*H Now it came to pass one day that Jonathan, the son of Saul, said to the young man that bore his armour: Come, and let us go over to the garrison of the Philistines, which is on the other side of yonder place. But he told not this to his father.
Ver. 1. Day, while it was yet dark. Josephus. — This action would seem rash, and contrary to military discipline, which requires that the general should be apprised of any hazardous enterprise. C. — But it is thought that Jonathan was directed by God, who granted him success. A. Lapide. — The Rabbins say, "every augury which is not like that of Eleazar and Jonathan, is null. If they had done ill,...God would not have heard them." Kimchi.
*H And Saul abode in the uttermost part of Gabaa, under the pomegranate tree, which was in Magron: and the people with him were about six hundred men.
Ver. 2. Magron, a village between Gabaa and Machmas. Isai. x. 28. Heb. reads "Remmon," which means "a pomegranate tree," and denotes a famous impregnable rock, with extensive caverns, where an equal number of men had formerly saved themselves. Judg. xx. 47. C. T. M.
*H And Achias, the son of Achitob, brother of Ichabod the son of Phinees, the son of Heli, the priest of the Lord in Silo, wore the ephod. And the people knew not whither Jonathan was gone.
Ver. 3. Ephod; or was high priest, v. 18. Achias is called Achimelech, C. xxii. 9. C. — He had succeeded his father, Achitob, in the beginning of Saul's reign, after the former had held the dignity twenty-two years. Salien, A. 2962.
*H And Jonathan said to the young man that bore his armour: Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised, it may be the Lord will do for us: because it is easy for the Lord to save either by many, or by few.
Ver. 6. Uncircumcised. The Hebrews looked upon the Gentiles as unclean, and they, in their turn, spoke of the Jews in the most contemptuous manner. C. — It may. Lit. "if perchance." H. — This does not express any doubt. The hero found himself impelled to undertake this work, but he knew not by what means God would crown it with success. He therefore prays to him in this manner, as Abraham's servant had done. Gen. xxiv. 12. He does not tempt God no more than Gedeon and Moses, who begged that the Lord would manifest his will by miracles. C. — Few. These words are often repeated, (2 Par. xiv. 11. 1 Mac. iii. 18,) and were verified. C. xvii. 47. Judg. vii. 4. M.
*H But if they shall say: Come up to us: let us go up, because the Lord hath delivered them into our hands, this shall be a sign unto us.
Ver. 10. This shall be a sign. It is likely Jonathan was instructed by divine inspiration, to make choice of this sign; otherwise, the observation of omens is superstitious and sinful. Ch. M. W.
*H So both of them discovered themselves to the garrison of the Philistines: and the Philistines said: Behold the Hebrews come forth out of the holes wherein they were hid.
Ver. 11. Philistines, probably on the northern rock, as they afterwards climbed up that on the south, (C.) where they had not been discovered. Salien.
*H And the men of the garrison spoke to Jonathan, and to his armourbearer, and said: Come up to us, and we will shew you a thing. And Jonathan said to his armourbearer: Let us go up, follow me: for the Lord hath delivered them into the hands of Israel.
Ver. 12. A thing, making you pay dear for this temerity. Herodotus (v.) mentions, that the Peonians were commanded by the oracle not to attack the Perinthians, unless they were challenged. They did so, and gained a complete victory.
* Footnote * 1_Machabees 4 : 30
And they saw that the army was strong, and he prayed and said: Blessed art thou, O Saviour of Israel, who didst break the violence of the mighty by the hand of thy servant David, and didst deliver up the camp of the strangers into the hands of Jonathan the son of Saul, and of his armour bearer.*H And the first slaughter which Jonathan and his armourbearer made, was of about twenty men, within half an acre of land, which a yoke of oxen is wont to plough in a day.
