The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 320

of the Ammonitish and l\foabitish idol (i.q. usually incline to the handle instead ot l\folooh), and which we find (Authorized from it, With harrows of iron. The only Version) in Zeph. i. 5, aud probe.bly (though harrow known to have been used ,it this not Authorized Version) in Jer. xlix. 1, 3, time consisted of a thick block of wood and Amos i. 15. The Septuagint treats the borne down by a weight, or on which a word thus. The point, however, cannot be i;nan sat, drawn __ ?ver the ploughed land by ooneidered sotUtld. oxen (Isa.. xxvm. 24, 25 ; Job xxxix. 10; Ver. 3.-Cut them with saws (so Heh. Hosea x. 11), and the root of the Hebrew xi. 37). We have here the very doubtful (so word expresses the idea of crushing or far as roga.rds its real signification) Hebrew levelling the land. But our present word word ,~;1_ (and he cut) instead of ol?:~ (he is very different, and is found only here and put). Probably it is nowhere else used in in the parallel place, with the word " iron " the sense of " cutting," if it is here. Its a.ccompanying it, so as to be equivalent to ordinnry sense is to rule or put into sub- a compound word, and appears to mean jection. The parallel place (2 Sam. xii. 31) "sharp instruments of iron," or sharp corrects, in the word (Authorized Version) threshing instruments. The use of thti axes, our Hebrew text, which repeats the former part of this phrnse (1 Sam, xvii. word for saw, though putting it in the l 8) for cheeses is the only other instance plural, aud which thereby shows n\,~.7;1~\ of its occurrence. SawB should be "axes," instead of n\·mo::11. This last word means or " scythes," as stated above, though it is not any of the three more ordinary words " RXCS " or "scythes," aud is from the root for "axe" (see Smith's 'Bible Dictionary,' -~~. to cut (2 Kings vi. 4). It is found i. 142). only in 2 Sam. xii. 31, though it should ap- Ver. 4.-For the Gezer (,.H) of this verse, pear here also. There is o. fourth severity the parallel place (2 Sam. xxi. 18) shows of punishment mentioned in the parallel Gob (:iiJ), a. name not known, but which place, that the people were "made to pass careless transcription may have easily made through the brick-kilns,'' a form of torture out of the former. The Syriao Version, how- possibly suggested by the own familiar ever, as well as the Septuagint, has Gath in cruelty of the Ammonites in "making that verse as well as in the two verses follow- their children to pass through the fire to ing (2 Sam. xxi. 18-20), another name also :Maloch." However, in harmony with what easily interchangeable in Hebrew characters is above said respecting the doubtfulness of with Gezer. The "yet again " of our ver. 6 the jnet signification of the verb "'12''1, much would well accord with the euppoa.ition that uncertainty hangs over the interpretation of the conflict with the Philistines was at Gath, this verse. Instea.d of severity and need- or at the same place, each of the three times. less cruelty on the part of David, it may Gezer belonged to Ephraim, and was situ- rather set forth that he 8'11,bjected them to ated to the north of Philistia ( eh. vii. hard tasks in connection with the cultiva- 28; xiv. 16). Sibbeoha.i (see also eh. xi. 29; tion of the soil and with the ma.king of xxvii. 11). Sippa.i. In the parallel place bricks. The ea.we and harrows and axes spelt Saph. It is remarkable that, in the (or scythes) were awkward and unlikely Peshito Syria.c, over Ps. cxliii. ie found the weapons to be employed for the purpose of inscription, " Of David, when he slew Asaph, inflicting torture, when the ordinary weapons the brother of Gulyad, and thanksgiving of battle and warfare were close at hand. that he ha.d conquered." Of the ohildren of l'hie view, however, is contrary to the the giant. The Hebrew word for "giant," verdict, so far as the above Hebrew verb rapha (always in these verses spelt with a is concerned, of Geeeniue'e 'Thesaurus,' p. final aleph, but in the parallel verses always 1326, and of Theniue, on this and the with he final), is hero (Authorized Version) parallel passage. When such punishments translated. "The llapha," a native of were of the nature of torture, the cruelty Gath, was the forefather of the Canae.n- was in some cases extreme. "The criminal itish Rephaim, mentioned as early as Gen. was sometimes sawn a.sunder lengthwise; xiv. 5; xv. 20; Deut. ii.11; iii.11; Josh. xii. this was more especially the practice in 4; xv. 8; xvii. 15. The slaying of Ishbi- Persia. Isaiah, according to the Talmud- benob (2 Sam. xxi. 16) is not here given. ists, was put to death in this wise by It is also to be observed that the lengthy King Manasseh, 'Sanhedrin,' p. 103, c. 2 ; account ot Samuel, respecting Absalom and comp. Justin's dialogue with Trypho" hie rebellion (2 Sam. xiii.-xxi.) is not found (Jahn's 'Sacred Antiquities,' p. 132, § 260, here. viL). With sau:B. The word in the original Ver. 5.-Elhanan the son of J"e.ir. In is not in the plural. It occurs again only Samuel Jair appears as Jaare. ThisElhanan iu the parallel place (2 Sam. xii. 31) and in is probably different from him of oh. xi. 26. l Kings vii. 9, both times in the singular. There is a. strange confusion in the 1·eading of 'l'lle teeth of Eastern s11,we thon and now this and its parallel verse. If our present CII. XX, 1-8.J THE FIRST BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES. 319