2Sa 1:1 Now it came to pass after the death of Saul, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David had abode two days in Ziklag;
Now it came to pass - There is no break whatever between the two books of Samuel, the division being purely artificial. The third day after, as appears from the next verse:
David was returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites - as related in 1Sa_30:17,
David had abode two days in Ziklag - Which though burnt by the Amalekites, yet was not so consumed by the fire, that David and his men could not lodge in it. The town was not so completely sacked and destroyed, but David and his six hundred followers, with their families, could still find some accommodation.
2Sa 1:2 It came even to pass on the third day, that, behold, a man came out of the camp from Saul with his clothes rent, and earth upon his head: and so it was, when he came to David, that he fell to the earth, and did obeisance.
A man came out of the camp - The whole account which this young man gives is a fabrication: in many of the particulars it is grossly self-contradictory. There is no fact in the case but the bringing of the crown, or diadem, and bracelets of Saul; which, as he appears to have been a plunderer of the slain, he found on the field of battle; and he brought them to David, and told the lie of having dispatched Saul, merely to ingratiate himself with David.
a man came out of the camp from Saul--As the narrative of Saul's death, given in the last chapter, is inspired, it must be considered the true account, and the Amalekite's story a fiction of his own, invented to ingratiate himself with David, the presumptive successor to the throne. David's question, "How went the matter?" evinces the deep interest he took in the war, an interest that sprang from feelings of high and generous patriotism, not from views of ambition. The Amalekite, however, judging him to be actuated by a selfish principle, fabricated a story improbable and inconsistent, which he thought would procure him a reward. Having probably witnessed the suicidal act of Saul, he thought of turning it to his own account, and suffered the penalty of his grievously mistaken calculation.
with his clothes rent, and earth upon his head - in token of mourning, and was the bringer of bad tidings.
that he fell to the earth, and did obeisance - as being the rising sun, Saul's successor, and now king.
2Sa 1:3 And David said unto him, From whence comest thou? And he said unto him, Out of the camp of Israel am I escaped.
2Sa 1:4 And David said unto him, How went the matter? I pray thee, tell me. And he answered, That the people are fled from the battle, and many of the people also are fallen and dead; and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also.
the people are fled from the battle - meaning the people of Israel , they had given way, and turned their backs upon their enemies, and were fled:
Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also - this part of the account is reserved by the messenger to the last, because it was the article of the greatest importance; the death of these two persons, the one the enemy, and the other the friend of David, and the death of both made way for his accession to the throne.
2Sa 1:5 And David said unto the young man that told him, How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son be dead?
2Sa 1:6 And the young man that told him said, As I happened by chance upon mount Gilboa, behold, Saul leaned upon his spear; and, lo, the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him.
as I happened by chance upon Mount Gilboa - who was either a traveler that came that way just as the army was routed, and part had fled to Gilboa; or if a soldier, was not one of those that attended Saul, and was of his bodyguard, but happened on the flight to come to the same spot on Gilboa where Saul was:
Saul leaned upon his spear - that that might pierce him through and die; but this seems not true, for he fell upon his sword for that purpose, 1Sa_31:4,
the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him - the charioteers and cavalry, of which part of the Philistine army consisted; though this also does not agree with the account in 1 Samuel; for according to that they were the archers that pressed him hard, and hit him.
As I happened - The story of this young man appears to be wholly a fiction, formed for the purpose of ingratiating himself with David, as the next probable successor to the crown. There is no fact in the case, except for the bringing of the diadem and bracelets of Saul, as a sufficient evidence of his death, which, as he appears to been a plunderer of the slain, he seems to have stripped from the dead body of the monarch. It is remarkable, that Saul, who had forfeited his crown by his disobedience and ill-timed clemency with respect to the Amalekites, should now have the insignia of royalty stripped from his person by one of those very people.
As I happened - The Amalekite was one of those who came “to strip the slain” on “the morrow” after the battle 1Sa_31:8 And it happened on the next day, the Philistines came to strip the slain, and they found Saul and his three sons fallen in mount Gilboa, and had the luck to find Saul and possess himself of his crown and bracelet. He probably started off immediately to seek David, and invented the above story, possibly having heard from some Israelite prisoner an account of what really did happen.
