f Whereby David obliged himſelf to rule them according to God's Laws ; and the People promiſed Fideiity and Obcdience to him g Either. 1. Before the Ark, which might be here,though thar be nor mentioned in this place Or,2.Before the Prieſt ciothcd with the Ephod ; whcreby he was in a manner pur into God's Prelence. Or rather, 3. In the congregation of rhe mighty, or Magiſtrates, where God uſed to be preſent, Pſal. 82. '. in the Publick afſembly now met together in God's name and fear.and as in his Preſence to call upon him, to appeal ro him as the Witneſs end Judge of their Tranſa&ions. Compare Juag: 11: u. 1 Sam: 23, +18. + Either by a prophet or the Prieſt, to whom this Office belonged. See 2 Sam; 2: 4. : :
4 { David was thirty years old when he began to reign, und he reigned forty years z.
5 And ſome odd Months, as it follows.
5 In Hebron he reigned over Judah * ſeven years and fix moneths : and in Jeruſalem he reigned thirty and three years over all Iſrael and Judah.
6 4 And the king and his men went & to Jeruſalen; -— JIunto the Jebuſites m, the inhabitants of the land, [ or, ex- Which ſpake unto David, ſaying, || Except thou take cept one. away the blind and the lame, thou ihait not come in
hither =: [|thinking, David cannot come in hither o.
" &+& Having the advantage of fo great a confluence of his People to make him King, he thought fit to begin his Reign with tome eminent A&jion,and to lead them forth in this Expedition. Where- 3n doubtleſs he asked A-'vice from God, and the confent of the Elders now preſent. 1 As the place which God had deſigned for his Worſhip ; and in the center and heart of his Kingdom, and therefore fitteſt for his Koya! City- mm Who continued ro dwel} there in ſpight of the Berj.mites,to whoſe lot it fell. Sce Joſh. 15: 63 Tudg: 1:21: and 19:10, 1. »# Or, ther ſhals not come in hither, but the blind and the lame ſball remove or hinder thee. By the blind and the lame they underſtand, either, 1. Their own Pcople ; and to they imply.that the Place was fo Impregnable,that a few blind and lame Men were able to defend it againſt all David's Affaults. And theſe may be called. and were the hated of David's ſorl, verſe 8. Not becauſe they were Biind and Lame, but becauſe they were Febaſites, a People hated and accurſed by Ged : and the J-buſites of this place were more hateful to him, than the reit of that Nation; partly, becauſe they poſlefſed this Place, which David knew was deſigned for the one and only place of God's foilemn Worſhip; and partiy,becau'e they did fo wickedly and infolently defie the Armies of Jſrael, and coniequently, the 7-od of I;rael. Or 2. Their gods or images ; which, after the manner of the H: athens,they worthip- ped as their tutclary gods, and placed in their Gates or Waljs. Theſe they call b/.-d and lame ſarcaſtically, and with reſpe& to David's Opinion ; as if they ſaid, Theſe gods of ours, whom you Ijraelites Reproach, as Blind and I ame,. Pal: 115. 5, 6: and to un- able to dire& and prote& us,they will defend us againſt you 3 and you will. find, they are neither Blind nor lame, but have Eyes to watch for us, and Hands to fight againſt you ; and you mutt Con- quer them before you can take our City. And thele may well be called, the hated of David's ſoul. Bur I preferr the former ſence, as being moſt eaſte, and natural, and proper ; whereas, the latter is Meraphorica), and ſeems doubrful and forced. o Concluding their Fort to be Impregnable.
7 Nevertheleſs, Lavid took the ſtrong hold of Zion o:
+ Now cal- the ſame 3s þ the city of David.
led. o Either, 1. A very ſtrong Fort which they had builr upon | Mount $07 ; which being taken, the Ciry quick'y yielded. Or,
2- The City of Ze, which was very ſtrongly Foitiicd.
8 And David {aid on thu day, Wholoever getteth up to the gutter p,and {mitteth theJebuſites,8& che lame,
*iChron and the blind q. 75s! are hated of David's foul 7,* be ſhall
© Cha. 2.11.
T1. 9 be chief and captain 5 : || wherefore they ſaid, The blind vor, wag and the lame ſhall not come into the houſe 7.
hai ſaid p # e. Wholoever ſcaleth the Forr, or getteth up to the top of it, even t "Ag where the Gutter was 9g Oc even, Or eſpecially ( for the Hebrew Ebrd ond Particle Yau, ſignifies both ways ) the lame and the blmd: i. e. Thoſe the lame, of them who are 1crt to defend that Place ; who, as they pretend, be ſhall not ſhould be only the Lame and the Blind. Orhers underſtand it, of Levee inmro Their Idols, or images. Bur they could not properly be ſaid to che houſe. be ſmitten, i.e Killed ; as that Word is uſed here, and eli{ewhere.
7 This belongs to the Jebuſite, and the Iame and the blind; and it is Explained in v 6. 5 Theſe words are fitly ſupplied out of 1 Chron: {, :: 6. where they are expreiled ; and they muſt needs be under- + Ttood to make the feace compicar. ofa part of, the Sentence are ulual in Promiles and Oaths, and
And tuch Ellipics or Dete&ts *
Proverb,or a common ſaying, uſed by Dawid,and others,upon this occaſion : or otherwiſe, The blind ana the lame Jebuſites were ſet to keep the Houſe, 7. e. The Fort of Zion ; and to keep others from coming into it ; but now they are ſhut out of it, and none of them, to wit, either, 1. Of the Jebuſtes ; or,2. Of blind and lame Perſons, ſhall be admitted to come into it again: Which David mighr reſolve, and ordain, and keep up the memory of this great Exploit, and of the Inſolent Carriage of the Jebuſttes. and their un- happy Succeſs. Or, the blind and the lame ſhat nor come into my houſe : to wit, Into the King's Palace. And although this might be a ge- neral Rule and Decree of David's, yer he might diſpenſe with it in ſome ſpecial caſes, as in that of Mephibofheth. Bur it is nor neceffary, that this ſhould be a Proverb; for the Words may be thus rendred as it is in the Margent of our Bible,becauſe they had aid, even the blind and the lame, he (i. e. David ) ſhall not come into the houſe : or, becauſe they (1 e. the Jebuſites) had ſaid, the blind and the lame ſhall hinder him , ( which words are eaſily. ſupplied out of v.6. where having ſpoken of this more largely, it was ſufficient here to mention the moſt emphatical Words, as is uſual in ſuch caſes; ) He ſhall not come into the houſe,or hither ; as they ſay, wv. 6. ie. Into the Forr : for the Word houſe is uſed very largely and gener- ally in the Hebrew Language, for any place ; as Juag: 16: 21.