may suppose Samuel to have addressed Saul on this occasion, and the prediction was so exactly verified, that I cannot think there was any imposition of the woman, in the case. Had the scene been a mere contrivance of hers, she would certainly have given him a more favourable answer, at least an ambiguous one, like those of the Heathen oracles; whereas nothing could be more distinct and intelligible, as well as more ungrateful, than this language of Samuel.*

XXIX. 1. There were three places of this name, one in the tribe of Judah, another in that of Manasseh, and a third in that of Asher. This last is supposed to be that which is intended here.

4. This king does not seem to have had much more power than those who are here called princes of the Philistines. 11. This was the place in which the Israelites were encamped.

XXX. 1. This advantage they had taken in the absence of David.

6. He had given the Amalekites great provocation by his cruelty to them, and he had left the place without a sufficient guard.

8. How clear and intelligible is this answer, compared with those of the Heathen oracles!

14. The Cherethites were part of the Philistines. The Arabs, it is said, now call their country Keritha. The land of Caleb was probably Hebron, where Caleb had his inheritance.

20. Besides recovering what he had lost, he got all their plunder of other places.

22. It is evident from this, that many of David's followers were men of very indifferent characters.

25. A certain part of the spoil was given to those who were not engaged in the war with the Midianites, (Numb. xxi. 27,) but it was not equal to that of those who were engaged; for sixty thousand who staid at home had no more than the twelve thousand who went to fight. But, then, they who staid at home were in no danger; whereas, in this case, had the four hundred been defeated, the two hundred must have been cut off, being unable to fly. Here too they were prevented from fighting by absolute inability,

See this opinion maintained by Sir Robert Filmer, on the Hebrew Witch, in his Advertisement to Jurymen, annexed to Patriarcha, 1680, pp. 317-823; and more largely by Farmer on Miracles, Ch. iv. Sect. ii. Pt. iv. On the opinion that "the Scripture gives us this relation, not as the facts were really performed, but as the woman pretended," see Young, II. pp. 39-46; also Coward's Second Thoughts, Ed. 2, 1704, pp. 209, 210; and Farmer, Pt. iii.

occasioned by their exertions in the same expedition. Their case was, therefore, the same with that of men wounded and disabled in the service.

26. The plunder of this camp must have been very considerable; and the greater part of it appears to have been at the disposal of David. By this means he could not fail to make many friends.

27. This seems to have been the same place that is called Baalah, and Kirjath-baal, (Josh. xv. 9, 60). South Ramoth was in the tribe of Simeon. Jattir was in that of Judah, (Josh. xv. 48).

28, 29. This was Aroer beyond Jordan; and as David once fled for refuge to the land of Moab, he might be under some obligation to the inhabitants of this Aroer, though there was another place of the same name in the tribe of Judah, where also the Jerahmeelites lived, (Chap. xxvii. 10,) and where Rachal, and the other places here mentioned, probably were.

XXXI. 1. The battle was fought in the valley of Jezrael, and the next mountains were those of Gilboa.

2. Had Jonathan lived, all those who adhered to Ishbosheth would, no doubt, have preferred him to David.

3. The Hebrew may be rendered he was terrified, not actually wounded.*

10. It was customary with the ancients to place trophies of their victories in their temples, both as places of security, and by way of acknowledgment of the assistance of their gods. It is also usual in the East to expose criminals upon hooks fastened in the walls of cities, where they expire in torture. The body of Saul was probably exposed upon such hooks.†

12, 13. The inhabitants of this place had been rescued from the most cruel and ignominious treatment by the va lour of Saul in the beginning of his reign. It was on the other side of Jordan, and, therefore, they must have used great expedition in crossing the river. So far, however, they might have come in the day time, and have proceeded to Bethshan in the night.

Having burned the body, they buried the bones and ashes that remained.‡

Sect. viii.

"2 Sam. ii. 4. Some other places in Heb. but no other place in LXX. speaks of burning the dead." Wall, I. p. 200. See Harmer, I. p. 48; III. PP. xvi. xvii.

417, 418; Geddes's Note.

II. SAMUEL.

cases of deep Bruce says that

CHAP. I. 2. This was customary in affliction. Sometimes they carried earth. he saw some vanquished rebels in Abyssinia carrying stones upon their heads by way of acknowledging their guilt.

8. Whether this man was really an Amalekite or not, we may infer from the story that it was no extraordinary thing for some of that nation, as well as of the seven devoted nations, to live with the Israelites, conforming no doubt, to their religion. For, had he known that he was at all obnoxious on that account, he would not have voluntarily confessed it.

16. This man, no doubt, thought to give David pleasure by having contributed to the death of his adversary; and had the fact been as he represented it, he had done nothing that was justly reprehensible. David makes his guilt to consist in his killing the Lord's anointed.

