1 Samuel

Saul’s Unlawful Sacrifice

13

13:1 Saul reigned one year; and when he had reigned two years over Israel,^{a 2} Saul chose for himself three thousand men of Israel. Two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and in the mountains of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. The rest of the people he sent away, every man to his tent.

³ And Jonathan attacked the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. Then Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear!” ⁴ Now all Israel heard it said that Saul had attacked a garrison of the Philistines, and that Israel had also become an abomination to the Philistines. And the people were called together to Saul at Gilgal.

⁵ Then the Philistines gathered together to fight with Israel, thirty^a thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the seashore in multitude. And they came up and encamped in Michmash, to the east of Beth Aven. ⁶ When the men of Israel saw that they were in danger (for the people were distressed), then the people hid in caves, in thickets, in rocks, in holes, and in pits. ⁷ And some of the Hebrews crossed over the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead.

As for Saul, he was still in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling. ⁸ Then he waited seven days, according to the time set by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him. ⁹ So Saul said, “Bring a burnt offering and peace offerings here to me.” And he offered the burnt offering. ¹⁰ Now it happened, as soon as he had finished presenting the burnt offering, that Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might greet him.

¹¹ And Samuel said, “What have you done?”

Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered together at Michmash, ¹² then I said, ‘The Philistines will now come down on me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the LORD.’ Therefore I felt compelled, and offered a burnt offering.”

¹³ And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you. For now the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. ¹⁴ But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.”

¹⁵ Then Samuel arose and went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin.^a And Saul numbered the people present with him, about six hundred men.

No Weapons for the Army

¹⁶ Saul, Jonathan his son, and the people present with them remained in Gibeah of Benjamin. But the Philistines encamped in Michmash. ¹⁷ Then raiders came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies. One company turned onto the road to Ophrah, to the land of Shual, ¹⁸ another company turned to the road to Beth Horon, and another company turned to the road of the border that overlooks the Valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness.

* From Copper to Bronze to Iron (1 Sam. 13:19–22)

The first metals used by humans were gold, silver, and copper. Gold and silver were too soft to be used for tools or weapons. Copper in its native form is also soft, although it was hammered into a harder form. However, sometime around 3500 B.C. ancient metalworkers discovered that copper hardened when alloyed with tin to produce bronze, or with zinc to produce brass.

The harder bronze was not only a better metal for producing tools, but also resulted in more effective weapons. During the Early Bronze Age, from about 2300 B.C., bronze swords and ax heads were produced by bronzeworkers with increasing skill. Bronze instruments of warfare, such as the spear (2 Sam. 21:16), the bow (2 Sam. 22:35), and shield (2 Chr. 12:10), were still in use at the time of Israel’s monarchy.

The next advance in metal technology came with the discovery of smelting to separate iron from its oxides. The ironworking process, which required fuel and heat, was slow to develop. Before 1200 B.C. iron was used mostly for jewelry and ceremonial weapons; however, there are a few examples of military use. An Accadian text from Nuzi in northern Mesopotamia, dating from about the 15th century B.C., gives evidence of a coat of scale armor, using iron scales, made for a horse. When the Israelites first arrived in Canaan, they were faced with the superiority of their opponents’ iron-reinforced chariots (Judg. 1:19; 4:3).

Ironworking demanded the skill of a blacksmith. A letter of the Hittite king Hattusilis III, dating around 1250 B.C., shows that the Hittites had developed skills in the production of smelted iron. When Saul became Israel’s king (1050 or 1020 B.C.), Philistine ironsmiths were able to control the actual working of iron in Canaan. They would sharpen the Hebrews’ iron tools, but would not teach them to “make swords or spears” of iron (1 Sam. 13:19, 22).

¹⁹ Now there was no blacksmith to be found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, “Lest the Hebrews make swords or spears.” ²⁰ But all the Israelites would go down to the Philistines to sharpen each man’s plowshare, his mattock, his ax, and his sickle; ²¹ and the charge for a sharpening was a pim^a for the plowshares, the mattocks, the forks, and the axes, and to set the points of the goads. ²² So it came about, on the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people who were with Saul and Jonathan. But they were found with Saul and Jonathan his son.

²³ And the garrison of the Philistines went out to the pass of Michmash.

Science & Technology

Although the word “iron” does not occur in 1 Sam. 13:19–22, the Philistines are represented as having a certain skill that the Hebrews lacked. The technology of bronze was by this time centuries old. Approx imately 50 percent of weapons recovered by archaeologists from the era of David and Solomon are iron and 50 percent bronze. A hundred years earlier, 80 percent were bronze.

Jonathan Defeats the Philistines

14

14:1 Now it happened one day that Jonathan the son of Saul said to the young man who bore his armor, “Come, let us go over to the Philistines’ garrison that is on the other side.” But he did not tell his father. ² And Saul was sitting in the outskirts of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree which is in Migron. The people who were with him were about six hundred men. ³ Ahijah the son of Ahitub, Ichabod’s brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the LORD’s priest in Shiloh, was wearing an ephod. But the people did not know that Jonathan had gone.

⁴ Between the passes, by which Jonathan sought to go over to the Philistines’ garrison, there was a sharp rock on one side and a sharp rock on the other side. And the name of one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh. ⁵ The front of one faced northward opposite Michmash, and the other southward opposite Gibeah.

⁶ Then Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armor, “Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; it may be that the LORD will work for us. For nothing restrains the LORD from saving by many or by few.”

⁷ So his armorbearer said to him, “Do all that is in your heart. Go then; here I am with you, according to your heart.”

⁸ Then Jonathan said, “Very well, let us cross over to these men, and we will show ourselves to them. ⁹ If they say thus to us, ‘Wait until we come to you,’ then we will stand still in our place and not go up to them. ¹⁰ But if they say thus, ‘Come up to us,’ then we will go up. For the LORD has delivered them into our hand, and this will be a sign to us.”

¹¹ So both of them showed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines. And the Philistines said, “Look, the Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have hidden.” ¹² Then the men of the garrison called to Jonathan and his armorbearer, and said, “Come up to us, and we will show you something.”

Jonathan said to his armorbearer, “Come up after me, for the LORD has delivered them into the hand of Israel.” ¹³ And Jonathan climbed up on his hands and knees with his armorbearer after him; and they fell before Jonathan. And as he came after him, his armorbearer killed them. ¹⁴ That first slaughter which Jonathan and his armorbearer made was about twenty men within about half an acre of land.^a

¹⁵ And there was trembling in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. The garrison and the raiders also trembled; and the earth quaked, so that it was a very great trembling. ¹⁶ Now the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked, and there was the multitude, melting away; and they went here and there. ¹⁷ Then Saul said to the people who were with him, “Now call the roll and see who has gone from us.” And when they had called the roll, surprisingly, Jonathan and his armorbearer were not there. ¹⁸ And Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring the ark^a of God here” (for at that time the ark^b of God was with the children of Israel). ¹⁹ Now it happened, while Saul talked to the priest, that the noise which was in the camp of the Philistines continued to increase; so Saul said to the priest, “Withdraw your hand.” ²⁰ Then Saul and all the people who were with him assembled, and they went to the battle; and indeed every man’s sword was against his neighbor, and there was very great confusion. ²¹ Moreover the Hebrews who were with the Philistines before that time, who went up with them into the camp from the surrounding country, they also joined the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan. ²² Likewise all the men of Israel who had hidden in the mountains of Ephraim, when they heard that the Philistines fled, they also followed hard after them in the battle. ²³ So the LORD saved Israel that day, and the battle shifted to Beth Aven.

Saul’s Rash Oath

²⁴ And the men of Israel were distressed that day, for Saul had placed the people under oath, saying, “Cursed is the man who eats any food until evening, before I have taken vengeance on my enemies.” So none of the people tasted food. ²⁵ Now all the people of the land came to a forest; and there was honey on the ground. ²⁶ And when the people had come into the woods, there was the honey, dripping; but no one put his hand to his mouth, for the people feared the oath. ²⁷ But Jonathan had not heard his father charge the people with the oath; therefore he stretched out the end of the rod that was in his hand and dipped it in a honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth; and his countenance brightened. ²⁸ Then one of the people said, “Your father strictly charged the people with an oath, saying, ‘Cursed is the man who eats food this day.’ ” And the people were faint.

²⁹ But Jonathan said, “My father has troubled the land. Look now, how my countenance has brightened because I tasted a little of this honey. ³⁰ How much better if the people had eaten freely today of the spoil of their enemies which they found! For now would there not have been a much greater slaughter among the Philistines?”

³¹ Now they had driven back the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon. So the people were very faint. ³² And the people rushed on the spoil, and took sheep, oxen, and calves, and slaughtered them on the ground; and the people ate them with the blood. ³³ Then they told Saul, saying, “Look, the people are sinning against the LORD by eating with the blood!”

So he said, “You have dealt treacherously; roll a large stone to me this day.” ³⁴ Then Saul said, “Disperse yourselves among the people, and say to them, ‘Bring me here every man’s ox and every man’s sheep, slaughter them here, and eat; and do not sin against the LORD by eating with the blood.’ ” So every one of the people brought his ox with him that night, and slaughtered it there. ³⁵ Then Saul built an altar to the LORD. This was the first altar that he built to the LORD.

³⁶ Now Saul said, “Let us go down after the Philistines by night, and plunder them until the morning light; and let us not leave a man of them.”

And they said, “Do whatever seems good to you.”

Then the priest said, “Let us draw near to God here.”

³⁷ So Saul asked counsel of God, “Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will You deliver them into the hand of Israel?” But He did not answer him that day. ³⁸ And Saul said, “Come over here, all you chiefs of the people, and know and see what this sin was today. ³⁹ For as the LORD lives, who saves Israel, though it be in Jonathan my son, he shall surely die.” But not a man among all the people answered him. ⁴⁰ Then he said to all Israel, “You be on one side, and my son Jonathan and I will be on the other side.”

And the people said to Saul, “Do what seems good to you.”

⁴¹ Therefore Saul said to the LORD God of Israel, “Give a perfect lot.”^a So Saul and Jonathan were taken, but the people escaped. ⁴² And Saul said, “Cast lots between my son Jonathan and me.” So Jonathan was taken. ⁴³ Then Saul said to Jonathan, “Tell me what you have done.”

And Jonathan told him, and said, “I only tasted a little honey with the end of the rod that was in my hand. So now I must die!”

⁴⁴ Saul answered, “God do so and more also; for you shall surely die, Jonathan.”

⁴⁵ But the people said to Saul, “Shall Jonathan die, who has accomplished this great deliverance in Israel? Certainly not! As the LORD lives, not one hair of his head shall fall to the ground, for he has worked with God this day.” So the people rescued Jonathan, and he did not die.

⁴⁶ Then Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, and the Philistines went to their own place.

Saul’s Continuing Wars

⁴⁷ So Saul established his sovereignty over Israel, and fought against all his enemies on every side, against Moab, against the people of Ammon, against Edom, against the kings of Zobah, and against the Philistines. Wherever he turned, he harassed them.^{a 48} And he gathered an army and attacked the Amalekites, and delivered Israel from the hands of those who plundered them.

⁴⁹ The sons of Saul were Jonathan, Jishui,^a and Malchishua. And the names of his two daughters were these: the name of the firstborn Merab, and the name of the younger Michal. ⁵⁰ The name of Saul’s wife was Ahinoam the daughter of Ahimaaz. And the name of the commander of his army was Abner the son of Ner, Saul’s uncle. ⁵¹ Kish was the father of Saul, and Ner the father of Abner was the son of Abiel.

⁵² Now there was fierce war with the Philistines all the days of Saul. And when Saul saw any strong man or any valiant man, he took him for himself.

Saul Spares King Agag

15

15:1 Samuel also said to Saul, “The LORD sent me to anoint you king over His people, over Israel. Now therefore, heed the voice of the words of the LORD. ² Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt. ³ Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’ ”

Religion & Worship

Samuel repeats God’s demand that Amalek be destroyed (1 Sam. 15:3). The term for this decree in Hebrew is herem, meaning “devoted” or “banned.” As a religious demand, it is absolute, although in fact the inhabitants of Canaan were not at any time entirely exterminated (Deut. 7:22; Judg. 1:27–36). Throughout history, many wars have had an obvious religious component.

⁴ So Saul gathered the people together and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand men of Judah. ⁵ And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and lay in wait in the valley.

⁶ Then Saul said to the Kenites, “Go, depart, get down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them. For you showed kindness to all the children of Israel when they came up out of Egypt.” So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites. ⁷ And Saul attacked the Amalekites, from Havilah all the way to Shur, which is east of Egypt. ⁸ He also took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. ⁹ But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them. But everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed.

Saul Rejected As King

¹⁰ Now the word of the LORD came to Samuel, saying, ¹¹ “I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, for he has turned back from following Me, and has not performed My commandments.” And it grieved Samuel, and he cried out to the LORD all night. ¹² So when Samuel rose early in the morning to meet Saul, it was told Samuel, saying, “Saul went to Carmel, and indeed, he set up a monument for himself; and he has gone on around, passed by, and gone down to Gilgal.” ¹³ Then Samuel went to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed are you of the LORD! I have performed the commandment of the LORD.”

¹⁴ But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?”

¹⁵ And Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and the oxen, to sacrifice to the LORD your God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.”

¹⁶ Then Samuel said to Saul, “Be quiet! And I will tell you what the LORD said to me last night.”

And he said to him, “Speak on.”

¹⁷ So Samuel said, “When you were little in your own eyes, were you not head of the tribes of Israel? And did not the LORD anoint you king over Israel? ¹⁸ Now the LORD sent you on a mission, and said, ‘Go, and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’ ¹⁹ Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD? Why did you swoop down on the spoil, and do evil in the sight of the LORD?”

²⁰ And Saul said to Samuel, “But I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and gone on the mission on which the LORD sent me, and brought back Agag king of Amalek; I have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. ²¹ But the people took of the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the LORD your God in Gilgal.”

²² So Samuel said:

“Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,

As in obeying the voice of the LORD?

Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,

And to heed than the fat of rams.

²³ For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft,

And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.

Because you have rejected the word of the LORD,

He also has rejected you from being king.”

²⁴ Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice. ²⁵ Now therefore, please pardon my sin, and return with me, that I may worship the LORD.”

²⁶ But Samuel said to Saul, “I will not return with you, for you have rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD has rejected you from being king over Israel.”

²⁷ And as Samuel turned around to go away, Saul seized the edge of his robe, and it tore. ²⁸ So Samuel said to him, “The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today, and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you. ²⁹ And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor relent. For He is not a man, that He should relent.”

³⁰ Then he said, “I have sinned; yet honor me now, please, before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me, that I may worship the LORD your God.” ³¹ So Samuel turned back after Saul, and Saul worshiped the LORD.

³² Then Samuel said, “Bring Agag king of the Amalekites here to me.” So Agag came to him cautiously.

And Agag said, “Surely the bitterness of death is past.”

³³ But Samuel said, “As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women.” And Samuel hacked Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal.

³⁴ Then Samuel went to Ramah, and Saul went up to his house at Gibeah of Saul. ³⁵ And Samuel went no more to see Saul until the day of his death. Nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul, and the LORD regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel.

David Anointed King

16

16:1 Now the LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go; I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided Myself a king among his sons.”

² And Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.”

But the LORD said, “Take a heifer with you, and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’ ³ Then invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; you shall anoint for Me the one I name to you.”

⁴ So Samuel did what the LORD said, and went to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, “Do you come peaceably?”

⁵ And he said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons, and invited them to the sacrifice.

⁶ So it was, when they came, that he looked at Eliab and said, “Surely the LORD’s anointed is before Him!”

⁷ But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees;^a for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

TIME CAPSULE 1169 to 1130 B.C.

1169 • Sea Peoples depicted in horse-drawn carts

1157 • Elamites capture Babylonia and destroy the Kassite dynasty

1133–1116 • Nebuchadnezzar I rules 2nd Isin dynasty of Babylon

1130 • Egyptians lose control of southern Canaan

1130 • Final destruction of Mycenae

⁸ So Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Neither has the LORD chosen this one.” ⁹ Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the LORD chosen this one.” ¹⁰ Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The LORD has not chosen these.” ¹¹ And Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all the young men here?” Then he said, “There remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping the sheep.”And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him. For we will not sit down^a till he comes here.” ¹² So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with bright eyes, and good-looking. And the LORD said, “Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!” ¹³ Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah.

A Distressing Spirit Troubles Saul

¹⁴ But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit from the LORD troubled him. ¹⁵ And Saul’s servants said to him, “Surely, a distressing spirit from God is troubling you. ¹⁶ Let our master now command your servants, who are before you, to seek out a man who is a skillful player on the harp. And it shall be that he will play it with his hand when the distressing spirit from God is upon you, and you shall be well.”

¹⁷ So Saul said to his servants, “Provide me now a man who can play well, and bring him to me.”

¹⁸ Then one of the servants answered and said, “Look, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a mighty man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a handsome person; and the LORD is with him.”

¹⁹ Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse, and said, “Send me your son David, who is with the sheep.” ²⁰ And Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine, and a young goat, and sent them by his son David to Saul. ²¹ So David came to Saul and stood before him. And he loved him greatly, and he became his armorbearer. ²² Then Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Please let David stand before me, for he has found favor in my sight.” ²³ And so it was, whenever the spirit from God was upon Saul, that David would take a harp and play it with his hand. Then Saul would become refreshed and well, and the distressing spirit would depart from him.

Transition

The Shepherd’s Psalm

Few of the psalms give any information about their historical context. Indeed, this is intentional: the psalms were designed for worship and were written to reflect the many different needs of many worshipers who would use them. The origination of the psalms in worship makes it difficult to place them in chronological order.

Although we cannot know exactly when Ps. 23 was composed, it is particularly appropriate to be read after 1 Sam. 16:14–23. With such a psalm the shepherd David might sing to his troubled, unstable king.

• Psalm 23

Psalm 23

The LORD the Shepherd of His People

A Psalm of David.

