Chron. και ην EK προστ 14 Και εστη εσωσεν Sam. φακου. Και ο λαος εφυγεν The present English Version. Sam. a great victory. It seemed necessary to compare together thus much of the two chapters in this place, that so the reader might see the more clearly what a great mutilation or defect there is in this part of the text in Chronicles. The principal evidence for the proof of this must arise from the inspection and comparison of the text in both places; and from thence it will appear, almost beyond a possibility of doubt, that the history in Chronicles breaks off abruptly in the middle of the 9th verse in Samuel; and recommences, in a manner equally abrupt, in the middle of the 11th verse. But if any one 13 He should be disposed to deny this defect in Chronicles, and to maintain the perfection of the text as it now stands there; he need only be desired to make out from that alone the history of the thirty-seven mighty men, which seems absolutely impossible. For as Shammah, the third general of the first series the is there omitted, the history will be so far from being found regular, that it is thrown Chron. 12 And after him was Eleazar the Chron. there the Philistines were the Philistines that were there . Sam. men of Israel were gone away. into total confusion. Chron. Sam. tines until his hand was weary, That there is a deficiency then of one whole verse and a part of two others here in Chronicles will, in general, be allowed. And and the omission seems manifestly owing to the resemblance of some words at the place Sam. his hand clave unto the sword: and where the transcriber broke off and where he Chron. Sam. the Lord wrought a great victory that he cast his eye down on mÍ D'ÑÍÐ (DDN”I Chron. (two of which words are very similar) and copied on from the last place; and so caused the omission [so Hallet], which has been continued ever since. Sam. gathered together into a troop, rupted. Sam. Sam. neral of the first series. The word in Samuel is writ more properly in Chronicles in the plural form, with a Yod before the pronoun; and is so expressed here in Samuel in the Complutensian Bible. The patronymic of Eleazar in Samuel is Dodi, with Dodo in the margin. The LXX (in The text here is corrupted in Samuel; the the Alexand. copy) have a version for both differences there evidently destroying the Dodo and Dodi, vios πaтрadeλpov avrov, regular sense in Chronicles and making it υιος Σουσει-Σουσει being a various reading unintelligible. It would be endless to enufor Aoude, as appears from the Vatican merate all the constructions of the word copy. In Chronicles it is Dodo; but in the : but whether it has been thought a LXX (Vat. and Alexand. copies) Awdat, as verb active or passive, whether the sense from Awdt. But this point is determined at that some have laboured to extract from it once by 1 Chron. xxvii. 4, where we read be, that the Philistines reviled the Israelites, that as Jashobeam, the first general of the or the Israelites defied the Philistines; or first ternary, was the first officer for the first that the Israelites exposed their lives to the month in waiting upon the king, so, for the Philistines, according to others-certain it second month, was Dodi the Ahohite, doubt- is, that neither of these contradictory opiless Eleazar the son of Dodi the Ahohite nions can be the true one. For (not to (the second general of the first ternary) as insist upon having a 1 prefixed after before observed. Eleazar the son of is, which that verb never admits after it) dropped in this last place, and the next this word contained originally some proper word is not 1 but " (Dodi) in the text, name of a place. and Awda in the LXX; which is an authority sufficient for determining between the disagreeing copies of the verses now before us. Besides, the reading here Eleazar the son of DoD the Ahohite will the more effectually distinguish this hero from Elhanan the son of DODO the Bethlehemite, who stands recorded the first of the body of thirty mighty men, in Sam. 24 and Chron. 