A Complete History and Mystery of the Old and New Testament, Biblical tract · Volume 2 · Commentary on 2 Samuel · Chapter 1
2 Sam. CHAP. I.
WHICH declares the ſtate of Iſrael after this their direful defeat by the Philiſtines, the Tidings whereof David received with deep deploration; yea, the Death of Saul, tho' he was his Capital Enemy, yet he profoundly bewail'd it.
Remarks hereupon are, Firſt, The Meſſenger of thoſe ſad Tidings is deſcribed by ſundry Circumſtances. As (1.) When he came to David, it was three days after David had return'd from the ſlaughter of the Amalekites, v. 1. And (2.) Whither he came, to wit, unto Ziklag, for it was not ſo burnt, but David and his Men might refreſh themſelves in it after ſo long an harraſe, until God provided them better Quarters. (3.) Who he was, an Amalekite, v. 8. the Son of a Stranger, v. 13. (4.) In what poſture he came, pretending ſorrow for the loſs of God's People, with his Cloaths rent, and earth upon his head, and falling down at David's feet, to humour and honour the Riſing-Sun, v. 2. and (5.) He is deſcribed by his Age, he was a young Man, v. 5, 13.
The Second Remark is, This Amalekite's Narrative of the effect of the Fight of the Philiſtines againſt Iſrael, wherein he gives David a diſtinct Account upon David's diligent Enquiry, v. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. wherein Obſerve,
Firſt, He declares to David the flight of Iſrael, the ſlaughter of the Army, and the death of Saul and Jonathan, v. 4.
Secondly, To confirm his Story of Saul's death (which moſtly concerned David) he confeſſeth himſelf to be the Author thereof by a Caſualty of coming to the place where he was, v. 6. and
Thirdly, To qualifie his Crime, he ſaith Saul call'd me, v. 7. choſe me, v. 8. and requeſted me to be his Executioner, v. 9.
He adds Fourthly, a comparing Saul's deſperate Caſe, ſaying (as Joſephus and others do relate) Saul ſaid to me, I am ſorely wounded by the Arrows of the Archers, and by my own Weapon I have faln upon, yet am I not likely to die of thoſe wounds, nor would I be willing to live with them until the Philiſtines overtake me and put me to ſome ſhameful and more painful death; and ſeeing my Coat of Mail will not ſuffer my Lance to pierce deep enough to diſpatch me, do thou lean upon me with the whole weight of thy body, that the Weapon may paſs through me, and outright kill me, to quit me of my dolorous pain.
Fifthly, Hereupon (ſaith he) when I ſaw he could not live, both for anguiſh of Mind, and pain of Body, I thought it an Act of Charity to do for him what he deſired of me, to diſpatch him out of his miſery, and to dye by my hands, rather than by his cruel Conquerors; then took I the Crown from off his head, and the Bracelet that was upon his arm, and have brought them to my Lord, v. 10.
The Third Remark is, a Scrutiny touching the veracity of this Amalekite's long Harangue: Tho' I find ſome Learned Men Patronizing this Amalekite, and purging him from lying to David, ſaying, his Story was a Real Truth, for Saul had indeed faln upon his own Weapon, but his Coat of Mail had hindred it from piercing deep enough to be ſo ſpeedily a mortal wound, but that the Philiſtines might come and catch him alive and abuſe him; and tho' it be ſaid, [when his Armour-bearer ſaw that Saul was dead] he ſlew himſelf, 1 Sam. 31.5. Which yet Dr. Lightfoot Senſeth thus: [When he ſaw Saul had given himſelf ſo deadly a wound, he did the like, and died indeed, but Saul's wound was not of ſo quick a diſpatch, therefore he deſired this Man to kill him outright.]
N. B. Notwithſtanding all this, yet upon a more ſerious inqueſt into Particulars, this whole ſtory ſeems more probably to be a pack of Lies, one ſtitched to another for theſe Reaſons:
The Firſt is, 'Tis altogether improbable, either that Saul, after he had given himſelf ſuch a deadly wound, whereof he was ready to dye, ſhould be able to call him, and ſpend ſo many words in talking with him; or that this Man ſhould dare to ſtay ſo long in this Diſcourſe with Saul, ſeeing he alſo was fleeing (with the whole Army) to ſave his own life, which he might have loſt by making this halt, had the Philiſtines overtaken him in their purſuit (which Saul feared for himſelf) during this Parly.
