Annotations Upon the Historical Books Part 2, 2 Samuel · Chapter 23
CHAP. XXIII.
Verſ. 1. NOw theſe be the last words of David.] That is, the laſt that he wrote by the inſpiration of the holy Ghoſt, for the uſe of the Church.
David the ſonne of Jeſſe ſaid, and the man who was raiſed up on high, &c.] He mentions here of what houſe he came, and how God exalted him, that hereby the grace and mercy of God to him, might be the more magnified, in raiſing him from ſo mean an eſtate, to that height of honour wherein he lived.
Verſ. 4. And he ſhall be as the light of the morning, when the ſunne riſeth, even a morning without clouds, &c.] That is, who ſo ruleth as is before ſaid, he ſhall reign proſperouſly, and ſtill encreaſe in glory; his glory ſhall be like the morning light, that ſhines more and more unto the perfect day, as the tender graſſe ſpringing out of the earth, by clear ſhining after rain, that is, the glory of his kingdome ſhall be great, and ſhall dayly encreaſe like the graſſe, that hath ſeaſonably the moiſtening rain, and warming ſunne to make it ſprout up and grow.
Verſ. 5. Although my houſe be not ſo with God: yet he hath made with me an everlaſting covenant.] This clauſe hath reference both to that which is ſaid concerning Gods command, verſ. 3. He that ruleth over men, muſt he juſt, ruling in the fear of God: and alſo to that, verſ. 4. concerning the proſperity and glory of his kingdome, who ſo ruleth his people, as is ſaid, juſtly, and in the fear of God; and the meaning is this, though I have not been ſo exactly juſt, as God requireth in the ruling of his people, and though my poſterity fail exceedingly of what God requires of them, and ſo be guilty as it were, of breaking covenant with God, and though therefore my houſe or kingdome hath not yet attained that height of glory, though that promiſe concerning the proſperitie of my houſe be not yet accompliſhed; nevertheleſſe, ſeeing he hath made with me an everlaſting covenant, to wit, that my houſe, kingdome, and throne ſhall be eſtabliſhed for ever, chap. 7.16. namely in the Meſſiah that ſhall come out of my loins, and this covenant is ordered in all things, and ſure, that is, ordered, and eſtabliſhed in every thing, by him who is faithfull and ſure to perform what he covenants with his children, though they come farre ſhort of that which they ſhould do, I know that this which he hath promiſed he will perform.
For this is all my ſalvation, and all my deſire, although he make it not to grow.] That is, this which God hath promiſed concerning the everlaſting kingdome of the Meſſiah ſpringing out of my houſe, this is that whereon my ſalvation depends, this is that which I onelyonly deſire, although he make it not to grow, that is though the glory of my temporall kingdome do not grow and encreaſe, as was before promiſed, verſ. 4. ſo this be performed, I ſhall have my deſire.
Verſ. 6. But the ſonnes of Belial, ſhall be all of them as thorns thrust away, &c.] That is, all prophane, graceleſſe, and ſtubborn wretches, that will not ſtoop to Gods government, (and why theſe are called ſonnes of Belial, we may ſee in the note, Deut. 13.13.) becauſe they cannot be taken with hands, that is, they are intractable and incorrigible, there's no dealing with them in a gentle way, they will ſcratch and tear thoſe that offer to touch them, God will cut them up, and caſt them out, delivering them up to the inſtruments of his wrath, and ſo as thorns, they ſhall be utterly burnt with fire, in the ſame place, that is, in the very place where they grew, or the place whither they are thruſt away: and ſo the meaning may be, either that they ſhall be utterly deſtroyed and conſumed here in this world, or that they ſhall be made the fewell of hell fire hereafter.
Verſ. 8. Theſe be the names of the mighty men whom David had.] His chief Colonels and Captains under Joab the Generall of all his forces, men renowned for their valour and admirable exploits, and ſuch as were great ſupporters to David in all his troubles, as it is expreſſed, 1. Chron. 11.10. Theſe alſo are the chief of the mighty men whom David had, who ſtrengthened themſelves with him in his kingdome, and with all Iſrael to make him king: It ſeems that thirty of them, were Captains of thouſands, over whom there were ſix Colonels, though the firſt three had ſome preheminence of place and honour above the ſecond three: happely three of them were Colonels, and the other three were Lievetenant Colonels.
