7 20. The pursuit<\/p>\n
7<\/strong>. bring me hither the ephod<\/em> ] He desired to consult God by means of the Urim and Thummim, as before at Keilah (1Sa 23:9<\/span>).<\/p>\n Abiathar had continued to abide with David, ever since he joined him at Keilah 1Sa 23:6<\/span>. On inquiry of the Lord by the ephod, see Jdg 1:1<\/span> note. The answers were evidently given by the Word of the Lord in the mouth of the high priest (compare Joh 11:51<\/span>).<\/P><\/p>\n Verse 7<\/span>. Bring me hither the ephod.<\/B><\/I>] It seems as if David had put on the ephod, and inquired of the Lord for himself; but it is more likely that he caused Abiathar to do it.<\/P> <\/p>\n Bring me hither the ephod, <\/B>and put it upon thyself, that thou mayst inquire of God according to his ordinance, Num 27:21<\/span>. See above, 1Sa 23:9<\/span>. David was sensible of his former error in neglecting to ask counsel of God by the ephod when he came to Achish, and when he went out with Achish to the battle; and his necessity now brings him to his duty, and his duty meets with success. <\/P> <\/p>\n And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son<\/strong>,…. The son of Ahimelech, who was slain at Nob by the order of Saul, 1Sa 22:19<\/span>; and Abiathar his son, who fled to David with the ephod, on the death of his father, 1Sa 22:20<\/span>, was now high priest in his room; and who it seems was with David when he went with Achish, and returned with him; for had he been left at Ziklag, he and his ephod, in all probability, had been carried off by the Amalekites, unless we can suppose him under the protection of a special providence: it is much David had not inquired of the Lord by him about his going with Achish; perhaps the present disaster brought to mind that neglect, and made him the more diligent now:<\/p>\n I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod<\/strong>; not to put it on himself, but that the high priest might put it on, and inquire by it before him of the Lord:<\/p>\n and Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David<\/strong>; for the sake of David, that inquiry might be made before him of the Lord by Urim and Thummim.<\/p>\n David Recovers the Spoil.<\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/I><\/span><\/P> <\/TD> B. C.<\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN> 1055.<\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/FONT><\/P> <\/TD> <\/TR> <\/TABLE> 7 And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David. 8 And David enquired at the LORD<\/B>, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them,<\/I> and without fail recover all.<\/I> 9 So David went, he and the six hundred men that were<\/I> with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those that were left behind stayed. 10 But David pursued, he and four hundred men: for two hundred abode behind, which were so faint that they could not go over the brook Besor. 11 And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he did eat; and they made him drink water; 12 And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins: and when he had eaten, his spirit came again to him: for he had eaten no bread, nor drunk any<\/I> water, three days and three nights. 13 And David said unto him, To whom belongest<\/I> thou? and whence art<\/I> thou? And he said, I am<\/I> a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; and my master left me, because three days agone I fell sick. 14 We made an invasion upon<\/I> the south of the Cherethites, and upon the coast<\/I> which belongeth<\/I> to Judah, and upon the south of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire. 15 And David said to him, Canst thou bring me down to this company? And he said, Swear unto me by God, that thou wilt neither kill me, nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring thee down to this company. 16 And when he had brought him down, behold, they were<\/I> spread abroad upon all the earth, eating and drinking, and dancing, because of all the great spoil that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah. 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. 18 And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and David rescued his two wives. 19 And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor any thing<\/I> that they had taken to them: David recovered all. 20 And David took all the flocks and the herds, which<\/I> they drave before those other<\/I> cattle, and said, This is<\/I> David’s spoil.<\/P> Solomon observes that the righteous is delivered out of trouble<\/I> and the wicked cometh in his stead,<\/I> that the just falleth seven times a-day and riseth again;<\/I> so it was with David. Many were his troubles, but the Lord delivered him out of them all,<\/I> and particularly out of this of which we have here an account.