The Second Reaſon is, Nor can it be probable that Saul ſhould deſire to die rather by the hands of an uncircumciſed Amalekite, than of the uncircumciſed Philiſtines which he ſo much feared: He could not put any ſuch difference between them, ſeeing Amalek was more accurſed and devoted to deſtruction than the Philiſtines.
The Third Reaſon is, 'Tis expreſly ſaid, that Saul fell upon his own Sword, 1 Sam. 31.4 but this Fellow ſaith, he fell upon his own Spear, v. 6. here Gnal Chanatho Hebr. whereas it is [Ethbachereb] his Sword.
The Fourth Reaſon is, 'Tis as expreſly ſaid, that Saul's Armour-bearer being yet alive, ſaw that Saul was dead, 1 Sam. 31.5. which doubtleſs he would throughly know before he did kill himſelf.
The Fifth Reaſon is, Had the Armour-bearer been yet alive when Saul call'd this Amalekite to diſpatch him, he would certainly have hindred him from doing that which himſelf durſt not do, 1 Sam. 31.4.
The Sixth Reaſon, Nor could that be more probable, which he told David [I took the Crown that was upon his head] v. 10. but look'd rather like a Lye, for 'tis not likely Saul would wear his Crown upon his head in Battle; this would have made him a fair Mark to his Enemies, whom they chiefly aimed at: A Wiſe General will rather diſguiſe himſelf as 1 King. 22.30. than be ſo fondly expoſed, &c.
The Seventh Reaſon, The Scripture of Truth doth manifeſtly aſcribe Saul's death to be his own action, 1 Sam. 31.4, 5. even to his falling upon his own Sword, which muſt be of more credit with us, than an artificially compoſed ſpeech of an accurſed Amalekite, who had taught his tongue to tell Lyes, Jerom. 9.5. and all to curry favour with David, from whom he promis'd to himſelf ſome great preferment by thus glozing with him.
N. B. Note well; Firſt, Thus far it is true, that this Fellow brought Saul's Crown. &c. to David: How he came by it is the queſtion?
The Rabbins relate, that as the Armour-bearer was Doeg, ſo this Man was his Son, and as the Father had the Crown in his Cuſtody, to carry it before the King in State, and now ſeeing Saul was like to wear it no longer, and that himſelf was reſolv'd to dye with the King, he gave Saul's Royal Crown and Bracelets to this Fellow his Son, adviſing him to carry them to David, ut in ejus gratiam ſe inſinuaret, ſo to win the favour of him whom he calls his Lord, whom he owned as King, now Saul was dead.
N. B. Secondly, This very Sword wherewith at God's Command Saul ſhould have cut off the Amalekites, but ſpared them, was the Inſtrument of his own death, and (as ſome ſay) an Amalekite (one whom Saul had ſpared with Agag) muſt puſh it forward, and Saul, who had been ſo Cruel to David all along, is now become cruel to himſelf. Thus God fills Men with the Evil of their own ways, Prov. 14.14.
The Fourth Remark is, the effects of this Relation, which be two-fold; Firſt, What David did, v. 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16. And Secondly, What David ſaid thereupon, v, 17, 18. &c. Firſt, What David did: as (1.) He rent his Cloaths, v. 11. which was uſually done in thoſe days, to teſtifie an extremity of paſſion, without regard either to damage or decency, & Regis ad exemplum, his Men did the ſame with David. (2.) They all Mourned, Wept, and Faſted until Even, v. 12. though upon their own private accounts they had but ſmall cauſe to do ſo: Yet upon the publick account, there was great reaſon for ſo doing, becauſe a great blow now was given to the Church of God, and that by the hands of the uncircumciſed, who would by this means exalt their Dagon above the God of Iſrael: and there was cauſe enough of this Humiliation, becauſe Iſrael had brought this fatal Overthrow upon their own heads for their many grievous ſins; yea, tho' Saul was their Capital and irreconcilable Enemy, yet was he the Lord's Anointed, and one that had Fought the Battels of the Lord with good ſucceſs.
Therefore it may not be marvel'd at, that tho' David was ſo well pleas'd with Nabal's death, yet he thus mourn'd for Saul's, becauſe the caſe was not alike; beſide, many brave Men were fallen in Battle out of Iſrael, but above all, David's dear Jonathan, as afterwards. (3.) David did after all this Arraign, Examine, Condemn, and Execute the Amalekite that came to curry favour with him, v. 13, 14, 15, 16. wherein David, like a Juſt Judge, gives him a fair Trial in a Judiciary way; and tho' the Fellow had told him that he was an Amalekite, v. 8. yet David asks him again who he was? either for fear of his miſtake in not minding his ſtory well enough becauſe of his great grief, or it was to try the man whether he would agree with himſelf in telling his Tale: then David ſaid [Why didſt not thou refuſe to kill the King as his Armourbearer had done, how knoweſt thou but ſome Providence might have happened for ſaving his life, notwithſtanding his moſt eminent danger, &c. Thou confeſſeſt thou kill'd the King, thou ſhalt be killed.]
