Recent Sermons (Written)

Artwork by Douglas Kallerson

2 Samuel 1:17-27
The Bow

(Typed 22 June 2026) I like watching war documentaries on YouTube. They have real stories of the men who fought in various wars, from the Revolutionary War through the most current battles we have engaged in.

Seeing how men fought, the locations of the battles, and the strength of the enemy is exciting for me to contemplate. Time and again, stories of the most unlikely soldiers to become war heroes come up on my feed.

Medal of Honor recipients are highlighted. Some give their own testimonies, while others are referred to posthumously. But their achievements are always worth hearing. Recently, a couple of videos have come up that truly amazed me.

With the advance of Super Intelligence, things that we could not have imagined a few years ago can be done with a few clicks of a computer keyboard. Someone took old photographs from the Civil War, put them into AI, and not only colorized the faces, but they also animated them as well. It was as if those long-dead soldiers were alive and posing for their photo right in front of you.

They smiled, moved their heads, and some even got up and changed position. It brought a sense of reality to photos that we may otherwise just glance at and move on to the next one without a lot of consideration.

How close to reality the animations were is only speculation, but it was an incredible thing to see.

Text Verse: “And afterward they asked for a king; so God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.” Acts 13:21

Saul reigned as king of Israel about a thousand years before the coming of Christ, but because his kingship was recorded in the Bible, people in Jesus’ time spoke of him as a historical figure who they could imagine as they recounted facts from his life.

Another two thousand years later, we continue to do the same thing every time we read or hear the story of his life. We have no clue what he actually looked like outside the few details given concerning his stature.

If there were a photo of him, it, too, could be put into AI to make him appear alive. What is even more impressive than that is the fact that someday Saul will be raised from the dead along with all humans who have ever lived to receive the reward for the lives they lived.

In the passage today, we will learn about David’s sense of loss over Saul and Jonathan. The emotions expressed in this dirge are the same ones we all have faced or will face. It is a part of the human experience to suffer the loss of those around us.

But thanks be to God who has promised us restoration. If we simply acknowledge Him and what He has done through Christ Jesus, we don’t need to have AI programs to remind us of what others were like.

Someday, we will be raised to eternal life. All God asks us to do is believe the simple gospel. Once we are saved, we can read, contemplate, and apply His word to our lives. David composed instruction for the sons of Judah and for us to learn from.

We now have the whole counsel of God. Let us take full advantage of it as we walk through this world. Great things are to be found in His superior word. And so, let us turn to that precious word once again, and… May God speak to us through His word today, and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. How They Fell, Mighties (verses 17-22)

¹⁷ Then David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son,

vayqonen david eth-ha’qinah ha’zoth al-shaul və’al-yəhonathan beno – “And he dirged*, David את the dirge, the this, upon Saul, and upon Jehonathan his son.” Saul, the anointed of Israel and a man David never felt personal enmity towards, along with Jonathan, his beloved friend, are dead. David does what he often did in times of stress, distress, sadness, joy, etc. He put pen to parchment, writing what was on his heart.

In this instance, a new word in the Bible is seen, qonen, to chant or wail at a funeral. Along with that, the noun form, qinah, is also introduced in this verse. The words are connected with the thought of striking a musical note or beating on the breasts.

David means Beloved. Saul means Asked. Jonathan means Yah Has Given. His name will be mentioned five times in these verses. All five times, it will be spelled with the additional letter hey (our h). It is the fifth letter of the aleph-bet and means look, reveal, and breath –

יוֹנָתָ֗ן
יְהוֹנָתָ֜ן

A funeral dirge is not just something David wrote and sang to ease his own distress. Rather, like the National Anthem, David wanted the music to be remembered in the collective conscience of the people as a testimony to the fallen king and his anticipated heir. Thus, this was intended to be a historical song for Israel…

¹⁸ and he told them to teach the children of Judah the Song of the Bow;

vayomer ləlamed bəne-yəhudah qashet – “And he said to train ‘sons, Judah’ – Bow.” The word lamad, to goad as with a rod, is used. It is usually translated as teach, but that doesn’t always give the sense of a deeper instilling of what is being conveyed. David wants the dirge to be trained into the people so that they will remember it, just as we remember the Star-Spangled Banner.

In this case, the name of the dirge is qeshet, Bow. The word is from qashah, which gives the sense of being stiffened. Wood, when it is put under tension, such as when formed into a bow, stiffens. What may be the case, and how I will present it, is that this song was to be committed to memory while practicing the bow.

In other words, it would be a military song, sung by the people as they were in training, just as military men sing while marching. In this case, it would be while shooting arrows at targets. Some translations seem to imply this is what they thought as well. Through the use of various inserted words, they say –

“Also he bade them teach the children of Iudah to shoote…” Geneva
“Also he bade them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow…” KJV

Others, such as the NKJV, take the clause to mean that the song alone is being referred to. The people were to learn the song for the sake of learning it, apart from any military application. That is possible, but using the song as a means of both memorization and military discipline seems to suit the context better.

It is speculation, but it matches what we could expect for those sons of Judah while in military training. Of this Song of the Bow…

^{18 (con’t)}  indeed it is written in the Book of Jasher:

hineh khetuvah al-sepher ha’yashar – “Behold! Written upon ‘Book, the Upright.” The word ha’yashar is common in the Old Testament, such as in Deuteronomy 6:18, “And you will do the upright [ha’yashar] and the good in ‘eyes, Yehovah’ to intent: it will wellify to you…”

However, this word is used twice to indicate a particular book, sepher ha’yashar, ‘Book, the Upright’. Quite commonly it is only transliterated as the Book of Jasher. It is noted twice in the Bible, here and in Joshua 10 –

“Then he will speak, Joshua, to Yehovah in ‘day, giving Yehovah the Amorite’ to ‘faces, sons, Israel’, and he said to ‘eyes, Israel’:

Sun in Gibeon, you must mute!
And moon in ‘Valley, Aijalon’!
¹³And it muted, the sun,
And moon, it stood,
Until he will avenge ‘nation, his hatings’.

(Indeed) not it written upon ‘Book, the Upright’? And it stood, the sun, in ‘half, the heavens’, and not it pressed to go according to ‘day, complete’.” (CG) Joshua 10:12, 13

From these two uses, it appears likely that it is a poetical book of the heroic deeds of the people. It very well may be the same book called “the Book of the Wars” in Numbers 21. The poetic verses cited in that chapter are said to be written there.

It was probably a collection of songs or psalms that celebrated the great acts of the Lord and the powerful deliverances the people experienced through His personal action.

Later, in Deuteronomy, the name Jeshurun, Upright, was used by Moses to describe Israel. As such, it very well may be that the Book of the Wars was renamed the Book of the Upright to indicate the wars of Israel under the Lord.

This is speculation, but it fits with how the narrative developed. Putting these words side by side, one can see the similarity of the Hebrew, and how each plays upon the name Israel –

Israel – Yisrael:  יִשְׂרָאֵל
Jeshurun – Yeshurun: יְשֻׁרוּן
The Upright – ha’yashar: הַיָּשָׁ֑ר

As a side note, there is a book available on the internet called The Book of Jasher. It has nothing to do with the Book of Jasher noted in Scripture. It is a later forgery, and a poor one at that, containing references to France and Italy, confirming it was written much later, probably during the 16^th century.

With the introduction complete, David next begins the Bow…

¹⁹ “The beauty of Israel

ha’tsevi yisrael– “The ‘splendor, Israel’.” The word tsviy, splendor, is translated as gazelle at times, because of their grace and beauty. Because of this, the Aramaic translations and some scholars argue that this verse should say ‘gazelle, Israel’, referring to Jonathan, who was like a gazelle.

That is not a sound analysis. The dirge is about Saul and Jonathan together, united as the ‘splendor, Israel’. Verse 19 forms an epigraph to the song where David sets the theme for the main body.

David sums up the personages of Saul and Jonathan as the ‘splendor, Israel’ because Saul, as the king, stands as the epitome of the kingdom. He is like a beacon of light to the kingdom. Likewise, his heir-apparent, Jonathan, is included because he was the one set to carry the name of the House of Saul forward.

One can imagine a line of men training with the bow, raising them in unison and saying ha’tsevi yisrael, while considering the splendor of Saul’s house continuing over the nation. But that will never come to pass because this splendor…

^{19 (con’t)} is slain on your high places!

al-bamotekha khalal – “Upon your elevations – pierced!” Saul and Jonathan, along with Saul’s other sons, died together on Mount Gilboa –

“And Philistines ‘being fought’ in Israel. And they fled, ‘mortals, Israel’, from ‘faces, Philistines’. And they fell, pierced, in ‘Mount, the Gilboa’. ²And they caused to impinge, Philistines, Saul and his sons. And they caused to strike, Philistines, Jehonathan, and Abinadab, and Malki-shua, ‘sons, Saul’. ³And it enweighed, the battle, unto Saul. And they found him, the ‘causing to flow mortals’ in the bow. And he whirled, vehemently, from the ‘flowers’.” 1 Samuel 31:1-3 (CG)

Imagine the bowmen with their bows fully raised, drawing back the bowstring, shouting out al-bamotekha (upon your elevations), and then releasing the arrow while calling out khalal, pierced!

The shouts of the men as they let flow the arrows, would match the scene in their minds of Saul and Jonathan being pierced through as they battled on Mount Gilboa. After that, the men would lower their bows, just as if Saul and Jonathan were falling to the ground in battle. As their bows went to that state of rest, the men would call out…

^{19 (con’t)} How the mighty have fallen!

eikh naphəlu gibborim – “How they fell, mighties.” With the cadence and substance of their words matching the raising, shooting, and falling of the bows, one could easily replay the sad ballet of the deaths of Saul and Jonathan in his mind.

It is easy to see how such a song would be perfect for military instruction and remembrance every time an archer would go out to practice. It would be so ingrained in him that he would automatically repeat the song, just as those in a march do when the cadence caller shouts out.

This phrase, eikh naphəlu gibborim, is repeated three times in the song, resounding like a dirge-bell repeatedly being struck, “How they fell, mighties!” It sets the tone, carries the grief, and binds the lament together.

At the same time, it serves another purpose for the archers. It would steel their minds, preparing them for battle as they mentally determined to never again allow such a loss among their nation. They would take the initiative. They would pierce the enemy. They would be the victors, remembering Saul and Jonathan in their battle cry, while anticipating triumph over the foe.

²⁰ Tell it not in Gath,

al-tagidu vəgath – “Not you will cause to declare in Gath.” Gath is close to the border of Israel, lying on Philistia’s eastern edge. Its name means Winepress. David poetically commands that the news of the deaths of Saul and Jonathan not be proclaimed in Gath. If it were, there would be a resulting commotion within the borders of Philistia. That will be seen in a moment.

Along with Gath, David says…

^{20 (con’t)} Proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon—

al-təvasəru bəkhotsoth ashqelon – “Not you will announce in ‘outsides, Ashqelon’.”  Ashkelon is on the west coast of Philistia. Thus, David covers the total distance across the land of the Philistines. As such, the two cities are poetically used to represent the whole of Philistia.

David is in Ziklag. It is notable that despite Ashkelon being a bit south of ancient Gath (today known as Tel es-Safi), the two cities are in a straight line from Jerusalem. It is as if the Lord inspired David to choose these two cities, using Jerusalem as the reference to do so.

The word basar, announce, more fully signifies announcing good news. David does not want Israel’s sad tidings to be proclaimed as “good tidings” in Philistia, and he certainly didn’t want it reaching the ears of the people in Ashkelon, Market. The reason for the words of these two clauses is…

^{20 (con’t)} Lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice,

pen-tismakhna bənoth pəlishtim – “Lest they will brighten, ‘daughters, Philistines’.” If the news of the battle reached Philistia, the women of the land would become jubilant at the victory over their foes. David would have such a time of rejoicing removed forever from their ears. Next, he uses parallelism to repeat the previous sentiment…

^{20 (con’t)} Lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.

pen-ta’alozəna bənoth ha’arelim – “Lest they will jubilate ‘daughters, foreskinned’.” This is a new word, alaz. It signifies to jump for joy. It is similar to, but maybe a bit more elevated than alats, a word first seen in 1 Samuel 2:1. They both have the same general meaning.

However, to differentiate the two, I chose the word jubilate. One can see the similarity between the two words. It is possible that over time, a mispronunciation of the two may have caused one word to stem from the other, like shibboleth and sibboleth –

עָלַז – alaz
עָלַץ – alats

David couldn’t bear the thought of the daughters of the uncircumcised enemy rejoicing from border to border over the deaths of the splendor of Israel.

Imagine the four clauses of this verse being formed into the continuing military drill. With bows down, the men would reach for another arrow from their quivers while calling out the first clause, al-tagidu vəgath.