26. And it seems to have been owing to the resemblance of these two names, that Dodo at first crept into the text, after Eleazar; since Eleazar is also confounded in the Vatican edition of the LXX with Elhanan. To all nicles. which may be added the testimony of ing the absolute necessity of making this Josephus, who calls this Eleazar vios Awdelov, lib. vii., cap. 12. As to the family or local name, it has been already observed, that the son of Ahohi, and the Ahohite, signify just the same thing. This appears, not only from there being such a name here in the copy of Chronicles, and that name of letters very similar to the word so corrupted; but also, because in Samuel itself the third word from this is D, ibi, which is directly relative to some place antecedently mentioned: otherwise, there can be no sense in, When they defied the Philistines, that there were THERE gathered together to battle. And farther-according to the present reading in Samuel there is no nominative case, nor introduction to the verb ; as there regularly is in ChroSome commentators, therefore, see word the name of a place, have rendered it at Horpam: but there is no such place in the Bible as Horpam; and if there were, it would neither make this passage sense, nor the two passages consistent. The word in Samuel should have the This then, and the beginning of the next prefixed [so Houb., Hallet], as in Chro- word, have been corrupted; and the true nicles; it is placed so in the margin of the reading is preserved in the corresponding several editions, and in the text of the Com- copy of Chronicles [so Houb., Hallet], plutensian. Before this, and its preceding which has also two additional words Nia word, we have in Chronicles the pronoun before D, two words, which we may N; which does not appear in any version, conclude to have been originally also in and therefore probably was not original Samuel [so Hallet]; as the Ald. and Com[Hallet maintains that this word was ori-plut. editions of the LXX read there ouros ginal]. The next words are very obscure, and on that account it may be proper to compare them ny μera ▲avid: and Josephus, speaking of this very place, has os ŋy μeta_tov Baσiews ev Aparaμo (which last word was perhaps originally Apaodaμw, the version of D'DT DEN), .12 .Chron. lib. vii., cap הוא היה עם דויד בפס דמים As to the true name of this place, we have it in Chronicles Pasdammim [so Houb., Chron. Hallet]; or, as it is sometimes writ, Ephesdammim (1 Sam. xvii. 1); and most of the .Sam בפלשתים letters in the true and the corrupted word | Israelites by Moses, that One of them should are very similar, and therefore the more chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand easily mistaken. of their enemies to flight. There is no word that requires particular ; ישבו Chron. observation in the 10th verse, but עם דויד בפסדמם והפלשתים .Sam עם דוד ב חרפם בפלשתים .Chron נאספו .Sam נאספו : which in the Alexand. and Vat. copies of the LXX, is rendered exαonтo, and in the Ald. and Complut., reσтрeyev, in which last sense are the Vulgate and the English I have only omitted the yod here in the version. If it be considered as the Preter proper name; which, being frequently tense, it must be the former; if the future, omitted in nouns of the plural number, it may be the latter. Josephus evidently might be so here and have shortened the takes it in the latter sense; and his words oblique stroke of the mem, as it appears are so just a paraphrase upon the passage from Origen's Hexapla to have been for- before us, that it may not be improper to merly written, which brings it very nearly transcribe them, Μετ' αυτον (Ιεσσαιμον) ην to a pe, the daleth and resh are frequently mistaken, the samech is only distinguished from a heth by its union of the perpendicular strokes at the bottom, and the first and last letters are the very same. The next word, without doubt, was the nominative case to the verb DDR3, which immediately follows it in Samuel as well as in Chronicles; and therefore must have been in both, as we now find it in Chronicles, [so Houb., Hallet]. The sense then is, He was with David at Pasdammim. And when the Philistines were there gathered together to battle, and the men of Israel were gone away (fled) he arose, &c. Ελεάζαρος υιός Δωδείου, ος ην μετα του βασιλεως εν Αρασαμω. ουτος ποτε, των Ισραηλτων καταπλαγέντων το πλήθος των Παλαιστ τινων και φευγοντων, μονος εμεινε και συμπεσων τοις πολεμίοις απέκτεινεν αυτών πολλους, ως υπο του αιματος προσκολληθηναι την ρομφαίαν αυτου τη δεξια, και τους Ισραηλιτας ιδοντας τετραμμένους υπ' αυτού τους Παλαιστίνους, καταβάντας απο των ορέων, διωκειν, και θαυμαστην και διαβοητον τότε νικην αρασθαι, του μεν Ελεάζαρου κτεινοντος, επομενου δε του πλήθους και σκυλεύοντος τους αναιρουμένους. Lib. vii., cap. 12. The first word in the 11th verse has the Yod omitted again, as appears by the end Here is another argument against the pre- of the preceding verse, and many other sent reading in Samuel, arising from the places; the Complut. edition reads here words, when they defied the Philistines; INI. No other word in the first part of since we can hardly suppose, that the Israelites were so hardy, as first