Annotations Upon the Historical Books Part 2, 1 Samuel · Chapter 25
CHAP. XXV.
Verſ. 1. ANd Samuel died, and all the Iſraelites were gathered together and lamented him, &c.] Under Sauls government they had found what cauſe they had to reſpect Samuel, and how much better it had been for them, to have lived under a judge of Gods appointing, then a king of their own chooſing; and therefore now they lamented Samuels death, and buried him in his houſe in Ramah: In Ramah Samuels father dwelt before him, 1. Sam. 1.1. and there, in the ancient buriall place of his family was Samuel buried.
And David aroſe, and went down to the wilderneſſe of Paran.] Which bordered upon the ſouth of the land of Judah▪ not farre from the deſert of Maon: It ſeems Samuels death added to Davids fears; he had loſt him to whom he was wont to go for counſel and comfort, and was like enough now to have more enemies and fewer friends; and therefore now he was glad to flee to a wilderneſſe, without the borders of Iſraels land.
Verſ. 2. And there was a man in Maon whoſe poſſeſſions were in Carmel and that man was very great, &c.] Becauſe Carmel was nearer to the wilderneſſe of Paran▪ whither David was removed, then Maon was, therefore this is expreſſed concerning Nabal▪ that though he dwelt in Maon, yet his poſſeſſions were in Carmel, and ſo there he ſheared his ſheep, which was the occaſion of Davids ſending to him; and indeed, Maon, Ziph, and Carmel, were all in the tribe of Judah, not farre it ſeems aſunder, and therefore joyned together, Joſh. 15.55. his great riches are here mentioned, as an aggravation of his inhumanity towards Davids followers; had he been a man of a mean eſtate, he might have pleaded that he was not able to ſend relief to Davids ſix hundred men, but being a man of ſo vaſt an eſtate, he might have ſent ſomewhat to David and his men, and have been never the worſe for it, and therefore there could be nothing ſaid by way of excuſing him.
Verſ. 6. Peace be both to thee, and peace be to thine houſe, &c.] This modeſt manner of their ſeeking ſome relief from Nabal is therefore expreſſed, to let us ſee, that they ſpake nothing that could provoke him to anſwer them ſo bitterly, and ſo churliſhly as he did.
Verſ. 7. For we come in a good day, give I pray thee, whatſoever cometh to thine hand, &c.] In theſe words, For we are come in a good day. Two reaſons are imployed to move Nabal to ſatisfie their deſire. Firſt, becauſe he had now provided a liberall feaſt, out of which he might well ſpare them ſomewhat. Secondly, becauſe it was a day of rejoycing, at which times mens hearts are freer to give, and ſo thence he concludes, Give I pray thee whatſoever cometh to thine hand, that is, whatſoever thou thinkeſt good to beſtow upon us.
Verſ. 9. They ſpake to Nabal according to all thoſe words in the name of David, and ceaſed.] Theſe laſt words, and ceaſed, are added to imply, that this before mentioned was all they ſaid; they were neither importunate, nor inſolent in their ſpeeches; but in a fair manner ſpake what David had given them in charge, and then they had done.
Verſ. 10. There be many ſervants now adayes that break away, every man from his maſter.] Herein covertly he upbraids David. Firſt, for flying from the king his maſter, and ſtanding out in rebellion againſt him. And ſecondly, for giving entertainment to fugitive ſervants, that were run away from their Lords and maſters.
Verſ. 13. And David ſaid unto his men, Gird you on every man his ſword.] As having vowed to go immediately to Nabals houſe, and there utterly to deſtroy both Nabal and his family, for ſo much is afterwards expreſſed, ver. 21, 21. Indeed this was a bloudy and unlawfull vow as himſelf afterwards confeſſed, for it belonged not to him to revenge himſelf upon thoſe that had wronged him; and beſides, Nabals churliſhnes and baſe covetouſneſſe were not ſins to be puniſhed with death, much leſſe were his innocent family to be ſlain for his offence: But David was now in a fury and rage, even he that could with ſuch wonderfull patience endure all the wrongs that Saul had done him, could not now over-maſter his paſſions, but being exceedingly enflamed with wrath, nothing would ſatisfie him but the death of Nabal, and all his family.
Verſ. 20. She came down by the covert of the hill, and behold, David and his men came down againſt her, &c.] That is, ſhe came down in a hollow way, wherein by reaſon of the covert of the hills, ſhe could neither ſee David and his men coming down on the hill right againſt her, nor could they ſee her: and ſo they diſcovered not one another till they met together.
Verſ. 22. So & more alſo do God unto the enemies of David, if I leave of all that pertain to him, &c.] That is, let the Lord deal with mine enemies, as I ſhall be conſtant in performing what I have reſolved on, not to leave any alive that belong to Nabal, by the morning light, to wit, either by proſpering them if I do it not, or by deſtroying them together with Nabal if I do it. According to the ordinary manner of uſing this form of imprecation, the curſe ſhould have been wiſhed upon himſelf, So and more alſo do God unto me, if I leave, &c. as we ſee Ruth 1.17. concerning which ſee the note there: But naturally men are loth to pronounce a curſe upon themſelves, which happely cauſed David rather in the imprecation to mention his enemies (as we ſee in theſe times what ſtrange expreſſions in their execrations ſome men will uſe, even out of a naturall lothneſſe to curſe themſelves, Would I might never ſwear, As I hope to be ſaved, &c.) but by this means Davids ſpeech is ſomewhat confuſedly intricate, and his meaning not ſo clearly expreſſed: as for that expreſſion, any that p…ſſeth againſt the wall, thereby he meant that he would not leave ſo much as a dog of all that he had, or elſe it is meant of all the males in his family both men and children: but moſt Expoſitours underſtand it according to the firſt expoſition, becauſe Davids ſaying that the Lord had kept him back from hurting Abigail, verſ. 34. doth plainly imply, that he reſolved to kill both males and females.