Ver. 14. Day. Varro, &c. allow 120 feet, Columella only 70, for a day's work, so that these twenty men were slain in the space of 60 or 35 feet. Louis de Dieu rejects all the other versions, and would translate the Heb. "in almost the half of the length of a furrow, and in the breadth which is between two furrows in a field," so that the enemy would be very close together. Lit. "almost in the half of a furrow of a yoke of the field," which seems rather to be understood of the length, (C.) if indeed it have any meaning. Prot. are forced to help out the text: "within as it were a half acre of land, which a yoke of oxen might plough." H. — But a whole acre was the usual allowance. M. — Hallet observes, "the Sept. read the Heb. in a different manner, and have rendered the verse thus, 'That first slaughter was...of about twenty men, with darts, and stones, and flints of the field:' I suppose the read, Bétsim ubomáuth." Kennicott adds, and ubgomri, as the Arabs still use gomor, to denote "a small flint." Golius. H.
*H And there was a miracle in the camp, in the fields: and all the people of their garrison, who had gone out to plunder, were amazed, and the earth trembled: and it happened as a miracle from God.
Ver. 15. Miracle. Heb. charada, "consternation or trembling," a panic fear, as the Philistines imagined that all the army of Israel had got into the camp. "In the terrors sent by demons, (or superior beings) even the sons of the gods flee away." Pindar. Nem. The earth quaked (C.) to increase the enemies' apprehensions, so that those who had gone out to plunder, hearing of the disaster, which report had greatly magnified, and all the people feeling this unusual and alarming motion of the earth, perceived that God was fighting against them, and trembled. H.
*H And the watchmen of Saul, who were in Gabaa of Benjamin looked, and behold a multitude overthrown, and fleeing this way and that.
Ver. 16. Gabaa, where they were stationed to observe the enemies' motions, and to give notice of them to Saul, at Remmon, v. 2. C. — Overthrown. Heb. "melted down, (without courage) and they went crushing" one another is the narrow passes, (H.) and turning their arms against all they met. Josephus.
*H And Saul said to the people that were with him: Look, and see who is gone from us. And when they had sought, it was found that Jonathan and his armourbearer were not there.
Ver. 17. Were not. Heb. "when they had numbered, behold Jonathan, &c. not" in the number. H.
*H And Saul said to Achias: Bring the ark of the Lord. (For the ark of God was there that day with the children of Israel.)
Ver. 18. Ark. Sept. "the ephod." Kimchi, &c. — Spencer follows the sentiment of the Rabbins, and explains it of a little box, in which the ephod and pectoral were placed, when they were brought to the army. But what need of this explication? C. — How the oracle was given is uncertain. M.
*H And while Saul spoke to the priest, there arose a great uproar in the camp of the Philistines: and it increased by degrees, and was heard more clearly. And Saul said to the priest: Draw in thy hand.
Ver. 19. Hand. He prayed with his hands extended. Saul believed that God had sufficiently intimated his will, by affording such a favourable opportunity. "The best of omens is to revenge our country's wrongs." Hector. Iliad. M. — Optimis auspiciis ea geri, quæ pro Reip. salute fierent, was the observation of Q. F. Maximus. Senect. C. — Saul did not wait for God's answer, and therefore had nearly lost his son by a rash vow, and by too eager zeal. W.
*H Moreover, the Hebrews that had been with the Philistines yesterday and the day before, and went up with them into the camp, returned to be with the Israelites, who were with Saul and Jonathan.
Ver. 21. Before; that is, for some time, as slaves. M. — Having retired to their camp, to avoid the plunderers, (C.) they rose upon their oppressors, as Christian slaves have often done upon the Turks, when a galley has been engaged, and fallen into the hands of their friends. M. — Camp. Heb. adds, "round about," as if they guarded the baggage, (Piscator) or had retreated thither from the environs. C.
*H And all the Israelites that had hid themselves in mount Ephraim, hearing that the Philistines fled, joined themselves with their countrymen in the fight. And there were with Saul about ten thousand men.
Ver. 22. And there, &c. This is not found in Heb. &c. nor in many Latin copies. The Sept. specify the number, (v. 24) where it is not in the original. C.
*H And the Lord saved Israel that day. And the fight went on as far as Bethaven.
Ver. 23. Bethaven. They pursued the stragglers thither, as well as to Aialon, v. 31. H.
*H And the men of Israel were joined together that day: and Saul adjured the people, saying: Cursed be the man that shall eat food till evening, till I be revenged of my enemies. So none of the people tasted any food.