to defy their dreadful enemies; and, upon the appearance of a party of them, shamefully to get up into the mountains, and fly from them without a battle. Wherefore, that they did not defy the enemy they dreaded, is probable; but that they fled from them upon their appearance, is certain. And yet we find in the next verse, there was then among them one hero, who maintained his ground against this party of the Philistines; and not only maintained his ground, but obliged the party to retire with great loss. this verse has any difficulty, except After this proper name the passage in But we must remember, that the sacred Chronicles takes place again, and goes on historian, who was fully sensible how sur- with its corresponding passage in Samuel. prizing this event would appear in after The word in Samuel is omitted in Chrotimes, takes care to inform us in the follow- nicles, possibly because it had been writ but ing words that the hand of the Lord was the third word before, as the text now stands with Eleazar, and that the chief author of in the latter. The next variation is, that the great deliverance wrought that day was Dy in Samuel is on in Chronicles; the Lord:-the Lord, who had assured the which two words resemble each other so much in the number and nature of their many of the Philistines. This being another constituent letters, though a little transposed, relation of a surprising nature, and somethat it may be presumed from thence they what similar to the preceding, the historian were originally the very same word: and here also observes, that the hand of the Lord doubtless were so, as the two texts evidently was with Shammah, the brave instrument of treat of the same action in the same place. this defeat of the Philistines; and that the great deliverance that day was wrought by the Lord. follow it are) is plain from the LXX, all the copies of which version uniformly so render it, κaι eñoinσe kupios σwτnpiav μeyaλŋv. To these several reasons it may be added, that von cannot be the Hiphil future from vu, because that would be , as in Psalm cxvi. 6; and lastly, if it had been thus expressed, it could not have been the original word, as it makes no sense with the words following: for the version would be then, and the Lord saved a great deliverance. In Samuel the word is D, pakov, lente; in Chronicles niyo, epißwv, hordeo. The last word is writ almost universally without a The only remaining difference is, that Vau, and therefore probably was so writ here in Chronicles is corrupted from in originally; and then there can be no doubt, Samuel [so Hallet]. This appears, not but that the two words D and D, only from its being in the correct verse consisting of the very same number of letters, of Samuel; but because this and the three and of the very same letters, except a for a following words are exactly the same in the 7, and occurring in the same part of the 10th as in this 12th verse of Samuel: and, history in two different copies, were ori- that the word here in Chronicles was originally the same word. (That such a trans-ginally also the same (as the three that position or dislocation of letters has been made elsewhere, see Ezra ii. 46, ; which is in Neh. vii. 48. In Gen. xi. 31 we have, exierunt, instead of ", eduxit, as in the Samaritan version and LXX. In 1 Sam. ii. 3, 5 was read by the LXX, who have rendered it κat eos; and so in Job xiii. 15; to which may be added, from 2 Sam. xxiii. 1, DN or DN, for which the LXX seem to have read or, by rendering the word twice in this verse Toтos, as usual.) And as the piece of ground The proper English version then of these mentioned in these two chapters is said to several verses is, And after him was Eleazar, be full of lentiles or barley, it is more pro- the son of Dodi [Hallet, Dodo], the Ahohite, bable it was the latter, on account of the one of three mighty men; he was with David greater use and plenty of barley. The copy at Pasdammim. And when the Philistines in Chronicles differs also in reading : but were there gathered together to battle, and either of the two numbers of that verb is the men of Israel were fled; he arose, and right; because D, being a noun of mul- smote the Philistines, until his hand was titude, may be connected with a verb plural; weary, and his hand clave unto the sword: as the noun was in Samuel verse the 9th. and the Lord wrought a great deliverance that In the two next corresponding verses the day; and the people returned after him only LXX being uniformly singular in the several to spoil. And after him was Shammah, the verbs, that is a plain proof, that the plural son of Agee, the Hararite: and the Phiverbs in the present text of Chronicles listines were gathered together at Lechi should be singular, as in Samuel. The alte- [Hallet, to battle], where was a piece of ration of them to plurals seems to have been ground full of barley, and the people fled owing to the preceding omission of one of the mighty men; whose existence some transcriber was desirous to support, by making two persons concerned in this action instead of one. from before the Philistines. But he placed himself in the midst of the field (of barley) and saved it, and smote the Philistines; and the Lord wrought a great deliverance. Ged.