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3. "The sheepcotes....where was a cave."-This was, no doubt, such a cave as shepherds were accustomed to resort to (see the note on Gen. xix. 30). We have already had occasion to mention that such caves are numerous, and some of them very extensive, in Palestine, Arabia Petræa, and other mountainous parts of Western Asia. The cave of Adullam, in which David remained with four hundred men, besides his family; and this of En-gedi, in the sides or further parts of which six hundred men stood, without being observed by Saul when also in the cave, must have been large; but by no means remarkably large, as the ancient writers, as well as modern travellers, give us accounts of caves fully extensive enough for this purpose, and some that would have contained a much greater number of men. Some of them consist, not of one apartment, but of two or more; that is, the exterior entrance leads to a sort of ante-chamber, within which there is another or several others, which, collectively or separately, are much larger than the first. haps the cave of En-gedi was such as this; and the description that David and his men "remained in the sides of the cave," appears to sanction this conclusion. Some of the caves are however single, and, being very large with a narrow etrance, are so dark in the remoter parts, that persons near the entrance cannot by any possibility perceive others who remain in the interior, while their own operations can, of course, be most distinctly observed by the latter. This perhaps was the relative position of David's party and the king.

Per

Josephus has a striking account (Antiq.' l. xiv. c. 15. § 5) of some of the caves of this country, and of Herod's proceedings against the robbers, who, with their families, sheltered in them. They, of course, preferred the most inaccessible caverns, the entrances of which were high up in the sides of rugged and precipitous mountains, so that it was impossible for the soldiers to climb to them from below or creep down from above. The plan adopted therefore was to let down from the top by iron chains, large chests full of armed men, with provisions and suitable weapons for this strange warfare-such as long poles armed with hooks to pull out such of the robbers as they could lay hold of and tumble them down the precipices. The robbers kept themselves back in the interior of their caverns, not daring to come near the entrance, and the soldiers, finding no opportunity of using their hooks and other weapons from their chests, at last managed to get into the caves, where they killed those whom they found within the light at the entrance, and employed their hooks with advantage in pulling forward those who lurked in the remote parts of their dens. They also killed great numbers by setting fire to the combustibles which many of these caverns contained; and in the end completely succeeded in the dangerous service of destroying in their retreats, previously deemed inaccessible, the incorrigible robbers who had so long alarmed and distressed the country. This account gives a lively idea of the "dens" and "caves" which are so frequently mentioned in Scripture.

14." After a dead dog? after a flea?'-Similar phrases are still employed in the East, by persons who wish to express a sense of their own lowliness. In the East, if not in the West, the flea certainly deserves all the contumely which can be bestowed upon it; and as to the dog, whatever be its general merits, its name has, in all ages and in most countries, been used as an epithet expressing debasement or detestation. In this sense it frequently occurs in Scripture. Thus Goliath, when he felt his dignity affronted, said, "Am I a dog?" (chap. xvii. 43); and Abner, when his conduct was questioned, "Am I a dog's head?" (2 Sam. iii. 8); and Jonathan's son, when touched by the kindness of David, said, "What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am ?” (2 Sam. ix. 8.) There are several other instances of a similar bearing; besides which, the epithet "dogs" is, in the New Testament, applied in a general sense to persons addicted to vile and sensual principles and habits, as-"Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers" (Phil. iii. 2.), and-"Without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers,” &c. (Rev. xxii. 15.) All this needs little explanation, as the same contemptuous estimate of the dog's character, and the application of its name, continues to prevail; but with this difference (at least among ourselves), that the word, as an epithet of abuse, is not so frequently found as it was anciently in the mouths of distinguished persons. Homer's heroes call each other "dogs" with great spirit.

CHAPTER XXV.

1 Samuel dieth. 2 David in Paran sendeth to Nabal. 10 Provoked by Nabal's churlishness, he mindeth to destroy him. 14 Abigail understanding thereof, 18 taketh a present, 23 and by her wisdom 32 pacifieth David. 36 Nabal hearing thereof dieth. 39 David taketh Abigail and Ahinoam to be his wives. 44 Michal is given to Phalti.

AND 'Samuel died; and all the Israelites were gathered together, and lamented him, and buried him in his house at Ramah. And David arose, and went down to the wilderness of Paran.

2 And there was a man in Maon, whose 'possessions were in Carmel; and the man was very great, and he had three thousand sheep, and a thousand goats: and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.

3 Now the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail: and she was a woman of good understanding, and of

1 Chap. 28. 3. Ecclus. 46. 13, 20. * Or, business.

a beautiful countenance: but the man was churlish and evil in his doings; and he was of the house of Caleb. ·

4 And David heard in the wilderness that Nabal did shear his sheep.

5 And David sent out ten young men, and David said unto the young men, Get you up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and 3greet him in my name:

6 And thus shall ye say to him that liveth in prosperity, Peace be both to thee, and peace be to thine house, and peace be unto all that thou hast.