Then they would notch the arrow and raise the bow while proclaiming, al-təvasəru bəkhotsoth ashqelon. That would be followed by drawing back the bow and aiming at the enemy while shouting pen-tismakhna bənoth pəlishtim. That would be immediately followed by a volley of arrows flying toward the enemy with the cry, pen-ta’alozəna bənoth ha’arelim.

The majestic beauty of the whirling pen of David next turns to the location where Saul and Jonathan met their end…

²¹ “O mountains of Gilboa,

hare vagilboa – “Mountains in the Gilboa.” The plural is poetic and geographic: the one place, Mount the Gilboa, is addressed in all its ridges, slopes, and heights. David makes the whole landscape answer for the tragedy and shame of Israel’s fall. He does this by proclaiming…

^{21 (con’t)} Let there be no dew nor rain upon you,

al-tal və’al-matar alekhem – “Not dew and not rain upon you.” David is poetically calling for eternal drought to be on the mountain as a testament to the death of Saul and Jonathan. Just as they died, so the mountain should forever reflect their death. Next, in apposition to that…

^{21 (con’t)} Nor fields of offerings.

The words are abstruse: usəde tərumoth – “And fields – raise-offerings.” The terumah, raise-offering, comes from rum to rise or raise. It is an offering that is presented before the Lord, raised like a presentation being lifted to Him. This type of offering included personal possessions, such as metals, fabrics, etc., for building the tabernacle.

It was used widely in Leviticus concerning animal sacrifices to the Lord. In Numbers 15, it includes dough, grain, and produce from the land. Thus, səde terumoth, fields – raise offerings, suggests fields fruitful enough to yield sacred contributions to Yehovah.

David is using the same thinking as in the previous clause. Let those fields not produce in this manner. I suggest the point is that David is mentally picturing the battle as the archers stood on the fields lifting their bows in the direction of Israel, as if they were raise-offerings, and then letting them flow toward Israel’s army, including Saul and Jonathan.

Because of this, and in memory of the event, he is calling for the fields to be desolate and unable to produce suitable offerings to Yehvoah. With more to pen concerning his beloved friends, David further explains his appeal to the mountains and fields…

^{21 (con’t)} For the shield of the mighty is cast away there!

Rather: ki sham nig’al magen gibborim – “For there, it was detested, ‘shield, the mighties’.” David again poetically uses a plural concerning Saul. It signifies that he was the embodiment of all that is mighty in battle. However, because of the blood that was shed, which defiled the shield, it was to be detested.

This was seen in Numbers 31 when Israel took vengeance on the Midianites. Those who went to battle where people were slain were to have their implements purified with the water of purification. However, Saul died, and his shield was not purified.

It isn’t that Saul’s shield was cast away, a rendering which does not fit the Hebrew word gaal. That may be the result, but it is not the intent. The shield may be rejected, but only because it was detested.

Again, as stated before, one can imagine those training in the use of the bow following through with their practice while calling out each clause.

^{21 (con’t)} The shield of Saul, not anointed with oil.

magen shaul bəli mashiakh bashamen – “‘Shield, Saul’ – failure: anointing in the oil.” These words are placed in apposition to the previous clause. Because the shield was not cleansed with the water of purification, it was not to be handled, including being anointed with oil, something warriors did to protect them from the elements.

Some try to align the word mashiakh with Saul, the anointed of the Lord. It is not referring to him. However, it does bring to mind that he was the mashiakh, the anointed, of the Lord. Thus, there is an implied pun where the anointed of the Lord’s shield failed to receive its anointing.

As with the previous verses, one can imagine those practicing with their bows aligning their actions with each clause. It would seem likely that as the arrows were raised to shoot, they would be aligned with the words usəde tərumoth, and ‘fields, raise-offerings’, as if the archers are responding to a battle with their own raised arrows.

It’s speculation, but it fits with David’s teaching the sons of Judah the Bow. If this is correct, the military practice would continue with the next words…

²² From the blood of the slain,

midam khalalim – “From ‘blood, the pierced’.” These words can be taken in one of two ways. The first is that David is referring to the blood of their enemies. The second is that it refers to the blood of the Israelites who fell around Saul and Jonathan as they continued the battle.

The former is correct. David is writing in parallelism. In this clause, he refers to those whose blood was shed by Jonathan. The next clause changes the subject…

^{22 (con’t)} From the fat of the mighty,

mekhelev gibborim – “From ‘fat, mighties’.” Here David refers to those who were slain by Saul in battle. As is common in Hebrew poetry, an idea is set forth and only afterward is the subject introduced. The subject of each clause is next presented…

^{22 (con’t)} The bow of Jonathan did not turn back,

qeshet yəhonathan lo nasog akhor – “‘Bow, Jehonathan’, not it was retreated backside.” Jonathan did not turn and run with his bow pointing in the opposite direction of the battle. Rather, he faced the enemy as long as he was physically able to do so. Placing the first and third clauses side by side, David’s intent is seen –

“From ‘blood, the pierced’,
‘Bow, Jehonathan’ not it was retreated backside.”

The parallelistic arrangement continues…

^{22 (con’t)} And the sword of Saul did not return empty.

vəkherev shaul lo tashuv reqam – “And ‘sword, Saul’, not it will return emptily.” Until he could no longer fight, Saul kept up the battle, cutting into his foes as they came before him. The parallelism is seen in the second and fourth clauses –

“From ‘fat, mighties’,

… ‘sword, Saul’ not it will return emptily.”

As before, the clauses would be memorized by practicing archers, learning both the song and the skill of the bow. When they entered into real battle, they would carry the imagery in their minds, targeting their enemies and standing fast, just as Saul and Jonathan did.

One can almost sense what a U.S. Marine might think while engaged in battle –

“Here’s health to you and to our Corps
Which we are proud to serve;
In many a strife we’ve fought for life
And never lost our nerve.”

David next changes direction to speak of the men intimately…

Strong warriors engaged in battle
Saul and Jonathan fighting Philistines
The arrows flow, and the swords rattle
Their time has come, so it seems

As one and then another fall around the men
They continue to fight. Hear their swords rattle
The arrows hit their mark again and again
For them, it is the end of the battle

But it is not the end for those who know
For those who serve the God of Israel
Even death cannot win – that mighty blow
He will keep His people from the clutches of hell

II. My Brother, Jonathan (verses 23-27)

²³ “Saul and Jonathan were beloved and pleasant in their lives,

shaul vihonathan ha’ne’ehavim vəhanə’imim bəkhayehem –

“Saul and Jehonathan –

The ‘being cherished’, and the delightful in their livings.”

David refers to both of them with these descriptions. He is not trying to explain a relationship between the two (Cambridge et al.). Rather, David conveys how he (and others) viewed Saul and Jonathan. They were affectionately seen as united.

Throughout their days, they were “being cherished.” The participle signifies that they were cherished and continued to be cherished throughout their lives. David overlooks Saul’s many faults, recognizing him as the beloved leader of Israel with Jonathan at his side.

The “delightful in their livings” signifies that they were people worthy of emulation. Others would see them and strive to be like them. David thus erases every fault Saul was known for in his gracious eulogy. Having joined them in life as examples others could aspire to, David also unites them as their lives closed out…

^{23 (con’t)} And in their death they were not divided;

uvəmotam lo niphradu – “And in their death, not they were parted.” As a team, the king of Israel and his heir-apparent stood together in battle and then faced death as one. It is a high compliment that after the death of one, the other stood fast and continued the fight until he, too, succumbed to death on the battlefield.

David continues the united accolades…

^{23 (con’t)} They were swifter than eagles,

Rather: min-nəsharim qalu – “From eagles, they lightened.” The word qalal signifies to be or make light. This doesn’t speak of the eagle’s swiftness but of its soaring nature. David refers to their exalted status. Just as an eagle soars in the heavens, Saul and Jonathan soared above the people, and even more than eagles. And more…

^{23 (con’t)} They were stronger than lions.

me’arayot gaveru – “From lions, they prevailed.” All translations that I know of except the ISV say stronger or mightier. That is certainly the case, but it does not exhaust David’s intent. The ISV says that they were “more valiant than lions.” Even that only provides one trait of the lion.

The word gavar signifies to prevail, such as when the waters prevailed and increased over the earth during the flood. David is drawing on the nature of the lion itself.

The lion is strong, bold, watchful, stealthy, fierce, majestic, patient, commanding, fearless, and more. It is also predatory and ferocious, something applicable to the best of military men when engaged in combat. In whatever way a lion is regarded as noble, formidable, or surpassing among beasts, Saul and Jonathan prevailed beyond it.

David has placed Saul and Jonathan at the height of human excellence. As eagles surpass in the heavens with their lofty majestic soaring, and as lions surpass all beasts in strength and majesty, so these two men surpassed even these creatures in the qualities for which they were renowned.

One can imagine warriors practicing the bow calling out these words, strengthening their own resolve, and desiring to be like Saul and Jonathan. With his accolades of Saul and Jonathan complete, the dirge takes another direction…

²⁴ “O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,

bənoth yisrael el-shaul bəkhenah – “‘Daughters, Israel’, unto Saul, you must weep.” Saul was the king of Israel. He led the army against Nahash the Ammonite, saving the people from a collective national embarrassment.

He also battled Philistines, Amalekites, Moabites, Edomites, and the kings of Zobah to secure his borders and rid the land of Israel’s enemies. His battles allowed the women of Israel to live lives of peace and prosperity. David implores them to weep for their slain king…

^{24 (con’t)} Who clothed you in scarlet, with luxury;

ha’malbishkhem shani im-adanim – “The ‘causing to clothe you’ – scarlet, with pleasures.” Such items as scarlet were expensive. The words “with pleasures” mean that it came in a variety of ways, such as garments, sheets, coverings, etc. These things had to be labored for, traded for, or taken in battle. However they were acquired, Saul made it possible for the daughters of Israel to possess them. And more…

^{24 (con’t)} Who put ornaments of gold on your apparel.

ha’ma’aleh adi zahav al-ləvushəkhen – “The ‘causing to ascend’ ‘finery, gold’ upon your clothing.” This may be referring to gold thread or gold ornamentation upon their clothes. Either way, these are things that reveal a prosperous society. Saul, through his leadership abilities, was able to secure the nation and plunder its enemies.

The women should consider his life and devotion to leading the nation and mourn over their fallen hero. And more, there is every reason to assume that those practicing the bow would call out these words as well. They were men of Israel with families of their own to protect. Each arrow they practiced with would be in defense of the women of Israel.

²⁵ “How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle!

eikh naphəlu gibborim bətokh ha’milkhama – “How they fell, mighties, in ‘midst, the battle’.” Again, David’s lament turns on the words eikh naphəlu gibborim, “How they fell, mighties.” It is the song’s burden, its refrain, and its ache. David was stunned at the loss –

“And he caused to seize, David, in his garment, and he rent them, and also all the mortals who with him. ¹²And they lamented, and they wept, and they fasted until the evening upon Saul, and upon Jehonathan his son, and upon ‘people, Yehovah’, and upon ‘house, Israel’, for they fell in the sword.” 2 Samuel 1:11, 12

Even after collecting himself, the thought of the defeat haunted him as he penned out the words of this dirge. The mighty warriors of Israel had fallen in battle, and chief among them were Saul and Jonathan. With that in mind, David’s most personal loss comes to the forefront…

^{25 (con’t)} Jonathan was slain in your high places.

yəhonathan al-bamotekha khalal – “Jehonathan, upon your elevations – pierced.” David would have remembered the time Jonathan and his armorbearer alone took on an entire garrison of Philistines. The achievement would have been considered heroic by all who heard of it. His military fame would have been legendary.

One can imagine a line of warriors with their bows remembering David’s pain and not wanting it to be repeated in their own lives. And so, while practicing their skills, they call out the Bow.

For David, the thought that Jonathan was gone would come flooding back into his mind time and again, wondering if it was just a nightmare he would wake up from. How could Jonathan be gone? And so his lament continues…

²⁶ I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan;

tsar-li alekha akhi yəhonathan – “It ‘cramped’ to me, upon you, my brother, Jehonathan.” David felt like he was in a room with the walls closing in on him. His surroundings smothered him as he considered the loss of his closest and most personal friend. Anyone who has lost someone very close can immediately empathize with David’s plight. It is as if there is nothing but sadness left in life…

^{26 (con’t)} You have been very pleasant to me;

na’amta li məod – “You sweetened to me, vehemently.” The word naem signifies to be agreeable. Thus, one gets the sense of delight, pleasantness, etc. As the verb is in the perfect aspect, the word sweetened fits David’s remembrance of Jonathan. Everything about their relationship was sweet and welcome. And more…

^{26 (con’t)} Your love to me was wonderful,
Surpassing the love of women.

niphləathah ahavatəkha li me’ahavath nashim –

“It was marveled, your love, to me,
From ‘love, women’.”

David’s remembrance of their fellowship, how they stood with one another in adversity and trial, the covenant they cut, all of it was more personal and memorable than even the love of a woman.

