Annotations upon the remaining historicall part of the Old Testament. The second part. to wit, the books of Joshua, Judges, the two books of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles, and the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther : wherein first, all such passages in the text are explained as were thought likely to be questioned by any reader of ordinary capacity : secondly, in many clauses those things are discovered which are needfull and usefull to be known ... and thirdly, many places that might at first seem to contradict one another are reconciled ... / by Arthur Jackson.

CHAP. XXX.

Vers. 1. ANd the Amalekites had invaded the south and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burnt it with fire.] That is, they had invaded the south of Judah, and of the Philistines countrey, and amongst the rest particularly they had sacked Ziklag, and destroyed it with fire; for so we find this place explained after∣wards, ver. 14. where the Egyptian they took confesseth to David, We made an inva∣sion upon the south of the Cherethites (that is, the Philistines) and upon the coast which belongeth to Judah, and upon the south of Caleb, &c. This no doubt the A∣malekites did, to revenge the spoyl which David and his men had made in their countrey, chap. 27.8, taking the opportunity of doing it at this time, when the Phi∣listines and Davids men were gone out to make an invasion into the land of Israel. But God had herein a further end; for by this means, first, David was chastened for his sinnes, who out of his distrust of Gods promises and providence, had sought to help himself by unlawfull means, by fleeing to the Philistines, by lying and dissembling, and now of late by pretending to Achish that he had a desire to fight against Saul, and against the Israelites: secondly, his faith was exceedingly tried; for never was he in greater straights then he was at this time: thirdly, the Amalekites Gods ene∣mies, were smitten with a great destruction: and fourthly, David was indeared to his own people, when there was most need of it, because they were now immedi∣ately

to receive him to be their king, both by the fame of his victory, and the pre∣sents he sent them, vers. 26. &c.

Vers. 2. And had taken the women captives, that were therein; they slew not any, &c.] And this no doubt was of God, that they might by David be recovered again; for otherwise how unlikely a thing was it, that they should be so carried away with a covetous desire to make a gain of them, by keeping them prisoners; that they should not think of using these that were now in their power, as David and his souldiers had a while before used them, chap. 27.8, 9. And David smote the land, and left neither man nor woman alive, &c.

Vers. 5. And Davids two wives were taken captives, &c.] This is inserted, first, to set forth in what a sad condition David was at present: secondly, to shew how wholly he submitted himself to the will of God, that could depend upon Gods direction, whether he should pursue the Amalekites or no, vers. 8. notwithstanding, that his wives that were so precious in his eyes, were by them carried away.

Vers. 6. And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, &c.] As laying all the blame upon him: first, because he had provoked the Ama∣lekites by spoiling their countrey, chap. 27.8. secondly, because he had now to no purpose carryed them all away after Achish, and left the citie without any defence.

But David incouraged himself in the Lord his God.] David was at this time in great distresse; his wives were taken captives to Achish, he durst not return, (for he would have been inraged at him for the losse of Ziklag, burnt by the Amalekites in revenge of his former inrodes upon them) to flie to Saul was in vain; for he was his deadly enemy, and at this time invaded by the Philistines; yea his town followers began to speak of stoning him. But though all this were so, yet now David raised up his heart, by remembring the power and the goodnesse and the promises of God, and so by this means he incouraged himself.

Vers. 10. For two hundred abode behind, which were so faint that they could not go over the brook Besor.] And these therefore David left with the carriages, that with the other foure hundred he might the more speedily pursue the Amale∣kites, as we see, vers. 24. And thus the Lord both tried the faith of David, by de∣priving him of the third part of his forces, when he was to go against an enemy that had a mighty great army: (for there fled away as many of the Amalekites, as David had in all with him, to wit, foure hundred, vers. 17.) and withall, he made it the more manifest, that the victory which afterward they obtained, was of him; and not of themselves.

Vers. 11, And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, &c.] Thus the Lord by his providence provided a guide for David, to lead him readily to the enemies whom he now pursued; and withall punished the inhumane cruelty of that Amalekite, who had in so barbarous a manner cast off this his sick servant, by making that very servant the means of bringing destruction upon the whole army.