7 And now I have heard that thou hast shearers: now thy shepherds which were with us, we 'hurt them not, neither was there ought missing unto them, all the while they

were in Carmel.

8 Ask thy young men, and they will shew thee. Wherefore let the young men find favour in thine eyes: for we come in a good day: give, I pray thee, whatsoever cometh 8 Heb. ask him in my name, of peace. 4 Heb. shamed.

to thine hand unto thy servants, and to thy | that pertained unto him: and he hath reson David.

9 And when David's young men came, they spake to Nabal according to all those words in the name of David, and 'ceased.

10 ¶ And Nabal answered David's servants, and said, Who is David? and who is the son of Jesse? there be many servants now a days that break away every man from

his master.

11 Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it unto men, whom I know not whence they be?

12 So David's young men turned their way, and went again, and came and told him all those sayings.

13 And David said unto his men, Gird ye on every man his sword. And they girded on every man his sword; and David also girded on his sword: and there went up after David about four hundred men; and two hundred abode by the stuff.

14 ¶ But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife, saying, Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to salute our master; and he 'railed on them.

15 But the men were very good unto us, and we were not hurt, neither missed we any thing, as long as we were conversant with them, when we were in the fields:

16 They were a wall unto us both by night and day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep.

17 Now therefore know and consider what thou wilt do: for evil is determined against our master, and against all his houshold: for he is such a son of Belial, that a man cannot speak to him.

18 Then Abigail made haste, and took two hundred loaves, and two bottles of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched corn, and an hundred 'clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on asses.

19 And she said unto her servants, Go on before me; behold, I come after you. But she told not her husband Nabal.

20 And it was so, as she rode on the ass, that she came down by the covert of the hill, and, behold, David and his men came down against her; and she met them.

quited me evil for good.

22 So and more also do God unto the enemies of David, if I leave of all that pertain to him by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall.

23 And when Abigail saw David, she hasted, and lighted off the ass, and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground,

24 And fell at his feet, and said, Upon me, my lord, upon me let this iniquity be: and let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak in thine audience, and hear the words of thine handmaid.

25 Let not my lord, I pray thee, "regard this man of Belial, even Nabal: for as his name is, so is he; Nabal is his name, and folly is with him: but I thine handmaid saw not the young men of my lord, whom thou didst send.

26 Now therefore, my lord, as the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, seeing the LORD hath withholden thee from coming to shed blood, and from "avenging thyself with thine own hand, now let thine enemies, and they that seek evil to my lord, be as N bal.

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27 And now this "blessing which handmaid hath brought unto my .d, let it even be given unto the young, men that 14follow my lord.

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28 I pray thee, forgive the trespass of thine handmaid: for the LORD will certainly make my lord a sure house; because my lord fighteth the battles of the LOPD, and evil hath not been found in thee all thy days.

29 Yet a man is risen to pursue thee, and to seek thy soul: but the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the LORD thy God; and the souls of thine enemies, them sha", he sling out, "as out of the middle of a sling.

30 And it shall come to pass, when the LOD shall have done to my lord according to all the good that he hath spoken concerning thee, and shall have appointed thee ruler over Israel;

31 That this shall be "no grief unto thee, nor offence of heart unto my lord, either that thou hast shed blood causeless, or that my lord hath avenged himself: but when the LORD shall have dealt well with my lord, then remember thine handmaid. 32 ¶ And David said to Abigail, Blessed 7 Heb. flew upon them. 8 Heb. shamed. 9 Or, lumps. 10 Heb. ears. 18 Or, present. 11 Heb. lay it to his heart. 14 Heb. walk at the feet of, &c. 15 Heb. in the midst of the bought of a sling. 16 Heb, ne staggering, or stumbling.

21 Now David had said, Surely in vain have I kept all that this fellow hath in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all

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be the LORD God of Israel, which sent thee this day to meet me:

33 And blessed be thy advice, and blessed be thou, which hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood, and from avenging myself with mine own hand.

34 For in very deed, as the LORD God of Israel liveth, which hath kept me back from hurting thee, except thou hadst hasted and come to meet me, surely there had not been left unto Nabal by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall.

35 So David received of her hand that which she had brought him, and said unto her, Go up in peace to thine house; see, I have hearkened to thy voice, and have accepted thy person.

36 ¶ And Abigail came to Nabal; and, behold, he held a feast in his house, like the feast of a king; and Nabal's heart was merry within him, for he was very drunken: wherefore she told him nothing, less or more, until the morning light.

37 But it came to pass in the morning, when the wine was gone out of Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became as a

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38 And it came to pass about ten days after, that the LORD smote Nabal, that he died.

