Harmony Upon 1 Samuel, Chapter 18
CHAP. XVIII.
1. Quest. v. 1. Of the friendship betweene Ionathan and Dauid.
THree things are expressed in this verse, the occasion of this louelove and friendship, the firmenesse of it, Ionathans soule was knit with the soule of Dauid; the faithfulnes of it,A description of true friendship. he loued him as his owne soule: which three are requisite in true friendship. 1. The occasion was generall, the vertue and value of Dauid, and the great grace which was in him, both in his doings, and sayings, and the particular similitude and likenes in them of religion, louelove of their countrey, valure: for both of them, Ionathan c. 14. and Dauid here, had aduentured their liues in the defense of Gods people. There are three things, which engender friendship; profit, pleasure, vertue: the first two doe not beget true friendship, for as soone as the profit or pleasure ceaseth, friendship is gone: but vertue onelyonly maketh louelove and friendship to continue. ex Mart. 2. Therefore Ionathans friendship beeing grounded vponupon Dauids vertue, remaineth firme, and continueth, their hearts were, as it were, tied and linked together: nothing but death could seperate that mutuall louelove: nay, after Ionathans death, Dauid remembred the league betweene them made, in shewing merciemercy vntounto Ionathans posteritie: now whereas two things are required in friendship, as Aristotle sheweth in his Ethicks, that it should be mutuall, of one toward the other, which is the difference betweene louelove and friendship: for one may louelove, where he is not loued againe: but friendship alwaies reboundeth the like good will againe: the other thing is, that this mutuall louelove be made apparant and professed betweene them: for there may be secret good will, and inclination of affection betweene two, but before it be professed and protested betweene them, it is not properly friendship: both these concurred in this friendship: for Ionathan loued Dauid, and was beloued againe: and they professed this friendship by making a mutuall league. 3. Then the third thing followeth obserued in this louelove, that is, the force and efficacie of it: Ionathan loued Dauid as his owne soule, that is, wished as well vntounto him, as to himselfe: he loued him, not that he expected good from him, but to hauehave one, whome he might doe good vntounto. Therefore Seneca epist. 9. ad Lucil. doth worthily reprooue Epicurus description of a friend: that a man might hauehave one, to helpe him when he had neede, to sit by him when he was sicke, &c. and he well saith, longe suavior est amicitia, quae prodest alteri, quam quae invatur ab alio: that friendship is sweetest, which helpeth an other, rather then is helped of an other: so here Ionathan loueth Dauid for his owne sake, that he might shew louelove and kindnes vntounto him. Aristotle in part defineth friendship well: bene velle alicui, non tua, sed ipsius causa, to wish well vntounto a man, for his cause, not thine owne: as here Ionathan wisheth well to Dauid. But this is not all, yet there is a further thing to be considered: that a friend is not to be loued for his own good, but propter deum, for Gods cause: ex Martyr. for God was the worker of this friendship betweene Ionathan and Dauid: that he neglecting his owne estate, and the hope of the kingdome, and with the euill will also of his father, yet fauoured Dauid: Pellic. wherein Gods prouident care appeared toward Dauid, that he might hauehave a friend in Sauls court, to reueale his counsels & intendements from time to time against Dauid. Borr.
2. Quest. v. 1. Whether there be not degrees of louelove notwithstanding that precept, that we should louelove our neighbour as our selfe.
1. Some thinke, that as Ionathan is here said to louelove Dauid as his owne soule, that is, as himselfe, so we are bound by the commandement eueryevery one to louelove his neighbour: because it is said, Thou shalt louelove thy neighbour as thy selfe: Osiand. but this precept doth not take away the degrees of louelove: for then their should be no speciall friendship among Christians: the precept then is to be vnderstood, not of the quantitie of louelove, that we should louelove eueryevery one that is our neighbour, in that degree and measure of louelove, which we louelove our selues: for that were vnnaturall, for a man not to preferre himselfe before an other: but of the qualitie and condition of louelove: that we must louelove our neighbour with the same simplicitie and true affection, wishing him no more hurt, then to our selues. 2. But that there is euen in Christianitie a difference of louelove, and that a speciall and peculiar friendship with one more then with an other, may stand with religion, it may be thus shewed: our Sauiour Christ himselfe whose affections were most pure, did louelove one of the Apostles beyond the rest: Iohn is called the Apostle in the Gospel, whome Iesus loued: further, S. Paul saith, that men should first learne to shew godlines to their owne house, and he saith, that it is an honest thing, and acceptable before God, 1. Tim. 5.4. there are degrees then in shewing of our louelove: first, we are bound to those, to whome nature hath made vsus neare, if their euill conditions doe not disparage the nearenes of their blood: if naturall louelove hath such preheminence, euen so also morall ciuill louelove, which is grounded vponupon vertue, may admit degrees.
