perity (see on eh. ii. 35). Bees.use my lord acknowlcdgmcnt of Abigail's remonstrance fighteth. Hebrew, ",vill fight." David sees in it the han<l. of Jehovah the God ot· was not fighting these battles now because he Isre.el, who bad sent her, i. e. stirred her up to was not yet enthroneJ as the theocratic king. come. He commends also her e.dvioe, litor- ] t was Saul's business at present to fight ally, her "taste," i. e. wisdom, discretion. '· J ehovah's battles," either in person or by It is tl1e word rendered behavioui· in eh. his ofHcers (eh. xviii. 17). The words, xxi. 13. But for this prudent conduct on therefore, distinctly look forward to the her part in thus coming to meet him on the- time when David as king ~ill have the duty way, he solemnly assures her on oath that imposed upon him of protecting Jehovah's nothing could have save,l Nabal and every co\'Cnnnt people. Evil he.th not been found male in his household from death. Finally, in thee. Hebrew, "shall not be found in he accepts her present and dismisses her· thee," i. e. when the time comes for thee with the assurance that all was forgiven. to take the kingdom no one shall be able to DEATH OF N ABAL AND MARRIAGE OF allege against thee any offence by which DAVID AND ADIGAIL (vers. 36-42). Vers. thou hast lost thy title to the kingly office ; 36-38.-For he was very drunken. Hebrew, nor afterwards as king shalt thou be guilty "and he was very drunken." This was not of any breach of thy duty to Jehovah, Israel's the cause of his heart being merry, but the supreme Ruler, so as to incur rejection as result; he gave himself up to enjoyment till Saul has done. he became drunken, and then his merriment Yers. 29-31.-Yetamanisrisen. Rather, was over. When Abigail came back he was. "And should any one arise to pursue thee," stupefied by drink, and it was not until the &c. The reference is of course to Saul, but next day, when his debauch was passing off, put with due reserve, and also made general, that he was capable of being told what his so as to include all possible injury attempted wife had done. And when Abigail recounted against David. Bound in the bundle of life. to him David's fierce resolve, and how she Hebrew, "of the living." The metaphor had pacified him, he seems to have given is taken from the habit of packing up in a way to a fit of violent indignation, flying bundle articles of great value or of indis- out possibly at her as he had at David's pensable use, so that the oWD.er may carry messengers (ver. 14), the result of which was them about his person. In India the phrase an attack of apoplexy, and after lying in a, is common ; thus, a just judge is said to be state of insensibility for ten days, he died, bound up in the bundle of righteousness; a Vers. 39-42.-Hath pleaded the cause- lover in the bundle of iove. Abigail prays, of my reproach. In the causes tried at the therefore, that David may, with others whose gate of an Israelite city the friends of the life is precious in God's sight, be securely kept accused both pleaded his cause, defended nuder J ehovah's personal care and protection. him from wrong, and punished any who had In modern times the two words signifying wronged him. So God had avenged David, " iu the bundle of the living " form a while preventing him by Abigail's inter- common inscription on Jewish gravestones, ference from avenging _himself (see eh. xxiv. the phrase having been interpreted in the 18). As a widow's legal mourning seems to Talmud, as also by Abravanel and other have lasted only seven days, David, on hear• J ewi.sh authorities, of a future life. She.11 ing. of Nabal's death, sent messengers to he sling out, &c. In forcible contrast with Abigail at Carmel to ask her in marriage. this careful preservation of David's life, she He was probably moved to this not merely prays tha,t his enemies may be cast away as by her sensible conduct, but also by the news violently and to as great a distance as a that Michal had been given to another. stone is cast out of a sling. The middle is She expresses her willingness in true Oriental the hollow in which the stone was placed. fashion by saying she was ready to perform Ruler. I. e. prince. It is the word rendered the most abject menial duties, even for his captain in eh. ix. 16; x:. 1, but its mean- servants, and at once with five maidens ing is more correctly given here. Grief. proceeds to join him. It is a proof that The word really means much the same aa David considered himself practically secure stumbling-block, something which makes against Saul's attempts that he thus married a person stagger by his striking against it and allowed women to accompany his small nna wares. Abigail prays, therefore, that force, as their presence would not only im- when David has become prince, and so pede the rapidity of his movements, but also bas to administer justice, this violent and implies a certain amount of ease and comfort revengeful act which he was purposing might for their maintenance. uot ]Jrove a cause of stumbling and an offence ADDITIONAL PARTICULARS REBPE0TING of heart to himself, by his conscience re- DAVID'S MARRIED LIFE (vers. 43, 44). Vera. proaching him for having himself done that 43, 44.-Besides Abigail, David also took to which be had to condemn in others. wife Ahinoam of J ezreel, a small village Vers. 32 - 35. - David, in his thankful among the hills of Judah (Josh. xv. 56), and CH XXV, 1-H. THE FinST BOOK OF SA:\IGEL.
not the better known town of that name in 2 Sam. iii. 15, when we rearl of his lament- tho tribe of Issachar. Ahinoam was the ation at her being torn from him by Ish- namo also of Saul's wife (eh. xiv. 50). They bosheth in order that she might be restored were also . . . hie wives. /. e. besides to David. Gallim is described in Isa. x. Michal. She had been given by Saul to 30 as being situated between Gibeah of Saul Phalti the son of Laiah, called Phaltiel in and Jerusalem.