The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Samuel — Section 69

snd woro loft to rcAist tho prcrlntory bo.nde out o.nd coming in, tlrnt ie, hiA prn.srnt. of tho Philietinoe ne boat thoy could. So manne1' of lifo llnd mul,,rtnldnga. All th,.~ wnrlike IL tribe too would deepiso lehh()shoth, thou doest j liter;1,lly, all that tlwn nrt ond long for a. hro.ver man to aid thom in doing; all that is now going on, anrl t,h y fighting thoir onemiee. pie.as and purposes. Abner woul,! n()t only Vor. 20.-Twenty men with him. Thoeo, Jurlge by whot he saw, but in hie interview wo may feel sure, wero not common eoldiors, with David would lead him ()n to talk of hiH but ohioftoine selected from those chlere hopes and p1'0epects. David had littlo timo who wore on David's eido; and, though the to exp!Bin the real object of Abner', romi1w, honourable escort of Miohal was the pre- nor wo.s Josb in a. mood to listen t,, an~- text, yet Ishboehoth must hnve felt sure thin~ he said. He bad detected his master the.t more we.a intended. Most of them, in secret negotiations, and wonld regiird his however, would join Abner on tho rond, excuses as tainted with deceit. And after especially those who represented Benjamin giving vent to his anger in reproaches, ho ond the western tribes. On arriving e.t hurried away to thwart David's plans by a Hebron they were honourably received, deed of moat ba.se villainy. Harl David nnd, after a. feast, they settled the condi- acted openly, a.II would have been done tions on which David wa.s to be ma.de king with Joa.b's consent and approval. of e.11 Israel; and Abner then departed in Ver. 26.-The well-Hebrew, cistern-ot peace, after giving the assurance the.t all Sirah. Josephus(' Ant.,' viii. I. 5) says that the tribes would now gladly assemble, and this cistern was situated about two miles by solemn compact e.nd covenant make and e. he.If north of Hebron. There was David their king. The terms of the league, probably I\ ca.re.vansera.i there, a.t which e.nd the conditions o.greed upon for Iah- Abner halted, intending to continue his bosbetb, e.re not mentioned, because npon march homewards a.s soon as the coolness Abner's death the whole plan fell to the of evening set in. Here Joab's messengers ground, e.nd David bod to we.it for many overtook him, e.nd, speaking in David's name years before his hopes were fulfilled. But -for otherwise Abner would not have fallen we gather from this covenant and oh. v. 3 into the trap-asked him to return for (where see note) that the early kings of further conference, mentioning, perhaps, Israel were not absolute monarchs.. Joab's arrival as the reason. In this way Ver. 22.-From pursuing· a troop. This Abner's suspicions would be set a.t rest, and gives e. wrong ,idea, e.s though Joab had it would seem quite natural for him to :find been •repelling e.n attack. The Revised Jon.b waiting for him at the ga.te. Version is right in rendering " came from a Ver. 27.--J'oab took him aside in the gate. foray," the troop being a compo.ny of men As we rea.d in eh. :xviii. 24 of David sitting sent out on e. predatory excursion. It is not "between the two gates," and of " the roof unlikely the.t David he.d arranged this over the gate," and in ver. 33 of "the expedition in order the.t hie interview with cho.mber over the gate," Ewe.Id's idea. of Abner might te.ke place in Joe.b's absence; there being a roofed inner space, with a. e.nd as he returned with "great spoil," he guard-room over it, as in the medireval gate- had probably been aw1ty for some nine or towers in German towns. is probably right. ten days, during which he had penetrated A8 the " two gates " would ma.ke the spa.co far into the country of the Am11.lekites. between them gloomy, the spot would just Had David acted frankly e.nd honourably, suit Joa.b's purpose. He meets Abner, there- Joe.b would not have stood in the way of fore, in a. friendly manner, a.ad drawing him hie master's exaltation, e.nd the blood-feud aside, os if to converse with him a.pa.rt from between him nnd Ahner might he.ve been the people going in and out, there e.ssassi- nrre.nged. But it is evident tha.t David n:i.tes him. The place was so public that ~eocetly disliked e.nd chafed under the con- the <leed must hl\ve been witnessed by trol of his etrnng-willed o.nd too-able nephew. multitudes, though the gloom, felt the Vera, 24, 25.-Whe.t hast thou done 1 more by them from the contrast with the David's secret dealing ma.kee Joa.b see a. bright glare of sunshine outside, had given personal wrong to himself in the negotia- Joe.b the opportunity of drawing hie sword tion with Abner. There oould be no room, without Abner'e observing it. For the blood he feels, for both of them in Dnvid's army, of Asahel his brother. J oa.b's act was in and David meant, he supposes, to sacrifice accordance with Oriento.l feeling; and the himself. In hot ho.ate, therefore, he rushes duties of the avenger of blood might with into the king's presence, and reproo.ches some straining be made to cover his retalia- him for wbnt he ho.a done, bnt covers his tion for an act done by Abner in selt'-defence personal feelings with professed zee.l for hie (Numb. :uxv. 26, 27). It i~ rema.rhble that ruaste1·'e interests. Abner is a mere spy, Hebron was itself a city of refuge (Josh. xx. who has come on o. false pretext, and with 7), 1tn•I this may have led ,loab to mur<le1· him the real intentioll of lee.rnjng Do.vid's going in the gate, before he hncl ,1ctually entered. U8 THE SECOND BOOK OF SAMUEL. [err. m. 1-30.