Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Chronicles 12:17
And David went out to meet them, and answered and said unto them, If ye be come peaceably unto me to help me, mine heart shall be knit unto you: but if [ye be come] to betray me to mine enemies, seeing [there is] no wrong in mine hands, the God of our fathers look [thereon], and rebuke [it].
17. David went out to meet them ] Instead of letting himself be surprised he took up a favourable position in advance from which he could hold parley with them. The south of Judah with its ravines and cliffs affords many such positions.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
And answered, i. e. spake, as that word is oft used in Scripture, even of him that speaketh first.
Mine heart shall be knit unto you; I shall ever esteem and love you, and show this by my actions to you hereafter.
If ye be come to betray me to mine enemies; which your number, and quality, and near relation to Saul gives me some cause to suspect.
There is no wrong in mine hands; I have done no injury to Saul, nor to you; but have spared him and you when it was in my power to have destroyed you.
The God of our fathers look thereon, and rebuke it, to wit, by his hand and power manifested for me and against you for your perfidiousness.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And David went out to meet them,…. Out of the hold where he was; either out of respect and deference to them, some of them being persons of eminence; or it may be out of suspicion, fearing they were not his friends, being, it may be, chiefly of the tribe of Benjamin, and therefore was desirous of sounding them before he admitted them:
and said unto them, if ye be come peaceably unto me to help me; if they were come with a good will to him, and intention to help him against his enemy, and protect him:
mine heart shall be knit unto you; they should have such a share in his affections, that their hearts would be as one, as his and Jonathan’s were, 1Sa 18:1,
but if ye be come to betray me to mine enemies; into the hands of Saul, and his courtiers, that sought his life:
seeing there is no wrong in mine hands; no injury done by him to Saul, or to them, or to any other:
the God of our fathers look thereon, and rebuke it; he that sees all things, let him revenge it; and it is not only a wish that he would, but a prayer of faith that so it would be.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(17) And David went out to meet them.From his fastness or hiding-place in the hill or wood. Literally, before them, i.e., confronted them. (Comp, same phrase, 1Ch. 14:8.)
And answered and said unto them.The familiar New Testament phrase, . Davids speech and the answer of Amasai have all the marks of a genuine survival of antiquity. If for peace ye have come unto me to help me. For peace, i.e., with friendly intent. (Comp. Psa. 120:7.)
To help me.Comp, 1Ch. 12:1, where Davids comrades are called helpers of the war, .
Mine heart shall be knit unto you.Lite- rally, I shall have (fiet mihi) towards you a heart for union, or at unity: that is, a heart at one with and true to you. (Comp, one heart, 1Ch. 12:38, and Psa. 133:1, and terms like unanimis, .)
If ye be come to betray me.Literally, and if to beguile me for my foes, that is, to betray me to them, as Authorised Version. The false part of Sextus Tarquinius at Gabii, or of Zopyrus at Babylon. (Comp. Psa. 120:2.)
Seeing there is no wrong in mine hands.Although (there be) no violence in my palms. (Comp. Job. 16:17; Psa. 7:4; Isa. 53:9.)
The God of our fathers . . . behold and punish.The verbs are jussive or optative. (Comp. 2Ch. 24:22.). The psalms of David breathe a confidence that Jehovah is a righteous judge, who never fails to vindicate innocence, and punish highhanded violence and treacherous cunning. (Comp. Psa. 9:12; Psa. 10:14; Psa. 18:20.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
17. If ye be come to betray me to mine enemies Here we observe an instance of David’s caution and reserve. He had some suspicion that these men of Benjamin and Judah might be crafty emissaries from Saul.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
1Ch 12:17 And David went out to meet them, and answered and said unto them, If ye be come peaceably unto me to help me, mine heart shall be knit unto you: but if [ye be come] to betray me to mine enemies, seeing [there is] no wrong in mine hands, the God of our fathers look [thereon], and rebuke [it].
Ver. 17. If you be come peaceably. ] It is not safe to be light of belief, or too forward to make friendship. Gedaliah perished by his credulity, and Queen Elizabeth oft complained that “in trust she had found treason.” Mohammed, the great Turk, sent a couple of traitors to kill Scanderbeg, under pretence of great love to him and to the Christian religion, &c,
“ Tuta frequensque via est per amici fallere nomen. ”
The God of our fathers.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
If ye be come, &c. A second band made David suspicious.
knit unto = one with.
wrongs = act of violence. Hebrew. hamas, not same word as 1Ch 16:21.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
to meet them: Heb. before them
If ye be come: 1Sa 16:4, 2Sa 3:20-25, 1Ki 2:13, 2Ki 9:22, Psa 12:1, Psa 12:2
heart: 1Sa 18:1, 1Sa 18:3, 2Ki 10:15, Psa 86:11, 2Co 13:11, Phi 1:27
knit: Heb. one, Jer 32:39, Act 4:32, 1Co 1:10
wrong: or, violence
God: Gen 31:42, Gen 31:53, 1Sa 24:11-17, 1Sa 26:23, 1Sa 26:24, Psa 7:6, 1Pe 2:23
rebuke it: Zec 3:2, Jud 1:9
Reciprocal: Jos 5:13 – Art thou for us 1Sa 20:8 – why shouldest 1Ch 12:38 – all the rest Mat 5:9 – are Mat 12:30 – that is Act 5:30 – God Act 22:14 – The God
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
1Ch 12:17. David went out to meet them, and answered That is, spake, for that word is often used in the Scriptures, even of him that speaks first. My heart shall be knit unto you I shall ever esteem and love you, and show this by my actions to you hereafter. But if ye be come to betray me, &c. Which your number, and quality, and near relation to Saul, give me some cause to suspect. Seeing there is no wrong in my hands I have done no injury to Saul nor to you; but have spared him and you when it was in my power to have destroyed you. The God of our fathers look thereon, and rebuke it Namely, by his power, manifested for me, and against you, for your perfidiousness. In saying, the God of our fathers, meaning both his fathers and theirs, he suggests a reason why they should not deal ill with him: namely, because they were both descendants from the same patriarchs, and servants of the same God. And thus he encourages himself to believe, that God would right him if he were injured. For he was the God of his fathers, therefore a blessing was entailed upon him: and a God to all Israel in particular, as well as a Judge to all the earth.