2Sa 1:7 And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called unto me. And I answered, Here am I.
And when he looked behind him - To see how near the enemy was, and who were pursuing him:
2Sa 1:8 And he said unto me, Who art thou? And I answered him, I am an Amalekite.
he said unto me, who art thou - Being willing to know whether a friend or an enemy, which by his coming behind him he could not tell:
2Sa 1:9 He said unto me again, Stand, I pray thee, upon me, and slay me: for anguish is come upon me, because my life is yet whole in me.
Anguish - The Hebrew word used here occurs nowhere else, and is of doubtful meaning. The rabbis interpret it as a cramp or giddiness.
for anguish is come upon me - or trembling, as the Targum, not through fear of death, but through fear of falling into the hands of the Philistines, and of being ill used by them.
And he said unto me - Which it can hardly be thought Saul would say; since he might as well have died by the hands of the uncircumcised Philistines, which he endeavored to avoid, as by the hands of an Amalekite:
because my life is yet whole in me - for though he had been wounded by the archers, yet he did not apprehend he had received any mortal wound, but his life was whole in him; and therefore feared he should fall into their hands alive, and be ill treated by them.
2Sa 1:10 So I stood upon him, and slew him, because I was sure that he could not live after that he was fallen: and I took the crown that was upon his head, and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them hither unto my lord.
The crown and the bracelet - The crown was probably no more than a royal fillet or diadem, both being the ensigns of royalty.
I was sure that he could not live after that he was fallen - this is not consistent with what he had said before, both that he was leaning on his spear, and not fallen to the ground, and that his life was whole in him:
have brought them hither unto my lord - as ensigns of royalty, fit only for a king, Saul's successor, as this person, by calling him lord, owned him to be, and thought by bringing those to him to be highly rewarded.
2Sa 1:11 Then David took hold on his clothes, and rent them; and likewise all the men that were with him:
David took hold on his clothes - Not on the young man's but his own:
Likewise all the men that were with him - rent their clothes also, in imitation of him.
2Sa 1:12 And they mourned, and wept, and fasted until even, for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of the LORD, and for the house of Israel; because they were fallen by the sword.
For Saul - David’s thoroughly patriotic and unselfish character is strongly marked here. He looked upon the death of Saul, and the defeat of Israel by a pagan foe, with unmixed sorrow, though it opened to him the way to the throne, and removed his mortal enemy out of the way. For Jonathan he mourned with all the tenderness of a loving friend.
2Sa 1:13 And David said unto the young man that told him, Whence art thou? And he answered, I am the son of a stranger, an Amalekite.
Whence art thou--The man had at the outset stated who he was. But the question was now formally and judicially put.
I am the son of a stranger - he was not any man's servant, but the son of a proselyte, an Amalekite who had emigrated to Israel ;
2Sa 1:14 And David said unto him, How wast thou not afraid to stretch forth thine hand to destroy the LORD'S anointed?
wast thou not afraid to stretch forth thine hand - By which it should seem that he did more than stand upon him, and press his body, that the spear might pierce through him, but that he drew his sword, and slew him; so David understood him.
to destroy the Lord's anointed - a reason why David did not destroy him, when it was in the power of his hands, which he made use of to dissuade others from it; here charges it not only as a criminal, but a shocking and detestable action.
2Sa 1:15 And David called one of the young men, and said, Go near, and fall upon him. And he smote him that he died.
fall upon him - by smiting him with his sword:
he smote him, that he died - his orders were instantly obeyed.
David called one of the men - David regarded the statement of the Amalekite as a sufficient ground for condemnation, without investigating the truth any further;
2Sa 1:16 And David said unto him, Thy blood be upon thy head; for thy mouth hath testified against thee, saying, I have slain the LORD'S anointed.
