Iſrael z : thou feekeſt to deſtroy a city, and a mother « in Iſrael : why wilt thou ſwallow up the inheritance
of the LORD x?
z Or, I ( to wit, the City of Abel.in whoſe Name and Perſt on ſhe ſpeaks this ) am one of the peaceable and faithful Cities of Jſrael. Whatſoever $h;ha may deſign, whom we have innocently received into our City, before we well underſtood the matter : we of this City abhor the thoughts.of Warcing, and Rebelling againſt the King, as having had no hand in 4> aom”s late Rebelliorr: which is probable enough, conſideriag both their Situation in the ourm-1ſt Borders of the { and, very remote from the Seat of that Civil War; and their open ProfeHon of their Peaceableneſs, and Fidelity, or Loyalty to the King ; wich had been impudent if they haz been ſo lately involved in the laſt War an! R-bellion. u z. e. A Mo- ther : tor great Cities are commonly cajle. Morhers ; as leſſer Towns or Villages ſubje& to them, and depending upoa them, tor Di- reQtion and Defence, are called their Daug#ters, as Exek: 16: 27,
6. x 7.e. A confiderable part of that Land which God hath choſen for his peculiar Pofſcfſion. The Deſtruction which thou art about to bring upon us, is an Injury alſo to Jrae/, and to the God of Iſrael. . ;
20 And Joab anſwered and ſaid, Far be it, far be ir
| from me, that I ſhould ſwallow up, or deſtroy.
21 The matter is not {ſo : but a man of mount E-
+ Heb. zy phraim y ( Sheba the ſon of Bichri + by name ) hath his name. lift up his hand z againſt the king, even againſt David :
deliver him only,and I will depait from the city. Aud the woman ſaid unto Joab, Behold, his head thall be
thrown tc thee over the wall 2.
y Queſt, How can this be fo, when he is called a Benjamite? ver:1: Anſ. Either he was a Benjamite by Birth, but dwelt in the Tribe of Ephraim,as many did upon feveral occaſions dwell out of their own Tribes: or, mount Ephraim was a place 1n B-njamin,which might be ſo called, cither becauſe it was upon the Borders of Epiraim, and Jooked towards it; or from ſome notable Altion or Event of the Ephraimites in that place. Compare chap: 187 6. & 2. e. Taken up Arms, or raiſed Rebellion. s Which the undertook, becauſe the knew the preſent Temper, and great Fears of the citizens, and Soldiers too; and that conſidering their evident and extream Dar.- ger, they were generally deſirous of Peace, from which they weic reſtrained only by Shebs's Authority and Intereſt ; and therefore did not doubt by God's Blefling upon her wiſe Counſcl to effet ir, as indeed ſhe did. And it is not unlikely, that this Woman might be a Governeſs in tliat City. For though this office was commonly
erformed by Men; yet were not the Women wholly excluded, 96-4 ſomerimes imployed in tke Government: As we ſce in Deborah, who judged Jrael, Juag: 4; 4. And Quecn 4chalia, 2 Kirg: 11. | 22 Then the woman went unto ail the people in her wiſdom b, and they cut off the head of Sheba the ſon of Bichri, and caft it out to Joab : and he blew a trumpet,and they ct retiied from the city,every man to his tent : ajid Joab returned to Jeruſalem unto the king. bPrudently treated with them abour it, either ſeverally or joyni- ly, as ſhe ſaw fit ; repreſenting to them the certainry and ncar- neſs of all their Ruine, if they did not ſpeedily comply with her Deſires, and certain Deliverance if they did. © Foub and his Army which beſieged them. 23. © Now * Joab as over all the hoſt of Iſrael 4 :
and Benaiah the lon of Jehoiada was over the Chere-
thites, and over the Pelerhices.
d The good ſucceſs of this and of the former Expedition,under the Condut of Joab, had ſo fixed his Intereſt in the Army, and others of David's faſteit Friends, that the King could not without danger to the Publick Weal diſplace him.
24 And Adoram was over the tritut2 e : and Jeho-
ſhapiat the ſon of Ahilud was || recorder f : e The receiver and manager of the Kings Publick Revenue, Sce on 1 King. 4. 6. f Sce 2 Sam. 8. 16. 25 And Sheba was {cribe, and Zadok and Abjathar were the prieſts g: g See 2 Sam. 8.17.and Is. 3s. 26 And Ira alſo the fairite b was || a chief ruler 5
about David.
h So called from his birth or dwelling in the Country of 7air in Gilead, Numb. 32. 41. Judg. 10: 4. i Either the Preſident of the Kings Council : or, his Chief Miniſter ( as the Hebrew word Cohen ſigmfies ) of State,inſtead of Ah:thephel: or in ſome other very high
lace near the King's Perion. Compare 2 Sam. 8. 18. where this Fire 1s given to David's Sons, the Chief of which were now cur off, And theſe things are here repeated with ſome alteration, to (hew that David was now fully re-eſtabliſhed in his former Eſtate.
CH AP. XXL
OR * . A three years famine declared by God to be for the Gibeonites ſale ceaſe: "ThSy 54
by their hanging ſeven of Saul's ſons, 19. R:2pah preſerveth the
dead bodies, io, 11. David buricth the bones of Saul and Jonathan, .as alſo of them that were hung up in his father's ſepulchre, 12<==-14.
= V0. E L