<\/P> I. He enquired of the Lord both concerning his duty–Shall I pursue after this troop?<\/I> and concerning the event–Shall I overtake them?<\/I> v.<\/span> 8<\/span><\/U><\/I><\/span>. It was a great advantage to David that he had the high priest with him and the breast-plate of judgment, which, as a public person, he might consult in all his affairs, Num. xxvii. 21<\/span>. We cannot think that he left Abiathar and the ephod at Ziklag, for then he and it would have been carried away by the Amalekites, unless we may suppose them hidden by a special providence, that they might be ready for David to consult at his return. If we conclude that David had his priest and ephod with him in the camp of the Philistines, it was certainly a great neglect in him that he did not enquire of the Lord by them concerning his engagement to Achish. Perhaps he was ashamed to own his religion so far among the uncircumcised; but now he begins to apprehend that this trouble is brought upon him to correct him for that oversight, and therefore the first thing he does is to call for the ephod. It is well if we get this good by our afflictions, to be reminded by them of neglected duties, and particularly to be quickened by them to enquire of the Lord. See 1 Chron. xv. 13<\/span>. David had no room to doubt but that his war against these Amalekites was just, and he had an inclination strong enough to set upon them when it was for the recovery of that which was dearest to him in this world; and yet he would not go about it without asking counsel of God, thereby owning his dependence upon God and submission to him. If we thus, in all our ways, acknowledge God, we may expect that he will direct our steps, as he did David’s here, answering him above what he asked, with an assurance that he should recover all.<\/P> II. He went himself in person, and took with him all the force he had, in pursuit of the Amalekites, 1Sa 30:9<\/span>; 1Sa 30:10<\/span>. See how quickly, how easily, how effectually the mutiny among the soldiers was quelled by his patience and faith. When they spoke of stoning him<\/I> (v.<\/I><\/span> 6<\/span>), if he had spoken of hanging them, or had ordered that the ringleaders of the faction should immediately have their heads struck off, though it would have been just, yet it might have been of pernicious consequence to his interest in this critical juncture; and, while he and his men were contending, the Amalekites would have clearly carried off their spoil. But when he, as a deaf man, heard not, smothered his resentments, and encouraged himself in the Lord his God,<\/I> the tumult of the people was stilled by his gentleness and the power of God on their hearts; and, being thus mildly treated, they are now as ready to follow his foot as they were but a little before to fly in his face. Meekness is the security of any government. All his men were willing to go along with him in pursuit of the Amalekites, and he needed them all; but he was forced to drop a third part of them by the way; 200 out of 600 were so fatigued with their long march, and so sunk under the load of their grief, that they could not pass the brook Besor, but staid behind there. This was, 1. A great trial of David’s faith, whether he could go on, in a dependence upon the word of God, when so many of his men failed him. When we are disappointed and discouraged in our expectations from second causes, then to go on with cheerfulness, confiding in the divine power, this is giving glory to God, by believing against hope, in hope. 2. A great instance of David’s tenderness to his men, that he would by no means urge them beyond their strength, though the case itself was so very urgent. The Son of David thus considers the frame of his followers, who are not all alike strong and vigorous in their spiritual pursuits and conflicts; but, where we are weak, there he is kind; nay, more there he is strong, 2Co 12:9<\/span>; 2Co 12:10<\/span>.<\/P> III. Providence threw one in their way that gave them intelligence of the enemy’s motions, and guided theirs; a poor Egyptian lad, scarcely alive, is made instrumental of a great deal of good to David. God chooses the foolish things of the world,<\/I> with them to confound the wise.<\/I> Observe, 1. His master’s cruelty to him. He had got out of him all the service he could, and when the lad fell sick, probably being over-toiled with his work, he barbarously left him to perish in the field, when he was in no such haste but he might have put him into some of the carriages, and brought him home, or, at least, have left him wherewithal to support himself. That master has the spirit of an Amalekite, not of an Israelite, that can thus use a servant worse than one would use a beast. The tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.