4 To refreſh and chear up his depreſſed Spirits ; as they uſed to do at Funerals. See Jer. 16. 5- Exzek. 24.17. ez, e. Till Evening, for then Faſting Days ended of courſe.
26 And all the people took notice of it f, and it + pleaſed them g : as whatſoever the king did 4 pleaſed
all the people. .
f Obſerved what the King faid and did. g They were ſatisfied concerning David's Integrity,and the method he uſed here for his own juſt Vindication. +þ Either in this matter : or rather, in all things following this Aion. The meaning 1s,By his carriage here- in he gained ſo great an Intcreſt in the hearts of his People, that they judged moſt favourably of,and pur the beſt conſtruftion upon all his words and ations ; as, on the contrary, when People have a prejudice againſt, or an ill will rowards their Prince, they are apt to judge moſt harſhly of all his Counſels and doings.
37 For all the people, and all Ifrael underſtood thar day,that it was not of the king h to flay Abner the fon of Ner.
hþ Not done by his deſign or good will.
28 And the king ſaid unto bis ſervants, Know ye not that there is a prince, and a great man z fallen this day in Irael ?
7 Both for his illuſtrious Quality, and for his high Courage and wiſe Condu&t; and eſpecially,now for his great utefulneſs and ſer- viccableneſs ro me in giving methe intire and peaceable Pofleſſion of all 1/rael. Bur till obſerve David's Prudence and Piety that he doth not commend him for his Vertues and Graces, as Men of ven- dible Conſciences and Tongues uſe to do. upon Funeral-occaſions; but only for that kind of worth which was really in him. Com- pare 2 Sam. 1. 23. :
29 And I am this day + weak &, though anointed king ; and theſe men the ſons of Zeruiah 7 be * roo hard for me m2: * the LORD jhali reward the doer of evil according to his wickedneſs.
k Or, tender, in the infancy of my Kingdomznot well rooted and ſerrled in it. The avon is taken trom a young and tender Child or Plant. 1 Joab and Abiſhai, the Sons of my Siſter Zeruiah. m i e Too powerful. They have 1o great a Command over all the Soldiers, and ſo great Favour with thc People;thar I cannot Puniſh
them without apparent hazard to my Perion and Kingdom ; eſpe- cially, now when all the Tribes, except 7:4ah are yet in a ſtate of Oppoſition againſt me. But this, aithough it mighr give ſome co- lour to the delay of their Puniſhment for a ſeaſon, yet it may ſeem to have been one of David's Infirmities, that he did not do it within ſome reaſonab'etime,both becauſe this indulgence proceed:d from a diſtruſt of God's Power and Faithfulneſs ; as if God could nor, or would not make good his Promiſe of the Kingdom to him,with- out. and againſt Joab and all his Confederates; and becauſe it was contrary to God's Law, which ſeverely requires the Punithment of wi:ful Murderers, Gen 9- 6. Exod: 21, 14- Numb. 35. 21. which David had no power to diſpenſe with. 'And David might, and lhould have remembred, how dear Sal paid for this very thing, that he diſpenſed with God's Command, and ſpared thofe whom God cor manded him to flay,: Szm15. And it ſeems David's Con- ſcience oft ſmore him tor this : which made him watch for a fit opportunity to remove,and then puniſh him,and having negle&ed it till death, he declareth his Sorrow for that negle&, by giving Soiurzon a Charge to execute 1t after his death, 1 Kings 2: 5, 6, 34- A AF 9,
Tſhboſheth and bis party are aſtoniſhed at Abner's death, 1, Two captains murther iſboſheFy, and bring his head to David, 2,---8. Who cauſed them to be put to death aud hanged up : and Iſbboſheth's head to be buried, 9,--- 12,
ND when Sauls fon heard that Abner was dead in Hebron, his hands were fceble s, and all the
Iſraelites were troubled 6.
a His Spirit, and Courage, and ſtrength failed him. This Phraſe is uſed in the ſame ſence, Ezra 4: 4; Neh: 6:9: Iſa: 13: 7; and 35+ 3- b Becauſe now they were unable to oppoſe David,and doubtful of obtaining his Favour, now Abner their Peace-maker was dead.
2 And Sauls fon had two men that were captains of bands, the name of the one was Baanah, and the name of the + other Rechab, the ſons of Rimmon, a Beero- thite, of the children of Benjamin c : ( for Beeroth allo was reckoned to Benjamin 4.
c Of 1bboſherh's own tribe, whom therefore he truſted the more; and this gave them opportunity to execute their wicked deſign« d This is addcd as the reaſon why he calleth them Beerorhites, be- cauſe though Beereth was now in the Hands and Poileſſion of the Philiſtines, 1 Sam: 31: 7. yet of right it belonged to the Benjamites, Goſh; 18: 25,
3 Ande the Becrothices fled to Gittaim, and were ſojourners there until this day. )
e Or, Nt, or But. For this comes in to anticipat an Objef&ion againſt what he had now ſaid. Ir is true, ſaith he, che Beerothites fled, as others did, upon the overthrow of Saul and his Army, 1 Sam: 31: 7: tO a place called Girraim, 2 Sam: 4: 3: not that in Benjamin, Neem: 11 33- but ſome other place of that name more remote from che -Phul:ſtines, and 1o they were Gittarmites by their preitent Habitation ; but Beerothices by their Original,and plice of their Birth.
4 And Jonathan Sauls ſon had a ſon 1bat was lame of bis feer f, aud was tive years old when the tidings
/axzhrer fame of + Saul and Jonathan our of Jeczreel g, and his
M U E LI. Chap. V.
nurſe took him up, and fled, and it came to paſs as ſhe made haſte to flee, that he fell.and became lame ; and his name was || Mephiboſheth þ. || Merib- F This Hiſtory is inſerted as that which encourageth theſe Men 6a.
to this wicked Murder, becauſe Sau!'s Family was now reduced to 1 Chron: a low ebb ; and if 1/bboſbeth was diſpatched, there would be none 8: 34: & lefr, bur a lame Chi!d, who was altogether unfit ro manage the 9: 49; Kingdom, eſpecially in ſo troubleſome a time as this was ; and therefore the Crown muit neceſſarily come to David by their at and deed ; for which they promiſed themſelves no ſmall recompence. £ The place of thar laſt and fatal Fight, 1 Sam: 29- 11. þ Called alſo Merib-baal, 1 Chrons 8: 34. See the Notes on chap 2: 8.
5 And the fons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, went and came about the heat of the day
to the houſe of Iſhboſheth, who lay on a bed at noon.
z Either from diſcontent of Mind, as Ahab did, 1 King. 21. 4, or
from ſloth and ſenſuality,as David ſeems to have done, chap. 11. 2.