3. Quest. v. 8. Of Sauls hatred toward Dauid.
1. Saul is giuen ouer to be tormented of his owne affections: at once he is inuaded with anger, feare, and enuie, which bringeth forth hatred at the last: first, he is angrie with the women without cause: for they had ascribed vntounto Dauid no more then he deserued, for in killing Goliath, he had done as great seruice as ten thousand could hauehave done: and they gaue vntounto Saul more then he deserued, as Chrysostome sheweth, homil. de Davide & Saule: for Saul had continued 40. daies in the campe, suffering the Philistim to make his vaunts, and did nothing; yet least they should seeme altogether to disgrace Saul, they say Saul hath slaine his thousand. Next vntounto his anger followeth his feare: he beginneth to be iealous of his kingdome, saying, What can he hauehave more, sauing the kingdome? then he falleth to enuie Dauid, and to be suspicious of him: he had an eye vntounto Dauid, from that day forward, v. 9. and last of all he hateth him, and deuiseth mischiefe against him. Martyr.
2. This enuie which Saul bare vntounto Dauid,Of the nature of enuie. brought these enormities with it: first, he therein opposed himselfe against the will and counsell of God, who had determined and set it downe, that Dauid should be King: Dauid did not so, who beeing driuen out of Ierusalem by his sonne, doth meekely submit himselfe to the Lords pleasure, saying, If he say thus vntounto me, I hauehave no delight in thee, behold, here I am, let him doe to me as seemeth good in his eies. 2. Sam. 15.26. Secondly, Saul is violently caried with this streame of enuie to hate Dauids vertues, euen that, for the which Dauid was worthie to be loued. Thirdly, this enuie tended vntounto Sauls owne hurt, it was as a fire in his bosome, and as a worme continually gnawing vponupon him, not suffering him to hauehave any rest: so enuie is a sinne against God, against man, and most of all the enuious person sinneth against his owne soule. Borr.
4. Quest. v. 10. How Saul is said to hauehave prophesied.
1. Some doe interpret, that he was madde, Chal. but to play the Prophet simply is not to be madde. 2. Some thinke he is said to prophesie, because he spake in his fitts he knew not what, he vttered straunge words and phrases, farre from the capacitie of other, as the Prophets vttered parables: as Avicenna noteth, that madde men in their fitts many times vtter straunge languages and words, which they neuer learned, nor vnderstood. Mart. 3. Some take it to be spoken according to the opinion of the vulgar sort, who when men prophesied, thought they were madde, as Iehu his companions called the young man, which Elisha sent to anoint Iehu king, madde fellow, 1. king. 9. and those which were madde, they thought did prophesie. Mart. 4. Some thinke that Saul here vttered sacred psalmes and hymnes, as the two Prophets vsed to doe: Osiand. but Sauls manner of prophesying here, and that c. 10. and 19. when he prophesied among the Prophets, was not all one: for there he did as the other Prophets, the spirit of God comming vponupon him: but here the euill spirit vexed him. 5. Therefore, the meaning is no more but this, that Saul was rauished as a man beside himselfe: his speech for manner (though not for the matter) was straunge, and his behauiour outwardly was such, as when the Prophets were stirred by the spirit of God. Iun. Borr.
