1-9 The three years' famine for the Gibeonites ceases, by hanging seven of Saul's sons. 10,11 Rizpah's kindness unto the dead 12-14 David buries the bones of Saul and Jonathan in his father's sepulchre 15-22 Four battles against the Philistines, wherein four valiants of David slay four giants.

A.M. 2986 B.C. 1018 An. Ex. Ex. Is. 473
a famine Ge 12:10 26:1 41:57 42:1 43:1 Le 26:19,20,26 1Ki 17:1 18:2 2Ki 6:25 8:1 Jer 14:1

enquired [heb] sought the face, etc.
of the Lord 2Sa 5:19,23 Nu 27:21 1Sa 23:2,4,11 Job 5:8-10 10:2 Ps 50:15 91:15

It is Jos 7:1,11,12

Saul 1Sa 22:17-19

2 And the king called the Gibeonites, and said unto them; (now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites; and the children of Israel had sworn unto them: and Saul sought to slay them in his zeal to the children of Israel and Judah.)

now the Jos 9:3-21

the Amorites The Gibeonites were Hivites, not Amorites, as appears from Jos 6:19; but Amorites is a name often given to the Canaanites in general. Ge 15:16

in his zeal De 7:16 1Sa 14:44 15:8,9 2Ki 10:16,31 Lu 9:54,55 Joh 16:2 Ro 10:2 Ga 4:17

3 Wherefore David said unto the Gibeonites, What shall I do for you? and wherewith shall I make the atonement, that ye may bless the inheritance of the LORD?

wherewith Ex 32:30 Le 1:4 1Sa 2:25 Mic 6:6,7 Heb 9:22 10:4-12

bless 2Sa 20:19

4 And the Gibeonites said unto him, We will have no silver nor gold of Saul, nor of his house; neither for us shalt thou kill any man in Israel. And he said, What ye shall say, that will I do for you.

We will, etc. or, It is not silver nor gold that we have to do with Saul, or his house; neither {pertains it} to us to kill, etc.

no silver Ps 49:6-8 1Pe 1:18,19

5 And they answered the king, The man that consumed us, and that devised against us that we should be destroyed from remaining in any of the coasts of Israel,

The man 2Sa 20:1 Es 9:24,25 Mt 7:2

devised. or, cut us off Da 9:26

6 Let seven men of his sons be delivered unto us, and we will hang them up unto the LORD in Gibeah of Saul, whom the LORD did choose. And the king said, I will give them.

Let seven As God accepted the expiation here demanded, we must suppose that both the enquiry of David, and the answer of the Gibeonites, were directed by some open or secret intimation from him.

hang 2Sa 17:23 18:10 Ge 40:19,22 Nu 25:4,5 De 21:22 Jos 8:29 10:26 Ezr 6:11 Es 9:10,13,14 Mt 27:5

in 1Sa 10:26 11:4

whom the Lord did choose. or, the chosen of the Lord 1Sa 9:16,17 10:1,24 Ac 13:21

7 But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, because of the LORD's oath that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul.

Mephibosheth 2Sa 4:4 9:10 16:4 19:25

because 1Sa 18:3 20:8,15,17,42 23:18

8 But the king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bare unto Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth; and the five sons of Michal the daughter of Saul, whom she brought up for Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite:

Rizpah 2Sa 3:7

and the five sons This Adriel did not marry Michal, Saul's younger daughter, but Merab 1Sa 18:19

Michael being married to David, and afterwards to Phaltiel; though it is here said {she bore} (yaledah,) not {brought up}, as falsely rendered, five sons to Adriel. Two of Dr. Kennicott's MSS., however, have {Merab}, instead of {Michal}; the Syriac and Arabic have {Nadab}; and the Cahalee renders the passage thus: `And the five sons of {Merab} which Michal the daughter of Saul brought up, which she brought up, which she brought forth to Adriel the son of Barzillai.'

Michal. or, Michal's sister 1Sa 18:19

brought up for [heb] bare to

9 And he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them in the hill before the LORD: and they fell all seven together, and were put to death in the days of harvest, in the first days, in the beginning of barley harvest.

before the Lord 2Sa 20:6 6:17,21 Ex 20:5 Nu 35:31-34 De 21:1-9 1Sa 15:33 2Ki 24:3,4

in the beginning This happened in Judea about the vernal equinox, or 21st of March. Ru 1:22

10 And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth, and spread it for her upon the rock, from the beginning of harvest until water dropped upon them out of heaven, and suffered neither the birds of the air to rest on them by day, nor the beasts of the field by night.

