At the time when kings go forth to battle. So Houb., Pool, Patrick, Horsley, Schulz, Dathe, Ged., Booth.

equites; sed cum currus prostrarentur et | the year was expired [Heb., at the return of periclitarentur, illos ab equis descendisse, et the year, 1 Kings xx. 22, 26; 2 Chron. pedes pugnasse. Hinc vocari pedites. Sanc- xxxvi. 10], at the time when kings go forth tius ad locum Samuelis: dicendum est... to battle, that David sent Joab, and his neque in Libro Regum, neque in Libro Para- servants with him, and all Israel; and they lipomenon omnia fuisse numerata. Addidit destroyed the children of Ammon, and beLiber Paralipomenon, peditum quadraginta sieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at millia, quod omiserat in Libris Regum His- Jerusalem. toria Sacra, neque equitum meminit, quia de illorum numero in Libris Regum disertis verbis actum videbat." Buxtorfio imprimis hæc placebat Sanctii cavillatio potius, quam Bp. Patrick.-At the time when kings go interpretatio. Nam cui lectori probaretur forth to battle.] These words to battle, are Gallicæ historiæ scriptor, qui narraret in added for explication's sake: but they are pugna quadam quadraginta millia equitum fuisse a Gallis interfecta, neque adderet totidem pedites fuisse a Gallis deletos, quia de peditibus alter scriptor narrasset? Non nesciebat Sanctius multa renarrare Paralipomenon Libros, quæ nunc habemus in Libris Regum. Sed piget nos hæc referre. Nos, septem millia equitum, ut locus parallelus: qui numerus quadrat in septingentos currus, et in quadraginta millia pedites. Nam equitum numerus solet esse minor, quam peditum; major, quam curruum.

not in the Hebrew; in which language to go forth signifies to go forth to war (see Gen. x. 11; Isa. xliii. 13; Zech. xiv. 3, and other places, mentioned by Bochart, Hieroz., par. ii., lib. iv., cap. 2).

Bishop Horsley.-For DN, read, with LXX, Vulgate, the parallel place in Chronicles, and many of the best MSS., hon.

Houb.-1 Donnynyi, Quo tempore legati proficiscuntur. Bona hæc sententia; itaque etiam scriptura D', non aspernanda. Sed quia loco parallelo 1 Paral. Dathe.-18 In quo Israëlitis terga dede- xx. 1 legitur, reges, et quia ita hic runt. Destruxit David septingentos currus, legunt veteres, scriptura est potior equitum septem millia occidit, peditum vero Imo addendum onion, ad bellum, post quadraginta millia, a) Sobachum quoque, ; ita hoc loco Syrus. Arabs, tempore ducem exercitus, ibidem interfecit. quo quis DADD), potest fieri bellum. Legere videtur non nay, exitur ad bellum; vide dicta ad locum parallelum.

a) Sic locum restituendum puto ex 1 Chron. xix. 18; cf. Hubigantius ad h. 1. Ver. 19.

Au. Ver.-19 And when all the kings that were servants to Hadarezer saw that they were smitten before Israel, they made peace with Israel, and served them. So the

.

-Mire Schul [לְעֵת צֵאת הַמְלָאכִים .Maurer

zius, Dathius, alii; tempore quo solent reyes bellum capessere. Sensus sole clarior hic est: tempore quo expeditionem fecerant reges isti, sc. hostes Davidis cap. x. commemorati,

hoc מְלָאכִים Forma

.19 .vs הַמְלָכִים עַבְדֵי הָרְער Syrians feared to help the children of Ammon

any more.

peace

solo loco obvia (E. G. crit., p. 335) pro Sed potest etiam legi vertiwith Israel.]ip.

Dr. A. Clarke.-Made Some copies of the Vulgate add here after que: tempore quo profecti erant legati (x. 2 the word Israel, Expaverunt et fugerunt sqq.). Sensus quoad temporis definitionem quinquaginta et octo millia coram Israel; fere eodem redit. "and they were panic-struck, and fled fiftyeight thousand of them before Israel.”

Ver. 6.

Au. Ver.-6 And David sent to Joab, saying, Send me Uriah the Hittite. Joab sent Uriah to David.

יתיר א'

καὶ ἐγένετο, ἐπιστρέψαντος τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ εἰς τὸν καιρὸν τῆς ἐξοδίας τῶν βασιλέων, καὶ ἀπέστειλε Δαυίδ, κ.τ.λ.

