This chapter relates the condition Ziklag was in when David and his men came to it, the city burnt, and their families carried captive by the Amalekites, which occasioned not only a general lamentation, but mutiny and murmuring in David’s men, 1 Sam.

And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag, on the third day Either from their departure from thence, when they went out with Achish, or rather from the time of their leaving Achish, and the camp of the Philistines; so long they were upon their march homewards, see (2 Sam.

And had taken the women captives, that were therein There being no other to take, the men were gone with David: they slew not any, either great or small; that is, of the women, whether married or unmarried, old, or maidens, or children; which was very much, since David destroyed all that came…

So David and his men came to the city Or however to the place where it had stood, and where it now lay in ruins: and, behold, it was burnt with fire; the whole city was laid in ashes: and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives; as it appeared afterwards; for upon…

Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice In doleful shrieks, and loud lamentations: and wept, until they had no more power to weep; till nature was quite exhausted, and no moisture left; so the Vulgate Latin version, “till tears failed in them”; they could shed no more.

And David’s two wives were taken captives Which is observed as one cause of his particular distress, and another follows in : Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite: that is, who had been his wife; for he was now dead, , and was so before she was married to David;…

And David was greatly distressed Partly for the loss of his two wives, and partly because of the mutiny and murmuring of his men: for the people spake of stoning him; as the Israelites did of Moses and Aaron, ; the reason of this was, because, as they judged, it was owing to David that they went…

And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son The son of Ahimelech, who was slain at Nob by the order of Saul, ; and Abiathar his son, who fled to David with the ephod, on the death of his father, , was now high priest in his room; and who it seems was with David when he went with Achish,…

And David inquired of the Lord That is, by Abiathar, who reported his questions to the Lord in his name: saying, shall I pursue after this troop? the large company of the Amalekites, as it appears by what follows they were: shall I overtake them? two questions are here put together, and answers…

So David went, he and the six hundred men that were with him, &c.] Encouraged by the oracle of the Lord: and came to the brook Besor; which Adrichomius [[15]] places in the tribe of Simeon; it is thought to be near Gaza.

But David pursued, he and four hundred men Not discouraged with being obliged to leave a third part of his little army behind; though it was doubtless a trial of his faith, with these to pursue an enemy, whose numbers he knew not, which must greatly exceed his; for after the rout and slaughter of…

And they found an Egyptian in the field As they passed along, lying there, having been sick, and was half starved, almost dead: and brought him to David; to know what was to be done with him; being in the habit of a soldier, they concluded he might be one of the company they were in pursuit of; but…

And they gave him a piece of cake of figs That were dried and pressed together, and made into cakes: and two clusters of raisins; or dried grapes, as the Targum: and when he had eaten, his spirit came again to him; he seemed to be quite dispirited, almost lifeless, but upon eating some food he was…

And David said unto him, to whom belongest thou? &c.] To what country or people? and to whom among them? and whence art thou? of what nation? where wast thou born? what countryman art thou? for his being called an Egyptian before seems to be by anticipation, unless it was guessed at by his habit;…

We made an invasion upon the south of the Cherethites The Philistines so called, or at least one nation of them, such that dwelt to the south of the land, ; (See Gill on Zeph.

And David said unto him, canst thou me down to this company? &c.] That is, show him, or direct him where they were: and he said, swear unto me by God; the Targum is, by the Word of the Lord; but it is highly probable this man had no notion of Jehovah, and his Word, or of the true God; only that…

And when he had brought him down To the place where the company of the Amalekites were, or near it: behold, they were spread abroad upon all the earth; they were not in any regular order, and much less in any military form, but lay about in the fields, scattered here and there, were in detached…

And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day As there are two twilights, the twilight of the morning, and the twilight of the evening; this is differently understood some take it for the twilight of the morning, and that it was night when David came to them, and let…

And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away, &c.] The wives and children of the Israelites, and their goods, excepting the provisions they had eaten: and David rescued his two wives; which is particularly observed, because a special concern of his.

And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters Not any of the least or youngest, nor any of them that were grown up; for as these were not slain but carried captive, so they were brought back, and not one missing, see ; neither spoil, nor any thing they…

And David took all the flocks, and the herds Which they had taken from the land of the Philistines, or which belonged to the Amalekites properly: which they drave before those other cattle; which had been carried from Ziklag; first went the spoil taken from other places, and then those taken from…

And David came to the two hundred men Left at the brook Besor: who were so faint that they could not follow David; or, as the Targum, were restrained from going over after him; either through faintness of spirits, and weakness of body, or through the order of David that they should not follow him;…

Then answered all the wicked men, and men of Belial, of those that went with David Who were ill natured men, and of covetous dispositions, as what is called their answer shows; and it seems by that as if the two hundred men had moved that they might have their share in the spoil, or that David had…

Then said David, ye shall not do so, my brethren Though he saw through their wickedness, and disapproved of the bad sentiments they had embraced, yet he deals gently with them, calling them brethren, being of the same nation and religion, and his fellow soldiers; yet at the same time keeps up and…

For who will hearken unto you in fit is matter? No wise and just man will take on your side of the question, and join with you in excluding your brethren from a share in the spoil: but as his part is that goeth down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth by the stuff; as these two…

And it was so from that day forward Or “upwards” [[22]], of old, formerly; and so may refer either to what was done at the war with Midian, ; or in the times of Abraham, (Gen. 14:23, Gen.

And when David came to Ziklag Perhaps with an intention to rebuild it, and make it still the place of his residence; and it is possible there might be some houses that escaped flames, and if not, tents might be pitched until the city was rebuilt, and it appears that he continued there some time: he…

To them which were in Bethel One part of the spoil was sent to them; not to those in Bethel, in the tribe of Benjamin, but in Kirjathjearim, called Bethel, or the house of God, because the ark was there, see ; moreover, this place was also called Baalah, which some think is referred to here, see ;…

And to them which were in Aroer Not Aroer in the tribe of Gad beyond Jordan, where David is never said to be, but some city of this name in the tribe of Judah; the Greek version of , instead of Adadah, has Arouel: and to them which were in Siphmoth; which very probably was in the tribe of Judah,…

And to them which were in Rachal Another city of the tribe of Judah, but nowhere else spoken of: and to them which were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites: which lay to the south of Judah, ; and to them which were in the cities of the Kenites; who dwelt in the wilderness of Judah, in the south of…

And to them which were in Hormah This was a city also in the tribe of Judah; of which see ; and to them which were in Chorashan; or the lake of Ashan, which was in the same tribe, see ; and to them which were in Athach; nowhere else mentioned; the Greek version has Nombe instead of it, which some…

And to them which were in Hebron A noted city in the tribe of Judah, in the mountainous part of it, and a city of refuge, and where David was afterwards anointed, first king over Judah, and then over Israel, ; and to all the places where David himself and his men were wont to haunt; where they had…