N. B. Note well; A juſt hand of God on this Amalekite for his Lying.
As David before had, as it were, Sacrificed a whole band of Amalekites to Saul's Funeral, 1 Sam. 30.17. before he had intelligence of Saul's death; ſo now he Sacrificed this Intelligencer thereof on the ſame account, which David might lawfully do, both becauſe God had commanded that all the Amalekites might be ſlain as before; and becauſe David at Saul's death was now virtually the King. (2.) What David ſaid as well as did, namely David's Elegy or Funeral Song upon the death of Saul and his dear Friend Jonathan, together with Iſrael's Choiceſt Worthies, and Men of their Chiefeſt Chivalry, v. 17, 19, 20. to 27. wherein is Remarkable,
Firſt, David is the Author of this lamentable Epitaph, becauſe he had both a Poetick and a Prophetick gift and becauſe he was moſt deeply concerned, as Son-in-Law and Succeſſor to Saul, and as a great loſer in the loſs of his beſt beloved Jonathan, who was the next ſubject of this ſad Tragedy.
Secondly, The Matter of this ſad Sonnet is a mixture of Poetical Exclamations, and Hyperbolical imprecations all compoſed in a conciſe Meetre, which makes the meaning thereof the more cloudy, being the extatick expreſſions of one overwhelmed with grief for the death of his deareſt Friends.
Thirdly, Beſide theſe general Raptures, David particularly bewails,
Firſt, The death of Saul, commending him for the laudable Vertues which he had, which made him amiable and obliging to his Subjects; as for thoſe foul affronts offer'd to himſelf and to Jonathan, he candidly covers them, as being only the efforts of his ſudden paſſion, by which his ordinary temper ought not to be meaſured, and of his jealouſie of a Corrival to the Crown, for which he ought to be excuſed; but not one word of any piety in Saul (which he had not) doth David mention.
N. B. Note well; A fair Caution for flattering Preachers of Funeral Sermons; 'Tis too Phariſaical to beautifie the Tombs of the dead whoſe lives were bad, Mat. 23 29.
Secondly, the death of Jonathan he more paſſionately deplores, becauſe frater quaſi ferè alter, he almoſt loſt himſelf in the loſs of him, who, had he lived, would aſſuredly have given David a peaceable poſſeſſion of the Kingdom after his Father's death, according to the Covenant between them; whereas by the death of Jonathan, he look'd for long interruptions from it by Abner, &c.
And he makes Rhetorical Flouriſhes upon Jonathan's Cordial Love to him, as tranſcending the Love of Women: Naturaliſts ſay of Females [quicquid volunt, valdè volunt,] their affections are more earneſt than thoſe of Males: Yet Jonathan loved David more affectionately than ever did any Woman either her Child, or her Husband.
Fourthly, David did not ſo deſpond with dolour, but being now King he Commands, that the Men of Judah, (his own and now the Royal Tribe) ſhould learn the uſe of their Armour, v. 18. becauſe they bordered upon the Philiſtines, upon whom they might retrieve their loſt Honour; and he inſtances in the Bow, both in Honour of Jonathan who was ſo skilful at it, ver. 22. and that they might match the Philiſtines Archers who had beeen ſo miſchievous to their Mighty ones: This the General Chronicle amplifies, Joſh. 10.13. mentions this Book of Jaſher, which ſignifies Recti, the Book of Right or of the Law; a Directory for Prince and People to right Duties on both ſides. The Jews take it for Geneſis, the ſtory of Abraham, Iſaac and Jacob, thoſe three Righteous Men; but then it ſhould not be Jaſher, but Jaſharim plural: it is Rather the Bleſſing of Jacob, Gen. 49.8. Judah's Hands ſhall be on the Neck of his Enemies; ſo David of that Tribe was to be. In this was inſerted this Song, the foot and burden whereof was, [How are the Mighty faln?] oft repeated, v. 19.25, 27. This Book taught the uſe of the Bow and Artillery, but is now loſt, being no part of the Canonical Scripture, &c.