1-3 The Amalekites spoil Ziklag 4-10 David asking counsel, is encouraged by God to pursue them 11-21 By the means of a received Egyptian he is brought to the enemies, and recovers all the spoil 22-25 David's law to divide the spoil equally between them that fight and them that keep the stuff. 26-31 He sends presents to his friends

were come 1Sa 29:11 2Sa 1:2

on the third This was the third day after he had left the Philistine army at Aphek, from which place, Calmet supposes, Ziklag was distant more than thirty leagues.

the Amalekites 1Sa 15:7 27:8-10 Ge 24:62 Jos 11:6

2 And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way.

slew not 1Sa 30:19 27:11 Job 38:11 Ps 76:10 Isa 27:8,9

3 So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives.

burned Ps 34:19 Heb 12:6 1Pe 1:6,7 Re 3:9

4 Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.

lifted up 1Sa 4:13 11:4 Ge 37:33-35 Nu 14:1,39 Jud 2:4 21:2 Ezr 10:1

5 And David's two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.

two wives 1Sa 1:2 25:42,43 27:3 2Sa 2:2 3:2,3

6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.

was greatly Ge 32:7 Ps 25:17 42:7 116:3,4,10 2Co 1:8,9 4:8 7:5

the people Ex 17:4 Nu 14:10 Ps 62:9 Mt 21:9 27:22

grieved [heb] bitter 1Sa 1:10 Jud 18:25 2Sa 17:8 2Ki 4:27

David Job 13:15 Ps 18:6 26:1,2 27:1-3 34:1-8 40:1,2 42:5,11 56:3,4,11 62:1,5,8 118:8-13 Pr 18:10 Isa 25:4 37:14-20 Jer 16:19 Hab 3:17,18 Ro 4:18 8:31 2Co 1:6,9,10 Heb 13:6

7 And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David.

Abiathar 1Sa 22:20,21 23:2-9 1Ki 2:26 Mr 2:26

8 And David inquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.

enquired 1Sa 23:2,4,10-12 Jud 20:18,23,28 2Sa 5:19,23 Pr 3:5,6

he answered him 1Sa 14:37 28:6,15,16 Nu 27:21 Ps 50:15 91:15

9 So David went, he and the six hundred men that were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those that were left behind stayed.

10 But David pursued, he and four hundred men: for two hundred abode behind, which were so faint that they could not go over the brook Besor.

for two hundred 1Sa 14:20,31 Jud 8:4,5

the brook Besor This brook or torrent, it is evident from the circumstances of the history, must be in the south-west part of Judea, and must empty itself into the Mediterranean Sea. In the more particular situation of it writers are not agreed. some suppose it to be between Gaza and Rhinocorura; but Jerome places it between Rhinocorura and Egypt. it is supposed by some to be the same as the river of the wilderness, (Am 6:14) and the river of Egypt, Jos 15:4

11 And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he did eat; and they made him drink water;

gave him De 15:7-11 23:7 Pr 25:21 Mt 25:35 Lu 10:36,37 Ro 12:20,21

12 And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins: and when he had eaten, his spirit came again to him: for he had eaten no bread, nor drunk any water, three days and three nights.

his spirit 1Sa 14:27 Jud 15:19 Isa 40:29-31

three days 1Sa 30:13 Es 4:16 Jon 1:17 Mt 27:63

13 And David said unto him, To whom belongest thou? and whence art thou? And he said, I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; and my master left me, because three days agone I fell sick.

my master Though they had booty enough, and this poor sick slave might have been carried on an ass or a camel, yet they inhumanely left him to perish; but, in the righteous providence of God, this cruelty was the occasion of their destruction; whilst David's kindness to a perishing stranger and slave the means of his success, and proved the truest policy. Job 31:13-15 Pr 12:10 Jas 2:13

14 We made an invasion upon the south of the Cherethites, and upon the coast which belongeth to Judah, and upon the south of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire.

the Cherethites Calmet and others suppose that these people, who inhabited the same district as the Philistines, were the aborigines of the island of Crete, for which they derived their name. 1Sa 30:16 2Sa 8:18 1Ki 1:38,44 1Ch 18:17 Eze 25:16 Zep 2:5

Caleb A district in the south of Judea, in which were the cities of Kirjath-Arba or Hebron, and Kirjath-sepher, belonging to the family of Caleb. Jos 14:13 15:13

we burned 1Sa 30:1-3

15 And David said to him, Canst thou bring me down to this company? And he said, Swear unto me by God, that thou wilt neither kill me, nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring thee down to this company.