Thy blood be upon thy head - If he killed Saul, as he said he did, then he deserved death; at that time it was not known to the contrary, and this man was executed on his own confession. David might well think his sentence just, though severe, for he had more than once expressed the deliberate opinion that none could lift up his hand against the Lord’s anointed, and be guiltless.
thy blood be upon thy head - for as he had shed blood, his blood ought to be shed, according to the law of God; and for proof of this, that he had so done, he appeals to his own confession:
thy blood be upon thy head - Even on the supposition that Saul had asked the Amalekite to give him his death-thrust, as he said he had, it was a crime deserving of punishment to fulfil this request, the more especially as nothing is said about any such mortal wounding of Saul as rendered his escape or recovery impossible, so that it could be said that it would have been cruel under such circumstances to refuse his request to be put to death. If Saul's life was still “full in him,” as the Amalekite stated, his position was not so desperate as to render it inevitable that he should fall into the hands of the Philistines. Moreover, the supposition was a very natural one, that he had slain the king for the sake of a reward. But slaying the king, the anointed of the Lord, was in itself a crime that deserved to be punished with death. What David might more than once have done, but had refrained from doing from holy reverence for the sanctified person of the king, this foreigner, a man belonging to the nation of the Amalekites, Israel's greatest foes, had actually done for the sake of gain, or at any rate pretended to have done. Such a crime must be punished with death, and that by David who had been chosen by God and anointed as Saul's successor, and whom the Amalekite himself acknowledge in that capacity, since otherwise he would not have brought him the news together with the royal diadem.
2Sa 1:17 And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son:
David lamented - The words lamented and lamentation must be understood in the technical sense of a funeral dirge or mournful elegy. This and the brief stanza on the death of Abner are the only specimens preserved to us of David’s secular poetry.
lamented with this lamentation - Composed the following elegy on account of their death, and sung it in a tune agreeable to it, he and the men that were with him.
David lamented - An eloquent testimony to the depth and sincerity of David's grief for the death of Saul is handed down to us in the elegy which he composed upon Saul and his noble son Jonathan, and which he had taught to the children of Israel . It is one of the finest odes of the Old Testament; full of lofty sentiment, and springing from deep and sanctified emotion, in which, without the slightest allusion to his own relation to the fallen king, David celebrates without envy the bravery and virtues of Saul and his son Jonathan, and bitterly laments their loss.
2Sa 1:18 (Also he bade them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jasher.)
The use of the bow - Omit “the use of.” “The bow” is the name by which this dirge was known, being so called from the mention of Jonathan’s bow in 2Sa_1:22. The sense would then be: And he commanded them to teach the children of Israel the song called Kasheth (the bow), he gave directions that the song should be learned by heart.
The use of the bow – “The use of” is not in the Hebrew; it is simply “the bow”, that is, a song thus entitled.
the use of the bow - amidst his sorrow and lamentation, he was not unmindful of the welfare of the people, and to provide for their defense and security; and therefore gave orders that care should be taken, that they should be trained up in military exercises, learn the art of war, and the use of every weapon of war, particularly of the bow.
The book of Jasher - the upright. This book seems to have been a public register or annals, in which were recorded memorable actions in any age, and had its name from the uprightness and faithfulness in which it was kept; and in this were set down the order of David for the teaching the children of Judah the use of the bow. Or it may have been a book was probably a collection of divine odes, written to commemorate remarkable events.
Judah - These he more particularly teach, because they were the chief, and now the royal tribe, and likely to be the great bulwark to all Israel against the Philistines, upon whose land they bordered; and withal, to be the most true to him, and to his interest.
2Sa 1:19 The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places: how are the mighty fallen!
The beauty of Israel - Their flower and glory. Saul and Jonathan, and their army. Saul and Jonathan who were the chief ornament and pride of Israel , and slain upon “high places” 2Sa_1:25, namely, on Mount Gilboa .
upon thy high places - The high mountains of Gilboa, where Saul their king, and Jonathan his son, a prince of the blood, and natural heir to the crown, and multitudes of young men, the flower of the nation, were wounded and slain. Here begins the lamentation, or the elegiac song:
how are the mighty fallen - mighty men of war, strong and valiant, as Saul and his sons were, and the soldiers in his army.
The beauty of Israel --literally, "the gazelle" or "antelope of Israel ." That animal is the chosen type of beauty and symmetrical elegance of form.
