29:3 no fault. David had proven himself as an honorable and righteous man before Achish, who knew that he could trust David.
29:4 he become our adversary. The Philistine lords were not as willing as Achish to give favor and trust to David. Being very shrewd in their estimation of potential hazards, they realized that he might be feigning loyalty to the Philistines in order to seize a strategic moment in the battle when he could betray and fight against them.
29:5 David, of whom they sang. The fame of David had spread throughout the land. The Philistine lords were no stranger to the skill and the victories that God had given to mighty David.
29:6 as the LORD lives. When seeking the highest standard by which to assure David of his credibility, Achish swore by the existence of David’s God. It is evident that the pagan world knows of God, but the irony is that their knowledge does not necessarily lead to repentance.
29:8 the enemies of my lord the king. David’s fidelity to Achish seemed to be at its climax in this expression of loyalty. David appears to have been fully prepared to do battle on behalf of Achish against his enemies, namely Israel. In light of David’s former refusal to stretch out his hand against the Lord’s anointed (24:6, 10; 26:9, 11, 21), David might have been capitulating and compromising. He did not inquire of the Lord before going to live with Achish, nor did he inquire of the Lord as to whether he should go out to battle with Achish. On the other hand, it could be that while David gave the appearance of loyalty, he actually believed the Philistines would not let him go out to battle, just as it actually happened (cf. 27:8–12). The providence of God kept David from fighting against the Lord’s anointed and his own countrymen.
29:9 an angel of God. The degree to which Achish praised David has led some to believe that his eulogy was merely a formal attempt at flattery.
29:11 Jezreel. This was used to designate both a city about 56 mi. N of Jerusalem as well as the plain of Jezreel, which served as a major battlefield for many nations. The city was situated in the territory of Issachar (Josh. 19:18). It was bounded on the N and S by Megiddo and Beth Shean (1 Kin. 4:12) and on the W and E by Mt. Carmel and Mt. Gilboa.
1 Samuel 30
30:1 Ziklag. Serving as a temporary place of residence for David and his 600 men, Ziklag was located in the Negev and given to David by Achish the king of Gath (27:6). David used it as the base from which he would make raids on the neighboring tribes (27:8–11). Amalekites. Reaping the consequences of Saul’s failure to utterly destroy the Amalekites (1 Sam. 15) and David’s raids against them (27:8), David and his men were the victims of a successful raid in which the Amalekites took all of their wives and livestock captive before burning Ziklag, their city.
30:6 distressed…grieved. Arriving home to the reality of their great tragedy caused David immense distress and provoked the wickedness of his men to entertain the treasonous idea of stoning him. Having not inquired of the Lord before his departure to support Achish in battle, David was in need of God’s getting his attention. strengthened himself in the LORD his God. This was the key to David being a man after God’s heart (cf. 1 Sam. 13:14; Acts 13:22).
30:7 Abiathar brought the ephod. Serving as a source through which one could make direct and specific inquiry into the will of God, the High-Priest’s ephod, which contained the Urim and Thummim, was sought by David. The distress of the moment drew his focus away from the treasonous thoughts of his men and back to God in his desperation to know what God would have him do.
30:9, 10 Brook Besor. David most likely encountered the brook about 13 mi. S of Ziklag. It consisted of seasonal rivers from the area of Beersheba which ran NW and emptied into the Mediterranean. Likely, this was during the latter rains (Jan.–Apr.) and the brook was filled with a rampaging runoff that would account for the soldiers who were unable to cross over.
30:14 southern area of the Cherethites. Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites (2 Sam. 8:18), who are almost always mentioned together. They fled Jerusalem as allies with David (2 Sam. 15:18), and pursued Sheba the son of Bichri with Joab (2 Sam. 20:7). They were hand-picked by David to be present at Solomon’s anointing as king. The Cherethites appear to have come from Crete, and to have been a part of the king’s bodyguard (2 Sam. 23:20, 23). southern area of Caleb. Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, was one of 12 spies chosen to check out the Land, and one of only 2 spies who gave a favorable report (Num. 13:6–30). This was the land assigned to his family (Josh. 14:13, 14).
