Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 2 Samuel 1:9

He said unto me again, Stand, I pray thee, upon me, and slay me: for anguish is come upon me, because my life [is] yet whole in me.

9. Stand upon me ] Rather, Stand by me, or, Rise up against me, and similarly in 2Sa 1:10. Saul is represented in 2Sa 1:6 as still upright, not as lying prostrate on the ground.

anguish ] The Heb. word occurs nowhere else, and its sense is doubtful. The Targum renders it agony; the LXX. terrible darkness; the Vulg. distress ( angustiae). Probably it means giddiness or cramp, which made it impossible for him to defend himself any longer. The marg. renderings, my coat of mail, or, my embroidered coat, are improbable.

because my life is yet whole in me ] A second reason for the request to slay him. He feared that he might fall alive into the hands of the Philistines. Cp. 1Sa 31:4.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Anguish – The Hebrew word used here occurs nowhere else, and is of doubtful meaning (compare the margin). The rabbis interpret it as a cramp or giddiness.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Stand upon me, i.e. lean upon me by thy weight and force, that the spear may come through me; or, stay by me, i.e. stop thy flight, and tarry so long with me till thou hast killed me.

Anguish is come upon me, i.e. I am in great pain of body, and anguish of mind. Or thus, my coat of mail, or embroidered coat, hath hindered me, that the spear could not pierce into me. Thus divers both Hebrew and other learned expositors understand it.

My life is yet whole in me; I am heart-whole, and not likely to die, as well as not willing to live.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

And he said unto me again, stand, I pray thee, upon me, and slay me,…. Which it can hardly be thought Saul would say; since he might as well have died by the hands of the uncircumcised Philistines, which he endeavoured to avoid, as by the hands of an Amalekite:

for anguish is come upon me; or trembling, as the Targum, not through fear of death, but through fear of falling into the hands of the Philistines, and of being ill used by them. Some render the words, “my embroidered coat”, or “breastplate”, or “coat of mail”, holds me g, or hinders me from being pierced through with the sword or spear; so Ben Gersom h:

because my life [is] yet whole in me: for though he had been wounded by the archers, yet he did not apprehend he had received any mortal wound, but his life was whole in him; and therefore feared he should fall into their hands alive, and be ill treated by them.

g “tunica scutulata”, Braunius; “ocellata chlamys”, Junius Tremellius, Piscator “thorax villosus seu pelliceus”, Texelii Phoenix, p. 210. h Vid. Braunium de Vest. Sacredot. Heb. l. 1. c. 17. sect. 9.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

(9) Anguish is come upon me.The word for anguish occurs only here, and probably does not have either of the meanings given to it in the text and margin of our version. The Rabbis explain it of cramp, others of giddiness, and the ancient versions differ as to its sense. It indicates probably some effect of his wound which incapacitated him for further combat.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

9. Anguish is come upon me The margin, following the Latin version of Junius and Tremellius, reads: My coat of mail, or, My embroidered coat hindereth me. Septuagint: A fearful darkness has taken hold of me. Others render , a spasm or cramp. The root means to interweave, and its derivative, as here applied to Saul’s difficulty, most probably means confusion, perplexity of mind. Thus the meaning is, Confusion or bewilderment has seized upon me.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

2Sa 1:9. For anguish is come upon me The word shabatz, signifies an inclosing, or inclosure; and the meaning seems to be, “kill me, because an inclosure, or inclosing part of the enemy, has seized me.” See the 6th verse, and Parkhurst on the word. Houbigant renders it, with the Vulgate, tenent me anguistiae: for I am in straits, Because, &c. should, I think, be rendered, though my life is yet whole in me. As this story of the Amalekite is a falsehood, there is less reason to be solicitous, as some of the critics are, to render it consistent; for falsehood is rarely so. The design of the young man was evidently to ingratiate himself with David. There are always numerous strollers who follow camps, and this lad probably was one of them. Their business is pillage and the stripping of the dead: our young Amalekite, it seems, knew his business, and got the start of the Philistines in the pillage of Saul. The serious reader, perhaps, may not think it an observation unworthy of his regard, that an Amalekite now took from Saul’s head that crown which he had forfeited by his disobedience in relation to Amalek.

Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke

2Sa 1:9 He said unto me again, Stand, I pray thee, upon me, and slay me: for anguish is come upon me, because my life [is] yet whole in me.

Ver. 9. For anguish a is come upon me.] Or, My chlamys ocellata, coat of mail, hindereth me, that I cannot die. Life may prove a mischief to a man; we should therefore set the less by it. Bernard saith it would be little better to us than hell, were it not for the hopes we have of heaven.

a . – Sept.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)