The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Samuel — Section 554

For nil my enlvBtion Bod nil my deeire, In the Reviaed Version the corruption is ~hall he not mBke it to grow?" confessed in the mildest term•, but there i• something po.infully ludicrous in giving But eurely David had failed In realizing Josheb-basshebeth o.s the man's no.me. The the hotter purposes of his heart, and it wo.e ree.ding "Jo.shobeam the son or" lfochmon- of God's good pleasure that the covenant, ite," in 1 Chron. xi. 11, is confirmed by 1 In spi ta of personal fo.ilure, remained firm Chron. xii. 6, where Jashobeam is mentioned Bnd eecure. among those who joined David at Zikla"'. Vera. G, 7.-The sons ot Belial; Hebrew, and by I Chron. xxvii. 2, where we find belial; not a proper name, but o. word sig- him appointed commander of the first nifying "worthlessness," and especially brigade of twenty-four thonso.nd men. The vicious worthlessness (eee note on 1 So.m. error in the present te:xt arose from the i. 16). It is from this worthlessness tho.t scribe's eye being misled by catching sight opposition arises to the just king, and he of basshebeth in the line above, it being the recognizes it as tho.t which thwarts hie word tre.nelated "in the same plo.ce" in the efforts. The words mo.y he rendered- Authorized Version. He Adino the EZlli.te. " But the ungodly o.re as thorns, to be all These unmeaning words a.re e. corruption of of them thrust awo.y; the right reading preserved in Chronicles, For they mo.y not be to.ken hold of with "he lifted up his spear." The number of the ho.nd. men whom be slew l\t one time is there And the mo.n tbo.t would touch them stated as having been three hundred; but, Must o.rm himself with iron o.nd the sto.ff as Abishai accomplished this feat, and yet of a spear; held only inferior rank, eight hundred is And they sho.ll be utterly burned with probably right. And possibly it is not fire unto nothingness." meant tho.t he slew them o.11 with hls own hand, though that is quite possible. He The vicious worthlessness which opposes was chief of the captains. The word for righteous government must he treated like "cu.ptain," Bhalish, is derived from the thorns, too prickly and sharp-pointed for numere.l "three; " and probably it was gentle dealing. They must be tom up by the title of the three who formed the first an iron hook fixed to the end of a spea.r- rank of the mighties. But in course of handle, o.nd then burnt. The word trime- time it aeems to have been applied to the lo.ted in the so.me pla.oe in the Authorized commanders of the body-guard (2 Kings Version is rendered by Jerome "even to :x. 25); and we find Bidcar so styled when nothing;" and it is j net the sort of phrase in personal attende.nce upon Jehu (2 Kings for which hie authority is greatest; for he ix. 25); o.nd Peko.h used the opportunities went to Po.Jestine, and remained there afforded by this office for the murder of several years, to study the language under Pekahio.h (2 Kings :xv. 25). It ia not need Hebrew teachers on the spot. The Septua- of military officers generally. Those ad- gint must ho.ve had a different reading, a.s mitted to the liatwere evidently the outlaws it translates "their sho.me." who had been with David in his wanderings Ver. 8.-These be the names. A similar and a.t Ziklo.g. They now received their list is given in 1 Chron. xi. 10-47, with rew11.1·d, and became, moreover, the stay of several variations, o.ud sixteen more names. David's throne. It is their past history It is given there in: connection with David's which accounts for the strange composition elevation to the throne of o.11 Israel, and the of the list. A Jorge number came from conquest of J e1·usalem. Such catalogues Judah, and especially from Bethlehem. might possibly be revised from time to time, Several are David's own relo.tivea. Seven Bnd new names inserted as there were va- towns or families fnrnisl sixteen out of the cancies co.used by death. And this seems to whole list. We find o. father o.nd his son, have been the case with the list in Chronicles, and pa.ire of brothers. Tb ere are, moreover, which contains the names of all who were numerous foreigners-Hittites, Ammonites, admitted during David's reign into the order Moo.bites, a Syrian from Zobah, an,l of the mighties. The present is the e.ctuo.l Gideonitee, descended from the aboriginal list of the order ns it existed on the duy when inhabitanta of the land. Such a list would David, o.t Hebron, we.a anointed king over all ho.ve been sorely reseuted bud it not been the twelve tribes. And we co.n well con- formed out of men who had el\?ned it by ceive tho.t, on so grand an ocoueion, Do.vid their past aervices o.nd tl.iei~ fidelity to founded this, the first order of chi vo.lry, and David. gave hia tbirty kuighta, a.s they would be Ver. 9.-Dodo. The Hebrew has Dodai, now called, their speoio.l rank and high and "Dodo" is o. mere correction of th.i privileges. The Taohmonite. This verse is Mo.ssorites to bring the name into verbal extremely corrupt. A mo.n could not be a agreement with I Chron. xi. 12; but in l Taohmonite and an Ezni te o.t the BBme time. Chron. xxvii, 4 hA is co.lied Dodai, and we  570 THE SECOND BOOK OF SAMUEL, (cu. XXllI. 1-30,