There is nothing sexual or physically intimate to be considered. Rather, it is the fellowship of warriors whose lives became completely intermingled with the most personal events humans can experience.

The soldiers, working on their archery skills, would contemplate what it meant to lose someone so near and dear to them. It would make them all the more willing to stand in the heat day after day and practice their skills. With such a thought coming to mind, David again cries out…

²⁷ “How the mighty have fallen,

eikh naphəlu gibborim – “How they fell, mighties.” For the third time, David sounds the mournful refrain. It is the summary burden of the song, the grief that gathers every line into itself. One can see David years later standing on the practice field with a line of men learning archery skills. As they practiced, they would call out these words of the Bow.

With each cry of these particular words, David would remember the events that caused him to write this dirge. He would remember Jonathan and consider the hoped-for right-hand man that was never to be. It would prompt him to be even more adamant that his men should be properly prepared for battle.

If Jonathan could fall, anyone could fall. The men needed to be prepared. And so, they would practice and sing the mournful words of the Bow, because if they were outmatched, the final words of the dirge would apply to their own bows…

*^{27 (fin)} And the weapons of war perished!”

vayovədu kəle milkhama – “And they… gone, ‘vessels, battle’.” One can feel the emotion in David’s words. He equates Saul and Jonathan to weapons of war. They were used in battle and perished in the battle. He considers them, pauses, and then notes that they, like their actual battle implements, have vanished into the past, never to rise and be used again.

If the archers failed to heed instruction, they too would perish in battle. The Bow would have been a tool to remind the men of Judah of the cost of war and the importance of being prepared for it. War is something that nations face. This is reality.

Therefore, not being prepared for it by failing to consider its consequences is a fatal mistake. In a few verses, David set forth the Bow as a testament to the lives of Saul and Jonathan, but also as a tool of instruction for the sons of Judah to learn from.

The Bible serves this purpose as well. It is a testament to the work of God in Christ, who gave His life to secure His people from the greater battle all humanity faces. It is a tool of instruction for those who commit to memory and contemplate its precepts.

There is a battle being waged in the world, and people are lost to it every day. Without Jesus, they will perish, never rising to the life God offers to any who are willing to come to Him through His Son. Paul writes about the battle we are facing and the implements we possess in order to be victorious.

His words will do no good if we don’t read them and apply them to our lives. Let us learn how to engage the enemy, be prepared for his attacks, and go on the offensive against him. To wage that war, we must first yield ourselves to the Commander of the battle.

Without Him, the battle is already lost. With Him, the outcome is certain. Yes! Victory! So call on the Lord, be saved, and then engage the ongoing battle that continues to be waged around us in the world.

Closing Verse: “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” Ephesians 6:13

Next Week: 2 Samuel 2:1-11 What an uncomfortable name, it couldn’t have been fun… (Man of Shame, Part I) (3^rd 2 Samuel sermon)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. He is the One who abases the haughty and exalts the humble. He regards the lowly, and the proud, He knows from afar. So yield yourself to Him, trust Him, and believe His word. In this, He will do great things for you and through you.

2 Samuel 1:17-27 (CG)

¹⁷And he dirged*, David, את the dirge, the this~ upon Saul, and upon Jehonathan his son. ¹⁸And he said to train ‘sons, Judah’ – Bow. Behold! ‘Written upon Writing, the Upright:

¹⁹The ‘splendor, Israel’’
Upon your elevations – pierced!
How they fell, mighties.
²⁰Not you will cause to declare in Gath,
Not you will announce in ‘outsides, Ashqelon’.
Lest they will brighten, ‘daughters, Philistines’,
Lest they will jubilate*, ‘daughters, the foreskinned’.

²¹Mountains in the Gilboa,
Not dew and not rain upon you.
And fields – raise-offerings.
For there, it was detested, ‘shield, mighties’,
‘Shield, Saul’ – failure: anointing in the oil.
²²From ‘blood, the pierced’,
From ‘fat, mighties’,
‘Bow, Jehonathan’ not it was retreated backside.
And ‘sword, Saul’ not she will return emptily.

²³Saul and Jehonathan –
The ‘being cherished’, and the delightful in their livings.
And in their death, not they were parted.
From eagles, they lightened.
From lions, they prevailed.

²⁴‘Daughters, Israel’, unto Saul, you must weep.
The ‘causing to clothe you’ – scarlet, with pleasures,
The ‘causing to ascend’ ‘finery, gold’ upon your clothing.

²⁵How they fell, mighties, in ‘midst, the battle’.
Jehonathan, upon your elevations – pierced.
²⁶It ‘cramped’ to me, upon you, my brother, Jehonathan.
You sweetened to me, vehemently.
It was marveled, your love, to me,
From ‘love, women’,
²⁷How they fell, mighties,
And they… gone, ‘vessels, battle’.

*Verse 17 – Hebrew: qonen. To chant or wail at a funeral. Also, noun form, qinah, is found in this verse.
*Verse 20 – Hebrew: alaz, to jump for joy. It is similar to, but maybe a bit more elevated than alats (see 1 Samuel 2:1), which has the same general meaning.

 

2 Samuel 1:17-27 (NKJV)

¹⁷ Then David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son, ¹⁸ and he told them to teach the children of Judah the Song of the Bow; indeed it is written in the Book of Jasher:

¹⁹ “The beauty of Israel is slain on your high places!
How the mighty have fallen!
²⁰ Tell it not in Gath,
Proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon—
Lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice,
Lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.

²¹ “O mountains of Gilboa,
Let there be no dew nor rain upon you,
Nor fields of offerings.
For the shield of the mighty is cast away there!
The shield of Saul, not anointed with oil.
²² From the blood of the slain,
From the fat of the mighty,
The bow of Jonathan did not turn back,
And the sword of Saul did not return empty.

²³ “Saul and Jonathan were beloved and pleasant in their lives,
And in their death they were not divided;
They were swifter than eagles,
They were stronger than lions.

²⁴ “O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,
Who clothed you in scarlet, with luxury;
Who put ornaments of gold on your apparel.

²⁵ “How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle!
Jonathan was slain in your high places.
²⁶ I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan;
You have been very pleasant to me;
Your love to me was wonderful,
Surpassing the love of women.

²⁷ “How the mighty have fallen,
And the weapons of war perished!”

Artwork by Douglas Kallerson

2 Samuel 1:1-16
I Killed ‘Anointed, Yehovah’

(Typed 15 & 17 June 2026) 1 and 2 Samuel are considered one book in the Hebrew canon. 2 Samuel is a seamless continuation of 1 Samuel. However, that doesn’t mean that the division in our canon is inappropriate.

It is not uncommon to read commentaries that dismiss the division of Samuel into two books. Cambridge, for example, says, “The narrative of the closing chapters of the First Book is continued without any break. The division of the Books is purely artificial, and did not exist in the original Hebrew text.”

And yet the division was not invented by a Christian who wanted to disassociate the writings from the Jewish canon. Rather, the division is found in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, which is of Jewish design.

My introduction to 1 Samuel is thorough, including some of the main information for 2 Samuel. Therefore, only a few key points concerning the book will be provided here, such as the key verse of the book, which is…

Text Verse: “And it will be established, your house and your kingdom, until vanishment to your faces. Your throne, it will be ‘being erect’ until vanishment” 2 Samuel 7:16 (CG)

2 Samuel is the tenth book of the Old Testament. It would be tough to find a better example of the realization of the underlying meaning of the number ten than this being the tenth book. The generations of man began with Adam.

They have been steadily worked through in the pages of the Bible since him, finally leading to David, the one whose house becomes emblematic of the messianic throne, and through whom comes the Messiah who is recognized by that throne, He being the “Son of David.”

The events of the book of 2 Samuel cover about forty years, from the beginning of David’s reign over Judah and later all of Israel, and ending chronologically in Chapter 20, with the quashing of a treasonous uprising against him.

Chapters 21-24 are generally accepted as a non-chronological appendix detailing several key events that occurred during David’s reign.

David’s rule demonstrates great devotion to the Lord, even during times of severe lapses in faithful obedience to Him. That may sound contradictory unless you, as a saved believer, go look in the mirror and consider your own life and actions.

There are twenty-four chapters to go in 2 Samuel, so let’s get started. Great things are to be found in His superior word. And so, let us turn to that precious word once again, and… May God speak to us through His word today, and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. Saul, and Jehonathan His Son, They Died (verses 1-5)

Now it came to pass after the death of Saul

vayhi akhare moth shaul – “And it was, after ‘death, Saul’.” The words follow after 1 Samuel 31, which detailed the death of Saul and his sons. That was followed by the actions of those in Jabesh Gilead, who arose and retrieved the bodies of Saul and his sons, taking them back to Jabesh and burning them, after which they buried their bones.

While those events were going on, other events were happening.

Saul means Asked. It is identical in unpointed spelling to Sheol.  Following those events detailed in 1 Samuel 31, it next says…

^{1 (con’t)} when David had returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites,

vədavid shav mehakoth eth ha’amaleq – “and David, he returned from causing to strike the Amalek.” This is the only time the term “the Amalek” is found in Scripture. It is an odd phrase to use, replacing the more common term “the Amalekites.” Not a single translation that I read accurately translates it as it is given, with the article followed by the name in the singular.

This refers to the battle carefully detailed in Chapter 30, where David and his men crossed Wadi, the Besor to reclaim all the people and booty taken by the Amalekite invaders who plundered David’s city of Ziklag.

David means Beloved. Amalek is derived from am, people, and malaq, to nip or wring off the head of a bird with or without severing it from the body. They are The People Who Wring Off. They are those who are disconnected from the body and who strive to disconnect the body. Once the battle was complete and David returned…

^{1 (con’t)} and David had stayed two days in Ziklag,

vayeshev david bətsiqlag yamim shənayim – “and he sat, David, in Ziklag ‘days, two’.” While Saul was alive, David had escaped to the land of the Philistines. Ziklag belonged to the Philistines at the time. After David took up residence there, it became a city of Judah from that time on.

Ziklag is derived first from tsuq, to pour out or melt, or to oppress or distress, such as to put pressure on someone to give up information or to lay siege to a city. The second part is from log, a small amount poured into a hollow, like the hand. Thus, it signifies Measure of Pressure.

Two is the number of division or difference. Two days after David returned there…

² on the third day,

vayhi bayom ha’shəlishi – “And it was, in the day, the third.” Following the timeline from David’s return from marching with the Philistines, through all of the trials that occurred after that, it seems that David returned to Ziklag on the same day or within one day of Saul’s death in battle.

Three stands for that which is solid, real, substantial, complete, and entire. Bullinger expands on that and says –

“The number three, therefore, must be taken as the number of Divine fulness. It signifies and represents the Holy Spirit as taking of the things of Christ and making them real and solid in our experience. It is only by the Spirit that we realise spiritual things. Without Him and His gracious operation, all is surface work: all is what a plane figure is to a solid (John 3:6). He it is who has wrought all our works in us, and by whom alone we can serve or worship (John 4:24).”

^{2 (con’t)} behold, it happened that a man came from Saul’s camp 

vəhineh ish ba min-ha’makhaneh me’im shaul – “and behold, man coming from the camp, from with Saul.” Whether this person was actually with Saul as a part of his amassed army or whether he was just in the area at the time of the battle is debated. Here it says he came “from with Saul.” That is not definitive enough to say he was a part of Saul’s army. Either way, he came from the battlefield…

^{2 (con’t)} with his clothes torn and dust on his head.

u-vəgadav qəru’im va’adamah al-rosho – “and his garments rent, and ground upon his head.” These are both signs of mourning and distress. One tears his garments in a time of distress, such as bad news or great grief. Putting the ground on one’s head indicates an idea like, “From the ground I came, and to the ground I will return.” As such, it is a sign of mourning for the dead, an indication that one feels he is deserving of death, etc.

