The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV
Page 157
9And after him was hEleazar the son of 4Dodo, the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there for battle, and the men of Israel had retreated.
10He arose and attacked the Philistines until his hand was iweary, and his hand stuck to the sword. The LORD brought about a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to jplunder.
11And after him was kShammah the son of Agee the Hararite. lThe Philistines had gathered together into a troop where there was a piece of ground full of lentils. So the people fled from the Philistines.
12But he stationed himself in the middle of the field, defended it, and killed the Philistines. So the LORD brought about a great victory.
13Then mthree of the thirty chief men went down at harvest time and came to David at nthe cave of Adullam. And the troop of Philistines encamped in othe Valley of Rephaim.
14David was then in pthe stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem.
15And David said with longing, “Oh, that someone would give me a drink of the water from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!”
16So the three mighty men 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 he would not drink it, but poured it out to the LORD.
17And he said, “Far be it from me, O LORD, that I should do this! Is this not qthe blood of the men who went in jeopardy of their lives?” Therefore he would not drink it. These things were done by the three mighty men.
18Now rAbishai the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief of 5another three. He lifted his spear against three hundred men, killed them, and won a name among these three.
19Was he not the most honored of three? Therefore he became their captain. However, he did not attain to the first three.
20Benaiah was the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man from sKabzeel, 6who had done many deeds. tHe 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.
21And he killed an Egyptian, 7a spectacular man. The Egyptian had a spear in his hand; so he went down to him with a staff, wrested the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and killed him with his own spear.
22These things Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did, and won a name among three mighty men.
23He was more honored than the thirty, but he did not attain to the first three. And David appointed him uover his guard.
24vAsahel the brother of Joab was one of the thirty; Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem,
25wShammah the Harodite, Elika the Harodite,
26Helez the Paltite, Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite,
27Abiezer the Anathothite, Mebunnai the Hushathite,
28Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai the Netophathite,
29Heleb the son of Baanah (the Netophathite), Ittai the son of Ribai from Gibeah of the children of Benjamin,
30Benaiah a Pirathonite, Hiddai from the brooks of xGaash,
31Abi-Albon the Arbathite, Azmaveth the Barhumite,
32Eliahba the Shaalbonite (of the sons of Jashen), Jonathan,
33yShammah the 8Hararite, Ahiam the son of Sharar the Hararite,
34Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai, the son of the Maachathite, Eliam the son of zAhithophel the Gilonite,
359Hezrai the Carmelite, Paarai the Arbite,
36Igal the son of Nathan of aZobah, Bani the Gadite,
37Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Beerothite (armorbearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah),
38bIra the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite,
39and cUriah the Hittite: thirty-seven in all.
2 Samuel 24
David’s Census of Israel and Judah
(1 Chr. 21:1–6)
1Again athe anger of the LORD was aroused against Israel, and He moved David against them to say, b“Go, 1number Israel and Judah.”
2So the king said to Joab the commander of the army who was with him, “Now go throughout all the tribes of Israel, cfrom Dan to Beersheba, and count the people, that dI may know the number of the people.”
3And Joab said to the king, “Now may the LORD your God eadd to the people a hundred times more than there are, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king desire this thing?”
4Nevertheless the king’s word 2prevailed against Joab and against the captains of the army. Therefore Joab and the captains of the army went out from the presence of the king to count the people of Israel.
5And they crossed over the Jordan and camped in fAroer, on the right side of the town which is in the midst of the ravine of Gad, and toward gJazer.
6Then they came to Gilead and to the land of Tahtim Hodshi; they came to hDan Jaan and around to iSidon;
7and they came to the stronghold of jTyre and to all the cities of the kHivites and the Canaanites. Then they went out to South Judah as far as Beersheba.
8So when they had gone through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.
9Then Joab gave the sum of the number of the people to the king. lAnd there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men.
The Judgment on David’s Sin
(1 Chr. 21:7–17)
10And mDavid’s heart condemned him after he had numbered the people. So nDavid said to the LORD, o“I have sinned greatly in what I have done; but now, I pray, O LORD, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have pdone very foolishly.”