The LORD is my shepherd;

I shall not want.

² He makes me to lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside the still waters.

³ He restores my soul;

He leads me in the paths of righteousness

For His name’s sake.

⁴ Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil;

For You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

⁵ You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

You anoint my head with oil;

My cup runs over.

⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

All the days of my life;

And I will dwell^a in the house of the LORD

Forever.

Transition

David in Saul’s Court

David’s arrival in Saul’s court as musician and armorbearer (1 Sam. 16:14–23) is followed immediately by a second arrival, this time as the boy slayer of the Philistine giant (1 Sam. 17). Though some details of these two accounts are puzzling, such as why Saul does not seem to recognize his own armorbearer (1 Sam. 17:55), the “two arrivals” are appropriate to David’s character. He will always be remembered as both a great warrior, the lion of Judah, and as the sweet singer of Israel, the man after God’s own heart.

Saul’s and David’s victories over the Phili stines gave heart to Israel, but the Philistines continued pressing inland. Saul would spend the rest of his life at war with them. That strain, along with his jealousy of David’s popularity, helped to overset an already troubled mind.

• 1 Samuel 17:1–19:17

1 Samuel

David and Goliath

17

17:1 Now the Philistines gathered their armies together to battle, and were gathered at Sochoh, which belongs to Judah; they encamped between Sochoh and Azekah, in Ephes Dammim. ² And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and they encamped in the Valley of Elah, and drew up in battle array against the Philistines. ³ The Philistines stood on a mountain on one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side, with a valley between them.

⁴ And a champion went out from the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, from Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. ⁵ He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. ⁶ And he had bronze armor on his legs and a bronze javelin between his shoulders. ⁷ Now the staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his iron spearhead weighed six hundred shekels; and a shield-bearer went before him. ⁸ Then he stood and cried out to the armies of Israel, and said to them, “Why have you come out to line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and you the servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. ⁹ If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.” ¹⁰ And the Philistine said, “I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.” ¹¹ When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.

Science & Technology

The description of Goliath’s spear emphasizes his skill as a warrior (1 Sam. 17:7). In Homer, the “huge and heavy” spear of the heroic warrior is the proverbial indicator of strength on the battlefield. Hector’s spear was 17 feet long. Soldiers of the Roman Empire used a throwing spear that came in light and heavy versions. The heavy version reportedly had a diameter of 3 inches.

¹² Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehem Judah, whose name was Jesse, and who had eight sons. And the man was old, advanced in years, in the days of Saul. ¹³ The three oldest sons of Jesse had gone to follow Saul to the battle. The names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. ¹⁴ David was the youngest. And the three oldest followed Saul. ¹⁵ But David occasionally went and returned from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.

¹⁶ And the Philistine drew near and presented himself forty days, morning and evening.

¹⁷ Then Jesse said to his son David, “Take now for your brothers an ephah of this dried grain and these ten loaves, and run to your brothers at the camp. ¹⁸ And carry these ten cheeses to the captain of their thousand, and see how your brothers fare, and bring back news of them.” ¹⁹ Now Saul and they and all the men of Israel were in the Valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.

²⁰ So David rose early in the morning, left the sheep with a keeper, and took the things and went as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the camp as the army was going out to the fight and shouting for the battle. ²¹ For Israel and the Philistines had drawn up in battle array, army against army. ²² And David left his supplies in the hand of the supply keeper, ran to the army, and came and greeted his brothers. ²³ Then as he talked with them, there was the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, coming up from the armies of the Philistines; and he spoke according to the same words. So David heard them. ²⁴ And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were dreadfully afraid. ²⁵ So the men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel; and it shall be that the man who kills him the king will enrich with great riches, will give him his daughter, and give his father’s house exemption from taxes in Israel.”

* How Big Is a Giant? (1 Sam. 17:4)

The height reported for the Philistine Goliath, “six cubits and a span” (1 Sam. 17:4), indicates a very big man: approximately 9 feet, 9 inches tall. If such a height seems tall now, it was much taller in ancient times. Biblical people averaged about 5 feet in height, judging from skeletons uncovered by archaeologists.

Other Old Testament sources offer a different measurement for Goliath’s height. Some manuscripts of the Septuagint (the Greek Old Testament) and one of the Samuel manuscripts from the Dead Sea Scrolls read “four cubits and a span” in 1 Sam. 17:4. This height —about 6 feet, 9 inches —would still make Goliath a giant for David’s time. It is difficult to know what caused the differing numbers of six cubits (9 feet) and four cubits (6 feet).

Some scholars have noticed a possible explanation in the Hebrew text. The Hebrew words for “six hundred” (17:7), a few lines below the “six cubits” line, look very similar to the Hebrew words for “six cubits.” They suppose that the eye of an early copyist accidentally caught sight of “six hundred,” and the similarity of those words in Hebrew caused him to write “six” instead of “four” with “cubits.” In this way, “six cubits” may have replaced “four cubits,” making Goliath appear to be 9 feet, 9 inches tall, when he was still a giant at 6 feet, 6 inches.

It cannot be known which of these manuscripts preserves the original number. Nevertheless, the youth David (1 Sam. 17:33) faced an opponent who, at either height, was truly a giant among warriors of his day.

* Is the Armor Too Big, or the Crown? (1 Sam. 17:38–40)

There was more to Saul’s offer of the royal armor and sword to David than meets the eye (1 Sam. 17:38, 39). Positions of authority in the ancient world were marked by formal insignia, or by special clothing. Even more important, the ruler’s weapon, usually a sword, was seen as a gift of the deities and a mark of their favor toward the bearer as the legitimate ruler.

So when Saul offered David his armor, he would have been understood by Israelite culture as offering David his own position as king of Israel. The transfer of clothing signified a transfer of status. Elsewhere in the Bible, Elijah called Elisha to replace him as God’s primary prophet simply by throwing his mantle upon his successor (1 Kin. 19:19).

Saul’s sword was the mark of his position as defender of Israel; when the sword was given to David, Saul’s kingship went with it. But David could not wear the armor or the sword; he was not ready to rule, even though he already had the favor of God and the courage to defend Israel. By returning the military gear, David showed that he did not intend to replace Saul as king. He held to this position firmly, even later avoiding confrontation with Saul (1 Sam. 24:6, 7).

Eventually, however, David would be king. When Saul’s son Jonathan covenanted with David, the transfer of clothing and armor was repeated, but with a different result (1 Sam. 18:1–4).

²⁶ Then David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”

²⁷ And the people answered him in this manner, saying, “So shall it be done for the man who kills him.”

²⁸ Now Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab’s anger was aroused against David, and he said, “Why did you come down here? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the insolence of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.”

²⁹ And David said, “What have I done now? Is there not a cause?” ³⁰ Then he turned from him toward another and said the same thing; and these people answered him as the first ones did.

³¹ Now when the words which David spoke were heard, they reported them to Saul; and he sent for him. ³² Then David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”

³³ And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.”

³⁴ But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, ³⁵ I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it. ³⁶ Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.” ³⁷ Moreover David said, “The LORD, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”

And Saul said to David, “Go, and the LORD be with you!”

³⁸ So Saul clothed David with his armor, and he put a bronze helmet on his head; he also clothed him with a coat of mail. ³⁹ David fastened his sword to his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. And David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them.” So David took them off.

⁴⁰ Then he took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine. ⁴¹ So the Philistine came, and began drawing near to David, and the man who bore the shield went before him. ⁴² And when the Philistine looked about and saw David, he disdained him; for he was only a youth, ruddy and good-looking. ⁴³ So the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. ⁴⁴ And the Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!”

⁴⁵ Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. ⁴⁶ This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. ⁴⁷ Then all this assembly shall know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD’s, and He will give you into our hands.”

⁴⁸ So it was, when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, that David hurried and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. ⁴⁹ Then David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth. ⁵⁰ So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. But there was no sword in the hand of David. ⁵¹ Therefore David ran and stood over the Philistine, took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it.

And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. ⁵² Now the men of Israel and Judah arose and shouted, and pursued the Philistines as far as the entrance of the valley^a and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell along the road to Shaaraim, even as far as Gath and Ekron. ⁵³ Then the children of Israel returned from chasing the Philistines, and they plundered their tents. ⁵⁴ And David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his armor in his tent.

⁵⁵ When Saul saw David going out against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is this youth?”

And Abner said, “As your soul lives, O king, I do not know.”

⁵⁶ So the king said, “Inquire whose son this young man is.”

⁵⁷ Then, as David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand. ⁵⁸ And Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?”

So David answered, “I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.”

Saul Resents David

18

18:1 Now when he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. ² Saul took him that day, and would not let him go home to his father’s house anymore. ³ Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul. ⁴ And Jonathan took off the robe that was on him and gave it to David, with his armor, even to his sword and his bow and his belt.

⁵ So David went out wherever Saul sent him, and behaved wisely. And Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul’s servants. ⁶ Now it had happened as they were coming home, when David was returning from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women had come out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with joy, and with musical instruments. ⁷ So the women sang as they danced, and said:

* Jonathan Transfers Claim to the Throne (1 Sam. 18:1–4)

After he killed Goliath, David became a member of Saul’s court. Jonathan, Saul’s son and heir, took an immediate liking to David and saw this new friend as an equal. This, as it turns out, was central to the rise of David to the throne.

When Saul had offered David his armor and sword (1 Sam. 17:38, 39), David returned them. Now Jonathan handed over to David his robe and his military gear, including his sword and bow (1 Sam. 18:4). As with Saul’s offer, Jonathan’s offer entailed more than the clothes.

With David’s acceptance of the sword of Jonathan, David became who Jonathan was. David was now the heir apparent to the throne of Israel. Jonathan was already an acknowledged military leader by this time; David is described as still a young man (17:58). But in this action the already established heir, Jonathan, acknowledged that God’s decision had been made: David was to rule rather than himself, and he was willing to step aside.

Both Saul and Jonathan knew what had happened with this transfer of royal insignia (1 Sam. 20:30, 31). Saul began sending out David to battles he had previously fought himself or had sent Jonathan to fight (18:5). After this time, in another indication of David’s new status, Saul began to refer to David as “my son” (1 Sam. 24:16; 26:21).

“Saul has slain his thousands,

And David his ten thousands.”

⁸ Then Saul was very angry, and the saying displeased him; and he said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed only thousands. Now what more can he have but the kingdom?” ⁹ So Saul eyed David from that day forward.

¹⁰ And it happened on the next day that the distressing spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied inside the house. So David played music with his hand, as at other times; but there was a spear in Saul’s hand. ¹¹ And Saul cast the spear, for he said, “I will pin David to the wall!” But David escaped his presence twice.

¹² Now Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him, but had departed from Saul. ¹³ Therefore Saul removed him from his presence, and made him his captain over a thousand; and he went out and came in before the people. ¹⁴ And David behaved wisely in all his ways, and the LORD was with him. ¹⁵ Therefore, when Saul saw that he behaved very wisely, he was afraid of him. ¹⁶ But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he went out and came in before them.

Marriage & Family

The dowry or bride-price is a feature of traditional cultures. Sometimes the bride is accompanied by a gift from her father, and other times the prospective husband must give a gift to the father. Instead of a dowry, Saul requests that David present to him the tokens of a victory against their national enemy, the Philistines (1 Sam. 18:25).

David Marries Michal

¹⁷ Then Saul said to David, “Here is my older daughter Merab; I will give her to you as a wife. Only be valiant for me, and fight the LORD’s battles.” For Saul thought, “Let my hand not be against him, but let the hand of the Philistines be against him.”

¹⁸ So David said to Saul, “Who am I, and what is my life or my father’s family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?” ¹⁹ But it happened at the time when Merab, Saul’s daughter, should have been given to David, that she was given to Adriel the Meholathite as a wife.

²⁰ Now Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved David. And they told Saul, and the thing pleased him. ²¹ So Saul said, “I will give her to him, that she may be a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” Therefore Saul said to David a second time, “You shall be my son-in-law today.”

²² And Saul commanded his servants, “Communicate with David secretly, and say, ‘Look, the king has delight in you, and all his servants love you. Now therefore, become the king’s son-in-law.’ ”

²³ So Saul’s servants spoke those words in the hearing of David. And David said, “Does it seem to you a light thing to be a king’s son-in-law, seeing I am a poor and lightly esteemed man?” ²⁴ And the servants of Saul told him, saying, “In this manner David spoke.”

²⁵ Then Saul said, “Thus you shall say to David: ‘The king does not desire any dowry but one hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to take vengeance on the king’s enemies.’ ” But Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines. ²⁶ So when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to become the king’s son-in-law. Now the days had not expired; ²⁷ therefore David arose and went, he and his men, and killed two hundred men of the Philistines. And David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full count to the king, that he might become the king’s son-in-law. Then Saul gave him Michal his daughter as a wife.

²⁸ Thus Saul saw and knew that the LORD was with David, and that Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved him; ²⁹ and Saul was still more afraid of David. So Saul became David’s enemy continually. ³⁰ Then the princes of the Philistines went out to war. And so it was, whenever they went out, that David behaved more wisely than all the servants of Saul, so that his name became highly esteemed.

Saul Persecutes David

19

19:1 Now Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants, that they should kill David; but Jonathan, Saul’s son, delighted greatly in David. ² So Jonathan told David, saying, “My father Saul seeks to kill you. Therefore please be on your guard until morning, and stay in a secret place and hide. ³ And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will speak with my father about you. Then what I observe, I will tell you.”

⁴ Thus Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father, and said to him, “Let not the king sin against his servant, against David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his works have been very good toward you. ⁵ For he took his life in his hands and killed the Philistine, and the LORD brought about a great deliverance for all Israel. You saw it and rejoiced. Why then will you sin against innocent blood, to kill David without a cause?”

⁶ So Saul heeded the voice of Jonathan, and Saul swore, “As the LORD lives, he shall not be killed.” ⁷ Then Jonathan called David, and Jonathan told him all these things. So Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as in times past.

⁸ And there was war again; and David went out and fought with the Philistines, and struck them with a mighty blow, and they fled from him.

⁹ Now the distressing spirit from the LORD came upon Saul as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand. And David was playing music with his hand. ¹⁰ Then Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he slipped away from Saul’s presence; and he drove the spear into the wall. So David fled and escaped that night.

¹¹ Saul also sent messengers to David’s house to watch him and to kill him in the morning. And Michal, David’s wife, told him, saying, “If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.” ¹² So Michal let David down through a window. And he went and fled and escaped. ¹³ And Michal took an image and laid it in the bed, put a cover of goats’ hair for his head, and covered it with clothes. ¹⁴ So when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, “He is sick.”

¹⁵ Then Saul sent the messengers back to see David, saying, “Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may kill him.” ¹⁶ And when the messengers had come in, there was the image in the bed, with a cover of goats’ hair for his head. ¹⁷ Then Saul said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me like this, and sent my enemy away, so that he has escaped?”

And Michal answered Saul, “He said to me, ‘Let me go! Why should I kill you?’ ”

Transition

Protection in the Night

While the language of the psalms themselves does not describe specific historical events, a few psalms have superscriptions that assign them to a particular historical context. These superscriptions are clearly separate from the actual psalm, and many scholars believe that they were added long after the original compositions.

Whether they were original to the psalms or were added later, the superscriptions do associate some psalms with specific events. They may indicate how certain psalms were understood or used by Israelites in worship and devotion. For that reason, psalms have been placed so as to preserve the associations of the superscriptions. Thus Ps. 59 was associated with Saul’s attempt to capture David at his own house (1 Sam. 19:15).

• Psalm 59

Psalm 59

The Assured Judgment of the Wicked

To the Chief Musician. Set to “Do Not Destroy.”^a A Michtam of David when Saul sent men, and they watched the house in order to kill him.

Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;

Defend me from those who rise up against me.

² Deliver me from the workers of iniquity,

And save me from bloodthirsty men.

³ For look, they lie in wait for my life;

The mighty gather against me,

Not for my transgression nor for my sin, O LORD.

⁴ They run and prepare themselves through no fault of mine.

Awake to help me, and behold!

⁵ You therefore, O LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel,

Awake to punish all the nations;

Do not be merciful to any wicked transgressors. Selah

⁶ At evening they return,

They growl like a dog,

And go all around the city.

⁷ Indeed, they belch with their mouth;

Swords are in their lips;

For they say, “Who hears?”

⁸ But You, O LORD, shall laugh at them;

You shall have all the nations in derision.

⁹ I will wait for You, O You his Strength;^a

For God is my defense.

¹⁰ My God of mercy^a shall come to meet me;

God shall let me see my desire on my enemies.

¹¹ Do not slay them, lest my people forget;

Scatter them by Your power,

And bring them down,

O Lord our shield.

¹² For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips,

Let them even be taken in their pride,

And for the cursing and lying which they speak.

¹³ Consume them in wrath, consume them,

That they may not be;

And let them know that God rules in Jacob

To the ends of the earth. Selah

¹⁴ And at evening they return,

They growl like a dog,

And go all around the city.

¹⁵ They wander up and down for food,

And howl^a if they are not satisfied.

¹⁶ But I will sing of Your power;

Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning;

For You have been my defense

And refuge in the day of my trouble.

¹⁷ To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises;

For God is my defense,

My God of mercy.

Plants & Animals

In the ancient Near East most dogs were not pets but wild dogs. They made their presence known at night, when there was no traffic or crowds to keep them away (Ps. 59:14). Since they ate whatever they could find, their diet was unclean and could even include dead bodies or blood. Having paws, they were considered unclean for food or sacrifice (Lev. 11:27).

Transition

David Flees from Saul

As David’s popularity grows, even within Saul’s inner circle, so does Saul’s jealousy. The break is inevitable; David flees. Although he is a fugitive, he somehow keeps his influential supporters, among whom are Samuel (1 Sam. 19:18), Jonathan (Saul’s son and heir, 20:1–42), and the priest Ahimelech (21:1–9).

