1Sa 30:1 And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire;
On the third day - This was the third day after he had left the Philistine army at Aphek. This indicates that Aphek was three days’ march from Ziklag, say about 50 miles.
On the third day - Either from their departure from Ziklag, when they went out with Achish, or rather from the time of their leaving Achish, and the camp of the Philistines; so long they were upon their march homewards.
The Amalekites had invaded - While the strength of the Philistine forces was poured out of their country into the plain of Esdraelon, the Amalekite marauders seized the opportunity of the defenseless state of Philistia to invade the southern territory. Of course, David's town suffered from the ravages of these nomad plunderers, in revenge for his recent raid upon their territory.
1Sa 30:2 And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way.
they slew not any, either great or small - that is, of the women, whether married or unmarried, old, or maidens, or children; which was very much, since David destroyed all that came within his reach, men and women, when he invaded them, 1Sa_27:9; but perhaps this was owing to their covetousness, designing to make an advantage of them by selling them for slaves; no doubt they were restrained by the providence of God:
they slew not any, either great or small--Their apparent clemency did not arise from humane considerations. It is traceable to the ancient war usages of the East, where the men of war, on the capture of a city, were unsparingly put to death, but there were no warriors in Ziklag at the time. The women and boys were reserved for slaves, and the old people were spared out of respect to age.
1Sa 30:3 So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives.
David and his men came to the city - Or to the place where it had stood, and where it now lay in ruins:
it was burned with fire--The language implies that the smoke of the conflagration was still visible, and the sacking very recent.
1Sa 30:4 Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.
1Sa 30:5 And David's two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.
David's two wives were taken captives - Which is observed as one cause of his particular distress, and another follows in 1Sa_30:6,
1Sa 30:6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.
David encouraged himself in the Lord - He found he could place very little confidence in his men; and, as he was conscious that this evil had not happened either through his neglect or folly, he saw he might the more confidently expect succor from his Maker. This should be an example for us.
David encouraged himself in the Lord his God - took all patiently, and exercised faith on his God; he encouraged himself in the power and providence of God; in the promises of God, and his faithfulness in keeping them; in a view of his covenant relation to God; in remembrance of the grace, mercy, and goodness of God, and his former experiences of it; hoping and believing that God would appear for him in some way or another, and work salvation for him. The Targum is,"he strengthened himself in the Word of the Lord his God;''in Christ the Word of God, and in the power of his might, and in the grace that is in him.
The people spake of stoning him - as the Israelites did of Moses and Aaron, Num_14:10 But all the congregation said to stone them with stones. And the glory of Jehovah appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the sons of Israel; the reason of this was, because, as they judged, it was owing to David that they went along with Achish, and left the city defenseless, leaving their wives and children unguarded, and because he had provoked the Amalekites by his inroad upon them, who took this opportunity of avenging themselves.
1Sa 30:7 And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David.
David said to Abiathar the priest - Abiathar had continued to abide with David, ever since he joined him at Keilah 1Sa_23:6. Abiathar it seems was with David when he went with Achish, and returned with him; for had he been left at Ziklag, he and his ephod, in all probability, had been carried off by the Amalekites.
bring me hither the ephod - not to put it on himself, but that the high priest might put it on, and inquire by it before him of the Lord: that inquiry might be made before him of the Lord by Urim and Thummim.
1Sa 30:8 And David enquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.
for thou shall surely overtake them – David asked 2 questions but only the second was answered, in a way that answered both questions. Before, God answered more slowly and gradually, 1Sa_23:11-12, but now he answers speedily, and fully at once, because the business required haste.
1Sa 30:9 So David went, he and the six hundred men that were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those that were left behind stayed.
The brook Besor - The sense of this and the following verse is, that when they came to the brook Besor, there were found two hundred out of his six hundred men so spent with fatigue that they could proceed no farther. The baggage or stuff was left there, 1Sa_30:24, and they were appointed to guard it.
where those that were left behind stayed - all the six hundred came to this brook, but two hundred of them were left here, 1Sa_30:10 shows, and stayed here till the rest returned; for this is not to be understood of any that were left behind at Ziklag, for all came from thence to this brook.