-9 Next to him, and one of the first three worthies, was But the original history could speak but of one in this place, and that evidently was Eleazar Ben-Dodi, an Ahohite. He was Shammah, the third general of the first with David, at Phasdamim [pp. 1 Chron. ternary of whom a wonderful instance of xi. 13]; where, the Philistines being asheroism is here recorded, that he stood alone sembled to battle, and the men of Israel against a party of the Philistines, in a field giving way; (10) he resisted and smote the of barley, and saved the barley and destroyed Philistines, until his hand (which had stuck to the sword) was weary: and, by him, that | tinguished persons of the whole. The round day, the LORD wrought a great deliverance: number thirty is put for thirty-seven. the people only followed him to the spoil. (11) Next to him, was Booth.-13 And those three chiefs of the thirty went, and came down to David to the rock, to the cave of Adullam and the Philistines were encamped in the valley of Rephaim. Ken. 1 Chron. xi. 15; 2 Sam. xxiii. 13. 177" Chron. .Sam וירדו שלשים .Chron ראש מהשלשים .Sam ראש ויבאו אל קציר אל דוד ומתנה Shamah Ben-Agah, an Hararite who, when the Philistines had assembled at Lehi (where was a spot of ground full of lentils), and when the people were fleeing from the Philistines, placed himself in the midst of the field, (12) and smote the Philistines: thus, by him, the LORD wrought a great deliverance. Booth.-9 And next to him, and one of 77 nyn by the first three mighty men, was Eleazar, the son of Dodo, the Ahohite. He was with David at Pasdammim [p. p. 1 Chron. xi. 13]: where the Philistines were assembled to battle, and the men of Israel were giving way; 10 And he arose, and smote the Philistines, until his hand, which had stuck to his sword, was weary: and by him Jehovah that day wrought a great deliverance; and the people followed him only to spoil. And next to him was Shammah, the son of Sam. κοντα, και κατέβησαν εις Κασπαρ Agee the Hararite. And the Philistines Chron. προς Δαυίδ, εις το σπηλαιον Οδολλαμ, were assembled at Lechi, where was a piece Sam. προς Δαυιδ εις το σπηλαιον Οδολαμ of ground full of barley [p. p. 1 Chron. Chron. Kai ŋ tapeμßoλŋ τwv adλo&vλwv ñaρxi. 13] and the people fled from the Phi- Sam. ταγμα των αλλοφύλων παρlistines. 12 But he stood in the midst of Chron. eμßeßλnkei ev tη koiλadı тwv Tiyav the ground, and defended it, and smote the Sam. eveẞaλov εν τη κοιλάδι РафаPhilistines thus by him, Jehovah wrought Chron. twv. a great deliverance. Sam. ειν. : Ver. 13. Chron. Kai kateßŋσav oɩ και тpeis Ek Twv тpia τρεις απο των τριαεις την πέτραν That the word ooh, thirty, in Samuel should have been , three, as it is in the margin here and in the text in Chronicles, will readily be allowed; not merely because וַיָּבֹאוּ אֶל־הָעִיר אֶל־דָּוִד אֶל־מְעָרַת עֶדְלָם וְחַיַּת פְּלִשְׁתִּים חֹנָה בְּעֵמֶק it is so in the margin and text, but because it is impossible the historian should say, And thirty out of the thirty went down. The Complutensian Bible has, three, here in the text of Samuel, and all the versions agree in saying, three of the thirty: and, if anything could be yet wanting to complete this evidence, there is the evidence of the text in Samuel against itself. For though here, at the beginning of the history of this exploit, performed by these men, they are called thirty; yet at the end of it, in ver. 17th, they are called no, three,— these things did THREE of the mighty men. The next point then must be, Who those mighty men were, and of what rank among the thirty-seven heroes. שלשה The words Ged.-13 Those three (the chief of the thirty) had gone down to David, unto the rock [p. p. 1 Chron. xi. 15; so Houb., Ken.] at the cave of Adulam; when the Philistines i do not appear to have been were encamped in the vale of Rephaim. rightly translated in any ancient version. They begin the exploit of the three heroes, The chief of the thirty; i. e., the most dis |
