The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 135

ture are remarkably scanty on this subject. literally that the whole, including every T!Je sword is the earliest mentioned in member, of that family had perished. Scripture, carried in a sheath (1 Sam. xvii. Ver. 7.-In the valley. In place of these 51 • 2 Sam. xx. 8; eh. :ni. 27) ; tbough the words, the pa.re.lie! (1 Sam. xxxi. 7) has, Hebrew word ia here different from that "On the other side of the valley, and ... on used in Samuel. It was slung by e. girdle the other side Jorda.n." We have here a clear 'l Sam. x:xv. 13), rested on hips or thigh instance of the desire of the compiler of (2 Sam. xx. 8; Judg. iii.;16; Ps. xiv. 3), and Chronicles to compress his na.rrati ve, while 1vos sometimes" two-edged" (Judg. iii. 16; the fidelity of the para.lie! narrative is testi- Ps. cxlix. 6). Theu follows the spear in fied in the naturalness of its statements. several varieties, e.s in 1 Sam. xvii. 7 ; eh. amounting to this, that, quick as the intel- xi. 11 ; xx. 5; xxiii. 9. Ago.in as e. javelin ligence or report could reach a.II those (Josh. viii. 14-25; Job xxix. 23; 1 Sam. Israelites who were at all withiu tbe range xvii. 6, wbere in the Authorized Version it is of the victorious Philistines, they hastened called target, or gorget). Again as e. lancet to vacate their a.bodes. (1 Kings xviii: 28; eh. xii. 8, 24: 2 Chron Ver. 8.-And his sons. The parallel xi.12· Neh. 1v. 13; Ezek. xxxu:. 9). In (1 Sam. xx:xi. 8) says explicitly, "And his e.dditi~n to these three chief varieties of three sons." spear-the spear proper, the javelin, and the Ver. 9.-And when they had stripped him, lancet-there is mention of two other weapons they took his head, and his armour. Some used at all events as the dart of e. light comparing this with the para.lie! (1 Sam. kind would be used, in 2 Chron. x:xiii. 10, x:xxi.9), "Theycut off his hea.d,a.nd stripped and elsewhere, and in 2 Sam. viii. 14, re- off his armour," say "our author" leaves the spectively. Aftersword_e.nd spear rank th_e beheading unmentioned I It is certainly bow and arrow (Gen. xx1. 20 ; 1 Sam. xxxi. sufficiently implied. To oarry tidings unto 3 • eh. viii. 40 ; xii. 2; Ps. lxviii. 9; cx:x. 4; their idols. This sentence is more clearly J~b vi. 4) And lastly, the sling (Judg. xx. explained, and brought into rather unex- 16 • 1 Sam. x:xv. 29; 2 Kiugs ill. 25 ), and pected and perhaps unwished accord with e. ~ery strong weapon of. the same ki?,d the most modem of our ecclesiastical ho.bits, mentioned in 2 Cbron. xxvi. 15. The chief when in the para.lie! as above, we find •· to articles wom as bodily armour were the publish it in the house of their idols" a.s the breastplate (1 Sam. x vii. 5, 38) ; the some- form of expression. what obscure he.bergeon, mentioned only Ver. 10.-The ho111e of their goda. In twice in no connection then of battle (Exod. place of this general designation, the uviit. 32; xx:xix. 23), the originnl name of parallel (1 Sam. xxxi. 10) designates thA which, lacharah, is found on Egyptian papyri house more exo.ctly as " the house of of the nineteenth dynasty,-it seems to have Ashto.roth" (Gen. xiv. 5; the Phccn ician been a species of doublet or corselet; the female deity, o.s Baal was their mC\lo ,!city. helmet (1 Sam. xvii. 5; oh. xxvi. 14; Ezek. The Greek form of the name is Asturto. xxvii. 10); greaves (1 Sam. xvii. 6); two See also Cic., 'De. Nat. Deo.,' iii. 23). And kinds of shield (1 Sam. xvii. 7, 41, com- fastened his head in the temple of Dagon. pared with 1 Kings x. 16; 2 Ohren. ix. 15); The parallel, as above, gives us, " And and lastly the 11rtiole mentioned in 2 Sam. fastened his body to the wo.11 of Beth-sho.n " viii. 7; oh. xviii. 7; 2 Kings xi: 10 ; 2 Chron. (which account is corroborated in 2 So.m. xxiii. 9; Cant. iv. 4; Jer. h. 11; Ezek. xxi. 12-14), and does not sa.y what further xx\ii. 11 ; and of whioh we can say nothing was doue with the head. It is no doubt certainly bee.ring upon its nature or its remnrko.ble tho.t one historio.n puts on use, except that it was made of gold. record the one fuot o.nd the other the other; Armour-bearers, then, the first distinct men- and it is one of the clearer indications that tion of whom we find in Judg. ix. 54, may both took from some common sources. It well ho.ve been a necessity for kings and for is perhaps something to be reruurkod also the great. Joab had ten (2 Sam. xviii. 15), tho.t, while the historian in S(lmuol says The word is not expressed as e. compound in nothing further a.bout the head (though Hebrew, but as" one carrying (c?;:1) arms." allusion to it is proba.b!y included in the Ver. 5.-And died. The pw-e.llel (1 Sam, "body" nnd the " bones," tho further :u:xi. 5) adds " with him." account of which is given in vers. 12, 13, o.s Ver. G.-All his ho111e. In place of these well as in 2 Sam. xxi. 12-14), the compiler words, the parallel (1 Sam. xxxi. ~) has, of Chronicles docs revert to mention of "And his armour-bearer, and all his men, "the body of Saul,'' vor. 12, infra, though that same day together." This reading without any corresponding naming of avoids the a.rubiguity referred to e.lrea.d_y Beth-she.n. Bcrthcau finds little <lilliculty (ver. 2). In either passage tho moro.l 1s in tho question, by simply sup1-rnsing tl111t pluin, tho.t the end and ruin of Suul's the omission in Chronicles is 11notl.10r in- fowily o.s a whole had arrived, rather than sto.ncc of tho de~ire to compress; while 126 THE FIRST BOOK OF THE CHHu.NlCLES. [ctr. x. 1-14.