30:16 all the great spoil. The Amalekites had not only what they took from Ziklag, but much more plunder from all their raids. After David conquered the Amalekites (vv. 17, 18) he returned what belonged to Ziklag (vv. 19, 26) and spread the rest all over Judah (vv. 26–31).
30:17 four hundred young men. It is obvious from Moses’ encounter (Ex. 17:8–16), Saul’s failure (1 Sam. 15), and Mordecai’s opposition (Esth. 3:1, 10–13) that the Amalekites were wicked people who hated God’s people and died hard.
30:19 nothing…was lacking. In spite of David’s previous failures, God showed Himself to be more than gracious and abundant in His stewardship of the wives, children, livestock, and possessions of David and his men.
30:22 worthless men. From the beginning of David’s flight from Saul, he became captain of those who were in distress, discontent, and in debt (22:2), the least likely to exercise kindness and grace to others. This same expression was used of the sons of Eli (2:12), of those who doubted Saul’s ability as king (10:27), of Nabal the fool by his servant (25:17), of Nabal the fool by his wife (25:25), of David when he was cursed by Shimei (2 Sam. 16:7), of Sheba the son of Bichri who led a revolt against David (2 Sam. 20:1), and of those who would be thrust away like thorns by David (2 Sam. 23:6).
30:25 a statute and an ordinance. In spite of the opposition David received from the worthless men among him, he legislated his practice of kindness and equity into law for the people.
30:26–31 Being no stranger to adversity and a life lived on the run, David realized the important role that so many others had played in his safety and welfare. Being the recipient of such kindness, David missed no opportunity to reciprocate kindness and generosity. It would be presumptuous to think that David was merely paying off debts or buying support; rather he was giving back as he had received, expressing his debt of gratitude for the kindness and support shown him. See note on 30:16.
1 Samuel 31
31:1–13 See 2 Sam. 1:4–12; 1 Chr. 10:1–12.
31:1 Mount Gilboa. Formerly the site of the Israeli camp, it was turned into the sight of the Israeli massacre. Saul and his sons lost their lives on Mt. Gilboa. See note on 28:4.
31:2 Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua. Three of the 4 sons of Saul were killed the same day in battle. The fourth son, Eshbaal, would later be referred to as Ish-bosheth, meaning “man of shame,” an appropriate designation in light of his apparent absence from the battlefield (cf. 2 Sam. 2:8ff.). Jonathan, Ishvi, and Malchishua were named as Saul’s sons in 14:49, but Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua are named here; Ishvi and Abinadab are thus one and the same. First Chronicles 8:33 and 9:39 are the only verses naming all 4 sons.
31:4 uncircumcised men. A common term of derision used among Israelites to designate non-Israelites. Circumcision was given as the sign of the Abrahamic Covenant in Gen. 17:10–14. See note on 14:6. abuse. Having engaged in several battles against the Philistines, Saul had succeeded in provoking their hatred and resentment. As the king, Saul had certainly received especially cruel treatment from the hands of his enemies, who would have likely made sport of him and tortured him before his death. Saul took a sword and fell on it. Though Saul’s suicide is considered by some to be an act of heroism, Saul should have found his strength and courage in God as David did in 23:16 and 30:6 to fight to the end or to surrender. Saul’s suicide is the ultimate expression of his faithlessness towards God at this moment in his life.
31:6 all his men. The question is whether “all” was used in a qualified sense or in an ab
solute sense. In consideration of the context, the meaning was most likely intended to be qualified, not absolute. It is not necessary to conclude that every single one of Saul’s 3,000 men died that day and that none escaped. Where such a meaning is intended, the text usually provides more reinforcement, as in Josh. 8:22 where the author specifically states, “and they slew them until no one was left of those who survived or escaped.” In fact, Abner the general of Saul’s army survived (2 Sam. 2:8). “All” here means those who were personally assigned to Saul’s special guard (cf. 31:7).