Ver. 24. Together. Which interpretation is more natural (C.) than the Prot. "where distressed,...for Saul had adjured," &c. H. — Sept. "And all the people was with Saul, about 10,000, and the war was spread through all the city in Mount Ephraim, and Saul was guilty of great ignorance that day, and he adjures (H. or cursed) the people," &c. He saw not that he was acting against his own interest. The sequel does not evince that God approved of his conduct. But the people were to be taught not to make light of oaths, nor to neglect the curses which their rulers should denounce. C. — Food. Lit. "bread," which comprises all sorts of food, honey, &c. (v. 25. H.) but not drink, which might lawfully have been taken, as thirst is more difficult to bear. M. — Salien (A. 2964) defends the conduct of Saul, and condemns Jonathan.
*H And all the common people came into a forest, in which there was honey upon the ground.
Ver. 25. Ground. Even still travellers perceive the smell of honey very frequently in that country. Maundrell. — The people use honey almost in every sauce and in every repast. Virgil assures us, that "bees dwell in holes under ground, in hollow stones, and trees." Georg. iv. The Scripture frequently mentions honey flowing. Ex. ii. 8. Ps. lxx. 17. Job xx. 17.
*H But Jonathan had not heard when his father adjured the people: and he put forth the end of the rod, which he had in his hand, and dipt it in a honeycomb: and he carried his hand to his mouth, and his eyes were enlightened.
Ver. 27. Enlightened. Extreme hunger and fatigue hurt the eyes. Jer. xiv. 6. Sanctius saw a man who through fasting lost his sight, and recovered it again as soon as he had eaten. This is conformable to the observation of Hippocrates, and to nature. C. — Tenebræ oboriuntur, genua inediâ succedunt. Perii, prospicio parum. "Through hunger...I see but little." Plautus. H.
*H And Jonathan said: My father hath troubled the land: you have seen yourselves that my eyes are enlightened, because I tasted a little of this honey:
Ver. 29. Land. Chal. "the people of the land." M. — He speaks his sentiments freely. But we ought not to find fault, in public, with the conduct of the prince. C. — The people might have eaten a little without stopping the pursuit, as they generally carried provisions with them, or might find some easily on the road, so as to run with fresh vigour, (See Jos. x.) and make ample amends for the time that they had delayed. H.
*H So they smote that day the Philistines, from Machmas to Aialon. And the people were wearied exceedingly.
Ver. 31. Aialon, in the tribe of Dan. It might be about ten miles from Machmas.
*H And falling upon the spoils, they took sheep, and oxen, and calves, and slew them on the ground: and the people ate them with the blood.
Ver. 32. Blood, contrary to a two-fold law. Gen. ix. 4. Lev. xvii. 14. The blood ought to have been carefully extracted and buried. C. — This was another bad effect of Saul's rash oath. W.
*H And Saul said: Disperse yourselves among the people, and tell them to bring me every man his ox and his ram and slay them upon this stone, and eat, and you shall not sin against the Lord, in eating with the blood. So all the people brought every man his ox with him till the night: and slew them there.
Ver. 34. With the blood, as you have done. M.
*H And Saul built an altar to the Lord: and he then first began to build an altar to the Lord.
Ver. 35. First. Saul begins to exercise himself in acts of religion, which only belonged to a prophet, &c. He thought he might do so in quality of king, thus consecrating a monument of his victory to the God of armies. It was perhaps the very stone on which the oxen had been just before killed for the people. C.
*H And Saul said: Let us fall upon the Philistines by night, and destroy them till the morning light, and let us not leave a man of them. And the people said: Do all that seemeth good in thy eyes. And the priest said: Let us draw near hither unto God.
Ver. 36. God, to consult him, whether the enterprise met with his approbation. Saul is too eager to follow his own prudence. H. — He would not before wait for God's answer; (v. 19) now he can get none. W.
*H And Saul said: Bring hither all the corners of the people: and know, and see by whom this sin hath happened to day.
Ver. 38. Corners, to the very last; or all the princes. Judg. xviii. 9.
*H As the Lord liveth, who is the Saviour of Israel, if it was done by Jonathan, my son, he shall surely die. In this none of the people gainsayed him.