11Now when David arose in the morning, the word of the LORD came to the prophet qGad, David’s rseer, saying,
12“Go and tell David, ‘Thus says the LORD: “I offer you three things; choose one of them for yourself, that I may do it to you.” ’ ”
13So Gad came to David and told him; and he said to him, “Shall sseven3 years of famine come to you in your land? Or shall you flee three months before your enemies, while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days’ plague in your land? Now consider and see what answer I should take back to Him who sent me.”
14And David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Please let us fall into the hand of the LORD, tfor His mercies are great; but udo not let me fall into the hand of man.”
15So vthe LORD sent a plague upon Israel from the morning till the appointed time. From Dan to Beersheba seventy thousand men of the people died.
16wAnd when the 4angel stretched out His hand over Jerusalem to destroy it, xthe LORD relented from the destruction, and said to the angel who was destroying the people, “It is enough; now restrain your hand.” And the angel of the LORD was by the threshing floor of 5Araunah the Jebusite.
17Then David spoke to the LORD when he saw the angel who was striking the people, and said, “Surely yI have sinned, and I have done wickedly; but these sheep, what have they done? Let Your hand, I pray, be against me and against my father’s house.”
The Altar on the Threshing Floor
(1 Chr. 21:18–27)
18And Gad came that day to David and said to him, z“Go up, erect an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.”
19So David, according to the word of Gad, went up as the LORD commanded.
20Now Araunah looked, and saw the king and his servants coming toward him. So Araunah went out and bowed before the king with his face to the ground.
21Then Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” aAnd David said, “To buy the threshing floor from you, to build an altar to the LORD, that bthe plague may be withdrawn from the people.”
22Now Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up whatever seems good to him. cLook, here are oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing implements and the yokes of the oxen for wood.
23“All these, O king, Araunah has given to the king.” And Araunah said to the king, “May the LORD your God daccept you.”
24Then the
king said to Araunah, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God with that which costs me nothing.” So eDavid bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
25And David built there an altar to the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. fSo the LORD heeded the prayers for the land, and gthe plague was withdrawn from Israel.
2 Samuel Commentaries
2 Samuel 1
1:1—3:5 David ascends to the kingship of Judah.
1:1 the death of Saul. Second Samuel 1:1–14 begins where 1 Sam. 31:1–13 ends, with the death of Saul (cf. 1 Chr. 10:1–12). Amalekites. The mention of these people serves as a reminder of David’s obedience to the Lord (1 Sam. 30:1–31) and Saul’s disobedience (1 Sam. 15:1–33). See notes on Ex. 17:8–16. Ziklag. See notes on 1 Sam. 27:6; 30:1. This town was not so completely sacked and destroyed that David and his 600 men with their families could not stay there.
1:2 clothes torn and dust on his head. This was a common cultural sign of anguish and mourning over a death. Cf. 15:32; 1 Sam. 4:12.
1:4–12 See 1 Sam. 31:1–13; 1 Chr. 10:1–12.
1:6 chariots and horsemen. Chariots and horsemen were a symbol of power and strength (cf. Ex. 14:9; 1 Sam. 8:11; 13:5; 2 Sam. 8:4; 1 Kin. 4:26; 9:19; 10:26; 1 Chr. 19:6; 2 Chr. 1:14; 9:25; 12:3; 16:8; Dan. 11:40). The Philistines were in pursuit of Saul with an abundant number of warriors, making Saul’s escape hopeless.
1:8 Amalekite. The man claiming to have killed Saul was from among the people whom David recently slaughtered (v. 1), whom God wanted eliminated (Ex. 17:14; 1 Sam. 15:3), and who would plague Israel for generations (Ex. 17:16) due to Saul’s disobedience (1 Sam. 15:9–11).