31:9 cut off his head. There is a parallelism between the death of Saul and the death of Goliath. The giant champion of the Philistines had his head cut off by David and the Philistines fled (17:51). The Philistines had taken revenge and done likewise to the giant champion of Israel, King Saul, who was “taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward” (10:23).
31:10 the Ashtoreths. These were the fertility goddesses of the Canaanites, to whom the Philistines gave homage by placing the weapons of their defeated foe in the temple of the Ashtoreths. As the sword of Goliath was put in the house of the Lord behind the ephod (1 Sam. 21:9), so the weapons of Saul were taken by the Philistines and put in the temple of the Ashtoreths. Military victory was attributed to the gods, since the belief was that military encounters were battles between the deities of rival nations. Beth Shan. Located in the Jordan Valley about 16 mi. S of the Sea of Galilee.
31:11 Jabesh Gilead. Located E of the Jordan, its people stayed out of the war against Benjamin and suffered severe consequences as a result (Judg. 21). The men of Jabesh Gilead showed kindness and respect to Saul, a Benjamite, by rescuing his body from the wall of Beth Shan because Saul and his sons had saved Jabesh Gilead from the Ammonites (11:9–12) just after he had been chosen as king of Israel. By this act, they honored Saul for his faithfulness to them.
31:12 bodies…burned. In light of Saul’s head having been cut off and the mutilation that had taken place, it is thought that the citizens of Jabesh Gilead burned his body to hide the damage.
31:13 bones…buried. It was considered disrespectful not to bury the dead. Abraham went to great lengths to bury Sarah (Gen. 23:4–15), and Jacob made Joseph swear that he would not bury him in Egypt (Gen. 47:29, 30). fasted seven days. In relation to death, fasting was often associated with mourning in the Hebrew culture. It was a sign of respect, seriousness, and grief. First Samuel began with the ark of the covenant being captured by the Philistines (1 Sam. 4:11) and in the end Israel’s king had been killed by them. Second Samuel will recount how God vindicated His honor by David’s defeating the Philistines (2 Sam. 5:17–25), establishing an uncontested kingdom (1 Kin. 2:12), and safely bringing the ark to Jerusalem, the city of God (2 Sam. 6:16–19).
1 Samuel 1
1:1 a Josh. 17:17, 18; 24:33
1:1 b 1 Chr. 6:27, 33–38
1:1 c Ruth 1:2
1:1 1 Eliel, 1 Chr. 6:34
1:1 2 Toah, 1 Chr. 6:34
1:2 d Deut. 21:15–17