1Sa 30:10 But David pursued, he and four hundred men: for two hundred abode behind, which were so faint that they could not go over the brook Besor.
David pursued, he and four hundred men - Not discouraged with being obliged to leave a third part of his little army behind; though it was doubtless a trial of his faith.
1Sa 30:11 And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he did eat; and they made him drink water;
And they found an Egyptian in the field - As they passed along, lying there, having been sick, and was half starved, almost dead: This Egyptian seems to have recently fallen into the hands of an Amalekite, and his master having belonged to the marauding party that had made the attack on Ziklag, he could give useful information as to the course taken by them on their return.
1Sa 30:12 And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins: and when he had eaten, his spirit came again to him: for he had eaten no bread, nor drunk any water, three days and three nights.
Three days and three nights - Indicating that at least so long a time had elapsed since the sack of Ziklag.
Three days and nights - One whole day and part of two others, as appears from the next verse, where he saith, three days ago I fell sick, but in the Hebrew it is, this is the third day since I fell sick.
his spirit came again to him - he seemed to be quite dispirited, almost lifeless, but upon eating some food he was refreshed, and his spirits revived, and he was capable of conversing:
1Sa 30:13 And David said unto him, To whom belongest thou? and whence art thou? And he said, I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; and my master left me, because three days agone I fell sick.
My master left me - This was very inhuman: though they had booty enough, camels 1Sa_30:17, and no doubt asses sufficient to carry the invalids, yet they left this poor man to perish; and God visited it upon them, as he made this very person the means of their destruction, by the information which he was enabled to give to David and his men.
1Sa 30:14 We made an invasion upon the south of the Cherethites, and upon the coast which belongeth to Judah, and upon the south of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire.
The Cherethites - In 2Sa_15:18 we find that the Cherethites formed a part of David’s guards. The Philistines so called, or at least one nation of them, such that dwelt to the south of the land, 1Sa_30:16.
upon the coast which belongeth to Judah - the south of Judah , where David pretended he had been, and had spoiled, and which was now actually done by the Amalekites, 1Sa_27:10,
upon the south of Caleb - that part of the tribe of Judah which belonged to Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and his posterity, and which was the southern part of it, Jos_15:19,
1Sa 30:15 And David said to him, Canst thou bring me down to this company? And he said, Swear unto me by God, that thou wilt neither kill me, nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring thee down to this company.
Swear unto me – it is implied that David swore to him. Whether there was still among these idolatrous tribes a lingering belief in one God, or this Egyptian wished to bind David by the God whom the Hebrews worshipped, the solemn sanction of an oath was mutually recognized.
swear unto me by God - it is highly probable this man had no notion of Jehovah, and his Word, or of the true God; only that there was a God, and that an oath taken by him was solemn, sacred, and inviolable, and might be trusted to and depended on:
that thou wilt neither kill me - for he found now he was in the hands of those whose city he had been concerned in plundering and burning, and so might fear his life was in danger:
1Sa 30:16 And when he had brought him down, behold, they were spread abroad upon all the earth, eating and drinking, and dancing, because of all the great spoil that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah.
they were spread abroad upon all the earth - they were not in any regular order, and much less in any military form, but lay about in the fields, scattered here and there, were in detached parties:
they were spread abroad upon all the earth - here they were in the greatest security; knowing: that the armies of the Philistines were gone into the land of Israel, and were about to engage in battle with the Israelites, and David they supposed was with the Philistines, so that they had nothing to fear from any quarter;
Upon all the earth - Secure and careless, because they were now come almost to the borders of their own country, and the Philistines and Israelites both were otherwise engaged, and David, as they believed, with them. So they had no visible cause of danger; and yet then they were nearest to destruction.
1Sa 30:17 And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day: and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, which rode upon camels, and fled.
There escaped not a man of them - It is well known to every careful reader of the Bible, that the Amalekites were a proscribed people, even by God himself, and that in extirpating them it has been supposed David fulfilled the express will of God. But all this depends on whether he had an express commission to do so, received from God himself, as Saul had.
