is an arbitrary change of the A. V. (in and Saul and his men would have secured ,company with the Septuagint and Vulgatc) all the weapons which the enemy then threw for Geba, which is the word in the Hebrew away. But evidently no manufacture of text. Our translators no doubt considered wcaponH was allowed, and no one as far 8-'l that DB Gibeal,, of Benjamin occurs in the possible permitted either to wear or possess previous verse, this must be the same place. arms. But our greater knowledge of the geography Ver. 20.-The Israelites went down to -of the Holy Land enables us to say that the Philistines. J. e. to their land. This Geba is right ; for, as we have seen, it was at could only have applied to the districts near -one end of the defile, at the other end of the Philistines, unless we suppose that they set which was Michmash ; and here alone could np forges also at their garrisons. To sharpen. the small army of Saul have any chance of The verb chiefly refers to such ';';Ork as re- defending itself against the vast host of the quired an anvil and hammer. As regard5 Philistines. However much we may blame the implements, not only do the versions Saul's disobedience, he was a skilful soldier disagree in their renderings, but the Sept- and a brave man, and his going with his uagint has a very curious different reading, little band to the end of the pass to make a to the effect that at harvest-time the Israel- last desperate stand was an act worthy of a ites bad to pay the Philistines three shekels king. for repairing and whetting their tools. The Vers. 17, 18 -The spoilers. The conduct of share is more probably a si'.ckle. The coul- the Philistines is that of men over-confident ter is certainly a ploughshare, as rendered in their strength. They ought to have in Isa. ii. 4 ; Joel iii. 10. Of the u. there pounced at once upon Saul in the plain of is no doubt ; and the mattock is a heavy hoe Jordan, where their cavalrJ would have se- for turning up the ground, as spades for that cured for them the victory, and then, follow- purpose are scarcely anywhere used, except in ing Samuel's and Saul's route, have seized our own country. the other end of the defile, and overpowered Ver. 21. - A file. Margin, a file with Jonathan. But they despised them both, rnouths. The word only occurs here, and is and regarding the country a11 conquered, translated a file on the authority of Rashi. proceed to punish it, as probably they bad Almost all modern commentators agree that done on previous occasions, when no one had it means bluntness, and that this verse should dared to make resistance. Leaving then the be joined on to the preceding, and the two main army to guard the camp at Michmash, be translated, "But all the Israelites went they sent ou_t light-armed troops to pluuder down to tb-J Philistines to sharpen his sickle, the whole land. One company turned unto and his ploughshare, and his- axe, and his the way . . . to Ophrah, unto the land of mattock, wbeuever the edges of the mat- ShuaL This company went northward, to- tocks, aud the ploughshares, and the forks, wards Ophrah, o. place five miles east of and the axes were blunt, and also to set (so Bethel. The land of Sbual, i. e. fox-land, the margin rightly) the goacis.': The Israel- was probably the same as the Janel of Sbalim ites were thus in a state of complete depend- in eh. ix. 4. Another company, &c. This ence upon the Philistines, even for carryin"' went eastward, towards Beth - boron, for on their agriculture, and probably retaine~ which see Josh. x. 11. The third went to only the· hill country, while their enemies the south - east, towards the wilderness of were masters of the plains. Judrea.. Zeboim, and all the places men- Ver. 22.-There was neither sword, &c. tioned, are in the tribe of Benjamin, which Armed only with clubs and their farming had committed the offence of making for implements, it is no wonder that the people itself a king. To the south Saul held the were nfrai,l of fighting the Philistines, who, mountain fastnesses towards Jerusalem. as we gather from the description of Goliath's DESCilIPT!ON OF ISRAEL'S EXT-REME STATE armour, were clad in mail; nor is it surpris- OF OPPRESSION (vers. 19-23). Ver. 19.- ing that they despised and neglected Saul There was no smith. This accounts for the and his few men, whom probably they rc- contemptuous disregard of Saul by the Philis- gardecl as an unarmed mob of rustics. Th,i tines. The people were disarmed, and rr.sist- Ammonites probably were far less efficiently 1,nco impossible. Apparently this policy had armed than the Philistines, who, as command- been long followed; but we need fuller inform- ing the sea-coast, could import weapons from ation of what had happened between Samuel's Greece. victory at l\lizpah and Saul's appointment ns Ver. 23.-And the garrison, &c. When king, to enable us to unilcrstand the evident the Philistines heard that Saul with his six weakness of Israel at this time. But pro- hundred men had joine,l the small force bably this description applies fully only to already at Gcba with Jonathan, they sent a the districts of Benjamin, near the Philis- body of 111,•n to occupy an eminence hil(her tines. Tho people further away had arms up in thl' ,klile which by betwc,·n Celia with which they defeated the Annuonitrs, and Michm ,sh (see or, ('i\. :xiii. 2). The 230 THE FIRST ROOK OF SA:llllEL. [en. xm. 1-23.
purposo of this 'll·as to keep the route open, have had no eiqiectation that he wouhl ven•· that so, when they pleased, they might send tm'? to attack 1them. It \l'ns this gnrrison n larger body of troops up the defile in order w_luch J,mathnn so· bravely attacked, and bY' to attnck Saul.. It would also keep a watch Ins succoss propared the, way for the utto" upon his mo,·ements, though they could defeat of the onomy. , · , .
HOMILETICS.