Rizpah 2Sa 20:8 3:7

took sackcloth 1Ki 21:27 Joe 1:18

from the 2Sa 20:9 De 21:13

until water Some suppose that this means a providential supply of {rain}, in order to remove the famine; but from the manner in which it is introduced, it seems to denote the {autumnal} rains, which commence about October. For five months did this broken-hearted woman watch by the bodies of her sons! De 11:14 1Ki 18:41-45 Jer 5:24,25 14:22 Ho 6:3 Joe 2:23 Zec 10:1

the birds Ge 40:19 Eze 39:4

11 And it was told David what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done.

told David 2Sa 2:4 Ru 2:11,12

12 And David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from the men of Jabeshgilead, which had stolen them from the street of Bethshan, where the Philistines had hanged them, when the Philistines had slain Saul in Gilboa:

the bones of Saul 2Sa 2:5-7 1Sa 31:11-13

Beth-shan Jos 17:11

Beth-shean 1Sa 31:10

in Gilboa 2Sa 1:6,21 1Sa 28:4 31:1 1Ch 10:1,8

13 And he brought up from thence the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son; and they gathered the bones of them that were hanged.

14 And the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son buried they in the country of Benjamin in Zelah, in the sepulchre of Kish his father: and they performed all that the king commanded. And after that God was intreated for the land.

buried 2Sa 3:32 4:12

Zelah Jos 18:28 1Sa 10:2

Zelzah
God 2Sa 24:25 Ex 32:27-29 Nu 25:13 Jos 7:26 1Ki 18:40,41 Jer 14:1-7 Joe 2:18,19 Am 7:1-6 Jon 1:15 Zec 6:8

15 Moreover the Philistines had yet war again with Israel; and David went down, and his servants with him, and fought against the Philistines: and David waxed faint.

the Philistines 2Sa 5:17,22 1Ch 20:4

and David waxed faint Jos 14:10,11 Ps 71:9,18 73:26 Ec 12:3 Isa 40:28-30 Jer 9:23,24 1Pe 1:24,25

16 And Ishbibenob, which was of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose spear weighed three hundred shekels of brass in weight, he being girded with a new sword, thought to have slain David.

of the sons Ge 6:4 Nu 13:32,33 De 1:28 2:10,21 3:11 9:2 1Sa 17:4,5

the giant. or, Rapha 2Sa 20:18,20 5:18 Ge 14:5

whose spear [heb] the staff, or, the head
thought 1Sa 17:45-51

17 But Abishai the son of Zeruiah succored him, and smote the Philistine, and killed him. Then the men of David sware unto him, saying, Thou shalt go no more out with us to battle, that thou quench not the light of Israel.

Abishai 2Sa 20:6-10

succoured 2Sa 22:19 Ps 46:1 144:10

Thou shalt 2Sa 18:3

quench 2Sa 14:7 1Ki 11:36 15:4 Ps 132:17 Joh 1:8,9 5:35

light [heb] candle, or lamp

18 And it came to pass after this, that there was again a battle with the Philistines at Gob: then Sibbechai the Hushathite slew Saph, which was of the sons of the giant.

Sibbechai 1Ch 11:29 20:4

Saph. or, Sippai 1Ch 20:4

the giant. or, Rapha 2Sa 20:16,20

19 And there was again a battle in Gob with the Philistines, where Elhanan the son of Jaareoregim, a Bethlehemite, slew the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver's beam.

Elhanan, etc. Instead of () of the text, we should certainly read, as in the parallel text, `and Elhanan the son of Jair, {slew} Lahmi the brother of Goliath.' 1Ch 11:26

Jaare-oregim. or, Jair. 1Ch 20:5

Goliath 1Sa 17:4

20 And there was yet a battle in Gath, where was a man of great stature, that had on every hand six fingers, and on every foot six toes, four and twenty in number; and he also was born to the giant.

yet a battle 1Ch 20:6

the giant. or, Rapha 2Sa 20:16,18

21 And when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimeah the brother of David slew him.

defied. or, reproached 1Sa 17:10,25,26,36 2Ki 19:13

Jonathan 1Ch 27:32

Shimeah 1Sa 16:9 17:3

Shammah 1Ch 2:13

Shimma

22 These four were born to the giant in Gath, and fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.

four 1Ch 20:8

fell by Jos 14:12 Ps 60:12 108:13 118:15 Ec 9:11 Jer 9:23 Ro 8:31,37