The Tachmonite that ſate in the ſeat chief among the captains, (the ſame was Adino the Eznite) he lift up his ſpear againſt eight hundred, whom he ſlew at one time.] In the 1. Chron. 11.11. this is expreſſed thus, Jaſhobeam an Hachmonite, the chief of the captains, he lift up his ſpear againſt three hundred, ſlain by him at one time: ſo that by comparing theſe two places together we may probably at leaſt conclude concerning this man, who was the firſt of Davids worthies: firſt, that his proper name was Adino, as is here expreſſed: ſecondly, that he was called the Eznite from the countrey where he was born, or bred; the Tachmonite, or Hachmonite, from his parentage, being the ſonne of one Tachmoni, or Hachmoni; and Jahobeam from his place of honour, becauſe he ſat in the ſeat, as is here ſaid, to wit, as preſident of the counſel of warre among the captains, for Jaſhobeam or as it is in the margent of our bibles, Joſheb-baſſebet, doth indeed ſignifie, he that ſits in the chair: and ſeems therefore to be a name given in alluſion to his place of dignitie, as being the firſt of the firſt three colonels, the chief under Joab amongst the captains: and thirdly, whereas it is ſaid here, that there were eight hundred whom he ſlew at one time; but in 1. Chron. 11.11. there is mention but of three hundred ſlain by him at one time: for the reconciling of this ſeeming difference, it muſt be held, either that there were eight hundred ſlain by him at one time, & three hundred at another; or elſe rather, (if both places relate one and the ſame fight) that he diſcomfited and put to flight eight hundred, whereof onelyonly three hundred were ſlain outright by him, the reſt by others, which yet are here ſaid to be ſlain by him, becauſe it was by means of his routing them, and beating them down before them, that they were ſlain.
Verſ. 9. And after him was Eleazer the ſonne of Dodo the Ahohite, &c.] That is, one of the poſterity of Ahoah a Benjamite, 1. Chron. 8.4. this was alſo one of the three mighty men with David, that is, one of Davids three mighty men, to wit, the ſecond of the firſt three, one of them that defied the Philiſtines, vanquiſhed and ſmote them when the men of Iſrael were gone away; that is, when they fled from before the Philiſtines; for ſo it is expreſſed, 1. Chron. 11.13, 14. where alſo ſome circumſtances of this exploit, are more particularly related, to wit, that it was at Paſdammim, and in a parcel of ground, full of barley, which he defended againſt the Philiſtines, the reſt of the people being ſled away, and ſlow them there, ſo that at laſt the people returned to the ſpoil of the enemy, as it follows here in the next verſe.
Verſ. 10. And his hand clave unto the ſword.] That is, when he had done ſlaying the Philiſtines he was not able to let go his ſword, or take his hand away from it; whether becauſe his hand was as it were glued with bloud to the hilt of his ſword, or becauſe the nerves and ſinews of his hand were ſo benummed with graſping it ſo hard, and holding it ſo long, that he could not take it off.
Verſ. 11. And after him was Shammah.] This was the third worthy of the firſt three: in the 1. Chron. 11. this Shammah is not mentioned, but as is above noted, the very ſame exploit is there aſcribed to Eleazar, which is here aſcribed to Shammah, to wit, that he alone defended a field of corn againſt a troop of Philiſtines, and rooted, and ſlew them, when his men runne away from him, onelyonly this is ſaid to have been done in a piece of ground full of lentiles; that by Eleazar in a parcel of ground full of barley: it is therefore probably conceived by Interpretours, that this exploit againſt the Philiſtines, was joyntly performed by both theſe captains at one and the ſame time, and therefore it is ſaid, 1. Chron. 11.14. that they ſet themſelves in the midſt of that parcel of ground, and delivered it, and ſlew the Philiſtines, and that there being both barley and lentiles in the ſame field, Eleazar kept the Philiſtines from the barley field, and Shammah from that part that had the lentiles.
Verſ. 13. And three of the thirty chief went down, and came to David in the harveſt time, &c.] There is nothing in the text whereby we can certainly conclude, who theſe three worthies were that fetched water from the well of Bethlehem for David: ſome think that they were three of thoſe thirty named in the latter part of this chapter; others, that they were the three colonells in the ſecond rank, or Lieuetenant colonells: but the moſt generall opinion of Expoſitours is, that they were the firſt three immediately before mentioned, to wit, Adino the Tachmonite, Eleazer, and Shammah, which ſeems the more probable, becauſe the 1. Chron. 11, 19. this paſſage is ſhut up with this clauſe: theſe things did theſe three mightiest. Before we are told what they did ſeverally, here an exploit is added which they did all joyntly together, and if it be ſo, then theſe firſt words, and the three of the thirty chief went down, &c. muſt be thus underſtood, that the three chief of the thirty, or colonells and commanders of the thirty, that is over the thirty, went down and came to David, &c.