Swear 1Sa 29:6 Jos 2:12 9:15,19,20 Eze 17:13,16,19

nor deliver De 23:15,16

16 And when he had brought him down, behold, they were spread abroad upon all the earth, eating and drinking, and dancing, because of all the great spoil that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah.

when he Jud 1:24,25

eating 1Sa 25:36-38 Ex 32:6,17-19,27,28 Jud 16:23-30 2Sa 13:28 Isa 22:13 Da 5:1-4 Lu 12:19,20 17:27-29 21:34,35 1Th 5:3 Re 11:10-13

because of all Job 20:5

17 And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day: and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, which rode upon camels, and fled.

the next day [heb] their morrow
and there 1Sa 11:11 Jud 4:16 1Ki 20:29,30 Ps 18:42

18 And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and David rescued his two wives.

19 And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor any thing that they had taken to them: David recovered all.

1Sa 30:8 Ge 14:14-16 Nu 31:49 Job 1:10 Ps 34:9,10 91:9,10 Mt 6:33

20 And David took all the flocks and the herds, which they drave before those other cattle, and said, This is David's spoil.

This is David's spoil 1Sa 30:26 Nu 31:9-12 2Ch 20:25 Isa 53:12 Ro 8:37

21 And David came to the two hundred men, which were so faint that they could not follow David, whom they had made also to abide at the brook Besor: and they went forth to meet David, and to meet the people that were with him: and when David came near to the people, he saluted them.

two hundred men 1Sa 30:10

came near Heb 13:1 1Pe 3:8

saluted them [heb] asked them how they did Jud 8:15

22 Then answered all the wicked men and men of Belial, of those that went with David, and said, Because they went not with us, we will not give them ought of the spoil that we have recovered, save to every man his wife and his children, that they may lead them away, and depart.

wicked 1Sa 22:2 25:17,25 De 13:13 Jud 19:22 1Ki 21:10,13

those [heb] the men
Because Mt 7:12

23 Then said David, Ye shall not do so, my brethren, with that which the LORD hath given us, who hath preserved us, and delivered the company that came against us into our hand.

my brethren Ge 19:7 Jud 19:23 Ac 7:2 22:1

which the Lord 1Sa 30:8 2:7 Nu 31:49-54 De 8:10,18 1Ch 29:12-14 Hab 1:16

who hath Ps 44:2-7 121:7,8

24 For who will hearken unto you in this matter? but as his part is that goeth down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth by the stuff: they shall part alike.

but as his part This equitable edict was somewhat different from that which had so long obtained in Israel, and by which the spoil of the Midianites was divided: that related to the whole people: this only to the soldiers, some of whom went to battle, while others guarded the baggage. Nu 31:27 Jos 22:8 Ps 68:12

tarrieth 1Sa 25:13

25 And it was so from that day forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel unto this day.

forward [heb] and forward

26 And when David came to Ziklag, he sent of the spoil unto the elders of Judah, even to his friends, saying, Behold a present for you of the spoil of the enemies of the LORD;

to his friends 1Ch 12:1 Ps 35:27 68:18 Pr 18:16-24 Isa 32:8

present [heb] blessing 1Sa 25:27 Ge 33:11 2Ki 5:15 2Co 9:5

27 To them which were in Bethel, and to them which were in south Ramoth, and to them which were in Jattir,

Beth-el Probably not the celebrated city of this name, but {Bethul} a city of Simeon, (jos 19:4) supposed to be the same as {Bethelia}, mentioned by Sozomen as belonging to Gaza, well peopled, and having several temples remarkable for their structure and antiquity; and which jerome says, in his life of Hilarion, was five short days' journey from Pelusium. Ge 28:19 Jos 16:2 Jud 1:22,23 1Ki 12:29

south Ramoth. A city of Simeon; so called to distinguish it from Ramoth gilead beyond Jordan. Jos 19:8

Ramath
Jattir Jos 15:48 21:14

28 And to them which were in Aroer, and to them which were in Siphmoth, and to them which were in Eshtemoa,

Aroer Jos 13:16

Siphmoth Supposed to be the same with Shepham (Nu 34:10) on the eastern borders of Canaan.

Eshtemoa Jos 15:50

Eshtemoh 1Sa 21:14

29 And to them which were in Rachal, and to them which were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, and to them which were in the cities of the Kenites,

Rachal Supposed by Calmet to be the same as Hachilah 1Sa 23:19

Jerahmeelites The descendants of Jerahmeel son of Hezron (1Ch. 2:9, 25-27) who inhabited district in the south of Judah 1Sa 27:10

Kenites These people inhabited a small tract west of the Dead Sea. Jud 1:16

30 And to them which were in Hormah, and to them which were in Chorashan, and to them which were in Athach,

Hormah Jos 19:4 Jud 1:17

Chorashan Probably the same as Ashan in Simeon Jos 15:42 19:7

which Eusebius says was sixteen miles west from Jerusalem

31 And to them which were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were wont to haunt.

Hebron Jos 14:13,14 2Sa 2:1 4:1 15:10