Dammim. War with the Philistines. the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him. CHAPTER XVII.-(1) Now the Phi and a kid, and sent them by David his cost of listines gathered together their armies son unto Saul. (21) And David came to Saul, and stood before him: and he loved him greatly; and he became his armourbearer. (22) And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Let David, I pray thee, stand before me; for he hath found favour in my to battle, and were gathered together at Shochoh, which belongeth to Judah, and pitched between Shochoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim. (2) And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and pitched by the valley of Elah, and sight. (23) And it came to pass, when ranged the 3 set the battle in array against the Phi battle. a mighty valiant man can well be explained from what is related in chap. xvii. 34, 35, about the young shepherd's prowess in the conflicts with the lions and the bears. A question has, however, been raised respecting the expression "a man of war," as it would seem from the narrative of chap. xvii. that the combat with the giant Philistine was David's first great military exploit. It has, however, been suggested that, in addition to the combat with those wild beasts, which we know in those days frequented the thickets of the Jordan, and were a terror to the Israelitish shepherds, David had most likely been engaged in repelling one or more of the Philistine marauding expeditions so common in those wild days. Bethlehem, we know, was a strong place or garrison of these hereditary foes of Israel. (See 2 Sam. xxiii. 14; 1 Chron. xi. 16.) (20) And Jesse took an ass. It was and is ever customary in the East to acknowledge obedience and subjection with a present. Jesse, the sheik of Bethlehem, would thus be expected on sending his son to the court of Saul to acknowledge his sovereign by some token of homage. The nature of Jesse's gifts shows how simple and primitive were the customs of the Hebrew people at that time. (21) And he became his armour-bearer.-But probably only for a very short time. David returned, we should conclude, to Samuel, whose pupil and friend we know he was. The seer was watching over the young man with a view to his lofty destiny. Saul apparently, from his question in chap. xvii. 55, "Whose son is this youth?" had forgotten all about him. There is no "note of time," so we are not able to determine how long a period had elapsed between the events narrated in this chapter and the combat with the Philistines told in chap. xvii. It is, however, likely that the king's malady, which was making rapid progress in this period of his reign, had already obscured his once powerful mind; his memory for the past was likely enough to have been treacherous. It (23) David took an harp, and played with his hand." The music," beautifully writes F. D. Maurice, 66 was more than a mere palliative. brought back for the time the sense of a true order, a secret, inward harmony, an assurance that it is near every man, and that he may enter into it. A wonderful message, no doubt, to a king or a common man, better than a great multitude of words, a continual prophecy that there is a deliverer who can take the vulture from the heart, and unbind the sufferer from the rock . . . . As the boy minstrel played, the afflicted monarch was "He is Saul, ye remember in glory-ere error had bent Be the life and the bearing that front you, the same God did To receive what a man may waste, desecrate, never quite lose."-BROWNING: Saul. And the evil spirit departed from him.— Many instances besides those recorded above (see note to verse 16) might be quoted of the beneficial effects of music and singing upon a disturbed spirit, or on a mind diseased. The holy Elisha, we are told, when "disturbed in spirit," would call for a minstrel, and after listening to the sweet, soothing strains, would write and speak his prophetic utterances. In modern times a well-known instance of this strange power over a troubled spirit is that of Philip V. of Spain, who, we are told, was restored from the deepest melancholy and depression by the sweet voice and words of Farinelli. Luther speaks of this power of music over the sick and weary soul as one of the fairest and most glorious gifts of God, to which Satan is a bitter enemy, for it removes from the heart the weight of sorrow and the fascination of evil thoughts." Basil's words on this subject are worth quoting :"Psalmody is the calm of the soul, the repose of the spirit, the arbiter of peace. It silences the wave, and conciliates the whirlwind of our passions. It is an engenderer of friendship, a healer of dissension, a reconciler of enemies. It repels demons, lures the ministry of angels, shields us from nightly terrors, and refreshes us in daily toil.” XVII. (1-58) The First Feat of Arms of David-the Encounter with the Philistine Giant. (1) Now the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle.-There is nothing to tell us how long a time had elapsed since the victory of Saul over Amalek and the other events related in the last chapter. The compiler of the book is henceforth mainly concerned with the story of David, and how he gradually rose in popular estimation. The history does not profess to give anything like a consecutive account of the reign and wars of Saul. It was evidently compiled from documents of the time, but put into its present shape long afterwards. "Probably," writes Dean Payne Smith, "at each prophetic school there (4) And there went out a champion out Heb., clothed. of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. (5) And he had an helmet of brass upon his head, and he was 1armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass. (6) And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders. (7) And the staff of his spear was like a weaver's 2 Or, gorget. would be stored up copies of Psalms written for their religious services, ballads such as those in the Book of Jashar, and in the book of the wars of the Lord, narratives of stirring events like this before us, and histories both of their own chiefs, such as was Samuel (the original founder of these famous educational centres), and afterwards Elijah and Elisha, and also of their kings." Pitched between Shochoh and Azekah.The locality was some twelve or fifteen miles southwest of Jerusalem, and nine or ten from Bethlehem, the home of the family of Jesse. The name Ephesdammim, the "boundary of blood," is suggestive, and tells of the constant border warfare which took place in this neighbourhood. (3, 4) And the Philistines stood Conder, in his Tent Work in Palestine, writing on the spot, gives us a vivid picture of the scene of the wellknown encounter between David and the giant Philistine:-"We may picture to ourselves the two hosts covering the low rocky hills opposite to each other, and half hidden among the lentisk bushes. Between them was the rich expanse of the ripening barley, and the red banks of the torrent, with its white shingly bed. Behind all were the distant blue hill-walls of Judah, whence Saul had just come down. The mail-clad warrior advanced from the west through the low corn, with his mighty lance perhaps tufted with feathers, his brazen helmet shining in the sun. From the east a ruddy boy in his white shirt and sandals, armed with a goat's-hair sling, came down to the brook, and, according to the poetic fancy of the Rabbis, the pebbles were given voices, and cried, ' By us shalt thou overcome the giant! The champion fell from an unseen cause, and the wild Philistines fled to the mouth of the valley, where Gath stood towering on its white chalk cliff, a frontier fortress, the key to the high road leading to the corn-lands of Judah and to the vineyards of Hebron." Goliath, of Gath. The Philistine champion belonged to a race or family of giants, the remnant of the sons of Anak (see Josh. xi. 22), who still dwelt in Gath and Gaza and Ashdod. The height mentioned was about nine feet two inches. We have in history a few instances of similar giants. This doughty champion was full of savage insolence, unable to understand how any one could contend against his brute strength and impregnable panoply; the very type of the stupid Philistine,' such as has, in the language of -modern Germany, not unfitly identified the name with the opponents of light and freedom and growth."-Stanley. 66 Soldiers of Saul beam; and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron; and one bearing a shield went before him. (8) And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array ? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me. (9) If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye 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. (1) When Saul and (5) A coat of mail.-More accurately, breastplate of scales. This armour has been sometimes understood as 66 chain armour," but it is more probable that the Philistine armour was made of metal scales, like those of a fish, whose defensive coat was, no doubt, imitated at a very early date by this warlike race, who dwelt on the sea-shore, and whose life and worship were so closely connected with the great sea. This coat of mail, or corselet, was flexible, and covered the back and sides of the wearer. The weight of the different pieces of the giant's panoply largely exceeds the weight of medieval suits of armour. (8) Am not I a Philistine ?—The literal rendering here gives a far more forcible reading: Am not I the Philistine? the famous warrior whom you know too well? The Targum of Jonathan adds here the proud boast of the giant warrior that it was he who had slain Hophni and Phinehas (the sons of Eli, the high priest), and had carried the Ark to the temple of Dagon. This Targum, although comparatively a late compilation, doubtless embodied many ancient national traditions. And ye servants to Saul. Thus taunting the soldiers of Israel with the memory of the former glory of their king. Will none of the famous servants of the warrior king dare to meet me? Must we not deem it probable that the fact of the separation of the prophet from the king had been made public in Philistia, and that the present daring challenge was owing to their knowledge that the Spirit of the Lord-whom we know these enemies of the Hebrews dreaded with so awful a dread-had departed from Saul and his armies ? (9) Then will we be your servants.-Each of the positions which the two opposing armies held was well-nigh impregnable; thus it seemed as though a single combat was the only way of deciding the present campaign: besides which, in those far back times such single combats between renowned chieftains of the opposing armies were not by any means uncommon. The reader of the Iliad will ever readily call to mindin colloquies before the deadly duel-words not altogether unlike the haughty, boastful challenge of the giant Philistine. See, for instance, the speeches of Glaucus and Diomede in Book VI. of the Iliad: "Come hither," says Glaucus, "that you may quickly reach the goal of death." (11) They were dismayed, and greatly afraid. -Saul the king, perhaps, was restrained from personally accepting the challenge by motives of dignity, but the all Israel heard those words of the Phi- a ch. 16. 