before us : and Joab ſaid, Let
them arile. |
z Abner truſting to his greater numbers, offers Battel: # 7. e. Shew their Proweſs and Dexterity in managing their Weapons, and Fight- ; Ing together. He ſpeaks like a vain-glorious and cruel Man, and a Soldier of Fortune, that cſteemed it a ſport to ſee Men wounding and killing one another. So this he deſigned, partly for their mu- rual Recreation, and trial of Skill and Valour ; and partly, that by this occaſion they might be engaged in a Bartel.
15 Then there aroſe and went over by number twelve _ of Benjamin b, which pertained to Iſhboſbeth the ſon of
Saul, and twelve of the ſervants of David.
b He ſeleRed all his Combatants out of that Tribe, both becauſe that was a warlike and valiant Tribe ; and that he might give the more honour to his own Tribe.
16 And they caughtevery one his fellow by the head
kath-hazzurim d, which 7s in Gibeon,
c By the Hair of the Head, which after their manner, was of a conſiderable length, and therefore gave their Enemy advantage ; Which every one of them endeavoured to get, and to improve a-
| ; we 3 Þ gainſt the other. d Or, the field of Rocks; (i. e.) of | unto you : and I alſo will requite you this kindneſs b, ore pene r, the field of Rocks ; (1. e.) of Men who ſtood
like Rocks unmoveable, each one dying upon the Spot where he fought.
17 And there was a very fore battel that day: and Abner was beaten, and the men of Iſrael, before the ſervants of David. |
18 © And there were three ſons of Zeruiah there,
+ of foor Þ as a wild roe.
19 And Afahel purſued after Abner, and in going down he turned not to the right hand, not to the left, from + following Abner.
thou Aſahel ? And he anſwered, I am. 2: And Abner ſaid to him, Turn thee aſide to thy *
right hand, or to the left, and lay thee hold on one of |
the young men, and take thee his || armour e. But Aſa-
hel would not turn aſide from following of him. c ie
Cha
c, and thruff his ſword in his fellows ſide ; fo they fell | That is, down together : wherefore that place was called || Hel- fe fly
Yong mm, or,of 1,
Joab, and Abiſhai, and Aſahel : and Aſahel was as light + Kt.
of his {fed y op one of tht roes that i in the felt 20 Then Abner looked behind him, and ſaid, Arc j _
abner.
7 $/ T) 4 7: rei eſt of, .
t Heb. number of aay:,
f Heb, them Higte ther
*Jer. 41, 12,
Or,/p4i,
p- 1, Bp. 1
ft > & ms.
t Heb: fmthe |, mmnng. | [Or, gone 890},
Lap.
"Chap;
x6 103
Heb: frm the mining. [Or, gon 800},
en,
II. IL g A e If thou art ambitious to get a Trophy or Mark of thy Valour,
deſiſt from me who am an oid and experienced Captain, and goto ſeme young and raw Soldier; tryithy Skill upon hun, and take away his Arms from him.
22 And Abner ſaid again to Aſahel, Turn thee aſide from following of me: Wherefore ſhould I fmice the to the ground ? how then ſhould I hold my face co Joab thy hrother f ?
f He was loath to enrage Joab too much againſt him, becauſe his ouilty Conſcience told him that his Cauſe was bad and th-refore he preſaged ill ſucceſs, and that he mightneed ſuch a Friend as Joab, to make his peace with David, -
23 Howhbeit, he refuſed to turn aſide : Wherefore Abner with the hinder end of the ſpear g, ſmote him * under the ſifth rib þ, that the ſpear came out betind him, and he fell down there, and died in the ſame place ;: andit came to pals, that as many as came to the place where Afſahel fell down and died, ſtood ſtil}.
g Which was ſharp pointed after the manner. þ The ſcat of the Liver and Bowels, where Wounds are mortal. ; Upon the Spor, not being able ro go one ſtep further.
24 Joab alſo and Abiſhai perſued after Abner : and the ſun went down when they were come to the hill of Ammah, that Jieth before Giah, by the way of the wi.derneſs of Gibeon.
25 TC And the children of Benjamin gathered them- ſelves :ogether after Abner, and became one croop, and ftood on the top of an hill k.
k& Where, being upon the upper Ground, they might better defend themſelves. |
26 Then Abner called to Joab, and ſaid, Shall the {word devour for ever 2 Knoweſt thou not chat ic will be bitterneſs in the latter end / ? How long ſhall it be then, ere thou bid the people return from following their brethren m2 ?
It will produce dreadful Effe&s, and many bloody Slaughters, if by a further proſecution thou makeſt them deſperate : which is againit ail the Rules of Policy m By Nation and Religion ;: whom therefore they ſhould not purſue with ſo fierce a Rage, as if they were purſuing the Philifines. Dy |
27 And joab ſaid, As God liveth, unleſs :hou hadſt ſpoken », ſurely then + in the morning, the people had [| zone up every one from following his brother.
£ #®% Unleſs thou hadſt madethe motion that they might fight, v. 14. It was thou, nor I, that gave the firſt occaſion ofthis Fight. Wirhal, he intimates, That Abner was the ſole cauſe of this W ar ; and thar if he had not given Commiſſion and Command. the War had never been undertaken, but all things had been ended by an amicable Agreement: wh.ch might have been made that very morning, ifhe had ſo pleaſed.
28 So Joab blew a trumpet, andall the people ſtood
ſtill, and purſued after Iſrael no more, neither fought - . they any more 0,
o Either, Firſt, Ar that time. Or rather, Secondly, In any pitch'd Battel. |
29 And Abner and his men walked all that night through the plain, and paſled over Jordan, and went through all Bithron p, and they came to Mahanaini.
p Otherwiſe called, the Mountains of Bether, Cant, 2. i797. which
were beyond Jordan. Or,ſforne ether Countrey, now not known by that name : which 1s the caſe of hundreds of places.
20 And foab returned from following Abner : and when he had gathered all the people together, chere lacked of Davids ſervants nineteen men, and Afſahel.
21 Bur the ſervants of David had ſmitten of Benja- min and of Abners men, /o that three hundred and threeſcore men died.