Ahimelech’s son, Abiathar, became one of David’s primary supporters. Many years later the Gospel of Mark would refer to the event described in 1 Sam. 21, but instead of mentioning Ahimelech, it would use the better known name of the son, Abiathar (Mark 2:23–28).

• 1 Samuel 19:18–21:15

1 Samuel

19

19:18 So David fled and escaped, and went to Samuel at Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and stayed in Naioth. ¹⁹ Now it was told Saul, saying, “Take note, David is at Naioth in Ramah!” ²⁰ Then Saul sent messengers to take David. And when they saw the group of prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as leader over them, the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied. ²¹ And when Saul was told, he sent other messengers, and they prophesied likewise. Then Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they prophesied also. ²² Then he also went to Ramah, and came to the great well that is at Sechu. So he asked, and said, “Where are Samuel and David?”

And someone said, “Indeed they are at Naioth in Ramah.” ²³ So he went there to Naioth in Ramah. Then the Spirit of God was upon him also, and he went on and prophesied until he came to Naioth in Ramah. ²⁴ And he also stripped off his clothes and prophesied before Samuel in like manner, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Therefore they say, “Is Saul also among the prophets?”^a

Jonathan’s Loyalty To David

20

20:1 Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and went and said to Jonathan, “What have I done? What is my iniquity, and what is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?”

* Months of the Yearly Calendar (1 Sam. 20:5–24)

In Israel, the New Moon was an important festival. So important that Israelites expected this festival to continue in the new earth where all people will enjoy companionship with Yahweh (Is. 66:23).

The “New Moon” festival resulted from the practice of beginning a new month based on a new moon, the sighting of the first visible crescent of the moon. Virtually every society in the Near East marked their months by the new moon, Egypt being an exception. Since the actual amount of time occurring between new moons is more than 29 days, but less than 30 days, some months contained 29 days, and others 30. The time was determined by visual observation.

Most nations kept track of their years following an agricultural agenda with spring serving as the beginning of the year. The problem was that one year (12 months) of 29- or 30-day months quickly leads to a New Year’s day out-of-sync with spring (12 months x 29 and 1/2 days = 354 days in a year). Thus, in Babylon, on an irregular basis a king would add a 13th month to the year to adjust the New Year’s day to the beginning of the spring season. By about 500 B.C. the Babylonians had worked out a regular 19-year cycle to regulate this correspondence.

How the problem was handled in Israel is not known. What is known is that very early in Israel’s history, the New Moon day had become a monthly religious festival (1 Sam. 20:5, 18, 24). The importance of this day is suggested by its description as a “solemn feast day” (Ps. 81:3), and the claim that the New Moon festival was a “statute for Israel” (81:4). No wonder the prophet Amos complained about those who waited anxiously for the New Moon day to pass, so they could return to their regular business (Amos 8:5).

² So Jonathan said to him, “By no means! You shall not die! Indeed, my father will do nothing either great or small without first telling me. And why should my father hide this thing from me? It is not so!”

³ Then David took an oath again, and said, “Your father certainly knows that I have found favor in your eyes, and he has said, ‘Do not let Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved.’ But truly, as the LORD lives and as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death.”

⁴ So Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you yourself desire, I will do it for you.”

⁵ And David said to Jonathan, “Indeed tomorrow is the New Moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king to eat. But let me go, that I may hide in the field until the third day at evening. ⁶ If your father misses me at all, then say, ‘David earnestly asked permission of me that he might run over to Bethlehem, his city, for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the family.’ ⁷ If he says thus: ‘It is well,’ your servant will be safe. But if he is very angry, be sure that evil is determined by him. ⁸ Therefore you shall deal kindly with your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of the LORD with you. Nevertheless, if there is iniquity in me, kill me yourself, for why should you bring me to your father?”

⁹ But Jonathan said, “Far be it from you! For if I knew certainly that evil was determined by my father to come upon you, then would I not tell you?”

¹⁰ Then David said to Jonathan, “Who will tell me, or what if your father answers you roughly?”

¹¹ And Jonathan said to David, “Come, let us go out into the field.” So both of them went out into the field. ¹² Then Jonathan said to David: “The LORD God of Israel is witness! When I have sounded out my father sometime tomorrow, or the third day, and indeed there is good toward David, and I do not send to you and tell you, ¹³ may the LORD do so and much more to Jonathan. But if it pleases my father to do you evil, then I will report it to you and send you away, that you may go in safety. And the LORD be with you as He has been with my father. ¹⁴ And you shall not only show me the kindness of the LORD while I still live, that I may not die; ¹⁵ but you shall not cut off your kindness from my house forever, no, not when the LORD has cut off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.” ¹⁶ So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “Let the LORD require it at the hand of David’s enemies.”

¹⁷ Now Jonathan again caused David to vow, because he loved him; for he loved him as he loved his own soul. ¹⁸ Then Jonathan said to David, “Tomorrow is the New Moon; and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty. ¹⁹ And when you have stayed three days, go down quickly and come to the place where you hid on the day of the deed; and remain by the stone Ezel. ²⁰ Then I will shoot three arrows to the side, as though I shot at a target; ²¹ and there I will send a lad, saying, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I expressly say to the lad, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you; get them and come’—then, as the LORD lives, there is safety for you and no harm. ²² But if I say thus to the young man, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you’—go your way, for the LORD has sent you away. ²³ And as for the matter which you and I have spoken of, indeed the LORD be between you and me forever.”

TIME CAPSULE 1125 to 1120 B.C.

1125 • Deborah composes her song of victory over Sisera (Judg. 5)

1125 • Archaeological remains at Shechem show Abimelech’s destruction of the city and its tower (Judg. 9:45–49)

1120 • Nebuchadnezzar I conquers Elam and returns statue of Marduk

1120 • Babylonian temple of Esagil renovated and Marduk proclaimed king of the gods

²⁴ Then David hid in the field. And when the New Moon had come, the king sat down to eat the feast. ²⁵ Now the king sat on his seat, as at other times, on a seat by the wall. And Jonathan arose,^a and Abner sat by Saul’s side, but David’s place was empty. ²⁶ Nevertheless Saul did not say anything that day, for he thought, “Something has happened to him; he is unclean, surely he is unclean.” ²⁷ And it happened the next day, the second day of the month, that David’s place was empty. And Saul said to Jonathan his son, “Why has the son of Jesse not come to eat, either yesterday or today?”

²⁸ So Jonathan answered Saul, “David earnestly asked permission of me to go to Bethlehem. ²⁹ And he said, ‘Please let me go, for our family has a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me to be there. And now, if I have found favor in your eyes, please let me get away and see my brothers.’ Therefore he has not come to the king’s table.”

³⁰ Then Saul’s anger was aroused against Jonathan, and he said to him, “You son of a perverse, rebellious woman! Do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness? ³¹ For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, you shall not be established, nor your kingdom. Now therefore, send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die.”

³² And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said to him, “Why should he be killed? What has he done?” ³³ Then Saul cast a spear at him to kill him, by which Jonathan knew that it was determined by his father to kill David.

³⁴ So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and ate no food the second day of the month, for he was grieved for David, because his father had treated him shamefully.

³⁵ And so it was, in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little lad was with him. ³⁶ Then he said to his lad, “Now run, find the arrows which I shoot.” As the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. ³⁷ When the lad had come to the place where the arrow was which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried out after the lad and said, “Is not the arrow beyond you?” ³⁸ And Jonathan cried out after the lad, “Make haste, hurry, do not delay!” So Jonathan’s lad gathered up the arrows and came back to his master. ³⁹ But the lad did not know anything. Only Jonathan and David knew of the matter. ⁴⁰ Then Jonathan gave his weapons to his lad, and said to him, “Go, carry them to the city.”

⁴¹ As soon as the lad had gone, David arose from a place toward the south, fell on his face to the ground, and bowed down three times. And they kissed one another; and they wept together, but David more so. ⁴² Then Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, since we have both sworn in the name of the LORD, saying, ‘May the LORD be between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants, forever.’ ” So he arose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city.

David and the Holy Bread

21

21:1 Now David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech was afraid when he met David, and said to him, “Why are you alone, and no one is with you?”

² So David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has ordered me on some business, and said to me, ‘Do not let anyone know anything about the business on which I send you, or what I have commanded you.’ And I have directed my young men to such and such a place. ³ Now therefore, what have you on hand? Give me five loaves of bread in my hand, or whatever can be found.”

⁴ And the priest answered David and said, “There is no common bread on hand; but there is holy bread, if the young men have at least kept themselves from women.”

⁵ Then David answered the priest, and said to him, “Truly, women have been kept from us about three days since I came out. And the vessels of the young men are holy, and the bread is in effect common, even though it was consecrated in the vessel this day.”

⁶ So the priest gave him holy bread; for there was no bread there but the showbread which had been taken from before the LORD, in order to put hot bread in its place on the day when it was taken away.

⁷ Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the LORD. And his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the chief of the herdsmen who belonged to Saul.

⁸ And David said to Ahimelech, “Is there not here on hand a spear or a sword? For I have brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king’s business required haste.”

⁹ So the priest said, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, there it is, wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you will take that, take it. For there is no other except that one here.”

And David said, “There is none like it; give it to me.”

David Flees To Gath

¹⁰ Then David arose and fled that day from before Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath. ¹¹ And the servants of Achish said to him, “Is this not David the king of the land? Did they not sing of him to one another in dances, saying:

‘Saul has slain his thousands,

And David his ten thousands’?”^a

¹² Now David took these words to heart, and was very much afraid of Achish the king of Gath. ¹³ So he changed his behavior before them, pretended madness in their hands, scratched on the doors of the gate, and let his saliva fall down on his beard. ¹⁴ Then Achish said to his servants, “Look, you see the man is insane. Why have you brought him to me? ¹⁵ Have I need of madmen, that you have brought this fellow to play the madman in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?”

The Valley of Elah

Transition

Among the Philistines at Gath

Two psalms have superscriptions that associate them with David’s sojourn at Gath. The superscription to Ps. 56 remembers the time when the Philistines captured David. The superscription to Ps. 34 even mentions David’s pretended madness before the Philistine king.

The name of the Philistine king in Ps. 34 is Abimelech. In 1 Sam. 21:10–15 where this incident is reported, the king’s name is given as Achish. Possibly “Abimelech” was a title or throne name used for all kings of the Philistine regions. The city of Gerar, which was a Philistine city after about 1200 B.C., shows a King Abimelech in the patriarchal stories of Abraham (Gen. 20:2) and of his son Isaac (Gen. 26:1, where Abimelech is even called “king of the Philistines”). The name “Abimelech” is translated “my father, the king” or “father of the king,” an appropriate meaning for a throne name.

• Psalms 56; 34

Psalm 56

Prayer for Relief From Tormentors

To the Chief Musician. Set to “The Silent Dove in Distant Lands.”^a A Michtam of David when the Philistines captured him in Gath.

Be merciful to me, O God, for man would swallow me up;

Fighting all day he oppresses me.

² My enemies would hound me all day,

For there are many who fight against me, O Most High.

³ Whenever I am afraid,

I will trust in You.

⁴ In God (I will praise His word),

In God I have put my trust;

I will not fear.

What can flesh do to me?

⁵ All day they twist my words;

All their thoughts are against me for evil.

⁶ They gather together,

They hide, they mark my steps,

When they lie in wait for my life.

⁷ Shall they escape by iniquity?

In anger cast down the peoples, O God!

⁸ You number my wanderings;

Put my tears into Your bottle;

Are they not in Your book?

⁹ When I cry out to You,

Then my enemies will turn back;

This I know, because God is for me.

¹⁰ In God (I will praise His word),

In the LORD (I will praise His word),

¹¹ In God I have put my trust;

I will not be afraid.

What can man do to me?

¹² Vows made to You are binding upon me, O God;

I will render praises to You,

¹³ For You have delivered my soul from death.

Have You not kept my feet from falling,

That I may walk before God

In the light of the living?

Psalm 34

The Happiness of Those Who Trust in God

A Psalm of David when he pretended madness before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he departed.

I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

² My soul shall make its boast in the LORD;

The humble shall hear of it and be glad.

³ Oh, magnify the LORD with me,

And let us exalt His name together.

⁴ I sought the LORD, and He heard me,

And delivered me from all my fears.

⁵ They looked to Him and were radiant,

And their faces were not ashamed.

⁶ This poor man cried out, and the LORD heard him,

And saved him out of all his troubles.

⁷ The angel^a of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him,

And delivers them.

* Angel: Messenger and Presence of God (Ps. 34:7)

Angels do the will of God. Both the Hebrew and Greek words for “angel” mean “messenger.” In the ancient Near East the divine realm was viewed in terms of the structure of human society, and angels were the lowest level of society —the slave messengers. These lowest denizens of heaven did only what they were commanded to do by their superiors.

While other ancient Near Eastern cultures believed in pantheons of gods, the official religion of Israel accepted no other divine beings than God, save the angels. The gods of the pantheons could disagree with and disobey the authoritative deities of their own divine hierarchy. The psalmists, though, knew of no disagreement in heaven, since God is in control of all divine beings (Ps. 89:6, 7). The angels do the work of heaven in harmony with the will of God.

In narratives of the Bible and of the texts from Ugarit (1400–1200 B.C.), divine messengers carry messages in the form of living letters. The messengers repeat word for word what they are told to report to other gods or to humans. In this way the message given by an angel in the name of another deity was indeed the very words of the deity who sent the messenger.

An angel of any given deity was so closely associated with the god as to represent the actual presence of the god. Thus, as Moses experienced at the burning bush (Ex. 3:2–4), to speak with an angel was actually to speak with the deity. The Bible presents a similar situation with the activity of angels. Since the messenger could do only as ordered by God, whatever an angel did in the name of God was done by God. So in Israel’s psalms, it is God who protects the faithful, even though the actual divine being standing guard is God’s angel (Ps. 34:7).

⁸ Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good;

Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

⁹ Oh, fear the LORD, you His saints!

There is no want to those who fear Him.

¹⁰ The young lions lack and suffer hunger;

But those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing.

¹¹ Come, you children, listen to me;

I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

¹² Who is the man who desires life,

And loves many days, that he may see good?

¹³ Keep your tongue from evil,

And your lips from speaking deceit.

¹⁴ Depart from evil and do good;

Seek peace and pursue it.

¹⁵ The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous,

And His ears are open to their cry.

¹⁶ The face of the LORD is against those who do evil,

To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.

¹⁷ The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears,

And delivers them out of all their troubles.

¹⁸ The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart,

And saves such as have a contrite spirit.

¹⁹ Many are the afflictions of the righteous,

But the LORD delivers him out of them all.

²⁰ He guards all his bones;

Not one of them is broken.

²¹ Evil shall slay the wicked,

And those who hate the righteous shall be condemned.

²² The LORD redeems the soul of His servants,

And none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned.

Transition

Murder in the Holy Place

Saul’s pursuit of David intensified, now involving actual murder. The time of Israel’s tribal confederation, just before Saul was crowned king, was not very unified, but what unity there was came from Israel’s common worship at the shrine where the ark of the covenant was kept. Reverence for the shrine continued, even after the confederation ended, and no sane Israelite would have dreamed of attacking that holy place or its priests. But Saul by this time could hardly be called sane.

• 1 Samuel 22:1–23

1 Samuel

David’s Four Hundred Men

22

22:1 David therefore departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. So when his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him. ² And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him. So he became captain over them. And there were about four hundred men with him.

³ Then David went from there to Mizpah of Moab; and he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and mother come here with you, till I know what God will do for me.” ⁴ So he brought them before the king of Moab, and they dwelt with him all the time that David was in the stronghold.

⁵ Now the prophet Gad said to David, “Do not stay in the stronghold; depart, and go to the land of Judah.” So David departed and went into the forest of Hereth.

Saul Murders the Priests

⁶ When Saul heard that David and the men who were with him had been discovered—now Saul was staying in Gibeah under a tamarisk tree in Ramah, with his spear in his hand, and all his servants standing about him— ⁷ then Saul said to his servants who stood about him, “Hear now, you Benjamites! Will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, and make you all captains of thousands and captains of hundreds? ⁸ All of you have conspired against me, and there is no one who reveals to me that my son has made a covenant with the son of Jesse; and there is not one of you who is sorry for me or reveals to me that my son has stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as it is this day.”

⁹ Then answered Doeg the Edomite, who was set over the servants of Saul, and said, “I saw the son of Jesse going to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub. ¹⁰ And he inquired of the LORD for him, gave him provisions, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”

¹¹ So the king sent to call Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father’s house, the priests who were in Nob. And they all came to the king. ¹² And Saul said, “Hear now, son of Ahitub!”

He answered, “Here I am, my lord.”

¹³ Then Saul said to him, “Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, in that you have given him bread and a sword, and have inquired of God for him, that he should rise against me, to lie in wait, as it is this day?”

¹⁴ So Ahimelech answered the king and said, “And who among all your servants is as faithful as David, who is the king’s son-in-law, who goes at your bidding, and is honorable in your house? ¹⁵ Did I then begin to inquire of God for him? Far be it from me! Let not the king impute anything to his servant, or to any in the house of my father. For your servant knew nothing of all this, little or much.”

¹⁶ And the king said, “You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s house!” ¹⁷ Then the king said to the guards who stood about him, “Turn and kill the priests of the LORD, because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled and did not tell it to me.” But the servants of the king would not lift their hands to strike the priests of the LORD. ¹⁸ And the king said to Doeg, “You turn and kill the priests!” So Doeg the Edomite turned and struck the priests, and killed on that day eighty-five men who wore a linen ephod. ¹⁹ Also Nob, the city of the priests, he struck with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and nursing infants, oxen and donkeys and sheep—with the edge of the sword.

²⁰ Now one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David. ²¹ And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the LORD’s priests. ²² So David said to Abiathar, “I knew that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I have caused the death of all the persons of your father’s house. ²³ Stay with me; do not fear. For he who seeks my life seeks your life, but with me you shall be safe.”