1:3 e Ex. 34:14, 23; Judg. 21:19; 1 Sam. 1:21; Luke 2:41
1:3 f Deut. 12:5–7; 16:16
1:3 g Josh. 18:1
1:4 h Deut. 12:17, 18
1:5 i Gen. 16:1; 30:1, 2
1:6 j Job 24:21
1:8 k Ruth 4:15
1:9 l 1 Sam. 3:3
1:9 3 palace or temple, Heb. heykal
1:10 m Job 7:11
1:10 4 Lit. wept greatly
1:11 n Gen. 28:20; Num. 30:6–11
1:11 o Ps. 25:18
1:11 p Gen. 8:1
1:11 q Num. 6:5; Judg. 13:5
1:15 r Job 30:16; Ps. 42:4; 62:8; Lam. 2:19
1:16 s Deut. 13:13
1:16 5 Lit. daughter of Belial
1:17 t Judg. 18:6; 1 Sam. 25:35; 2 Kin. 5:19; Mark 5:34; Luke 7:50
1:17 u Ps. 20:3–5
1:18 v Gen. 33:15; Ruth 2:13
1:18 w Prov. 15:13; Eccl. 9:7; Rom. 15:13
1:19 x Gen. 4:1
1:19 y Gen. 21:1; 30:22
1:20 6 Lit. Heard by God
1:21 z Deut. 12:11; 1 Sam. 1:3
1:22 a Luke 2:22
1:22 b 1 Sam. 1:11, 28
1:22 c Ex. 21:6
1:23 d Num. 30:7, 10, 11
1:23 7 confirm
1:23 8 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; DSS, LXX, Syr. your
1:24 e Num. 15:9, 10; Deut. 12:5, 6
1:24 f Josh. 18:1; 1 Sam. 4:3, 4
1:24 9 DSS, LXX, Syr. a three-year-old bull
1:25 g Luke 2:22
1:26 h 2 Kin. 2:2, 4, 6; 4:30
1:27 i (Matt. 7:7)
1:28 j Gen. 24:26, 52
1:28 10 granted
1 Samuel 2
2:1 a Phil. 4:6
2:1 b 1 Sam. 2:1–10; Ps. 97:11, 12; Luke 1:46–55
2:1 c Ps. 75:10; 89:17, 24; 92:10; 112:9
2:1 d Ps. 9:14; 13:5; 35:9; Is. 12:2, 3
2:1 1 Strength
2:1 2 Lit. My mouth is enlarged
2:2 e Ex. 15:11; Ps. 86:8; Rev. 15:4
2:2 f Deut. 4:35
2:2 g Deut. 32:4, 30, 31; 2 Sam. 22:32; Ps. 18:2
2:3 h Ps. 94:4
2:3 i 1 Sam. 16:7
2:4 j Ps. 37:15; 46:9
2:5 k Ps. 113:9
2:5 l Is. 54:1; Jer. 15:9
2:6 m Deut. 32:39; 2 Kin. 5:7; Job 5:18; (Rev. 1:18)
2:7 n Deut. 8:17, 18; Job 1:21
2:7 o Job 5:11; Ps. 75:7; James 4:10
2:8 p Job 42:10–12; Ps. 75:7; 113:7; Luke 1:52
2:8 q Job 36:7; Ps. 113:8
2:8 r Job 38:4–6; Ps. 75:3; 104:5
2:9 s Ps. 37:23, 24; 91:11, 12; 94:18; 121:3; Prov. 3:26; (1 Pet. 1:5)
2:9 t (Rom. 3:19)
2:10 u Ex. 15:6; Ps. 2:9
2:10 v 1 Sam. 7:10; 2 Sam. 22:14, 15; Ps. 18:13, 14
2:10 w Ps. 96:13; 98:9; (Matt. 25:31, 32)
2:10 x (Matt. 28:18)
2:10 y Ps. 21:1, 7
2:10 z Ps. 89:24
2:10 3 Strength
2:11 4 served
2:12 a Deut. 13:13
2:12 b Judg. 2:10; (Rom. 1:28)
2:12 5 Lit. sons of Belial
2:14 c 1 Sam. 1:3
2:15 d Lev. 3:3–5, 16
2:17 e Gen. 6:11
2:17 f (Mal. 2:7–9)
2:17 6 despised
2:18 g 1 Sam. 2:11; 3:1
2:18 h Ex. 28:4
2:19 i 1 Sam. 1:3, 21
2:20 j Gen. 14:19
2:20 k 1 Sam. 1:11, 27, 28
2:20 7 gift
2:21 l Gen. 21:1
2:21 m Judg. 13:24; 1 Sam. 2:26; 3:19–21; Luke 1:80; 2:40
2:21 8 attended to
2:22 n Ex. 38:8
2:22 9 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; DSS, LXX omit rest of verse
2:25 o Deut. 1:17; 25:1, 2