^{2 (con’t)} So it was, when he came to David, that he fell to the ground and prostrated himself.

vayhi bevoo el-david vayipol artsah vayishtakhu – “And it was, in his coming unto David, and he fell earthward, and he prostrated himself.” This is an act of subordination, recognizing David as the superior. So far, this is what one would expect of someone attempting to humble himself and report tragic news. David recognizes this…

³ And David said to him, “Where have you come from?”

vayomer lo david ei mizzeh tavo – “And he said to him, David, ‘Where from this you will come?’” When someone shows up in the condition this guy is in, the question is perfectly natural. Something has happened, and David is curious what it is…

^{3 (con’t)} So he said to him, “I have escaped from the camp of Israel.”

vayomer elav mimakhaneh yisrael nimlaṭəti – “And he said unto him, ‘From ‘camp, Israel’ I was eluded.” This doesn’t bode well for Israel. To run from the camp would be unthinkable if there was a resounding victory. Thus, David probably next speaks in a hesitant and anxious tone…

⁴ Then David said to him, “How did the matter go? Please tell me.”

vayomer elav david meh-hayah ha’davar hagged-na li – “And he said unto him, David, ‘What it was, the word? You must cause to declare, pray, to me.’” Without being in the room, we can’t know the intonation of David’s voice, but it seems he must be stressed or fearful about the answer he may receive. The reason for this is seen in the response…

^{4 (con’t)} And he answered, “The people have fled from the battle,

vayomer asher nas ha’am min-ha’milkhama – “And he said, ‘That it fled, the people, from the battle.’” It seems that his words form an ellipsis. David asked, “What it was, the word?” Instead of replying normally, he said, “It fled, the people, from the battle.” The response begins with a relative pronoun, “That it fled…” Thus, the ellipsis would be something like, “The word is that it fled…”

The person speaking can tell that David is disturbed, and so his response doesn’t follow the expected grammar. Without knowing the intonation, facial expression, and so forth, it is hard to tell if he thinks David is excited (maybe he will be the king soon), fearful (Israel has been defeated in battle), or something else.

Whatever the case, the man has purposefully spoken to accentuate the events. First, the battle has gone in the favor of the Philistines. His next words elevate the intensity of the situation…

^{4 (con’t)} many of the people are fallen and dead,

vəgam harbeh naphal min-ha’am vayamuthu – “and also ‘causing to increase’, he fell from the people, and they died.” Not only did Israel turn and flee, but they were cut down as they did. The use of the singular and then the plural is like saying, “Man after man fell from the people, and as they fell, they died.” His words are excitedly intense and descriptive. And more…

^{4 (con’t)} and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also.”

vəgam shaul vihonathan beno metu – “And also Saul, and Jehonathan his son, they died.” This is the climax of the matter. Not only did Israel suffer great defeat and loss of men, but also the king and his anticipated successor are dead. This puts the nation in a difficult place without someone competent to assume leadership.

Israel had asked for a king. The request was granted, thus ending the time of the judges. Now, the nation stood as a rudderless ship without the king appointed over them.

Jehonathan means Yah Has Given. With the additional letter, hey, it indicates the presence of the Spirit. As for David, he needs to know more…

⁵ So David said to the young man who told him, “How do you know that Saul and Jonathan his son are dead?”

vayomer david el-ha’na’ar ha’maggid lo eikh yad’ata ki-met shaul vihonathan bənō – “And he said, David, unto the lad, the ‘causing to declare to him’, ‘How you knew that he died, Saul, and Jehonathan his son?’” The question is natural. If he heard that they fell, it could be that one or both was actually still alive. Falling on the battlefield is not proof that the person died, only that he was no longer actively engaged in the battle.

David hopes that the person before him may have gotten bad information…

We can face the enemy and not realize it’s him
When we are losing in our own fight
Looking for help in our trial, ever so grim
We ask him to relieve us of our plight

And yet, he is there to sever the head
Something that will bring disaster galore
With the leader gone, yes, with him dead
The enemy will destroy many more

Eventually, there is none left to keep up the fight
The battle is lost, and this enemy has won
For those who are left, it is a terrible plight
Imagine having no truth about God’s Son!

II. And They Lamented, and They Wept (verses 6-16)

⁶ Then the young man who told him said, “As I happened by chance to be on Mount Gilboa,

vayomer ha’na’ar ha’magid lo niqro niqreti bəhar ha’gilboa – “And he said, the lad, the ‘causing to declare to him’, ‘Being encountered, I was encountered in Mount the Gilboa.’” The lad has not said anything definite about why he was on the mountain. Was he a part of the army or the camp in support of the army? Was he there to watch as a spectator?

He leaves out key information that would normally be supplied.

In the Bible, a mountain typologically signifies a large but centralized group of people. The Gilboa means The Rolling Fountain. As for the lad, his evasive or incomplete answers continue…

^{6 (con’t)} there was Saul, leaning on his spear; and indeed the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him.

vəhineh shaul nishan al-khanito vəhineh hā’rekhev uva’ale ha’parashim hidbiquhu – “And behold! Saul ‘being leaned’ upon his spear. And behold! The chariot and ‘masters, the steeds’ they caused to impinge him.” This guy is making the scene as active and lively as he can, setting himself up as the hero.

According to his version of the events, Saul was in retreat, going up Mount Gilboa. He was exhausted from the battle and ascent. He was propping himself up with his spear. Chariots were generally used on flat terrain. They were not intended for much beyond that.

Horsemen may find success, depending on the terrain. But fighting on horseback on an incline has limitations. 1 Samuel 31:3 gives the truth of the matter. It was archers who shot up the incline toward those in retreat.

The spear is the symbol of Saul’s authority. However, the word khanith, spear, is identical to the feminine word meaning grace.

Chariots and horsemen are used at times to signify pride and confidence in self –

“Some trust in chariots, and some in horses;
But we will remember the name of the Lord our God.” Psalm 20:7

⁷ Now when he looked behind him, he saw me and called to me. And I answered, ‘Here I am.’

vayiphen akharav vayir’eni vayiqra elay vaomer hineni – “And he turned after him, and he saw me, and he called unto me, and I said, ‘Behold me!’” The guy is inserting himself into the narrative in a close and personal way, as if he arrived just in time to heroically resolve whatever situation lay ahead.

⁸ And he said to me, ‘Who are you?’

vayomer li mi-atah – “And he said to me, ‘Who you?’” According to the person, Saul didn’t recognize him. Was he a Philistine? Was he a soldier of Israel Saul didn’t know? Or was he someone just caught up in the events as they unfolded?

^{8 (con’t)} So I answered him, ‘I am an Amalekite.’

vayomer elav amaleqi anokhi – “— and he said [k.] unto him, ‘Amalekite, I myself.’” The written text says, “And he said.” The oral reading says, “And I said.” The only way the text as written could be correct is if the narration momentarily shifted from the Amalekite’s first-person report to the narrator’s third-person description. If so, it would look as I rendered it –

“And he said to me, ‘Who are you?’ — and he said to him, ‘I am an Amalekite.’”

Although awkward, that is not impossible, especially if Saul didn’t wait for an answer while rushing into his next question. They would have talked over one another. Meanwhile, the narrator added in the information about him being an Amalekite. This actually seems likely because of what it will say in verse 13.

Similar discords occur elsewhere, such as Nehemiah 5:9 and Zechariah 4:2. All translations go with the oral, implicitly agreeing that the variation is best understood as a preserved written irregularity corrected by the traditional reading, rather than a meaningful change in speaker.

Whatever the correct way of interpreting these words, the young man continues…

⁹ He said to me again, ‘Please stand over me and kill me, for anguish has come upon me, but my life still remains in me.’

vayomer elay amad-na alay umotəteni ki akhazani ha’shavats ki kal-od naphshi bi – “And he said unto me, ‘You must stand, pray, upon me, and you must kill me. For it grasped me, the convulsion, but all, yet, my soul in me.’” The noun translated as convulsion, shavats, is found only here in the Bible.

It is derived from the verb shavats, to interweave, and thus, entanglement. Its meaning is debated, but if one thinks about how convulsions interweave throughout the body when one is in agony or dying, it adequately explains the meaning.

There is a glaring oversight in the lad’s words. He says nothing of Saul’s vessel-lifter or anyone else. It is hard to imagine that Saul would be the last one standing and this guy just chanced upon him. He is setting himself up as the resolver of the matter at hand, but his words are improbable at best.

It is also unlikely that the king of Israel would ask a stranger, and an Amalekite at that, to send him off to the next world. Regardless of each point, he makes his boastful claim…

¹⁰ So I stood over him and killed him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen.

va’e’emōd alav va’amotətehu ki yadati ki lo yikhyeh akhare niphlo – “And I stood upon him, and I killed him, for I knew that not he will live after his fall.” This guy has set himself up as the brave hero who mercifully put the king of Israel to death. He also seems to brag about his medical expertise, being fully aware of when a man’s wounds were so great that there was no chance of surviving.

The words “after his fall” are debated. Some take it to mean “his defeat in battle.” Conflating a defeat with physical anguish makes no sense at all. That would be like saying, “He said to me, ‘I lost the battle. I can’t live with this. Kill me now.’”

Two reasonable options come to mind. The first would mean Saul’s fall in battle. It would explain why he was propping himself up with the spear. Another possibility, which is not out of the question, is that the lad is referring to Saul’s fall from God’s favor, like the Nephilim, the fallen ones, mentioned elsewhere.

That may seem dubious, but this person is an Amalekite, the clan that Saul failed to anathematize in 1 Samuel 15. If he was aware of Saul’s state and David’s ascendancy, which is implied in him coming to David, it would explain why he was willing to claim he killed Saul.

Saul was severely wounded, and his kingdom was destined to end. As such, “not he will live after his fall” would not be referring to the time of the battle, but the surety that he would die after God rejected him in the past. The battle simply gave this Amalekite the opportunity to be the hero who would bring about Saul’s death.

If this is the correct interpretation, it is ironic that Saul’s fall was on account of Amalek, and the evidence of the final step in his fall is presented to David by an Amalekite.

As for the head, it speaks of primacy and superiority. The arm speaks of power and exertion, but also effectual reach to accomplish. The man continues…

^{10 (con’t)} And I took the crown that was on his head and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them here to my lord.”

va’eqakh ha’nezer asher al-rosho və’ets’adah asher al-zero’o va’aviem el-adoni hennah – “And I took the crown which upon his head, and step-chain which upon his arm, and I caused to bring them unto my lord hither.” This would not be what we think of as a kingly crown.

Rather, it would be a military crown of some sort that identified him as king, or maybe a ring that would go around his military helmet. Either way, it would identify Saul as the king.

The next word is etsadah, a step-chain. This is its second and last use in the Bible. It is derived from tsa’ad, a pace or a step. It is probably a chain of links, as if marching around the arm, hence a step-chain. This, too, would be an identifier of Saul’s position and authority.

The guy probably found Saul lying dead, realized it was him from his ornaments, and stripped these items from his body. Knowing David was to be the next king, he then rushed them southward to gain David’s favor. This seems to be the most probable explanation of the events. Seeing the evidence of Saul’s death, David reacts emotionally…

¹¹ Therefore David took hold of his own clothes and tore them, and so did all the men who were with him.

vayakhazeq david bivgado vayiqra’em vəgam kal-ha’anashim asher ito – “And he caused to seize, David, in his garment [k.], and he rent them, and also all the mortals who with him.” The written text says garment in the singular. To match the plural “he rent them,” the oral tradition says “garments.”

The written text is possible, because the Hebrew word translated as “garment” can sometimes function collectively, almost like “clothing” in English. That is seen, for example, in Genesis 28:20. It is infrequently used in this manner, so the oral tradition makes the change.

As noted earlier, rending the garment is a sign of anguish and mourning. Seeing David’s actions, the others with him followed suit…

¹² And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son, for the people of the Lord and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.

vayispəḏu vayivku vayatsumu ad-ha’arev al-shaul və’al-yəhonathan bəno və’al-am Yəhovah və’al-beith yisrael ki-naphəlu bekharev – “And they lamented, and they wept, and they fasted until the evening upon Saul, and upon Jehonathan his son, and upon ‘people, Yehovah’, and upon ‘house, Israel’, for they fell in the sword.” Saul was the leader of the nation, even if he blew it as a king.

Therefore, he was mourned over as any leader would normally be. The loss of Jonathan would add to the unhappy national situation by removing Saul’s successor and any chance for a smooth transition.

The “people of Yehovah” probably refers to those in the army who died as well as those who lived, now without a military leader. The house of Israel refers to the entire nation, which was now left without a king. The situation was bad news all around.

¹³ Then David said to the young man who told him, “Where are you from?”
And he answered, “I am the son of an alien, an Amalekite.”

vayomer david el-ha’na’ar ha’magid lo ei mizeh atah vayomer ben-ish ger amaleqi anokhi – “And he said, David, unto the lad, the ‘causing to declare to him’, ‘Where from this, you?’ And he said, ‘Son ‘man, sojourner, Amalekite’ I myself.’” This gives weight to sticking with the written text in verse 8.

If the Amalekite had told David this, rather than it being a narrator’s explanation, it would make no sense for David to ask him again. Attempts have been made to indicate that the words “where from this, you” mean something like “to whom do you belong.”

That would smooth over the obvious difficulty of verse 8, but the person’s response to David shows exactly what David’s intent was. He is the son of an Amalekite who had taken up residence in Israel.

It explains why he was aware of who Saul was, how he knew Saul had fallen out of favor with the Lord, and why he came to David. He was aware of everything going on and wanted to gain favor with the obvious candidate for the next king. One thing he didn’t know, however, was how David would react to his story…

¹⁴ So David said to him, “How was it you were not afraid to put forth your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?”

vayomer elav david eikh lo yareta lishloakh yadəkha ləshakheth eth-məshiakh Yəhovah – “And he said unto him, David, ‘How not you feared to send your hand to ruin ‘anointed, Yehovah’?’” David was given opportunities to take Saul’s life. He explicitly stated he would not do so because the anointing of the Lord rested on Saul.