Ver. 39. Gainsayed him, out of respect. Saul gives another proof of his precipitation, in swearing; and the people, by this silence, acquiesce, not suspecting that Jonathan could have offended in what he had done. C. — One of them, at least, knew that he had transgressed the order of his father, v. 28. But extreme necessity might plead his excuse. H. — They might be silent through fear, or reverence, without giving their consent. Salien.
*H And Saul said to the Lord: O Lord God of Israel, give a sign, by which we may know, what the meaning is, that thou answerest not thy servant to day: If this iniquity be in me, or in my son Jonathan, give a proof: or if this iniquity be in thy people, give holiness. And Jonathan and Saul were taken, and the people escaped.
Ver. 41. A sign, (judicium;) "pass sentence;" declare why, &c. H. — Heb. "give purity." Shew who is innocent. C. — Sept. "give the proofs" by the Thummim, which they seem to have read. C.
*H And Saul said: (Cast lots between me, and Jonathan, my son. And Jonathan was taken.
Ver. 42. Jonathan was taken. Though Jonathan was excused from sin, through ignorance of the prohibition, yet God was pleased on this occasion to let the lot fall upon him, to shew to all, the great obligation of obedience to princes and parents, (Ch.) the sacred nature of an oath, and at the same time to give Saul a warning not to swear rashly. C. — How must he have been afflicted, when he saw that he had brought his beloved son into such danger! M.
*H And Saul said: May God do so and so to me, and add still more: for dying thou shalt die, O Jonathan.
Ver. 44. Die. We may here admire the respect which the ancients had for an oath, without seeking for any modification; and the blindness of Saul, who condemns his son with as much haste as he had pronounced the curse, thinking thus to honour God. The thing surely required some deliberation, and he ought to have consulted the Lord about it. The action of Jonathan was not criminal, and the former silence of God did not prove that he deserved death. C. — If it had, the people would never have been able to have rescued him, no more than the unhappy Achan. Jos. vii. H. — If Saul had been more enlightened, and more humble, he would have concluded that God was displeased at him, and not at Jonathan. C. — Yet Cajetan and Serarius find fault with the latter. M.
*H And the people said to Saul: Shall Jonathan then die, who hath wrought this great salvation in Israel? this must not be: As the Lord liveth, there shall not one hair of his head fall to the ground, for he hath wrought with God this day. So the people delivered Jonathan, that he should not die.
Ver. 45. The people, directed probably by the high priest, who pronounced the oath null. Salien. — Ground. He shall not be hurt. M. — With God. He has been visibly "the minister of God's mercy." Sept. — Die. They obtained his pardon. They ought not to have permitted the king's oath to be put in execution, as it was so horribly unjust. Grot. Jur. ii. 13. 6. C.
*H And Saul having his kingdom established over Israel, fought against all his enemies round about, against Moab, and against the children of Ammon, and Edom, and the kings of Soba, and the Philistines: and whithersoever he turned himself, he overcame.
Ver. 47. Soba, in the north. M. — Rohob was the capital of another part of Cœlosyria. 1 Par. xviii. 3. 2 K. x. 6. — Overcame. We are not to judge of the virtue of a man from his success in the world. C. — Under the reign of Saul, the tribe of Ruben overcame the Agarites. 1 Par. v. 10. 18. Salien, A. 2965.
*H And gathering together an army, he defeated Amalec, and delivered Israel from the hand of them that spoiled them.
Ver. 48. Amalec. The particulars of this war will be given C. xv. as it explains the cause of Saul's rejection, and David's advancement to the throne. Salien.
*H And the sons of Saul, were Jonathan, and Jessui, and Melchisua: and the names of his two daughters, the name of the firstborn was Merob, and the name of the younger Michol.
Ver. 49. Sons, who accompanied Saul in his wars. Isboseth was too young. — Jessui is called Abinadab, 1 Par. viii. 33. C.
*H And the name of Saul's wife was Achinoam, the daughter of Achimaas; and the name of the captain of his army was Abner, the son of Ner, the cousin german of Saul.
Ver. 50. Achinoam. After he came to the throne, he had Respha. 2 K. iii. 7. M.