Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Samuel 30:17
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.
17. And David smote, &c.] He reached the neighbourhood of their camp in the evening, and found them scattered about in disorder, carousing over the spoil. As soon as the morning began to dawn he attacked them (cp. 1Sa 11:11), and the fight lasted till nightfall. After the first surprise, the Amalekites made a stubborn resistance.
the evening of the next day ] The battle can scarcely have lasted two whole days. If the reading is right, the phrase the evening towards the morrow may denote the evening with which the next day commenced, Jewish days being reckoned from sunset to sunset, so that the fight lasted from early dawn till past sunset.
young men ] Perhaps servant, as in 1Sa 16:18. The Amalekites were famous for camels. Cp. Jdg 7:12; 1Sa 15:3.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 17. There escaped not a man of them] It is well known to every careful reader of the Bible, that the Amalekites were a proscribed people, even by God himself, and that in extirpating them it has been supposed David fulfilled the express will of God. But all this depends on whether he had an express commission to do so, received from God himself, as Saul had.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
From the twilight: the word signifies both the morning and evening twilight. But the latter seems here intended, partly because their eating, and drinking, and dancing was more customary and proper work for the evening than for the morning; and partly because the evening was more convenient for David, that the fewness of his forces might not be discovered by the day-light.
Object. It is not likely that David would fall upon the Amalekites before his men, who had been tired with a long and hasty march, were refreshed.
Answ. Nor is it said that he did. It is probable that when he came near them, he reposed himself and his army in some secret place, whereof there were many in those parts, for a convenient season; and then marched on so as to come to them at the evening time.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day,…. As there are two twilights, the twilight of the morning, and the twilight of the evening; this is differently understood some take it for the twilight of the morning, and that it was night when David came to them, and let them alone till they were drunk and asleep, and then early in the morning fell upon them, and smote them until the evening; so Josephus s relates it; but others take it to be the twilight of the evening, and that he fell upon them that night, and continued the slaughter of them to the evening of the next day, with which agrees the Targum; nay, some take the next day, or the morrow, to be that which followed after the two evenings; so that this slaughter was carried on to the third day:
and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men that rode upon camels, and fled; that sort of camels called dromedaries, according to Josephus t, and which were very swift, and much used by the Arabians, near whom these people dwelt, see Isa 60:6.
s Antiqu. l. 6. c. 4. sect. 6. t Ibid.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
David surprised them in the midst of their security, and smote them from the evening twilight till the evening of the next day, so that no one escaped, with the exception of four hundred young men, who fled upon camels. Nesheph signifies the evening twilight here, not the dawn, – a meaning which is not even sustained by Job 7:4. The form appears to be an adverbial formation, like .
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
(17) From twilight even unto the evening of the next day.Keil thinks the fighting went on from the evening twilight till the evening of the next day. Bishop Hervey, in the Speakers Commentary, with greater probability, supposes that the twilight is the morning twilight, as the contrast between twilight and evening rather suggests. David thus arrived at night, and finding his enemies eating and drinking, put off his attack until the morning dawn or twilight, when they would be still sleeping after their debauch. Although thus taken by surprise, their great numbers and their natural bravery enabled them to prolong the fierce struggle all through the day, and when the shades of evening were falling four hundred (we read) of the young men, a body of fugitives equal to Davids own force, managed to get clear of the rout and escape. The number of slain on this occasion must have been very great.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
1Sa 30:17. And David smote them, &c. The number of Amalekites that fled, was equal to that of all David’s forces; and out of self-preservation, he was obliged to put as many of them to the sword as he could, to prevent being surrounded and destroyed by so superior a number. A partial victory, instead of being of any service to him, would have rather turned out to his disadvantage; because the straggling parties might have united, and watched an opportunity of retrieving their defeat by a second attack; and it was not unknown to David, nor can it be unknown to any impartial reader, that the Amalekites were such inveterate enemies to the Israelites, and so restless at the same time, that they would have lost no opportunity of wiping off their disgrace, or endangering the very being of the Israelitish nation. I affirm, lastly, that David not only acted prudently, but well, in pursuing his victory, and extirpating them, as they were proscribed by God himself, and condemned to be utterly cut off.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
1Sa 30:17 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.
Ver. 17. From the twilight even unto the evening of the next day. ] Heb., Of their morrow, i.e., of David’s men’s morrow; a the morrow after they set forth to pursue the Amalekites, whom they found it no hard matter to stab with the sword, who were intoxicated before.
Upon camels,
a Jun.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
the twilight = the morning. Hebrew. nesheph, a Homonym: meaning (1) darkness, 2Ki 7:5, 2Ki 7:7. Job 24:15. Pro 7:9. Isa 5:11; Isa 21:4; Isa 59:10. Jer 13:16; (2) daylight, 1Sa 30:17. Job 7:4. Psa 119:147.
man. Hebrew. ‘ish. App-14.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
the next day: Heb. their morrow
and there: 1Sa 11:11, Jdg 4:16, 1Ki 20:29, 1Ki 20:30, Psa 18:42
Reciprocal: Gen 24:61 – they rode Gen 31:17 – upon camels Exo 17:14 – for I will Num 24:20 – his latter end Jdg 6:5 – their camels 2Sa 1:1 – when David 2Sa 1:8 – an Amalekite 1Ki 20:20 – escaped 2Ki 7:5 – in the twilight 1Ch 4:43 – the rest Psa 18:38 – General Pro 23:34 – thou Jer 41:15 – escaped Mat 24:38 – they
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
30:17 And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening {i} of the next day: and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, which rode upon camels, and fled.
(i) Some read, and to the morrow of the two evenings, that is, three days.