hove gothered round him the chivalry of For Gibeon lay directly on the road from the Israel. Rophe.im valley towards Gazer, and the Ver. 28.-Tbou shalt not go up. The armies must have passed it in the fight. ntlnok in front is forbidden, and the answer But if" Gebo." be the right rending here, ~hows that tho priest with tho ophod did then the battle must have been most moro than givo a mere affirmative or nega- sternly contested. For it ia tbe "Gibeah of tive reply. For David receives full inetruo- Benjamin," Hebrew, "Gebo of Benjamin,'' t!one. Toking advontoge of the valleys, he rlescribed in 1 Sam. xiii. 16. The Philis- ie to creep round into the rear of the Philie- tines had a garrison there in Saul'a time (1 tinoH, and approach them under cover of Sam. xiii. 3), and had probably ngain oc- n thicket of baca. trees. Mulberry trees ; cupied it ns a military post after their Hebrew, baca trees. Thie suggests tho idoo victory e.t Gilboo. To reach it the line of that Dovid's plnco of attack was the Baca retreat would go nine miles northward over vulley (Ps. l:nxiv. 6), and that there was difficult ground; but this wo.a uot <lisadvan- such o valley, though this is not certain. to.geous to a retreating nrmy as long as For the Revised Version translates" valley of it remained unbroken, and the Philistines weeping," concluding that baca is not there would expect to be able to make a. snccessful a proper ne.mo. By be.co trees tho LXX. defence a.t a strong citadel like Geba, held e.ncl Vulge.te understand "pear trees," but by a garrison of their own troops. But when e.s bacah means "to weep," it is probably driven by David's "mighty men" from this some bolsamio shrub, from which a resin fortified hill, being hemmed in by the defile exudes. The Revised Version puts here in of Michmo.sh on the east, they would have no the mnrgin, "be.Isam trees." Dr. Tristram choice but to hurry down the valleys to the thinks it was a sort of aspen, but the autho- west, and, still passing by Gibeou, so flee to rity of tho Vulge.to is great in such matters, Gazer. Thus the reading "Geba" implies as Jerome obtnined his information in e. stout and long resistance ending in a most Palestine itself. complete victory. And confessedly thi.; was Ver. 24.-The sound of a going; Hebrew, a decisive battle, fought witli larger forces, a marching. Under the cover of this thicket and causing far larger loss to the Philistines David was to wait until he t,eard the sound than that at Baa.1-Perazim, where, attacked as of the regular tramp of an army in the by only e. few men, they were seized with tops of the boco trees. It would be· in the panic, and saved them,elves by :i Lead- morning that the wind would shake the tree- long flight. Gazer lay upou the border of tops, but the eoond was to be something Ephraim, and was one of the royal cities of more than the soft whispers of e. gentle the Cano.anites, and so strong that it was breeze. A gale we.a to put them into sudden left in the hands of its old possessors (Josh. motion, and then the soldiers would know xvi. 3, 10; Judg. i. 19). Subsequently that their Jehovah had gone forth to battle, Solomon fortified it (l Kings ix. 17), e.s and David must immediately bestir himself. being the key of the detiles which led The enthusiasm of his men must not cool from Ekron and the pie.in of Pbilistia up down, but as soon as the wind rustled he to J erus,ilem. We also find it mentioned as must charge the enemy, and his warriors, an importa.nt military post in the days of feeling that they were going with the host the Maccabees (l Mace.ix. 52). The pursuit of God, would break down a.II resistance by would naturally stop here, as the fugitives their impetuous onset. would now be in their own countrY, and Ver. 25.-From Geba until thou oome to succour would be o!ose at hand. Probably, Gazer, In 1 Chron. xiv.16 "Gibeon" is sub- too, the Conaanites who held the for~ss etitubed for "Geba," and it is one of those were friendly to them, and guve them corrections which a commentator is inclined shelter. to adopt, becawe it makes all things easy.
HOMILETICS. Vers. 1-10.-The facte are: 1. The tribes of Israel come to Hebron to formally acknowledge David as rightful king. 2. They assign three reasons for their united action. (1) That David was of their kindred. (2) That ho had rendered valuable servicee in times of need. (3) That God had expressed his will. 3. A solemn league being made between David and the tribes, they anoint him king over Israel. 4. The question of tho crown being settled, David applies himself to the acquisition of Jerusalem as the seat of government. 5. Being proudly defied by the Jebusites, on nccount of the strength of their position, he challenges his officers to take the lead in the subjugation of the fortress. 6. Acqttiring possession, he calls the place after hi~ THE StllCOND 130bK OF SAMtJEt.
name, and extends the fortification&. 7. The continued favour of God ensures to him groat prosperity.