1. listine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid. (12) Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Beth-lehem-judah, whose name was Jesse; and he had eight sons: and the man went among men for an old man in the days of Saul. (13) And the three eldest sons of Jesse went and followed Saul to the battle: and the names of his three sons that went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next unto him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. (14) And David was the youngest and the three eldest followed Saul. (15) But 1 Heb, cheeses of 2 Heb., captain of marked silence on his part, and the utter hopelessness of his army, reads in strange contrast to the former records of Hebrew daring. Where was Jonathan, for instance, ever the bravest of the brave, and his gallant armour-bearer? There had assuredly been a time when neither motives of dignity nor prudence would have restrained Saul and his warriors from accepting the challenge of the uncircumcised enemy. We notice, too, here there is no inquiry of the Urim and Thummim, no mention of prayer to the God of the armies of Israel. An evil spirit was indeed upon the King of Israel. (12) Now David was the son of that Ephrathite. This verse, and the following verses to the end of verse 31, are left out altogether, with verses 55-58, in the Vatican LXX. This omission was, no doubt, owing to the difficulty connected with this mention of David, where he is apparently introduced for the first time into the history; the LXX. translation not unfrequently adding or subtracting from the text when anything met them, which they could not readily understand. The passage, as we find it, is undoubtedly genuine; the probable explanation of what puzzled the LXX. is given below. It is, however, better (with the Syriac Version) to place all the words after "Beth-lehem-judah" down to the end of verse 14 in a parenthesis. Verse 15, after the parenthesis descriptive of Jesse and his three elder sons, takes up the account of David again, thus: "But David went," &c. Went among men for an old man. This rendering follows the translation of Jerome's Vulgate, Senex et grandævus inter viros," rather than the Hebrew. The literal translation of ba-baănashim would be went among men. It is best to assume that the verb ba- here is used elliptically for babayamin, was advanced in days,” that is, “ was an old man." Keil renders baanashim " among the weak," that is, "Jesse had come to be reckoned among the weak" (or the aged). Maurer and others believe the present Hebrew reading corrupt; the sense, however, is clear. 66 Jesse is represented in this parenthesis, descriptive of the father of David, for some reason known only to the compiler, as already an old man. Possibly this notice is inserted to explain the reason why the father of the future hero-king of Israel was not among the warriors of Saul. (15) Returned from Saul to feed his father's sheep. This short statement was, no doubt, introduced by the compiler of the First Book of Samuel to show that, in spite of this apparent introduction of David in the Camp of Israel. David went and returned from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Beth-lehem. (16) And the Philistine drew near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days. (17) And Jesse said unto David his son, Take now for thy brethren an ephah of this parched corn, and these ten loaves, and run to the camp to thy brethren; (18) and carry these ten 1cheeses unto the captain of their thousand, and look how thy brethren fare, and take their pledge. (19) Now Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, were in the valley of Elah, into the history for the first time in this chapter (see verse 12 and following verses), and the inquiry of King Saul from Abner respecting the young hero's father (see verses 55-58), he, the compiler, was perfectly aware that David had already visited the court of Saul in the capacity of a musician (see chap. xvi. 18-23). As has been already suggested, these historical books of the Old Testament are, no doubt, made up from contemporaneous documents, stored up most probably in one or other of the prophetic schools. It is, therefore, to be expected that certain facts will be found occasionally repeated. The circumstances connected with the healing influence of the music of David in the case of the soul malady of King Saul were of course preserved with great care and detail in these schools," where music and poetry were so highly cultivated and esteemed. We have here many of the very words of the original narrative preserved to us. Similarly the story of the first exploit of David is incorporated in the history probably unchanged. Each of these ancient and favourite "memories" of David, as being complete in themselves, would of course contain some of the same details. was in In (16) And presented himself forty days. — Wordsworth, following Augustine, sees here a reference to the temptation of the true David, who “ the wilderness forty days, tempted of the devil." David is Christ. do not, therefore, read this history of David as if it did not concern you who are members of Christ." (Aug. in Ps. cxliii.). (18) Look how thy brethren fare.-The same learned commentator (Wordsworth), following out this curious line of Patristic interpretation, remarks on these words: "David is sent by his father to his brethren from Bethlehem. So the Divine David, Jesus Christ, who was born at Bethlehem, was sent to His brethren by his Heavenly Father." He completes the analogy between David and Christ by pointing out how David was ill-received by his brethren, though he came at his father's bidding to show them an act of kindness; so Christ, when sent by His Father from heaven on an embassy of love, was ill-received by His own brethren, the Jews. He came unto His own, and His own received Him not " (John i. 11). 