39 And when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, Blessed be the LORD, that hath pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and hath kept his servant from evil: for the LORD hath returned the wickedness of Nabal upon his own head. And David sent and communed with Abigail, to take her to him to wife.

40 And when the servants of David were come to Abigail to Carmel, they spake unto her, saying, David sent us unto thee, to take thee to him to wife.

41 And she arose, and bowed herself on her face to the earth, and said, Behold, let thine handmaid be a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.

42 And Abigail hasted, and arose, and rode upon an ass, with five damsels of her's that went "after her; and she went after the messengers of David, and became his wife.

43 David also took Ahinoam 18of Jezreel; and they were also both of them his wives. 44 But Saul had given 19Michal his daughter, David's wife, to Phalti the son of Laish, which was of Gallim.

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In Carmel."-It is evident that the Carmel of this chapter is the district called after the town of that name; and the context seems to require us to understand that this district extended southward till it met the desert territory, unappropriated by individuals, which formed the northern part of the desert of Paran, where David remained with his men. From his possessions in the district of Carmel, it seems Nabal sent his flocks southward into the desert for pasture, where his shepherds came in contact with David, who not only directed his men not to rob the flocks themselves--as is, and probably was, usual to persons in their circumstances, and to which there was great temptation -but by his presence afforded them the rare advantage of complete security from the depredations of the Arabs and other people of similar habits. Such protection as that which David gave, under these circumstances, is in general so highly valued, that a suitable present to the protecting party is understood as a matter of course; and in most instances the proprietor of the flocks is happy to bestow it cheerfully and liberally. David's demand was therefore but fair and reasonable; and the only strange circumstance in the transaction is the polite and respectful manner in which he applies as a favour for that which most chiefs, with similar power of enforcing their demand, would, in no very gentle manner, have demanded as a right, from one who did not spontaneously acknowledge his sense of the important obligation he had received. We consider the fact which appears in this chapter, that the inhabitants of Judah's territory were accustomed to send their ocks for pasture into the northern part of the desert of Paran, an important corroboration of the view we took at the end of the note on Num. xxxiv. 2; to which we beg to refer the reader as affording an elucidation of some points in the present chapter.

"The man was very great."-This, coupled with the following description of his substance, affords an interesting indication of what was considered to constitute a very large property among the Hebrews at this period.

3. "Of the house of Caleb."-Caleb means a dog a Hebrew; and the ancient versions, as well as several of the modern, do not render it as a proper name, but as a further indication of Nabal's character. Under this view it will denote a man of a dog-like, that is, of a churlish, snapping, arling disposition, or, as Boothroyd has it, "irritable as a dog."

6. "Peace be both to thee," &c.—See some remarks in the note to F cxxix. 8, on the general character of verbal salutations in the East, which are still very similar to those which we find employed in Scripture.

11. "My bread, and my water," &c.-Here we have another indication of the value of water. Among us it would be considered strange to mention water in this way; but it is not thus in the East. Water was usually provided by the masters for their husbandmen and the shearers of their sheep. Nabal had probably procured his with some difficulty and by the labour of his people; and it was therefore quite natural for him to mention it among the articles of provision which he could not be expected to spare. On such great occasions as the ploughing or harvest to the husbandman or a shearing to the shepherd, the owner was careful to supply an adequate quantity of water for the men while a work. In all such operations in the East, a number of attendants are usually employed to serve out water to the labourers, carrying it to them as they stand at their work. Weak wine seems to have been sometimes employed anciently. Homer describes wine as being served to ploughmen; but we may believe that water was more common though less poetical:

"Oft as in their course

They came to the field's bourn, so oft a man
Met them, who in their hands a goblet placed,

Charged with delicious wine."-Iliad, xviii. CowPER.

An adequate supply of water-good water, is also a circumstance of the most essential importance in the provision for the festivities in which the occasions of extraordinary rural or pastoral exertion terminated.

23. "She hasted, and lighted off the ass."--See the note on Gen. xxiv. 65. The following description of Antar's action on approaching the king of Persia is a very excellent illustration of Abigail's proceeding in the presence of David. Antar and his party meet with the king as he is riding out to hunt:-"On perceiving Nushirvan they instantly dismounted. Antar presented himself, and attempted to kiss Chosroe's feet in the stirrup, but the king not only prevented him, but stooped towards him and kissed him between the eyes; and never had Nushirvan conferred such a mark of distinction on any one but Antar." To this last action, of kissing between the eyes, we have referred in the note to chap. x. 1. In the above extract we see, that, as is still the custom, they dismounted as soon as they saw the king, and therefore either waited till he rode up, or proceeded on foot to meet him. The parallel is the more complete if, as Dr. Boothroyd conceives, David was mounted, and that therefore the expression "fell at his feet" (literally "fell on his feet") means, that she took hold of his feet-to kiss them, doubtless-as he sat on his ass or

mule.

