The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 310

EXPOSITIO~. CHAl:"l'ER XIX. allude<l to is not recorded. There mC1y have been many opportunities and calls for it This chapter runs very closely parallel during David's persecuted life and when mth 2 Sam. x. 1-19; a chapter also of tho Ammonite king would fe~I a motive nineteen verses. The slight differences beyond any intrinsio goodness of heart to between them avail to make one or the "sho,w ki!'.1dnese" to the youth who was other narrative a little clearer or e. little San\ s obJect of hatred. It is, however, fuller. The time is only marked, as in the v~ry _remarkable that we find e. genuine kmdhness ~owards David still cleaving to first verse of the preceding chapter, by the too the succession of Ammonite kings even general formula, "after this." Between the af~r the events of this chapter (2' Sam. last verse of the preceding chapter and the xvu. 27-29). Hanun. Nothing else is first of this, we find interposed, in the Book known of this He.nun. Though here the of Samuel, the account of David's thoughts name of an Ammonite king, we find it iu N eh. iii. 13, 30, the name of two of those and deeds of kindness "for J onathan's who helped repair the city. The Assyrian sake " to Mephibosheth "of the house of Inscriptiom contain the name as that of a Saul," who was a son of Jonathan, though Philistine king, tributary to Tiglath-pileser o.pparently not personally known at present (see' Speaker's Commentary'). to David. Ver. 3.-Thinkeat thou that David, etc.? The Hebrew is," In thine eyes doth David ?" The chapter gives an account of David's The order of to overthrow, and to spy out is war with Ammon and Aram allied tempo- reversed in Samuel. rarily, and the ungracious cause of the wo.r Ver. 4.-The classical scholar will not -the insult put upon David's messengers, fail to be reminded, so far as the shaving when sent on e. mission of kindly and sin- here spoken of is concerned, of the account contained in Herodotus, ii. 121. The parallel cere condolence, on occasion of the death of place makes the resemblance close, in that Ne.hash. King of Ammon. Some think that it tells us that " one-half of their beards" the contents of this chapter are in reality a was shaved. To shave them was an affront narration at greater length and in fuller to their customs, dignity, and religion; to detail, belonging to the space occupied by shave them half added mockery·; and to cut off half their garments completed the to.le vers. 3-13 of last chapter. They would, of ignominious and contemptuous insult in like manner, identify 2 Sam. x. 1-19 (Isa. xx. 4). The beard was held almost with viii. 3---13. in reverence by Ee.sterns. Ver. 1.-Nahash. It is possible that this Ver. 6.-Made themselves odious. The may be the Nahash ofl Sam. xi. I, 2 and xii. Hebrew root of very strong force, ~'/, is 12, who, being signally defeated by Saul, here employed, and which our Authorized may have been the more inclined ro show Version tre.nslo.tcs, both in the parallel place partiality to David. But it would appear and elsewhere, far more uncompromisingly that nearly sixty years had elapsed, and if than here. A thousand talents. Not etatet.1 so, it must be held very unlikely, and would in Samuel. Thie talent was of three thou- point to the conclusion that it was his son sand shekels, believed to be equivalent to whose death is here in question. With this £342. Mesopotamia. The parallel place the statement of Josephus (' Ant.,' vi 5, § 3), has Are.m-beth-rehob, instead of our .Aram- would tally, which says that the Nahe.sh of naharaim (" Syria. of the Two Rivers," i.e. 1 Sam. xi. was killed in the destruction of Tigris and Euphrates; Authorized Version, the Ammonite army then wrought by Raul. "l\lesopotamia "). From comparing this Possibly the word '' Nahe.sh" was the official verse with ver. 16, it may seem probable title of kings of the Ammonites (and, though that those strictly called "of Mesopotamia" considering its signification, i.e. serpent, lent either no aid at first or but very partial. scarcely e. flattering one from e. mo<lcm It is observable tho.t the numbers of men point of view, yet this is overruled by the supplied by Deth-rehob, Zobe.h, and Ishtob association of the attribute of wiBdom with in the parallel place (viz. thirty-two thou- the serpent in olden time, of which we have 1and) agrco with the numbers of this verse, more than a trace in Matt. x. 16), as "Pha- from which we may conclude that, who.tever raoh" of kings of Egypt, etc. Aram-beth-rehob (probably either Ilcho• Ver. 2.-Beoause hill father showed kind- Loth on the Euphrates, or Hehob last of ness to me. The instance of kindness here Lebanon) and Arnm-naharnim may strictly ou. xrx. 1-lU.j Tliffi .l!'lilST BOOK 01!1 THE CHRONICLES.