{"commentary":{"id":"adam-clarke","name":"Adam Clarke Bible Commentary","website":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Clarke","licenseUrl":"https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/","licenseNotes":null,"licenseNotice":null,"englishName":"Adam Clarke Bible Commentary","language":"eng","textDirection":"rtl","sha256":"92e28c9363c876d215e296f2fe04abb3ab7e34a2aacebdf06bd62ae79c6e3dba","availableFormats":["json"],"listOfBooksApiLink":"/api/c/adam-clarke/books.json","listOfProfilesApiLink":"/api/c/adam-clarke/profiles.json","numberOfBooks":57,"totalNumberOfChapters":854,"totalNumberOfVerses":13318,"totalNumberOfProfiles":0,"languageName":"English","languageEnglishName":"English"},"book":{"id":"1SA","commentaryId":"adam-clarke","name":"1 Samuel","commonName":"1 Samuel","introduction":"Preface to the First Book of SamuelOtherwise Called The First Book of the Kings This and the three following books were formerly termed the first, second, third, and fourth books of Kings, and the two books of Samuel made in ancient times but one; the separation which has taken place seems to have been done without reason or necessity. These books are, properly speaking, a continuation of the book of Judges, as they give us an account of the remaining judges of Israel, down to the election of Saul; and of all the kings of Israel and Judah to the Babylonish captivity. Of this book, called the first book of Samuel, the following are the contents: The birth and education of Samuel; the high priesthood of Eli; the Philistines attack the Israelites, overthrow them with a terrible slaughter, take the ark of the Lord, and set it up in the temple of their god Dagon; they are visited with Divine judgments, and are obliged to send back the ark with offerings and presents; Samuel, long acknowledged as a prophet of the Lord, takes the government of the people. Under his wise and pious administration, the affairs of Israel become re-established, and the Philistines are subdued. The sons of Samuel, who principally administered the secular concerns of the kingdom, acting unworthily, the people desire to have a king, who should be supreme, both in civil and military affairs. Samuel, after expostulations, yields to their entreaties; and, under the direction of God, Saul the son of Kish, whilst seeking the lost asses of his father, is met by the prophet, and anointed king over Israel. This man, not conducting himself in the government according to the direction of God, is rejected, and David the son of Jesse anointed king in his place, though Saul continues still in the government. This person soon becomes advantageously known to Israel by his single combat with a gigantic Philistine chief, called Goliath, whom he slays; on which the Israelites attack the Philistines, and give them a total overthrow. Saul, envious of David's popularity, seeks his destruction; he is in consequence obliged to escape for his life, and take refuge sometimes among the Moabites, sometimes among the Philistines, and sometimes in the caves of the mountains of Judah, everywhere pursued by Saul, and everywhere visibly protected by the Lord. At last Saul, being pressed by the Philistines, and finding that the Lord had forsaken him, had recourse to a witch that dwelt at En-dor, whom he consulted relative to the issue of the present war with the Philistines; he loses the battle, and being sorely wounded, and his three sons slain, he falls on his own sword, and expires on Mount Gilboa. The Philistines find his body, and the bodies of his three sons, among the slain; they cut off Saul's head, and affix the bodies to the walls of Beth-shan. The men of Jabesh-gilead, hearing this, go by night, and take the bodies from the walls of Beth-shan, bring them to Jabesh, burn them there, bury the bones, and mourn over their fallen king, fasting seven days. Thus concludes the first book of Samuel. Concerning the author of these books there have been various conjectures. Because, in most of the Hebrew copies, they bear the name of Samuel, as a running title, it has been generally supposed that he was the author. But his name does not appear to have been anciently prefixed to these books, at least in those copies used by the Greek interpreters, commonly called the Septuagint, as they simply term each βασιλεΐων. The History