2 Samuel 19:1--20:26
victory <08668> [victory. Heb. salvation, or, deliverance. turned.]
city <05892> [into the city.]
stole .............. steal <01589> [steal.]
covered <03813> [covered.]
son ..... son ... son <01121> [O my son.]
It is allowed by competent critics that the lamentation of David over his son, of which this forms a part, is exceedingly pathetic; and Calmet properly remarks, that the frequent repetition of the name of the deceased is common in the language of lamentation.
embarrassed <03001> [Thou hast.]
Every one must admit that David's immoderate grief for his rebellious son was imprudent, and that Joab's firm and sensible reproof was necessary to arouse him to a sense of his duty to his people: but, in his manner, Joab far exceeded the bounds of that reverence which a servant owes to his master, or a subject to his prince.
saved <04422> [saved.]
love ....... friends <0157> [In that, etc. Heb. By loving, etc. thou regardest, etc.]
Heb. princes or servants are not to thee. then it had.
encouragement .... servants <03820 05650> [comfortably unto thy. Heb. to the heart of thy.]
stay <03885> [there.]
disaster ......... disaster <07451> [all the evil.]
sat ..... gate ............ sitting ..... gate <08179 03427> [sat in the gate.]
How prudently and mildly David took the reproof and counsel given him! He shook off his grief, anointed his head, and washed his face, that he might not appear unto men to mourn, and then made his appearance at the gate of the city, which was the public place of resort for the hearing of causes and giving judgment, as well as a place to ratify special bargains. Thither the people flocked to congratulate him on his and their safety, and that all was well. When we are convinced of a fault, we must amend, though we are told of it by our inferiors in a way which is peculiarly painful to our natural feelings. This ancient custom still obtains in the East; for when Dr. Pococke returned from viewing the town of ancient Byblus, he says, "The sheik and the elders were sitting in the gate of the city, after the ancient manner, and I sat awhile with them."
Israelite soldiers <03478> [for Israel.]
arguing <01777> [strife.]
king <04428> [The king.]
fled <01272> [he is fled.]
anointed <04886> [whom.]
died <04191> [is dead.]
hesitate ... bring <02790 07725> [speak ye not a word. Heb. are ye silent?]
sent <07971> [sent.]
Tell <01696> [Speak.]
bringing <0314> [Why are.]
very <06106> [my bones.]
Amasa <06021> [Amasa.]
God <0430> [God.]
place ... Joab <03097 08478> [room of Joab.]
won <05186> [he bowed.]
The measures that he pursued were the best calculated that could be adopted for accomplishing this salutary end. David appears to take no notice of their infidelity, but rather to place confidence in them, that their confidence in him might be naturally excited; and to oblige them yet farther, purposes to make Amasa general of the army, instead of Joab.
one <0259> [even.]
Gilgal <01537> [Gilgal.]
Shimei <08096> [Shimei.]
It appears that Shimei was a powerful chieftain in the land; for he had here in his retinue no less than a thousand men.
quickly <04116> [hasted.]
Ziba <06717> [Ziba.]
crossed ............ cross ............. crossed <05674> [And there.]
The LXX. connecting this the with preceding verse, render, [kai kateuthynan ton lordanen emposthen tou basileos, kai eleitourgesan ten leitourgian tou diabibasai ton basilea,] "and they made ready Jordan before the king, and did the necessary service to bring over the king;" and the Vulgate has, {et irrumpentes Jordanem, ante regem transierunt vada, ut traducerent domum regis,} "and breaking into Jordan, they passed the fords before the king, to bring over the king's household." Josephus says they prepared a bridge over the Jordan, to facilitate his passage.
whatever .... appropriate <05869 02896> [what he thought good. Heb. the good in his eyes. fell down.]
said <0559> [And said.]
lord ................ lord <0113> [Let not.]
recall <02142> [remember.]
<05753> [did perversely.]
don't ... it ... mind <07760 03820> [take it.]
come <0935> [I am come.]
Joseph <03130> [Joseph.]