Verſ 15. Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, &c.] Though David were happely at preſent diſtreſſed for want of water, yet he ſpake not theſe words, as deſiring to ſtirre up any of his ſouldiers to fetch it for him, but occaſionally to ſhew how precious a draught of that water would be in that his diſtreſſe, as if he ſhould have ſaid, what would one give now for a draught of the water of the well of Bethlehem.
Verſ. 16. And the three mightie men brake through the host of the Philiſtines, &c.] Though they knew there was at that time a gariſon of the Philiſtines in Bethlehem, as is before noted, verſ. 14. and that there was a band of the Philiſtines that lay in the valley of Rephaim, verſ. 13. in the way as they were to go to Bethlehem: yet no ſooner did David ſeem to wiſh for a draught of the water of the well of Bethlehem, but thoſe three reſolved to ſatisfie his deſire, and ſo breaking through the hoſt of the Philiſtines, to wit, which lay in the valley of Rephaim, they came to Bethlehem, and in deſpite of the gariſon there, drew of that water, and brought it unto David.
Nevertheleſſe he would not drink thereof, but poured it out unto the Lord.] That is, as out of reſpect to God, and to teſtifie how farre he was from deſiring to to expoſe ſo raſhly the lives of his Captains, for ſatisfying of his deſire to drink of this water, he poured it out upon the ground, though it ſeems at that time they wanted water, and therefore that might be thought an act of folly, to caſt away water procured with ſo much danger; it is ſaid, he did it unto the Lord, that is, out of a religious reſpect, to make known how farre he was from deſiring to hazard their lives to pleaſe his appetite.
Verſ. 18. And Abiſhai the brother of Joab, the ſonne of Zeruiah, was chief among three.] That is, among the ſecond three.
And he lift up his ſpear againſt three hundred, and ſlew them, &c.] Other valiant acts he did beſides, as that when he went with David into the midſt of Sauls camp, 1. Sam. 26.6. Who will go down with me to Saul, to the camp, and Abiſhai ſaid, I will go down with thee: 2. Sam. 21.16, 17. And Iſhbi-benob, which was of the ſonnes of the giant, (the weight of whoſe ſpear weighed three hundred ſhekels of braſſe in weight, he being girded with a new ſword, thought to have ſlain David. But Abiſhai the ſonne of Zeruiah ſuccoured him, and ſmote the Philiſtine, and killed him: but here that onelyonly is recorded, which was not mentioned before.
Verſ. 20. And Benaiah the ſonne of Jehoiada, the ſonne of a valiant man, of Kabzeel, &c.] A citie in Judahs tribe, Joſh. 15.21. this was the ſecond of the ſecond three.
He went down alſo, and ſlew a lion in the midſt of a pit in time of ſnow.] His valour in ſlaying the lion, is here amplified by two circumſtances: firſt, that it was in the midſt of a pit, where the room was ſtrait, and where he knew beforehand he muſt either kill or be killed: and ſecondly, that it was in the ſnow-time, when lions are moſt fierce by reaſon, then they want there prey, the ſheep and cattel being uſually ſhut up in ſuch hard weather.
Verſ. 21. And he ſlew an Egyptian, a goodly man: and the Egyptian had a ſpear in his hand, &c.] 1. Chron. 11.23. it is expreſſed that he was a man of great ſtature, five cubits high, and that his ſpear was like a weavers beam.
Verſ. 22. Theſe things did Benaiah the ſonne of Jehoiada, and had the name among the three mighty men.] That is, among the ſecond three; who was the third of the ſecond three, is not here expreſſed, ſome reckon one of thoſe worthies mentioned, chap, 21.18. &c. Sibbechai, Elhanan, and Jonathan: others Aſahel the brother of Joab, verſ. 24. and that eſpecially, becauſe there are thirty mentioned beſides him, in the following verſes, which ſeems to me moſt probable, yet nothing can be certainly concluded upon ſuch uncertain grounds.
Thirty and ſeven in all.] There are here in this catalogue, onelyonly thirty one named, to which if we joyn the five worthies, or colonells mentioned in the former part of the chapter, that makes but thirty ſix; and therefore to make up this number of thirty ſeven; either Joab muſt be comprehended, as being generall of all the kings forces; or elſe the third of the ſecond three worthies, not being here expreſſed by name.