And

Et misit David, וישלח דוד אל יואב שלח-.Houb

Joab; mitte. Nemo non videt omissum fuisse, dicens, mitte, ut legitur infra vv. 10, 15, et 19. Neque id omittunt Græci Intt., Vulgatus, Arabs, hoc ipso in versu. Syrus, quia id non legebat, supplevit,,

Au. Ver.-1 And it came to pass, after et mandavit ei.

to drink, and to lie with my wife? as thou προς την ΡΟ ΤΟΝ ΝΤ livest, and as thy soul liveth, I will not done

Commentaries and Essays. As thiou livest, 377

and as thy soul liveth. So Hebrew. This 20
seems mere tautology. The LXX have not
this unnecessary repetition, their version

[see above], where it appears, that for ", τότ Ν Α
they read fe, quomodo? Which I have no Ν Ν Ε
doubt is right. The version then will be,
"How, as thy soul liveth, can I do thΙΑ ΠΟΡΤΕΣ
this Y
thing ?" In Gen. xxxix. 9, we have the like
expression, “ How (7) can I do this great
wickedness?"

Professor Lee, v. m, pres. reg. 22 So the messenger went, and came and Constr. abs. it. immed. of the drink. (a) shewed David all that Joab had sent him Drank an exhilarating or intoxicating drink. for.

23 And the messenger said unto David, | unto David, Surely the men prevailed against Surely the men prevailed against us, and us, &c. There appears to me to be a gap came out unto us into the field, and we were between these two sentences. The LXX upon them even unto the entering of the reads the text more entire thus:-"So the gate. messenger of Joab went unto the king at Jerusalem, and came and showed David all things which Joab had told him, even all the affairs of the war. And David was angry

21 Jerubbesheth.

Pool.-Jerubbesheth, called also Jerubbaal, Judg. ix. 1. See the notes on 2 Sam. ii. 8.

with Joab, and said to the messenger: Why Ged., Booth.-Jerubbaal [LXX]. did ye go so near to the city to fight? Did Commentaries and Essays.-This passage ye not know that ye should be smitten from leads me to observe a circumstance, which the wall? Who smote Abimelech the son of has not been, I think, sufficiently accounted Jerubbaal? Did not a woman cast a piece for,—that in the names of persons, of which of a millstone from the wall upon him, and Baal makes a part, Bosheth is sometimes he died in Thamas? [called, Thebez, Judg. used instead of it. Thus Jerubbaal, as he is ix. 50 in the LXX as well as in Heb.] called in Judges and 1 Sam. xii. 11, is called Why did ye go so near to the wall? In the here Jerubbesheth. Eshbaal and Meribaal Heb. it is said, "The messenger showed in 1 Chron. viii. 33, 34 are in 2 Samuel, David all that Joab had sent him for," n Ishbosheth and Mephibosheth. Patrick on No. The expression is very abrupt. 2 Sam. ii. 8 observes, that “Bosheth signifies It might rather be supposed, that for we shame and confusion, and Baal being an should read wow in Piel, and should render infamous idol, the Holy Scripture makes it as the LXX do, "all things which Joab these names end promiscuously in Baal, or had told him." The long passage that Bosheth." But I am inclined to think, that follows in the LXX seems plainly to have the persons in question had not originally been originally part of the text. The intwo names; that Saul and Jonathan would structions which Joab gave his messenger, neither of them call their children by a name ver. 19, 20, 21 imply this. Joab instructed of infamy, i. e., Bosheth; that they were his messenger first to relate all matters of the called but by one name in the original Scrip- war, or to give, I suppose, an orderly and ture, i. e., Baal; and that the alteration from particular account of all transactions; and Baal to Bosheth has been caused by the when he should have finished the account, superstition of the Jews, who substituted the without yet mentioning Uriah's death, and word Bosheth for Baal, when that name thereupon the king should grow angry became an object of abhorrence among them because Joab exposed himself and the army after the captivity, when they were perfectly to so much danger by going too near the cured of idolatry. Perhaps they might be wall: then the messenger was to pacify the led to this practice by a too literal interpre- king by adding, that Uriah was dead too. tation of Hosea ii. 17, and from chap. ix. 10. Upon hearing the relation of the loss of his However, let me observe, that in the Greek men, Joab thought the king would be angry, version of this verse we have Jerubbaal, and imagined he would upbraid his leading Iepoẞaal, not Jerubbesheth, as in the present his army too near to the enemy's wall, with Hebrew, which proves that it was not altered the story of Abimelech, who came too near in this place in their copies. We have reason the wall of Thebez, and was killed by a to suspect from many instances, besides piece of a millstone cast down from the wall this, that the Jews were not over-scrupulous upon him. This was one instance of Joab's about altering their Scriptures on one account sagacity, of which the king spake upon or another. another occasion, chap. xiv. 19. After the Jerobessith. Nos, cum mentioning of Joab's conjecture what the Vulgato, Jerobaal, nihil tamen mutantes. king would say, it is natural to think the Nam propriis in nominibus et interdum commutantur, ut alibi, Miphiboseth et Miphibaal, Isboseth et Isbaal.