Politics & Government

The administrative center was not a physical location, like a building, but the physical presence of the ruler, in this case, Saul (1 Sam. 22:6). With a spear as the symbol of his authority and his retainers surrounding him, Saul could establish a ruling center under a tamarisk tree. Deborah held court under a palm tree (Judg. 4:5).

Transition

Doeg, the Evildoer

An important player in the massacre of the priests was Saul’s servant Doeg. He was the one who informed Saul about the priest Ahimelech’s dealings with David (1 Sam. 22:9, 10). When Saul’s own guards refused to strike the Lord’s priests, the Edomite Doeg did not hesitate to carry out the evil deed, killing 85 priests, as well as people in the city of Nob (22:18, 19).

It is not surprising that Israel would reflect upon this tragedy in a psalm. The super scription of Ps. 52 associates this psalm’s thoughts on evil and wickedness with the evildoer Doeg.

• Psalm 52

Psalm 52

The End of the Wicked and the Peace of the Godly

To the Chief Musician. A Contemplation^a of David when Doeg the Edomite went and told Saul, and said to him, “David has gone to the house of Ahimelech.”

Why do you boast in evil, O mighty man?The goodness of God endures continually.

² Your tongue devises destruction,

Like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.

³ You love evil more than good,

Lying rather than speaking righteousness. Selah

⁴ You love all devouring words,

You deceitful tongue.

⁵ God shall likewise destroy you forever;

He shall take you away, and pluck you out of your dwelling place,

And uproot you from the land of the living. Selah

⁶ The righteous also shall see and fear,

And shall laugh at him, saying,

⁷ “Here is the man who did not make God his strength,

But trusted in the abundance of his riches,

And strengthened himself in his wickedness.”

⁸ But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God;

I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever.

⁹ I will praise You forever,

Because You have done it;

And in the presence of Your saints

I will wait on Your name, for it is good.

Transition

Seeking God’s Guidance

In the ancient Near East, there were many ways of asking advice from the gods. Before battles, kings would consult with soothsayers and diviners to ensure divine favor. Mosaic law prohibited such divination (see Lev. 19:26), but even in Israel there were means of seeking a word from God. One of these evidently was the ephod that Abiathar the priest had brought to David’s camp (1 Sam. 23:9–12).

In Exodus, the ephod refers to the linen apron worn by the high priest (Ex. 39:2–7). With Abiathar’s ephod David would ask a yes-no question, and by some means that is not clear the ephod would reveal God’s answer. The means is not important, in the end. The essential point is that David inquired of God, and God answered. Saul, by contrast, sought information from spies. When Saul did at last inquire of God, God would no longer answer (1 Sam. 28:6).

• Samuel 23:1–29

1 Samuel

David Saves the City of Keilah

23

23:1 Then they told David, saying, “Look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah, and they are robbing the threshing floors.”

² Therefore David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?”

And the LORD said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines, and save Keilah.”

³ But David’s men said to him, “Look, we are afraid here in Judah. How much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?” ⁴ Then David inquired of the LORD once again.

And the LORD answered him and said, “Arise, go down to Keilah. For I will deliver the Philistines into your hand.” ⁵ And David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines, struck them with a mighty blow, and took away their livestock. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.

⁶ Now it happened, when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David at Keilah, that he went down with an ephod in his hand.

⁷ And Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah. So Saul said, “God has delivered him into my hand, for he has shut himself in by entering a town that has gates and bars.” ⁸ Then Saul called all the people together for war, to go down to Keilah to besiege David and his men.

⁹ When David knew that Saul plotted evil against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod here.” ¹⁰ Then David said, “O LORD God of Israel, Your servant has certainly heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah to destroy the city for my sake. ¹¹ Will the men of Keilah deliver me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as Your servant has heard? O LORD God of Israel, I pray, tell Your servant.”

And the LORD said, “He will come down.”

¹² Then David said, “Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul?”

And the LORD said, “They will deliver you.”

¹³ So David and his men, about six hundred, arose and departed from Keilah and went wherever they could go. Then it was told Saul that David had escaped from Keilah; so he halted the expedition.

David in Wilderness Strongholds

¹⁴ And David stayed in strongholds in the wilderness, and remained in the mountains in the Wilderness of Ziph. Saul sought him every day, but God did not deliver him into his hand. ¹⁵ So David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life. And David was in the Wilderness of Ziph in a forest.^{a 16} Then Jonathan, Saul’s son, arose and went to David in the woods and strengthened his hand in God. ¹⁷ And he said to him, “Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you. Even my father Saul knows that.” ¹⁸ So the two of them made a covenant before the LORD. And David stayed in the woods, and Jonathan went to his own house.

¹⁹ Then the Ziphites came up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is David not hiding with us in strongholds in the woods, in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of Jeshimon? ²⁰ Now therefore, O king, come down according to all the desire of your soul to come down; and our part shall be to deliver him into the king’s hand.”

²¹ And Saul said, “Blessed are you of the LORD, for you have compassion on me. ²² Please go and find out for sure, and see the place where his hideout is, and who has seen him there. For I am told he is very crafty. ²³ See therefore, and take knowledge of all the lurking places where he hides; and come back to me with certainty, and I will go with you. And it shall be, if he is in the land, that I will search for him throughout all the clans^a of Judah.”

²⁴ So they arose and went to Ziph before Saul. But David and his men were in the Wilderness of Maon, in the plain on the south of Jeshimon. ²⁵ When Saul and his men went to seek him, they told David. Therefore he went down to the rock, and stayed in the Wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he pursued David in the Wilderness of Maon. ²⁶ Then Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain. So David made haste to get away from Saul, for Saul and his men were encircling David and his men to take them.

²⁷ But a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Hurry and come, for the Philistines have invaded the land!” ²⁸ Therefore Saul returned from pursuing David, and went against the Philistines; so they called that place the Rock of Escape.^{a 29} Then David went up from there and dwelt in strongholds at En Gedi.

Transition

David in the Wilderness

The “wilderness of Judah,” mentioned in the superscription of Ps. 63, is the arid, rocky region along the western shore of the Dead Sea, southeast of Jerusalem. On the western edge of this wilderness area are the towns Ziph, Maon, and Carmel (not to be confused with Mount Carmel on the Mediterranean Sea). The town of En Gedi, sitting on the shore of the Dead Sea, is an oasis of the area.

Most of these places are mentioned in the account of David’s flight from Saul (1 Sam. 23:13–29). The rugged terrain of the wilderness made it difficult for Saul to track David. Such terrain is reflected in the language of the psalmist who seeks God “in a dry and thirsty land” (Ps. 63:1).

• Psalm 63

Psalm 63

Joy in the Fellowship of God

A Psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah.

O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You;

My soul thirsts for You;

My flesh longs for You

In a dry and thirsty land

Where there is no water.

² So I have looked for You in the sanctuary,

To see Your power and Your glory.

³ Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,

My lips shall praise You.

⁴ Thus I will bless You while I live;

I will lift up my hands in Your name.

⁵ My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness,

And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.

⁶ When I remember You on my bed,

I meditate on You in the night watches.

⁷ Because You have been my help,

Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.

⁸ My soul follows close behind You;

Your right hand upholds me.

⁹ But those who seek my life, to destroy it,

Shall go into the lower parts of the earth.

¹⁰ They shall fall by the sword;

They shall be a portion for jackals.

¹¹ But the king shall rejoice in God;

Everyone who swears by Him shall glory;

But the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped.

Transition

Hiding in the Caves

Many caves were particularly useful hiding places—the Dead Sea Scrolls lay undiscovered in the Qumarn caves for hundreds of years.

David is not the only illustrious refugee who has found haven among the caves and crags of the Judean wilderness. In later years such people as Herod the Great and the Jewish zealots who rebelled against the Roman Empire would hide there also. The many caves were particularly useful hiding places —the Dead Sea Scrolls lay undiscovered in some of these caves for hundreds of years.

David clearly made the most of the cave environment while avoiding Saul’s pursuit. The superscriptions of two psalms —Ps. 57 and Ps. 142 —associate these psalms’ laments with the stressful circumstances surrounding David’s days of hiding.

• 1 Samuel 24:1–22
• Psalms 57; 142

1 Samuel 24:1—22

David Spares Saul

24

24:1 Now it happened, when Saul had returned from following the Philistines, that it was told him, saying, “Take note! David is in the Wilderness of En Gedi.” ² Then Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel, and went to seek David and his men on the Rocks of the Wild Goats. ³ So he came to the sheepfolds by the road, where there was a cave; and Saul went in to attend to his needs. (David and his men were staying in the recesses of the cave.) ⁴ Then the men of David said to him, “This is the day of which the LORD said to you, ‘Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, that you may do to him as it seems good to you.’ ” And David arose and secretly cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. ⁵ Now it happened afterward that David’s heart troubled him because he had cut Saul’s robe. ⁶ And he said to his men, “The LORD forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the LORD’s anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD.” ⁷ So David restrained his servants with these words, and did not allow them to rise against Saul. And Saul got up from the cave and went on his way.

⁸ David also arose afterward, went out of the cave, and called out to Saul, saying, “My lord the king!” And when Saul looked behind him, David stooped with his face to the earth, and bowed down. ⁹ And David said to Saul: “Why do you listen to the words of men who say, ‘Indeed David seeks your harm’? ¹⁰ Look, this day your eyes have seen that the LORD delivered you today into my hand in the cave, and someone urged me to kill you. But my eye spared you, and I said, ‘I will not stretch out my hand against my lord, for he is the LORD’s anointed.’ ¹¹ Moreover, my father, see! Yes, see the corner of your robe in my hand! For in that I cut off the corner of your robe, and did not kill you, know and see that there is neither evil nor rebellion in my hand, and I have not sinned against you. Yet you hunt my life to take it. ¹² Let the LORD judge between you and me, and let the LORD avenge me on you. But my hand shall not be against you. ¹³ As the proverb of the ancients says, ‘Wickedness proceeds from the wicked.’ But my hand shall not be against you. ¹⁴ After whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom do you pursue? A dead dog? A flea? ¹⁵ Therefore let the LORD be judge, and judge between you and me, and see and plead my case, and deliver me out of your hand.”

¹⁶ So it was, when David had finished speaking these words to Saul, that Saul said, “Is this your voice, my son David?” And Saul lifted up his voice and wept. ¹⁷ Then he said to David: “You are more righteous than I; for you have rewarded me with good, whereas I have rewarded you with evil. ¹⁸ And you have shown this day how you have dealt well with me; for when the LORD delivered me into your hand, you did not kill me. ¹⁹ For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him get away safely? Therefore may the LORD reward you with good for what you have done to me this day. ²⁰ And now I know indeed that you shall surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand. ²¹ Therefore swear now to me by the LORD that you will not cut off my descendants after me, and that you will not destroy my name from my father’s house.”

²² So David swore to Saul. And Saul went home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold.

Psalm 57

Prayer for Safety From Enemies

To the Chief Musician. Set to “Do Not Destroy.”^a A Michtam of David when he fled from Saul into the cave.

Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me!

For my soul trusts in You;

And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge,

Until these calamities have passed by.

² I will cry out to God Most High,

To God who performs all things for me.

³ He shall send from heaven and save me;

He reproaches the one who would swallow me up. Selah

God shall send forth His mercy and His truth.

⁴ My soul is among lions;

I lie among the sons of men

Who are set on fire,

Whose teeth are spears and arrows,

And their tongue a sharp sword.

⁵ Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;

Let Your glory be above all the earth.

⁶ They have prepared a net for my steps;

My soul is bowed down;

They have dug a pit before me;

Into the midst of it they themselves have fallen. Selah

⁷ My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast;

I will sing and give praise.

⁸ Awake, my glory!

Awake, lute and harp!

I will awaken the dawn.

⁹ I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples;

I will sing to You among the nations.

¹⁰ For Your mercy reaches unto the heavens,

And Your truth unto the clouds.

¹¹ Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;

Let Your glory be above all the earth.

Psalm 142

A Plea for Relief From Persecutors

A Contemplation^a of David. A Prayer when he was in the cave.

I cry out to the LORD with my voice;

With my voice to the LORD I make my supplication.

² I pour out my complaint before Him;

I declare before Him my trouble.

³ When my spirit was overwhelmed within me,

Then You knew my path.

In the way in which I walk

They have secretly set a snare for me.

⁴ Look on my right hand and see,

For there is no one who acknowledges me;

Refuge has failed me;

No one cares for my soul.

⁵ I cried out to You, O LORD:

I said, “You are my refuge,

My portion in the land of the living.

⁶ Attend to my cry,

For I am brought very low;

Deliver me from my persecutors,

For they are stronger than I.

⁷ Bring my soul out of prison,

That I may praise Your name;

The righteous shall surround me,

For You shall deal bountifully with me.”

Transition

What’s in a Name?

Names in the Old Testament are often significant clues to interpretation. Hebrew names had meaning. For instance, according to a popular interpretation given in 1 Sam. 1:20, the name “Samuel” came from the Hebrew word meaning “to ask.” Hannah named her son Samuel because she had “asked for him from the Lord.”

In 1 Sam. 25 the wordplay is more obvious. The name “Nabal,” in popular interpretation, meant literally “fool” or “folly” (1 Sam. 25:25). Nabal lives up to his name. Having refused to give David’s men provisions, he ends up providing David with his own wife.

• 1 Samuel 25:1–44

1 Samuel

Death of Samuel

25

25:1 Then Samuel died; and the Israelites gathered together and lamented for him, and buried him at his home in Ramah. And David arose and went down to the Wilderness of Paran.^a

David and the Wife of Nabal

² Now there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel, and the man was very rich. He had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. And he was shearing his sheep in Carmel. ³ The name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. And she was a woman of good understanding and beautiful appearance; but the man was harsh and evil in his doings. He was of the house of Caleb.

⁴ When David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep, ⁵ David sent ten young men; and David said to the young men, “Go up to Carmel, go to Nabal, and greet him in my name. ⁶ And thus you shall say to him who lives in prosperity: ‘Peace be to you, peace to your house, and peace to all that you have! ⁷ Now I have heard that you have shearers. Your shepherds were with us, and we did not hurt them, nor was there anything missing from them all the while they were in Carmel. ⁸ Ask your young men, and they will tell you. Therefore let my young men find favor in your eyes, for we come on a feast day. Please give whatever comes to your hand to your servants and to your son David.’ ”

⁹ So when David’s young men came, they spoke to Nabal according to all these words in the name of David, and waited.

¹⁰ Then Nabal answered David’s servants, and said, “Who is David, and who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants nowadays who break away each one from his master. ¹¹ Shall I then take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers, and give it to men when I do not know where they are from?”

¹² So David’s young men turned on their heels and went back; and they came and told him all these words. ¹³ Then David said to his men, “Every man gird on his sword.” So every man girded on his sword, and David also girded on his sword. And about four hundred men went with David, and two hundred stayed with the supplies.

¹⁴ Now one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, saying, “Look, David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master; and he reviled them. ¹⁵ But the men were very good to us, and we were not hurt, nor did we miss anything as long as we accompanied them, when we were in the fields. ¹⁶ They were a wall to us both by night and day, all the time we were with them keeping the sheep. ¹⁷ Now therefore, know and consider what you will do, for harm is determined against our master and against all his household. For he is such a scoundrel^a that one cannot speak to him.”

¹⁸ Then Abigail made haste and took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five sheep already dressed, five seahs of roasted grain, one hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and loaded them on donkeys. ¹⁹ And she said to her servants, “Go on before me; see, I am coming after you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal.

²⁰ So it was, as she rode on the donkey, that she went down under cover of the hill; and there were David and his men, coming down toward her, and she met them. ²¹ Now David had said, “Surely in vain I have protected all that this fellow has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that belongs to him. And he has repaid me evil for good. ²² May God do so, and more also, to the enemies of David, if I leave one male of all who belong to him by morning light.”

²³ Now when Abigail saw David, she dismounted quickly from the donkey, fell on her face before David, and bowed down to the ground. ²⁴ So she fell at his feet and said: “On me, my lord, on me let this iniquity be! And please let your maidservant speak in your ears, and hear the words of your maidservant. ²⁵ Please, let not my lord regard this scoundrel Nabal. For as his name is, so is he: Nabal^a is his name, and folly is with him! But I, your maidservant, did not see the young men of my lord whom you sent. ²⁶ Now therefore, my lord, as the LORD lives and as your soul lives, since the LORD has held you back from coming to bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hand, now then, let your enemies and those who seek harm for my lord be as Nabal. ²⁷ And now this present which your maidservant has brought to my lord, let it be given to the young men who follow my lord. ²⁸ Please forgive the trespass of your maidservant. For the LORD will certainly make for my lord an enduring house, because my lord fights the battles of the LORD, and evil is not found in you throughout your days. ²⁹ Yet a man has risen to pursue you and seek your life, but the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living with the LORD your God; and the lives of your enemies He shall sling out, as from the pocket of a sling. ³⁰ And it shall come to pass, when the LORD has done for my lord according to all the good that He has spoken concerning you, and has appointed you ruler over Israel, ³¹ that this will be no grief to you, nor offense of heart to my lord, either that you have shed blood without cause, or that my lord has avenged himself. But when the LORD has dealt well with my lord, then remember your maidservant.”

Figs were eaten fresh (2 Kin. 18:31), pressed into cakes (1 Sam. 25:18), and used as a poultice (Is. 38:21).

* From the Pocket of a Sling (1 Sam. 25:29)

The most common image of a sling is that of the slingshot, a weapon built from a Y-shaped piece of wood. That is not what David used in his confrontation with Goliath (1 Sam. 17:40), nor what Abigail means by “the pocket of a sling” (1 Sam. 25:29).

The type of sling that David used was made from either leather or goat’s hair. This sling had two long, thin straps with a pouch or pocket in the middle. The stone would be placed in the pocket after which the two straps were held in the same hand and swung around in the air to gain velocity while the slinger took aim.