Verſ. 24. Ʋpon me my Lord, upon me, let this iniquity be.] Thus by deſiring that his diſpleaſure might fall upon none but her, whoſe innocencie and ſolicitous care to ſatisfie his deſires he might clearly ſee, ſhe doth in a ſweet and elegant manner ſeek to ſave her whole family from the revenge he had reſolved upon; for her innocencie and ſimplicity ſhe knew would ſecure her, that he would not puniſh her that had not deſerved it.
Verſ. 25. For as his name is, ſo is he: Nabal is his name, and folly is with him.] Herein ſhe would imply, that he was not worthy of Davids anger, and therefore not to be regarded; for wiſemen alwayes judge the contempt and reproches of children and fools not worth the minding.
Verſ. 26. Seeing the Lord hath withholden thee from coming to ſhed bloud, and from avenging thy ſelf.] That is, ſeeing God by his providence hath ſent me forth to ſtay thee from ſeeking thine own revenge, (which ſhe puts him in mind of, as a ſtrong inducement to appeaſe his wrath.) Now let thy enemies and they that ſeek evil to my Lord, be as Nabal: that is, thou giving over thine own quarrell, may all thine enemies be as vild and hatefull to God and man, as weak and unable to hurt thee, and as ſure to be puniſhed by the hand of God, as Nabal is, or as thou didſt intend Nabal ſhould have been. So that one principall thing implyed in theſe words, I conceive is this, that if David would commit his cauſe to God, and not take revenge on Nabal himſelf, then God would certainly do it for him: as we ſee indeed it fell out verſ. 38. when God ſtruck him with ſudden death.
Verſ. 27. This bleſſing which thy handmaid hath brought unto my Lord, let it even be given unto the young men,] Herein ſhe modeſtly extenuates the worth of her gift as no… being a preſent good enough for David, onelyonly ſhe deſires he would accept them, and beſtow them amongſt his followers.
Verſ. 28. For the Lord will certainly make my Lord a ſure houſe, becauſe my Lord fighteth the battels of the Lord, &c.] That is, the battels undertaken by warrant from the Lord, and in the juſt defence of the Lords own cauſe and people; but why is this added concerning the proſperous eſtate, to which the Lord would raiſe David? Surely that having laid this ground, ſhe might thence inferre what ſhe addes afterwards, verſ. 30.31. to wit, what an advantage it would then be to him, not to have his conſcience riſing upon him for ſhedding innocent bloud, as it would doubtleſſe, if he ſhould ſeek to revenge himſelf as he had determined.
Verſ. 29. Yet a man is riſen to purſue thee, and ſeek thy ſoul; but the ſoul of my Lord ſhall be bound in the bundle of life with the Lord thy God.] That is, the Lord ſhall make precious account of thy life, and ſhall carefully preſerve it: becauſe men are wont to bind up thoſe things in bundles which they are carefull to keep, and ſo lay them up charily, where no body may meddle with them, hence is this expreſſion concerning the provident care of God over David for the preſervation of his life, The ſoul of my Lord, ſhall be bound in the bundle of life with the Lord thy God; he was but a man as great as he was, that ſought to cut him off, and that mans rage muſt needs be vain, that ſeeks to deſtroy him, whom the Lord God hath undertaken to preſerve.
Verſ. 31. This ſhall be no grief unto thee, nor offence of heart unto my Lord, &c.] That is, thou ſhalt not have this to trouble thee, That thou haſt ſhed bloud cauſeleſſe, &c. and ſo withall, ſhe implies, that if he did go on in his vow, this would be hereafter a continuall vexation to him, and deprive him of all the comfort he might otherwiſe enjoy in the great good that God would do for him.
Then remember thine handmaid.] That is, remember that which I have ſaid, and think of me accordingly.
Verſ. 37. His heart died within him, and he became as a ſtone.] That is, he fell as it were into a ſwoun, and ſo there he lay like a ſtock or ſtone for ten dayes together, the very thinking how near he was to death (upon his wives relation) made his heart to die within him.
Verſ. 39. And wen David heard that Nabal was dead, he ſaid, Bleſſed be the Lord, &c.] Though he rejoyced not in the evil that was fallen upon Nabal, yet he could not but rejoyce in the manifeſtation of Gods juſtice upon him in his behalf, and in ſeeing that the Lord had pleaded his cauſe againſt him.
And David ſent and communed with Abigail, to take her to him to wife.] David would rather ſend then go himſelf, that ſhe might the more freely either grant or denie his ſuit, and that it might be the more evident that he took her not by force and violence.
Verſ. 41. Behold, let thine handmaid be a ſervant to waſh the feet of the ſervants of my Lord.] Herein was the faith of Abigail diſcovered, who could think ſo honourably of David, when he lived in ſuch a perſecuted eſtate, and deſpiſed condition.
Verſ. 43. David alſo took Ahinoam of Jezreel.] A town in Judah, Joſh. 15.56.
Verſ. 44. But Saul had given Michal his daughter Davids wife, to Phalti, &c.] This Phalti of Gallim (a place in the tribe of Benjamin, …a…. 10.30.) is alſo called Phaltiel, 2, Sam. 3.15. to whom Saul gave Michal Davids wife, not onelyonly out of hatred and malice againſt David; but alſo out of policy as he thought, that the title of having his daughter to wife, might not be any furtherance to him in climbing to the kingdome.