5. Quest. v. 11. Of Dauids escaping, when Saul east the speare at him.
1. Where it is expressed, that Saul saide, (namely within himselfe, that is, thought) as the word is taken often in the new Testament: as the Scribes and Pharisies said within thē selues, that is, thought: Borr. it appeareth, that though Sauls head were troubled, yet he was not starke madde, but that he knew what he did: some thinke, that as men in their sleepe doe dreame of those things, which they thought when they were awake, so madde men hauehave reliques of their former euill thoughts remaining: but here Saul saide, that is, thought thus and reasoned within himselfe: he was not then altogether depriued of reason: but we see the fruits of this his madd prophesying, as the spirit wherewith he was mooued, was a murtherer from the beginning, so Saul intendeth nothing but murther and mischeife. 2. Gods prouidence appeareth in deliuering Dauid: that as God directed the stone out of Dauids sling to hitte Goliath, so he guideth the speare out of Sauls hand, that it did not touch Dauid: though he by Gods direction vsed the meanes also in declining the stroake. Martyr. 3. Herein Dauid was a type of Christ, who as Dauid here by his sweete musicke would hauehave allaied Sauls madnes, so by the sweete voice of his preaching sought to cure the Scribes and Pharisies of their spirituall madnes, and oftentimes escaped their snares which they laid for him. Mart. 4. Beside it hath this morall vse, that it is lawfull for vsus, to decline and auoid violence and daunger intended, as Dauid did twice at this instant, but not to offer violence and reuenge againe. Osiand.
6. Quest. v. 13. Why Saul set Dauid ouer his men of warre.
1. Some thinke, that whereas Saul had set Dauid before ouer all his men of warre, v. 5. he now to disgrace him, maketh him but captaine ouer a thousand: but neither was Dauid set ouer all the men of warre, for that place Abner had: Pellican. and that setting Dauid ouer the men of warre, is the same here mentioned: for when Saul put Dauid from him, he made him captaine of a thousand, and then he set him ouer his men of warre: so Iosephus saith, ex satellite tribunum fecit: of his harnesse-bearer, or one of his guard, he made him a tribune or captaine.
2. This Saul did, partly to prouide for his owne securitie, when Dauid was furthest from him, Ioseph. partly to obiect and expose Dauid vntounto danger, that he might fall by his enemies, whome he did fight against. Mart.
7. Quest. v. 17. Of Sauls breaking promise with David concerning his eldest daughter.
1. Sauls daughter was alreadie by Sauls promise to be giuen vntounto Dauid for vanquishing of Goliath, Pellican. as Saul broke his promise before, so he doth againe: for his eldest daughter was giuen to an other. 2. This mariage was pretended to be an occasion of further danger vntounto Dauid, for Saul doth condition with him to fight the Lords battels, pretending religion, where he intended mischeife, that Dauid might be ouerthrowne in battell: marriage was ordained for mutuall helpe and comfort: but there is nothing of so good institution, which is not peruerted and abused by the hypocrites and wicked. Mart. 3. Saul would hauehave the matter so carried, as that he might be without all suspition, his hand should not be vponupon him: not so much to auoide sedition among the people, or as Kimchi thinketh, least he might afterward hauehave beene brought into question of murder: but he pretendeth louelove, purposing mischeife, that Dauid might be the sooner ouertaken, suspecting nothing: as then hypocrites are most dangerous, when they make the fairest shewes. Domitiane the Emperour, to whome he intended the most mischeife, he would speake the fairest vntounto: and Herode would hauehave word returned concerning the child borne king of the Iewes, that he might goe and worship, thinking indeede to murder the infant. Martyr.
8. Quest. v. 18. Whether Dauid dissembled, when he excused himselfe, saying, Who am I, &c.
Seeing Dauid was both anointed by Samuel to be king of Israel, and beside by the vanquishing of Goliath, had made himselfe worthie to marrie the kings daughter, as Saul had proclaimed and promised: how could Dauid so much abase himselfe, as not meete for such a marriage? To this it is answered, that Dauid did not looke vntounto that fauour and grace, which the Lord had vouchsafed him, in electing him to be king; but partly he considereth the great dignitie, which was now offered him, partly his owne tenuitie and meane parentage, and so in respect of himselfe, without any dissimulation, he confesseth himselfe vnmeete and vnworthie: and this lowly and humble minde he still caried toward Saul: as Saul at the first, when he was of a better spirit, did also excuse himselfe, when he was first annointed by Samuel to be king. Mart.