<\/I> This Amalekite thought he should now have servants enough of the Israelite-captives, and therefore cared not what became of his Egyptian slave, but could willingly let him die in a ditch for want of necessaries, while he himself was eating and drinking,<\/I> v.<\/span> 16<\/span><\/U><\/I><\/span>. Justly did Providence make this poor servant, that was thus basely abused, instrumental towards the destruction of a whole army of Amalekites and his master among the rest; for God hears the cry of oppressed servants. 2. David’s compassion to him. Though he had reason to think he was one of those that had helped to destroy Ziklag, yet, finding him in distress, he generously relieved him, not only with bread and water<\/I> (v.<\/I><\/span> 11<\/span>), but with figs and raisins,<\/I> v.<\/span> 12<\/span><\/U><\/I><\/span>. Though the Israelites were in haste, and had no great plenty for themselves, yet they would not forbear to deliver one that was drawn unto death,<\/I> nor say, Behold, we knew it not,<\/I>Pro 24:11<\/span>; Pro 24:12<\/span>. Those are unworthy the name of Israelites who shut up the bowels of their compassion from persons in distress. It was also prudently done to relieve this Egyptian; for, though despicable, he was capable of doing them service: so it proved, though they were not certain of this when they relieved him. It is a good reason why we should neither do an injury nor deny a kindness to any man that we know not but, some time or other, it may be in his power to return either a kindness or an injury. 3. The intelligence David received from this poor Egyptian when he had come to himself. He gave him an account concerning his party. (1.) What they had done (v.<\/I><\/span> 14<\/span>): We made an invasion,<\/I> c. The countries which David had pretended to Achish to have made an incursion upon (<i>ch.<\/span> xxvii. 10<\/span><\/U><\/span>) they really had invaded and laid waste. What was then false now proved too true. (2.) Whither they had gone, v.<\/I><\/span> 15<\/span>. This he promised David to inform him of upon condition he would spare his life and protect him from his master, who, if he could hear of him again (he thought), would add cruelty to cruelty. Such an opinion this poor Egyptian had of the obligation of an oath that he desired no greater security for his life than this: Swear unto me by God,<\/I> not by the gods of Egypt or Amalek, but by the one supreme God.<\/P> IV. David, being directed to the place where they lay, securely celebrating their triumphs, fell upon them, and, as he used to pray, saw his desire upon his enemies.<\/I> 1. The spoilers were cut off. The Amalekites, finding the booty was rich, and having got with it (as they thought) out of the reach of danger, were making themselves very merry with it, v.<\/I><\/span> 16<\/span>. All thoughts of war were laid aside, nor were they in any haste to house their prey, but spread themselves abroad on the earth<\/I> in the most careless manner that could be, and there they were found eating, and drinking, and dancing,<\/I> probably in honour of their idol-gods, to whom they gave the praise of their success. In this posture David surprised them, which made the conquest of them, and the blow he gave them, the more easy to him and the more dismal to them. Then are sinners nearest to ruin when they cry, Peace and safety,<\/I> and put the evil day far from them.<\/I> Nor does any thing give our spiritual enemies more advantage against us than sensuality and the indulgence of the flesh. Eating, and drinking, and dancing,<\/I> have been the soft and pleasant way in which many have gone down to the congregation of the dead. Finding them thus off their guard, and from their arms (many of them, it may be, drunk, and unable to make any resistance), he put them all to the sword, and only 400 escaped, v.<\/I><\/span> 17<\/span>. Thus is the triumphing of the wicked short, and wrath comes on them, as on Belshazzar, when they are in the midst of their jollity. 2. The spoil was recovered and brought off, and nothing was lost, but a great deal gotten. (1.) They retrieved all their own (1Sa 30:18<\/span>; 1Sa 30:19<\/span>): David rescued his two wives;<\/I> this is mentioned particularly, because this pleased David more than all the rest of his achievements. Providence had so ordered it that the Amalekites carefully preserved all that they had taken, concluding that they kept it for themselves, though really they preserved it for the right owners, so that there was nothing lacking to them; so it proved, when they concluded all was gone: so much better is God oftentimes to us than our own fears. Our Lord Jesus was indeed the Son of David and the Son of Abraham, in this resembling them both (Abraham, Gen. xiv. 16<\/span>, and David here), that he took the prey from the mighty, and led captivity captive.