At the ready, the slinger released one strap from his hand, sending the stone flying with great speed toward the target. Some slings had a small loop on one of the straps that could be placed around a finger to reduce the chance of accidental release of the entire sling. Abigail’s well-chosen words, declaring that God would “sling out” David’s enemies as from a sling’s pocket (25:29), would communicate clearly to a king who had been a slinger himself.

³² Then David said to Abigail: “Blessed is the LORD God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me! ³³ And blessed is your advice and blessed are you, because you have kept me this day from coming to bloodshed and from avenging myself with my own hand. ³⁴ For indeed, as the LORD God of Israel lives, who has kept me back from hurting you, unless you had hurried and come to meet me, surely by morning light no males would have been left to Nabal!” ³⁵ So David received from her hand what she had brought him, and said to her, “Go up in peace to your house. See, I have heeded your voice and respected your person.”

³⁶ Now Abigail went to Nabal, and there he was, holding a feast in his house, like the feast of a king. And Nabal’s heart was merry within him, for he was very drunk; therefore she told him nothing, little or much, until morning light. ³⁷ So it was, in the morning, when the wine had gone from Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became like a stone. ³⁸ Then it happened, after about ten days, that the LORD struck Nabal, and he died.

³⁹ So when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Blessed be the LORD, who has pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and has kept His servant from evil! For the LORD has returned the wickedness of Nabal on his own head.”

And David sent and proposed to Abigail, to take her as his wife. ⁴⁰ When the servants of David had come to Abigail at Carmel, they spoke to her saying, “David sent us to you, to ask you to become his wife.”

⁴¹ Then she arose, bowed her face to the earth, and said, “Here is your maidservant, a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.” ⁴² So Abigail rose in haste and rode on a donkey, attended by five of her maidens; and she followed the messengers of David, and became his wife. ⁴³ David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel, and so both of them were his wives.

⁴⁴ But Saul had given Michal his daughter, David’s wife, to Palti^a the son of Laish, who was from Gallim.

Food & Drink

Raisins and fig cakes are made by drying fruit, with the result being a concentration of sugar. This is naturally attractive to the taste, and it acts as a preservative. The absence of processed sugars made dried fruits more desirable (1 Sam. 25:18). Honey is another source of sugar and it too is prominent in the Bible as a symbol of prosperity.

Transition

Saul’s Last Days

Saul was clearly aware that David would succeed him as king. This fear he had revealed early on to his son Jonathan (1 Sam. 20:30, 31). Later, in a unique encounter with the man who would become his successor, Saul extracted a promise that his family be spared the usual fate of the families of displaced dynasties (24:20, 21). David’s inevitable kingship did mean that no reconciliation would be possible between Saul and David.

The last chapters of 1 Samuel (26:1–30:31) record David’s activities during Saul’s last years. When it became clear that Saul’s hatred would not allow David to participate in the life of his people, David contemplated going over to the Philistines, a step he finally accepted (27:1–4). David would spend much of his exile among the Philistines at the town of Ziklag.

Saul received information on David’s movements from informers, more than once from the residents of Ziph in the Judean wilderness (1 Sam. 23:19; 26:1). Saul did not receive any message from God, however. Faced with this silence, he resorted to necromancy, the summoning of the spirits of the dead (28:7–20). Though common in the ancient Near East, the practice was prohibited in Israel (see Lev. 19:31; 20:27).

In his efforts to escape Saul’s grasp, David often hid in the deserted region east of Ziph, known as the Wilderness of Ziph (1 Sam. 23:14; 26:2). The people of Ziph remained loyal to Saul, and their messages to Gibeah telling him of David’s whereabouts are remembered in the superscription of Ps. 54.

• Psalm 54
• 1 Samuel 26:1–30:31

Psalm 54

Answered Prayer for Deliverance From Adversaries

To the Chief Musician. With stringed instruments.^a A Contemplation^b of David when the Ziphites went and said to Saul, “Is David not hiding with us?”

Save me, O God, by Your name,

And vindicate me by Your strength.

² Hear my prayer, O God;

Give ear to the words of my mouth.

³ For strangers have risen up against me,

And oppressors have sought after my life;

They have not set God before them. Selah

⁴ Behold, God is my helper;

The Lord is with those who uphold my life.

⁵ He will repay my enemies for their evil.

Cut them off in Your truth.

⁶ I will freely sacrifice to You;

I will praise Your name, O LORD, for it is good.

⁷ For He has delivered me out of all trouble;

And my eye has seen its desire upon my enemies.

1 Samuel 26:1–30:31

David Spares Saul a Second Time

26

26:1 Now the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is David not hiding in the hill of Hachilah, opposite 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 encamped in the hill of Hachilah, which is opposite Jeshimon, by the road. But David stayed in the wilderness, and he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness. ⁴ David therefore sent out spies, and understood that Saul had indeed come.

⁵ So David arose and came to the place where Saul had encamped. And David saw the place where Saul lay, and Abner the son of Ner, the commander of his army. Now Saul lay within the camp, with the people encamped all around him. ⁶ Then David answered, and said to Ahimelech the Hittite and to Abishai the son of Zeruiah, brother of Joab, saying, “Who will go down with me to Saul in the camp?”

And Abishai said, “I will go down with you.”

⁷ So David and Abishai came to the people by night; and there Saul lay sleeping within the camp, with his spear stuck in the ground by his head. And Abner and the people lay all around him. ⁸ Then Abishai said to David, “God has delivered your enemy into your hand this day. Now therefore, please, let me strike him at once with the spear, right to the earth; and I will not have to strike him a second time!”

⁹ But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him; for who can stretch out his hand against the LORD’s anointed, and be guiltless?” ¹⁰ David said furthermore, “As the LORD lives, the LORD shall strike him, or his day shall come to die, or he shall go out to battle and perish. ¹¹ The LORD forbid that I should stretch out my hand against the LORD’s anointed. But please, take now the spear and the jug of water that are by his head, and let us go.” ¹² So David took the spear and the jug of water by Saul’s head, and they got away; and no man saw or knew it or awoke. For they were all asleep, because a deep sleep from the LORD had fallen on them.

¹³ Now David went over to the other side, and stood on the top of a hill afar off, a great distance being between them. ¹⁴ And David called out to the people and to Abner the son of Ner, saying, “Do you not answer, Abner?”

Then Abner answered and said, “Who are you, calling out to the king?”

¹⁵ So David said to Abner, “Are you not a man? And who is like you in Israel? Why then have you not guarded your lord the king? For one of the people came in to destroy your lord the king. ¹⁶ This thing that you have done is not good. As the LORD lives, you deserve to die, because you have not guarded your master, the LORD’s anointed. And now see where the king’s spear is, and the jug of water that was by his head.”

¹⁷ Then Saul knew David’s voice, and said, “Is that your voice, my son David?”

David said, “It is my voice, my lord, O king.” ¹⁸ And he said, “Why does my lord thus pursue his servant? For what have I done, or what evil is in my hand? ¹⁹ Now therefore, please, let my lord the king hear the words of his servant: If the LORD has stirred you up against me, let Him accept an offering. But if it is the children of men, may they be cursed before the LORD, for they have driven me out this day from sharing in the inheritance of the LORD, saying, ‘Go, serve other gods.’ ²⁰ So now, do not let my blood fall to the earth before the face of the LORD. For the king of Israel has come out to seek a flea, as when one hunts a partridge in the mountains.”

²¹ Then Saul said, “I have sinned. Return, my son David. For I will harm you no more, because my life was precious in your eyes this day. Indeed I have played the fool and erred exceedingly.”

²² And David answered and said, “Here is the king’s spear. Let one of the young men come over and get it. ²³ May the LORD repay every man for his righteousness and his faithfulness; for the LORD delivered you into my hand today, but I would not stretch out my hand against the LORD’s anointed. ²⁴ And indeed, as your life was valued much this day in my eyes, so let my life be valued much in the eyes of the LORD, and let Him deliver me out of all tribulation.”

²⁵ Then Saul said to David, “May you be blessed, my son David! You shall both do great things and also still prevail.”

So David went on his way, and Saul returned to his place.

David Allied With the Philistines

27

27:1 And David said in his heart, “Now I shall perish someday by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape to the land of the Philistines; and Saul will despair of me, to seek me anymore in any part of Israel. So I shall escape out of his hand.” ² Then David arose and went over with the six hundred men who were with him to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath. ³ So David dwelt with Achish at Gath, he and his men, each man with his household, and David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal’s widow. ⁴ And it was told Saul that David had fled to Gath; so he sought him no more.

⁵ Then David said to Achish, “If I have now found favor in your eyes, let them give me a place in some town in the country, that I may dwell there. For why should your servant dwell in the royal city with you?” ⁶ So Achish gave him Ziklag that day. Therefore Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day. ⁷ Now the time that David dwelt in the country of the Philis-tines was one full year and four months.

* Royal Cities of the Philistine Lords (1 Sam. 27:5)

The activities of the Philistines, as they settled in Canaan by the middle of the 12th century B.C., were centered on five cities: Ashdod, Ashkelon, Ekron, Gath, and Gaza (Josh. 13:3; 1 Sam. 6:17). These cities are all located in the southern coastal plain. It is natural that this region was selected by the Philistines, since they were part of a larger group of peoples called the Sea Peoples, all of whom came from coastal areas.

The fighting between the Philistines and the Israelites was in many ways a geographical struggle. The Philistines resided in the coastal plain, while the Israelites were the people of the central hill country. The Philistine encroachment into the hill country was so forceful that Israel was provoked into a change of leadership from the religious leader Samuel to the political and military leader Saul (1 Sam. 9:16).

While only five cities are specifically designated as Philistine, each of these royal cities oversaw the activities of nearby smaller towns or villages. Ziklag, which was given to David by the Philistine king Achish, was probably a vassal town to the Philistine royal city of Gath (1 Sam. 27:5, 6). In this way the sphere of the Philistine cities was much wider than might be supposed. Five Philistine lords ruled over the many country villages affiliated with the five royal cities (1 Sam. 8:18).

Philistine pottery appears in Canaan about the middle of the 12th century B.C. while centered in the coastal area, some pottery has also been found in the Shephelah (the foothills of the hill country) and even in the hill country. This should not be surprising, since Philistine military outposts spread to the very hometowns of both Saul and David (1 Sam. 14:1; 2 Sam. 23:14). The five Philistine cities sought to add subservient cities to their realm, but Saul, David, and their kinsmen, ardent opponents, stood in the way.

⁸ And David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites, the Girzites,^a and the Amalekites. For those nations were the inhabitants of the land from of old, as you go to Shur, even as far as the land of Egypt. ⁹ Whenever David attacked the land, he left neither man nor woman alive, but took away the sheep, the oxen, the donkeys, the camels, and the apparel, and returned and came to Achish. ¹⁰ Then Achish would say, “Where have you made a raid today?” And David would say, “Against the southern area of Judah, or against the southern area of the Jerahmeelites, or against the southern area of the Kenites.” ¹¹ David would save neither man nor woman alive, to bring news to Gath, saying, “Lest they should inform on us, saying, ‘Thus David did.’ ” And thus was his behavior all the time he dwelt in the country of the Philistines. ¹² So Achish believed David, saying, “He has made his people Israel utterly abhor him; therefore he will be my servant forever.”

28

28:1 Now it happened in those days that the Philistines gathered their armies together for war, to fight with Israel. And Achish said to David, “You assuredly know that you will go out with me to battle, you and your men.”

² So David said to Achish, “Surely you know what your servant can do.”

Cults & Supernatural

The popular view was that the dead went to Sheol or the underworld, a dark place from which one could not return. It was not considered impossible to have contact with the dead, but it was forbidden in the Law of Moses. When Saul attempted to make contact with the dead Samuel, he violated the order of nature as God has planned it (1 Sam. 28:8–14).

And Achish said to David, “Therefore I will make you one of my chief guardians forever.”

Saul Consults a Medium

³ Now Samuel had died, and all Israel had lamented for him and buried him in Ramah, in his own city. And Saul had put the mediums and the spiritists out of the land.

⁴ Then the Philistines gathered together, and came and encamped at Shunem. So Saul gathered all Israel together, and they encamped at Gilboa. ⁵ When Saul saw the army of the Philis-tines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. ⁶ And when Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by the prophets.

* A Guide for Divine Wisdom (1 Sam. 28:6)

In a revelation to Moses at Mount Sinai, God not only established Israel’s priesthood, but also provided a means for direct communication between the priesthood and Himself. The vehicle for this communication was located on the “breastplate of judgment” (Ex. 28:29, 30), a decorative, square, linen piece that hung across the high priest’s chest. It was attached to the priest’s gown by two gold chains that were connected at the shoulders. On this breastplate were twelve stones inscribed with the names of the twelve Israelite tribes (Ex. 28:17–21). The most remarkable feature of the breastplate, however, was the two additional stones called the Urim and Thummim.

The Urim and Thummim were used to ask God specific questions. A leader with a question would go to the high priest, who would “inquire before the Lord” (Num. 27:21) for the questioner. Questions were formed so that a yes or no answer could be given (1 Sam. 23:9–12). Presumably, the appropriate stone glowed. In the stories of David, the Urim and Thummim stones are often indicated by the calling for “the ephod,” the high priest’s garment to which they were attached (1 Sam. 30:7, 8).

Saul’s diminished relationship with his God is starkly underlined by his failure to receive a divine answer “either by dreams or by Urim or by the prophets” (1 Sam. 28:6, 15). The picture is of a desperate Saul being ignored by his deity. Eventually, Saul turned to witchcraft for guidance (1 Sam. 28:7).

Obtaining answers from God via the Urim and Thummim seems to have ceased or at least become out of vogue after the time of David. From Solomon’s reign until the Jews’ return from Babylon, the Urim and Thummim are mentioned only by the governor of Judah (Ezra 2:63; Neh. 7:65). Whether they actually were used even at that time is questionable. The governor may have referred to the Urim and Thummim as a way of stalling would-be priests who lacked evidence of the proper priestly genealogy (Ezra 2:62).

⁷ Then Saul said to his servants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her.”

And his servants said to him, “In fact, there is a woman who is a medium at En Dor.”

⁸ So Saul disguised himself and put on other clothes, and he went, and two men with him; and they came to the woman by night. And he said, “Please conduct a séance for me, and bring up for me the one I shall name to you.”

⁹ Then the woman said to him, “Look, you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off the mediums and the spiritists from the land. Why then do you lay a snare for my life, to cause me to die?”

¹⁰ And Saul swore to her by the LORD, saying, “As the LORD lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing.”

¹¹ Then the woman said, “Whom shall I bring up for you?”

And he said, “Bring up Samuel for me.”

¹² When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice. And the woman spoke to Saul, saying, “Why have you deceived me? For you are Saul!”

¹³ And the king said to her, “Do not be afraid. What did you see?”

And the woman said to Saul, “I saw a spirit^a ascending out of the earth.”

¹⁴ So he said to her, “What is his form?”

And she said, “An old man is coming up, and he is covered with a mantle.” And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground and bowed down.

¹⁵ Now Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?”

And Saul answered, “I am deeply distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God has departed from me and does not answer me anymore, neither by prophets nor by dreams. Therefore I have called you, that you may reveal to me what I should do.”

¹⁶ Then Samuel said: “So why do you ask me, seeing the LORD has departed from you and has become your enemy? ¹⁷ And the LORD has done for Himself^a as He spoke by me. For the LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David. ¹⁸ Because you did not obey the voice of the LORD nor execute His fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore the LORD has done this thing to you this day. ¹⁹ Moreover the LORD will also deliver Israel with you into the hand of the Philistines. And tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The LORD will also deliver the army of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.”

²⁰ Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, and was dreadfully afraid because of the words of Samuel. And there was no strength in him, for he had eaten no food all day or all night.

²¹ And the woman came to Saul and saw that he was severely troubled, and said to him, “Look, your maidservant has obeyed your voice, and I have put my life in my hands and heeded the words which you spoke to me. ²² Now therefore, please, heed also the voice of your maidservant, and let me set a piece of bread before you; and eat, that you may have strength when you go on your way.”

²³ But he refused and said, “I will not eat.”

So his servants, together with the woman, urged him; and he heeded their voice. Then he arose from the ground and sat on the bed. ²⁴ Now the woman had a fatted calf in the house, and she hastened to kill it. And she took flour and kneaded it, and baked unleavened bread from it. ²⁵ So she brought it before Saul and his servants, and they ate. Then they rose and went away that night.

The Philistines Reject David

29

29:1 Then the Philistines gathered together all their armies at Aphek, and the Israelites encamped by a fountain which is in Jezreel. ² And the lords of the Philistines passed in review by hundreds and by thousands, but David and his men passed in review at the rear with Achish. ³ Then the princes of the Philistines said, “What are these Hebrews doing here?”

And Achish said to the princes of the Philistines, “Is this not David, the servant of Saul king of Israel, who has been with me these days, or these years? And to this day I have found no fault in him since he defected to me.”

⁴ But the princes of the Philistines were angry with him; so the princes of the Philistines said to him, “Make this fellow return, that he may go back to the place which you have appointed for him, and do not let him go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become our adversary. For with what could he reconcile himself to his master, if not with the heads of these men? ⁵ Is this not David, of whom they sang to one another in dances, saying:

‘Saul has slain his thousands,

And David his ten thousands’?”^a

⁶ Then Achish called David and said to him, “Surely, as the LORD lives, you have been upright, and your going out and your coming in with me in the army is good in my sight. For to this day I have not found evil in you since the day of your coming to me. Nevertheless the lords do not favor you. ⁷ Therefore return now, and go in peace, that you may not displease the lords of the Philistines.”

⁸ So David said to Achish, “But what have I done? And to this day what have you found in your servant as long as I have been with you, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?”

⁹ Then Achish answered and said to David, “I know that you are as good in my sight as an angel of God; nevertheless the princes of the Philistines have said, ‘He shall not go up with us to the battle.’ ¹⁰ Now therefore, rise early in the morning with your master’s servants who have come with you.^a And as soon as you are up early in the morning and have light, depart.”

