ἀπὸ τῆς τριχὸς τοῦ υἱοῦ σου ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν.[would destroy me and my son together out 12 καὶ εἶπεν ἡ γυνὴ, Λαλησάτω δὴ ἡ δούλη of the inheritance of God.

18 Then the king answered and said unto the woman, Hide not from me, pray thee, the thing that I shall ask thee. And the woman said, Let my lord the king now speak.

σου πρὸς τὸν κύριόν μου βασιλέα ῥῆμα· καὶ 17 Then thine handmaid said, The word εἶπε, Λάλησον. 13 καὶ εἶπεν ἡ γυνὴ, Ινατί of my lord the king shall now be comfortἐλογίσω τοιοῦτο ἐπὶ λαὸν Θεον ; ἢ ἐκ στόματος able [Heb., for rest]: for as an angel of τοῦ βασιλέως ὁ λόγος οὗτος ὡς πλημμέλεια, God, so is my lord the king to discern [Heb., τοῦ μὴ ἐπιστρέψαι τὸν βασιλέα τὸν ἐξωσμένον to hear] good and bad: therefore the LoRD αὐτοῦ; 14 ὅτι θανάτῳ ἀποθανούμεθα, καὶ thy God will be with thee. ὥσπερ τὸὕδωρ τὸ καταφερόμενον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ὁ οὐ συναχθήσεται, καὶ λήψεται ὁ Θεὸς ψυχὴν, καὶ λογιζόμενος τοῦ ἐξῶσαι ἀπ ̓ αὐτοῦ ἐξεωσμένον. 15 καὶ νῦν ὃ ἦλθον λαλῆσαι πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα τὸν κύριόν μου τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο, ὅτι ὄψεταί με ὁ λαὸς, καὶ ἐρεῖ ἡ δούλη σου, Λαλη11 Let the king remember the σáτw dǹ πρòs тòv Kúριóν μον Tòv Baσidéa, Lord thy God: the sense is, either, first, εἴπως ποιήσει ὁ βασιλεὺς τὸ ῥῆμα τῆς δούλης | Make mention (as this Hebrew verb is oft αὐτοῦ, 16 ὅτι ἀκούσει ὁ βασιλεύς· ῥυσάσθω rendered) of the name of the Lord thy τὴν δούλην αὐτοῦ ἐκ χειρὸς τοῦ ἀνδρὸς τοῦ God, to wit, in an oath, i. e. swear to me ζητοῦντος ἐξαραί με καὶ τὸν υἱόν μου ἀπὸ by God [so Patrick, Horsley, that thou κληρονομίας Θεοῦ. 17 kaì eiñev ʼn yuvn, Ei ἤδη ὁ λόγος τοῦ κυρίου μου τοῦ βασιλέως εἰς θυσίας· ὅτι καθὼς ἄγγελος Θεοῦ, οὕτως ὁ κύριός μου ὁ βασιλεὺς, τοῦ ἀκούειν τὸ ἀγαθὸν καὶ τὸ πονηρόν· καὶ Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου ἔσται μετὰ σοῦ.

Au. Ver.-11 Then said she, I pray thee, let the king remember the LORD thy God, that thou wouldest not suffer the revengers of blood to destroy any more [Heb., that the revenger of blood do not multiply to destroy], lest they destroy my son. And he said, As the LORD liveth, there shall not one hair of thy son fall to the earth.

12 Then the woman said, Let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak one word unto my lord the king. And he said, Say on.

Pool.

wilt protect me and my son against the revenger of blood; for so David did in compliance with this desire of hers. Only she was forced to express her mind in more general and ambiguous terms, because it had been presumption and rudeness for her in plain terms to desire the king's oath, as if she durst not trust his word; yet withal she insinuates her meaning so plainly that the king understood it; and yet so handsomely and elegantly, that the king was much pleased with her wisdom, and thereby inclined to grant her request. Or, secondly, this, Remember the gracious nature of thy God, who is not too severe and rigorous to mark at all that is amiss, nor doth cut off every man-slayer, as appears from Numb. xxxv., and from the example of Cain, and from thyself, O king; though this she expresseth not, but only useth such words which she knew would give so wise and good a king occasion to reflect upon himself, and upon the goodness of God in sparing him, though a wilful murderer, that thereby he might be obliged to imitate God, in sparing the person whom she designed. Or, thirdly, this, Remember the Lord, in whose presence thou hast made me this promise, and who will be a witness against thee, if 15 Now therefore that I am come to thou breakest it. That thou wouldest not speak of this thing unto my lord the king, it is because the people have made me afraid: and thy handmaid said, I will now speak unto the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his handmaid.