Vers. 14. We made an invasion upon the South of the Cherethites, and upon the coast which belongeth to Judah, and upon the South of Caleb.] By the Cherethites are meant the Philistines, vers. 16. They were eating, and drinking, and dancing, Because of all the great spoil which they had taken out of the land of the Phili∣stines,

&c. Some part of the land of the Philistines was it seems called Cherith, and thence the Philistines are in severall places of Scripture called Cherethims or Cherethites, as Ezek. 25.15, 16. Thus saith the Lord, Because the Philistines have dealt by revenge, &c. I will stretch out mine hand upon the Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethims, &c. So again in Zeph. 2, 5. Where plainly judge∣ment is denounced against the Philistines under these words, Wo unto the inhabi∣tants of the sea coasts, the nation of the Cherethites. And for the south of Caleb, thereby is meant the south of Judah belonging to Calebs posterity, Josh. 14.13.

Vers. 15. And I will bring thee down to this company.] Hereby it appears, that this Egyptian had heard them say where they meant to encamp; yea, perhaps they had told him, that if he recovered he might come to them.

Vers. 17. And David smote them from the twilight, even unto the evening of the next day.] That is, from the evening when he came upon them to the evening of the next day. Some think it was onely from the twilight of the morning unto the evening, (which was the beginning of the next day.) But it is evident, that David began to smite them when they were eating and drinking and dancing, &c. and it is more likely that this was in the evening, then so early in the morning.

Vers. 20, And David took all the flocks and the heards which they drave be∣fore the other cattell, and said, This is Davids spoil.] That is, he took all the flocks and the heards which the Amalekites had taken from other places, and not from Ziklag: He did not onely recover all which they had carried away from Zik∣lag, as it is said in the former verse; but besides, he took all the cattell which they had driven away from other places. And these the souldiers drave before those other cattell which belonged to the inhabitants of Ziklag, and extolled David as they went along (even the same men that ere while had spoken of stoning him) ac∣knowledging, that it was of him that they had gotten this great booty; for that is the meaning of these words, This is Davids spoil. Songs of triumph they sung as they went along, and the foot of their song was still, This is Davids spoil.

Vers. 22. Because they went not with us we will not give them of the spoil, &c.] This was the base resolution of some of those, that had with David vanquished the Amalekites, concerning those two hundred of their brethren that had staid behind at the brook Besor; for which they are termed in the foregoing words wicked men and men of Belial. Though first, it was not cowardise, but mere faintnesse and wea∣rinesse that made those men stay behind: and secondly, in staying behind with the carriages to defend the stuff, and in being in a readinesse to aid their fellows, had they been forced to retire, they did good service as well as the other: yet so partiall were they in their own cause, that they would have had all the spoyl, and these their brethren must have nothing but onely their wives and children again.

Vers. 23. Then said David, You shall not do so, my brethren, with that which the Lord hath given us, &c.] As if he had said. The Lord hath given us the victory, and we should ill repay the Lord for this mercy, if we should ascribe so much to our selves, as upon that ground to deal so injuriously with our brethren. It is the very same argument which our Saviour useth, Freely you have received, freely give, Matth. 10.8.

Vers. 24. For who will hearken unto you in this matter?] In these words David

implies, that this which they desired was so unequall, that they would scarce find any body of their mind; every body that should heare of it, would blame them for it.

Vers. 25. And it was so from that day forward, that he made it a statute, and an ordinance, &c.] To wit, that the spoyl of warre should be equally divided betwixt those that fought with the enemy, and those that stayed with the stuff. And indeed in making this ordinance, David had not onely the clear light of nature to direct him, but also a president of the Lords own prescribing, Numb. 31.26, 27. Take the summe of the prey that was taken, &c. And divide the prey into two parts, between them, who took the warre upon them, who went out to battell, and between all the congregation.

Vers. 26. And when David came to Ziklag, he sent of the spoyl unto the elders of Judah, even to his friends.] To wit, first, by way of restitution, because much of this prey had been taken by the Amalekites from the south parts of Judah, v. 14. and secondly, by way of thankfulnesse, because of the many courtesies he had received from them in those places, when Saul hunted him from one place to another▪ And this was a good preparation to encline the hearts of men in all places to him at this time: for just about this time, Saul and his sonnes were slain by the Philistines, and so way was made for him to come to the crown.

Vers. 31. And to all the places where David himself and his men were wont to haunt.] Whereby it appears, that the Lord provided David some friend or other, in every place where he came.