<\/I> But this was not all. (2.) They took all that belonged to the Amalekites besides (v.<\/I><\/span> 20<\/span>): Flocks and herds,<\/I> either such as were taken from the Philistines and others, which David had the disposal of by the law of war; or perhaps he made a sally into the enemy’s country, and fetched off these flocks and herds thence, as interest for his own. This drove was put in the van of the triumph, with this proclamation, “This is David’s spoil.<\/I> This we may thank him for.” Those who lately spoke of stoning him now caressed him and cried him up, because they got by him more than they had then lost. Thus are the world and its sentiments governed by interest.<\/P> <\/p>\n Davids Pursuit of His Enemies. 1Sa. 30:7-20<\/span><\/p>\n 7 And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelechs son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David.<\/p>\n 8 And David enquired at the Lord, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.<\/p>\n 9 So David went, he and the six hundred men that were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those that were left behind stayed.<\/p>\n 10 But David pursued, he and four hundred men: for two hundred abode behind, which were so faint that they could not go over the brook Besor. 13 And David said unto him, To whom belongest thou? and whence art thou? And he said, I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; and my master left me, because three days ago I fell sick.<\/p>\n 14 We made an invasion upon the south of the Cherethites, and upon the coast which belongeth to Judah, and upon the south of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire.<\/p>\n 15 And David said to him, Canst thou bring me down to this company? And he said, Swear unto me by God, that thou wilt neither kill me, nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring thee down to this company. 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. 20 And David took all the flocks and the herds, which they drove before those other cattle, and said, This is Davids spoil.<\/p>\n 6.<\/p>\n How were the captives of Ziklag recovered? 1Sa. 30:7<\/span> ff.<\/p>\n David inquired of the Lord concerning the advisability of going out against the Amalekites. God answered him by telling him that he should go out in pursuit of the enemy and added the promise that he would be blessed in the endeavor. An Egyptian, a slave of one of the plundering Amalekites, had grown faint while the plunderers were returning from Ziklag; and when he was unable to proceed with the army his master left him by the highway to die. This man was found by David, and his spirits were revived by their kind ministrations. He said that he would guide them to the camp of the pillagers if only David would promise not to take his life nor deliver him again into the hands of his master. Led by the slave, the men came upon the Amalekites as they were spread upon the ground eating and drinking, all of which was probably some sort of religious festival celebrating their successful plundering of Ziklag. The attack was sudden and soon decided, and the success was complete. David rescued all that had been carried away. Nothing was missing; and in addition to recovering his own, David captured a large amount of other property.<\/p>\n 7.<\/p>\n What was the nature of Davids inquiry? 1Sa. 30:8<\/span><\/p>\n David asked the Lord if he should pursue after the Amalekites, He puts it in the form of a question that could be answered by a full statement from the Lord, It would be better not to consider this as a question to be answered with a yes or a no. He was asking the Lord what would happen if he did pursue. The Lord answered his question. As he continued to be more specific, he asked if he could overtake the enemy. The Lord revealed to him that he would not only catch up with the Amalekites but he would recover everything he had lost.<\/p>\n 8.<\/p>\n Where was the brook Besor? 1Sa. 30:9<\/span><\/p>\n This brook is mentioned only at this point. It must have been south of Ziklag on the road to Egypt. Wady Gazze or Wady Sheria would fit a description of the events which transpired. Probably it was near Ziklag, because the men who stayed behind knew they would have to cross it in order to pursue the enemy.<\/p>\n 9.<\/p>\n Why were the 200 so faint? 