1:10 killed him. The Amalekite claimed responsibility for Saul’s death, saying that Saul was still alive when he found him. However, 1 Sam. 31:3–6 makes it clear that Saul died by falling on his own sword, not by the hand of the Amalekite. Thus, this man, who may have witnessed Saul’s suicide, claimed to have killed Saul when in reality he had only reached his body before the Philistines and had fabricated the story to ingratiate himself with the new king by killing his enemy and by bringing Saul’s crown and bracelet to David. The crown and bracelet in the hands of the Amalekite show that he was the first to pass by the body of Saul.
1:12 mourned and wept and fasted. David demonstrates genuine, heartfelt grief for the death of Saul and Jonathan by mourning and weeping, as well as fasting, which were common ways to demonstrate grief (cf. Esth. 4:3; Joel 2:12).
1:14 the LORD’s anointed. Despite Saul’s many attempts on David’s life, David would not allow himself to see Saul as just a mere man or human monarch; he remained “the LORD’s anointed,” who occupied a sacred role before God (cf. 1 Sam. 24:1–15; 26:1–20).
1:15 execute him! This most certainly came as a great surprise to the Amalekite, for he intended to win the favor of David by saying he had killed Saul. This story is very similar to that of the men who later killed Ishbosheth, thinking they would be able to endear themselves to David (4:5–12).
1:16 Your blood is on your own head. David executed the Amalekite on the basis of his own testimony, not on the basis of the truthfulness of his story.
1:17 lamentation. David chose to have both Saul and his noble son Jonathan remembered through this lamentation, which would be taught to all Israel as a national war song.
1:18 the Song of the Bow. This was the title of the poem in which the word “Bow” may have been chosen with reference to Jonathan, whose bow is mentioned in v. 22. Book of Jasher. A poetic collection of Israel’s wars in which Israel’s events and great men were commemorated (cf. Josh. 10:13).
1:19 The beauty of Israel. Lit. the gazelle or antelope of Israel, the chosen symbol of youthful elegance and symmetry, most likely referring to Jonathan. Thus, the song began and ended with Saul’s noble son (vv. 25, 26). high places. These were open-air worship sites generally established at high elevations. In this case the high place was Mt. Gilboa, where Saul had died. How the mighty have fallen! They were not only Israel’s slain “beauty,” but Saul and Jonathan were mighty men who had fallen in battle. This phrase is repeated as a refrain in vv. 25 and 27.
1:20 Gath…Ashkelon. Two chief cities which together could represent all of the Philistine territory. Gath was situated in the eastern part of the Philistine territory, while Ashkelon was in the W by the sea. David did not want the Philistines to rejoice at the calamities of Israel as Israel had rejoiced at the defeat of the Philistines (1 Sam. 18:7).
1:21 no dew nor rain. David spoke a curse, seeking the absence of dew or rain upon the mountain where Saul and Jonathan died. not anointed with oil. It was necessary in those times to anoint a shield with oil (cf. Is. 21:5) to prevent the leather from being hard and cracked. But there on Mt. Gilboa lay the shield of Saul dried out, a symbol of defeat and death.
1:22 bow…sword. These two weapons were used by Saul and Jonathan with much power, accuracy, and effectiveness. It was also with the bow that Jonathan helped David escape Saul’s wrath (1 Sam. 20:35–42).
1:23 beloved. This generous commendation, including Saul who was seeking to kill David, showed David’s gracious, forgiving attitude—a model of gracious love (cf. Matt. 5:43–48).
1:26 Surpassing the love of women. The bond between David and Jonathan was strong. However, this does not mean that their friendship was necessarily superior to the bond of love between a man and a woman. The commitment shared between the two of them was a noble, loyal, and selfless devotion (cf. 1 Sam. 18:3), which neither of them had ever felt for a woman. Unlike love between a man and a woman in which a sexual element is part of the strong attraction, this love between these two men had no such sexual feature, yet was compellingly strong.
1:27 weapons of war. A figurative expression referring to Saul and Jonathan.