or Book of Kingdoms. The Chaldee has no inscription. The Syriac and Arabic call each The Book of Samuel the Prophet; and the Vulgate, The Book of Samuel, simply. The Jews, in general, believe that Samuel is the author of the first twenty-seven chapters of this book, which contain the history of his own life and government, and what respects Saul and David during that time. The remaining four chapters they suppose were added by the prophets Gad and Nathan. This opinion is founded on what is said Ch1 29:29 : Now the acts of David the king, first and last, behold they are written in the book of Samuel the seer, and in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the book of Gad the seer. Others suppose the books to be more recent than the persons already named, but that they were compiled out of their memoirs. But who was the compiler? Some of the most learned among the Jews suppose it to have been Jeremiah the prophet, and that the style bears a near resemblance to his prophecies. That they were the work of a more recent author than Samuel, etc., Grotius thinks evident from this circumstance, that the names of the months are comparatively modern, and were not known among the ancient Jews. Others have attributed them to David; others, to Hezekiah; and others, to Ezra the scribe, on his return from the Babylonish captivity. Calmet's opinion is as probable as any, viz., \"That these books were written by the same hand, though composed out of the memoirs left by persons of that time; and that the compiler has generally used the same terms he found in those memoirs, adding here and there something of his own by way of illustration.\" The equality of the style, the frequent eulogiums on the character of Samuel, the connection of the materials, particular quotations, and remarks on certain events, are, he thinks, proofs sufficiently clear of what he assumes. These books contain remarks or expressions which could only proceed from a contemporary author, and others which are evidences of a much later age. 1. For instance, we read, Sa1 3:1, The word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision; i.e., in the days of Eli, the high priest: hence it is evident that the author lived in times in which prophecy was more common; which, in fact, it was after Samuel, under David, and the succeeding kings of Israel and Judah. 2. Again, in the time of the author of this book, Beth-el was called Beth-aven, Sa1 13:5, which name was given to it in derision after Jeroboam had placed there his golden calves. 3. Again, it is said, Sa1 6:18, that the ark of the Lord was set down in the field of Joshua the Beth-shemite, where it remained to the time of this author; and yet, in Sa1 7:15, he speaks of Samuel as being already dead: And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. 4. It is not natural to suppose that Samuel would have spoken of himself as is done Sa1 2:26 : And the child Samuel grew, and was in favor both with the Lord and with men; but if he were dead when this book was written, any author might have added this with the strictest propriety. 5. In Sa1 27:6, it is said that Achish gave Ziklag to David, Wherefore Ziklag pertaineth to the kings of Judah unto this day. This is a proof that when this book was written the kingdoms of Judah and Israel were separated; and that, although the tribe of Simeon belonged to the kings of Israel, yet Ziklag, which was in that tribe, remained in the hands of the kings of Judah. Here, therefore, are proofs that this book contains matters which must have been written by a contemporary author; and others which could not have been inserted but in times much posterior. These seeming contradictions are reconciled by the hypothesis that the books were compiled, by a comparatively recent author, out of materials of a much earlier date, the author not changing many of the expressions which he found in those ancient documents. Several other proofs might be here adduced to support this opinion; but as the reader will find them noticed in the places where they occur, it is not necessary to repeat them here. Those who wish to see the subject farther discussed, may consult Calmet. We may rest satisfied with these three things: 1. That the books of Samuel were constructed out of original and authentic documents. 