1Sa. 30:10<\/span><\/p>\n Davids men had been on a forced march from the rallying point at Aphek before they pursued their enemies from Ziklag. In addition, they had been under a great deal of mental strain as they had posed as friendly towards the Philistines. The final blow to their stamina came as they returned to find their wives, children, and supplies, carried away by marauders. Two hundred evidently stayed at Ziklag to protect the site. They knew that they would have to cross this valley and were not even able to begin the campaign.<\/p>\n 10.<\/p>\n Who was the straggler? 1Sa. 30:13<\/span><\/p>\n The young man whom Davids men found in the field was an Egyptian. He was so faint that he was like a corpse according to the original text. After he had been given something to eat and drink, his spirit came again to him. When he was asked about his background, he explained that he was an Egyptian but was a servant to an Amalekite. He had been left behind because he was sick and unable to keep up with the rest of the company.<\/p>\n 11.<\/p>\n Who were the Cherethites? 1Sa. 30:14<\/span><\/p>\n The Cherethites were tribes of the Philistines who lived in the southwest part of Canaan. Ezekiel mentioned them (Eze. 25:16<\/span>) as did Zephaniah (Zep. 2:5<\/span>). In these references they are synonymous with the Philistines. The Greek version called these people Cretans. It is now understood that the Philistines originally came from Crete. David had Cherethites and Pelethites as body guards (2Sa. 8:18<\/span>; 2Sa. 15:18<\/span>; 2Sa. 20:7<\/span>; 2Sa. 20:23<\/span>; 1Ki. 1:38<\/span>; 1Ki. 1:44<\/span>; 1Ch. 18:17<\/span>). Later on these men were called captains and the guard (2Ki. 11:4<\/span>; 2Ki. 11:19<\/span>).<\/p>\n 12.<\/p>\n Why did David overcome the Amalekites with ease? 1Sa. 30:16-20<\/span><\/p>\n When David came on the campsite of the Amalekites, they were spread all around over the ground eating and drinking and dancing. They were celebrating the great spoil that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines and out of the land of Judah. Just how long David smote them is not clear, but it must have been only one evening. It was the next day after they had left Ziklag that he began the attack at twilight. He continued the attack after dark and recovered everything.<\/p>\n (7) Abiathar.<\/strong>Abiathar had doubtless been with David, and he had joined him at Keilah. Through all his wanderings we hear, however, nothing of prayer and of consultation of the Urim. As regards the unfortunate Philistine sojourn, David seems to have determined upon that step entirely of himself; distrustful and despairing, he had fled the country, and taken refuge with the enemies of his people. One unbroken series of sin and calamity was the result ha sees of his fatal error.<\/p>\n And Abiathar brought thither the ephod.<\/strong>Modern commentators, as a rule, prefer to disbelieve in any response coming through the medium of the Urim in the ephod. They either pass over the whole transaction in silence, or assume that some Divine inspiration came to the high priest when vested with the sacred garment. The plain meaning, however, of the frequent references tells us in some way or other the Divine will was made known through the agency of the mysterious Urim and Thummim. See, for instance, in the case of Saul, where definitely it is stated that the Lord answered him not by Urim (1Sa. 28:6<\/span>), where this peculiar Divine response is carefully distinguished from the manifestation of the will of God in a dream or a vision, or through the Divine instrumentality of the prophet or seer. The ancient Hebrews had no hesitation in attributing to the sacred precious stones an occasional special power of declaring the oracles of God. The Talmudical traditions are clear and decisive here. Now, without attaching anything like an implicit credence to these most ancient Hebrew traditionsmany of them fanciful and wild, many of them written in a cryptograph, or secret cypher, to which Christians in most cases do not possess the keyit does seem in the highest degree arbitrary to reject the ancient traditional belief of the Hebrew race contained in the Talmud with respect to this most mysterious ephod and its sacred gems, and to adopt another interpretation, which fits in very lamely with the plain text. The whole question respecting the traditions of the Urim and Thummim is discussed at some length in the short Excursus <\/em>M on the Urini, at the end of this Commentary on the First Book of Samuel.