David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day - As there are two twilights, the twilight of the morning, and the twilight of the evening; this is differently understood some take it for the twilight of the morning, and that it was night when David came to them, and let them alone till they were drunk and asleep, and then early in the morning fell upon them, and smote them until the evening; others take it to be the twilight of the evening, and that he fell upon them that night, and continued the slaughter of them to the evening of the next day, with which agrees the Targum; some take the next day, or the morrow, to be that which followed after the two evenings; so that this slaughter was carried on to the third day:
David smote them - David surprised them in the midst of their security, and smote them from the evening twilight till the evening of the next day, so that no one escaped, with the exception of four hundred young men, who fled upon camels. Nesheph signifies the evening twilight here, not the dawn.
1Sa 30:18 And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and David rescued his two wives.
1Sa 30:19 And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor any thing that they had taken to them: David recovered all.
1Sa 30:20 And David took all the flocks and the herds, which they drave before those other cattle, and said, This is David's spoil.
David took all the flocks - He and his men not only recovered all their own property, but they recovered all the spoil which these Amalekites had taken from the south of Judah , the Cherethites, and the south of Caleb. When this was separated from the rest, it was given to David, and called David’s spoil.
1Sa 30:21 And David came to the two hundred men, which were so faint that they could not follow David, whom they had made also to abide at the brook Besor: and they went forth to meet David, and to meet the people that were with him: and when David came near to the people, he saluted them.
Saluted them - He spoke kindly to them, and did not blame them because they went no further with them.
1Sa 30:22 Then answered all the wicked men and men of Belial, of those that went with David, and said, Because they went not with us, we will not give them ought of the spoil that we have recovered, save to every man his wife and his children, that they may lead them away, and depart.
Men of Belial - This is a common expression to denote the sour, the rugged, the severe, the idle, and the profane.
that they may lead them away, and depart – but where to, Ziklag was burnt, the land of Israel they would not return unto, where they must fall a sacrifice to Saul; these men cared not where they went, as long as they were rid of them, that they might not have any share with them in the spoil.
1Sa 30:23 Then said David, Ye shall not do so, my brethren, with that which the LORD hath given us, who hath preserved us, and delivered the company that came against us into our hand.
That which the Lord hath given us - He very properly attributes this victory to God; the numbers of the Amalekites being so much greater than his own. Indeed, as many fled away on camels as were in the whole host of David.
my brethren - Though he saw through their wickedness, and disapproved of the bad sentiments they had embraced, yet he deals gently with them, calling them brethren, being of the same nation and religion, and his fellow soldiers; yet at the same time keeps up and maintains his dignity and authority as a general, and declares it should not be as they willed, and gives his reasons for it, that it was not fit they should do as they pleased:
1Sa 30:24 For who will hearken unto you in this matter? but as his part is that goeth down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth by the stuff: they shall part alike.
For who will hearken unto you in this matter - No wise and just man will take on your side of the question, and join with you in excluding your brethren from a share in the spoil:
as his part is that goeth down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth by the stuff - as these two hundred men did; they were placed to abide by and watch the carriages, the bag and baggage the rest had left there, that they might be the lighter, and make their pursuit more swiftly: besides, they guarded the pass here, and were also exposed to danger; for if the four hundred had been cut off, and the enemy had returned, they must all have perished; and therefore as they had their post assigned them, and were liable to danger, it was but just and reasonable they should have the share in the spoil; especially since it was not want of will in them they did not go with them, but weakness of body:
1Sa 30:25 And it was so from that day forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel unto this day.
He made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel - Nothing could be more just and proper than this law: he who stays at home to defend house and property, has an equal right to the booty taken by those who go out to the war. There was a practice of this kind among the Israelites long before this time; Num_31:27 And divide the prey into two parts: between those skilled in the battle, who went out to war, and between all the congregation. Jos_22:8 And he spoke to them, saying, You are returning to your tents with your great treasures, and with very much cattle, with silver, and with gold, and with bronze, and with iron, and with very much clothing. Divide the spoil of your enemies with your brothers.
Unto this day - This is another indication that this book was composed long after the facts it commemorates.
1Sa 30:26 And when David came to Ziklag, he sent of the spoil unto the elders of Judah, even to his friends, saying, Behold a present for you of the spoil of the enemies of the LORD;
Unto the elders of Judah - of that part of it which belonged to himself as a general: These were the persons among whom he sojourned during his exile, and who had given him shelter and protection. Gratitude required these presents.