The ode is arranged in three strophes, which gradually diminish in force and sweep and in which the vehemence of the sorrow so gradually modified, and finally dies away. Each strophe opens with the exclamation, “How are the mighty fallen!” The first contains all that had to be said in praise of the fallen heroes; the deepest mourning for their death; and praise of their bravery, of their inseparable love, and of the virtues of Saul as king. The second commemorates the friendship between David and Jonathan. The third simply utters the last sigh, with which the elegy becomes silent.
2Sa 1:20 Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon; lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.
Gath - the royal city of Achish 1Sa_21:10; 1Sa_27:2. One of the five principalities of the Philistines, and the chief of them, being raised to a kingdom, and whose king was at the head of the armies of the Philistines that engaged with Saul.
Askelon - another of the principalities of the Philistines, and the sense the same as with Gath : Only two of the cities of Philistia are mentioned by name, viz., Gath , which was near, and Askelon, which was farther off by the sea.
lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice - The tidings of this mourning were not to be carried out among the enemies of Israel , lest they should rejoice. Such rejoicing would only increase the pain of Israel at the loss it had sustained. The rejoicing of the daughters of the Philistines refers to the custom of employing women to celebrate the victories of their nation by singing and dancing 1Sa_18:6 And it happened as they came in, as David returned from striking the Philistine, the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of music.
lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice - it being usual in those times and countries for women, young women more especially, to express their joy, on occasion of victories obtained, by singing and dancing, Jdg_11:34 And Jephthah came to Mizpeh to his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances. And she was his only child. Besides her he had neither son nor daughter.
Tell it not - This is not a precept, but a poetical wish; whereby he doth not so much desire, that this might not be done, which he knew to be impossible; as, express his great sorrow, because it would be done, to the dishonor of God, and of his people.
2Sa 1:21 Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, neither let there be rain, upon you, nor fields of offerings: for there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away, the shield of Saul, as though he had not been anointed with oil.
Let there be no dew - which is not to understood as a real imprecation; for David would never curse any part of the land of Israel, for which he had so great a regard; but only as a poetical figure, expressing his concern for, and abhorrence of what happened on those mountains; For a similar passionate form of poetical malediction, compare Job_3:3-10; Jer_20:14-18.
Nor fields of offerings - He imprecates such complete barrenness on the soil of Gilboa, that not even enough may grow for an offering of first-fruits.
Nor fields of offerings - of heave offerings; the meaning is, that he could wish almost that those hills were not fruitful, and that they brought no fruit to perfection, so much as that heave offerings for the service of the sanctuary might be taken; which is expressive of great sterility and scarcity.
Ye mountains of Gilboa - On which fell Saul and his sons, and many of the people of Israel , 2Sa_1:6,
the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away - mighty men were obliged to cast away their shields and flee, which were greatly to their reproach and scandal, and to that of the whole nation: it was reckoned very scandalous, and a great crime, even punishable with death, to cast away a shield among cultures in that area.
the shield of Saul, as though he had not been anointed with oil - as if he was not the anointed king of Israel, but a common soldier: or else this respects his shield, as if that was not anointed, as shields used to be, that they might be smooth and glib, and missile weapons, as arrows and others, might not pass through them, but slide off, see Isa_21:5 Prepare the table, watch in the watchtower, eat, drink; arise, rulers. Anoint the shield; His shield was anointed, not with oil, but with the blood of the slain, and the fat of the mighty, connecting them with the words following.
let there be no dew, neither let there be rain--To be deprived of the genial atmospheric influences which, in those anciently cultivated hills, seem to have reared plenty of first-fruits in the corn harvests, was specified as the greatest calamity the lacerated feelings of the poet could imagine.
the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away--To cast away the shield was counted a national disgrace. Yet, on that fatal battle of Gilboa, many of the Jewish soldiers, who had displayed unflinching valor in former battles, forgetful of their own reputation and their country's honor, threw away their shields and fled from the field. This dishonorable and cowardly conduct is alluded to with exquisitely touching pathos.
2Sa 1:22 From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty.