Shimei <08096> [Shall not.]
cursed <07043> [cursed.]
sons <01121> [What have.]
anyone <0376> [shall there any man.]
die <04191> [Thou shalt.]
oath <07650> [sware.]
Mephibosheth <04648> [Mephibosheth.]
feet ... trimmed <06213 07272> [dressed his feet.]
Literally, made his feet, which seems to mean washing the feet paring the nails, and perhaps anointing or otherwise perfuming them, if not tinging the nails with henna; see Note on De 21:12. Sir John Chardin, in his MS. note on this place, informs us, that it is customary in the East to have as much care of the feet as the hands; and that their barbers cut and adjust the nails with a proper instrument, because they often go barefoot. The nails of the toes of the mummies inspected in London in 1763, of which an account is given in the Philosophical Transactions for 1764, seem to have been tinged with some reddish colour.
trimmed <06213> [trimmed.]
Literally, made his beard, which may mean, combing, curling, and perfuming it. But Mr. Morier says that they almost universally dye the beard black, by successive layers of a paste made of henna, and another made of the leaf of the indigo: the first tinging with an orange colour, and the next with a dark bottle green, which becomes jet black when exposed to the air for twenty-four hours.
go <01980> [Wherefore.]
saddled <02280> [I will saddle.]
servant .......... donkey ................ I <05650> [thy servant.]
slandered <07270> [slandered.]
angel <04397> [as an angel.]
no <03808> [were.]
death <04194 0582> [dead men. Heb. men of death.]
allowed <07896> [didst thou.]
ask <02199> [to cry.]
speaking <01696> [Why speakest.]
this .... Ziba <01697 06717> [Thou.]
<03947> [Yea.]
eighty <08084> [fourscore.]
king <04428> [provided.]
very ......................... very <03966> [for he was.]
Cross <05674> [Come thou.]
days <03117 08141> [How long have I to live? Heb. How many days are the years of my life?]
discern <03045> [can I discern.]
taste <02938> [taste.]
hear <08085> [I hear.]
burden <04853> [a burden.]
king .......... king <04428> [the king.]
me .......................... servant <05650> [Let thy.]
The whole of this little episode is extremely interesting, and contains an affecting description of the infirmities of old age. The venerable and kind Barzillai was fourscore years old; his ear was become dull of hearing, and his relish for even royal dainties was gone: the evil days had arrived in which he was constrained to say, "I have no pleasure in them." (Ec 12:1.) As he was too old either to enjoy the pleasures of a court, or to be of any further service to the king, he finishes his affecting address to the aged monarch with the request, that he would suffer him to enjoy what old men naturally desire, to "die in mine own city, and be buried by the grave of my father and mother;" at the same time commending his son Chimham to his kind offices.
die <04191> [I may die.]
grave <06913> [by the grave.]
Kimham <03643> [Chimham.]
choose <0977> [require. Heb. choose.]
king .... king <04428> [the king.]
The kiss was the token of friendship and farewell; the blessing was a prayer to God for his prosperity: probably a prophetical benediction.
kissed ...... Barzillai <05401 01271> [kissed Barzillai.]
blessed <01288> [blessed.]
returned <07725> [returned.]
Kimham <03643> [Chimham. Heb. Chimhan. all the people.]
brothers <0251> [Why have.]
sneak <01589> [stolen.]
king .................. king's <04428> [Because.]
ten <06235> [We have.]
ten shares <03027 06235> [ten parts.]
curse ............... comments ........... those <07043 01697> [despise us. Heb. set us at light. our advice.]
comments ........... those <01697> [the words.]
Whatever value or respect the men of Israel at this time professed for their king, they would not have quarrelled so fiercely about their own credit and interest in recalling him, if they had been truly sorry for their former rebellion.
happened <07122> [And there.]
man ........ Benjaminite ............................ man <0376> [a man.]
blew <08628> [he blew.]
share <02506> [We have.]
men .............. men <0376> [every man.]
men .............. men <0376> [the men.]
Jordan River <03383> [from Jordan.]
placed <05414> [and put.]