25. “Nabal is his name, and folly is with him."-The significant character of the Hebrew names gave great occasion for a reference to, or an application of, the meanings which they offered. Of this there are many instances in Scripture; and the present is one of these, Nabal signifying a fool.

29. The soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life."-Mr. Roberts, in his Oriental Illustrations,' borrows from the proverbial expressions of the Hindoos a much better illustration of this text than ever fell under our notice. He says:-"Any thing important or valuable is called a kattu, i. e., a bundle, a pack, a bale.' A young man who is enamoured of a female is said to be bound up in the kattu, bundle, of love.' Of a just judge the people say, 'He is found up in the bundle of justice." He adds other instances, from the application of which we see that Abigail retended to express, that, under the Lord's protection, the life of David was so securely guarded, that all the attempts of his enemies against his existence must prove abortive.

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CHAPTER XXVI.

1 Saul, by the discovery of the Ziphites, cometh to Hachilah against David. 5 David coming into the trench stayeth Abishai from killing Saul, but taketh his spear and cruse. 13 David reproveth Abner, 18 and exhorteth Saul. 21 Saul acknowledgeth his sin.

AND the Ziphites came unto Saul to Gibeah, saying, 'Doth not David hide himself in the hill of Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon? 2 Then Saul arose, and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, having three thousand chosen men of Israel with him, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph.

3 And Saul pitched in the hill of Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon, by the way. But David abode in the wilderness, and he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness.

4 David therefore sent out spies, and understood that Saul was come in very

deed.

5 And David arose, and came to the place where Saul had pitched: and David beheld the place where Saul lay, and Abner the son of Ner, the captain of his host: and Saul lay in the trench, and the people pitched round about him.

6 Then answered David and said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Abishai the son of Zeruiah, brother to Joab, saying, Who will go down with me to Saul to the camp? And Abishai said, I will go down with thee. 7 So David and Abishai came to the people by night: and, behold, Saul lay sleeping within the trench, and his spear stuck in the ground at his bolster: but Abner and the people lay round about him.

8 Then said Abishai to David, God hath 'delivered thine enemy into thine hand this day now therefore let me smite him, I pray thee, with the spear even to the earth at once, and I will not smite him the second time.

9 And David said to Abishai, Destroy him not for who can stretch forth his hand against the LORD's anointed, and be guiltless?

10 David said furthermore, As the LORD liveth, the LORD shall smite him; or his day shall come to die; or he shall descend into battle, and perish.

that is at his bolster, and the cruse of water, and let us go.

12 So David took the spear and the cruse of water from Saul's bolster; and they gat them away, and no man saw it, nor knew it, neither awaked: for they were all asleep; because a deep sleep from the LORD was fallen upon them.

13 Then David went over to the other side, and stood on the top of an hill afar off; a great space being between them:

14 And David cried to the people, and to Abner the son of Ner, saying, Answerest thou not, Abner? Then Abner answered and said, Who art thou that criest to the king?

15 And David said to Abner, Art not thou a valiant man? and who is like to thee in Israel? wherefore then hast thou not kept thy lord the king? for there came one of the people in to destroy the king thy

lord.

16 This thing is not good that thou hast done. As the LORD liveth, ye are worthy to die, because ye have not kept your mas ter, the LORD's anointed. And now see where the king's spear is, and the cruse of water that was at his bolster.

17 And Saul knew David's voice, and said, Is this thy voice, my son David? And David said, It is my voice, my lord, O king

18 And he said, Wherefore doth my lord thus pursue after his servant? for what have I done? or what evil is in mine hand?

19 Now therefore, I pray thee, let my lord the king hear the words of his servant If the LORD have stirred thee up against me, let him 'accept an offering: but if they be the children of men, cursed be they befor the LORD; for they have driven me out this day from abiding in the inheritance of the LORD, saying, Go, serve other gods.

20 Now therefore, let not my blood fal to the earth before the face of the LORD for the king of Israel is come out to seck flea, as when one doth hunt a partridge in the mountains.

21 Then said Saul, I have sinned: re turn, my son David: for I will no more d thee harm, because my soul was precious i thine eyes this day: behold, I have playe the fool, and have erred exceedingly.

22 And David answered and said, Behol the king's spear! and let one of the youn men come over and fetch it.

11 The LORD forbid that I should stretch forth mine hand against the LORD's anointed: but, I pray thee, take thou now the spear Chap. 14. 50, and 17. 55. Or, midst of his carriages.

1. Chap. 23, 19.

7 Heb. cleaving.

4 Heb. shut up. Heb, the sons of death. Heb, small.

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