The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Samuel — Section 42

three, Aa11hel, we.a remo.rke.ble for his per- ~ratuid, e.nd ao the Revised Version. sonnl nooompllshmenta, a.nil eapeoio.lly for The sight of their alo.ughtered brother swiftneee of foot, for which he We.& oompe.red me.de them only tbo more determined in the to the Zebi, the oe.mp-name or Jonathe.n purenit, o.nd doubtleae, a.t their command, (oh. i. 19). It now oe.used hie del\th. For the soldiers would lea.ve Aeahel e.nd follow oonscioue tho.t Abner was the aole support their commo.nders. Of the" hill of Amme.h" of lehboshoth's pe.rty, and indignnnt nt hi11 and Gie.h we know nothing; but it is evident ohnJlenge to useless slaughter, he purened the.t no be.It we.a ma.de until !!Unset. after him, e.llowing nothing to divert him Ver. 25.-The ohildren of Benje.min . , . from hie objeot, e.nd hoping to enrl the wo.r bees.me one troop, Benjamin wa• probnhly by slaying the veteran oomm1mder. But the only tribe that entered keenly into though ho he.d the fleetness of e.n Achilles, lshbosheth's co.use; for the maintenance he ho.d not his robust strength, e.nd Abnem, of the kingdom in the family of Saul meant knowing the.t the combat we.s uneque.I, re- the continue.noo of that favouritism which monstrated witb. him, e.nd bode him tum he.d enriched them o.t the expense of the e.side, e.nd be content with winning the community (1 S11.m. xxii. 7). They were, spoils of somemee.ner we.rrior. It is evident too, o. very warlike tribe, e.nd Abner wo.~ from this tho.t Abner saw in this defeat in one of themselves, e.nd proba.bly, therefore, a battle of hie own choosing, the certainty the ma.in body of hie e.rmy-, e.nd certo.inly of the nee.r downfe.11 of the house of So.nl, his most trustworthy meo, were Benjamites. e.nd, as he would then be in Joe.b'e power, Profiting by the delay ea.used by the ho.lt- he wee unwilling to have e. blood-feud with ing of David's eoldieril round the body of e. man of such determined che.racter. "How," the fallen Aso.hel, Abner ho.d rallied his he nsks, "should I hold np my face to Joe.b men, and posted them on tl,e top of the thy brother?" It would be his dnty, as the hill, where they were prepared now to fight e.venger of blood, to sle.y me., Apparently, on more eq uo.l terms. during this conference, he was sto.nding Ver. 26.-Xnowest thou not the.t it will with the butt e.'ld of hie lance held towards be bittemess in the latter end 1 The Vul- Aso.hel, to we.rd off hie blows,. but, e.s the go.te renders this, "Art thou not aware tho.t epeo.r-head was turned the other we.y, desperation is do.ngerous I" This is a very Aso.hel forgot tho.t even so it might be used obvious truth, but probe.bly Abner had in for offence. For it was pointed, that it hie mind something more statesmanlike. might be stuck in the ground e.t night The struggle was for the empire over all (1 Se.m. xxvi. 7), a.nd possibly shod with Israel, e.nd whoever won would be king iron, though it is more likely tho.t it was over both sides. But every man slo.in only hardened by being thrust into the fire. meant e. blood-feud, which would continue So when he ee.w that hie words ho.d no even nfter the kingdom wa.s united; o.nd _e.vo.il, o.nd the.t .Aao.hei wo.e not on ~is guard, Abner probably felt that his own slaughter he suddenly struck him :with it so violent of Asahel that day would render his po~ition e. blow tho.t it pierced his body right in Do.vid's reo.lm difficult and da.ngerous. through, o.nd Aso.hel fell down deo.d. It Among the Aro.b tribes qne.rrels o.re very is probublo, from the merciless force ili!ed, common, but bloodshed rare, beco.use of the tho.t there wo.s a sudden outburst of e.nger blood-fend which follows. Moderation wo.s on Ahner's po.rt. • thus necesse.ry on both sides, while cruelty Ver. 23,-'l'he fifth rib, This rendering e.nd the immoderate use of victory would here o.nd in other places o.rises from the sow the seeds of future trouble. derivo.tion of the word from the numero.lfive, Ver. 27.-Unless thou ho.dst spoken, but this notion he.a long been e.ba.ndoned, surely then in the morning the people had o.nd the word is now knoivn to be formed gone. up ; or .as the Revised Version renders, from e. verb aignifyiug " to be fo.t or stout." had gone away, not' follo-1.Ded every man his Reo.11y it mee.na the abdomen, a.nd is so brother. The Revised Version wa.kes the tro.nslo.ted in the LXX. o.nd Vulgo.te, while sense more pie.in, Joe.b throws the whole the Syrio.o gives only the genero.l sense, o.nd blo.me, o.nd •rightly so, on Abner. Do.vid renders " the breast." In the same plaoe ; would unJer no circumste.uces have at- Hebrew, under him; that is, immedi- to.oked Iehboshetb; o.nd Joo.b with his men ately. So, violent w11a the blow tha.t Aeo.hel ho.d marched to the to.nk of Gibeon simply dropped down dend without o. struggle. So to repel an invading foroe. When there, ,tro.gio Wl\S his. fo.te, e.ud so gree.t the e.:lfec- Joo.b, doubtless by D,ivid'e orders, hacl tion of David's mon for the youna we.rrior, rewo.iued striotly ou thti defensive, and so tha.t the pursuit ceo.sed, 1md o.11: e.s they unwilling were both e.rmies to fight, that cnme up, rewo.foed standing by the sidE! of Abner ho.d to resort to a most cruel sceue tho corpse. of butchery in order to inflame tb.eir Vor. 2-t-J'oa.b also and Abiaho.i pursue!! passions au,1 force them to begin t\ conflict after Abner; renJly, but Joab and Abiahai ot' brother 11gaiUBt brother. But for Abuer'11  THE SECOND BOOK OF SAMUEL. [011, II, 1....,32,