The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Samuel — Section 8

Mount Gilbo&, The st(')ry of the Am&lekite own countrymen. Still, if ho harl tol,! the le nt vnri,.nce with tlle account of Bnul's truth, he would havo fared well; for he death givon in the Inst chapter of the brought news of great importanc(). Bnt preoedlng book, There, soro pressed and truth wB& not a. virtue much pra.dised in wounded by archer~, hopeless 6f escnpe, e.nd those do.ye, and, fo.noying tha.t the treatm1Jnt uno.ble to mnke any further reeiste.nce, in he had met with frnm' 81ml would fill sore distress at the deo.th of hie sons and the David's heart with bitter ra.ncour aun.inet loes of tbe be.ttle, Bnul and Ms armour-beBrer him, the Amalekite invented this st~ry nf fa.II upon their own swords. Here, closely his having ale.in the king with hiR own pursued by chariole 'and horsemen, the king he.nde, in the expecte.tion that it would win is eo utterly deserted by all his body-guard for him a double reward. tbat he ea.JIB to n vagabond prowling about Ver. 9.-Angn.ieh. This word, which for booty to slay him, Naturally, Ewald occurs only in this place, comes from a root and his followers, who regard the booke of signifying to entwine or knot together. On the Bible ne mere pe.tohwork, find here the this account Jewish commentat.ors explRin marks of different narre.tore, whose stories it of cramp, which often follows upon loss the compiler of the Book of Samuel pieced of blood; but it is equally possible tha.t it together without having the shrewdness to means vertigo, or giddiness, when things observe that they were utterly irreconcilable. seem to dance or interweave themselves Some modern oommentatora have, however, together before the eyes. The next words attempted to harmonize them with little signify, l!'or yet is my life whole within me, snccess. Really, the story of the Amalekite and give the ree.son why Se.ul asked the is a most improbable fiction, and utterly Amalekite to slay him. The story is at untrue. He knew nothing as to the manner lea.at plausible. It represent.a the king as of Saul's death, but found the body, probably deserted by his army, even tCl the last man, eome time after the king he.d fallen ; and and with the Philistine cavalry and chariots he was able to strip it beoe.use the pursuing in close pursuit. He is not mortally Philistines were hurrying forward to make wounded, but, as giddiness prevents his their viotory complete, without being aware escape, there is danger of his falling a.Ii ve of what was the crowning glory of their sno- into the enemy's he.nd ; e.nd as they would cess. As thepursuit,advanced it would snon probe.bly not have killed him, but carried become safe for the Aine.lekite and others like him in triumph throngh their cities, the him to h·y nnd secure some of the booty before way would still have been blocked against the Philistines returned. Archers shooting David's succession. The fear of this indig- from a distance might easily so distress nity would account for Saul's earnest appeal Saul as to mak,f him despair of escape-and to the Amalekite to slay him, and, so re- it appears from the first narrative that they quested, it seemed right to put him to death, had not recognized him; for So.ul is afraid instead of tryin~ to carry him off to a place lest they should do so, and, having to.ken of safety. But all thiswes merely to keep up him alive, should "abuse," or make 11, mock appearances, nnd in his heart he doubted of him. Here chariots and horsemen e.re in not that David would regard it as a signal cicse pursuit, and the: king faces them service that his enemy was put ont of the grimly ; nevertheless, they allow a stranger, way. who would not have dared to mix himself Ver. 10.-After that he ,was fa.llen ; He- up with the battle, to rob thein of their brew, after his fall; that is, llis defeat; for prize. We may feel sure that• it was not Saul was stimding and supporting himself until the tide of battle had moved onward with his spear. The orowu, probably, was in ptll'suit that the Amalekite ventured upon a narrow band of gold encircling the royal the field to rob the deod. When so occu- helmet. Braoelet. We read of " bracelets " pied ,ho ea.me upon a corpse, now for some in Numb. xxxi. 50, in the enumel'l\tion of brief space rlea.d, and at once recognized the the spoil taken from the Midit\Il.ites, and tall form of the king, whose identity was there too apparently they were the orna- made more plain by the golden circlet upon ments of warriors. In the Assyrian monu- his helmet. At once he se.w the chance of ments chiefs e.re generally represented with lo.rger gains, and hastily tearing oft' the ornamenta upon their wrists e.nd arms (see royal crown and the bre.celet from the fallen Laye.rd, 'Nineveh,' etc., pl. 18). monarch, without a thought of rescuing the Ver. 12.-They mourned, and wept, and remains from the ,indignities which the fasted. The sight of Saul's royal insignia Philistines were sure to inflict upon them, was clear proof of Israel's disaster: e.nd this he hurried a.wo.y with his tidings. Of course, sorrow of David and his men shows how he Ji:new nothing of David's recent conduct, true their hearts were to their country, and nor that for some time he he.d accompanied how unbeamble would have been their tho inve.ding army, nor that Ziklo.g he.d position ,had not the prudence of the Philis- just experienced rough treatment from his tine lords extricated them from the diflicu Ity  THE SECOND BOOK OF SAMUEL. [ea. 1, 1-2T.