The fact that this person claims to be a sojourner in Israel means he should know that Saul was the anointed king. Despite being a liar about the entire death scenario, his words testify that he was guilty of a crime against the Lord. Therefore, whacking time has arrived…

¹⁵ Then David called one of the young men and said, “Go near, and execute him!” And he struck him so that he died.

vayiqra david lə’akhad meha’nə’arim vayomer gash pəg’a-bo vayakehu vayamoth – “And he called, David, to one from the lads, and he said, ‘You must near! You must impinge in him!’ And he caused to strike him, and he died.” David already had the ruling authority. He was anointed by Samuel.

Therefore, with Saul dead, he had the full right, authority, and responsibility to vindicate Saul’s death. To not do so would be an affront to the Lord whose anointing oil rested upon Saul. Therefore, the words of the Amalekite were his own witness and sentence against himself. David merely ordered what must be done.

And thus ended the life of one more Amalekite…

¹⁶ So David said to him, “Your blood is on your own head,

vayomer elav david damekha al-roshekha – “And he said unto him, David, ‘Your bloods [k.] upon your head!’” The written text says bloods. The oral tradition changes it to read blood in an attempt to smooth out the thought. But that is completely unnecessary.

The plural signifies an association with bloodshed or bloodguilt. It is a way of intensifying the legal sense concerning the responsibility for Saul’s death. The lad made the claim, and he must accept the bloods, the bloodguilt, for his actions. Abigail used the same terminology in 1 Samuel 25:26, and Solomon will used it in 1 Kings 2:37. David gives the explanation next…

*^{16 (fin)} for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I have killed the Lord’s anointed.’”

ki phikha anah vəkha lemor anokhi motati eth-meshiakh Yəhovah – “For your mouth, it answered in you, to say, ‘I myself, I killed ‘anointed, Yehovah’.” David didn’t need to investigate any further. The man claimed he did it, and he provided the evidence that Saul was dead. Having the king’s ornaments in his possession after admitting the act was all David needed to make his determination.

This is all the surer because David had, in the past, explicitly said that it was morally objectionable for him to take Saul’s life, even after he had been anointed king in place of Saul. There was no excuse for the man’s actions, and there could be no excuse for David to not execute him.

God’s word is truth, sufficient to save
But having the truth isn’t enough
One must believe the word that God gave
But for some, that may still be tough

One can believe that the story of the ark is true
But not understand the message behind it
There must be a lens for one to look through
To find Christ in the story and to believe it

Until the veil is lifted from one’s eyes
Reading the word will not save
Finding Jesus and accepting Him is the prize
Only then can one truly believe the word that God gave

III. The Death of the Truth in Israel

Verse 1 noted that after the death of Saul, Asked, and at the time that David, accepting the doctrines of Christ, returned from striking Amalek, David stayed in Ziklag for two days. Saul died at essentially the same time that David was in Ziklag, Measure of Pressure.

Ziklag typologically pictured the tribulation in 1 Samuel, but it extends beyond that to tribulations in one’s own life. In Colossians 1:24, Paul speaks of the thlipseōn tou Christou, the ‘tribulations, the Christ’. It is a truth that will explain itself as we go.

It is highlighting the difference between Saul and David. There are those who are seeking the truth, whether saved or not, and there are those who accept the doctrines of Christ. One, now dead, was the anointed king. The other is the living anointed king.

In verse 2, it said, “on the third day.” It is the number of that which is solid, real, substantial, complete, and entire. It is the number of Divine fullness. It “signifies and represents the Holy Spirit as taking of the things of Christ and making them real and solid in our experience.” Bullinger

As this is the third day after Saul’s death, it is the day when that which anticipated Christ and His work is realized. It is the time when the Spirit made them real and solid in our experience through the cross and resurrection.

At this time, it mentions the man who came from the camp, from ‘with Saul’. He was supposedly in a state of mourning, having his garments rent and the ground on his head. He came to David, accepting the doctrines of Christ, and prostrated himself before him.

When David asked him where he had come from (verse 3), he said he had escaped from the camp of Israel. Knowing what that meant, in verse 4, David asked to be briefed concerning the situation.

In response, the man said in ascending order that the people fled from the battle, many fell dead, and that also Saul, Seeking the Truth, and Jehonathan, Yah Has Given, the saved believer with the Spirit, had died.

In verse 5, David asked how the man knew they were dead. In verse 6, the man only responded with his knowledge about Saul, but it logically follows that he knew about Jonathan if he proved he knew about Saul.

He said he was there on Mount the Gilboa (Gathering of the Rolling Fountain) and he saw Saul leaning on his spear. As seen in Chapter 31, this was the time of the early church, while those of Israel were still the mainstay of the Christian faith. The spelling of spear, without the later-added vowel points, is identical to the feminine word for grace. Saul was leaning on his grace.

However, the chariots and horsemen, typical of those who are prideful and trust in self, were set to impinge in Saul.  Therefore, in verse 7, it said that Saul called to the lad. In verse 8, Saul asked who he was. He continued, requesting that they should come and kill him because the convulsion had grasped him (verse 9), but his soul was still in him.

This typologically looks to the time when Israel’s faith in Jesus was almost at its end. At the same time as Saul was speaking, the man said he was an Amalekite, but Saul talked over him. Hence the narrator (verse 8) said (and he said) that the man said he was an Amalekite.

It appears that Saul didn’t even bother waiting for an answer to find out who he was. He just wanted to get his words out while he had strength, going from one question to the next while the first question was being answered.

Because of this, Saul never realized that the same type of person who had battled against him (the Philistines) was set to finish him off (Amalek). Israel was destroying itself as they got caught up with those who wanted to sever the head from the body.

In verse 10, having heard Saul’s plea, the man said he stood over Saul and killed him, knowing that he could not survive. After that, it said he took the crown off his head and the step-chain off his arm, the proofs of who Saul was.

The head speaks of primacy and superiority. The arm speaks of power and exertion, but also effectual reach to accomplish. He removed these from Saul and took them to David, signifying that those things which belonged to Saul were now David’s. Accepting the doctrines of Christ now possesses what Saul, seeking the truth, once possessed.

Being in Ziklag, Measure of Pressure, means the Jewish believers were suffering the tribulations of Christ during this period. Eventually, accepting the doctrines of Christ would no longer be a part of Israel’s experience. Those who accept His doctrines would be in the Gentile-led church.

With the evidence of Saul’s death presented to him, it said (verse 11) that David and his men tore their clothes, rending them. It also noted in verse 12 that they fasted and wept until evening for Saul and Jonathan, the people of the Lord, and for the house of Israel. The reason was, “for they fell in the sword.”

The kherev, sword, is identical in unpointed spelling to Horeb, the mountain of the law. In typology, they are identical, referring to the Law of Moses. The faith of those of Israel who pursued the truth was eventually killed off by law observance. We are getting essentially the same picture as 1 Samuel 31, but with different points to consider.

In verse 13, David asked the man, “Where from this, you?” He wanted to know about his identity in relation to what he had done. He answered that he was a son of a sojourner, an Amalekite. The meaning is that an Amalekite had taken up residence in Israel, and he was his son. Until this point, David didn’t know this.

Hearing that, in verse 14, David wanted to know how he failed to fear when sending out his hand to ruin the anointed of Yehovah. Without waiting for a response, in verse 15 he called for one of his lads to strike and kill the Amalekite. It never mentioned that this was done with a sword, even if that is what happened. Any picture of the law is left out of the matter.

In verse 16, David noted that his bloods, his bloodguilt, was on his own head because his mouth testified against him. He said that he had killed meshiakh Yəhovah, Messiah, Yehovah.

Every semblance of the Messiah was killed out of Israel by Amalek, typologically picturing the spiritual leaders of the nation who removed every vestige of the truth of Jesus from Israel’s collective conscience. Those same people, represented by Amalek, remain in control of the nation’s spiritual health today in synagogues around the world.

It doesn’t matter if the story given by the Amalekite was true or not. What matters is that he claimed it was and that the Bible records it this way. For all intents and purposes, the Philistines and the Amalekites serve the same purpose. One is there to weaken the faith of others. The other is there to separate the body from the Head.

These are the religious leaders of Israel for the past two thousand years. Those of Israel who were seeking the truth were eventually stopped from doing so by the Judaizers and law observers. They took away any chance of Israel coming to a saving knowledge of the truth about Jesus, their Messiah, after the earliest years of the faith.

Eventually, the knowledge of Jesus was stolen from them, pictured in the death of Saul. Seeking the truth in Israel was over, symbolized by Saul’s death. In 1 Samuel 31, it was the Philistines. In this chapter, it is the Amalekites. David, accepting the doctrines of Christ, saw what was done when Saul’s authority was removed from him.

He was presented with the implement of Saul’s authority, but the Amalekite failed to sway David. Seeking the truth is not the same thing as accepting the doctrines of Christ. At one time, seeking the truth was the preeminent thing going on in redemptive history, but that died out after Christ’s incarnation.

The transition from Israel to the church is seen in this passage, where accepting the doctrines of Christ, meaning having faith in Christ and His work as Yehovah’s Messiah, is what reigns.

For those who teach against this, David’s words to the Amalekite are essentially the words of Jesus to Israel’s religious elite, “Your bloods [k.] ‘upon your head’! For your mouth, it answered in you, to say, ‘I myself, I killed ‘anointed, Yehovah’.”

What a sad place to be on the day when they must stand before Jesus and give a reckoning for their lives and how they have dissuaded so many from ever coming to a saving knowledge of the truth.

Imagine being the people of the Lord, having every imaginable proof that your Messiah had come, and yet not only rejecting those things, but also destroying the faith of those within the nation seeking the truth!

A tragic part of this is that when they read their own Scriptures, they come to stories about the Philistines, Amalek, Haman, and other foes of their national identity, and yet these foes picture them or the doctrines they hold to. Despite this, they cannot see it.

Until they, as a people, come to understand who Jesus is and what He has done, they will continue to be their own worst enemies. In pursuing the Torah, they think they are pursuing the truth, but they are unwittingly pursuing lies because they have missed what the Torah points to.

This extends beyond Israel to many who claim to be in the church. In following the law, they cannot follow the grace of God found in Jesus. The two are mutually exclusive. Until the blinders are removed, they will continue to be represented by the Philistines and Amalekites.

For those who have called on Jesus, hold fast to the grace found in Him. For a right walk with the Lord, nothing else will do.

Closing Verse: “But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ.” 2 Corinthians 3:14

Next Week: 2 Samuel 1:17-27 This will move your heart, I know… (The Bow) (2^nd 2 Samuel Sermon)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. He is the One who abases the haughty and exalts the humble. He regards the lowly, and the proud, He knows from afar. So yield yourself to Him, trust Him, and believe His word. In this, He will do great things for you and through you.

2 Samuel 1:1-16 (CG)

1 And it was, after ‘death, Saul’, and David, he returned from causing to strike את the Amalek. And he sat, David, in Ziklag ‘days, two’. ²And it was, in the day, the third, and behold, man coming from the camp, from with Saul, and his garments rent, and ground upon his head. And it was, in his coming unto David, and he fell earthward, and he prostrated himself.

³And he said to him, David, “Where from this you will come?”

And he said unto him, “From ‘camp, Israel’ I was eluded.”

⁴And he said unto him, David, “What it was, the word? You must cause to declare, pray, to me.”

And he said, “That it fled, the people, from the battle, and also ‘causing to increase’, he fell from the people, and they died. And also Saul, and Jehonathan his son, they died.”

⁵And he said, David, unto the lad, the ‘causing to declare to him’, “How you knew that he died, Saul, and Johnathan his son?”

⁶And he said, the lad, the ‘causing to declare to him’, “Being encountered, I was encountered in Mount the Gilboa. And behold! Saul ‘being leaned’ upon his spear. And behold! The chariot and ‘masters, the horseforce, they caused to impinge him. ⁷And he turned after him, and he saw me. And he called unto me, and I said, ‘Behold me!’ ⁸And he said to me, ‘Who you?’ And he said [k.] unto him, ‘Amalekite, I myself’. ⁹And he said unto me, ‘You must stand, pray, upon me, and you must kill me. For it grasped me, the convulsion*. But all, yet, my soul in me.’ ¹⁰And I stood upon him, and I killed him, for I knew that not he will live after his fall. And I took the crown ‘which upon his head’, and step-chain which ‘upon his arm’, and I caused to bring them unto my lord hither.”

¹¹And he caused to seize, David, in his garment [k.], and he rent them. And also, all the mortals who with him. ¹²And they lamented, and they wept, and they fasted until the evening~ upon Saul, and upon Jehonathan his son, and upon ‘people, Yehovah’, and upon ‘house, Israel’, for they fell in the sword.