13 And the woman said, Wherefore then hast thou thought such a thing against the people of God? for the king doth speak this thing as one which is faulty, in that the king doth not fetch home again his banished.

14 For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again: neither doth God respect any person yet doth he devise means [or, because God hath not taken away his life, he hath also devised means, &c.], that his banished be not expelled from him.

16 For the king will hear, to deliver his handmaid out of the hand of the man that

suffer the revengers of blood to destroy any more, Heb. lest the avenger of blood multiply to destroy, i. e. lest they cause one destruction to another, and add my surviving son to him who is slain already. Or, lest thou dost multiply avengers of blood to destroy, i. e. lest by thy connivance at their

12 Having obliged the king by his oath in her supposed case, she now throws off the veil, and begins to apply this parable to the king's and kingdom's present case [so Patrick].

cruel and malicious proceedings against my seems not to agree with the Scripture son, thou dost encourage avengers of blood phrase; for the accepting of a person is to the like furious practices, and thereby never to my knowledge expressed in Hebrew increase the number of that sort of men, by nasa nephesh, which is the phrase here, and upon that pretence occasion multitudes but by nasa panim, everywhere. The words of murders. Lest they destroy my son; or therefore may be rendered either thus, yet and let them not destroy my son; the future God will not take away, or doth not use to tense being put for the imperative mood, as take away (the future tense oft noting a conis frequent. tinued act, as Hebricians observe), the soul, or souls, or lives of men, to wit, by violence. God doth not severely and instantly cut off offenders, but suffers them to live till they die by the course of nature; and therefore so shouldst thou do too. Or rather thus, yet 13 If thou wouldst not permit the avengers God hath not taken away his soul or life; of blood to molest me, or to destroy my the pronoun his being understood here as it son, who are but two persons; how unreason- is in many other places, and as being easily able is it that thou shouldst proceed in thy supplied out of the context. So the sense is, endeavours to avenge Amnon's blood upon God hath hitherto spared him, and did not Absalom, whose death would be highly in- suffer his brethren to kill him, as in reason jurious and grievous to the whole common- might have been expected; nor hath God wealth of Israel, all whose eyes are upon himself yet cut him off for his murder, as he him as the heir of the crown, and a wise, oft doth with persons who are out of the and valiant, and amiable person, unhappy magistrate's reach; but hath hitherto preonly in this one act of killing Amnon, which served him even in a heathenish land; all was done upon a high and heinous provoca- which are intimations that God would have tion, and whereof thou thyself didst give the him spared. Yet doth he devise means, that occasion, by permitting Amnon to go un- his banished be not expelled from him; or, punished! The king doth speak this thing but hath devised means, &c., i. e., hath given as one which is faulty; by thy word, and laws to this purpose, that the man-slayer promise, and oath given to me for thy son, who is banished should not always continue thou condemnest thyself for not allowing in banishment, but upon the high priest's the same equity towards thy own son. His death return to his own city; whereby he banished, to wit, Absalom, from that hath showed his pleasure that the avenger of heathenish country, where he is in evident danger of being infected with their idolatry and other vices; which is likely to be a great and public mischief to all thy people, if he come to reign in thy stead, which he is very likely to do.