66 (19) In the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.-The words of this verse, which read in and he came to the 'trench, as the host 2 or, battle array, him, the king will enrich him with great was going forth to the fight, and shouted for the battle. (21) For Israel and the Philistines had put the battle in array, army against army. (22) And David left his carriage in the hand of the keeper of the carriage, and ran into the army, and came and saluted his or, place of fight. 3 Heb., the vessels a riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father's house free in Israel. (26) And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from brethren. (23) And as he talked with 4 Heb., asked his Israel? for who is this uncircumcised them, behold, there came up the cham pion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the armies of the Philis brethren of peace. Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God? (27) And the people answered him after this manner, tines, and spake according to the same 5 Heb., from his saying, So shall it be done to the man words: and David heard them. (24) And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid. 66 face. a Josh. 15. 16. the English Version as an explanatory parenthesis, are really part of Jesse's direction to his shepherd son, telling him where he would find his brethren. They are in the valley of the Terebinth (Elah), fighting with the Philistines." (20) He came to the trench.-Literally, to the wagon rampart; a circle of wagons formed a rude fortification about the camp of Israel. There-that is, within the fortified enclosure-he left (verse 22) his baggage, the ten cheeses, &c., and hastened to the front," where he knew his brethren and the men of Judah would be posted. (See Num. x. 14.) (22) And David left his carriage. That is, his baggage. The word " carriage," as signifying baggage, is used in the English Version in this archaic sense in Isaiah x. 28: "At Michmash he hath laid up his carriages;" and in Acts xxi. 15: "We took up our carriages.' (23) The Philistine of Gath.-There is a difficulty connected with the Philistine giant's name, for we read in 2 Sam. xxi. 19 how that Goliath of Gath, the giant, "the staff of whose spear was like a weaver's beam," was slain by Elhanan, the son of Jaare-oregim, a Bethlehemite, after David had been made king. It is possible that Goliath was a general designation of these inonstrous descendants of the ancient Anakim in Gath; but Ewald suggests that the name Goliath really only belongs to the giant slain by Elhanan, some years after the exploit of the youthful son of Jesse, and that it was transferred in error to the "champion" whom David slew (who is, moreover, generally called simply 66 the Philistine") when his proper name had been lost. (24) Fled from him, and were sore afraid. The student of the history can hardly understand this great fear of a giant Philistine which seems to have come upon the warriors of Saul. When we remember the gallant deeds of the people in former years, it reads like a page out of the story of another race. A dull, cowardly torpor had come over Saul, the punishment for his self-will and disobedience, and the king's helpless lethargy had settled now on the hearts of the soldiers he had trained so well in his earlier and nobler days. that killeth him. (28) And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men; and Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he (25) And make his father's house free in Israel. Among the lavish offers Saul made to the one who should vanquish the giant was this, "The family of the successful combatant should be free in Israel." The exact signification here of the Hebrew word rendered "free" is disputed. The simple meaning would seem to be freedom from personal service in the army and elsewhere, what in medieval history is known by the general term Corvée. It also probably includes a certain exemption from taxation or enforced contributions to war expenses. Ewald goes still further, and considers that the royal promise included the elevation of the house of the victorious warrior to noble rank, as henceforth they would be "free"-"freeholders," a family released from the ordinary service of subjects; and this high distinction, the great German scholar considers, would easily come to be looked upon as hereditary, and thus such favoured houses would form an intermediate stage between the king and the simple subject. Although it is clear that a wonderful advance in the internal development of the kingdom of the children of Israel had taken place in Saul's reign, yet it is doubtful if the government of the first king was as yet sufficiently organised to justify us in accepting, in its fulness, the conclusion of the ingenious comment of Ewald here. It does not appear from the narrative that these promises were ever fulfilled by Saul in the case of the house of Jesse. (26) And David spake . . . -Very vividly does the historian here depict the scene that morning in the "front:" the dismayed soldiers of King Saul watching and listening to the boastful, impious words, as the giant champion shouted them across the narrow ravine which parted the outposts of the two armies; the enthusiastic shepherd boy, glowing with religious fervour, going from group to group of the advanced guard in the front, as they stood gloomily leaning on their spears, asking questions, and gleaning all the information possible about this insulter of his God. (28) And Eliab's anger was kindled against David.