¹³And he said, David, unto the lad, the ‘causing to declare to him’, “Where from this, you?”

And he said, “‘Son, man, sojourner, Amalekite’ I myself.”

¹⁴And he said unto him, David: “How not you feared to send your hand to ruin את ‘anointed, Yehovah’?” ¹⁵And he called, David, to one from the lads, and he said, “You must near! You must impinge in him!” And he caused to strike him. And he died. ¹⁶And he said unto him, David, “Your bloods [k.] ‘upon your head’! For your mouth, it answered in you, to say, ‘I myself, I killed את ‘anointed, Yehovah’.”

Verse 8 – Qeri: “And I said.” The Qeri follows the flow of the Amalekite’s first-person report. The Kethib requires a narrator shift as indicated. Similar K/Q cases elsewhere include Nehemiah 5:9 and Zechariah 4:2.
*Verse 8 – Hebrew: shabats, a unique word coming from v. shabats, to interweave. As such, there is an interweaving of pains. Hence, convulsions.
Verse 11 – Qeri: To match the plural “he rent them” says, “in his garments.”
Verse 16 – Qeri: “Your blood.”

 

2 Samuel 1:1-16 (NKJV)

1 Now it came to pass after the death of Saul, when David had returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David had stayed two days in Ziklag, ² on the third day, behold, it happened that a man came from Saul’s camp with his clothes torn and dust on his head. So it was, when he came to David, that he fell to the ground and prostrated himself.

³ And David said to him, “Where have you come from?”

So he said to him, “I have escaped from the camp of Israel.”

⁴ Then David said to him, “How did the matter go? Please tell me.”

And he answered, “The people have fled from the battle, many of the people are fallen and dead, and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also.”

⁵ So David said to the young man who told him, “How do you know that Saul and Jonathan his son are dead?”

⁶ Then the young man who told him said, “As I happened by chance to be on Mount Gilboa, there was Saul, leaning on his spear; and indeed the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him. ⁷ Now when he looked behind him, he saw me and called to me. And I answered, ‘Here I am.’ ⁸ And he said to me, ‘Who are you?’ So I answered him, ‘I am an Amalekite.’ ⁹ He said to me again, ‘Please stand over me and kill me, for anguish has come upon me, but my life still remains in me.’ ¹⁰ So I stood over him and killed him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen. And I took the crown that was on his head and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them here to my lord.”

¹¹ Therefore David took hold of his own clothes and tore them, and so did all the men who were with him. ¹² And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son, for the people of the Lord and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.

¹³ Then David said to the young man who told him, “Where are you from?”

And he answered, “I am the son of an alien, an Amalekite.”

¹⁴ So David said to him, “How was it you were not afraid to put forth your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?” ¹⁵ Then David called one of the young men and said, “Go near, and execute him!” And he struck him so that he died. ¹⁶ So David said to him, “Your blood is on your own head, for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I have killed the Lord’s anointed.’”

Artwork by Douglas Kallerson

1 Samuel 31:1-13
And He Died, Saul

(Typed 8 June 2026) Israel is in a real pickle with God. They rejected Jesus and continued living under the law, seeking to establish their own righteousness apart from Christ, something demonstrably impossible.

From the time of Moses until the coming of Jesus, a period of about fourteen hundred and fifty years of law, not a single person was able to perfectly perform what God expected.

They have missed this point, and to this day they continue to reject the offer of God in Christ. The epitome of irony is that these ancient stories found in the Old Testament time and again picture Israel when the bad guys are presented.

Amalek has pictured Israel, the Philistines have pictured Israel, Edom has pictured Israel, etc. At times, I read articles from Israel, and they refer to groups of people today and equate them to Amalek, the Philistines, or Edom. I think, “If only you knew what God has been trying to tell you in your own Scriptures.”

It is a sad situation when God says plainly in His word that those who are the circumcision are not those circumcised in the flesh, but in the heart. Israel is so inwardly focused that they have not been able to perceive that what they hold to is just the opposite of what God expects.

Text Verse: “And he died, Saul, in his treachery which he treacherized in Yehovah, upon ‘word, Yehovah’ which not he guarded, and also to ask in the necromancer to inquire. And not he inquired in Yehovah. And He caused to kill him, and He caused to revolve the kingdom to David, ‘son, Jesse’.” 1 Chronicles 10:13, 14 (CG)

In these verses from 1 Samuel, the failings of Saul are ascribed to his own downfall. He failed to honor the Lord, so his kingdom was taken from him and given to David. Because this text verse was on my mind, I had a major stumbling block in trying to figure out what God is telling us in 1 Samuel 31.

Nothing made sense to me as I sat for almost five hours, reading and re-contemplating what is presented in the verses. Only by putting aside my presuppositions and contemplating every possible interpretation I could think of did the contents of the chapter finally come into focus. I was thoroughly surprised at what they are telling us.

I hope you have enjoyed the book of 1 Samuel as much as I have. I have learned so much, and I have an entirely new appreciation for what God is telling us in the matter of law versus grace. It has been an amazing book. This final chapter is no different.

Great truths, such as God’s infinite grace, are to be found in His superior word. And so, let us turn to that precious word once again, and… May God speak to us through His word today, and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. You Must Outpull Your Sword (verses 1-6)

Now the Philistines fought against Israel;

u-ph_elishtim nilkhamim b_eyisrael – “And Philistines ‘being battled in Israel.” Without any review of the events, the narrative abruptly returns to the engagement between the Philistines and Israel mentioned in 28:1 and 29:1. The use of the participle, being battled, resumes the narrative, passing over the intervening accounts as if they weren’t there.

Philistine means Weakener. Israel means He Strives with God.

The battle is engaged, likely somewhere in the great open plain…

^{1 (con’t)} and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines,

vayanusu anshe Yisrael mip_ene ph_elishtim – “And they fled, ‘mortals, Israel’, from ‘faces, Philistines’.” Without any details of the battle, the narrator states Israel’s retreat as a fact. Things didn’t go well. The army of Israel turned and fled, heading back to where they were encamped, as recorded in verse 28:4…

^{1 (con’t)} and fell slain on Mount Gilboa.

vayip_elu khalaim b_ehar ha’gilboa – “And they fell, pierced, in ‘Mount, the Gilboa’.” The Philistines overran Israel and slaughtered the army as they retreated, even into their camp.

In Scripture, the har, mountain, signifies a lot of something gathered. In typology, it is synonymous with a large but centralized group of people. Gilboa is from gal, something rolled and thus a heap, and baah, to gush over and thus to swell. As such, it is The Rolling Fountain.

² Then the Philistines followed hard after Saul and his sons.

vayadb_equ ph_elishtim eth shaul v_eeth banav – “And they caused to impinge, Philistines, Saul and his sons.” Eventually, the Philistines caught up to and engaged Saul and his sons on the mountain. With the men of Israel falling in the battle, the outcome for Saul was inevitable. He already knew this would happen because Samuel had told him –

“And He will give, Yehovah, also Israel with you, in ‘hand, Philistines’. And tomorrow, you and your sons – with me. Also, ‘camp, Israel’ He will give, Yehovah, in ‘hand, Philistines’.” 1 Samuel 28:19

Saul means Asked. Without the later added vowel points, his name is identical in spelling to the word Sheol, the place of the dead.

^{2 (con’t)} And the Philistines killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul’s sons.

vayaku ph_elishtim eth y_ehonathan v_eeth avinadav v_eeth malkishua b_ene shaul – “And they caused to strike, Philistines, Jehonathan, and Abinadab, and Malki-shua, ‘sons, Saul’.” Saul outlived his sons. It is the final tragedy of his tragic rule since the day he disobeyed the word of the Lord, failing to honor Him as instructed.

Jehonathan means Yah Has Given. In this account, the letter hey is added to his name as has been seen in other accounts. Hey is the fifth letter of the aleph-bet and means look, reveal, and breath.

Abinadab comes from av, father, and nadav, willing, as in “willing to share,” generous, etc. It means Father of Liberality. Malki-shua is derived from melekh, king, and one of several possible roots. And so, it means something like King of Salvation, King of Help, My King Is Opulence, or King of Wealth.

³ The battle became fierce against Saul.

vatikhbad ha’milkhamah el shaul – “And it enweighed, the battle, unto Saul.” The meaning is that the battle was heavy, like a crushing weight being pressed toward and upon Saul. Eventually, the pressure of the attack overtook him completely…

^{3 (con’t)} The archers hit him,

The Hebrew is more graphic: vayimtsauhu ha’morim anashim baqasheth – “And they found him, the ‘causing to flow mortals’ in the bow.” Those who use the bow and arrow cause the arrows to flow through the air. They aimed at Saul and hit their target. In hitting him, it says…

^{3 (con’t)} and he was severely wounded by the archers.

vayakhel m_eod meha’morim – “And he whirled, vehemently, from the ‘flowers’.” The word khul means to twist or whirl in a circular or spiral manner. It is used to describe dancing, convulsing, trembling, the pains of birth, etc. In this case, Saul was hit, spinning him around from the shock of the wounds as the arrows pierced him. It may even mean he convulsed from the wounds.

Eventually, he gathered himself together enough to either lean on his spear or lock his knees in order to keep himself standing while giving his final command as the king of Israel…

⁴ Then Saul said to his armorbearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it,

vayomer shaul l_enose khelav sh_eloph kharbekha vedaq_ereni vah – “And he said, Saul, to ‘lifter, his vessels’, ‘You must outpull your sword, and you must stab me in her.’” The final order of the failed king is to have his own vessel-bearer end his life for him, as he was unwilling to do it himself. He then follows up with an explanation for his order…

^{4 (con’t)} lest these uncircumcised men come and thrust me through and abuse me.”

pen yavou ha’arelim haeleh u-d_eqaruni vehital_elu vi – “lest they will come, the foreskinned, the these, and they will stab me, and they will glean themselves in me.’” The word alal signifies to effect thoroughly. It is specifically used concerning the gleaning process, where a person thoroughly picks every grain or every grape, leaving nothing behind.

Saul’s concern is that they will work him over, abuse him, and taunt him until his final breath. If he survived the arrow wounds, they could take him captive and put him on display as they did Samson. Either way, it would not be a pretty ending for Saul.

He was the king of Israel. The Philistines were foreskinned and unclean. He could not bear them having a say over his final moments. Despite his order and his explanation, a negative response comes back…

^{4 (con’t)} But his armorbearer would not, for he was greatly afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword and fell on it.

v_elo avah nose khelav ki yare m_eod vayiqakh shaul eth ha’kherev vayipol aleha – “And not he acquiesced, ‘lifter, his vessels’, for he feared vehemently. And he took, Saul, the sword, and he fell upon her.” The use of the article before sword is argued by many scholars to mean the sword of the vessel-lifter.

That is possible, but it seems likely that it is referring to Saul’s sword. Either way, the lifter of his vessels would normally be a younger, inexperienced soldier, not yet ready to face battle on his own.

Jewish tradition is that this was Doeg the Edomite. Thus, the sword would supposedly have been the one used to kill the priests of Nob. This seems like a convenient excuse to do away with Doeg as well as Saul’s guilt in such a manner, but it is unlikely.

First, Doeg was a seasoned killer and would have done as he was told. Second, he would not have been an armor bearer. He would have been a soldier in his own right. And third, the text would have clearly identified him by name if this were so.

Such Jewish traditions attempt to absolve the nation of guilt or remove enemies who are unfavorable to their standing in the overall body of Scripture. Quite often, they have no resemblance to the reality of what the text presents.

This vessel-lifter’s job was to follow behind his master and finish off anyone injured but not dead as his master continued to battle. He could not bring himself to do to Saul what he was expected to do to others. Because of the vessel-lifter’s unwillingness to act, Saul had to man up and do the job himself…

⁵ And when his armorbearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword, and died with him.

vayar nose khelav ki meth shaul vayipol gam hu al kharvo vayamath imo – “And he saw, ‘lifter, his vessels’, that he died, Saul, and he fell, also he, upon his sword, and he died with him.” Saying “his sword,” meaning the vessel-lifter’s own sword, negates the thought that this was the same sword Saul died on.

The rabbis’ attempts to align this sword as Doeg’s is an unnecessary stretch of the text. With Saul dead, a concluding thought to the battle in relation to Saul is given…

⁶ So Saul, his three sons, his armorbearer, and all his men died together that same day.

vayamath shaul u-sh_eloshet banav v_enose khelav gam kal anashav bayom ha’hu yakhdav – “And he died, Saul, and ‘three, his sons’, and ‘lifter, his vessels’. Also, all his mortals in the day, the it, unitedly.” These words confirm the prophecy given by Samuel the previous day, demonstrating that it was the Lord who spoke through him as he conveyed the details to Saul.

