The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 134

or sources. It is not possible to suppose range of ten miles long, 11bont six hundred !;hat the writer of Chronicles merely copied feet high, and mentioned only in the mel11n- /rom the Book of Samuel. The differences choly connection of this history. The flight 11,ro ,ery slight, but they are such as pro- of the men of Israel and of Saul was from duce a different conviction, and are not con- the plaiu be.ok to their position on Mount Gilboa., where they were pursued, overtaken, sistent with the assumption of being mere and slain. The modern name of the town alterations and additions upon what is read J ez_reel is Zerin, the depraved aliases of in the other work. The last two verses of which appear as Gerin aud Zazzin (Robin• this chapter form the distinctive feature of son's 'llibl. Res.,' iii. 162-165, 3rd edit.), it, compared with the parallel of 1 Sam. xxxi. and Jezreel, Shunem, and Beth-shean are the three most conspicuous places in this The appropriateness of these two verses, as part of the whole plain of Esdra.elon. bridging over the history from Saul to Ver. 2.-l!'ollowed hard after. The David, is evident, and is but another inci- Hebrew verb implies all this and rather dental indication of the thorough unity of more, viz. that they made (the pursuit of purpose of the compiler. They may even be Baul and his sons their one special object. Luther's "Ringen sich au Saul" expresses viewed as tacitly compensating for the abrupt this forcibly. Abinadab; or Ishui (see eh. introduction, at the commencement of the viii. 33; 1 Sam. xiv. 49). The sons of Baul. chapter, of tile battle with the Philistines, Omit the article, which is not present in the and the slaughter on Mount Gilboa. Hebrew text. The fourth son, notwithstand- Ver. 1.-No abruptness marks this narra- ing our ver. 6, survived (2 Sam. ii. 8-15). tion in 1 Sam. xxxi. On the contrary, it is Ver. 3.-The arohers hit him. The literal there the natural conclusion of the wars translation would be, the shooters, men with between the Philistines and San!. This the bow, found him. The context makes it engagement took place (1 Sam. xxviii. 4; pie.in that the meaning is that the arrows xxix. 1, 11) on the plains of Jezreel. The of the pursuers rather than the pursuers name Jezreel marks either the city (Josh. themselves "found" him, and these made xix. 18; 1 Kings xxi. I, 11), or the cele- him argue all the real To this our Autho- hrated valley or plain called in later times rized Version has jumped by the one word Esdraelon, the Greek form of the word. "hit" him. It is evident from ver. 8 that '£he plain in its largest proportions may be the Philistines did not find the body of said to have been bounded by the Mediter- Sa.ul to recognize it till next d11y. And he ranean (although it is called the plain of was wounded of the archers. The radical ..\.echo, where it abuts on that sea.) and the meaning of the verb (~111) is rather "to Jordan, and by the Samaria and Carmel twist" (torquere) or" be twisted," "writhe" ranges on the south and south-west, and (torqueri). And the meaning here is in those of Galilee on the north and north- harmony with it, that Saul trembled from east. While called a "plain" and "the fear or writhed with the pain already in- great plain" in Judg. i. 8, its name in the flicted of the arrows. Hence the parallel Old Testament is "valley." It ,lay like a passage couples with this same verb, the scalene triangle, with its apex in the direc- adverb 7No, tion of the Med.itenanean, opening into the Ver. 4._:_And abuse me. The m11in idoB above-mentioned plain of Accho, and its of the Hithp. of the verb here used is to sides going from right to left, about fifteen, satisfy the thirst of lust or cruelty. Saul twelve, and eighteen miles long respectively. probably feared not the abuse of mocking l'he allusions to it in Old Testament history only, but that of torture. In the cono- J,re frequent. Its exceeding richness is now sponding pa.ss11ge this verb is preceded by turned into desolation unexceeded. Megiddo the clause, and thrust me through. Ria (Josh. xii. 21; Judg. i. 27), the city, centre armour-bearer would not. He refused tho of a smaller -ra.lley called by the same na.me request or bidding of Saul, no doubt mainly (eh. vii 29; J udg. v. 19), was situated in respect of the fact tha.t Saul was still within it, in the direction of Carmel. (For "the anointed." Wo have a full description very full and interesting account of the of both the loose arms and of the armour of Jezreel with which we have hero to do, and the body iu the case of the Philistine Goliath of Esdra.elon, see Stanley's 'Sinai and (1 Sam. xvii. 4-7). It is one of the world's Palestine,' pp. 336-356, edit. 1866.) Mount surprising facts that the making of arms Gilboa. identifies for us the exact battle-field and armour, and the acquiring of skill in of tlw text. It is the same with that on the using of thom, should, as in fa.et all which Gideon triumphed (Jndg. vii. 1, 8). history attests, da.te from so early a period It is in the lot of Issa.char, flanked by the (Gen. xxxi. 26; xxxiv. 25). As comp11red Little Hermon ridge on the north-east, with the history and tho fragmentary re- awl Ly Gilooa on the south-east, a mountain mains of classical antiquity, those of Scrip- OIi, :X:, 1-14.] 'l'HE FIRST BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES. 125