The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Samuel — Section 226

CHAPTER XIII. all the three sons of Saul mentioned in eh. xiv. 49 wero old enouah to go with him to WAR AGAINST THE PHILISTINES (ver. 1- th~ battle of Mount Gilboa, where they were ch. xiv. 46). Ver. 1. -Saul's age and length slam ; and that Ishbosheth, his successor of reign. Saul reigned one year. This verse was forty years of age wheri. his father died' literally translated is, "Saul was one year effectually dispose of the idea that Saul's wa,; old -n-hcn he began to reign, and he reigned a very short reign. • • • • two years over Israel." In its form it exactly OCCASION OF THE FIRST WAR AGAINST follows the usual statement prefixed to each THE PHILISTINES (vers. 2'--7). Ver. 2;-saul king's reign, of his age at his accession, and chose him. Literally, 11·.And Saul choso the years of his kingdom (2 Sam. ii 10; him," the usual way· of commencing tho ,. 4 ; 1 Kings xiv. 21; xxii. 42, &c.). The narrative of a king's reign. He probably rendering of the A. V. is too forced and selected these 3000 men at the end of the untenable to be worth discussing. As we war with the Ammonites, to strengthen the ha,e seen before, the numerals in the Books small body-guard which he had gathered of Samuel are not trustworthy; but the diffi. round him at Gibeah (eh. x. 26). As being culty here is an old one. The Vulgate trans- always in arms, they would become highly lates the Hebrew literally, as we IJ.ave given disciplined, aud form the nucleus and centre it ; the Septuagint omits the verse, and the of all future military opero,tions (see, ·on eh. Syriac paraphrases as boldly as the A. V. : xiv. 52). He stationed· these on eitlier side ",Then San! had reigned one or two years." of the defile in the mountain range of Bethel, The Chaldee renders, "Saul was as innocent so exactly described in Isa. x. 28, 29, where as a one-year-old child when he began to Sennacherib, as we read, leaves his carriage, reign." In the Hexaplar version some anony- i. e. his baggage, at Michmash, and after mous writer has inserted the word thirty, defiling through the pass, arrives at Geba. rashly enough ; for as Jonathan was old Gibeah, where Jonathan was posted with 1000 enough to have an important command (ver. of these picked waITiors, was Saul's home, and 2), and was capable of the acts of a strong his son would have the benefit there of the aid man (eh. xiv. 14), his father's age must have of Kish and Abner, while Michmash was the been at least thirty-ft ve, and perhaps was more exposed place, situate about seven miles even more. As regards the length of Saul's north-east of Jerusalem. Conder' (' Tent reign, St. Paul makes it forty years (Acts Work,' ii. 110) describes this aefile' as "a :xiii. 21 ), exactly the same as that of David • narrow gorge with vertic:11 precipices some (I Kings ii. 11) and of Solomon (ibid. xi. 800 feet high-a great crack or fissure' in the 42) ; and Joseph us testifies that such was the country, which is peculiar in this respect, that traditional belief of the Jews (' Antiq.,' vi. you only become aware of its existence when 14, 9). On the other hand, it is remarkable close to the brink ; for on the north the that the word here for years is that used narrow spur of hills hide.s it, u.nd on the where the whole number is Jess than ten. south a flat plateau extends to the top of the The events, however, recorded in the rest of crags. On the south side of this great chasm the book seem to require a longer period than stands Geba of Benjamin, on a rocky knoll, ten years for the duration of Saul's reign ; with caverns beneath the houses, and arabl& thirty-two would be a more probable number, land to the east; and on the opposite side, and, added to the seven and a half years' reign considerably lower than Geba, is the little of Ishbosheth (see 2 Sam. v. 5), they would village of Michmash, on a sort of saddle, make up the whole sum of forty years ascribed backed by an open and fertile corn valley." by St. Paul to Saul's dynasty. It is quite This valley was famous for producing excel- possible, however, that these forty years may lent barley. Every man to his tent. This even include the fifteen or sixteen years of with us would be a warlike phrase ; but e.s Samuel's jnclgcship. But the t,rn facts, that the mass of the Israelites then dwelt in tents, OH. Xlll. 1-23.] THE FIRST BOOK OF SAMUEL. 227