18. The word bow is not in the LXX.*

The book of Jasher seems to have been a collection of poetical compositions, begun, perhaps, by some person of that name.†

19-27. This song abounds with natural and beautiful images, the most proper imaginable to the occasion.‡

II. 1. This was, no doubt, by means of Abiathar, who

"Mariana very understandly stept aside out of the common road of interpretation, and considered with himself that the bow here might be taken for the title of the song, which cannot be strange to them that will compare it with the granted superscriptions upon David's Psalms, as Psalm lvii. Ixvii. Ixix, &c. So here to the chief Musician, Kesheth, or the Bow. It was entitled Kesheth, or the Bow, because it was occasioned by the Philistine archers, 1 Sam. xxxi. 3. But especially respecting to the bow of Jonathan, which returned not back from the blood of the slain, as the song itself expresseth. And David could not but remember the bow of Jonathan out of which that arrow was shot beyond the lad, I Sam. xx. 36. It was the time when that covenant was made, and that affection expressed betwixt them, which was greater than the love of women.

"The LXX. will bear out this interpretation. So the Vulgate. Therefore that which the sons of Judah were commanded to learn was not the use of the bow; but the bow, as 'tis originally set down, that is, a song of David so called, or this song of lamentation over Saul and Jonathan. And this is that which was written in the book of Jasher." See Gregory's Notes and Observations, Ed. 2, 1650, p. S.

“No translator has hit on the right sense of this place till Mr. Gregory wrote a little tract on it." Wall, I. p. 201. See Pilkington, pp. 128, 129; Harmer, II. pp. 175-177.

See supra, p. 312; Pilkington, p. 58.

+ See Geddes's Metrical Translation and Notes. According to Whiston's translation, Josephus coldly says of David, "He committed to writing some lamentations and funeral commendations of Saul and Jonathan, which have continued to my own age." Antiq. B. vii. Ch. i. Sect. i.

was then the high-priest. We cannot but again observe the distinctness of the answers to all the questions that David proposed, when compared with the obscurity of the Heathen oracles.

4. It does not appear that the rest of the tribes were' consulted. Indeed, in all the time of the judges, they had generally acted independently of one another.

8. In 1 Chron. viii. 33, he is called Esh-baal. There are several other names which end indifferently in baal or bosheth. The latter signifying shame or confusion, and the former being the name of an idol, they might perhaps be considered by the pious Hebrews as equivalent. Mahanaim was in the tribe of Gad. It was the place in which Jacob had the vision of angels.

10. He must have been born in the year in which Saul was made king. Paul says, (Acts xiii. 21,) that Saul reigned forty years. The two years here mentioned were probably the time that elapsed before there was any war between David and him. Some suppose that he did not reign more than two years in all, and that five years passed before the rest of the tribes acknowledged David, at least in a formal manner.

12. This looks as if the hostilities began with the partisans of Ishbosheth. The eleven tribes might think to overpower that of Judah only.

16. The most probable meaning is, that each of the cham-* pions on the part of David killed his antagonist.

18. Zeruiah was David's sister, so that they were his nephews. The animal here alluded to is a species of antelope, which is remarkably swift and nimble; commonly called gazel.

21. If he wanted to return with some token of his prowess, he might strip some other person.

27. Had Abner requested a cessation of arms before, it would have been granted.

30. From this it is probable that none of David's champions had been killed before the battle; for had they all been killed before, only seven men would have fallen in the battle, which is not probable.

III. 1. Notwithstanding this contest between the partisans of David and those of Ishbosheth, it does not appear that the war was very destructive, or that many battles were fought between them. It is also evident that they were not molested by the Philistines in these seven years, though they had defeated and slain Saul. The reason of this does not appear.

3. This daughter of Talmai was probably a captive taken in the war with the Geshurites, mentioned 1 Sam. xxvii. 8. 5. The Jews suppose that Eglah is only another name for Michal.

7. It was considered as a great offence even to marry the widow of a king, and aspiring to the kingdom; as we see in the case of Adonijah, who wished to marry Abishag, (1 Kings ii. 19-25). Probably, however, Abner had not intended to marry her, and this would give still more offence to the family of Saul.

13. Besides the affection that David had for Michal, his marriage with her would ingratiate him with the Israelites in general, who had a respect for Saul and his family.

13, 14. From this it may seem that David and Ishbosheth were not in a state of hostility at this time. As all that Abner could engage for was to use his influence with Ishbosheth to restore Michal to David, he applies to him for that purpose.

18. As it appears to have been generally known that David was appointed by God to succeed Saul, and he had been very acceptable to the people in general, while Ishbosheth had nothing to recommend himself besides his being the son of Saul, it is rather extraordinary that David should not have been universally acknowledged immediately after the death of Saul.

19. The Benjamites would naturally be more attached to the family of Saul on account of his being of their tribe.

22. This plunder must have been from some of the neighbouring nations, with whom the Israelites were seldom in a state of peace.

26. Josephus says that this was twenty furlongs from Hebron.

27. Besides this revenge of his brother's death, for which there was nothing to blame in the conduct of Abner, Joab might apprehend that he would supplant him in the esteem of David,

33. He did not die either as a criminal, or a prisoner, taken in war, but by the treachery of a wicked man.

39. David must have been in the power of Joab as much as Ishbosheth was in that of Abner, to condemn his conduct as he did, and yet not be able to punish him for it.

IV. 2. It was then in the hands of the Philistines.

• Antiq. B. vii. Ch. i. Sect. v.