2 Samuel 1

THE FALSE REPORT OF SAUL’S DEATH AND DAVID’S LAMENT FOR SAUL AND JONATHAN

There is no need for an introduction here, because the introduction for both First Samuel and Second Samuel was included in my commentary on First Samuel. The books were originally one volume, but due to the cumbersome size of the ancient rolls upon which books were inscribed, Samuel was divided into two rolls.

Footnotes for 2 Samuel 1 1: International Critical Commentary, Samuel, p. 254. 2: John T. Willis, p. 281. 3: Wycliffe Old Testament Commentary, Samuel, p. 293. 4: The Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 4c, p. 2. 5: Albert Barnes, Samuel p. 72. 6: Wycliffe Old Testament Commentary, op. cit., p. 293. 7: Adam Clarke, Vol. 2, p. 308. 8: C. F. Keil, Keil and Delitzsch’s Old Testament Commentaries, Vol. 2b, p. 286. 9: John T. Willis, p. 285. 10: George DeHoff’s Commentary, Vol. 2, p. 182. 11: Wycliffe Old Testament Commentary, op. cit., p. 293. 12: Albert Barnes, op. cit., p. 73. 13: Matthew Henry’s Commentary, Vol. 2, p. 450. 14: The New Bible Commentary, Revised, p. 302. 15: International Critical Commentary, op. cit., p. 258. 16: The Pulpit Commentary, op. cit., p. 5. 17: Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown’s Commentary, p. 196. 18: The Pulpit Commentary, op. cit., p. 6. 19: The New Layman’s Bible Commentary, p. 405. 20: International Critical Commentary, op. cit., p. 264.

2 Samuel 1:1

THE FALSE REPORT OF SAUL’S DEATH

And it came to pass after the death of Saul, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David had abode two days in Ziklag; it came to pass on the third day, that, behold, a man came out of the camp from Saul, with his clothes rent, and earth upon his head: and so it was, when he came to David, that he fell to the earth, and did obeisance. And David said unto him, From whence comest thou? And he said unto him, Out of the camp of Israel am I escaped. And David said unto him, How went the matter? I pray thee, tell me. And he answered, The people are fled from the battle, and many of the people also are fallen and dead; and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also.

And David said unto the young man that told him, How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son are dead? And the young man that told him said, As I happened by chance upon mount Gilboa, behold, Saul was leaning upon his spear; and, lo, the chariots and the horsemen followed hard after him. And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called unto me. And I answered, Here am I. And he said unto me, Who art thou? And I answered him, I am an Amalekite.

And he said unto me, Stand, I pray thee, beside me, and slay me; for anguish hath taken hold of me, because my life is yet whole in me. So I stood beside him, and slew him, because I was sure that he could not live after that he was fallen: and I took the crown that was upon his head, and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them hither unto my lord.

Critics who seem to be searching for things which they can call “contradictions” in the Bible have complained that this report of Saul’s death “is impossible to reconcile with the account in First Samuel.” F1 This is no problem whatever, because, as Willis stated, “The Amalekite’s report was a deliberate lie. What actually happened is recorded in 1 Sam. 31, and this paragraph reports what the Amalekite told David.” F2 A similar so-called “contradiction” is in Genesis, where God said, “Ye shall surely die” (Gen_2:17) and Satan said, “Ye shall NOT surely die” (Gen_3:4). A lie always contradicts the truth.

The Amalekite’s possession of Saul’s crown and the armlet did not “prove” the truth of his falsehood. “The man probably had found Saul after he had died and before the Philistines returned to strip the slain.” F3 “Every army is followed by vagabonds, intent on gain, purchasing booty, looting or plundering wherever possible and carrying on a lucrative, illicit trade.” F4 It was F. C. Cook’s opinion that this Amalekite was actually one of those who came to strip the slain on the day AFTER the battle and that he had the luck to find Saul still with his crown and armlet." F5 To this writer, this opinion seems to be the most likely true answer as to the identity of that Amalekite.

There are only four examples of suicide in the entire Bible: (1) that of Saul; (2) that of Ahithophel (2Sa_17:23); (3) that of Zimri (1Ki_16:18); and (4) that of Judas Iscariot (Mat_27:5). F6

One item in the Amalekite’s story is clearly a fact. He did take the crown from Saul’s head and the armlet from his arm. What an irony there is in this, “That an Amalekite took the crown from Saul’s head that he had forfeited by his disobedience of God’s commandment to slay King Agag the Amalekite! F7

And there was Saul leaning upon his spear (2Sa_1:6). Due to the great length of a spear as compared with that of a sword, this statement alone is sufficient to prove that the Amalekite was a liar. Leaning on a spear would hardly be attempted by anyone trying to kill himself, especially if he also had a sword. Keil properly identified this statement in 2Sa_1:6 as evidently, an improbability, an untruth. F8

2 Samuel 1:11

DAVID’S EXECUTION OF THE LYING AMALEKITE

Then David took hold on his clothes, and rent them; and likewise all the men that were with him: and they mourned, and wept, and fasted until even, for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of Jehovah, and for the house of Israel; because they were fallen by the sword. And David said unto the young man that told him, Whence art thou? And he answered, I am the son of a sojourner, an Amalekite. And David said unto him, How wast thou not afraid to put forth thy hand to destroy Jehovah’s anointed? And David called one of the young men, and said, Go near, and fall upon him. And he smote him, so that he died. And David said unto him, Thy blood be upon thy head; for thy mouth hath testified against thee, saying, I have slain Jehovah’s anointed.

