XIX. (5) AND JOAB CAME. — This is a continuation of 2 Samuel 19:1, the intervening verses being parenthetical. Joab’s whole character appears strikingly in his conduct on this occasion. With his hand red with the blood of the beloved son, he goes, in the hardest and most unfeeling terms, to reproac... [ Continue Reading ]
I SWEAR BY THE LORD. — The statement which Joab emphasises with this solemn oath is not that ne will lead the people into revolt — he does not seem to have conceived, far less to have expressed any such design — but it is simply an assurance of the extreme danger of the course David was pursuing, pu... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR ISRAEL HAD FLED. — Translate, _but Israel fled;_ “Israel” being used here, as throughout this narrative (see 2 Samuel 16:15; 2 Samuel 16:18; 2 Samuel 17:5; 2 Samuel 17:14; 2 Samuel 17:24; 2 Samuel 17:26; 2 Samuel 18:6; 2 Samuel 18:16), for those who had espou [ Continue Reading ]
THE KING SAVED US. — With the collapse of the rebellion the accompanying infatuation passed away, and the people began to remember how much they owed to David. There seems to have been a general disposition among the people to return to their allegiance, yet the movement was without organisation or... [ Continue Reading ]
WE ANOINTED OVER US. — There is no other mention of the anointing of Absalom, and it certainly would not have been performed by the high-priests. It may have been done by some prophet, or this may be a mere form of expression taken from the custom of anointing, and only mean “whom we appointed over... [ Continue Reading ]
THE ELDERS OF JUDAH. — Judah was naturally particularly slow in returning to its allegiance. It had shown especial ingratitude to David, and had formed the cradle and centre of the rebellion, and even now Jerusalem probably had a garrison of Absalom’s soldiers. They might naturally doubt how they wo... [ Continue Reading ]
MY BONES AND MY FLESH. — More exactly, _bone,_ as in 2 Samuel 19:13 and 2 Samuel 5:1. Of course the tribe of Judah, from which David sprung, was more closely connected with him by blood than any other; but the point likely to influence them was that the king recognised this relationship.... [ Continue Reading ]
SAY YE TO AMASA. — Amasa, like Joab, was David’s nephew, although possibly his mother may have been only half-sister to David. In this offer of the command-in-chief to the rebel general, David adopted a bold, but a rash and unjust policy. Amasa should have been punished, not rewarded for his treason... [ Continue Reading ]
JUDAH CAME TO GILGAL. — The two parties met at the Jordan, David coming from Mahanaim to the eastern side of the ford, near Jericho, and the representatives of the tribe of Judah to Gilgal on the opposite bank.... [ Continue Reading ]
SHIMEI THE SON OF GERA. — See Note on 2 Samuel 16:5. It is evident that Shimei was a man of influence and importance, and his accession to David at this juncture was of great value. At the same time, it is plain that Shimei himself was only a time-server, and that he was thoroughly disloyal in his h... [ Continue Reading ]
BEFORE THE KING. — Comp. the same phrase in 2 Samuel 20:8. In both cases “before” is, literally, _before the face of,_ and is equivalent to saying “they went over Jordan to meet the king.” In their eagerness to prove their very doubtful allegiance, they dashed through the waters of the ford, and met... [ Continue Reading ]
AS HE WAS COME OVER. — Rather, _as he was coming over, as he was about to cross._ Shimei and Ziba met the king on the east of Jordan, and his crossing is not spoken of until 2 Samuel 19:31.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE HOUSE OF JOSEPH. — Shimei was not strictly of “the house of Joseph,” but of Benjamin; and it is plain that Joseph, as the name of the most prominent member, stands for all the tribes outside of Judah. This usage is well recognised at a later time (see 1 Chronicles 5:1; Amos 5:15), and it has hen... [ Continue Reading ]
ADVERSARIES. — The word in the original here is _Satan. _... [ Continue Reading ]
THE KING SWARE UNTO HIM. — This oath of David assuring immunity to Shimei brings to mind his dying charge to Solomon concerning him (1 Kings 2:8): “His hoar head bring thou down to the grave with blood.” The whole transaction is to be viewed from a political point. Shimei had been guilty of high tre... [ Continue Reading ]
CAME DOWN TO MEET. — The obvious meaning of this is that Mephibosheth came down from the high land of Jerusalem to meet the king in the Jordan valley, and in this case the following verse should be translated, “And it came to pass when Jerusalem” (meaning its inhabitants, with Mephibosheth among the... [ Continue Reading ]
WENTEST NOT THOU WITH ME? — David had heard and believed the story of Mephibosheth’s ingratitude and treachery (2 Samuel 16:3), and his present remonstrance is so gentle and kindly as to show that Mephibosheth’s appearance at once produced an impression, and suggested in David’s mind a doubt of the... [ Continue Reading ]
MY SERVANT DECEIVED ME. — It now appears that the two asses laden with provisions which Ziba had brought to David in his flight (2 Samuel 16:1) were those which he had been ordered to prepare for his master. When Ziba had stolen away with these, Mephibosheth was left helpless in his lameness. Most o... [ Continue Reading ]
DIVIDE THE LAND. — When Ziba came to David with his false report about Mephibosheth, David had instantly transferred to him all his master’s possessions (2 Samuel 16:4); he now saw the injustice of his hasty action, and ought at least to have reversed it, if not to have punished Ziba besides. Either... [ Continue Reading ]
PROVIDED THE KING OF SUSTENANCE. — An old use of the preposition “of,” meaning _with._ The word is the same here as that translated in the next verse “feed thee,” and there is an especial fitness in the use of the same word in both cases which is lost in the English Version. It is translated “nouris... [ Continue Reading ]
CHIMHAM. — It appears from 1 Kings 2:7, where David gives charge to Solomon to care for Barzillai’s sons, that Chimham was his son. This might be supposed from the narrative here, but is not expressly stated. In Jeremiah 41:17 mention is made of “the habitation of Chimham, which is by Bethlehem,” fr... [ Continue Reading ]
ALL THE PEOPLE. — As “Israel” has been used throughout this narrative for Absalom’s supporters, so “the people” is used for those faithful to David.... [ Continue Reading ]
ALL THE PEOPLE. — The tribe of Judah, deeply moved by the measures and words of David, had united generally in his restoration; the other tribes, who had first proposed to return to their allegiance (2 Samuel 19:9), had not had time to join in the present movement, or had not generally known of it,... [ Continue Reading ]
ALL THE MEN OF ISRAEL. — When David had crossed the Jordan, he naturally made a halt at Gilgal, and then the representatives of the remaining tribes came to him, full of wrath at the apparent neglect of them. Jealousies between the tribes, and especially between Judah on the one side and the ten tri... [ Continue Reading ]
HAVE WE EATEN. — Judah justifies its course by its nearness of relationship to the king, and repels the idea of having received any especial favours from him. In this, then, may be a taunt to the Benjamites on account of the partiality shown them by Saul. On the other hand, the Israelites urge their... [ Continue Reading ]
MORE RIGHT IN DAVID THAN YE. — The LXX. adds “and I am the firstborn rather than thou,” — an unnecessary gloss, and certainly untrue as respects Benjamin, who was probably prominent in the discussion. THAT OUR ADVICE SHOULD NOT BE FIRST HAD. — Better, _was not our word the first for bringing back t... [ Continue Reading ]