2:25 p Num. 15:30
2:25 q Josh. 11:20
2:25 10 Tg. the Judge
2:26 r 1 Sam. 2:21
2:26 s Prov. 3:4
2:27 t Deut. 33:1; Judg. 13:6; 1 Sam. 9:6; 1 Kin. 13:1
2:27 u Ex. 4:14–16; 12:1
2:28 v Ex. 28:1, 4; Num. 16:5
2:28 w Lev. 2:3, 10; 6:16; 7:7, 8, 34, 35; Num. 5:9
2:29 x Deut. 32:15
2:29 y Deut. 12:5; Ps. 26:8
2:29 z Matt. 10:37
2:30 a Ex. 29:9; Num. 25:13
2:30 b Jer. 18:9, 10
2:30 c Ps. 91:14; Mal. 2:9–12
2:31 d 1 Sam. 4:11–18; 22:18, 19; 1 Kin. 2:27, 35
2:31 11 strength
2:32 e Zech. 8:4
2:34 f 1 Sam. 10:7–9; 1 Kin. 13:3
2:34 g 1 Sam. 4:11, 17
2:35 h 1 Kin. 2:35; Ezek. 44:15; (Heb. 2:17; 7:26–28)
2:35 i 2 Sam. 7:11, 27; 1 Kin. 11:38
2:35 j Ps. 18:50
2:36 k 1 Kin. 2:27
2:36 12 assign
1 Samuel 3
3:1 a 1 Sam. 2:11, 18
3:1 b Ps. 74:9; Ezek. 7:26; Amos 8:11, 12
3:2 c Gen. 27:1; 48:10; 1 Sam. 4:15
3
:3 d Ex. 27:20, 21
3:3 1 palace or temple
3:7 e 1 Sam. 2:12; Acts 19:2; 1 Cor. 13:11
3:9 f 1 Kin. 2:17
3:11 g 2 Kin. 21:12; Jer. 19:3
3:12 h 1 Sam. 2:27–36; Ezek. 12:25; Luke 21:33
3:13 i 1 Sam. 2:29–31
3:13 j 1 Sam. 2:22; Ezek. 7:3; 18:30
3:13 k 1 Sam. 2:12, 17, 22
3:13 l 1 Sam. 2:23, 25
3:13 2 Lit. rebuke
3:14 m Num. 15:30, 31; Is. 22:14; Heb. 10:4, 26–31
3:15 3 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; LXX adds and he arose in the morning
3:17 n Ruth 1:17
3:18 o Gen. 24:50; Ex. 34:5–7; Lev. 10:3; Is. 39:8; Acts 5:39
3:19 p 1 Sam. 2:21
3:19 q Gen. 21:22; 28:15; 39:2, 21, 23
3:19 r 1 Sam. 9:6
3:19 4 fail
3:20 s Judg. 20:1
3:20 5 confirmed
3:21 t 1 Sam. 3:1, 4
1 Samuel 4
4:1 a 1 Sam. 7:12
4:1 1 So with MT, Tg.; LXX, Vg. add And it came to pass in those days that the Philistines gathered themselves together to fight; LXX adds further against Israel
4:2 b 1 Sam. 12:9
4:2 2 Lit. struck
4:3 c Num. 10:35; Josh. 6:6–21
4:4 d Ex. 25:18–21; 1 Sam. 6:2; Ps. 80:1
4:4 e Num. 7:89
4:4 f 1 Sam. 2:12
4:7 g Ex. 15:14
4:9 h 1 Cor. 16:13
4:9 i Judg. 13:1; 1 Sam. 14:21
4:9 3 Lit. Be men
4:10 j Lev. 26:17; Deut. 28:15, 25; 1 Sam. 4:2; 2 Sam. 18:17; 19:8; 2 Kin. 14:12; 2 Chr. 25:22
4:10 4 Lit. struck down
4:11 k 1 Sam. 2:32; Ps. 78:60, 61
4:11 l 1 Sam. 2:34; Ps. 78:64
4:12 m 2 Sam. 1:2
4:12 n Josh. 7:6; 2 Sam. 13:19; 15:32; Neh. 9:1; Job 2:12
4:13 o 1 Sam. 1:9; 4:18
4:13 5 So with MT, Vg.; LXX beside the gate watching the road
4:13 6 trembled with anxiety
4:15 p 1 Sam. 3:2; 1 Kin. 14:4
4:15 7 fixed
4:16 q 2 Sam. 1:4
4:20 r Gen. 35:16–19
4:20 8 pay any attention to
4:21 s 1 Sam. 14:3
4:21 t Ps. 26:8; 78:61; (Jer. 2:11)
4:21 9 Lit. Inglorious
The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV Page 148