The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Samuel — Section 248

EXPOSITION, half of their beards. To an Oriental the OHAPTER X. beard was the mark of his being a free man, Ver. 1.-Tb.e king of the children of and to cut it off on one side was not merely Ammon died. Thie war ie very briefly re- Rn insult to David'~ ambasse.dors, but the ferred t.o in oh. viii. 12; bnt we he.ve now treating them like slaves. Moreover, as entered upon a ne.1T&tive, the interest of only the priests wore underclothing, e.nd which is altogether unlike all thttt h&.S gone as tile ordinary dress of men consisted of before. There we e&w David crowned with a tunio and a loose flowing robe thrown earthly glory, and me.de the monareh of a over it, the cutting of this robe short up to vast empire; he is also a prophet, and, as the hip was a vile and abominable affront. such, not only restores, but enriches and Of course, Httnun intended this e.s e. chal- enlarges, the worship of the sanctuary; and, lenge to war, whereas David had meant as prophet and king, he becomes not only peace and friendship. the type, but the ancestor of the Messiah. Ver. 6.-That they stank (see notes on In this narro.tive he is a sinner, punished I Sam. xiii. 4; xxvii. 12). As the Hebrew with terrible, though merited, severity, and literally means, had made themselves stink, must henceforth walk humbly and sorrow- the Revised Version rightly translates, fully as a penitent before God. From I "had made themselves odious." The ohil- Chron. xix. 1 we learn that the J..·ing's name dren of Ammon sent and hired the Syrians. was N nha.sh; but whether he was the same as From I Chron. xix. 6 we learn that his the No.hash mentioned in 1 Sam. xi. l is un- mercenaries from Amm cost He.nun e. certain. There was an interval of more the.n thousand talents of silver, or nearly five forty yeard between, but N ahe.sh we.a pro- hundred thousand pounds - a vast sum, bably a young me.n, just seated on the especially considering the great relative throne, when he e.tte.cked Je.besh-Gilead; value of silver in those days. The mer- and Saul, who repelled him, might have cenaries, moreover, were gathered out of been still aUve but for the be.tile of Gilboa. numerous districts of Aram-from Rehob, The ne.me means e. "serpent," e.nd is used Zoba, Beth-l\foe.cah, and •.rob; the margin in Job xxvi. 13 of the constellation Draco. being right in rendering "the men of Toh," It may thus have been e. name assumed by instead of" Ish-tob." So, too, the Revised &eveml .Ammouite kiugs, the dragon re- Version, "The men of Toh twelve thousand pesenting majesty and power, e.nd being men." U we.s to this land that Jephthah the symbol on their sea.I, just e.s it is the tied (Judg. xi. 3). The whole number.of the Chinese imperis.l emblem now. The phrase, allies was thirty-three thousand, with which "It came to pass o.fter this," has no chro- total the parallel place agrees, as they are nological signifiClillce either here or in eh. described there as "thirty-two thousand, viii I. It is simply a form of transition and the King of Mae.cab e.nd his people," from one subject to another. who a.re here said to have been a thousand Ver. 2.-Hu father showed kindness unto strong. The text, however, there must be me. This makes it probable that it woa the corrupt, as it describes them all ao horse- 1111,me Ne.hash e.s Saul's enemy. The smart men ( .Authorized Version, " chariots; " of the defeat caused by Saul's energy would I Chron. xiL 7); here footmen only a.re make him regard with friendship any one mentioned, with which the narrative agrees who was a thorn in the side of the man who (see note on ver. 18). had so unexpectedly stopped him in his Ver. 7.-And all the host of the mighty mreer, and hence his kindness to David. men. The Hebrew is, and all the host, even Ver. 3.-Thinkest thou that David doth mighty men. By this is meant, not "the honour thy father 1 This insinuation arose mighties," but that the Israelites he.d now probably from ill will, stirred up by David's become practised in war, and veterans. success iu war; e.nd, with the.t distrust with Ver. 8.-The Byriane . . . were by them- which neighbouring nations too often regard ■elves in the field. We learn from I Chron. one another, they see in his embassy only xix. 7 the.t the rendezvous of the Are.means a purpose of spying into their defences with was at Medeba, a small town situated upon a view to future attaek. Re.bbah, their city, e. hill in the Mishor, or treeles1 prairie-land, was a place strong both n.e.ture.lly and by called "the pie.in" in Josh. xiii. 16. As it we.a rt:aMiOn of ilB fortifications. four miles south-east of Heshbou, and more Vt:r. 4.-lla.aun , , , lh&ved off the OJUI than twenty mile1 diste.nt from Rabbe.h, it OJI. X. 1-19.] THE SECOND BOOK OF SAMUEL.