14 We must needs die, Heb., in dying we shall die, i. e., we shall certainly and suddenly die all of us; both thou, O king, who therefore art obliged to take due care of thy successor, who is Absalom; and Absalom, who, if he do not die by the hand of justice, must shortly die by the necessity of nature; and Amnon too must have died in the common way of all flesh, if Absalom had not cut him off. Therefore, O king, be not implacable towards Absalom for nipping a flower a little before its time of fading, and restore him to us all before he die in a strange land. Neither doth God respect any person, to wit, so far as to exempt him from this common law of dying. But this version

blood should not implacably persist in seeking revenge, and that the man-slayer should be spared. Or rather thus, but thinketh thoughts, or, but hath designed, or, therefore he intendeth that he who is banished (to wit, Absalom) be not (always) expelled or banished from him, i. e., from God and from his people, and from the place of his worship, but that he should return home to him. So the sense is, that God, by sparing Absalom's life in the midst of dangers, did sufficiently intimate that he would in due time bring him back to his land and people.

15 It is because the people have made me afraid; the truth is, I was even forced to this bold address to thee by the disposition and condition of thy people, who are discontented at Absalom's perpetual banishment, and full of fears; either lest, upon thy death, which none knoweth how soon it may happen, they should be involved in a civil war about thy successor; or lest, in the mean

time, if Absalom by his father-in-law's she had lost one son, to take away the life of

assistance invade the land, and endeavour by force to regain and secure his right to the succession, the people, who have a great opinion of him, and kindness for him, and think he is very hardly used, should take up arms for him; or lest he who is thy heir and successor should, by continual and familiar conversation with heathens, be insnared in their errors, or alienated from the true religion, and from God's worship, from which he is now utterly excluded. And thy handmaid said, or, therefore thy handmaid said; either within myself, i. e., I intended; or to the people, to quiet them.

16 For I know the king is so wise and just, that I assure myself of audience and acceptation.

Out of the inheritance of God, i. e. out of that inheritance which God hath given to me and mine; or out of that land which God gave to his people to be their inheritance and possession, and in which alone God hath settled the place of his presence and worship; whereby she intimates the danger of Absalom's living in a state of separation from God and his house, and amongst idolaters.

the other, as the next words explain it.

Lest they destroy my son.] Or, "let them not destroy my son," which remains.

13 Against the people of God.] Who were in danger to lose Absalom, the heir of the crown; which was far worse than the private loss of her son.

For the king doth speak this thing as one which is faulty.] In the sentence he had pronounced for her, he had condemned himself, because he had not called Absalom from his exile. This looks like too bold a speech: but the sense is no more than this; Do not judge otherwise in thy own case, than thou hast done in mine.

14 For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground.] She pleads for further pity towards him, from the consideration of our common mortality; and represents that death comes on apace, and we need not hasten it: and when we are dead, we can no more be recovered, than water when it is spilt on the ground, which is presently sucked up and seen no more. Some apply this to his mourning for Amnon; as if she had said, Dost thou still weep for thy other son? he must have died; and now he is gone, thy tears cannot call him to life again. But this is not probable, because it is said in the conclusion of the foregoing chapter, "He was comforted concerning Ammon, seeing he was dead."

17 The word of my lord the king shall now be comfortable; I doubt not the king will give a gracious and satisfactory answer to my petition. As an angel of God, to wit, in wisdom, and justice, and goodness. To discern good and bad; to hear and judge of Neither doth God respect any person.] If causes and requests, whether they be just, this be a right translation, the meaning is, and good, and fit to be granted, as mine is; that David himself was mortal, though a or unrighteous, and unreasonable, and fit to great king. But I think the Hebrew words, be rejected. Therefore; because thou art issa nephesh, never signify respect to persons; so wise, and just, and pitiful, and gracious but the word panim is used in that sense, not to those who in strict justice deserve punish-nephesh, which signifies the soul, as the other ment. The Lord thy God will be with thee; doth the face or countenance. Therefore God will own and stand by thee in this thy act of grace; or, God will prosper thee in thy enterprises; or, at least, not be offended with thee.

these words should be translated, "God doth not take away the soul, or life." She argues from the sparing mercy of God, who doth not presently inflict the punishment. Bp. Patrick.—11 Let the king remember of death when men have deserved it. And the Lord thy God.] She seems to desire him perhaps she had in this a particular respect to confirm what he had said by an oath. to Absalom, whom God had not cut off, but For men swore by remembering (or making let him live; and therefore she desires mention of) the name of the Lord. Others David to imitate God.

