2 Samuel 19

Chap. XIX. Ver. 1—43. David, being roused from his melancholy, is restored unanimously to his kingdom.—We here find David still mourning over the loss of his darling, though unnatural son. “O my son Absalom! O Absalom, my son, my son!” Thus it is the bereaved heart loves to reiterate the name of the lost object of affection, as every one knows who has been thus bereaved. Grief, however, for an earthly misfortune, may be inordinate. God himself is the only object whose loss is absolute and irreparable. Blessings are mingled up with all our trials while we retain a hope in him. David, therefore, as a believer, ought, as in other cases, to have encouraged himself in the Lord his God. As a king also, his excessive grief was calculated to make his people discontented and unhappy.

Joab, therefore, might be right in remonstrating with him on the impropriety of his conduct, though certainly he discovered much want of feeling in the manner of his address, and the intemperance of his language; as if David was disposed to take pleasure in the sufferings of his faithful subjects. The king, however, knew the impropriety of his conduct, and assuming the seat of judgment, became the rallying point to all the tribes of Israel. It being soon noised that David had sufficiently recovered himself to transact public business, the tribes begin to consider how they should restore him to the metropolis. He is particularly desirous that his own tribe, that of Judah, should take the lead in this business, and therefore suggests the idea to his faithful friend Zadok, and the other priests, who immediately so manage matters, that—“the heart of the people of Judah is bowed as one man”

to meet the king, and conduct him over Jordan. At the head of these comes Shimei, the Benjamite, who, but a little before, when David was in trouble, came out to curse and to pelt him; ((2 Samuel 16:13).) but now the tide of his affairs is turned, comes with 1000 men, to hail and welcome him to Jerusalem. Abishai is for executing him for treason, and he, no doubt, well deserved it; but David deprecates the idea of any man being put to death on this occasion. Mephibosheth next follows, in a state of the deepest mourning, and vindicates himself from the base and unjust aspersions of his servant Ziba, who had cruelly deceived him. As, however, David had before given the land of Saul, first to Mephibosheth, and afterwards to Ziba, he now finally decrees, to conciliate both parties, that it shall be divided equally between them.

Next comes Barzillai, “a very great man,” but aged and infirm, who could neither enjoy the charms of music, nor the delicacies of a royal table, and therefore declines going with the king to Jerusalem, but recommends Chimham, who was his son, and he was accepted in his stead, with the promise of promotion. We must not conclude this chapter, without remarking the attachment of Mephibosheth to his benefactor David, grateful at Saul’s estate between him and Ziba, to prevent who divided any fresh disputes; when the former exclaims, “Let him take all, forasmuch as my lord the king is come again in peace unto his own house!” Of all the moral virtues, gratitude is one of the most amiable.

Notes on the verses

Buckingham describes the present monument as modern, but thinks it may possibly stand on the same spot of ground.—Orient. Lit. No. 511. Ver. 20. Beartidings.—Joab objected to Ahimaaz bearing this news, because he was a priest, and the message conveyed tidings of blood; especially the death of Absalom. d AG Ver. 24. Between the two gates.—Probably in the seat of justice.—Dr. Clarke. weed Ver. 32, And Cushi answered.—Thus Cushi obliquely and slowly informs David of the death of his son Absalom. There is a parallel passage in Ctesias, the historian, which is highly commended by Demetrius Phalereus. Ctesias, says he, may be truly called a poet, as he describes perspicuously, is full of imagery, and paints with lively colours.

For example, important events should not be related in a direct and hasty manner, but unfolded gradually, so as to keep the reader in suspense, and cause him to sympathize with us. Thus Ctesias introduces the relation of the death of Cyrus. For the messenger of these sad tidings, to Parysatis, the mother of Artaxerxes and Cyrus, does not say bluntly to her, Cyrus is dead, which would be what we call the speech of a Scythian; but first tells her that Cyrus had conquered, which gives her pleasure mixed with anxiety. She then asks him, How fares (Artaxerxes) the king? The king, replies he, is fled. She interrupting him, says, Tissaphernes hath brought this calamity upon him. But where is Cyrus at present?

