Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 2 Samuel 1:12
And they mourned, and wept, and fasted until even, for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of the LORD, and for the house of Israel; because they were fallen by the sword.
12. mourned ] The word literally denotes the beating of the breast, which is still a common expression of mourning in the East.
fasted until even ] Fasting is mentioned as a sign of mourning in 1Sa 31:13; 2Sa 3:35; 2Sa 12:21-22. The day’s fast was considered to terminate at sunset, as at the present day in Mahommedan countries.
for the people of the Lord, and for the house of Israel ] By “the people of Jehovah” is meant the army, gathered to fight Jehovah’s battles against the heathen. Cp. 1Sa 25:28; and for people = army cp. 2Sa 1:4 and 1Sa 4:3. “The house of Israel” describes the whole nation united under Saul, and now broken and scattered by his defeat and death.
The Sept. has “for the people of Judah,” a reading which involves a very slight change of letters, but is probably either an accidental corruption or an intentional emendation to get rid of the apparent tautology.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
For Saul … – Davids thoroughly patriotic and unselfish character is strongly marked here. He looked upon the death of Saul, and the defeat of Israel by a pagan foe, with unmixed sorrow, though it opened to him the way to the throne, and removed his mortal enemy out of the way. For Jonathan he mourned with all the tenderness of a loving friend.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
And they mourned and wept,…. Inwardly mourned, and outwardly wept, no doubt sincerely:
and fasted until even; ate no food all that day until it was evening, the manner in which fasts used to be kept:
for Saul, and for Jonathan his son; it is no wonder that David and his men should mourn for Jonathan, a good man, and a valiant one, and a dear and faithful friend of David’s; but it may seem not so clear a thing that they should, mourn for Saul, a wicked man, and a persecutor of David without cause: but it should be observed that he had been reconciled to David, and had not since attempted anything against him; besides, he was his prince, his father-in-law, and the rather he might be grieved for his death, and his men with him, because it was matter of joy to the Philistines, and they would endeavour to avail themselves of it; and especially the manner of his death, that he should be the cause of it himself, and die without repentance, as it might be feared, and quickly after consultation with a witch, and when left of God, if these particulars were known to David:
and for the people of the Lord, and for the house of Israel; that is, the people of the Lord, even the house of Israel, or who were of the house of Israel; or if they are to be distinguished, the former may respect the people of the Lord who died in battle, for whom mourning was made; and the latter the people that survived, the whole kingdom of Israel, which had sustained a great loss by the slaughter made in this battle, as it follows:
because they were fallen by the sword; so many of them.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(12) They mourned.On hearing the tidings of the Amalekite, David and all his people showed the usual Oriental signs of sorrow by rending their clothes, weeping, and fasting. Although David thus heard of the death of his persistent and mortal enemy, and of his own consequent accession to the throne, yet there is not the slightest reason to doubt the reality and earnestness of his mourning. The whole narrative shows that David not only, as a patriotic Israelite, lamented the death of the king, but also felt a personal attachment to Saul, notwithstanding his long and unreasonable hostility. But Saul did not die alone; Jonathan, Davids most cherished friend, fell with him. At the same time, the whole nation over which David was hereafter to reign received a crushing defeat from their foes, and large numbers of his countrymen were slain. It has been well remarked that the only deep mourning for Saul, with the exception of the men of Jabesh-gilead, came from the man whom he had hated and persecuted as long as he lived.
The people of the Lord.Besides his personal grief, David had both a religious and a patriotic ground for sorrow. The men who had fallen were parts of that Church of God which he so earnestly loved and served, and were also members of the commonwealth of Israel, on whose behalf he ever laboured with patriotic devotion. The LXX., overlooking this distinction, has very unnecessarily changed people of the Lord into people of Judah.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
2Sa 1:12 And they mourned, and wept, and fasted until even, for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of the LORD, and for the house of Israel; because they were fallen by the sword.
Ver. 12. And they mourned, and wept, and fasted. ] The manlier any man is, the milder and more merciful. Julius Caesar when he had Pompey’s head presented to him wept, and said, Non mihi placet vindicta, sed victoria, I sought not revenge, but victory. David was well pleased with Nabal’s death; but mourned for Saul’s: the case was not alike.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
the LORD. Hebrew. Jehovah. App-4.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Psa 35:13, Psa 35:14, Pro 24:17, Jer 9:1, Amo 6:6, Mat 5:44, 2Co 11:29, 1Pe 3:8
Reciprocal: Gen 23:2 – mourn Jos 7:6 – until the eventide 2Sa 3:32 – lifted 2Sa 3:34 – wept 2Sa 3:35 – till the Job 31:29 – General Psa 59:10 – let
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
2Sa 1:12. They mourned and wept, and fasted This is an evident instance of the disinterestedness and tenderness of Davids heart, in that he could not forbear bewailing this melancholy end of Saul, though he was his bitter enemy, and sought his life.