-There were probably many years between the ages of the eldest and youngest of these eight brothers, said, Why camest thou down hither? for thou art come down that thou 1 Heb., word. (31) And when the words were heard which David spake, they rehearsed them before Saul: and he sent for him. (32) And David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine. (33) And Saul said to David, Thou art not 3 Or, kid. and this jealous anger was, no doubt, no new thing in Eliab. The casual mention (verse 34) of the boy's prowess, when the lion and the bear attacked his father's flock, tells us that the boyhood and youth of David had been no ordinary one, and Eliab's jealous disposition had been, doubtless, often aroused. Probably, too, the envious elder brother well remembered the visit of the great seer to Bethlehem, and how Samuel had, for some mysterious, and as yet unknown, reason, anointed this young brother of his, and had chosen him to be his pupil and companion. Was he now come with power unknown to him (Eliab) to perform some startling deed of daring? (29) Is there not a cause ?-David answers his jealous and over-bearing elder brother with all gentleness and forbearance, but he does not cease to make his inquiries of the soldiers respecting the giant, nor does he refrain from loudly expressing his astonishment at such a public insult to the God of Israel being allowed to continue for so many days. The Hebrew here would be more literally rendered, "Is it not a word," or "It was only a word," thus deprecating his elder brother's anger. "What have I done? It was but a mere word. I was only speaking with holy anger about this impious challenge of the Philistine; nothing more." The ancient versions thus understand this clause. 66 If we render as the Authorised Version, then the sense is quite clear. "You seem bitterly displeased with my zeal in this matter, but surely, is there not a good cause for my passionate emotion here—such an insult to our God?" (31) He sent for him.-No doubt much more was said by the brave shepherd boy than the compiler of the history has preserved for us in the brief account here. David felt that supernatural strength had been communicated to him by the Spirit of God, which came upon him on the day of his anointing (chap. xvi. 13), and it is probable that he had openly avowed his earnest desire of meeting the dreaded foe face to face. This had been reported to Saul. (33) And Saul said to David . . .-The king evidently looked on the brave boy with love and admiration, but at first doubted in his heart the reality of David's mission. Whether or not Saul recognised the youth as the sweet singer who had charmed away, perhaps more than once, that terrible soul malady of his which : in the Camp of Israel. able to go against this Philistine to fight with him for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth. (34) And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: (35) and I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. (36) Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God. (37) David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the was desolating his once vigorous manhood, is doubtful. (See the Note at the end of this chapter.) He-more than any one in that armed camp-evidently felt that David possessed powers not usually bestowed on the sons of men, and was clearly disposed from the first to grant the shepherd boy's startling petition that the honour of Israel might be entrusted to his almost childhands. Still, Saul would talk with him, and set before him the grave perils of the terrible encounter he was so eager to engage in. (34) Thy servant kept his father's sheep.Here follows in the colloquy between the king and the boy that simple brave narrative which children listen to with glowing cheeks-that simple story, bearing the stamp of truth on every word-of what had happened to him in past days. Fierce wild animals, the terror of the Hebrew shepherds, had attacked his flock: these he had met and slain, almost without arms. Another had helped him when he did his brave duty then; and he felt that the same invisible Guardian would give him nerve and strength now in this more dangerous encounter. Only let him try. There was nothing to fear; he must succeed, he and his Divine Helper! (36) The lion and the bear.-The lion and the bear were, in the days of Saul, common in Palestine; the country then was densely wooded. In some of the wilder districts bears are still numerous. Shall be as one of them.-"He, the idolator, must know that he has not to do with mere men, but with God with a living God will he have to do, and not with a lifeless idol."-Berleburger Bible. : (37) Go, and the Lord be with thee.-This permission and blessing of King Saul recalls the Saul of old days, before the covenant between him and the Mighty One of Israel was broken, before the Spirit of the Lord had departed from him. It was a great act of courageous trust in the Glorious Arm which had, Saul knew, so often fought for Israel. We must bear in mind that it was no mere duel between two fighting men, an Israelite and a Philistine, but that the fortunes of the nation for an indefinite period were to be staked on this momentous single combat between a tried warrior of gigantic strength and a boy quite unaccustomed to martial exercises, and, as we shall presently see, a stranger even to a soldier's dress and martial equipment. |