2 Samuel 2
2:1 David inquired of the LORD. After the death of Saul, David could move about the land freely as the Lord directed him. A contrast can be seen between Saul, who had inquired of the Lord and the Lord would not answer (cf. 1 Sam. 28:6) and David, who also inquired of the Lord and the Lord gave him direction. cities of Judah. David sought guidance from the Lord as to where to start his reign. David first asked if he should begin in the southern area of Judah. The Lord responded affirmatively and thus David sought for a more precise destination. The nucleus of David’s future government would come from the cities of Judah. Hebron. With the highest elevation of any town in Judah, the city was strategically chosen to be the initial location of David’s rule over Israel. Hebron is located 20 mi. SSW of Jerusalem. Abraham had located there long before (Gen. 13:18), and later Hebron had been given to Caleb (Josh. 14:13, 14; Judg. 1:20) when Israel occupied the land after the wilderness wanderings.
2:2 Ahinoam…Abigail. Abigail became David’s wife after the death of Nabal (cf. 1 Sam. 25:40–44).
2:4 anointed David king. David had already been privately anointed king by Samuel (cf. 1 Sam. 16:3). This anointing recognized his rule in the southern area of Judah. Later he would be anointed as king over all Israel (cf. 2 Sam. 5:3). men of Jabesh Gilead. Jabesh, a city of Israel E of the Jordan, demonstrated its loyalty to Saul by giving him a proper burial (cf. 1 Sam. 31:11–13).
2:7 your master Saul is dead. David referred to Saul as “your master” so as not to antagonize the men of Jabesh Gilead. He sought to win Israel over to his side, not force them into submission.
2:8 Abner. Abner, cousin of Saul and general of his army (1 Sam. 14:50, 51), did not desire to follow the Lord’s new anointed king, but placed Ishbosheth on the throne, causing tension between Judah and the rest of the tribes in Israel. Ishbosheth. His name means “man of shame.” Saul’s only surviving son was placed as king over the northern tribes of Israel and the eastern ones across the Jordan. Mahanaim. A town in Gilead to the E of the Jordan River. Ishbosheth established himself there and reigned for two years in this city. This was the same city where Jacob saw the
angels while on his way to Penuel (Gen. 32:2). It was appointed to be a Levitical city from the territory of Gad (Josh. 21:28; 1 Chr. 6:80). It later became the haven for David while fleeing from Absalom (17:24, 27; 19:32; 1 Kin. 2:8), because likely it was well fortified (cf. 18:24).
2:9 king over Gilead…all Israel. Ishbosheth’s power seemed more solidified in the land of Gilead (E of the Jordan) than in the rest of Israel.
2:10 the house of Judah. A natural opposition arose between the tribe of Judah and the rest of Israel since Judah was under the reign of David, while the rest of Israel recognized the reign of Ishbosheth.
2:11 seven years and six months. Several years passed before Ishbosheth assumed the throne of Israel, so that Ishbosheth’s two year reign came at the end of David’s 7 year and 6 month reign over Judah. It must have taken Ishbosheth about 5 years to regain the northern territory from the Philistines.
2:12 Gibeon. During the time of Joshua, Gibeon was a very important city (Josh. 10:2). Its people probably had sided with David because Saul had broken a treaty with the Gibeonites and acted treacherously toward them (21:1).
2:13 Joab the son of Zeruiah. Joab was the leader of David’s army and thus led the men against Abner. Although Ishbosheth and David sat on the thrones of their respective territories, Joab and Abner truly had wielded the power and control by leading the military forces. Zeruiah was the sister of David (cf. 1 Chr. 2:16).
2:14 the young men…compete. Rather than all-out war, Abner proposed a representative contest between champions on behalf of the opposing armies. Because all 24 of the contestants lay fallen and dying in combat (vv. 15, 16), the contest settled nothing, but excited passions so that a battle between the two armies ensued (v. 17).
2:18 Abishai. Brother of Joab, he was an aide to David throughout his rise to power. Abishai was with David in the camp of Saul when David had opportunity to kill Saul and encouraged the murder of Saul, which David would not allow (cf. 1 Sam. 26:6–9). Asahel. Another brother of Joab, Asahel was single-minded with dogged determination; though he was extremely fleet-footed, his determination would prove to be fatal (v. 23).