¹¹ So David and his men rose early to depart in the morning, to return to the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.

David’s Conflict With the Amalekites

30

30:1 Now it happened, when David and his men came to Ziklag, on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the South and Ziklag, attacked Ziklag and burned it with fire, ² and had taken captive the women and those who were there, from small to great; they did not kill anyone, but carried them away and went their way. ³ So David and his men came to the city, and there it was, burned with fire; and their wives, their sons, and their daughters had been taken captive. ⁴ Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept, until they had no more power to weep. ⁵ And David’s two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite, had been taken captive. ⁶ Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.

* Bedouins and Their Camels (1 Sam. 30:1–18)

The bedouins were pastoral nomads in western Asia in the 1st millennium B.C., who specialized in camel breeding. The camel was first domesticated in east and south Arabia in the 3rd millennium B.C. By the end of the Late Bronze Age (c. 1200 B.C.), the animal was used for transport and food in Syro-Palestine.

The first literary evidence of bedouin tribes comes from Assyrian royal inscriptions and reliefs (9th to 7th centuries B.C.). These tribes are described as large and combative, but subject to the Assyrian state. A thousand Arab bedouins were conscripted to fight along with Assyria at the battle of Qarqar against the Syro-Palestinian coalition (853 B.C.). The Assyrian king Tiglath-Pileser III (744–727 B.C.) was given 10,000 camels as tribute from the bedouins.

The first bedouin political state emerged in the 7th century B.C. According to Assyrian annals, it was a tribal confederacy centered in northern Arabia, led by the tribe of Qedar. These camel-breeding tribes are associated with the Ishmaelites, who were descended from Ishmael, the first son of Abraham (Gen. 16:15).

The camel allowed the pastoral nomads to travel greater distances, giving them the ability to penetrate the desert, away from politically organized communities. The Amalekites, whose attributes are similar in nature to the bedouin, seem to have traversed a large geographical region from the western Sinai to Arabia (1 Sam. 15:7). Their seasonal migrations as camel herders brought them into contact with other peoples, contact that sometimes became raiding opportunities. Some of the Amalekites who raided David’s Ziklag were able to escape by fleeing on their camels (1 Sam. 30:1, 16, 17).

⁷ Then David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, “Please bring the ephod here to me.” And Abiathar brought the ephod to David. ⁸ So David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?”

Religion & Worship

The ephod was a kind of garment worn by the high priest (1 Sam. 30:7). Its function was to permit a questioner to inquire of God concerning what actions to take in particular situations. Attached to the ephod was a breastplate containing the Urim and Thummim. These were special objects, accessible to the high priest and the king, used to convey God’s answer.

And He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.”

⁹ So David went, he and the six hundred men who were with him, and came to the Brook Besor, where those stayed who were left behind. ¹⁰ But David pursued, he and four hundred men; for two hundred stayed behind, who were so weary that they could not cross the Brook Besor.

¹¹ Then they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David; and they gave him bread and he ate, and they let him drink water. ¹² And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. So when he had eaten, his strength came back to him; for he had eaten no bread nor drunk water for three days and three nights. ¹³ Then David said to him, “To whom do you belong, and where are you from?”

And he said, “I am a young man from Egypt, servant of an Amalekite; and my master left me behind, because three days ago I fell sick. ¹⁴ We made an invasion of the southern area of the Cherethites, in the territory which belongs to Judah, and of the southern area of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire.”

¹⁵ And David said to him, “Can you take me down to this troop?”So he said, “Swear to me by God that you will neither kill me nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will take you down to this troop.”

¹⁶ And when he had brought him down, there they were, spread out over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil which they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. ¹⁷ Then David attacked them from twilight until the evening of the next day. Not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men who rode on camels and fled. ¹⁸ So David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away, and David rescued his two wives. ¹⁹ And nothing of theirs was lacking, either small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything which they had taken from them; David recovered all. ²⁰ Then David took all the flocks and herds they had driven before those other livestock, and said, “This is David’s spoil.”

²¹ Now David came to the two hundred men who had been so weary that they could not follow David, whom they also had made to stay at the Brook Besor. So they went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him. And when David came near the people, he greeted them. ²² Then all the wicked and worthless men^a of those who went with David answered and said, “Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered, except for every man’s wife and children, that they may lead them away and depart.”

²³ But David said, “My brethren, you shall not do so with what the LORD has given us, who has preserved us and delivered into our hand the troop that came against us. ²⁴ For who will heed you in this matter? But as his part is who goes down to the battle, so shall his part be who stays by the supplies; they shall share alike.” ²⁵ So it was, from that day forward; he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day.

²⁶ Now when David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the spoil to the elders of Judah, to his friends, saying, “Here is a present for you from the spoil of the enemies of the LORD”— ²⁷ to those who were in Bethel, those who were in Ramoth of the South, those who were in Jattir, ²⁸ those who were in Aroer, those who were in Siphmoth, those who were in Eshtemoa, ²⁹ those who were in Rachal, those who were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, those who were in the cities of the Kenites, ³⁰ those who were in Hormah, those who were in Chorashan,^a those who were in Athach, ³¹ those who were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were accustomed to rove.

Culture & Society

A standard feature of ancient warfare was to make a display of the fallen enemy. A suit of armor taken on the field of battle would be set up as a kind of sculptural monument. Still more terrible was to leave the enemy unburied. The people of Jabesh Gilead were brave because they performed a sacred duty in the face of great danger (1 Sam. 31:8–13).

Transition

Israel’s First King Is Dead

The final chapter of 1 Samuel depicts the sad end to a life of progressive alienation from God. Saul’s rebellion was his own, but his defeat included other people as well. A last grim service (31:11–13) for the fallen king and his sons was performed in memory of Saul’s deliverance of Jabesh Gilead many years before (see 1 Sam. 11). Israel’s first king was dead, clearing the way for David’s accession in about 1010 B.C.

The story of Saul’s death continues from 1 Samuel to 2 Samuel without interruption. Modern sensitivities are repulsed at David’s actions in 2 Sam. 1:1–16. Nonetheless, there is every reason to believe he was acting in integrity. Believing the Amalekite’s report that he had killed Saul, David, far from rewarding the man, executed him for his wanton act (1:14–16). David himself had twice refused to kill Saul. He refused to allow his men to kill the king. Even if it would give him the throne, David would not approve the murder of his predecessor.

• 1 Samuel 31:1–13
• 2 Samuel 1:1–27

1 Samuel 31:1–13

The Tragic End of Saul and His Sons

31

31:1 Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. ² Then the Philistines followed hard after Saul and his sons. And the Philistines killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul’s sons. ³ The battle became fierce against Saul. The archers hit him, and he was severely wounded by the archers.

⁴ Then Saul said to his armorbearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised men come and thrust me through and abuse me.”

But his armorbearer would not, for he was greatly afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword and fell on it. ⁵ And when his armorbearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword, and died with him. ⁶ So Saul, his three sons, his armorbearer, and all his men died together that same day.

⁷ And when the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley, and those who were on the other side of the Jordan, saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook the cities and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them. ⁸ So it happened the next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. ⁹ And they cut off his head and stripped off his armor, and sent word throughout the land of the Philistines, to proclaim it in the temple of their idols and among the people. ¹⁰ Then they put his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths, and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan.^a

¹¹ Now when the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, ¹² all the valiant men arose and traveled all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth Shan; and they came to Jabesh and burned them there. ¹³ Then they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.

2 Samuel 1:1–27

The Report of Saul’s Death

1

1:1 Now it came to pass after the death of Saul, when David had returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David had stayed two days in Ziklag, ² on the third day, behold, it happened that a man came from Saul’s camp with his clothes torn and dust on his head. So it was, when he came to David, that he fell to the ground and prostrated himself.

³ And David said to him, “Where have you come from?”

So he said to him, “I have escaped from the camp of Israel.”

⁴ Then David said to him, “How did the matter go? Please tell me.”

And he answered, “The people have fled from the battle, many of the people are fallen and dead, and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also.”

⁵ So David said to the young man who told him, “How do you know that Saul and Jonathan his son are dead?”

⁶ Then the young man who told him said, “As I happened by chance to be on Mount Gilboa, there was Saul, leaning on his spear; and indeed the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him. ⁷ Now when he looked behind him, he saw me and called to me. And I answered, ‘Here I am.’ ⁸ And he said to me, ‘Who are you?’ So I answered him, ‘I am an Amalekite.’ ⁹ He said to me again, ‘Please stand over me and kill me, for anguish has come upon me, but my life still remains in me.’ ¹⁰ So I stood over him and killed him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen. And I took the crown that was on his head and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them here to my lord.”

¹¹ Therefore David took hold of his own clothes and tore them, and so did all the men who were with him. ¹² And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son, for the people of the LORD and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.

¹³ Then David said to the young man who told him, “Where are you from?”

And he answered, “I am the son of an alien, an Amalekite.”

¹⁴ So David said to him, “How was it you were not afraid to put forth your hand to destroy the LORD’s anointed?” ¹⁵ Then David called one of the young men and said, “Go near, and execute him!” And he struck him so that he died. ¹⁶ So David said to him, “Your blood is on your own head, for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I have killed the LORD’s anointed.’ ”

The Song of the Bow

¹⁷ Then David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son, ¹⁸ and he told them to teach the children of Judah the Song of the Bow; indeed it is written in the Book of Jasher:

¹⁹ “The beauty of Israel is slain on your high places!

How the mighty have fallen!

²⁰ Tell it not in Gath,

Proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon—

Lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice,

Lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.

²¹ “O mountains of Gilboa,

Let there be no dew nor rain upon you,

Nor fields of offerings.

For the shield of the mighty is cast away there!

The shield of Saul, not anointed with oil.

²² From the blood of the slain,

From the fat of the mighty,

The bow of Jonathan did not turn back,

And the sword of Saul did not return empty.

²³ “Saul and Jonathan were beloved and pleasant in their lives,

And in their death they were not divided;

They were swifter than eagles,

They were stronger than lions.

²⁴ “O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,

Who clothed you in scarlet, with luxury;

Who put ornaments of gold on your apparel.

²⁵ “How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle!

Jonathan was slain in your high places.

²⁶ I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan;

You have been very pleasant to me;

Your love to me was wonderful,

Surpassing the love of women.

²⁷ “How the mighty have fallen,

And the weapons of war perished!”

Transition

Deliverance from Saul

The superscription to Ps. 18 is not very specific. It associates the psalm with a time when David celebrated deliverance, especially deliverance from Saul. Since no reconciliation with Saul took place before he died, it makes some sense to read this psalm in the context of Saul’s death.

This psalm also appears, with only minor changes, in 2 Sam. 22. There, although 2 Sam. 22:1 still notes David’s deliverance from Saul, the song refers to a wider range of enemies.

• Psalm 18

Psalm 18

God the Sovereign Savior

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David the servant of the LORD, who spoke to the LORD the words of this song on the day that the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. And he said:

I will love You, O LORD, my strength.

² The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;

My God, my strength, in whom I will trust;

My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

³ I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised;

So shall I be saved from my enemies.

⁴ The pangs of death surrounded me,

And the floods of ungodliness made me afraid.

⁵ The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me;

The snares of death confronted me.

⁶ In my distress I called upon the LORD,

And cried out to my God;

He heard my voice from His temple,

And my cry came before Him, even to His ears.

⁷ Then the earth shook and trembled;

The foundations of the hills also quaked and were shaken,

Because He was angry.

⁸ Smoke went up from His nostrils,

And devouring fire from His mouth;

Coals were kindled by it.

⁹ He bowed the heavens also, and came down

With darkness under His feet.

¹⁰ And He rode upon a cherub, and flew;

He flew upon the wings of the wind.

¹¹ He made darkness His secret place;

His canopy around Him was dark waters

And thick clouds of the skies.

¹² From the brightness before Him,

His thick clouds passed with hailstones and coals of fire.

¹³ The LORD thundered from heaven,

And the Most High uttered His voice,

Hailstones and coals of fire.^a

¹⁴ He sent out His arrows and scattered the foe,

Lightnings in abundance, and He vanquished them.

¹⁵ Then the channels of the sea were seen,

The foundations of the world were uncovered

At Your rebuke, O LORD,

At the blast of the breath of Your nostrils.

¹⁶ He sent from above, He took me;

He drew me out of many waters.

¹⁷ He delivered me from my strong enemy,

From those who hated me,

For they were too strong for me.

¹⁸ They confronted me in the day of my calamity,

But the LORD was my support.

¹⁹ He also brought me out into a broad place;

He delivered me because He delighted in me.

²⁰ The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness;

According to the cleanness of my hands

He has recompensed me.

²¹ For I have kept the ways of the LORD,

And have not wickedly departed from my God.

²² For all His judgments were before me,

And I did not put away His statutes from me.

²³ I was also blameless before Him,

And I kept myself from my iniquity.

²⁴ Therefore the LORD has recompensed me according to my righteousness,

According to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.

Beliefs & Ideas

God’s appearance at Mount Sinai when Moses received the law was marked by thunder, lightning, earthquake, and smoke. The phenomena of earthquake, volcano, and thunderstorm came together (Ex. 19:16–19). The Canaanites regarded their god Baal as the ruler of storms, and in Greek literature Zeus is called the “cloud gatherer.” The display of natural power was considered a sign of divine power (Ps. 18:7).

²⁵ With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful;

With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless;

²⁶ With the pure You will show Yourself pure;

And with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd.

²⁷ For You will save the humble people,

But will bring down haughty looks.

²⁸ For You will light my lamp;

The LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.

²⁹ For by You I can run against a troop,

By my God I can leap over a wall.

³⁰ As for God, His way is perfect;

The word of the LORD is proven;

He is a shield to all who trust in Him.

³¹ For who is God, except the LORD?

And who is a rock, except our God?

³² It is God who arms me with strength,

And makes my way perfect.

³³ He makes my feet like the feet of deer,

And sets me on my high places.

³⁴ He teaches my hands to make war,

So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

³⁵ You have also given me the shield of Your salvation;

Your right hand has held me up,

Your gentleness has made me great.

³⁶ You enlarged my path under me,

So my feet did not slip.

³⁷ I have pursued my enemies and overtaken them;

Neither did I turn back again till they were destroyed.

³⁸ I have wounded them,

So that they could not rise;

They have fallen under my feet.

³⁹ For You have armed me with strength for the battle;

You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.

⁴⁰ You have also given me the necks of my enemies,

So that I destroyed those who hated me.

⁴¹ They cried out, but there was none to save;

Even to the LORD, but He did not answer them.

⁴² Then I beat them as fine as the dust before the wind;

I cast them out like dirt in the streets.

⁴³ You have delivered me from the strivings of the people;

You have made me the head of the nations;

A people I have not known shall serve me.

⁴⁴ As soon as they hear of me they obey me;

The foreigners submit to me.

⁴⁵ The foreigners fade away,

And come frightened from their hideouts.

⁴⁶ The LORD lives!

Blessed be my Rock!

Let the God of my salvation be exalted.

⁴⁷ It is God who avenges me,

And subdues the peoples under me;

⁴⁸ He delivers me from my enemies.

You also lift me up above those who rise against me;

You have delivered me from the violent man.

⁴⁹ Therefore I will give thanks to You, O LORD, among the Gentiles,

And sing praises to Your name.

⁵⁰ Great deliverance He gives to His king,

And shows mercy to His anointed,

To David and his descendants forevermore.

Transition

Who Will Succeed Saul as King?

Most ancient Near Eastern kingdoms had established dynasties in which successive rulers came from the same family. The practice of dynastic succession meant that when a king died, his eldest son normally reigned in his place. The exceptions were those rather frequent cases when a powerful general seized control for himself.

But dynastic succession was foreign to Israel. During the earlier tribal confederacy, the judges had been inspired specifically for times of crisis, and their inspiration was not transferred to their sons. When Gideon was asked to reign, he refused, saying, “I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you; the Lord shall rule over you” (Judg. 8:23).

When Israel’s first king died, the question of succession became crucial. Some favored a dynastic succession, placing Saul’s son Ishbo sheth on the throne (2 Sam. 2:8–10). Others, perhaps remembering the pattern of the judges, preferred to crown the man who had shown himself most able, David (2 Sam. 2:10, 11).

In addition, both Ishbosheth and David had ambitious generals. Abner, who was commander of Saul’s army, as well as a cousin of Saul, naturally supported Ishbosheth to succeed his father as king. In the same way, Joab, commander of David’s army and the son of David’s sister Zeruiah, was a powerful element in David’s campaign for the throne. In the ensuing years of civil war, the plots and maneuverings of these generals became extremely significant.

Equally significant are the brief lists in 2 Sam. 3:2–5 and 5:13–16 of the sons born to David. The question of royal succession would apply to the next generation as well. David’s first and third sons, Amnon and Absalom (3:2, 3), would prove themselves unworthy of the throne and be eliminated (2 Sam. 13–18). Two other sons, Adonijah (3:4) and Solomon (5:14), would later challenge each other for their father’s throne (1 Kin. 1; 2).

• 2 Samuel 2:1–4:12

2 Samuel

David Anointed King of Judah

2

2:1 It happened after this that David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I go up to any of the cities of Judah?”

And the LORD said to him, “Go up.”

David said, “Where shall I go up?”

And He said, “To Hebron.”

² So David went up there, and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite. ³ And David brought up the men who were with him, every man with his household. So they dwelt in the cities of Hebron.

⁴ Then the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. And they told David, saying, “The men of Jabesh Gilead were the ones who buried Saul.” ⁵ So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead, and said to them, “You are blessed of the LORD, for you have shown this kindness to your lord, to Saul, and have buried him. ⁶ And now may the LORD show kindness and truth to you. I also will repay you this kindness, because you have done this thing. ⁷ Now therefore, let your hands be strengthened, and be valiant; for your master Saul is dead, and also the house of Judah has anointed me king over them.”