, ירבשת.Houb

Hallet.-22, 23, So the messenger went, and came, and showed David all that Joab had sent him for. And the messenger said

historian would tell us, that the king did say it. The discourse of the messenger, ver. 23, seems plainly to be an excuse which he makes for Joab, when the king grew angry. Now he tells of Uriah's death, of which, according to Joab's instructions, he was

Because he had no pity. So most commentators.

Houb.-6 Reddet ovem quadruplum, quia hoc fecit, nec pauperi peperit.

Haec verba fere omnes sic . ועל אשר לא חמל

to speak after the king's anger, but not Au. Ver.-6 And he shall restore the before. The account then of the king's lamb four-fold, because he did this thing, upbraidings should have been inserted before and because he had no pity. ver. 23, as it is in the LXX. The Hebrew transcribers have here omitted a long sentence, which was originally in their copies, as it was in those from which the Greek translation was made. The occasion of their omitting it at first was, I suppose, that they convertunt, et eo quod non pepercerit. thought they had written it already, when Tamen, si eo quod diceretur, legeretur p they looked back on their transcript, and, et pro eo, quod, quoniam antecessit p saw the same words there. They did not, quod adverbium vult, aut iterari, aut mind that the words were to be written esse άπò κоwoù. Alterum vitium est, non twice. Or else they passed on, thinking addi casum verbo pepercerit; quem casum they had written them twice, when really they had written them but once. All that transcribe know how apt men are to be guilty of such errors.

CHAP. XII. 1.

Au. Ver.-Nathan.

nemo non sentit hic desiderari; cum præsertim verbum Hebraicum, nusquam legatur neutra in voce usurpatum, nisi est alteri verbo succenturiatum, vel antecedenti, vel consequenti. Eum igitur casum nos reperimus in vocabulo depravato, quod erat olim scriptum, pauperi, ut supra Digito monstrabat eum casum præpositio, quæ comitari solet verbum, quæque male hic adjungitur ad

Ged., Booth. The prophet [LXX, Syr., versibus 1 et 4. Arab., and four MSS.] Nathan.

Ver. 5.

חַי־יְהוָה כִּי בֶן־מָוֶת הָאִישׁ mox habuit adjunctum אשר postquam, אשר

.על non autem ,עקב

ζῇ κύριος, ὅτι υἱὸς θανάτου ὁ ἀνὴρ ὁ ποιήσας τοῦτο.

Au. Ver.-5 And David's anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the LORD liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die [or, is worthy to die].

Shall surely die. So most commentators. Dr. A. Clarke.-Literally, he is a son of death, a very bad man, and one who deserves to die. But the law did not sentence a sheep-stealer to death; let us hear it: If a man steal an ox or a sheep, he shall restore FIVE OXEN for an ox, and FOUR SHEEP for a sheep, Exod. xxii. 1; and hence David immediately says, He shall restore the lamb

FOURFOLD.

Ver. 8.

Au. Ver.-8 And I gave thee thy master's house, and thy master's wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things.

Thy master's house.

Ged., Booth.-Thy master's daughter [Syr., Arab.].

Ver. 11.

Au. Ver.-11 Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.

Houb.-T, proximo tuo.

Legendum

Gesen.-, 1 Sam. xx. 31; xxvi. 16,, sine, ut, lib. i., cap. 15, ver. 28 et and, worthy of death, condemned, 1 Kings ii. 26; 2 Sam. xix. 29.

Ver. 6.

alibi passim. Nam oratio numero indiget singulari, ut liquet ex verbo 2, et dormiet, mox sequente; nec potest esse numeri, nisi pluralis.

Ver. 13.

חַטָאתְךָ לֹא חָמְוּת :

פסקא באמצע פסוק

καὶ τὴν ἀμνάδα ἀποτίσει ἑπταπλασίονα, ἀνθ' ὧν ὅτι ἐποίησε τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο, καὶ περὶ οὗ οὐκ ἐφείσατο.

καὶ εἶπε Δαυὶδ τῷ Νάθαν, Ημάρτηκα τῷ No. 3 d. 2 Sam. xii. 13; xxiv. 10; Job Κυρίῳ· καὶ εἶπε Νάθαν πρὸς Δαυίδ, Καὶ Κύριος vii. 21.