Three stands for that which is solid, real, substantial, complete, and entire. Bullinger expands on that and says –

“The number three, therefore, must be taken as the number of Divine fulness. It signifies and represents the Holy Spirit as taking of the things of Christ and making them real and solid in our experience. It is only by the Spirit that we realise spiritual things. Without Him and His gracious operation, all is surface work: all is what a plane figure is to a solid (John 3:6). He it is who has wrought all our works in us, and by whom alone we can serve or worship (John 4:24).”

The phrase “Also, all his mortals…” refers to those of Saul’s house, not the entire army. That is made clear in 1 Chronicles 10:6.

Don’t rejoice over the death of Saul
He was one seeking the truth
To rejoice over that is a sad call
But some have done it from their youth

Something is true if it corresponds with reality
To turn from that is not a smart choice
For such an action there will be a penalty
So don’t be smug and don’t rejoice

Those who have found the truth
Will be raised to live some glorious day
Christ’s resurrection is the for-sure proof
God has ordained that it shall be this way

II. House, Ashtaroth (verses 7-13)

⁷ And when the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley, and those who were on the other side of the Jordan,

Rather: vayiru anshe Yisrael asher b_eever ha’emeq vaasher b_eever ha’yarden – “And they saw, ‘mortals, Israel’, who in ‘side, the valley,’ and who in ‘side, the Jordan’.” Out of about forty translations that I checked, only Darby correctly identified the location –

“And when the men of Israel that were on this side of the valley, and [they] that were on this side of the Jordan.” Darby

All other translations say, “other side,” “beyond,” “across,” etc. That is incorrect. The word is b’ever, “in side.” It can mean either side, depending on the reference. Multiple examples of this are seen elsewhere.

In this case, it is referring to the area extending from the eastern side of the valley of Jezreel to the western shore of the Jordan River. Most scholars have this wrong as well.

Verse 11 provides evidence that it is referring to this side, as does 1 Chronicles 10:7. You can correct your Bible with a margin note and update your brain squiggle accordingly. A+ and hats off to John Darby.

The Jordan means the Descender. As for what the men saw…

^{7 (con’t)} saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead,

ki nasu anshe Yisrael v_ekhi methu shaul u-vanav vayaazvu eth hearim vayanusu – “that they fled, ‘mortals, Israel’, and that they died, Saul and his sons. And they relinquished the cities, and they fled.” This shows that not all the soldiers in battle died. The words of verse 6 are limited to Saul, his family, and the men of his house. Because of what transpired, those in this area between the eastern edge of the valley until the western side of the Jordan…

^{7 (con’t)} they forsook the cities and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them.

vayavou ph_elishtim vayesh_evu bahen – “And they came, Philistines, and they sat in them.” This is expected after such a battle, and has been seen since before Israel crossed the Jordan in the book of Joshua. The soldiers stake a claim within the conquered territory, expanding the borders of their empire in the process.

⁸ So it happened the next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain,

vayhi mimakhorath vayavou ph_elishtim l_ephashet eth ha’khalalim – “And it was, from morrow, and they came, Philistines, to strip the pierced.” The battle probably consumed the majority of the day. Thus, the plundering took place the next day. This is what always occurs after a battle. Anything of value would be stripped from the fallen enemy, including weapons, garments, gold, other precious items, etc.

If the camp was left abandoned, all of the animals, food, tents, war wagons, and other items would be rounded up and plundered as well. While engaged in plundering Israel, it says…

^{8 (con’t)} that they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa

vayimts_eu eth shaul v_eeth sh_eloshet banav noph_elim b_ehar ha’gilboa – “And they found Saul and ‘three, his sons’, fallen in ‘Mount, the Gilboa’.” This would be a great and notable part of the victory celebration, lording their achievement over Israel with shouts and taunts…

⁹ And they cut off his head and stripped off his armor,

vayikr_ethu eth rosho vayaphshitu eth kelav – “And they cut his head, and they caused to strip his vessels.” The head was all they needed for a victory parade. In fact, it would improve the shock value of any public display. After all such public displays, it says in 1 Chronicles 10 that Saul’s vessels were put in the house of their gods, and his head was fastened in the house of Dagon.

^{9 (con’t)} and sent word throughout the land of the Philistines, to proclaim it in the temple of their idols and among the people.

vayshal_ekhu veerets p_elishtim saviv l_evaser beith atsabehem v_eeth ha’am – “And they sent in ‘land, Philistines’ around to announce – ‘house, their carvings’, and the people.” This may be connected to the previous words, as in “they sent his head and his armor to announce,” or it may refer to sending runners to proclaim the victory throughout Philistia.

The latter is probably the case, simply because this is what runners were for. They spread the news of victory or defeat to the people as quickly as possible. A new word is seen here, the noun atsav, an image (literally, a carving), coming from the verb atsav, to carve.

It is equivalent to saying, “News of the battle was proclaimed through the churches and among the people of the U.S.” People would be in their temples praying and petitioning. Thus, the word would go to them as well as to the general public, such as in town squares and at the gates of the cities.

¹⁰ Then they put his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths,

Rather: vayasimu eth kelav beith ashtaroth – “And they put his vessels – ‘house, Ashtaroth’.” This explains the note above from 1 Chronicles 10 about the “house of their gods.” The general word there is given for the specific word in this verse.

The etymology of the word ashtaroth is rather complicated, but Abarim defines it as Unity of Instruction or Clusters of One Law. Samuel continues, saying…

^{10 (con’t)} and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan.

v_eeth g_eviyato taq_eu bekhomath beith shan – “And his body, they slapped in ‘rampart, Beth Shan’.” The word taqa signifies to slap (as with the hands being slapped together). It is used of pitching a tent, blowing a trumpet, slapping hands in a pledge, etc. The sense is forcefully driving pegs through him to fasten him to the khomah, rampart, a wall of protection.

Depending on the root, several possible meanings for Beth Shan are House of Security, House of Perpetuity, House of Sharpness, House of the Tooth, or House of Rest. Outside of the books of Samuel, the location is spelled Beth Shean, with an aleph included. Here and in 2 Samuel it is spelled without the aleph.

¹¹ Now when the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,

vayishmeu elav yosh_eve yavesh gilad eth asher asu ph_elishtim l_eshaul – “And they heard, unto it, ‘sitting Jabesh Gilead’ what they did, Philistines, to Saul.” This tells us that the earlier translation of the “other side of the Jordan” is incorrect.Jabesh Gilead is on the other side of the Jordan. If those translations were correct, there would be a contradiction in what is said. Rather, these men heard about what happened in the area on the western side of the river and they determined to act.

Jabesh comes from the verb yavesh, to be dry, dried up, or withered. It is used to describe the drying up of a river, land, bones, etc. It also applies to the withering of grass. Gilead means Perpetual Fountain. Thus, Jabesh Gilead means Dry Perpetual Fountain.

Jabesh Gilead is east of the Jordan in the tribal allotment of Manasseh. Beth Shan is west of the Jordan in the other half of Manasseh’s allotment. They probably received the word of what happened from the Manassites who fled from their homes after the battle. As for the matter…

¹² all the valiant men arose and traveled all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth Shan;

vayaqumu kal ish khayil vayel_ekhu khal halaylah vayiqkhu eth g_eviyath shaul v_eeth g_eviyoth banav mekhomath beith shan – “And they arose, all ‘man, valorous’, and they walked all the night, and they took ‘body, Saul’, and ‘bodies, his sons’ from ‘rampart, Beth Shan’.” This was a brave thing for these men to do. The Philistines controlled the area, and they would be highly motivated to get whoever did it.

Despite that, they were willing to cover the national disgrace of Saul and his sons being exposed on a wall by heroically taking them down and out of the control of the Philistines. The same people remembered the heroic deed of Saul who saved them from Nahash the Ammonite in 1 Samuel 11, and they were willing to expend themselves in Saul’s honor because of it.

^{12 (con’t)} and they came to Jabesh and burned them there.

vayavou yaveshah vayisrephu otam sham – “And they came Jabesh-ward, and they burned them there.” So much for the teaching that they didn’t practice cremation in Israel. It’s a silly argument, I know, but it permeates Christian thinking to the point where it is believed in some cults that you can’t be saved if you are cremated. Pssssh.

Once they were cremated, their bones were buried. In 2 Samuel 2:5, David complimented them for what they did. If burning a body was an offence, David would have struck them, not thanked them. As for the bones of Saul and his sons…

¹³ Then they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh,

vayiqkhu eth atsmotehem vayiqb_eru takhath ha’eshel b_eyaveshah – “And they took their bones, and they interred under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh-ward.” This is the third of three times the eshel, tamarisk, is seen in the Bible.

The first was in Genesis 21:33 when Abraham planted a tamarisk and called on the Lord, the Everlasting God. In Chapter 22, Saul sat under a tamarisk while determining matters of the kingdom. Because of the narrative in Genesis 21, it can be inferred that the significance of the tamarisk is permanence and reliability.

In 1 Chronicles 10, this same tree will be called elah, often translated as oak. The word signifies strength. Thus, it refers to a strong tree, regardless of type. Next, it says…

*^{13 (fin)} and fasted seven days.

vayatsumu shivath yamim – “And they fasted seven days.” The word tsum signifies to cover the mouth. Think of the mouth as covered when one fasts, keeping anything from coming in. This was in honor of their king and the person who faithfully defended them, keeping them from disaster at the hands of Nahash.

Seven is the number of spiritual perfection.

How terrible, a life without Christ!
Even when people think that they have all the facts
But Jesus alone is how our souls are priced
Without Him, they walk the wrong tracks

Jesus is the path to return to God’s glory
He alone is the way, the truth, and the life
Man cannot come to God apart from the gospel’s story
What is left is only enmity and strife

The fountain is dry, and there is no hope
To reject Jesus is to never find true life
So, come to Him. Don’t be a dope
Living your life against God, in enmity and strife

III. Law or Grace

1 Samuel ends on a sad note theologically. It takes the reader back to an earlier time in Israel’s history, after Christ’s coming and the results of His coming among the people from a spiritual standpoint.

In verse 1, it said that the Philistines, Weakeners, were being battled in Israel, He Strives with God, and that the men of Israel fled from before them. As they fled, they were cut down in Mount the Gilboa. The name signifies “the gathering in the Rolling Fountain.”

A mount signifies a large but centralized group of people. The Rolling Fountain reflects the giving of the Spirit. The Philistines, those who weaken the faith of others through law observance, prevailed over Israel. It is the Judaizers who eventually led Israel away from the truth, also cutting down those who believed until there was none left.

Verse 2 noted that the Weakeners impinged on Saul and his sons. As this is the closing chapter about Saul, we can assume that he no longer pictures man destined for Sheol as in the previous doctrine sermons concerning Sheol, but that he once again reflects those seeking the truth, as he did before Chapter 15. This should be obvious. Sheol doesn’t die, even if it someday has an ending.

The three sons that died with Saul are Jehonathan, Yah Has Given, with the additional hey, indicating the presence of the Spirit. Next is Abinadab, Father of Liberality. In Chapter 7, the name was seen as a reference to the willing and generous nature of the Father to share the work of His Son with all –

“For the Scripture says, ‘Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.’ ¹² For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. ¹³ For ‘whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’” Romans 10:11-13

Third was Malki-shua. Apart from his name being given in genealogical listings, there is nothing to pin down the meaning of his name based on several possible roots. However, a likely candidate, King of Salvation, seems appropriate. If so, all three names point to a state of salvation.

In verse 3, Saul was overwhelmed in the battle, and he was shot by the “flowers” with the bow. The word “flower” is yarah. At times it is used to indicate pointing something out (as with the finger) and thus, to teach. It is the root of the word moreh, teacher.

Saul was taught by the Philistines, the Weakeners, and their doctrine overwhelmed him. In verse 4, Saul told his vessel-lifter to pull out his sword and stab him, not wanting the foreskinned Weakeners to come and thoroughly affect him.

The Weakeners are those who use the law to attack the faith of others. This shows that those who hold to law observance are considered uncircumcised, just as Paul says in Romans 2 –

“For circumcision is indeed profitable if you keep the law; but if you are a breaker of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. ²⁶ Therefore, if an uncircumcised man keeps the righteous requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be counted as circumcision? ²⁷ And will not the physically uncircumcised, if he fulfills the law, judge you who, even with your written code and circumcision, are a transgressor of the law? ²⁸ For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; ²⁹ but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.” Romans 2:25-29

In Philippians 3:3, Paul reaffirms this when contrasting those of faith against those who are only cut in the flesh, saying, “we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit.”

When Saul realized his vessel-lifter wouldn’t help him, it says he took “the sword,” and he fell upon her. Those seeking the truth in Israel died by the law. That is the state that Israel remains in. There was hope in the early church, but the Judaizers and Israel’s leadership eventually killed off searching for the truth in Christ.