Ishbosheth Made King of Israel

⁸ But Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul’s army, took Ishbosheth^a the son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim; ⁹ and he made him king over Gilead, over the Ashurites, over Jezreel, over Ephraim, over Benjamin, and over all Israel. ¹⁰ Ishbosheth, Saul’s son, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. Only the house of Judah followed David. ¹¹ And the time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.

Israel and Judah At War

¹² Now Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ishbosheth the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon. ¹³ And Joab the son of Zeruiah, and the servants of David, went out and met them by the pool of Gibeon. So they sat down, one on one side of the pool and the other on the other side of the pool. ¹⁴ Then Abner said to Joab, “Let the young men now arise and compete before us.”

And Joab said, “Let them arise.”

¹⁵ So they arose and went over by number, twelve from Benjamin, followers of Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and twelve from the servants of David. ¹⁶ And each one grasped his opponent by the head and thrust his sword in his opponent’s side; so they fell down together. Therefore that place was called the Field of Sharp Swords,^a which is in Gibeon. ¹⁷ So there was a very fierce battle that day, and Abner and the men of Israel were beaten before the servants of David.

Culture & Society

In the hand-to-hand combat of the nomad, the final stage was to seize the opponent and deliver the fatal blow (2 Sam. 2:16). The fighting match between Saul’s and David’s warriors illustrates a particular technique of fighting. The contest displays a social idea of combat in which the number of contestants is fixed and the fighting is by arrangement (2:14, 15).

¹⁸ Now the three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab and Abishai and Asahel. And Asahel was as fleet of foot as a wild gazelle. ¹⁹ So Asahel pursued Abner, and in going he did not turn to the right hand or to the left from following Abner.

²⁰ Then Abner looked behind him and said, “Are you Asahel?”

He answered, “I am.”

²¹ And Abner said to him, “Turn aside to your right hand or to your left, and lay hold on one of the young men and take his armor for yourself.” But Asahel would not turn aside from following him. ²² So Abner said again to Asahel, “Turn aside from following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How then could I face your brother Joab?” ²³ However, he refused to turn aside. Therefore Abner struck him in the stomach with the blunt end of the spear, so that the spear came out of his back; and he fell down there and died on the spot. So it was that as many as came to the place where Asahel fell down and died, stood still.

²⁴ Joab and Abishai also pursued Abner. And the sun was going down when they came to the hill of Ammah, which is before Giah by the road to the Wilderness of Gibeon. ²⁵ Now the children of Benjamin gathered together behind Abner and became a unit, and took their stand on top of a hill. ²⁶ Then Abner called to Joab and said, “Shall the sword devour forever? Do you not know that it will be bitter in the latter end? How long will it be then until you tell the people to return from pursuing their brethren?”

²⁷ And Joab said, “As God lives, unless you had spoken, surely then by morning all the people would have given up pursuing their brethren.” ²⁸ So Joab blew a trumpet; and all the people stood still and did not pursue Israel anymore, nor did they fight anymore. ²⁹ Then Abner and his men went on all that night through the plain, crossed over the Jordan, and went through all Bithron; and they came to Mahanaim.

³⁰ So Joab returned from pursuing Abner. And when he had gathered all the people together, there were missing of David’s servants nineteen men and Asahel. ³¹ But the servants of David had struck down, of Benjamin and Abner’s men, three hundred and sixty men who died. ³² Then they took up Asahel and buried him in his father’s tomb, which was in Bethlehem. And Joab and his men went all night, and they came to Hebron at daybreak.

3

3:1 Now there was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David. But David grew stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.

Sons of David

² Sons were born to David in Hebron: His firstborn was Amnon by Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; ³ his second, Chileab, by Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite; the third, Absalom the son of Maacah, the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur; ⁴ the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital; ⁵ and the sixth, Ithream, by David’s wife Eglah. These were born to David in Hebron.

Abner Joins Forces With David

⁶ Now it was so, while there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David, that Abner was strengthening his hold on the house of Saul.

⁷ And Saul had a concubine, whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah. So Ishbosheth said to Abner, “Why have you gone in to my father’s concubine?”

* The Sort-of Wife (2 Sam. 3:7)

The word “concubine” is difficult to define for people of western culture since there is no analogous relationship in Western European society. In the ancient Near East a concubine was a woman who had legal status within a family and who shared the sexual attentions of the husband, while having somewhat lesser authority than a wife. The presence of concubines in a household was openly acknowledged without any pejorative implication (2 Sam. 19:5). In other words, they were accepted like other family members. The sons of a concubine were treated as heirs, though with, perhaps, somewhat lesser status (Gen. 25:6).

For one to take another man’s concubine was seen as usurping the husband’s authority. This was especially true of a king’s concubines. To gain possession of a king’s harem was to gain title to the king’s throne. After David became king, he took possession of Saul’s concubines (2 Sam. 12:8). When Absalom usurped his father David’s rule of Jerusalem, one of his first acts to publicly claim royal authority was to establish sexual relations with David’s concubines (2 Sam. 16:21, 22).

After Saul died, his son Ishbosheth struggled to secure his position as Saul’s successor. There were battles between Ishbosheth’s Israel and David’s Judah (2 Sam. 3:6). In light of Ishbosheth’s shaky kingship, it is quite natural that he would be alarmed at the possibility of anyone, especially the army commander Abner, having relations with Saul’s concubine, Rizpah (3:7).

⁸ Then Abner became very angry at the words of Ishbosheth, and said, “Am I a dog’s head that belongs to Judah? Today I show loyalty to the house of Saul your father, to his brothers, and to his friends, and have not delivered you into the hand of David; and you charge me today with a fault concerning this woman? ⁹ May God do so to Abner, and more also, if I do not do for David as the LORD has sworn to him— ¹⁰ to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul, and set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan to Beersheba.” ¹¹ And he could not answer Abner another word, because he feared him.

¹² Then Abner sent messengers on his behalf to David, saying, “Whose is the land?” saying also, “Make your covenant with me, and indeed my hand shall be with you to bring all Israel to you.”

¹³ And David said, “Good, I will make a covenant with you. But one thing I require of you: you shall not see my face unless you first bring Michal, Saul’s daughter, when you come to see my face.” ¹⁴ So David sent messengers to Ishbosheth, Saul’s son, saying, “Give me my wife Michal, whom I betrothed to myself for a hundred foreskins of the Philistines.” ¹⁵ And Ishbosheth sent and took her from her husband, from Paltiel^a the son of Laish. ¹⁶ Then her husband went along with her to Bahurim, weeping behind her. So Abner said to him, “Go, return!” And he returned.

¹⁷ Now Abner had communicated with the elders of Israel, saying, “In time past you were seeking for David to be king over you. ¹⁸ Now then, do it! For the LORD has spoken of David, saying, ‘By the hand of My servant David, I^a will save My people Israel from the hand of the Philistines and the hand of all their enemies.’ ” ¹⁹ And Abner also spoke in the hearing of Benjamin. Then Abner also went to speak in the hearing of David in Hebron all that seemed good to Israel and the whole house of Benjamin.

²⁰ So Abner and twenty men with him came to David at Hebron. And David made a feast for Abner and the men who were with him. ²¹ Then Abner said to David, “I will arise and go, and gather all Israel to my lord the king, that they may make a covenant with you, and that you may reign over all that your heart desires.” So David sent Abner away, and he went in peace.

Joab Murders Abner

²² At that moment the servants of David and Joab came from a raid and brought much spoil with them. But Abner was not with David in Hebron, for he had sent him away, and he had gone in peace. ²³ When Joab and all the troops that were with him had come, they told Joab, saying, “Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he sent him away, and he has gone in peace.” ²⁴ Then Joab came to the king and said, “What have you done? Look, Abner came to you; why is it that you sent him away, and he has already gone? ²⁵ Surely you realize that Abner the son of Ner came to deceive you, to know your going out and your coming in, and to know all that you are doing.”

²⁶ And when Joab had gone from David’s presence, he sent messengers after Abner, who brought him back from the well of Sirah. But David did not know it. ²⁷ Now when Abner had returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside in the gate to speak with him privately, and there stabbed him in the stomach, so that he died for the blood of Asahel his brother.

²⁸ Afterward, when David heard it, he said, “My kingdom and I are guiltless before the LORD forever of the blood of Abner the son of Ner. ²⁹ Let it rest on the head of Joab and on all his father’s house; and let there never fail to be in the house of Joab one who has a discharge or is a leper, who leans on a staff or falls by the sword, or who lacks bread.” ³⁰ So Joab and Abishai his brother killed Abner, because he had killed their brother Asahel at Gibeon in the battle.

David’s Mourning for Abner

³¹ Then David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, “Tear your clothes, gird yourselves with sackcloth, and mourn for Abner.” And King David followed the coffin. ³² So they buried Abner in Hebron; and the king lifted up his voice and wept at the grave of Abner, and all the people wept. ³³ And the king sang a lament over Abner and said:

“Should Abner die as a fool dies?

³⁴ Your hands were not bound

Nor your feet put into fetters;

As a man falls before wicked men, so you fell.”

Then all the people wept over him again.

³⁵ And when all the people came to persuade David to eat food while it was still day, David took an oath, saying, “God do so to me, and more also, if I taste bread or anything else till the sun goes down!” ³⁶ Now all the people took note of it, and it pleased them, since whatever the king did pleased all the people. ³⁷ For all the people and all Israel understood that day that it had not been the king’s intent to kill Abner the son of Ner. ³⁸ Then the king said to his servants, “Do you not know that a prince and a great man has fallen this day in Israel? ³⁹ And I am weak today, though anointed king; and these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too harsh for me. The LORD shall repay the evildoer according to his wickedness.”

Culture & Society

Before the monarchy there was a long-standing custom of blood revenge. The “blood avenger” would avenge the death of a relative by killing the relative’s slayer (Josh. 20:3). Blood vengeance was not allowed, however, for persons killed in battle (2 Sam. 2:21–23). Joab ignores this exception and avenges his younger brother Asahel’s death by killing Abner (2 Sam. 3:27).

Ishbosheth Is Murdered

4

4:1 When Saul’s son^a heard that Abner had died in Hebron, he lost heart, and all Israel was troubled. ² Now Saul’s son had two men who were captains of troops. The name of one was Baanah and the name of the other Rechab, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, of the children of Benjamin. (For Beeroth also was part of Benjamin, ³ because the Beerothites fled to Gittaim and have been sojourners there until this day.)

⁴ Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a son who was lame in his feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel; and his nurse took him up and fled. And it happened, as she made haste to flee, that he fell and became lame. His name was Mephibosheth.^a

⁵ Then the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, set out and came at about the heat of the day to the house of Ishbosheth, who was lying on his bed at noon. ⁶ And they came there, all the way into the house, as though to get wheat, and they stabbed him in the stomach. Then Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped. ⁷ For when they came into the house, he was lying on his bed in his bedroom; then they struck him and killed him, beheaded him and took his head, and were all night escaping through the plain. ⁸ And they brought the head of Ishbosheth to David at Hebron, and said to the king, “Here is the head of Ishbosheth, the son of Saul your enemy, who sought your life; and the LORD has avenged my lord the king this day of Saul and his descendants.”

⁹ But David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said to them, “As the LORD lives, who has redeemed my life from all adversity, ¹⁰ when someone told me, saying, ‘Look, Saul is dead,’ thinking to have brought good news, I arrested him and had him executed in Ziklag—the one who thought I would give him a reward for his news. ¹¹ How much more, when wicked men have killed a righteous person in his own house on his bed? Therefore, shall I not now require his blood at your hand and remove you from the earth?” ¹² So David commanded his young men, and they executed them, cut off their hands and feet, and hanged them by the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ishbosheth and buried it in the tomb of Abner in Hebron.

Transition

When Did David Become King?

The exact dates of David’s kingship are unknown. In fact, exact dates for Israel’s first three kings —Saul, David, Solomon —are not known (see “When Did Saul Become King?” at 1 Sam. 13:1). The text of 2 Samuel records that David reigned first over Judah for 7 and 1/2 years at Hebron, then over Israel and Judah for 33 years at Jerusalem. These figures are rounded to a total reign of 40 years (2 Sam. 5:4, 5). However, an absolute date for when David began to rule is lacking.

David’s reign could be estimated backward from his son Solomon, but Solomon’s dates too are uncertain. Like Saul and David, Solomon also is reported to have reigned 40 years (1 Kin. 11:42). However, the 40-year figure given for Saul, David, and Solomon could be a symbolic round number representing the length of a generation. In addition, we are not sure how long Solomon ruled as a coregent with his father (1 Kin. 1:32–35; 2:1, 10).

If we accept that any dates for David are only approximate, his reign can be figured by starting from Solomon’s son Rehoboam. The beginning of Rehoboam’s rule over Judah can be placed at 930 B.C. Counting backward 40 years would date Solomon’s reign from 970 to 930 B.C. Backing up another 40 years would place the beginning of David’s rule in Judah at about 1010 B.C. and in Jerusalem at about 1003 B.C.

• 2 Samuel 5:1–7:29

2 Samuel

David Reigns Over All Israel

5

5:1 Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and spoke, saying, “Indeed we are your bone and your flesh. ² Also, in time past, when Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel out and brought them in; and the LORD said to you, ‘You shall shepherd My people Israel, and be ruler over Israel.’ ” ³ Therefore all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the LORD. And they anointed David king over Israel. ⁴ David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. ⁵ In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah.

The Conquest of Jerusalem

⁶ And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who spoke to David, saying, “You shall not come in here; but the blind and the lame will repel you,” thinking, “David cannot come in here.” ⁷ Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion (that is, the City of David).

⁸ Now David said on that day, “Whoever climbs up by way of the water shaft and defeats the Jebusites (the lame and the blind, who are hated by David’s soul), he shall be chief and captain.”^a Therefore they say, “The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.”

⁹ Then David dwelt in the stronghold, and called it the City of David. And David built all around from the Millo^a and inward. ¹⁰ So David went on and became great, and the LORD God of hosts was with him.

* Up the Jebusite Water Shaft (2 Sam. 5:8)

The City of David was built on a hill over the Gihon spring, the main water source for the Jerusalem area (2 Chr. 32:30). Before David conquered the city, a people called the Jebusites lived there and dug a shaft down to the spring, which flowed from the mountain’s base.

This water shaft was the key to the long-lived freedom of the Jebusites (Josh. 15:63). It gave the city’s inhabitants access to water, even when enemies surrounded them. That plus the steep mountain on which the city was built made the city nearly impossible to conquer.

The digging of the Jebusite shaft was no easy task. In fact, the Jebusites actually first dug a tunnel that after some time had to be abandoned. Their second attempt produced two descending steps and one horizontal step before finally reaching water level. Once there, the Jebusites tunneled an additional 65 feet to the mouth of the spring.

David discovered the Jebusite shaft and realized that it was the easiest and least-expected way for his soldiers to enter Jerusalem. By climbing up the shaft (the same shaft still visible to visitors today), David and his men conquered the Jebusites and gained a new capital city (2 Sam. 5:8, 9).

¹¹ Then Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, and carpenters and masons. And they built David a house. ¹² So David knew that the LORD had established him as king over Israel, and that He had exalted His kingdom for the sake of His people Israel.

¹³ And David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, after he had come from Hebron. Also more sons and daughters were born to David. ¹⁴ Now these are the names of those who were born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua,^a Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, ¹⁵ Ibhar, Elishua,^a Nepheg, Japhia, ¹⁶ Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.

The Philistines Defeated

¹⁷ Now when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to search for David. And David heard of it and went down to the stronghold. ¹⁸ The Philistines also went and deployed themselves in the Valley of Rephaim. ¹⁹ So David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?”

And the LORD said to David, “Go up, for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into your hand.”

²⁰ So David went to Baal Perazim, and David defeated them there; and he said, “The LORD has broken through my enemies before me, like a breakthrough of water.” Therefore he called the name of that place Baal Perazim.^{a 21} And they left their images there, and David and his men carried them away.

²² Then the Philistines went up once again and deployed themselves in the Valley of Rephaim. ²³ Therefore David inquired of the LORD, and He said, “You shall not go up; circle around behind them, and come upon them in front of the mulberry trees. ²⁴ And it shall be, when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then you shall advance quickly. For then the LORD will go out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.” ²⁵ And David did so, as the LORD commanded him; and he drove back the Philistines from Geba^a as far as Gezer.

The Ark Brought To Jerusalem

6

6:1 Again David gathered all the choice men of Israel, thirty thousand. ² And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, whose name is called by the Name,^a the LORD of Hosts, who dwells between the cherubim. ³ So they set the ark of God on a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill; and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drove the new cart.^{a 4} And they brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill, accompanying the ark of God; and Ahio went before the ark. ⁵ Then David and all the house of Israel played music before the LORD on all kinds of instruments of fir wood, on harps, on stringed instruments, on tambourines, on sistrums, and on cymbals.

The First Kings of Israel

⁶ And when they came to Nachon’s threshing floor, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. ⁷ Then the anger of the LORD was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him there for his error; and he died there by the ark of God. ⁸ And David became angry because of the LORD’s outbreak against Uzzah; and he called the name of the place Perez Uzzah^a to this day.

⁹ David was afraid of the LORD that day; and he said, “How can the ark of the LORD come to me?” ¹⁰ So David would not move the ark of the LORD with him into the City of David; but David took it aside into the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. ¹¹ The ark of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite three months. And the LORD blessed Obed-Edom and all his household.

¹² Now it was told King David, saying, “The LORD has blessed the house of Obed-Edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.” So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with gladness. ¹³ And so it was, when those bearing the ark of the LORD had gone six paces, that he sacrificed oxen and fatted sheep. ¹⁴ Then David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was wearing a linen ephod. ¹⁵ So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting and with the sound of the trumpet.

¹⁶ Now as the ark of the LORD came into the City of David, Michal, Saul’s daughter, looked through a window and saw King David leaping and whirling before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart. ¹⁷ So they brought the ark of the LORD, and set it in its place in the midst of the tabernacle that David had erected for it. Then David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD. ¹⁸ And when David had finished offering burnt offerings and peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD of hosts. ¹⁹ Then he distributed among all the people, among the whole multitude of Israel, both the women and the men, to everyone a loaf of bread, a piece of meat, and a cake of raisins. So all the people departed, everyone to his house.

