gotten could not bee concealed, but happily they knew not in the Philistims countrey the manner how Saul fell, and this is that, which hee would have concealed from them. Peter Martyr followeth Lyra, saying, that hee did ra∣ther by these words shew, how hee detested that, which was done, then for∣bid the doing of it.
Yee mountaines of Gelboa, let there bee no deaw nor raine upon you, nor fields of offe∣rings, &c. hee wisheth the place accursed, where Saul and Ionathan fell, and so a perpetuall monument of this misery, and of this sad and heavie time, for as mourners are clad in black, so the ground wanting raine in stead of greene, which sheweth a comfortable state, is covered with a withered and darke man∣tle, shewing a dolefull condition, and where it is thus nothing groweth, of which the first fruits may bee brought as an offering to the Lord, and there∣fore hee addeth, nor fields of offerings: the Vulgar Latine with more expressi∣on, nor fields of first fruits. Some, saith Hugo, affirme that the toppes of these mountaines were alwayes barren, and that it never rained upon them, some that they were fruitfull before, but by this cursing of David made barren, and some, that this cursing was propheticall and tooke effect in the time of Elios, when there fell neither dew nor raine in three yeares and six moneths, but that was generall to all the Land, and followed upon the prophesying of Elias for the wickednesse of those times: and that of barrennesse following upon this cursing is but conjecturall, neither did David himselfe, as is pro∣bable, then thinke of any such effect to follow, but onely hee spake thus pa∣thetically to shew his indignation at every thing about this disastrous acci∣dent. Unlesse wee shall with Rabanus hold a mysticall meaning by these moun∣taines, the pride of the Jewes hearts being set forth, amongst whom because the Lords anointed, his Christ was slaine, they have ever since beene dry of all dew of grace, and their Land stricken with barrennesse. By first fruits un∣derstand not onely those of corne, but also of cattell feeding in the fields: for there the shield of the mighty was cast away, that is, was as a thing good for no∣thing but to bee cast away, or was indeed cast away, that they who were over∣come might make more hast in fleeing away: so Lyra.
From the blood of the slaine, from the fat of the mighty the Bow of Ionathan retur∣ned not, &c. The vulgar Latine joyning the first words here to the former verse, thus, there the shield of the mightie was cast away, the shield of Saul, as if hee were not anointed with oyle, from the blood of the slaine, from the fat of the mighty, that is saith Hugo, for the blood of the Priests slaine by Saul in Nob, who used to offer blood and fat to the Lord: or by men of no base condition were they slaine, but by the most valiant, yet hee confesseth, as it is indeed, that Hebrew hath it joyned with the words following, as in our translation, and so the meaning is plaine that they were wont to kill and destroy the greatest of their enemies, and to pierce them to their inward parts.
Saul and Ionathan were lovely, &c. For Saul had beene such when hee was chosen King, for it is said, that amongst all the people there was none better then hee, and hee was a godly man of stature; and for Ionathans goodnesse David could speake experimentally of it, and it is most probable that he was for personablenesse not much unlike his father: touching that, which is added, they were swifter then Eagles, and stronger then Lions, it is hyperbolicall, serving to set forth their wonderfull great strength and celeritie, and that these two being both so valiant and so good should fall together at one time, as they had lived and gone out to warre together sundry times, was most lamentable: so Lyra. And this of their not being divided in their life, Peter Martyr saith, was spoken to purge Ionathan from the suspition of being against his father. Yee daughters of Israel weepe over Saul who cloathed you with Skarlet, &c. The women are called upon to act their part in making lamentation, as they had beene the instruments to celebrate his victories with songs of praise, his cloathing them so richly was by distributing the spoyles taken from the ene∣my amongst his souldiers, who carried them home, and gave such as served for ornament to their wives and daughters, and these use not to bee a little