The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Samuel — Section 373

therefore, that David might now return to evil against him, or now entertain any evil his home and wife, 1111<! resume his duties desiipis, then let the covenant he abrogated. and take his place at the royal table. Should David refuses to shelter himself under it if the old craze come back about David being he has incurred guilt, and only asks that his rival and destined successor, Saul would Jonathan, by the authority which he exer- be sure to talk about it, and then Jonathan cised as the king's son, should himself put would give him timely warning. But David him to death, and not deliver him up to Saul. was convinced that it was no craze, but that Ver. 9.-Far be it, the word rendered Saul, sane or insane, had determined upon God forbid in ver. 2. It indignantly rejects his death. th_e idea of David having committed any Vers. 5-7.-To-morrow ie the new moon. cnme. The rest of the verse is an incom- The first day of the new moon was a joyful plete sentence : " If I knew certainly that festival, its appearance being greeted with evil were determined by my father to come the sounding of trumpets, and celebrated by upon thee, and did not tell thee--" These a burnt offering and a sin offering. It was, broken sentences have great force in the moreover, kept by Saul as a family festival, at original,_ as signs of intense feeling (comp. which David, as his son-in-law, was expected Luke x1x. 42). We must complete the to be present. As, moreover, David was to sentence mentally in some such way as the hide unto the third day at even, counting Syriac: "then Jehovah do so to me, and from the time when he was arranging his more also." Ver. 10. -Who shall tell met or what i! plans with Jonathan, it is plain that it was the rule to prolong the feasting unto the second day. When then Jonathan, convinced &c. The if is an insertion of the A. Really David's question is very involved v: 'by David's pleading, had consented to aid him and ungrammatical, as was natural in his in his own way, they arrange that he shall excited state. It may be translated "Who absent himself from this festival, and remain will tell me (or, how shall I kno~v) what during it hidden out of sight. In case Saul rough answer thy father will give thee 1 " missed him and asked the reason of his But some Jewish authorities render "Who absence, Jonathan was to ofl'er as an excuse will tell me if so be that thy fatl1er give for him that he had earnestly requested leave thee a rough answer!" to pay a hurried visit to Bethlehem, in order Vers. 11-13.-Let us go out into the to be present at an annual festival : ·and if field. David's question had shown Jonathan Saul took the excuse in good part it would that there were grave di.fficul ties in their be a sign that he had no malicious purposes way, _and so he proposes that they should towards David, whereas if he fell into a rage walk mto the country, to be able to talk with it would be a proof of a settled evil design. one another more freely, and concert measures A yearly sacrifice for all the family. For for the future. And there Jonathan binds all the mishpachah, i. e. not for all Jesse's himself with a solemn oath, if Saul's inten- household, but for all that subdivision of tions be good, to send a trusty messenger to the tJ:ibe of Judah to which Jesse belonged; inform David, but if there be danger, then for a tribe was divided into families, and to come and tell David himself. 0 Lord God. these again in to fathers' houses (Josh. vii. With a few IIISS. we must supply the usual 16, 17). The occasion would thus be a grand formula of an oath : ".A.s Jehovah the God one. In eh. xvi. 2 we have an instance of of Israel liveth." About to-morrow any a special sacrifice at Bethlehem, but this feast time, or the third day. This cumbrous of the mishpachah was held every year ; and translation arose out of the mistaken idea evidently before the temple was built at that the word rendered to-morrow could Jerusalem these local sacrifices were the rule. only be used in that limited sense. Strictly We may well believe that there was such a it signifies the morning, end is applicable to festival, and that the fictitious part of Jona- any morrow. Jon a than fixes one time, and than's story was that David had been sum- one only, and the passage should be rendered, moned to it. "By this time on the thin! morrow." The Ver. 8.-Thou hast brought thy servant meeting was to be on the morrow after tho into a coven.ant of Jehovah with thee. .As second day of the festival, and so on the tha friendship between Jonathan and David third morrow after the conversation. The had been cemented by the invocation of the whole m1ty be translated, ".A.s Jehovah name of Jehovah, it was one firm and assured, the God of Israel liveth, when by this time md David might look not merely for one on the third morrow I h1tve searched my act of kindness, but for constant truth and father, and, behold, there be good for David, belp. It was, moreover, J onathen's own if then I send not to thee, and uncover thy doing; end yet, if there be in me, David ear, Jehovah do so and much more to Jona- says, iniquity, i. e. treason ngainst Saul, if than." The alternative case is then put I have not been a faithful am! true servant and if the news be evil, Jonathan undertake;i to him, but, on the contrary, have plotted himself to be the messenger, and David is toa  378 THE FIRST BOOK OF SAMUEL. [CH. XX. 1-23.