And when David came to Ziklag - Perhaps with an intention to rebuild it, and make it still the place of his residence; tents might be pitched until the city was rebuilt, and it appears that he continued there some time:
Unto the elders of Judah - some in those parts he sent the spoil to might have been sufferers by the Amalekites, so that it was but a point of justice to restore to them what had been taken from them; for they had invaded the south of Judea, and took spoils from thence, 1Sa_30:14; it was to his friends in those parts he sent, not to the inhabitants of Ziph and Keilah, which were places in the tribe of Judah; but these having attempted to betray him, were not entitled to his favors, though they were not the objects of his vengeance:
Elders of Judah - Partly in gratitude for their former favours to him: and partly, in policy, to engage their affections to him. The effect of this well-timed liberality was to bring a large accession of numbers to his camp (1Ch_12:22). The enumeration of these places shows what a numerous and influential party of adherents to his cause he could count within his own tribe [1Sa_30:27-31]. Sending these gifts could not fail to make the elders of these cities well disposed towards him, and so to facilitate his recognition as king after the death of Saul, which occurred immediately afterwards.
1Sa 30:27 To them which were in Bethel, and to them which were in south Ramoth, and to them which were in Jattir,
Bethel – not the famous city of this name but an unknown one in the portion of Judah .
South Ramoth - Ramoth of the South country. So called to distinguish it from Ramoth Gilead, beyond Jordan . This Ramoth belonged to the tribe of Simeon, which lay within the lot of Judah, Jos_19:8 and all the villages that were around these cities to Baalath-beer, Ramah of the south. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Simeon according to their families.
Jattir - “In the mountains” of Judah, and one of the priests’ cities.
1Sa 30:28 And to them which were in Aroer, and to them which were in Siphmoth, and to them which were in Eshtemoa,
Aroer - Not Aroer in the tribe of Gad beyond Jordan , where David is never said to be, but some city of this name in the tribe of Judah ;
Siphmoth - which very probably was in the tribe of Judah , though nowhere else mentioned:
Eshtemoa - a Levitical city given to the Levites by the children of Judah, Jos_21:14. Jos_15:50
1Sa 30:29 And to them which were in Rachal, and to them which were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, and to them which were in the cities of the Kenites,
Rachal - Another city of the tribe of Judah , it is mentioned nowhere else in the Bible.
the cities of the Kenites - who dwelt in the wilderness of Judah . Jdg_1:16 And the sons of the Kenite, Moses' father-in-law, went up out of the city of palm trees with the sons of Judah into the wilderness of Judah, which is in the south of Arad. And they went and lived among the people.
the cities of the Jerahmeelites - The descendants of Jerahmeel son of Hezron (1Ch_2:9, 1Ch_2:25-27), who inhabited a district in the south of Judah . 1Sa_27:10
1Sa 30:30 And to them which were in Hormah, and to them which were in Chorashan, and to them which were in Athach,
Chor-ashan - Perhaps the same as Ashan Jos_15:42, in the Shephelah of Judah, inhabited by Simeonites, and one of the priests’ cities 1Ch_4:32; 1Ch_6:59.
Hormah – there are many places called Hormah. Which one this is cannot be determined.
Athach - nowhere else mentioned;
1Sa 30:31 And to them which were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were wont to haunt.
To them which were in Hebron - This was a place strongly attached to David, and David to it, and the place where he was proclaimed king, and where he reigned more than seven years previously to the death of Ishbosheth, Saul’s son, who was, for that time, his competitor in the kingdom.
To them which were in Hebron - A noted city in the tribe of Judah, in the mountainous part of it, and a city of refuge, and where David was afterwards anointed, first king over Judah, and then over Israel, 2Sa_2:4,
to all the places where David and his men were wont to haunt - where they had their walks, and went to and fro when persecuted by Saul; all such places, and the inhabitants of them, David had a grateful remembrance of, who sheltered and relieved him in the times of his distress.
We are not to suppose that the transactions mentioned here and in the preceding chapter took place after Saul’s interview with the woman of En-dor, they were considerably antecedent to this, but how long we do not know. What is recorded in the following chapter must have taken place the next day after Saul left En-dor.