And David said, ‘Go fall upon him’ (2Sa_1:15). As Willis noted, Some scholars see a contradiction between what is said here and 2Sa_4:10, where it is implied that David slew the Amalekite. F9 But, as Dr. DeHoff said, Some commentaries on the Bible could well be entitled, ‘How to keep from believing what the Lord has said.’ F10 It seems nearly incredible that any scholar should be ignorant of the truth that whatever a man commands a servant to do, when done, may also be said to have been done by the one who commanded it. This principle is clearly spelled out in the New Testament. Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples (Joh_4:1-2).

There were very good reasons behind David’s execution of the Amalekite.

(1) His tale of having killed Saul was a lie on the face of it. No man could fall on a spear that was eight feet long! (2) The Amalekite’s claim of being “the son of a sojourner,” had it been the truth would have meant that he knew it was a great sin to kill the “Lord’s anointed.” The fact that he did not know this indicated emphatically the falsehood of his claim. (3) And then there is the fact pointed out by Young that, “This just punishment of the Amalekite once and for all precluded any untrue accusations of David’s enemies that he might have had a part, directly or indirectly, in the death of Saul.” F11

We should not overlook the possibility that during that long day of David’s mourning, the passage of that much time might have brought David an accurate report of Saul’s death from a more dependable source. For whatever reason, David had no doubt of the Amalekite’s guilt. DAVID’S LAMENTATION FOR SAUL AND JONATHAN

And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and Jonathan his son, and he said it should be taught to the people of Judah; behold, it is written in the Book of Jasher. He said: “Thy glory, O Israel, is slain upon thy high places! How are the mighty fallen! “Tell it not in Gath; publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon; lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised exult. “Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no rain upon you, nor upsurging of the deep! for there was the shield of the mighty defiled, the shield of Saul not anointed with oil. “From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty. “Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely! In life and death they were not divided; they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions. “Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you daintily in scarlet, who put ornaments of gold upon your apparel. “How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! Jonathan lies slain upon thy high places. “I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; very pleasant have you been to me; your love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women. “How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished”.”

2 Samuel 1:17

And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son (and he bade them teach the children of Judah [the song of] the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jashar): Thy glory, O Israel, is slain upon thy high places! How are the mighty fallen! Tell it not in Gath, Publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon; Lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, Lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph. Ye mountains of Gilboa, Let there be no dew nor rain upon you, neither fields of offerings: For there the shield of the mighty was vilely cast away, The shield of Saul, not anointed with oil. From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, The bow of Jonathan turned not back, And the sword of Saul returned not empty. Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, And in their death they were not divided: They were swifter than eagles, They were stronger than lions.

Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, Who clothed you in scarlet delicately, Who put ornaments of gold upon your apparel. How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! Jonathan is slain upon thy high places. I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: Very pleasant hast thou been unto me: Thy love to me was wonderful, Passing the love of women. How are the mighty fallen, And the weapons of war perished!

(2Sa_1:17). These words must be understood in the technical sense of a funeral dirge or a mournful elegy. F12 It is of interest that David’s eulogy of Saul made no reference to his faults and sins. As Matthew Henry said, “This was proper, because, although there was no preventing such things from appearing in Saul’s history, yet they were very properly left out of his eulogy.” F13

The Book of Jasher (2Sa_1:18). This book has not come down to us, but it once existed; and, It was evidently one of the sources used by the author of the Books of Samuel F14

How are the mighty fallen! (2Sa_1:19). This expression has been repeated countless times at the funerals of great men. Here it begins and closes this remarkable dirge.

Tell it not in Gath (2Sa_1:20). The great pity of such a defeat as Israel had suffered would be, of course, the cause of great exultation and rejoicing in the cities of the Philistines; and here, David deprecates the spread of such news. F15 In course of time, this expression became a proverb (Mic_1:10). F16

Ye mountains of Gilboa (2Sa_1:21). Here a curse is pronounced upon the mountains which were the scene of Saul’s death. This curse still seems to lie upon the mountains of Gilboa, for they are still naked and sterile. F17

The bow of Jonathan turned not back (2Sa_1:22). In this and the following verse, David praises the fallen warriors. With their weapons they took a great toll of the enemy; they were swifter than eagles, stronger than lions.

Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul (2Sa_1:24). Here the women of Israel are commanded to grieve over the loss of him who had adorned them in scarlet and placed ornaments of gold upon their apparel. This shows that great advances in prosperity and culture had come to Israel during the years of Saul’s monarchy. F18

I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan (2Sa_1:26). In the latter part of the lamentation, David speaks lovingly of his friend Jonathan.

Many scholars have praised the beauty of this lamentation. Porter has this: “It is a passage of great literary beauty even in translation; its haunting cadences in the King James Version give it an imperishable place in English literature.” F19

And the weapons of war (are) perished (2Sa_1:27). This is not a reference to such things as swords, bows, and arrows. The parallelism suggests that the weapons of war are Saul and Jonathan themselves. F20