1 Samuel 22
DOYLY1 Samuel 22:3
- — the king of Moab.] He applied to the king of Moab, not only as being at variance with Saul, chap. xiv. 47, but also, probably, because he himself was descended from a Moabite, by his mother’s side; especially if Ruth the Moabitess were of the royal family, as the Jews imagine. Bp. Patrick.
1 Samuel 22:4
- — was in the hold.] Was forced to keep himself in some strong place, not easy of access. Dr. Wells.
1 Samuel 22:6
- — under a tree in Ramah.] Or, in a high place, as Ramah signifies: otherwise the first words must be translated, near Gibeah, or in the territory of Gibeah. Bp. Patrick.
1 Samuel 22:8
- That all of you have conspired against me, &c.] If this complaint of Saul’s had been just, he would indeed have been to be pitied: to be betrayed by his own servants and his own tribe, in favour of a fellow servant and one of another tribe; to be betrayed by his son in favour of his servant; nay, to have that servant excited against him by his son; this were indeed a lamentable condition. But the truth is, Saul had no ground for his suspicion, except the consciousness of having deserved what he dreaded. Dr. Delaney.
1 Samuel 22:9
- — the son of Jesse] He seems to use this as a name of reproach; the son of an obscure mean person. Dr. Delaney.
1 Samuel 22:15
- — Did I then begin &c.] He says, that in consulting the oracle then, he did no more than what he had often done before, in duty to Saul, without being blamed; for he conceived that David his servant and son was employed on his business. Dr. Wells. Or, the words may very naturally be interpreted, so as to convey an absolute denial of the charge: “Did I then begin to inquire of God for him?” I never did it before, nor did I begin to do it now. Doeg charged him with consulting God for David, but, as it should seem, falsely and maliciously. Dr. Chandler. Doeg killeth the priests. David rescuth Keilah. Before CHRIST about 1602.
Turn, and slay the priests of the LORD; because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled, and did not shew it to me. But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of the LORD.
1 Samuel 22:18
18.— And Doeg — fell upon the priests.] We cannot but observe upon the wickedness and cruelty of Doeg, who, when he had prejudiced Saul against the innocent, and found his guards refuse to lay their hands on the Lord’s ministers, slew them himself. Such is the character of wicked men: they stick at nothing; and, by their false accusations, lay themselves under a fatal necessity of committing every enormity, for the purpose of supporting their calumnies, and destroying the innocent. Osteroald.
1 Samuel 22:19
- And Nob, the city of the priests, &c.] Saul’s fury transported him to deal worse with the city of the priests than he did with the Amalekites, some of whom he spared, though God commanded him to destroy them all. In this destruction of the priests was fulfilled the word of God against the house of Eli, as mentioned in chap. ii. and iii. of this book. Bp. Patrick. In this case he let none escape, in order to deter others from giving the least shelter or assistance to David, and to incite them the rather to come and give him information respecting his haunts and lurkingplaces. Stackhouse. His barbarity on this occasion was such, as many a savage would have abhorred to commit, or even to palliate or excuse. Dr. Chandler.
Such was the strange and irregular temper of this unhappy prince, that he destroyed the innocent and spared the guilty: through excess of zeal, he exterminated those whom he was obliged by the oath of God to protect; and, for want of zeal, he showed mercy to the Amalekites, whom God had commanded him to destroy. But, howsoever faulty and strange this conduct may seem in him, the case is too frequently not unlike with us all. How apt are we to gratify our
passions at the expense of our duty! How earnest to serve the world, our lusts, and our interests; but how cold, languid, and partial, in obeying the most positive commands of God! How often do we sacrifice the priests of God and spare the Amalekites; how often shew more favour to the enemies than to the friends of God! How apt to be merciful when we should be severe; severe and cruel when we ought to be merciful! A conduct and spirit, from which the most serious professors of religion are not wholly free. Wogan. Saul attained two ends by this massacre: he weakened the power of the priests, whom he had made his enemies by slaying so many of them, and stripping them of their possessions; and he strengthened the hands of his own family by conferring those possessions upon them. We should not dismiss this subject without remarking, that we have here a remarkable instance of God’s turning the worst devices of the wicked to the purposes of His providence. In consequence of Eli’s grievous offence, God had denounced that his race should be cut off by a sudden and surprising destruction, I Sam. ii.; and now, by Saul’s unparalleled cruelty, this denunciation is fulfilled. Dr. Delaney.
Chap. XXIII. ver. 1. Then they told David.] Or, “Now they had told David;” for this was done before Abiathar came to tell David, ver. 6, of the slaughter of the priests. Dr. Waterland, Locke. Keilah was a city in the tribe of Judah, Josh. xv. 44.
— they rob the threshingfloors.] The threshing-floor was commonly without the city, for the convenience of wind to separate the chaff from the corn. See Ruth iii. 2, 15. Bp. Patrick.