39 And * the ſcul of king David ||longed to go forth unto Abſalom #: for he was comforted concerning Am-
a To wit,to viſit him, or to ſend for him. And thus this word, the Soul,is here underſtood partly, from the Hebrew Verb, which be- ing of the Feminine Gender; agiecs not with David, but with David's Soul ; and partly, by comparing this with other places, where the ſame verb 1s uſed, and the Soul exprefſed, as Pſal 8 ..3. and 119 81: But as thisSupplement may ſecm. too bold, ſo this Vertion ſeems not ſo well to agree with thar Phraſe of going out to Abſalom ; for David neither deſired nor intended to go out to Abſalom, but that Abſalom ſhould come home to him And theſe words may began are other- wiſe rendred, by the moſt ancient and rcmarkab e Interpreters to| this purpoſe, And King David made an end of going out ( to wit,in an Hoſtile manner, as tha: Verb is oft uſed, Gen 14. 18. 2 Sam. 11,1 #zainff ( for ſo the Hebrew Particle, E!, is oft uſed, as Fer. 34; 7: Ez. T3. 9.20. Ames 7. 15: ) Abſalom; i. e having uſcd ſome, though it 1s probable, bur cold and remits endeavours to pur'ue after Abſalom
and to fetch him from his Grand-tathers to receive condign Puniſh- ment, he now gave over thoughts of it. that in the ſame conjugation,is uſed in the ſame manner, King.3. I. he made an end of tuilding. It is to be objefted, That the Hebrew
%
Thus the tame Verb,and;- £ the LORD thy God p, Þ that thou wouldlt not futfer
MU E £.
Verb is ofthe Feminine Gender. and therefore doth not agreewith
King D2vid, which is Maſculine. It may beanſwered, T! at Enallge
of Genders is a moſt frequent figure; and as the Maſculine Gender
is ſometimes applied to Women when they do ſome manly and gal-
lant Action, Exod.1.21. fo the Feminine Genrer is ſometimes uled,
of men when they ſhew an effeminate tenderneſs in their diſpoſition
which 1s the caſe here, as ſome learned Hebricians have noted,
ft C H A P, X I ,
Joab ſuborning a widew of Tekoah by a parable to mcline the King's heart ro fetch home Abſalom, bringeth him to jeruſalem but not into Darvids fight, 1, — 24. Abſalom's beauty, hair, and chilaren,25,— 27. After
two years Joab bringeth him imto the kings preſence, 28,—3 3,
N Ow Joab the ſon of Zeruiah, perceived that the ' kings heart was toward Abſalom a.
a He deſired to ſee him, but was aſhamed to ſhow kindneſs to one whom God's Law and his own Conſcience obliged him to pu- niſh and wanted a fair pretence, which therefore 7025 gave him
2 And Joab ſent to Tckoah b, and fercht thence a wiſe woman c, and ſaid unto her I pray thee, feign thy ſelf to be a mourner, and put on now mourning | apparel, and anoint not thy ſelf with oil 4, but be as a woman that had a long time mourned for the dead :
6 ACity of Judah, 2 Chron. 11. 5, 6. - One of Jeruſalem was not convenient, I:{t the King might know the perſon or ſearch our the buſineſs. And beſides, this women ſeems to be of great emin«ncy for her wiſdom, as the following diſcourſe manifeirs c Rather than a Man, becauſe women can more ea'ily expreſs their Paſſions, and do ſooner procure pity in their miſeries,and an anſwer to their Re queſts. d As they uſed to do when they were out of a mourning itate. See Ruth 3« 3: Matth. 6. 17.
3 And come to the King, and ſpeak on this manner unto him: ſo Joab put the words in her mouth.
4 T And when the woman of Tekoah ſpake to. the king, ſhe fell on her face to the ground, and did obei- fance, and ſaid, + Help, O King-
5 And the king ſaid unto her, What aileth thee ? And the an{wered, I amsindeed a widow-woman e, and mine husband is dead.
e One of them who moſtneed thy compaſſion and afliſtance, and ' whom thou art by God's Law obliged in a ſingular manner to pro- tett and relieve. |
6 And thy handmaid had two ſons, and they two rove together in the field, and there was F none to part
them f, butthe one {mote the other, and flew him g.
f And therefore there is no witneſs, either that he killed him or how he killed him, whether from ſome ſudden alfion and great provocation, orin his own neceflary defence, cr otherwiſe. g As the avengers of Blood report. .
7 And behold, the whole family is riſen againſt thine handmaid, and they ſaid, Deliver him chat note hi> brother, that we may kill him h, for tbe life of his brother whom he flew, and we will deſtroy the heir allo i: and fo they ſhall quench my coal which is left. and ſhall not leave to my husband / zcicher name nor remainder f upon the earth.
hþ According to the Law, Numb.
plainly diſcover,that their proſecution of him was not ſo much from earth; love of Juſtice, as from a « ovetous deſire ro deprive hi'n of the In- heritance,and to transfer it to themſelves ; which ſelf-intereſt might juirly render their Teſtimony ſuſpetted. Or, perhap» theſe words are not ſpoken as the exp:efſs words of the proſecutors ( who can hardly be thought ſo dire&ly to exp: eſs a finiſter deſign ) bur as the Womans Inference or Comment upon what they were doing: ( for this would be indeed the reſwr of it,though t: ey did norſfay ſo in expreſs words) thereby to repreſent her caſe as the more de- icrving pity k The poo: remainder of my light an4 comfort, by whom alone my hopes may be revived and repaired. / She names him rather thaa her ſelf, becauſe children bear the Names of their Fathers, not of their Mothers.
8 And the king faid unto the woman, Go to thine nouſe, ar.d I wil; give charge concerning thee m.
m That thy Cauſe may bejuſtly and truely examined,and thy Son preſerved from their unjuſt and malicious proceedings.
9 And the woman of Tckoah faid untv the king,
My lord,O king, the iniquity be on me, and on my fa- thers houſe: and the king and his throne be guiltleſs »,
» The ſenſe 1s,cither,firſt,this, If I do not inform thee aright and thou thereby beeſt drawn to give an unriyhteous Sentence on my bchalf. 1 am willing to bear the whole blame of it before God and Men ; I acknowledge thou art wholly innocent 1n the caſe, Come pare Gen.27.13. Or, ſecondly, this. If through thy forgerfulneſs or negle& of this my juſt cauſe, my Adverſaries prevail and deſtroy my Son, my deſire is,that God would not Jay itto the King's charge, but rather to me and mine, ſo the King may be exempted thereby.