The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Samuel — Section 581

sin; bnt In its fine.I result it led to good, tainty a.a to the Amer here meant. There in that the ohttetisement oured the people ia first a city of thnt n1tme in the tribe of of their thirst for we.r. And as Satan can Gfl.d facing RBbbah (Josh. :r.iil. 25), and RCt only so fttr e.e the Divine will permits, this is apparently the city mcnnt; for it la the temptation was most trnly the doing of said that "Joe.b and his men pitched in Jehovah (but see note on 1 Sam. xxvi. 19). Arocr, on the south side of the city situated Oaptain of the boat, whioh was with him. in the middle of the valley of Gad 1 and There is a good dee.I of diffionlty about this unto Jazer." Now, Jazer is nlso in Gad. pa-ge, e.e the word for "host" is not that about seven miles west of Rabbah, and as elsewhere used, aud the last pbre.se is some- Rabbe.h is on the extreme east of the what meaningless. In 1 Chron. xxi. 2 we Israelite territory townrds Ammon, it would find "David said to Joe.b e.nd to the rnlers be e. very convenient spot from whioh to of the people." Without the concurrence oommence the numbering. But there is of these rulers, who were the princes of the another Aroer on the Arnon, to the south tribes, the census could not have been to.ken. of Reuben, e.nd me.ny commentators think But e.s the e.ucient versions confirm the that this Aroer must be meant, as other- reading of the Hebrew here, no ohe.nge of wise the tribe of Reuben would seem to the text is e.dmissible. Number ye. '£his have been omitted. But this Aroer is is distinctly the war-word, for which see regularly called " Aroer on the brink of the note on eh. xviii. 1. It proves that the valley of Arnon" (Deut. ii. 86; iv. 48; Josh. census was to.ken for military reasons. :xii. 2; :xiii. 9, 16): or simply Aroer "in Even this in itself was not wrong (Numb. the valley of Amon" (Deut. iii. 12 ; .2 Kings :c:vi. 2), but it is indicative of David's pur- :x. 83); and cannot possibly be "the city pose. When, moreover, Moses numbered in the midst of the valley of Ge.d," nor can the people, the census was taken by the this Aroer be" toward Jazer." Ree.Uy the priests (Numb. i. 3; :x:xvi. I, 2), e.nd from difficulty is made by commentators whose the payment of the he.If-shekel to the idea of the method of the census is super- sanctuary, it appears the.t it we.s to some ficie.l. Joab, in commencing it, formed e.n extent a religious ceremony. All this encampment in the open oountry on the David neglects, and the employment of right-hand side, that .is, on the south of Joab goes far to prove that what David Aroer in the tribe of God, as being central, wanted was an examination of the military with Reuben on the south, and Manasseh reBOUrces of his kingdom. on the north. It was" toward Jazer," that Ver. 3.-Why doth my lord the king is, it WRS on the Jazer side of Aroer, and delight in this thing! Joab we.s e.n un- not on the side opposite Rabbah. We, with scrnpnlous and irreligious me.n; but he we.s our simpler way of describing the points of clear-headed, e.nd far more statesmanlike the compass, would merely se.y that Joab's than David (eh. :xi:x. 5-7). He saw whither camp was in the open pe.sture-le.nd south- the ki.!J.g we.a drifting, e.nd the.t the increase west of Aroer. Joab probably selected this of the roye.l power, resulting from successful spot because, though on the eastern border, we.r, would be fatal to the liberties of Israel. it was yet not too far from Jerusalem, was Probably, too, though he had consented to central, e.nd because a brook from Jazer carry out Uriah's murder, yet he despised flowing eastward for some distance, and David for it. When he he.d murdered thence to the north po.et Re.bbab, would Abner to avenge Ase.hel, David he.d de- supply his people with water; and from this prived him of his command, e.nd he he.d to camp he would direct the proceedings of endure a long period of disgrace ; e.nd now those who were to take the census. And David uses him to murder one altogether as probably there would be considerable innocent. Joab, we me.y feel sure, noted opposition-for the people would see in an tb.e degradation of David's character, and a.et which for four centuries had been in drew the conclusion that he we.s not the desuetude threats of heavier taxation, of man to be trusted e.t the head of a. military heavier forced labour, and of longer service despotism. Wa.rned thus by what he saw, with the army-Joab would require the his mind reverted to the principles of the presence of e. body of troops sufficiently theocracy, and their truth e.nd value be- powerful to overawe malcontents. And came more clear to his understanding; and these would be of no use e.t Aroer on the honourably he remonstrates with David for Amon, in the distant south, but must lie , viola.ting them. encamped in some central position, whenoe Ver. 4.-The oaptaiml ot the ho1t. The detachments could rapidly be moved to matter we.s not undertaken without e. council e.ny p!RCe where there was danger of re- being held, and at it David's chief officers sistance. agreed with J oab; but David had me.de up Ver. 6.-Then they oe.me to Gilead. When his mind, and would take no advice. the enumerators had finished their labours Ver. :i.--Aroer. There ta ,o~e nncer, ill llcubei:i 11nd tqe re~oi:i SQuth of .\fo11r,  THE SECOND BOOK OF SAMUEL. 697