<\/p>\n David And His Men Pursue The Amalekites And Destroy Them, Recovering All That They Had Lost And More In Abundance ( 1Sa 30:7-20<\/strong><\/span><\/strong> ). <\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n The Amalekites, aware that any opposition to what they had done was safely out of the way taking part on one side or another in the Philistine invasion of Israel, were no doubt quite relaxed and thus not as careful as they might have been, both in respect of getting their captives to Egypt as quickly as possible, and of ensuring that they put as great a distance as possible between them and any pursuers. Indeed they were so confident that there would be no pursuers that they found time to stop for a period of celebration at the multiplicity of their spoils. They were totally confident that by the time the invasion was over and David returned they themselves would have split into their separate tribes and have been long gone. What they did not allow for was the intervention of YHWH. <\/p>\n Thus when David consulted YHWH through the ephod he received the message that there was yet time to recover all the womenfolk and children, together with all their spoils. As a result, greatly encouraged, he set out with all haste with his partly exhausted men (who had already just endured a three day march), and was able to overtake the Amalekites while they were celebrating, (and had no doubt got themselves into a drunken state), and give them a thorough trouncing, so thorough indeed that the only ones who were able to make their escape were four camel units of young men. The remainder of the tribe were mercilessly slaughtered. It should be noted that this was simply carrying out the requirements of YHWH with respect to these merciless brigands, brigands who were a constant threat towards all civilised people. They were the terrorists of their day. Thus while Saul was facing disaster because of his prior disobedience in respect of the Amalekites, David was obeying YHWH with respect to them. He was being obedient to God’s commandments <\/p>\n Analysis. <\/p>\n a <\/strong> And David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “I pray you, bring me here the ephod. And Abiathar brought there the ephod to David (1Sa 30:7<\/span>). <\/p>\n b <\/strong> And David enquired of YHWH, saying, “If I pursue after this troop, will I overtake them?” And he answered him, “Pursue, for you will surely overtake them, and will without fail recover all” (1Sa 30:8<\/span>). <\/p>\n c <\/strong> So David went, he and the six hundred men who were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those who were left behind stayed. But David pursued, he and four hundred men, for two hundred stayed behind, who were so faint that they could not go over the brook Besor (1Sa 30:9-10<\/span>). <\/p>\n d <\/strong> And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he ate, and they gave him water to drink, and they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins, and when he had eaten, his spirit came again to him, for he had eaten no bread, nor drunk any water, three days and three nights (1Sa 30:11-12<\/span>). <\/p>\n e <\/strong> And David said to him, “To whom do you belong? And from where are you?” And he said, “I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite, and my master left me, because three days ago I fell sick” (1Sa 30:13<\/span>). <\/p>\n f <\/strong> “We made a raid upon the Negeb of the Cherethites, and on that which belongs to Judah, and on the Negeb of Caleb, and we burned Ziklag with fire” (1Sa 30:14<\/span>). <\/p>\n e <\/strong> And David said to him, “Will you bring me down to this band?” And he said, “Swear to me by God, that you will neither kill me, nor deliver me up into the hands of my master, and I will bring you down to this band” (1Sa 30:15<\/span>). <\/p>\n d <\/strong> And when he had brought him down, behold, they were spread abroad over all the ground, eating and drinking, and dancing, because of all the great spoil that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah (1Sa 30:16<\/span>). <\/p>\n c <\/strong> And David smote them from the twilight even to the evening of the next day: and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, who rode on camels and fled (1Sa 30:17<\/span>). <\/p>\n b <\/strong> And David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken, and David rescued his two wives. And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor anything that they had taken to them, David brought back all (1Sa 30:18-19<\/span>). <\/p>\n a <\/strong> And David took all the flocks and the herds, which they drove before those other cattle, and said, “This is David’s spoil” (1Sa 30:20<\/span>). <\/p>\n 1Sa 30:7<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n ‘<\/strong> And David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “I pray you, bring me here the ephod. And Abiathar brought there the ephod to David.’ <\/p>\n Having had time to consider the situation in which they found themselves David called for Abiathar the High Priest so that he could consult YHWH. And he called on him to bring the ephod, which incorporated the breastpouch in which were the Urim and Thummim. For while Saul could obtain no answer through the Urim (demonstrating that Saul had set up a rival High Priest (Zadok) and had provided parallel vestments for him), David was able to do so. This was the difference between the two men. One was rejected by YHWH and out of touch, the other was in constant touch with YHWH (compare 1Sa 23:9<\/span>). <\/p>\n 1Sa 30:8<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n ‘<\/strong> And David enquired of YHWH, saying, “If I pursue after this troop, will I overtake them?” And he answered him, “Pursue, for you will surely overtake them, and will without fail recover all.” ’ <\/p>\n Once Abiathar had brought the ephod David then submitted his questions. If it is correct that the Urim and Thummim could only answer ‘yes’, ‘no’ or ‘no answer’ he must clearly have asked two questions. Firstly whether they would overtake the Amalekites, and then whether they would recover all, these being then interpreted in depth by Abiathar. But what matters is that either way David obtained YHWH’s answer, “Pursue, for you will surely overtake them, and will without fail recover all.” <\/p>\n 1Sa 30:9<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n ‘<\/strong> So David went, he and the six hundred men who were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those who were left behind stayed.’ <\/p>\n Immediately on receiving the answer David summoned his men and set off after the Amalekites, not resting until they came to the Wadi Besor, where they no doubt stopped to refresh themselves. We do not know the identity of the Wadi Besor but we can presume that they must have travelled a good number of miles. We are given minimum information about what happened there, but we must probably see that David rapidly summed up the situation, recognised that a number of his men, through no fault of their own, were too exhausted to travel quickly enough and were thus holding them up, and that they were also being slowed down by the baggage that they had necessarily brought with them for a trip into the desert, and decided to reorganise his men into four active units of the most fit, and leave two units behind to recover themselves and guard the baggage (1Sa 30:24<\/span>), while he and the four slimmed down units proceeded forward at all speed. (We may possibly see that the six units were under the command of ‘the first three’ and ‘the second three’, although that is only surmise (2Sa 23:8-23<\/span>)). It is far more likely that David as a good general quickly summed up the situation, than that the exhausted men themselves, who had their pride to consider, drew back from crossing the wadi. <\/p>\n 1Sa 30:10<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n ‘<\/strong> But David pursued, he and four hundred men, for two hundred stayed behind, who were so faint that they could not go over the brook Besor.’ <\/p>\n Now aware that they must be catching up with the Amalekite raiders David and his four reorganised units sped onwards, less encumbered by baggage, leaving behind them the two units made up of the men who had found crossing the Wadi Besor a step too far. These last would provide the base to which the remainder could return when their provisions ran out, or when victory had been accomplished. <\/p>\n 1Sa 30:11<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n ‘<\/strong> And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him food, and he ate, and they gave him water to drink.’ <\/p>\n David’s scouts then came across an Egyptian in the countryside, in the last stages of exhaustion and unable to communicate, and brought him to David, who arranged for him to receive the basic food and water which he clearly needed in his exhausted state. This discovery was of huge importance, for it was to identify who their enemies were, and where they had taken refuge. It was evidence that YHWH was aiding their search. <\/p>\n 1Sa 30:12<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n ‘<\/strong> And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins, and when he had eaten, his spirit came again to him, for he had eaten no bread, nor drunk any water, three days and three nights.’ <\/p>\n The food that they gave him was energy producing food (as they would know by experience), easily digestible, with the result that he soon showed signs of coming back to full consciousness and eventually sat up. Their hope, of course, was that he might be able to give them some information about who had passed that way. <\/p>\n “Three days and three nights”<\/strong> is a phrase that, in spite of its seeming preciseness, can in fact simply indicate a day, two part days and two nights, e.g. in our terminology Monday to Wednesday, or Tuesday to Thursday, etc (compare 1Sa 30:13<\/span> – ‘three days ago’). A part day could be spoken of as ‘a day and a night’ because the day was seen as including the night. It was simply a way of speaking. This was certainly so later among the Jews. (We can compare how Jesus was to be in the grave ‘three days and three nights’ (Mat 12:40<\/span>) and was yet raised again on ‘the third day’). <\/p>\n 1Sa 30:13<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n ‘<\/strong> And David said to him, “To whom do you belong? And from where are you?” And he said, “I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite, and my master left me, because three days ago I fell sick.” ’ <\/p>\n Seeing that the young man was now able to speak David immediately questioned him, asking him who he was and where he had come from. His answer must have quickened all their hearts, for he revealed that he was an Egyptian and that he had indeed been the slave of one of the men who had attacked Ziklag. But he had fallen sick and so had callously been left behind to die by his master, seemingly without any provision for his welfare. As a slave he was simply seen as dispensable. That had been a day or so before. <\/p>\n 1Sa 30:14<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n “<\/strong> We made a raid upon the Negeb of the Cherethites, and on that which belongs to Judah, even on the Negeb of Caleb, and we burned Ziklag with fire.” <\/p>\n He also identified the nature of the expedition that his master had been on. They had raided the Negeb of the Cherethites (like the Pelethites, the Cherethites were a section of the Philistines, compare 2Sa 15:18<\/span>; Eze 25:16<\/span>; Zep 2:5<\/span>) and the Negeb of Caleb which belonged to Judah (Caleb was a sub-clan of Judah – Jos 21:11-12<\/span>), and had then burned Ziklag with fire. This last was probably as a specific reprisal against David, because of what he had previously done to them, carried out when his back was turned and the opportunity had thus arisen. (With regard to the descriptions of the places attacked compare with them 1Sa 30:16<\/span> – ‘the great spoil that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah’). <\/p>\n The Negeb was the large area of half barren land, half pastureland which lay between Israel\/Judah (and Philistia) proper and the Sinai desert. It had low rainfall but many oases (for the Negeb of Caleb compare Jdg 1:15<\/span>), and was suitable for pasturing flocks, and when irrigated through careful conservation of water from the Judean hills, could also be successfully cultivated. It was at this time seemingly occupied by the Calebites and other Judean sub-clans, by the Kenites and the Jerahmeelites, semi-independent allies of Judah, and by the Cherethites (Philistines). <\/p>\n 1Sa 30:15<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n ‘<\/strong> And David said to him, “Will you bring me down to this band?” And he said, “Swear to me by God, that you will neither kill me, nor deliver me up into the hands of my master, and I will bring you down to this band.” ’ <\/p>\n Then David asked the Egyptian if he would lead them to where he knew the Amalekites would go, and the young man replied that if they would swear on oath that they would not kill him or hand him over to his master (whom he clearly hated and feared), then he would show them. <\/p>\n “This band.”<\/strong> The word is the regular one which indicates a band of roving plunderers, compare 1Sa 30:8<\/span> and 1Sa 30:23<\/span>. See also Psa 18:29<\/span>. <\/p>\n Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
11 And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he did eat; and they made him drink water;
12 And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins: and when he had eaten, his spirit came again to him: for he had eaten no bread, nor drunk any water, three days and three nights.<\/p>\n
16 And when he had brought him down, behold, they were spread abroad upon all the earth, eating and drinking, and dancing, because of all the great spoil that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah.<\/p>\n
18 And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and David rescued his two wives.
19 And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor any thing that they had taken to them. David recovered all.<\/p>\nFuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n