think she only prays him to remember how Yet doth he devise means, that his banished merciful and gracious God is, and had been be not expelled from him.] Or, according to to himself, even in pardoning the murder of the foregoing words, "But he doth devise Uriah. means, &c. God provided many cities of refuge, she means, to which he that slew another unawares might flee: where, though

The revengers of blood to destroy.] In the Hebrew, to multiply to destroy: that is, after

he was banished from his habitation for a secretly puts the king in mind how time, he was not quite expelled, but might dangerous it was to let Absalom (unto whom return again after the death of the high she had adventured to apply her case) to priest. From whence she argues, that kings continue in an idolatrous country; where being the images of God, nothing could God was not worshipped, as he was in the more become them than clemency and mercy; land of Israel. in mitigating the punishment of offenders, though there was just cause of anger against them. Which still was short of the present case; for God was not so merciful as to provide for the safety of a wilful murderer. But such specious arguments are good enough, when men are willing to be persuaded and nothing more moving than the example of God, who doth not delight in the death of a sinner.

To discern good and bad.] To discern between just and unreasonable petitions, as well as patiently to hear both those things which are grateful, and those which are less acceptable. And therefore she doubted not of such a kind answer as the angels bring, who are messengers of Divine mercy.

The Lord thy God will be with thee.] To direct him to judge aright and to show

mercy.

15 It is because the people have made me Dr. A. Clarke.-12 The argument conafraid.] This sounds as if the people talked tained in this 14th verse is very elegant, and so discontentedly about Absalom's banish- powerfully persuasive; but one clause of it ment, that it was another motive to her to has been variously understood, Neither doth make this address to the king. But it doth not God respect any person; the Hebrew is, seem to me to be likely that the people were D DN, "And God doth not take dissatisfied, because he was not recalled: but away the soul." The Sept. [Alex.] has it, rather David was afraid the people would be Και λήψεται ὁ Θεος την ψυχην, And God will dissatisfied if he did recall him. I said receive the soul. This intimates that, after indeed before (ver. 13), that David imagined human life is ended, the soul has a state of by her speech that they were desirous of his separate existence with God. This was cerreturn from banishment; but he did not tainly the opinion of these translators, and think so before and whatsoever their desires was the opinion of the ancient Jews, at least might be, they did not express any dis- three hundred years before the incarnation; content because he was not; for then there about which time this translation was made. would not have been any need of this woman The Vulgate has, Nec vult Deus perire to bring that about which he desired more animam, "Nor does God will the destruction than they. Therefore I think the last words of the soul." God is not the author of should be translated, not because, but death; neither hath he pleasure in the "though the people made me afraid." That destruction of the living; imitate him; is, those she advised withal told her it was pardon and recall thy son. too bold an attempt: but this did not discourage her; because she presumed the king would be so good as to give her a favourable audience, and not be angry with her, since blood-avengers to destroy my son." "As what she said was well intended. So the next word is to be translated but, not and.

I will now speak unto the king.] This is, notwithstanding the fears which some put into her, she resolved to make this petition; and she gives her reason for it in the next

Ged.-11 "I pray thee, then," said she, "let the king remember, for the Lord thy God's sake; not to suffer those numerous

the Lord liveth," said the king [Arab., and one MS.], "not one hair of thy son's head [Chald., Syr., Arab., and one MS.] shall fall to the ground." (12) The woman then said: "Let thine handmaid speak a word more to my lord-king." "Speak!" said he. (13) The woman said: "On what ground hast thou thus decided, with respect to God's 16 Clemency and kindness are the pro- people? From this decision, the king himperties of good kings; and such she saith self is not guiltless; in as far as he bringeth she knew the king to be, who would take not home his own exiled son. (14) Since pity upon her and her son, in whose pre- die we must, and are as water spilled upon servation her life was bound up. And when she calls the land of Israel the inheritance of God, who dwelt among them there, she

verse.

