1 Samuel 13:2

_SAUL CHOSE HIM THREE THOUSAND MEN OF ISRAEL; WHEREOF TWO THOUSAND WERE WITH SAUL IN MICHMASH AND IN MOUNT BETHEL, AND A THOUSAND WERE WITH JONATHAN IN GIBEAH OF BENJAMIN: AND THE REST OF THE PEOPLE HE SENT EVERY MAN TO HIS TENT._ Saul chose him three thousand men of Israel. This hand of picked men was a body-guard who were kept constantly on duty, while the rest of the people were dismissed until their services might be needed. It seems to have been his tactics to attack the Philistine garrisons in the country by different detachments, rather than by risking a general engagement; and his first operations were directed to emancipate his native territory of Benjamin from the occupation of these enemies....

1-7 Saul reigned one year, and nothing particular happened; but in his second year the events recorded in this chapter took place. For above a year he gave the Philistine time to prepare for war, and to weaken and to disarm the Israelites. When men are lifted up in self-sufficiency, they are often led into folly. The chief advantages of the enemies of the church are derived from the misconduct of its professed friends. When Saul at length sounded an alarm, the people, dissatisfied with his management, or terrified by the power of the enemy, did not come to him, or speedily deserted him....

Verse 1 Samuel 13:2. _TWO THOUSAND WERE WITH SAUL_] Saul, no doubt, meditated the redemption of his country from the Philistines; and having chosen three thousand men, he thought best to divide them into companies, and send one against the Philistine garrison at _Michmash_, another against that at _Beth-el_, and the third against that at _Gibeah_: he perhaps hoped, by _surprising_ these garrisons, to get _swords_ and _spears_ for his men, of which we find, (1 Samuel 13:22), they were entirely destitute....

The state of things which preceded the events described in this chapter seems to have been a comparative peace between Israel and the Philistines, since Saul had only 3,000 men under arms. At the same time Philistine garrisons continued to occupy the country of the Israelites in certain strong places, whereof one was at Geba (Jeba), in the immediate neighborhood of Gibeah 1Sa 10:5; 1 Samuel 13:3, and exactly opposite Michmash (Mukhmas), which was on the northern edge of the great Wady Suweinit....

SAUL'S PROBATION AND FAILURE (CHS. 13-15.). EXPOSITION WAR AGAINST THE PHILISTINES (verse 1-14:46). 1 SAMUEL 13:1 Saul's age and length of reign. SAUL REIGNED ONE YEAR. This verse literally translated is, "Saul was one year old when he began to reign, and he reigned two years over Israel." In its form it exactly follows the usual statement prefixed to each king's reign, of his age at his accession, and the years of his kingdom (2 Samuel 2:10; 2Sa 5:4; 1 Kings 14:21;...

SAUL CHOSE HIM THREE THOUSAND MEN OF ISRAEL,.... Out of the 300,000 that went with him to fight the Ammonites, and returned with him to Gilgal, where he now was, and had stayed as may be supposed about a year, since now he had reigned two years. These 3000 men some of them doubtless were appointed as a guard about his person, and the rest were a standing army to preserve the peace of the nation, to protect them from their enemies, to watch the motions of the Philistines, and to be ready on any sudden invasion: WHEREOF TWO THOUSAND WERE WITH SAUL IN MICHMASH, AND IN MOUNT BETHEL; "Michmash", according to Bunting, s was four miles from Gilgal. Jerom t says, in his time it was shown a large village on the borders of Aella, or Jerusalem, retaining its ancient name, nine miles distant from it, near the village Rama. Adrichomius u says it is now called Byra, and Mr. Maundrell w observes that...

6. THE FIRST FAILURE OF SAUL AND ITS RESULTS CHAPTER 13 _ 1. The failure of Saul (1 Samuel 13:1)_ 2. Samuel's sentence (1 Samuel 13:10) 3. Israel's deplorable condition (1 Samuel 13:15) Omit the first verse of this chapter as it does not belong into the text. In self-confidence Saul has dismissed the greater part of the people; only 2000 remained with him and 1000 with his son Jonathan. Saul is now passing through a test. Hath he true faith which counts and depends on God? Is he obedient to His word as given by the prophet? Jonathan appears here for the first time. His name means “the Lord hath given.” He is the opposite from his poor father; the son is a man of real faith

1 SAMUEL 13, 14. SAUL'S EARLY STRUGGLES WITH THE PHILISTINES. (J), chiefly from the ancient narrative concerning Saul. Editorial notes, or additions from other sources, are 1 Samuel 13:1; 1 Samuel 7_ b,_ but as for Saul. Benjamin, 1 Samuel 13:15_ a_; 1 Samuel 13:19; 1 Samuel 14:47. 1 SAMUEL 13:1. If the present Hebrew text were regarded as correct and complete, the translation (_cf.mg._) would be, And Saul was a year old when he became king, and he reigned two years over Israel. Both periods are absurd. The edi

MEN. Septuagint reads this word in text. MOUNT. hill country. EVERY MAN. Hebrew. _'ish._ App-14....

_Saul chose him three thousand men_ AND SAUL CHOSE, &C. The formation of a _standing army_marks an important epoch in the history of a nation. It was a natural result of the election of a king, who was to be a military leader. Cp. 1 Samuel 14:52. This body was only large enough to form a nucleus for the general levy of fighting men (1 Samuel 13:4), like the _hus-carls_of the Saxon kings for the _Land-Fyrd_. See Green's _Hist. of the Engl. People_, p. 75. _in Michmash_ The villages of _Mŭkhmâs_and _Jeba_preserve the names and mark the sites of Michmash and Geba. They stand on the N. and S. respectively of the _Wady es Suweinit_, a deep ravine with precipitous sides running from the highlands of Benjamin to Jericho. "About two miles S. E. of Ai it beco