He is, says the messenger, where it becomes brave men to be found. Thus, proceeding by slow steps, he at last, with reluctance, comes to the point; representing the messenger as unwilling to perform the disagreeable office; and so describing the distress of the mother, as to make us [feel] of it. —Bagster. Chap. XIX. Ver. 4. O my son Absalom.—It is allowed by competent critics that the lamentation of David over his son, of which this forms a part, is exceedingly pathetic; and Calmet properly remarks, that the frequent repetition of the name of the deceased is common in the language of lamentation. Thus Virgil, “I will exalt your Daphnis to the stars; Daphnis I will raise to the stars; for me too Daphnis loved.” —Bagster.

Ver. 5. Thou hast shamed.—[Every one must admit that David’s immoderate grief for his rebellious son was imprudent; and that Joab’s firm and sensible rebuke was necessary to arouse him to a sense of his duty to his people; but, in his manner, Joab far exceeded the bounds of that reverence which a servant owes to his master, or a subject to his prince.] —Bagster. Ver. 8. Sat in the gate.—[This ancient custom still obtains in the East; for when Dr. Pococke returned from viewing the town of ancient Byblus, he says the sheik and the elders were sitting in the gate of the city, after the ancient manner, and I sat awhile with them.”] —Bagster. xvii. 25. BA te Art thou not of my bone, &c.—Amasa was David’s nephew, Chap.

Ver. 14. Bowed the heart.—[The measures that he pursued were the best calculated that could be adopted for accomplishing this salutary end. David appears to take no notice of their infidelity; but rather to place confidence in them, that their confidence in him might be naturally excited; and, to oblige them yet farther, purposes to make Amasa general of the army instead of Joab.] Ver. 18. Went over a Jordan boat.—[The LXX. connecting this with the preceding verse, render, “and they made ready Jordan before the king, and did the necessary service to bring over the king;’’ and the Vulgate has, “and breaking into Jordan, they passed the fords before the king, to bring over the king’s household.” Josephus says they prepared a bridge over the Jordan, to facilitate his passage.] —Bagster.

Ver. 20. Of all the house of Joseph.—Shimei was of the house of Saul, ch. xvi. 5. and therefore, consequently, a Benjamite; yet he seems to wish to conceal this. But the LXX. read, “Before any of the house of Joseph.” Ver. 24. Neither dressed his feet.—[Literally, made his feet, which seems to mean washing the feet, paring the nails, and perhaps anointing or otherwise perfuming them, if not tinging the nails with henna: see note on (Deuteronomy 21:12). Sir J. Chardin, in his MS. note on this place, informs us, that it is customary in the East to have as much care of the feet as the hands; and that their barbers cut and adjust the nails with a proper instrument, because they often go barefoot. The nails of the toes of the mummies inspected in London in 1763, of which an account [is] in the Philosophical Transactions for 1764, seem to have been [dyed] with some reddish colour.—Nor trimmed his beard.—Literally, made his beard, which may mean combing, curling, and perfuming it.

But Morier says, that they almost universally blacken by successive layers of a paste made of henna, and leaf of the indigo: the first tinging it by a dark bottle green, which becomes [black] in a few hours.] —Bagster. Ver. 33. I will feed thee.—This was but gratitude on the part of David, for he fed the king “while he lay at Mahanaim;” (2 Samuel 17:27). Ver. 35. Can I hear? &c.—Juvenal has the same idea: “What music or enchanting voice can cheer a stupid, old, impenetrable ear?” Dryden. Singing men and women appear to have been attached to all courts. Ver. 37. Let thy servant.—[The whole of this little episode is extremely interesting; and contains an affecting description of the infirmities of old age. The venerable and kind Barzillai was fourscore years old; his ear was become dull of hearing, and his relish for even royal dainties was gone; the evil days had arrived in which he was constrained to say, “I have no pleasure in them:”

(Ecclesiastes xii. 1.) “Nor wine, nor food, his torpid palate please.” Juvenal. As he was too old either to enjoy the pleasures of a court, or to be of any further service to the king, he finishes his affecting address to the aged monarch, with the request that he would suffer him to die in mine own city, [and] at the same time commending the beard to another made of the [henna] with an orange colour, and the next with the black when exposed to the air for 24 [hours].] Ver. 39. Kissed.—(The kiss was the token of friendship and farewell; this blessing was a prayer to God for his prosperity; probably a prophetical benediction.) —Bagster. Ver. 43. The words of the men of Judah were fiercer—Rather.

stiffer, tougher, firmer.—Parkhurst.