others suppose corruption in our text, or, as against Nahath the Ammonite, of which Thenius !\nd Ewald, the loss of a sentence kimlncss they are now mindful, show that to our text. After all said, the omission in rarest of virtues, gmtitude to a fallen Samuel of the fate of the head would seem monarch, nnd are further on (2 Sam. ii. 5) to be fully as remarkable as the omission, commended for it by David. This verso so far as this verse is concerned, in does not tell us, as the parallel ( 1 Sam. Chronicles of the fate of the body. It is xxxi. 12) does, of the first burning of the reasonable to suppose t!iat the bead and bodies, and then of the burying of tbo trunk of the body of Saul were brought calcined bones. The silence is very remark- together again, or it were likely some allu- able. It does name the kind of tree, tbo sion to the contrary would have transpired "oak" or "terebinth." The word for the in the following verses of this chapter or in tree, however, in both passages is of doubt- 2 Sam. xxi. 12-14. With regard to the act ful cmd perhaps only generic signification. of the Philistines in dedicating the nrmonr The several Hebrew words translated in of Saul, and fixing his head in the temple of various places as "oak," all share a common Dagon, as though trophies, the custom was root, significant of the idea. of strength. Dr. botb. ancient and not uncommon (Judg. Thomson (' The Land and the Book,' pp. xvi 21-30; 1 Sam. v. 1-5; xxi. 9). The 243, 244) says that the country owns still house of Dagon (Josh. xv. 41; xix. 27) here to an abundance of oaks of very fine growth spoken of was that at Ashdod (Josh. xv. 47), in ·some cases, and that these are exceed- between Gaza and Jappa. Though belong- ingly more plentiful and altogether a ing to Judah's lot, it was never subdued stronger tree than the "terebintb." The by Israel, and remained throughout their different names, though all connected with history one of theix worst foes. It is the one root, referred to are probably owing to Azotus of Acts viii. 40. There was another the large variety of oa.ks. With the state- Dagon temple at Gaza (Jndg. xvi. 21-31). ment of the burying of the bones under a Dagon's representation was the figure of a tree, e.nd the fasting of seven days on the man, as to head, hands, and bust, but for part of these brave and grateful men of the rest that of a fish, which was a. symbol Je.besh-gilead, the parallel account comes of fruitfulness. As Ashdod was situate on to its end. the extreme west of Palestine, so Beth-shan Ver. 13.-So Saul died for his trans- -generally written Beth-shean, a. city of gression. (For this transgression and the Manasseh (eh. vii. 29), though within the stress le.id upon it and its predicted con- borders of Ieeachar (Josh. xvii. 11), from sequences, see 1 Sam. xv. 1- 9, 11, 14; which the Canaanites were not expelled xxviii. 18.) :For asking ... of . .. a fe.milie.r (Judg. i. 27)-was on the extreme east near spirit (1 Sam. xxviii. 7-24). the Jordan. lt was afterwards called Ver. 14.-And inquired not of the Lord. Scythopolis. Considering the distance these Saul seems to have, in point of fact, inquired were apart, and their contrary directions, in 8ome sense (1 Sam. xiv. 37; xxviii. 5, 6, we may suppose that some suggestion was 15). But the probable meaning is that be intended by the fixing the head in the one did not inquire in the first instance (seo place and the body in the other. vers. 3, 4); and when he did inquire, ho Ver. 12.-Je.besb. This is the only place did not await the reply solely and ex- where "Jabesh" is used as an abbreviation clusively of Jehovah. Therefore he slew for Jabesh-uilead, of which it was the chief him (so see eh. ii. 3). David the son of city. Gile;d comprised the Jots of Reuben Jesse. The compiler, having heretofore and Gad (Nnmb. xxxii. 1-5, 25-3~, given so scrupulously whatever of genealogi- 39-41) and of half Manasseh· (eh. xxvu. cal fact he could, is now careful to use it. 21). Saul had on a celebrated occasion And be identifies the future chief hero of (1 Sam. xi. 1-13) befriended the people bis history as him who had aire!\dy been of Jabesh-gilead, coming to theix rescue instanced (eh. ii. 15), "son of J11Sse."
HOMILETICS. Vers. 13, 14.-The epitaph, a beacon-warning. So far as this work is coucerued, Saul is introduced to us, and takes " for ever" his farewell of us, in this one and tho same chapter. ,ve know him, however, we~! elsewhere, On the backgro~nd of a bright sky, we are at once prepared to say, bis fi~ure stand~ out, a?d ever will _stand out, dark in appearance, of somewhat comma1_1dmg proport10ns, with. the bearing of no alloc,ether ordinary man-a strikmg figure, rndeed, but one that strikes fear and a chill fe;lin" tbrotwhout one, rather than one that inspires reverence, emulation, love. It cannot be said ~f him or of bill career that they lack incident or dramatic effect. OJI, x. 1-14.] THE FIRST BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES. 127