2. That the compiler was not contemporary with the facts he narrates. And, 3. That both the author and time in which he compiled his history, though comparatively more recent than the facts themselves, are nevertheless both uncertain.","order":9,"numberOfChapters":31,"sha256":"589a48f7f05b00490df4ea910d0107c59b6b78d5e40c890abb441729174736ec","firstChapterNumber":1,"firstChapterApiLink":"/api/c/adam-clarke/1SA/1.json","firstChapterReference":{"commentaryId":"adam-clarke","book":"1SA","chapter":1},"lastChapterNumber":31,"lastChapterApiLink":"/api/c/adam-clarke/1SA/31.json","lastChapterReference":{"commentaryId":"adam-clarke","book":"1SA","chapter":31},"totalNumberOfVerses":535},"chapter":{"number":4,"content":[{"type":"verse","number":1,"content":["The word of Samuel came to all Israel - This clause certainly belongs to the preceding chapter, and is so placed by the Vulgate, Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic.\nPitched beside Eben-ezer - This name was not given to this place till more than twenty years after this battle, see Sa1 7:12; for the monument called האבן העזר haeben haezer, the \"Stone of Help,\" was erected by Samuel in the place which was afterwards from this circumstance, called Eben-ezer, when the Lord had given the Israelites a signal victory over the Philistines. It was situated in the tribe of Judah, between Mizpeh and Shen, and not far from the Aphek here mentioned. This is another proof that this book was compiled after the times and transactions which it records, and probably from memoranda which had been made by a contemporary writer. \n"]},{"type":"verse","number":2,"content":["Put themselves in array - There is no doubt that both the Philistines and Israelites had what might be called the art of war, according to which they marshalled their troops in the field, constructed their camps, and conducted their retreats, sieges, etc.; but we know not the principles on which they acted.\nThey slew of the army in the field about four thousand men - This must have been a severe conflict, as four thousand were left dead on the field of battle. The contest also must have lasted some considerable time, as these were all slain hand to hand; swords and spears being in all probability the only weapons then used. \n"]},{"type":"verse","number":3,"content":["Let us fetch the ark - They vainly supposed that the ark could save them, when the God of it had departed from them because of their wickedness. They knew that in former times their fathers had been beaten by their enemies, when they took not the ark with them to battle; as in the case of their wars with the Canaanites, Num 14:44, Num 14:45; and that they had conquered when they took this with them, as in the case of the destruction of Jericho, Jos 6:4. From the latter clause they took confidence; but the cause of their miscarriage in the former they laid not to heart. It was customary with all the nations of the earth to take their gods and sacred ensigns with them to war. The Persians, Indians, Greeks, Romans, Germans, Philistines, etc., did so. Consecrated crosses, blessing and hallowing of colors and standards, are the modern remains of those ancient superstitions. \n"]},{"type":"verse","number":4,"content":["The Lord of hosts - See on Sa1 1:3 (note).\nDwelleth between the cherubims - Of what shape the cherubim were, we know not; but there was one of these representative figures placed at each end of the ark of the covenant; and between them, on the lid or cover of that ark, which was called the propitiatory or mercy-seat, the shechinah, or symbol of the Divine presence, was said to dwell. They thought, therefore, if they had the ark, they must necessarily have the presence and influence of Jehovah. \n"]},{"type":"verse","number":5,"content":["All Israel shouted - Had they humbled themselves, and prayed devoutly and fervently for success, they would have been heard and saved. Their shouting proved both their vanity and irreligion. \n"]},{"type":"verse","number":7,"content":["God is come into the camp - They took for granted, as did the Israelites, that his presence was inseparable from his ark or shrine. \n"]},{"type":"verse","number":8,"content":["These mighty Gods - מיד האלהים האדרים miyad haelohim haaddirim, from the hand of these illustrious Gods. Probably this should be translated in the singular, and not in the plural: Who shall deliver us from the hand of this illustrious God? \n"]},{"type":"verse","number":9,"content":["Be strong, etc. - This was the address to the whole army, and very forcible it was. \"If ye do not fight, and acquit yourselves like men, ye will be servants to the Hebrews, as they have been to you; and you may expect that they will avenge themselves of you for all the cruelty you have exercised towards them.