2 Either the Gate-bouſe : Or, his now dwelling-heuſe in the City: To which he was retired, that he might more freely indulge himſelf in the expreſſions of his Grief. e By diſappointing their juſt hopes of Praiſes and Rewards, and by requiting them:with Contempt and tacit rebukes, f All which 4/glom: ſtruck ar, and had ſooner or later aQtually taken Por. qt he __ not been _y of 7 ſuch OO | i ing t nowledge or conſent: And the | Heb: by _—_— _— ned that 06. faved the lives of thee and thine, | Heb bat with the utmoſt hazard of their own,is highly unjuſt and ungrateful. | = thou loveſt thine enemies, and hateſt
nces, Or, Jeruants , th . are ot £9 rexardeſt neither princes, nor {ſervants ; for this day I
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perceive, that if Abſalom had lived, and all we had died this day, then it had pleaſed thee well g.
£ This 1s not to be underſtood as exa&ly true in the rigour of it; bur only comparatively and hyperbolically ſpoken.For David deſired their preſervation and Absalom's too : Butir muſt be conſidered,that Joab was now in an high tranſport of Paſſion, which might eaſily hyx- ry him into indecent expreſſions; and that David's carriage gave too much colour to ſucha ſuggeſtion; and that ſuch ſharpnels of ſpeech was In a manner neceſſary to awaken the King out of his Lethargy, and to preſerve him from the impendent Milchiefs.
7 Now therefore ariſe, go forth, and ſpeak + com- fortably unto thy ſervants : for I ſwear by the LORD ths hb, if thou go not forth i, there will not tarry one thyſm; with thee this nighe&, and that will be worſe unto thee than all the evil that befel thee from thy youth until now.
bh This Oath was either afſertory of what he believed mighr in reaſon be expetted, as likely in great meaſure to come to pals ; Or elſe Promiflory ; or rather, minatory of what he by his influence could and would effe&t; And if ſo, it was much more than became him to ſay to his Sovereign, and could only be excuſed by the cir- cumſtances which at this time might make it ſeem neceſlary ; For David was indeed to blame in taking no more notice of their good ſervice (however Joab might te faulty alſoin diſobeying the King's expreſs Command as to Ab/aloms perſon; ) And great reaſcn rhere was that David, [as Joab did now adviſe, ſhould thew himſelf Jeſs diſpleaſed to the People, who had expoſed their Lives to preſerve him and his. 3 To the Gate, to ſhew thy ſelf to thy People, and kindly and thankfully to acknowledge the good ſervice that they have now done thee. k The hearts of all thy People will forthwith be irrecoverably alienated from thee, and they will look out for ſome other Perſon on whom they may ſet the Crown.
8 Then the King aroſe, and fate in the gate 7, and they told unto all the people, ſaying, Behold, the King dcth fit in the gate : and all the people came before the King: for Iſrael had fled every man to his tent.
{ He was come forth out of his retirement, and appeared in pub- lick on the Seat ef Judgement, at the Gate of the City, to receive the Addreſſes of his People, and mind the Afffairs of the Kingdom.
mm To congratulate him Br the Vittory, and to profeſs their ſub.
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jeQion to him. So Joab's Speech, though very ſevere and pre-
ſumptuous, was, it ſeems, a word in ſeaſon, and had that good effect which he deſigned.
9 T And all the people were at ſtrife » throughout all che tribes of Iſrael, ſaying o, The Kipg ſaved us out of the hand of our enemies,and he delivered us out of the hand of the Philiſtines, and now he is fled out of the land for Abſalom p.
z Quarrelling one with another as the Authors or Abettors of this ſhameful and curſed Rebellion. o Diſcourſing privately and publickly of David's high Merits, which God, being now reconciled to David, brings afreſh to their Memories, and reneweth the ſenſe of their obligationsto their King, which they had lately ſhaken off. Thus the Crowns of Kings fit faſter or looſer upon their heads, as God is pleaſed todiſpoſe of the Thoughts and Hearts of their Peo- ple, which he can turn in an inſtant which way he will, p Now we come to refle& upon our own Ations, we are ſenſible of our folly and unworthinels in adhering to Abjalom, and thereby forcing David to fly out of the Land of Canaan, to the parts beyond 50--
dan for his Ty; 10 And Abſalom whom we anointed q over us, is —_
dead in battel » ; now therefore why Þ ſpeak ye not a /* word / of bringing the King back ?
q 1.e. Cauſed tobe annointed by Zarok, or Abiathar, or ſome 9- ther of the Prieſts, whom they perſwaded or conſtrained to do this office: For this being a Sacred Ceremony, of a great Repuration, and a likely means to gain the more authority and veneration from the People ro Abſalom, as one whom God by his Vicegerent had con- ſtiruted and ſer up; andthis Rite being uſualupon all tranſlations of the Government from one Perſon to another in an extraordinary way, as this confeſſedly was, itis not likely that they would now omitit: Though orherwiſe Anoinzing is frequently pur for deſigning or conſtituting. r And therefore we have no obligation ro him, and no hope ofany thing from him. { The People of 1ſ-ael ſpeak thus to the E!ders of 7/rael, as appears by comparing this verſe with | the next. Seeing their deſigns tor Abſalom diſappointed, they now : repented of that undertaking, and were willing to teſtifie ſo much by their forwardneſs to bring back David, and re-eſtabliſh him.
it © And king David ſent to Zadok, and to Abi- athar the prieſts, ſaying, Speak unto the elders of Ju- dah z, ſaying, Why are ye the laſt to bring the King back to his houſe «? (ſeeing the ſpeech of all Iſrael is come to the King, eves to his houſe x )