14 And ic came to pals in the morning, that Da- vid wrote a letter to Joab, and ſent it by the hand of Uriah, POE Is And he wrote in the letter, ſaying, Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the f hotteſt battel, and retice ye t from him, that he may be ſmitten and die &. d So far is David from Repenting upon theſe juſt and great Oc-? Heb. caſions, that he ſeeks to cover one Sin: with another ; and to hide "9%
his Adultery with Murther, even the Murther of a moſt excellenr oo i Perſon, and that in a moſt malicious and perfidious manner. from ajter |
16 And it came to paſs when Joab obſerved the ci- #”: ty, that heafligned Uriah unto a place where he knew that valiant men were e.
e Placed there to defend it, becanſe that part ofthe City was ſup- poſed either the weakeſt, or the place deſigned for the Afſſaule. Joab having formerly commitred a baſe Murther upon Abner, was ready to execute this wicked Command. of the King ; that fo he being involved in the ſame Guilt with him, might the more wil- lingly receive him into Favour.
17 And the men of che City went out and fought with Joab : and there fell ſome of the people of the ſervants of David, and Uriah the Hittite died alſo. 18 Then Joab ſent, and told David all the things concerning the war. 19 And charged the Meſſenger, ſaying, when thou , haſt made an end of telling the matters of the war ! Unto the _ ; 20 And if ſo be that the kings wrath ariſe, and he 'fay unto thee, Wherefore approached ye fo nigh unto ' the city, when ye did fight? knew ye not that they ; would ſhoot from the wall ? | 21 Nho ſmote * Abimelech the ſon of Jerubbe- * Judg.s. ſheth? .*. did not a woman caſt a piece of a milſtone 53+ upon him from the wall, chat he diedin Thebez'? why went ye nigh the wall ? chen fay thou, Thy ſervanc
Uriah the Hittite is dead alſo f.
_*- Called alſo Jernubbaal, Judg. g. 1. See the Note on 2 Sam. 2.8. .
f which he knew would be acceptable News to the King, and therefore allay his Wrath. This indeed might make the Meſſen- ger ſuſpe& that David had an hand in Uriah's Death ; and poſſibly Joab might ſay ſo for that very reaſon, that theſe matters by de- orees being known, David might be hardned in Sin, and ſo Jeab might have the grearer Intereſt in hmm, 22 So the Meſſenger went and came, and ſhewed ' David all that Joab had ſent him for. :
'223 And the Meſſenger ſaid unto David, ſurely the men prevailed againſt us, and came our unto us into the field, and we were upon them even unto the en- tring of che gate g. *
g We beat them back, and purſued them even to the gate.
24 And the ſhooters ſhot from off the wall upon thy ſervants, and ſome of the kings ſervants be dead, and thy ſervant Uriah the Hittite 1s dead alfo.
25 Then David ſaid unto the Meſſenger, T hus ſhalt thouſay unto Joab, Ler nor this thing Þ dilpleaſe , 1, thee b : for the {word devoureth f one as well as ano- þ, el in ther : make thy battel more ſtrong againſt the City, thine eyes. and overthrow it : and encourage thou him 2. t Heb
þ Be not deje&ed or diſcouraged by this fad occaſion. 73. e. Joab So to proceed in the Siege, :
'26 And when the Wife of Uriah heard that U- riah her husband was dead, ſhe mourned for her huf- band.
275 And when the mourning was paſt k, David ſent and fer her co his houſe, and the became his wife, and bare him a ſon /: bur the thing thar David had done m, + diſpleafed the LOR D.
k& Which was ſeven days, Gen. 50- ro. 1 Sam. 31+ 13. Nor could the nature of the thing admit of longer delay, leaſt the roo carly birth of the Child might diſcover David's Sin. 1 By which itap- pears, That David continued in the ſtare of Impenitency for divers Months together ; and this notwithſtanding his frequent attendance upon God's Ordinances. Which is an eminent Inſtance of the Cor-
and ſuch
+ Heb. was evil in
the eyes of.
Deltgn, and to awaken his Conſcicnce to the conſideration of his Sin, and of the Injury which he had done him. His meaning is Now when God's People are in a doubrful and dangerous Condi- ton, it becomes me to Sympathize with them, and to abſtain even rom Jas ful Delights Whereby he might poſſibly intimate, how unworthy it was for Davidin ſuch a ſealon to indulge himicitin tin-
ruption of Mau's Nature, which is even in the beſt ; and withour- Divine Afiſtance, is roo ſtrong for them ; of the deceitfulneſs of Sin, and of the tremendous Judgement of God in puniſhing one Sin, by delivering a Man up to another. m 7 e. His Adultery and Murther, as 1s evident from the next Chaptcr:;
py S CHAP
I
?
|
j
FI.
4 Heb.
ar , XII.
Nathan by a parable reproveth, and threatneth David, 1.
There were two men in onecity b ; the one rich and
us Jo +b This ſeems to be more than the Faft deſerved, or than he had die. Commiſſion to infli& for it, Exod. 22. 1. But it is obſervable, t Heb... That David now when he was moſt indulgent to himſelf, and ro g—ſ ſen his own Sin, was moſt ſevere to others; as appears by this Paſſage, of death and the following Relation, v. 31. which was done in the time of * David's impenitent continuance in his Sin- |
* Exod. 6 And he ſhall reſtore the lamb * fourfo!d, becauſe 22. 4 hedidthis thing, and becauſe he had no pity,
- + And Nathan ſaid to David, Thou #r: the man #7. *, &m. Thus faith the LORD God of iſrael, * I anointed 16. 13, thee King over Iſrael, and1 delivered thee our of the
Il. CHAP: XII.
=== 12. He c02- feſſeth his ſm and is pardoned, 13+ i4- But the child muſt die: David mourneth and prayath fr it whilf life was in it, after is ſatisfied and cheared : the reaſon, 15, --- 23. He goeth in to Bathſheba : Solomon 3s born of her: and is called Jedidiah, 24, 25, David taketh Rabbah and
rortureth the people thereof, 26, = = 31. ; ND che LORD fent Nathan #4 unto David: and * he came unto him, and faid unto' him,
the other poor :