\" \n"]},{"type":"verse","number":11,"content":["Hophni and Phinehas were slain - They probably attempted to defend the ark, and lost their lives in the attempt. \n"]},{"type":"verse","number":12,"content":["Came to Shiloh the same day - The field of battle could not have been at any great distance, for this young man reached Shiloh the same evening after the defeat.\nWith his clothes rent, and with earth upon his head - These were signs of sorrow and distress among all nations. The clothes rent, signified the rending, dividing, and scattering, of the people; the earth, or ashes on the head, signified their humiliation: \"We are brought down to the dust of the earth; we are near to our graves.\" When the Trojan fleet was burnt, Aeneas is represented as tearing his robe from his shoulder, and invoking the aid of his gods: - \nTum pius Aeneas humeris abscindere vestem,\nAuxilioque vocare Deos, et tendere palmas.\nVirg. Aen. lib. v., ver. 685.\n\"The prince then tore his robes in deep despair,\nRaised high his hands, and thus address'd his prayer.\"\nPitt.\nWe have a remarkable example in the same poet, where he represents the queen of King Latinus resolving on her own death, when she found that the Trojans had taken the city by storm: - \nPurpueros moritura manu discindit amictus.\nAen. lib. xii., ver. 603.\nShe tears with both her hands her purple vest.\nBut the image is complete in King Latinus himself, when he heard of the death of his queen, and saw his city in flames: - \n- It scissa veste Latinus, Conjugis attonitus fatis, urbisque ruina,\nCanitiem immundo perfusam pulvere turpans.\nIb., ver. 609.\nLatinus tears his garments as he goes.\nBoth for his public and his private woes:\nWith filth his venerable beard besmears,\nAnd sordid dust deforms his silver hairs.\nDryden.\nWe find the same custom expressed in one line by Catullus: - \nCanitiem terra, atque infuso pulvere foedans.\nEpith. Pelei et Thetidos, ver. 224.\nDishonoring her hoary locks with earth and sprinkled dust.\nThe ancient Greeks in their mourning often shaved off their hair: - \nΤουτο νυ και γερας οιον οΐζυροισι βροτοισι,\nΚειρασθαι τε κομην, βαλεειν τ' απο δακρυ παρειων.\nHom. Odyss. lib. iv., ver. 197.\n\"Let each deplore his dead: the rites of wo\nAre all, alas! the living can bestow\nO'er the congenial dust, enjoin'd to shear\nThe graceful curl, and drop the tender tear.\"\nPope.\nAnd again: - \nΚατθεμεν εν λεχεεσσι καθηραντες χροα καλον\nὙδατι τε λιαρῳ και αλειφατι· πολλα δε σ' αμφις\nΔακρυα θερμα χεον Δαναοι, κειροντο τε χαιτας.\nIb., lib. xxiv., ver. 44.\n\"Then unguents sweet, and tepid streams, we shed;\nTears flow'd from every eye; and o'er the dead\nEach clipp'd the curling honors of his head.\"\nPope.\nThe whole is strongly expressed in the case of Achilles, when he heard of the death of his friend Patroclus: - \nὩς φατο· τον δ' αχεος νεφεος νεφελη εκαλυψε μελαινα\nΑμφοτερῃσι δε χερσιν ἑλων κονιν αοθαλοεσσαν,\nΧευατο κακ κεφαλης, χαριεν δ' ῃσχυνε προσωπον·\nΝεκταρεῳ δε χιτωνι μελαιν' αμφιζανε τεφρη.\nIliad, lib. xviii., ver. 22.\n\"A sudden horror shot through all the chief,\nAnd wrapp'd his senses in the cloud of grief.\nCast on the ground, with furious hands he spread\nThe scorching ashes o'er his graceful head:\nHis purple garments, and his golden hairs.\nThose he deforms with dust, and these with tears.\"\nPope.\nIt is not unusual, even in Europe, and in the most civilized parts of it, to see grief expressed by tearing the hair, beating the breasts, and rending the garments; all these are natural signs, or expression of deep and excessive grief, and are common to all the nations of the world. \n"]},{"type":"verse","number":13,"content":["His heart trembled for the ark of God - He was a most mild and affectionate father, and yet the safety of the ark lay nearer to his heart than the safety of his two sons. Who can help feeling for this aged, venerable man? \n"]},{"type":"verse","number":17,"content":["And the messenger answered - Never was a more afflictive message, containing such a variety of woes, each rising above the preceding, delivered in so few words.