9. Quest. v. 21. Of the meaning of these words, By the other thou shalt contract affinitie with me.
1. Some read, for two things thou shalt be my sonne in law: Lat. which some expound, because Dauid had either twise brought vntounto Saul the foreskinnes of the Philistims, or he had brought him two hundred, whereas Saul required but one: but as yet Saul had made no mention of any such condition. 2. Therefore it is to be referred vntounto Sauls two daughters: which some interpret thus; that whereas the Hebrew phrase is, in two, thou shalt hauehave affinitie with me, they vnderstand one, as Kimchi, or, the other: that is, in one of the twaine: but then it should hauehave beene indifferent for Dauid to take either of them, which now could not be, the indifferencie beeing taken away by the mariage of the eldest alreadie. 3. Therefore by two, is here meant the second, the cardinal number, taken for the ordinal: as 2. king. 15.32. in the two yeare, for the second: so here Saul meaneth that by the twaine, that is, the second of his daughters, Dauid should become his sonne in law. Iun. 4. Most doe here read, gener eris, thou shalt be my sonne in law: but the word chatam signifieth generally to contract or ioyne in affinitie: Pag. Iun. as the construction of the word sheweth with the preposition beth, with: bi, with me: the sense rather giueth, thou shalt contract affinitie with me: then be a sonne in law-with me.
10. Quest. v. 25. Of these words, The King requireth no dowrie: of the vse and custome of giuing of dowries.
1. Peter Martyr here obserueth, that in Dauids time, and before the law the vse was, not for men to take dowries and portions with their wiues, but rather to giuegive vntounto them: and vnderunder the law he thinketh it was the vse for the women to giuegive their dowries: and he citeth that place, Exod. 22.16, 17. where the law is this, If a man entise a maide that is not betroathed, and lie with her, he shall endow her, and take her to his wife: if her father refuse to giuegive her vntounto him, he shall pay money according to the dowrie of virgins: out of this place he seemeth to inferre, that dowries were vsed to be giuen with virgins. But the contrarie is euident by these words: the former verse is cleare, that he which lieth with a maide not betroathed, shall endow her: and in case the father of the maide will not consent, then not the father, but the other shall notwithstanding giuegive the dowrie of virgins vntounto the maides father, as it appeareth Deut. 22.29. for if the law had beene for virgins to giuegive and not take dowries, they would not in practise hauehave gone against the law. And whereas the example of Pharaoh is obiected, that gaue in marriage with his daughter the citie of Gezer vntounto Salomon, 1. king. 9.16. it may be answered that Salomon had married Pharaohs daughter long before that, c. 3.1. but dowries were vsed to be giuen before marriage: neither is it called a dowrie, which the Hebrewes call mohar, but it was shilluchim, a thing sent, or present: and beside Pharaoh was a stranger to Israel, and therefore not tied vntounto their lawes.
2. The vse then was both before the law, and after, for men to endowe their wiues before marriage: so Abrahams seruant gaue tokens and iewells vntounto Rebekah, but receiued none: Iaakob serued 14. yeares for his wiues: Shechem saith vntounto Iaakob, and his sonnes, Let me finde fauour in your eyes, and I will giuegive whatsoeuer you appoint me. Gen. 34.11.
3. Now the order concerning dowries was this: the man gaue a dowrie before marriage to his wife, which was at her disposing, if her husband died, for her maintenance, or for the education of the children: and such dowries were giuen before mariage, after they could not be giuen, whereof Plutark giueth this reason, in quaestionibus connubialibus, because then the man and wife were as one, and they occupied their good in common, they could not one giuegive to an other. ex Mart.
