1 Samuel 11:1-11. Saul's victory over the Ammonites 1. _Then_ Simply AND. There is nothing in the Hebrew text to mark whether the interval was long or short. The Sept. however omits the words "But he held his peace" at the close of ch. 10, and begins this chapter "And it came to pass after about a... [ Continue Reading ]
_that I may thrust out all your right eyes_ Such barbarities are not unknown in the East even now. Vambéry describes the blinding of prisoners as a regular practice at Khiva. _Travels in Central Asia_, p. 138. The savage character of the Ammonites is attested by Amos 1:13. The loss of the right eye... [ Continue Reading ]
_the elders of Jabesh_ See note on ch. 1 Samuel 8:4, and cp. Judges 11:5 ff.... [ Continue Reading ]
_lift up their voices and wept_ Oriental nations naturally display their feelings in tears accompanied by loud wailings. Cp. ch. 1 Samuel 30:4; Genesis 27:38; Judges 2:4; Judges 21:2, &c. Achilles, Patroclus and other Homeric heroes shed tears in a way which western nations account utterly unmanly.... [ Continue Reading ]
_after the herd_ AFTER THE OXEN, as in 1 Samuel 11:7. The king elect had returned to his farm work till occasion should call him to higher duties. So Cincinnatus was following the plough, when the messengers of the senate came to offer him the dictatorship (Livy III. 26).... [ Continue Reading ]
_the spirit of God came upon Saul_ The Heb. for "came upon" describes _a sudden and pervading impulse_. (Sept. ἐφήλατο : Vulg. insilivit.) A supernatural accession of physical and mental vigour roused his dormant energies into action, and enabled him to meet the crisis promptly.... [ Continue Reading ]
_he took a yoke of oxen_ Those doubtless with which he had just been ploughing (1 Samuel 11:5). _and sent_them] - _Them_," i.e. the pieces, is rightly supplied. Symbolical acts are often more eloquent than any words. Cp. Judges 19:29; 1 Kings 11:30; 1Ki 22:11; 2 Kings 13:18. We may compare the Fier... [ Continue Reading ]
_in Bezek_ Probably to be identified with _Ibzîk_, about half way between Shechem and Beth-shan, and 7 miles W. of the Jordan. It was within a day's march of Jabesh. _three hundred thousand_, &c. The numbers seem large, but not too large for a general levy of the nation. Cp. Judges 20:2. The separa... [ Continue Reading ]
_ye shall have help_ Or, DELIVERANCE. The same word is translated "salvation" in 1 Samuel 11:13, and the cognate verb "save" in 1 Samuel 11:3.... [ Continue Reading ]
_the men of Jabesh said_ To Nahash, in order to lull him into careless security, by leading him to suppose that their efforts to get help had failed.... [ Continue Reading ]
_in three companies_ In order to make a simultaneous attack upon the Ammonite camp on three sides at once. Compare Gideon's stratagem, Judges 7:16 ff. _in the morning watch_ The Jews anciently divided the night into three watches, each watch representing the time for which sentinels remained on duty... [ Continue Reading ]
Confirmation of Saul as King 13. _There shall not a man be put to death this day_ The execution even of malcontents would have clouded the general rejoicing: and Saul's best hope of uniting the kingdom under his rule lay in a policy of conciliation. Cp. 1 Samuel 10:27; 2 Samuel 19:22. _salvation_... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then said Samuel_ From this verse to 1 Samuel 12:22 is the _Haphtarah_or lesson from the Prophets appointed to be read in the Synagogue in conjunction with the history of Korah (Numbers 16). _to Gilgal_ See note on 1 Samuel 7:16. _renew the kingdom_ Which had been founded in the national assembly... [ Continue Reading ]
_there they made Saul king_ The choice of Saul as king, privately made by God through Samuel, and publicly confirmed by the election at Mizpah, had received an unmistakable ratification in his victory over Nahash. His detractors were silenced, and the unanimous consent of the people accepted him. Th... [ Continue Reading ]