The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Samuel — Section 245

for supplies. The people. I. e. the camp reading ; for the verb rendered Bring hi- followers, 118 OP,posecl to the soldiers. All ther is never used of the ark, but only of these were temfiecl by the ge.rrison rushing the ephod ; nor was the ark userl for making down the pass, with tidings of the attack inquiry of God, but the ephod with the magnified by their fears, and who communi- breastplate inserted in it. The rest of the cated the alarm to the spoilers, who, having verse is a gloss added by some scribe now for a fortnight met with no resistance, struck at this strange mention of the ark, had probably discontinuetl all measures of which we know was still at Kirjath-jearirn. precaution. The ee.rth que.ked. This may It is itself corrupt and ungrammatical, being, be taken literally, but is more probably a " For the ark of God was in that day and poetical description of the widespread terror the children of Israel." Still both the read- and confusion which prevailed far and near. ing ark and the gloss are very ancient, being So it we.s e. very gree.t trembling. Literally, found in the versions, except the Septuagint, "and it became a terror of God;" but the as above. name of the tleity (Elohim, not Jehovah) is Ver. 19.-Withdraw thine hand. Saul, constantly usetl in Hebrew to express vast- impatient of delay, cannot wait till the will ness. of God is made known to him. There would DEFEAT OF THE PHILISTINES (vers. 16- have been no real loss of time, and he might 23). Ver. 16.-The watchmen, &c. Conder have been saved from the errors which marred says ('Tent Work,' ii. 115), "The watch- the happiness of the deliverance. But this men of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin must precipitnncy very well shows the state of have seen clearly across the chasm the extra- Saul's mind. ordinary conflict of two men against a host, Ver. 20. -Se.ul and all the people . . . as the 'multitude melted away, and they assembled themselves. Margin, were cried went on beating down one another.' The together, i. e. summoned by trumpet-note. noise in the host was also, no doubt, clearly The Syriac and Vulgate, however, make the heard at the distance of only two miles, and VP-rb active, and translate, "And Saul and all the army would have crossed the passage the people with him shouted and advanced with comparatively little difficulty by the to the battle." Discomfiture. Rather, narrow path which leads down direct from "disn1ay," "consternation," as in cb. v. 9. Geba to Michmash, west of the Philistine Vers. 21, 22.-Ron.nd about, even. All the camp. Thence the pursuit wns towards versions by a very slight alteration change Bethel, across the watershed, and headlong this into turned, which the A. V. is forced down the steep descent of Aijalon - that to supply. With this necessary correction same pass where the first great victory the translation is easy: "And the Hebrews of Joshua had been gained, and where the who were previously with the Philistines, valiant Judas was once more, in later times, nnd had gone up "ith them into the camp, to drive back the enemies of Israel to the turned to be with the Israelites who were 1ilains." The multitude. The Hebrew is, with Saul and Jonathan." It appears, there- ".And behold the tumult (the word is so fore, that certain districts of the Israelite rendered in vcr. 19, mar~n) was reeling and territory were so completely in the power of going . . . and thither. ' Of course hither the Philistines that they could compel the has dropped out of the text before arul men to go "ith them, not perhaps as soldiers, thither (comp. eh. xiii. 8). The Septuagint as is our custom in lnclia, but as drivers and Vulgatc both read" hither and thither." and servants. 111ese now turned upon their Tumult moans the din made by a confused masters, and wcro reinforced by the Israel- mass of people, and so the crowd itself. ites who had takeu refuge in lllount Eph- Melted away does not give the exact mean- raim. It is noteworthy that these subject ing. The Philistines were not dispersing, but "Hebrews" I"Ctain the name ol' contempt were reeling, moving to and fro purposeless, given them by their masters. and in confusion. It may mean, however, to Ver. 23.-0ver unto Beth-aven. Hebre"', sliake or melt with terror, as in Isa. xiv. 31, "the battle pnssc,l Beth-aven," i. e. no r:,lly whern it is rendered art dissofoed. was mndo there. In ver. 31 we rea,l that Vers. 17, 18.-Number now. On hearing the pursuit continued as far ns Aijalon. For from the watchmen that fighting was seen on Beth-aven sec on eh. xiii. 5. the other side of the ravino, Saul commands SAUL'S nASH COMMAND (vers. 2!-35). the roll to be called, that he may learn who Ver. 24.-The men of lsre.el were distressed ]ms made the attack, and finds only his son that day. The word is that used in eh. xiii. and the armour-bearer missing. Uncertain 6 of the state of terror and alarm to which what their absence might mean, he ea.id unto the Israelites were reduced by the Philistin.i Ahiah, Bring hither the ark of God. The invasion ; here it refers to their weariness Syriac, Vulgate, and Chaldee support this and faintness for wa.nt of food. For Se.ul reading, but the Septuagint has ephod, and had adjured the people. Hebrew, "had there can be no doubt that this is tM right made the people swear." He ha,\ reLited  24G THE FIRST BOOK OF SAMUEL. [CH. XIV. 1-35.