\n1. Israel is fled before the Philistines.\nThis was a sore evil: that Israel should turn their backs upon their enemies, was bad; and that they should turn their backs on such enemies as the\nPhilistines, was yet worse; for now they might expect the chains of their slavery to be strengthened and riveted more closely.\n2. There hath also been a great slaughter among the people.\nA rout might have taken place without any great previous slaughter; but in this case the field was warmly contested, thirty thousand were laid dead on the spot. This was a deeper cause of distress than the preceding; as if he had said, \"The flower of our armies is destroyed; scarcely a veteran now to take the field.\"\n3. Thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead.\nThis was still more afflictive to him as a father, to lose both his sons, the only hope of the family; and to have them taken away by a violent death when there was so little prospect of their having died in the peace of God, was more grievous than all.\n4. The ark of God is taken.\nThis was the most dreadful of the whole; now Israel is dishonored in the sight of the heathen, and the name of the Lord will be blasphemed by them. Besides, the capture of the ark shows that God is departed from Israel; and now there is no farther hope of restoration for the people, but every prospect of the destruction of the nation, and the final ruin of all religion! How high does each wo rise on the back of the preceding! And with what apparent art is this very laconic message constructed! And yet, probably, no art at all was used, and the messenger delivered the tidings just as the facts rose up in his own mind.\nHow vapid, diffused, and alliterated, is the report of the messenger in the Persae of Aeschylus, who comes to the queen with the tremendous account of the destruction of the whole naval power of the Persians, at the battle of Salamis? I shall give his first speech, and leave the reader to compare the two accounts.\nΩ γης ἁπασης Ασιδος πολισματα,\nΩ Περσις αια, και πολυς πλουτου λιμην,\nὩς εν μιᾳ πληγῃ κατεφθαρται πολυς\nΟλβος, το Περσων δ' ανθος οιχται πεσον.\nΩμοι, κακον μεν πρωτον αγγελλειν κακα·\nΠερσαις, στρατος γαρ πας αλωλε βαρβαρων.\nOf which I subjoin the following translation by Mr. Potter: - \nWo to the towns through Asia's peopled realms!\nWo to the land of Persia, once the port\nOf boundless wealth! how is thy glorious state\nVanish'd at once, and all thy spreading honors\nFallen, lost! Ah me! unhappy is his task\nThat bears unhappy tidings; but constraint\nCompels me to relate this tale of wo:\nPersians! the whole barbaric host is fallen.\nThis is the sum of his account, which he afterwards details in about a dozen of speeches.\nHeroes and conquerors, ancient and modern, have been celebrated for comprising a vast deal of information in a few words. I will give three examples, and have no doubt that the Benjamite in the text will be found to have greatly the advantage.\n1. Julius Caesar having totally defeated Pharnaces, king of Pontus, wrote a letter to the Roman senate, which contained only these three words: - \nVeni, Vidi, Vici;\nI came, I saw, I conquered.\nThis war was begun and ended in one day.\n2. Admiral Hawke having totally defeated the French fleet, in 1759, off the coast of Brittany, wrote as follows to King George II.: - \n\"Sire, I have taken, burnt, and destroyed all the French fleet, as per margin. - Hawke.\"\n3. Napoleon Buonaparte, then general-in-chief of the French armies in Italy, wrote to Josephine, his wife, the evening before he attacked Field Marshal Alvinzi, the imperial general: - \n\"Demain j'attaquerai l'enemie; je le battrai; et j'en finirai.\"\n\"To-morrow I shall attack the enemy; I shall defeat them, and terminate the business.\"\nHe did so: the imperialists were totally defeated, Mantua surrendered, and the campaign for that year (1796) was concluded.