the earth, which cannot be gathered up again (for God excepteth no person); let the king devise such measures, as that his exiled

son be not longer an exile. (15) If I have far as the king bringeth not home his now come to speak in this manner to the banished son. 14 For we must needs die, king, it is because people so advised me; and become as water spilt on the ground, and thine handmaid said: 'I will speak to which cannot be gathered up again; (for the king perhaps the king will grant the God excepteth no person;) let the king request of his handmaid.' (16) For thine devise means, so that his banished son may handmaid thought, if the king will but listen no longer be banished from him. 18 Then to my first request, to preserve his handmaid the king answered and said to the woman, out of the hands of the man, who would Hide not from me, I pray thee, the thing exterminate me and my son together, from that I am about to ask thee. And the God's inheritance; (17) that then the king's woman said, Let my lord the king now determination, with regard to his own son, speak. would also be favourable. For like an angel of God is my lord-king, in discerning good and bad; and the Lord, thy God, is with thee."

Bp. Horsley.-11 "Let the king remember the Lord thy God, that thou would not suffer the revengers," &c. let the king swear by Jehovah thy God, not to give authority to the revengers."

"Not to give authority.", "not to make them great."

15-17 These three verses seem to be misplaced. They should intervene between the 7th and the 8th verses; for they are evidently part of the woman's speech about her own pretended affair; and the 18th verse should follow the 14th immediately.

:

Houbigant.-11 Tum mulier; recordetur, quæso, rex Domini Dei sui, ne multi sint sanguinis ad necem ultores, et ne filium meum interimant. [15 Nam quod veni, ut cum Domino meo rege hæc loquerer, dum me populus videt, hoc eo fecit ancilla tua, quod speravit, si cum rege loqueretur, cum facturum esse, ut ancilla ejus nunc loquitur. 16 Assentietur rex ancillæ suæ, ut eam liberet de manu ejus, qui meditatur me et filium meum de Dei hæreditate delere. 17 Nam sperat ancilla tua, verbum Domini mei regis ad pacem fore. Dominus enim meus rex sicut angelus Dei est, de quibuscunque rebus audiat, et Dominus Deus tuus est tecum.] Rex vero ; vivit Dominus, ne capillus quidem filii tui cadet in terram. 12 Deinde dixit mulier; loquatur, quæso, ancilla tua Domino meo regi unum verbum ; dixit ei rex; loquere. 13 Tum mulier; quale, inquit, consilium cepisti adversus populum Dei? Nam quasi delictum est illud propositum regis, ut ne revocet exsulem suum. 14 Enimvero nos morti

debiti sumus, et similes sumus aquis, quæ in terram dilabuntur, nec amplius colliguntur. Verum Deus non aufert animam. Imo consilium ejus est, ut qui ab eo exulat, non penitus abjiciatur. 18 Tum rex mulieri hæc locutus est, &c.

ne multi, מהרבת Recte Masora : מהרבית 11

Booth.-11 Then said she, I pray thee, let the king remember, for the sake of Jehovah, not to suffer the multitude of bloodavengers to destroy any more, lest they destroy my son. 15 Now therefore I am come to speak of this thing to my lord the king, because the people have made me afraid and thy handmaid said, I will now speak to the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his handmaid. 16 For the king may so hear as to deliver his handmaid out of the hand of every one, who would destroy me and my son together out of the inheritance of God. 17 Thy sint in voce Hophal. Sic etiam lego in handmaid also said, The word of my lord the king may now be comfortable: for as an angel of God is my lord the king, to discern good and bad: and may Jehovah thy God be with thee. And he said, As Jehovah liveth, there shall not one hair of thy son fall to the earth. 12 Then the woman said, Let thy handmaid, I pray thee, speak one word to my lord the king. 13 And he said, Say on. And the woman said, On what ground then hast thou thus decided concerning one of the people of God? From the word the king speaketh, he is guilty, in as

duobus Codicibus Orat. Redit nunc mulier ad filium suum, cœptam fabulam persequens, et aliam captans occasionem fabulæ suæ explicandæ, quia videt nondum se a rege intelligi.

15..., Nunc autem (quod veni ut loquerer, Domino meo regi...) Si quis orationis seriem diligenter considerabit, videbit versus tres 15, 16, et 17 fuisse male ac præpostere hic collocatos. Nam quis non videt præpostere facturam fuisse hanc mulierem, si postquam Davidi aperte significaverat, ver. 13 se fabulam narrare de consilio regis