The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Samuel — Section 358

house, with orders that when in the morning fice. It was a loose mantle, worn over the he came out, suspecting no clanger, they close-fitting meil (see eh. ii. 19). Thus Ezr.. should fall upon him and alny him. But (eh:. i;;. 3, _5) says, "I rent ~y beged and my Michal in some way or other became aware meu, which the A. V. with characteristic of her husband's danger. Possibly she had inexactness translates " my garment and my been at her father's house in the afternoon, mantle." In Gen. xxviii. 20, where it is e.nd with quick observation had noticed that rendered raiment, Jacob speaks of it as the more than usual was going on, and seeing most indispensable article of dress ; and in that her own house was the object of these Gen. xxxix. 12, where it is rendered garment, preparations, had divined their intent ; or we find that it was a loose plaid or wrapper. possibly Jonathan may have given her in- In those simple days it was used for warmth formation, and so she warned David of his by night as well as for protection by day danger. As the entrance was guarded, he and it is interesting to find David in his old was let down through a window, like St. age still covered up for warmth in bed by Pe.ul afterwards, and so began the weary life his beged (1 Kings i. 1), where it is trans- of wandering which lasted through so many lated clothes. troubled years. Vera. 14-17.-When, after waiting till Ver. 13.-Miche.l took e.n image. Liter- the usual hour for David's appearance, he e.lly, "the teraphim," a plural word, but came not, the watchers send and inform- used here as a singular. Probably, like the Saul, who now orders his open arrest. But corresponding Latin word penates, it had no Michal despatches a messenger to tell her singular in common use. It was a wooden father that he is sick. Upon this Saul block with head and shoulders roughly shaped orders bed and all to be brought, that he to represent a human figure. Laban's tera- may slay him. As an Oriental bed is usually phim were so small that Rachel could hide a mere strip of carpet, this would be easy them under the camel's furniture (Gen. xxxi. enough. But when the messengers force their 34), but Michal's seems to have been large way through, in spite of every obstruction enough to pass in the bed for a man. Though which Michal can devise to waste time, e.nd the worship of tkem is described as iniquity come up close to the sleeping figure, " Lo, (eh. xv. 23), yet the superstitious belief that teraphim in the bed, and a goatskin at its. they brought good luck to the house over head." They carry the news to Saul, who which they presided, in rellnrn for kind treat- sends for Michal, and reproaches her for ment, seems to have been proof against the letting his enemy go. And she, afraid of teaching of the prophets ; and Hosea de- bringing her father's anger upon herself, scribes the absence of them as on the same answers with a falsehood, such as we find level as the absence of the ephod (Hosea iii. David also too readily having resort to ; 4). A pillow of goo.ta' he.ir for his bolster. for she tells Saul that his fliaht was David's More correctly, "a goat's skin about its own doing, and that she had taken part in head." So the Syliac and Vulgate. The it only to save her life. Why should I kill object of it would be to look at a distnnce thee 1 She pretends that David had told like e. man's hair. The Septuagint has e. her not to force him to kill her by refusing to goat's liver, because this was supposed to give her aid in his escape. Saul, no doubt, palpitate long after the animal's death, and saw that she had been II willing agent; but as so would produce the appearance of e. person's she professed to have been driven to do what breathing. But this involves a different she had done by David's threats, he could reading, for which there is no authority ; nor say no more. was Micha.I's deception intended for close DAVID'S FLIGHT TO SAMUEL AT RAMAil observation. She would of course not let (vers. 18-24). Ver. 18.-David . . . co.me any one disturb David, and all she wanted to Samuel. We have seen that there is WM just enough likeness to a man to make a. every reason to believe that David had been person at a distance suppose that David was taught and trained by Samuel among the there. Soon or later her artifice would be sons of the prophets, and now, conscious of found out, but her husband would hnve had his innocence, he flees for refuge to his old the intervening time for effecting his escape. master, trusting thnt Saul would reverence As the word rendered pillow, nnd which is God's prophet, and give credence to his found only here, comes from a. root signify- intercession nnd his plcdg~ that David was ing "to knot together," "to intertwine," guiltless. He and Samuel went and dwelt some commentators think that it means a in Ne.ioth. Rather in 1Vevayoth, as in tha network of goats' hair, perhaps to keep off written text. This is not the name of 11 fties. But this is a mere guess, aml not to place, but signifies ",lwclliugs," "lodgings," be set against the combined authority of the 1m,l is always translate,\ in the Chaldee two versions. With e. oloth. Hebrew, beged. "house of study," i. e. student's lodgings. This beged was David's every-day dress, and Somewhere near to R.mrnh Samuel had ,rould greatly nid Michal in her pious arti- erected buildings to rcc<'ivc his young meo,  THE FIHST BOOK OF SAMUEL. [en. XIX. 1-24,