The confinement and retired maintenance of these women was the only measure which in justice and prudence could be adopted. In China, when an emperor dies, all his women are removed to an edifice called the palace of chastity, situated within the palace, in which they are shut up for the remainder of their lives.
confinement <04931> [ward. Heb. an house of ward.]
confinement <06887> [shut. Heb. bound. living in widowhood. Heb. in widowhood of life.]
Amasa <06021> [Amasa.]
Call ....... for <02199> [Assemble. Heb. Call.]
Amasa <06021> [So Amasa.]
took longer <0309> [tarried.]
Abishai <052> [Abishai.]
cause greater disaster <03415> [do us.]
lord's <0113> [thy lord's.]
get away <05869 05337> [escape us. Heb. deliver himself from our eyes.]
Gibeon <01391> [in Gibeon.]
Amasa <06021> [Amasa.]
How <07965> [Art thou.]
Amasa ............. hold ... Amasa's <0270 06021> [took Amasa.]
Thevenot says, that among the Turks it is a great afront to take one by the beard, unless it be to kiss him, in which case they often do it. D'Arvieux, describing an assembly of Arab emirs at an entertainment, says, "After the usual civilities, caresses, kissings of the beard, and of the hand, which every one gave and received according to his rank and dignity, they sat down upon mats." The doing this by the Arab emirs corresponds with the conduct of Joab, and illustrates this horrid assassination.
kiss <05401> [to kiss him.]
Joab .............................. Joab <03097> [in Joab's.]
stabbed <05221> [he smote.]
spill out <08210> [and shed.]
again <08138> [struck him not again. Heb. doubled not his stroke.]
David <01732> [He that.]
David <01732> [for David.]
path <04546> [the highway.]
Abel <059> [Abel.]
Or rather, probably, Abel of Beth-Maachah, as in the next verse. It appears, from Joab having marched "through all the tribes of Israel," to have been situated in the northern confines of the land of Israel, and in the half tribe of Manasseh, east of Jordan, as that was the situation of Maachah, to which it belonged. This agrees with the situation of the Abela which Eusebius and Jerome place between Paneas, or C‘sarea Philippi, and Damascus. Josephus says it was a fortified city, and a metropolis of the Israelites; and also that it belonged to the ten tribes, having been taken from the king of Damascus.
Berite <01276> [Berites.]
[Beeroth.]
prepared <08210> [cast up.]
ramp <05550> [a bank.]
So LXX. generally render {solelah,} by [proschoma or choma;] which latter is described by Potter as "a mount, which was raised so high as to equal, if not exceed, the top of the besieged walls. The sides were walled in with bricks or stones, or secured with strong rafters; the fore part only, being by degrees to be moved near the walls, remained bare."
stood .... outer rampart <02426 05975> [it stood in the trench. or, it stood against the outmost wall. battered, etc. Heb. marred to throw down.]
Listen .... words .......... listening <01697 08085> [Hear the words.]
would <01696> [They were wont, etc. or, They plainly spake in the beginning, saying, Surely they will ask of Abel, and so make an end.]
peaceful <07999> [peaceable.]
important <0517> [a mother.]
swallow up <01104> [swallow.]
inheritance <05159> [the inheritance.]
Get serious <02486> [Far be it.]
swallow up <01104> [that I should.]
man <0376> [a man.]
named <08034> [by name. Heb. by his name. lifted.]
head <07218> [his head.]
wise advice <02451> [in her wisdom.]
blew <08628> [he blew.]
dispersed <06327> [retired. Heb. were scattered. And Joab.]
Joab <03097> [Now Joab.]
Benaiah <01141> [and Benaiah.]
Adoniram <0151> [Adoram.]
secretary <02142> [recorder. or, remembrancer.]
<07864> [Sheva.]
[Shavsha.]
Ira <05896> [Ira.]
[Ithrite. Jairite.]
priest <03548> [chief ruler. or, prince.]
The Hebrew is {cohen ledawid,} which might be rendered, a priest of David; and so the Septuagint, Vulgate, Syriac, and Arabic. The Chaldee has {rav,} a chief or prince: probably he was a kind of domestic chaplain or seer to the king. # 24:11 2Ch 35:15