4. But whereas it was thus decreed in the Councell of Arles, c. 16. Nullum sine dote fiat coniugium: that no mariage should be made without some dowrie: which seemeth by the sequele to hauehave beene prouided, to cut off clandestine, that is, secret and stollen mariages: I see no cause why this canon should be misliked, as Pet. Mart. taketh exception to it: for it enioyneth not that alwaies the dowrie should be of the womans part: but in generall, that there should be solemne dowrie giuen, which I vnderstand rather to be in the mans behalfe: that by this meanes, in the solemne conueyance of such dowries, which could not be done without witnesses, notice might be taken of such mariage: and so priuie and secret contracts preuented. Now because many poore couples meete together, that hauehave little one to endow an other with; the canon prouideth for that: iuxta possibilitatem fiat d…s, that the dowrie should be according to their abilitie: there is no man so poore, but is able to endow his wife with somewhat: answerable to this constitution, is the commendable order of our Church obserued in mariage, with all my worldly goods I thee endow. This auncient custome of endowing the wiues, reprooueth the couetous practise of this age, which respecteth more in mariage, what the woman hath, then what shee is: whereas, as Olympius well obserued, non digitis, sed auribus & oculis ducenda est vxor: a wife must be maried not by the fingers, but by the eyes and eares.
11. Quest. v. 27. Of Sauls demaund, and Dauids bringing of the foreskinnes.
1. Saul for two reasons required this condition of Dauid, both to bring him into daunger, that he might perish by the hand of the Philistims, and to exasperate the mindes of the Philistims against him, by whome they were so cruelly handled: for Dauid either circumcised them aliue, or cut off their foreskinnes when they were dead, and brought them vntounto Saul. Mar. 2. Iosephus mistaketh the storie, for where as Saul required but an hundreth, he maketh mention of sixe hundreth: and he saith Dauid cut off so many heades of the Philistims, not foreskinnes. 3. Dauid sheweth his readines in this seruice, for both he bringeth the double number of that which was required, two hundred for one, and he doth it in a shorter time, then was set him. Pellican. 4. But herein Sauls hypocrisie sheweth it selfe, who beeing himselfe of an vncircumcised heart, pretendeth enmitie against those which were vncircumcised in the flesh, but indeede he hateth most of all Dauid, that was circumcised both in the flesh, and in the heart.
12. Quest. v. 27. Whether it were lawfull for Dauid to cut off the foreskinnes of the Philistims.
1. First, the priuate reasons, which mooued Dauid to condescend to this condition were these two; his desire to hauehave Michal for his wife, whome seeing her to louelove him, he loued againe, and that by this occasion he might cut off the enemies of God, and of Israel. 2. The lawfulnes of this enterprise appeareth, both in respect of the commander, which was Saul the king the cheife Magistrate, by whose authoritie warres must be taken in hand: and the person of the enemies considered, who were professed enemies to the people of God, continually vexing and molesting them. Mart. Dauid also might consider his owne calling, who was anointed king, and appointed to be the captaine and deliuerer of his people. 3. Thus through Gods goodnes all things fal out contrarie to Sauls expectation: he thought to make his daughter a snare vntounto him, who afterward was a meane to deliuer him: and he exposeth Dauid to the rage of the Philistims, thinking thereby to make an hand of him; whereas by the iust iudgement of God Saul fell into the hand of the Philistims, but Dauid escaped: nay, he was preserued in their countrey from Saul. Mart.
13. Quest. v. 30. Of Dauids prosperous successe against the Philistims.
1. Whereas it is saide, when the powers of the Philistims went forth, &c. the Rabbins thinke, that they tooke occasion to inuade Israel, vnderstanding of Dauids mariage: for they were not ignorant of that law among the Hebrewes, that they were not to goe warre, the first yeare of their marriage: but this is an vncertaine coniecture, no such thing beeing expressed in the text, whether this thing happened in the first yeare of Dauids marriage: Mart. it seemeth, rather that the Philistims were prouoked, and exasperated by Dauids hard vsage of them, in cutting off their foreskinnes. 2. Now it is saide, that Dauid prospered in all his enterprises, as read the Chal. and Iun. the most read, he was of more vnderstanding, or behaued himselfe more wisely: the word sachal indeede signifieth both: but the first is fitter here, as before v. 5. and v. 19. Dauid prospered in all his waies, because Iehouah was with him: they indeede which hauehave prosperous successe, are prudent also in their businesse, but they which are wise and prudent, doe not alwaies prosper: as Achitophels wise and politike counsell against Dauid prospered not: therefore because it is said, that Dauids name grew into great price and estimation, it sheweth, that his successe was very prosperous, which made him famous.