"_ Bat the Syrians fled before Iſrael, and David flew of the Syrians ſeven thouſand men,which fought in cha- riots,and forty thouſand footmen c,and killed Shophach the captain of the hoſt.
c How this agrees with 2 Sam-10-18.ſec in the Notes on that place.
19 And when the ſervants of Hadarezer ſaw that they were put to the worſe before Iſrael, they made
eace with David, and became his ſervants: neither would the Syrians help the children of Ammon any more.
CHAP. XX. Rabbah beſicged, ſpoiled, and tortured by David, 1——3}. Three Giants ain, 8. A ND * it came to paſs, that + after the year was ex- pired, ar the time that kings go out to battel, Joab led forth the power of the army, and waſted the coun- try of the children of Ammon , and came and be- fieged Rabbah, ( but David rarrcied at Jeruſalem ) and Joab ſmote Rabbah, and deſtroyed it. Of this firſt verſe ſee my Notes on 2 Sam.11-1.and ofy.2,3.0n 2 S$a,.12,30,31-and of the reſt of this Chapter on 2 Sam, 21.15, CC. where alſo an account isiven of the ſeeming differences between * this and that Relation. Ig Nb. 2 And David * took the crown of their king from right of, off his head, and found ir | to weigh a talent of gold, and there were precious ſtones in it, and it was ſer upon Davids head; and he brought alſo excesding much ſpoil +, &m, Out of the city. | LD rt 3 And he brought out the people that were 1n 1t,an | 0, cut them with ſaws and with harrows of iron,and with mined. axes : even fo dealt David with all the cities of the wagry children of Ammon. Aad David and all the people "returned to Jeruſalem. | 4 And ir came to paſs after this,* that there || aroſe war at || Gezer with the Philiſtines ; at which time Sibbechai the Huſhathite ſlew || Sippai that 20as of the 0Jaare> Children of || the giant, and they were {ubdued. , rgin,2. 5 Andthere was war again with tho Phililtines, and im219 Elhanan the ſon of [| Jair flew Lahmi the brother of ,,22- Goliah the Gittite, whoſe ſpear-ſtaff was like a weavers f Heb. s beam, nan of 6 And yet again * there was war at Gath,where was niet. + a man of great ftature, whoſe fingers and toes ere f bir to þ four and twenty, fix 02 each band, and fix on each foot
the gyant rm «Rapbs, and he alſo was F the ſon of the giant.
% 4 Sams I;
+Heb. at [4 the returns ofthe year.
|0;, re + But when he || defied Iſrael, Jonathan the fon of! mens [| Shimea, Davids brother ſlew him. floweh, - © Theſe were born unto the giant in Gath; and the) 1Sm, fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his ſer 6:9 yants. : GHAÞF. ML | David numbereth the people, 1———6. Hz repenteth : of three Judgments propounded, he chooſeth the Peſtilence : and why, 7 13- David,by Gods direfion, buildeth an altar, and jacrific:th: the Plague is ſtayeth, ra. I O- | _ : ND * [| Satan ſtood up 4 againſt Iſrael, and pro- Or, an voked David to number [ſrael. adverſary, # Heb. #09. ro wit, before the Lord and his Tribunal to accuſe
Wn 22, David and Tſrae!, and to beg Gods permiſſion to tempt David ro VF number the people. Sranding is the Accuſers poſture before Mens Tribunals ; and conſequently the Holy Scripture (which uſeth to ſpeak of Sod, and of che things of God, after the manner of Mer, to bring them down to our capacities) elſewhere repreſents Satar
' In this poſture, as 1 Kings 22,2. Zech 3.5. And 'o this agrees with 2 Sam.24.1. Where the Lord is ſaid ro me David, 1. e. to give Satar Commiziſion or Perm-fſion ro move him ; for otherwiſe God tewpterh 710 man, James 1 13 Bur of this, and of this whole Chapter,and of the Variations and ſeemingContradiQions between this Narrative and that in Samzel, ſee my Notes on 2 Sam. 24.
; 2 And David {aid to Joab.and co the rulers of the peo- ple, Go, number Ifrael.trom Beerſheba even Dan ; and bring the number of them to me, that T may know it,
3 And Joab anſwered, The LORD make his peovle
an hundred times as-many mo as they be : but my lord
fab. , the king, are they not all my lords ſervants, why then
"þa;, doth my lord require this thing : why will he be + a cauſe of treſpaſs to Iſrael 5.
b Or, why will he be, or, why ſhould this be a treſpaſs, or a cauſe of | treſpaſs, or an occaſion of puniſhment, (for Hebrew words ſignifying ſw
are oft uſed to note the puniſhment of ſin:) or # deſolation,or a cauſe of dejolation or deſtruttio(for the verb whence this nown proceeds is oft uſed in that ſenſe) to or againſt Iſrael? Why wilſt thou provoke God by this (in to puniſh 122! ? Thus he ſpeaks, becauſe God com- monly puniſheth the People for the fins of theirRulers,becayſe,they are for the moſt part guilty of their fins in one kind or other ; or at leaſt God takes this occaſion to puniſh People for 21) thesr £05:
4 Nevertheleſs, the kings word prevaaled agazndt
F.
NICHES Chap, XXL
Joab : wherefore Joab departed, and went throughout all Iſrael, and came to Jeruſalem.
5 And Joab gave the ſum of the number of the peo- ple unto David. And all hey of Iſrael were a thouſand thouſand and one hundred thouſand men that drew {word : and Judah was four hundred threeſcore and ten chouſand men that drew ſword. |
6 But Levi and Benjamin counted he not among them & ; for the kings word was abominable to Joab.
c Partly for the followingreaſon ; and principally by Gods ſpe- Clal & gracious Providence to theſe twoTribes,toLevi,becauſe they were devoted to his Service ; and to Benjamin, becauſe they were the leaſt of all rhe Tribes,having been almoſt extin&,7udz.21.& be. - cauſeGod foreſaw: that they would be faithful ro the Houſe of Da- vid in the divifion of the Tribes,and therefore he would not have them diminiſhed. And 50ab preſumed to leave theſe rwoTribes un- numbred,becauſe he had ſpecious pretences for it; for Levi,becauſe they were no Warriors, and the Kings Command reached only to thoſe that drew ſword, as appears from v. 5- And for Benjamin, be= cauſe they, being ſo ſmall a Tribe, and bordering upon Jeruſalem | their chicf Ciry, might eaſily be numbred afterward. . _
7 7 And God was diſpleafed with this thing d,chere- , ,,.y, ,, fore he ſmote [ſrael e. | i wore
a Becauſe this was done without any colour of necefſiry,and out of ; the eyes | mezr Curioſity,and Oftenation,and carnal Confidence,as Davids own of the Conſcience told him, which therefore ſmore him,as it is related,2 $4, LORD 24: 10, e Which is particularly related in the following verſes. concerning |