ment. & Either, 1. From the Ark which now was in the low ground, being near the Brook Cedron, to the top of the Mount of Olives, whence he had the prcoſpett of the City and Temp'e ; as ap- pears from Mark 13. 3. where he could Ciſcern when the People ceaſed to'come out of the City after David, which when they did, he gave notice to David, that he ſhould waitno longer, but march away and carry the Ark with him. Or, 7. F:om the Ark to the City; which was in an higher ground, that ſ© he being High-Prief, might uſe his Autho-iry and Intereſt with the People, to perſwade them to do r'eir duty,in going forth to d-fend and help their King againſt his Rebellious Son ; and t::ere ht ſaid until all rnoſe whom ke could perſwade were gone forth. 5
25 And the king aid unto Zadok, Carry back the
Ark of God into the City # : if1 hall find fayqurin the | vice to a good End,
rent, and aſhes upon his head :
I Looking towards Jeruſalem where the Ark and Tabernacle was, as Compare 1 Kings 8. 44, 48. Dan. 6. 10.
Hufhai * the Archite came to meet him, with hi coat
33 Unto whom David ſaid, It thou paſſeſt on with
me, then thou ſhalt be a burden unto me ms.
m Increaſing my Charge,and Care,and Sorrow, for what may be-
fall thee ; and being bur of little uſe to me': for it may ſeem he was an Old Man, and fitter for Counſel than for War.
But if thou return to the City, and ſay unto Ab-
falem, I will be thy ſervant, O king: as I bave beer chy fathers ſervant || hitherto, ſowiÞ I now alſo be thy ſer-
vant » ; then mayelt thou for me defeat the cour.ſel of | Or,berea tofore.
Abitophel.
» i, e. As faithful to thee, as I have been to thy Father ; which he neither was, nor ought to be. Ard therefore, the Profeſſion of this was greatdifſimulation: And David's ſuggetting this crafty Counſel. may be reckoned among his Errors: which, proceeding from a violent Tempration, and his preſent and prefling Straits, God was pleaſed mercifully to pardon and to direct this Evil Ad-
3. D 25-And
! E 1
rv
[i
8
+
'
} 4 IN bl 4. IN|
Chap. eyes cf the LORD, he will bring me again, 2nd ſhew
2; Joſh. 16,
' | : | |
» XVI.
25 And haſt thou not there with thee Zadok, and A- biathar the prieſts? therefore it ſhall be,that what thing ſoever thou ſhalt hear out of the kings houſe, thou ſhalc | tell ;z to Zadok and Abiathar the prieſts. :
236 Behold, they have there * with them o their two ſons, Ahimaaz Zadoks ſe», and Jonathan Abiathars ſon? and by them ye ſhall ſend unto me every thing that ye can hear.
o Not in Jeruſalem, but in a place near to it, to which they
could cafily ſend upon occaſion. See Chap. 17. 17- 27 So Huſhai Davids friend came unto the city,
Abſalom came into Jeruſalem. 7iba by Preſents and falſe Suggeſtions, obtaineth of David his Maſter s Inhe- _— pr > hy revileth and curſeth David ; Who reſtraineth Abiſhai from revenging it, 5,-----14. Abſalom cometh with Ahitophel to Feruſalem : lieth with his Father's Concubines in the fight of all Iſrael, according te the Counſel of Ahitophel who was eſteemed ar an Oracle, I 5,--=-=23, ; 'N D when David was a little paſt the top of * the 9 bit, behold,* Ziba a the ſervant of Mephiboſheth '” methim with a couple of aſſes ſadled , and upon them two hundred loaves of bread , and an hundred bunches of raiſins, and an hundred of ſummer fruits and a bottle b of wine. | s A Crafty Man ; who being perſwaded, that God would in due time appear for the Righteous Cauſe of ſo good a King, and ſcatter the Cloud which was now upon him, takes this occaſion to make way for hisfurure Advancement; 6 A large Bottle, or Veſlel pro- portionable tothe other Proviſions:
2 And the king ſaid unto Ziba, What meaneſt thou by theſe ? And Ziba ſaid, The aſſes be for the kings houſkold to ride on c, and the bread and ſummer fruir for the young men to eat, and the wine, that fuch as
be faint in the wilderneſs may drink.
c For the King, and his Wives and Children were all on Foot ; not that he had not,or could n-t procure Afſes for them at Jeruſalem; bur becauſe he choſe it as beſt becoming that State of Penitence and Humiliation in which they were.
2 And the king ſaid, And where is thy maſters ſon? And Ziba ſaid unto the king, Behold, he abideth at
Jeruſalem : for he ſaid,To day ſhall the houſe of Ifracl reſtore me the kingdom of my father 4.
a Which though it might ſeem a very unlikely ring, yet ſuch vain ExpeQations do often get into the Minds of Merr; nor was 1t impoſſible, that when. David's Family was thus divided, and one part ingaged again? another, th-y might deſtroy themſelves by mu- tual Wounds ; and the Feople being tired out with Civil Wars, might reſtore the Kingdom to the Family of Sau! their o1d Maſter, whereof this was the rop-branch. 4nd this was atime of general Defe&ion of many whom the King had greatly obliged, witneſs
Hhitophel. And Mephiboſbeth's abſence made the Calumny more prob+ able. |
4 Then ſaid the king to Ziba, Bebold, thine are all
that pertained unto Mephiboſheth-e. And Ziba ſaid, Heb. 149 + T humbly beſeech thee :has I may find grace in th
y_ ſight, my lord, O King f. |
e A raſh Sentence, and unrighteous, to condemn a Man unheard, upon the ſingle Teſtimony of his Accuſer,and Servant. But David's Mind was both clouded by the deep ſenſe of his Calamity, and byailed by Ziba's great and ſeaſonable kindneſs. And he might think, that Ziba would not dare to accuſe his Maſter of fo great a Crime. whichy if falſe, migtt ſo cafily be diſproved. f Thy fa- vour is more to me, than this gift ; which, as a token of thy fa- vour, I accept with all thaokfulneis.
5. And when king David came to Bahurim g,beho!d, thence came outa man of the family of the houſe of Or, &« Saul, whoſe name was Shimei the ſon of Gera : || he #ill came came forth, and curſed ſtill as he came. g A City in Benjamin, Chap. 3+ 16. and 19. 16. 7. e. To the Ter- ritory of ir, for to the Ciry he came not till v. 14.
6 And he caft ſtones k at David, and at all the ſer- vants of king David : And all the people, and all the mighty men were on his right-hand,and on his left z.
h Not ſo much to hurt them, as to ſhew his Contempt of them. ; Whic is noted to ſhew the Prodigious Madneſs of the Man : though Rage, ( whichis truly ſaid to be a ſbort madneſs) and the height of Malice hath oft tranſported Men to the moſt hazardous and deſperate Speeches and Attions.
7 Andthus {aid Shimiei when he curſed, Come out FHcb.mmar #, come out thou Þ bloody man, and thou man of Be- of blood, Jial :