From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan turned not back - That is, it always did execution, the arrows shot from it pierced into men, shed their blood, and slew them; even they entered into the fat of the mighty, or mighty ones, that were fat, and brought them down;
turned not back - Without effect: their arrows shot from their bow, and their swords did seldom miss, and commonly pierced fat, and flesh, and blood, and reached even to the heart and bowels.
the sword of Saul returned not empty - but was the means of slaying many; filled and glutted with blood: for the sword is metaphorically said to have a mouth, which we translate an edge; and to devour. Such was the ignominy experienced upon Gilboa by those who had always fought so bravely, that their bow and sword did not turn back until it was satisfied with the blood and fat of the slain. The figure upon which the passage is founded is, that arrows drink the blood of the enemy, and a sword devours their flesh. The two principal weapons are divided between Saul and Jonathan, so that the bow is assigned to the latter and the sword to the former.
2Sa 1:23 Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided: they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.
Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives - To one another, had no quarrel or difference with each other, only on the account of David; otherwise they agreed together in the court, and in the camp, in their councils, and in their conduct:
in their death they were not divided - neither from the people, nor from one another; Jonathan stuck close by his father to the last; which is observed to clear him from any imputation of conspiracy against him:
in their death they were not divided - for they were alike in bravery and courage. Notwithstanding their difference of character, and the very opposite attitude which they assumed towards David, the noble Jonathan did not forsake his father, although his fierce hatred towards the friend whom Jonathan loved as his own soul might have undermined his attachment to his father.
they were swifter than eagles - in the quick dispatch of business, in hasting to the relief of the distressed, as Saul to the men of Jabeshgilead, and in the pursuit of their enemies, as of the Philistines, more than once:
they were stronger than lions - fighting with their enemies, who became an easy prey to them; and what is stronger than a lion among beasts? Jdg_14:18; or swifter than an eagle among birds, which is said to cut the air with its wings?
2Sa 1:24 Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet, with other delights, who put on ornaments of gold upon your apparel.
Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul - The women of Israel are introduced. They who had come out to meet king Saul with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of music” in the day of victory, are now called to weep over him with their mournful elegies.
Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul - These he mentions; because the women then used to make songs both of triumph, and of lamentation, and, because they usually are most delighted with the ornaments of the body.
who clothed you with scarlet - not only with scarlet, but with other fine and delightful apparel, such as were very pleasing to females, especially young people, who are delighted with gay apparel; this Saul was the means of, through the spoil he took from his enemies, and by other methods taken by him to the enriching of the nation, whereby husbands and parents were enabled to provide rich clothes for their wives and children:
2Sa 1:25 How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! O Jonathan, thou wast slain in thine high places.
How are the mighty fallen - The mighty and valiant men of war, the common soldiers as well as their general officers, whose loss David mourns, and the repetition of shows how much it affected him:
thou wast slain in thine high places - in the high places of the land of Israel, the mountains of Gilboa, which though high, and in his own country, could not protect him from his enemies, and from falling by their hands: he who had been so valiant and victorious a prince, and yet he fell, not in an enemy's country, but his own.
2Sa 1:26 I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: very pleasant hast thou been unto me: thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women.
I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan - So he was, not only by nation and religion, but by affinity, having married the sister of Jonathan; and still more so by affection and friendship, he being a friend of David's, that stuck closer to him than a brother, and who loved him as his own soul; he was distressed for him for the manner of his death, his loss of him, and want of his pleasant conversation, of his counsel and advice, and assistance in his present circumstances:
passing the love of women - The Targum is,"more than the love of two women,''than his two wives, Ahinoam and Abigail; so meaning that he was more strongly and affectionately loved by Jonathan than by them, who yet might love him very well too. That is, that love wherewith they love their husbands, or children for their affections are usually more ardent than mens.
2Sa 1:27 How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished!
How are the mighty fallen - This is the burden of this elegiac song, being the third time it is mentioned:
the weapons of war perished - not only the valiant soldiers were killed, but their arms were lost; and particularly he may mean Saul and Jonathan, who as they were the shields of the people, so they were the true weapons and instruments of war, and with them all military glory perished; which must be understood as a poetical figure.
the weapons of war perished - are not the weapons; but the expression is a figurative one, referring to the heroes by whom war was carried on.