²⁰ Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, “How glorious was the king of Israel today, uncovering himself today in the eyes of the maids of his servants, as one of the base fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!”

²¹ So David said to Michal, “It was before the LORD, who chose me instead of your father and all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the LORD, over Israel. Therefore I will play music before the LORD. ²² And I will be even more undignified than this, and will be humble in my own sight. But as for the maidservants of whom you have spoken, by them I will be held in honor.”

²³ Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.

God’s Covenant With David

7

7:1 Now it came to pass when the king was dwelling in his house, and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies all around, ² that the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells inside tent curtains.”

³ Then Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your heart, for the LORD is with you.”

⁴ But it happened that night that the word of the LORD came to Nathan, saying, ⁵ “Go and tell My servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD: “Would you build a house for Me to dwell in? ⁶ For I have not dwelt in a house since the time that I brought the children of Israel up from Egypt, even to this day, but have moved about in a tent and in a tabernacle. ⁷ Wherever I have moved about with all the children of Israel, have I ever spoken a word to anyone from the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd My people Israel, saying, ‘Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?’ ” ’ ⁸ Now therefore, thus shall you say to My servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts: “I took you from the sheepfold, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people, over Israel. ⁹ And I have been with you wherever you have gone, and have cut off all your enemies from before you, and have made you a great name, like the name of the great men who are on the earth. ¹⁰ Moreover I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own and move no more; nor shall the sons of wickedness oppress them anymore, as previously, ¹¹ since the time that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel, and have caused you to rest from all your enemies. Also the LORD tells you that He will make you a house.^a

Agriculture & Herding

David is one of several shepherds who eventually became great leaders (2 Sam. 7:8). Amos was called to be a prophet while he was tending sheep (Amos 7:14). Moses noticed the burning bush when he was “tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law” (Ex. 3:1). One of Greece’s earliest poets, Hesiod (c. 700 B.C.) received his call to write poetry while he was a shepherd on Mount Helicon.

¹² “When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. ¹³ He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. ¹⁴ I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men. ¹⁵ But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. ¹⁶ And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you.^a Your throne shall be established forever.” ’ ”

¹⁷ According to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.

David’s Thanksgiving To God

¹⁸ Then King David went in and sat before the LORD; and he said: “Who am I, O Lord GOD? And what is my house, that You have brought me this far? ¹⁹ And yet this was a small thing in Your sight, O Lord GOD; and You have also spoken of Your servant’s house for a great while to come. Is this the manner of man, O Lord GOD? ²⁰ Now what more can David say to You? For You, Lord GOD, know Your servant. ²¹ For Your word’s sake, and according to Your own heart, You have done all these great things, to make Your servant know them. ²² Therefore You are great, O Lord GOD.^a For there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears. ²³ And who is like Your people, like Israel, the one nation on the earth whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people, to make for Himself a name—and to do for Yourself great and awesome deeds for Your land—before Your people whom You redeemed for Yourself from Egypt, the nations, and their gods? ²⁴ For You have made Your people Israel Your very own people forever; and You, LORD, have become their God.

²⁵ “Now, O LORD God, the word which You have spoken concerning Your servant and concerning his house, establish it forever and do as You have said. ²⁶ So let Your name be magnified forever, saying, ‘The LORD of hosts is the God over Israel.’ And let the house of Your servant David be established before You. ²⁷ For You, O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, have revealed this to Your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house.’ Therefore Your servant has found it in his heart to pray this prayer to You.

²⁸ “And now, O Lord GOD, You are God, and Your words are true, and You have promised this goodness to Your servant. ²⁹ Now therefore, let it please You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue before You forever; for You, O Lord GOD, have spoken it, and with Your blessing let the house of Your servant be blessed forever.”

Transition

The Books of Chronicles

While Chronicles has a different emphasis than Samuel and Kings, the Chronicler is able to use a good deal of those earlier books. In fact, Chronicles often quotes the other histories, especially Kings. But Chronicles also extends farther in time. Whereas Kings ends during the Babylonian exile, Chronicles concludes with the Persian king Cyrus’s proclamation that allowed the exiled Jews to return to Jerusalem. See “Prophetic Account: Saul and David” at 1 Sam. 9:1.

Although the books of Chronicles are especially concerned with the monarchy, they begin much earlier, with Adam. In the historical shorthand of genealogies of 1 Chr. 1–9, the Chronicler covers the time span between Adam and King Saul (and a good deal beyond Saul). These genealogical lists actually go as far as the postexilic period and provide an important backdrop for that era (see “Priestly Genealogies” at 1 Chr. 1:1).

The final genealogy (1 Chr. 9:35–44), however, covers Saul’s family and introduces the narrative of his tragic death in 1 Chr. 10. Within the list are what was probably the original names of Saul’s son (Esh-Baal, 9:39) and grandson (Merib-Baal, 9:40). The prophetic story of Saul’s family in 2 Samuel consistently spells these names as Ishbosheth (2 Sam. 2:8) and Mephibosheth (2 Sam. 4:4). The author of Samuel replaced the name of the Canaanite god Baal with bosheth, the Hebrew word for “shame.”

• 1 Chronicles 9:35–44

1 Chronicles

The Family of King Saul

9

9:35 Jeiel the father of Gibeon, whose wife’s name was Maacah, dwelt at Gibeon. ³⁶ His firstborn son was Abdon, then Zur, Kish, Baal, Ner, Nadab, ³⁷ Gedor, Ahio, Zechariah,^a and Mikloth. ³⁸ And Mikloth begot Shimeam.^a They also dwelt alongside their relatives in Jerusalem, with their brethren. ³⁹ Ner begot Kish, Kish begot Saul, and Saul begot Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Esh-Baal. ⁴⁰ The son of Jonathan was Merib-Baal, and Merib-Baal begot Micah. ⁴¹ The sons of Micah were Pithon, Melech, Tahrea,^a and Ahaz.^{b 42} And Ahaz begot Jarah;^a Jarah begot Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri; and Zimri begot Moza; ⁴³ Moza begot Binea, Rephaiah^a his son, Eleasah his son, and Azel his son.

⁴⁴ And Azel had six sons whose names were these: Azrikam, Bocheru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan; these were the sons of Azel.

Transition

Priestly Account: Saul and David

The books of Chronicles cover the same historical time period as the books of Samuel and Kings, but they do so very differently. The author of Chronicles, often called “the Chronicler,” wrote at a later time and with a different purpose, and thus omitted episodes that would detract from that purpose. Saul is allotted very little space, and the Chronicler consistently ignores the civil war between the houses of Saul and David. Only Saul’s ignominious end is recorded (1 Chr. 10) as background to David’s rise to the throne.

The Chronicler is mainly interested in Davidic kingship, Jerusalem, and the temple. In Chron icles, David is above all the devout founder of the Jerusalem temple. Perhaps for this reason, he is consistently presented in a positive light. In telling David’s story, the Chronicler emphasizes the king’s concern for the ark of the covenant and for his capital at Jerusalem (1 Chr. 13; 15). Both the ark and the capital are prerequisites for the temple.

• 1 Chronicles 10:1–11:47

1 Chronicles

Tragic End of Saul and His Sons

10

10:1 Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. ² Then the Philistines followed hard after Saul and his sons. And the Philistines killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul’s sons. ³ The battle became fierce against Saul. The archers hit him, and he was wounded by the archers. ⁴ Then Saul said to his armorbearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised men come and abuse me.” But his armorbearer would not, for he was greatly afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword and fell on it. ⁵ And when his armorbearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword and died. ⁶ So Saul and his three sons died, and all his house died together. ⁷ And when all the men of Israel who were in the valley saw that they had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook their cities and fled; then the Philistines came and dwelt in them.

⁸ So it happened the next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. ⁹ And they stripped him and took his head and his armor, and sent word throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news in the temple of their idols and among the people. ¹⁰ Then they put his armor in the temple of their gods, and fastened his head in the temple of Dagon.

¹¹ And when all Jabesh Gilead heard all that the Philistines had done to Saul, ¹² all the valiant men arose and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons; and they brought them to Jabesh, and buried their bones under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.

¹³ So Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he had committed against the LORD, because he did not keep the word of the LORD, and also because he consulted a medium for guidance. ¹⁴ But he did not inquire of the LORD; therefore He killed him, and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.

David Made King Over All Israel

11

11:1 Then all Israel came together to David at Hebron, saying, “Indeed we are your bone and your flesh. ² Also, in time past, even when Saul was king, you were the one who led Israel out and brought them in; and the LORD your God said to you, ‘You shall shepherd My people Israel, and be ruler over My people Israel.’ ” ³ Therefore all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the LORD. And they anointed David king over Israel, according to the word of the LORD by Samuel.

* What Was the Millo? (1 Chr. 11:8)

David’s building of the Millo was considered by the biblical writers to be one of this king’s major accomplishments. Likewise his son Solomon was known for significant building activities, including the temple, Solomon’s palace, the wall of Jerusalem, the rebuilding of the cities of Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer, as well as the Millo (1 Kin. 9:15). The building of the Millo was certainly seen as a major building feat. Unfortunately, the biblical writers never describe what the Millo was.

The Millo is first associated with David; therefore, we can assume that the Millo was located in the City of David (1 Chr. 11:8). The later account of the Millo’s rebuilding by King Hezekiah (715–686 B.C.) specifies this location (2 Chr. 32:5). Whatever the Millo was, it appears to have been a major construction project.

Archaeological excavations in the City of David discovered terraces built on its steep eastern slope. These terraces served as retaining walls for the buildings constructed above. This innovative support structure was probably what Jerusalemites knew as “the Millo.”

A fortification or citadel near Jerusalem, the Millo may have been a solid tower full of earth or a bastion strenghtening a weak point in the wall.

The City of David

⁴ And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem, which is Jebus, where the Jebusites were, the inhabitants of the land. ⁵ But the inhabitants of Jebus said to David, “You shall not come in here!” Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion (that is, the City of David). ⁶ Now David said, “Whoever attacks the Jebusites first shall be chief and captain.” And Joab the son of Zeruiah went up first, and became chief. ⁷ Then David dwelt in the stronghold; therefore they called it the City of David. ⁸ And he built the city around it, from the Millo^a to the surrounding area. Joab repaired the rest of the city. ⁹ So David went on and became great, and the LORD of hosts was with him.

The Mighty Men of David

¹⁰ Now these were the heads of the mighty men whom David had, who strengthened themselves with him in his kingdom, with all Israel, to make him king, according to the word of the LORD concerning Israel.

¹¹ And this is the number of the mighty men whom David had: Jashobeam the son of a Hachmonite, chief of the captains;^a he had lifted up his spear against three hundred, killed by him at one time.

¹² After him was Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Ahohite, who was one of the three mighty men. ¹³ He was with David at Pasdammim. Now there the Philistines were gathered for battle, and there was a piece of ground full of barley. So the people fled from the Philistines. ¹⁴ But they stationed themselves in the middle of that field, defended it, and killed the Philistines. So the LORD brought about a great victory.

¹⁵ Now three of the thirty chief men went down to the rock to David, into the cave of Adullam; and the army of the Philistines encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. ¹⁶ David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem. ¹⁷ And David said with longing, “Oh, that someone would give me a drink of water from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!” ¹⁸ So the three broke through the camp of the Philistines, drew water from the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate, and took it and brought it to David. Nevertheless David would not drink it, but poured it out to the LORD. ¹⁹ And he said, “Far be it from me, O my God, that I should do this! Shall I drink the blood of these men who have put their lives in jeopardy? For at the risk of their lives they brought it.” Therefore he would not drink it. These things were done by the three mighty men.

Arts & Literature

In the ancient world, the proper disposition of the bodies of the dead was of extreme importance (1 Chr. 10:11, 12). In the Greek tragedy Antigone, the lead character, Antigone, decides against the law of the state that she must provide a decent burial for her brother. She makes this choice of divine law over human law, even though she knows that the penalty for doing what is right is death.

²⁰ Abishai the brother of Joab was chief of another three.^a He had lifted up his spear against three hundred men, killed them, and won a name among these three. ²¹ Of the three he was more honored than the other two men. Therefore he became their captain. However he did not attain to the first three.

²² Benaiah was the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man from Kabzeel, who had done many deeds. He had killed two lion-like heroes of Moab. He also had gone down and killed a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day. ²³ And he killed an Egyptian, a man of great height, five cubits tall. In the Egyptian’s hand there was a spear like a weaver’s beam; and he went down to him with a staff, wrested the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and killed him with his own spear. ²⁴ These things Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did, and won a name among three mighty men. ²⁵ Indeed he was more honored than the thirty, but he did not attain to the first three. And David appointed him over his guard.

²⁶ Also the mighty warriors were Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem, ²⁷ Shammoth the Harorite,^a Helez the Pelonite,^{b 28} Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, Abiezer the Anathothite, ²⁹ Sibbechai the Hu-shathite, Ilai the Ahohite, ³⁰ Maharai the Netophathite, Heled^a the son of Baanah the Netophathite, ³¹ Ithai^a the son of Ribai of Gibeah, of the sons of Benjamin, Benaiah the Pirathonite, ³² Hurai^a of the brooks of Gaash, Abiel^b the Arbathite, ³³ Azmaveth the Baharumite,^a Eliahba the Shaalbonite, ³⁴ the sons of Hashem the Gizonite, Jonathan the son of Shageh the Hararite, ³⁵ Ahiam the son of Sacar the Hararite, Eliphal the son of Ur, ³⁶ Hepher the Mecherathite, Ahijah the Pelonite, ³⁷ Hezro the Carmelite, Naarai the son of Ezbai, ³⁸ Joel the brother of Nathan, Mibhar the son of Hagri, ³⁹ Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Berothite^a (the armorbearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah), ⁴⁰ Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, ⁴¹ Uriah the Hittite, Zabad the son of Ahlai, ⁴² Adina the son of Shiza the Reubenite (a chief of the Reubenites) and thirty with him, ⁴³ Hanan the son of Maachah, Joshaphat the Mithnite, ⁴⁴ Uzzia the Ashterathite, Shama and Jeiel the sons of Hotham the Aroerite, ⁴⁵ Jediael the son of Shimri, and Joha his brother, the Tizite, ⁴⁶ Eliel the Mahavite, Jeribai and Joshaviah the sons of Elnaam, Ithmah the Moabite, ⁴⁷ Eliel, Obed, and Jaasiel the Mezobaite.

Transition

David the Fugitive

Chronicles makes no mention of Saul’s opposition to David’s rise to kingship (see “Priestly Account: Saul and David” at 1 Chr. 10:1). But in 1 Chr. 12, in material not found in the prophetic account, the Chronicler does describe the days before David was king when he was pursued by Saul in the wilderness. During this time David had established his stronghold and military headquarters at Ziklag in the extreme south of Judah (12:1, 8, 16).

The Chronicler’s account emphasizes the support that gathered around David. Even some of Saul’s own kinsmen from the tribe of Benjamin came to David’s aid (12:2). Even men from two of the northern tribes, Gad (12:8–15) and Manasseh (12:19–22), came. This description of David’s fugitive days shows that the support he had then had culminated in the joy and celebration now surrounding his coronation as king of all Israel. All the mighty warriors and all Israelites now came to Hebron “to turn over the kingdom of Saul” to David (12:23–40).

• 1 Chronicles 12:1–15:29

1 Chronicles

The Growth of David’s Army

12

12:1 Now these were the men who came to David at Ziklag while he was still a fugitive from Saul the son of Kish; and they were among the mighty men, helpers in the war, ² armed with bows, using both the right hand and the left in hurling stones and shooting arrows with the bow. They were of Benjamin, Saul’s brethren.

³ The chief was Ahiezer, then Joash, the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite; Jeziel and Pelet the sons of Azmaveth; Berachah, and Jehu the Anathothite; ⁴ Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty man among the thirty, and over the thirty; Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, and Jozabad the Gederathite; ⁵ Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, and Shephatiah the Haruphite; ⁶ Elkanah, Jisshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam, the Korahites; ⁷ and Joelah and Zebadiah the sons of Jeroham of Gedor.

⁸ Some Gadites joined David at the stronghold in the wilderness, mighty men of valor, men trained for battle, who could handle shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were as swift as gazelles on the mountains: ⁹ Ezer the first, Obadiah the second, Eliab the third, ¹⁰ Mishmannah the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth, ¹¹ Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh, ¹² Johanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth, ¹³ Jeremiah the tenth, and Machbanai the eleventh. ¹⁴ These were from the sons of Gad, captains of the army; the least was over a hundred, and the greatest was over a thousand. ¹⁵ These are the ones who crossed the Jordan in the first month, when it had overflowed all its banks; and they put to flight all those in the valleys, to the east and to the west.

¹⁶ Then some of the sons of Benjamin and Judah came to David at the stronghold. ¹⁷ And David went out to meet them, and answered and said to them, “If you have come peaceably to me to help me, my heart will be united with you; but if to betray me to my enemies, since there is no wrong in my hands, may the God of our fathers look and bring judgment.” ¹⁸ Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, chief of the captains, and he said:

“We are yours, O David;

We are on your side, O son of Jesse!

Peace, peace to you,

And peace to your helpers!

For your God helps you.”

So David received them, and made them captains of the troop.

¹⁹ And some from Manasseh defected to David when he was going with the Philistines to battle against Saul; but they did not help them, for the lords of the Philistines sent him away by agreement, saying, “He may defect to his master Saul and endanger our heads.” ²⁰ When he went to Ziklag, those of Manasseh who defected to him were Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, captains of the thousands who were from Manasseh. ²¹ And they helped David against the bands of raiders, for they were all mighty men of valor, and they were captains in the army. ²² For at that time they came to David day by day to help him, until it was a great army, like the army of God.

David’s Army At Hebron