\nIn the above examples, excellent as they are in their kind, we find little more than one idea, whereas the report of the Benjamite includes several; for, in the most forcible manner, he points out the general and particular disasters of the day, the rout of the army, the great slaughter, the death of the priests, who were in effect the whole generals of the army, and the capture of the ark; all that, on such an occasion, could affect and distress the heart of an Israelite. And all this he does in four simple assertions. \n"]},{"type":"verse","number":18,"content":["When he made mention of the ark of God - Eli bore all the relation till the messenger came to this solemn word; he had trembled before for the ark, and now, hearing that it was captured, he was transfixed with grief, fell down from his seat, and dislocated his neck! Behold the judgments of God! But shall we say that this man, however remiss in the education of his children, and criminal in his indulgence towards his profligate sons, which arose more from the easiness of his disposition than from a desire to encourage vice, is gone to perdition? God forbid! No man ever died with such benevolent and religious feelings, and yet perished.\nHe had judged Israel forty years - Instead of forty years, the Septuagint has here εικοσι ετη, twenty years. All the other versions, as well as the Hebrew text, have forty years. \n"]},{"type":"verse","number":19,"content":["And his daughter-in-law - This is another very affecting story; the defeat of Israel, the capture of the ark, the death of her father-in-law, and the slaughter of her husband, were more than a woman in her circumstances, near the time of her delivery could bear. She bowed, travailed, was delivered of a son, gave the child a name indicative of the ruined state of Israel, and expired! \n"]},{"type":"verse","number":20,"content":["But she answered not - She paid no attention to what the women had said concerning her having borne a son; that information she regarded not. \n"]},{"type":"verse","number":21,"content":["She named the child I-chabod - The versions are various on the original words כבוד I-chabod; the Septuagint, ουαιβαρχαβωθ ouaibrachaboth; the Syriac, yochobor; the Arabic, yochabad. But none of these give us much light on the subject. It is pretty evident they did not know well what signification to give the name; and we are left to collect its meaning from what she says afterwards, The glory is departed from Israel; the words literally mean, Where is the glory? And indeed where was it, when the armies of Israel were defeated by the Philistines, the priests slain, the supreme magistrate dead, and the ark of the Lord taken?\nThis is a very eventful, interesting, and affecting chapter, and prepares the reader for those signal manifestations of God's power and providence by which the ark was restored, the priesthood re-established, an immaculate judge given to Israel, the Philistine yoke broken, and the people of the Most High caused once more to triumph. God humbled them that he might exalt them; he suffered his glory for a time to become eclipsed, that he might afterwards cause it to break out with the greater effulgence.\n\n"]}],"introduction":"A battle between Israel and the Philistines, in which the former are defeated, with the loss of four thousand men, Sa1 4:1, Sa1 4:2. They resolve to give the Philistines battle once more, and bring the ark of the Lord, with Hophni and Phinehas the priests, into the camp, Sa1 4:3, Sa1 4:4. They do so, and become vainly confident, Sa1 4:5. At this the Philistines are dismayed, Sa1 4:6-9. The battle commences; the Israelites are again defeated, with the loss of thirty thousand men; Hophni and Phinehas are among the slain; and the ark of the Lord is taken, Sa1 4:10, Sa1 4:11. A Benjamite runs with the news to Eli; who, hearing of the capture of the ark, falls from his seat, and breaks his neck, Sa1 4:12-18. The wife of Phinehas, hearing of the death of her husband, and father-in-law, and of the capture of the ark, is taken in untimely travail, beings forth a son, calls him I-chabod, and expires, Sa1 4:19-22. \n"},"thisChapterLink":"/api/c/adam-clarke/1SA/4.json","thisChapterReference":{"commentaryId":"adam-clarke","book":"1SA","chapter":4},"nextChapterApiLink":"/api/c/adam-clarke/1SA/5.json","nextChapterReference":{"commentaryId":"adam-clarke","book":"1SA","chapter":5},"previousChapterApiLink":"/api/c/adam-clarke/1SA/3.json","previousChapterReference":{"commentaryId":"adam-clarke","book":"1SA","chapter":3},"numberOfVerses":16}