παρεβίβασε τὸ ἁμάρτημά σου· οὐ μὴ ἀπο- Professor Lee.-Hiph. 7, pres. " θάνῃς. apoc. . Causat. of Kal. (a) Caused or Au. Ver.-13 And David said unto allowed to pass. (b) Allowed a period to Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. pass. (c) Removed, took, or put away. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD (d) Destroyed. (e) Removed guilt, reproach, also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not &c. (f) Removed from one place to another. die. |(g) Brought across. (h) Caused to go Dr. Adam Clarke.-The Lord-hath put through a country. (i) Transferred. (k) away thy sin.] Many have supposed that Offered, presented. (1) Passed a razor over David's sin was now actually pardoned, but the beard. (a) Gen. viii. 1; 2 Kings this is perfectly erroneous; David, as an xvi. 3; Ezek. xx. 37, &c. (b) Jer. xlvi. 17. adulterer, was condemned to death by the law (c) Jon. iii. 6; Esth. viii. 2. (d) 1 Kings of God; and he had according to that law xv. 12; 2 Chron. xv. 8. (e) 2 Sam. xii. 13; passed sentence of death upon himself. God Job vii. 21; Zech. iii. 4, &c. (f) Gen. alone, whose law that was, could revoke that xlvi. 21; Jer. xv. 14. (g) Num. xxxii. 5; sentence, or dispense with its execution; Josh. vii. 7; 2 Kings xix. 21, &c. (h) Lev. therefore Nathan, who had charged the xxv. 9; Ezra i. 1; Neh. viii. 15, &c. (i) guilt home upon his conscience, is autho- Num. xxvii. 7, 8. (k) Exod. xiii. 12. (1) rized to give him the assurance that he should Ezek. v. 1. not die a temporal death for it: The Lord Houb.— 27, Transtulit peccatum hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die. tuum. Recte id transtulit Vulgatus. Nam This is all that is contained in the assurance poena peccati agitur, eaque ipsa, de qua given by Nathan: Thou shalt not die that sanxerat David dicens, qui hoc fecit morte temporal death; thou shalt be preserved dignus est. Declarat Nathan non moriturum alive, that thou mayest have time to repent, Davidem, sed puerum ex adulterio natum, turn to God, and find mercy. If the fifty- in quem pœna mortis transfertur. first Psalm, as is generally supposed, was written on this occasion, then it is evident

Ver. 18.

TJT

"AT

וַיְהִי בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי וַיָּמָת הַיָּלֶד as the psalm must have been written after) וַיִּרְאוּ עַבְדֵי דָוִד לְהַגִּיד לְוֹ וּ כִּי־מֵת this interview) that David had not received הַיֶלֶד כִּי אָמְרוּ הִנֵּה בִּהְיוֹת הַיֶלֶד pardon for his sin from God at the time he חַי דִּבַּרְנוּ אֵלָיו וְלֹא־שָׁמַע בְּקוֹלֵנוּ וְאֵיךְ נֹאמַר אֵלָיו מֵת הַיֶלֶד וְעָשָׂה There is something very remarkable in the

composed it; for in it he confesses the crime in order to find mercy.

words of Nathan: The Lord also hath PUT AWAY thy sin; thou shalt not die;

Also Jehovah HATH, העביר חטאתך לא תמות

Δαυίδ ἀναγγεῖλαι αὐτῷ, ὅτι τέθνηκε τὸ παιδάριον, ὅτι εἶπον, ἰδοὺ ἐν τῷ τὸ παιδάριον ἔτι ζῆν ἐλαλήσαμεν πρὸς αὐτὸν, καὶ οὐκ εἰσήκουσε τῆς φωνῆς ἡμῶν, καὶ πῶς εἴπωμεν πρὸς αὐτὸν ὅτι τέθνηκε τὸ παιδάριον, καὶ ποιήσει κακά ;

καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ἑβδόμῃ, καὶ ἀπέCAUSED thy sin To PASS OVER, or transferred θανε τὸ παιδάριον. καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν οἱ δοῦλοι thy sin; THOU shalt not die. God has transferred the legal punishment of this sin to the child, HE shall die, Thou shalt not die; and this is the very point on which the prophet gives him the most direct information: The child that is born unto thee shall SURELY die;, dying he shall die— he shall be in a dying state seven days, and then he shall die. So God immediately struck the child, and it was very sick.

Au. Ver.-18 And it came to pass on the seventh day, that the child died. And the servants of David feared to tell him that the child was dead: for they said, Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spake unto him, and he would not hearken unto our voice; how will he then vex himself [Heb., do hurt], if we tell him that the child is dead?

Gesen.-Hiph. . 3. Causat. of Kal No. 3, to make or let pass by or beyond; 1 Sam. xvi. 9, 10; xx, 36, he shot an arrow , so that it passed by him, i. e., beyond Pool. On the seventh day; either, 1. him. Metaph., to let a sin pass From the beginning of the distemper. Or by, i. e., to remit, to forgive, comp. Kal rather, 2. From the day of his birth, which