After that, Saul’s vessel-lifter took his own sword and fell on it, dying with Saul. The implements of seeking the truth, such as studying the New Testament, were killed off as well.

Verse 6 noted that Saul, his three sons, his armorbearer, and all his men died together. Instead of just saying “his sons,” it specifically mentioned three sons. Saul had more than three sons.

As Bullinger noted concerning the number, it “signifies and represents the Holy Spirit as taking of the things of Christ and making them real and solid in our experience. It is only by the Spirit that we realise spiritual things.”

In Israel, after Jesus came, the message of Him was crushed. There was nothing left for the Holy Spirit to do to share the things of Christ with the people.

In verse 7, it said that when those of Israel between the valley and the Jordan saw that Saul and his sons were dead, they fled. Then the Philistines came and dwelt in their cities. The Jordan pictures the time of Christ’s incarnation.

The valley, meaning the valley of Jezreel, refers to the end of the tribulation. Therefore, this covers the entire period between the coming of Christ and the tribulation. As such, this is a note that Israel, during that entire period, will be without Christ.

In verse 8, on the next day, the Philistines, the Weakeners, came to strip the slain. At this time, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa (the gathering in the Rolling Fountain), specifically mentioning the three sons again.

Being a son signifies a similar identity. Those seeking the truth and those who have found it will be completely overwhelmed during this period in Israel’s history. There will be nothing of the Spirit to take the things of Christ and make them real and tangible in the lives of the people.

In verse 9, it said that the Philistines cut off Saul’s head. The Topical Lexicon notes that head speaks of that which is first, highest, and most important. Thus, it speaks of primacy, superiority, and the place from which something proceeds.

David cut off Goliath’s head, demonstrating complete victory over his foe. The Philistines, the Weakeners who use law to weaken the faith of others, have done this to Saul, the king of Israel. He represents those seeking the truth at the time of Christ’s coming.

The head of this movement was cut off, demonstrating complete victory over the Philistines’ foe. Because of this, they announced it as their good news in their image houses and among the people. That corresponds to their synagogues and the culture.

But more, in verse 10, it said that they put Saul’s vessels in the house of the Ashtaroth. This is similar to what happened when Goliath’s sword was placed behind the ephod in the sanctuary. The Ashtaroth, Unity of Instruction, was seen in Chapter 7 to indicate the Law of Moses, One Law.

Saul’s implements for pursuing and gaining victory over the truth have been taken over by the Philistines of Israel, completely eliminating Jesus and the message of truth from the people among the collective body. After that, they slapped Saul’s body to the rampart of Beth Shan.

The name Beth Shan is a contracted form of Beth Shean, where the aleph is dropped out –

בית שן
בית־שאן

Abarim insightfully says of this, “perhaps the author contracted this name to indicate that this House Of Rest became House Of Sharpness when it hosted the humiliation of Saul and his sons and in effect the monarchy of Israel at large.”

I’m not sure how they deduced that, but it is exactingly realized in the nation of Israel to this day.

Verse 11 referred to the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead (Dry Perpetual Fountain) hearing what happened. As seen previously, being on the other side of the Jordan (it is understood, though not stated) signifies the state of those on that side in relation to the timing of the advent of Christ.

For example, even though Christ has come, the people of Israel today would be reflected as being east of the Jordan because they, as a nation, have not yet come to Christ.

Also, it has been previously seen that there is a difference between ha’gilad, the Gilead, and Jabesh Gilead. When the article is used with Gilead (the Perpetual Fountain), it refers to the Holy Spirit. However, Gilead, without the accompanying definite article, speaks of Israel, Perpetual Fountain.

To grasp the meaning, one must think of Israel as the means of providing the Fountain, regardless of whether individuals are included in its transmission or not (Ephesians 2:12). The Spirit is the Mode by which one is included.

During the church age, Gentiles are brought into the commonwealth of Israel along with Jews. However, not all people receive it. Israel is Perpetual Fountain, not The Perpetual Fountain (meaning the Holy Spirit). The use of the article or its lack defines this.

Therefore, Dry Perpetual Fountain reflects those who have no means of providing the Fountain. There is no connection to the Spirit, and thus no ability to provide it. It refers to Israel without the Spirit.

In verse 12, the men of Jabesh Gilead traveled all night to take the bodies of Saul and his sons from the rampart of Beth Shan. After that, they took them to Jabesh, Dry, and burned them there.

In verse 13, it said that they then took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh-ward, thus “toward the Dry.” The tamarisk is a symbol of permanence and reliability.

The hope of seeking Christ in Israel was essentially taken from them to a time before the incarnation (the other side of the Jordan) and burned. From there, the bones left over from the immolation were buried under a tamarisk, a permanent and reliable state that still exists in Israel.

After they buried the bones of Saul and his sons, they fasted seven days, the number of spiritual perfection. There is no spiritual food for Israel to eat throughout the duration of their time under punishment. They are in a state of fasting from the truth of God in Christ while their punishment is executed seven times over (Leviticus 26) for their rejection of Christ.

It is a sad way to end the book of 1 Samuel, but it is not the end of the story for Israel. However, it is a sad state in a sad chapter of their existence as a nation. Someday, their blinders will be removed, and they will see what they currently cannot.

Despite being a sad passage, it is an appropriate way for the book to end. The whole book of 1 Samuel has dealt continuously with the issue of law versus grace. Grace is the preeminent key in Scripture when dealing with a relationship with God.

From the first words uttered to man in the Garden of Eden to the last words of Scripture penned by John, this is the main focus of God’s attention on our relationship with Him. Will we trust Him and, by faith, reach out to Him, or will we try to work our way back to Him?God allows us the choice. May we be wise and choose the good path that leads to salvation through faith in the full, final, finished, and forever work of Jesus Christ the Lord? Indeed, may we be wise and choose Jesus.

By faith alone,
not by my works!
I’m saved by GRACE,
not on my own.

Not by my deeds,
but by His blood,
for Jesus died
to give me Life.

And life everlasting,
freedom from my sins
was purchase on the cross
the moment I believed.

Not by my hands,
not by my works!
But by the Blood
of Christ the Lord.

So be not afraid!
Only BELIEVE,
that Jesus died
as a payment for your sins.

By faith alone
your are truly SAVED.
So live by faith
for by the GRACE
SALVATION came.
12 Feb 2022

Closing Verse: We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, ¹⁶ knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified. Galatians 2:15, 16

Next Week: 2 Samuel 1:1-16 (I Killed ‘Anointed, Yehovah’) (1^st 2 Samuel Sermon)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. He is the One who abases the haughty and exalts the humble. He regards the lowly, and the proud, He knows from afar. So yield yourself to Him, trust Him, and believe His word. In this, He will do great things for you and through you.

1 Samuel 31:1-13 (CG)

31 And Philistines ‘being battled in Israel. And they fled, ‘mortals, Israel’, from ‘faces, Philistines’. And they fell, pierced, in ‘Mount, the Gilboa’. ²And they caused to impinge, Philistines את Saul and את his sons. And they caused to strike, Philistines את Jehonathan, and את Abinadab, and את Malki-shua, ‘sons, Saul’. ³And it enweighed, the battle, unto Saul. And they found him, the ‘causing to flow mortals’ in the bow. And he whirled, vehemently, from the ‘flowers’.

⁴And he said, Saul, to ‘lifter, his vessels’, “You must outpull your sword, and you must stab me in her, lest they will come, the foreskinned, the these, and they will stab me, and they will glean themselves in me.”

And not he acquiesced, ‘lifter, his vessels’, for he feared vehemently. And he took, Saul את the sword, and he fell upon her. ⁵And he saw, ‘lifter, his vessels’, that he died, Saul. And he fell, also he, upon his sword, and he died with him. ⁶And he died, Saul, and ‘three, his sons’, and ‘lifter, his vessels’. Also, all his mortals in the day, the it, unitedly.

⁷And they saw, ‘mortals, Israel’, who in ‘side, the valley’, and who in ‘side, the Jordan’ that they fled, ‘mortals, Israel’, and that they died, Saul and his sons. And they relinquished את the cities, and they fled. And they came, Philistines, and they sat in them. ⁸And it was, from morrow, and they came, Philistines, to strip את the pierced. And they found את Saul and את ‘three, his sons’ fallen in ‘Mount, the Gilboa’. ⁹And they cut את his head, and they caused to strip את his vessels. And they sent in ‘land, Philistines’ around to announce – ‘house, their carvings’, and את the people. ¹⁰And they put את his vessels – ‘house, Ashtaroth’. And את his body, they slapped in ‘rampart, Beth Shan’.

¹¹And they heard, unto it, ‘sitting Jabesh Gilead’~ את they did, Philistines, to Saul. ¹²And they arose, all ‘man, valorous’, and they walked all the night, and they took את ‘body, Saul’, and את ‘bodies, his sons’, from ‘rampart, Beth Shan’. And they came Jabesh-ward, and they burned את them there. ¹³And they took את their bones, and they interred under the tamarisk in Jabesh-ward. And they fasted seven days.

1 Samuel 31:1-13 (NKJV)

Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. ² Then the Philistines followed hard after Saul and his sons. And the Philistines killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul’s sons. ³ The battle became fierce against Saul. The archers hit him, and he was severely wounded by the archers.

⁴ Then Saul said to his armorbearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised men come and thrust me through and abuse me.”

But his armorbearer would not, for he was greatly afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword and fell on it. ⁵ And when his armorbearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword, and died with him. ⁶ So Saul, his three sons, his armorbearer, and all his men died together that same day.

⁷ And when the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley, and those who were on the other side of the Jordan, saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook the cities and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them. ⁸ So it happened the next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. ⁹ And they cut off his head and stripped off his armor, and sent word throughout the land of the Philistines, to proclaim it in the temple of their idols and among the people. ¹⁰ Then they put his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths, and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan.

¹¹ Now when the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, ¹² all the valiant men arose and traveled all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth Shan; and they came to Jabesh and burned them there. ¹³ Then they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.

Artwork by Douglas Kallerson

1 Samuel 30:21-31
Wadi, the Besor, Part III

(Typed 1 June 2026) In Matthew 20, Jesus gives what is known as the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard. That parable has interesting parallels to what is typologically revealed in this Chapter of 1 Samuel.

The Superior Word commentary on this parable was published in late May and early June, at the same time I typed this sermon. It wasn’t planned. It just worked out that way. The parable says –

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. ² Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. ³ And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, ⁴ and said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went. ⁵ Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise. ⁶ And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day?’ ⁷ They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.’

⁸ “So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, ‘Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.’ ⁹ And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius. ¹⁰ But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius. ¹¹ And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, ¹² saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.’ ¹³ But he answered one of them and said, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? ¹⁴ Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. ¹⁵ Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?’ ¹⁶ So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen.”

Text Verse: “And he said, ‘Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.’” 2 Chronicles 20:15

In the battle that David led against Amalek, David said essentially the same thing about the battle being the Lord’s –

“But David said, ‘My brethren, you shall not do so with what the Lord has given us, who has preserved us and delivered into our hand the troop that came against us.’” 1 Samuel 30:23

How does that tie in with Jesus’ teaching about the workers in the vineyard? It all comes down to the marvelous five-letter word: GRACE.

We can’t earn it, and we shouldn’t be upset when others receive it. Rather, we should accept it humbly and be glad when others receive it as well.

It is a certain truth that is found in His superior word. And so, let us turn to that precious word once again, and… May God speak to us through His word today, and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. Unitedly, They Will Apportion (verses 21-31)

²¹ Now David came to the two hundred men who had been so weary that they could not follow David,

vayavo David el matayim ha’anashim asher pig_eru milekheth akhare David – “And he came, David, unto ‘two hundreds, the mortals’ who they death-spent from walking after David.” These men were mentioned in verse 10 –

“And he pursued, David, he and four hundreds man. And they stood, two hundreds man whom they ‘death-spent’ from traversing ‘Wadi, the Besor’.” 1 Samuel 30:10 (CG)

The men had been going constantly since they left the Philistines who were preparing for battle. They returned to Ziklag and found their families and possessions plundered. They wailed in anguish until they couldn’t weep anymore. Then they picked up their arms and went in pursuit of the plunderers.

By the time they got to Wadi, the Besor, they were spent. Therefore, they stayed at the wadi while the rest of the soldiers pressed on after the raiders.

David means Beloved. He has pictured accepting the doctrines of Christ. Two hundred is the number of insufficiency.

^{21 (con’t)} whom they also had made to stay at the Brook Besor.

vayoshivum b_enakhal ha’b_esor – “and they caused to ‘sit’ them in ‘Wadi, the Besor’.” Because David is referred to in verse 10 and this verse, many manuscripts say, “and he caused to ‘sit’ them in ‘Wadi, the Besor’.” It is more likely the text would be changed from the more difficult “they” to the seemingly more understandable “he.”

However, the next verse gives a good reason why the word “they” is correct. Either way, it was understood these men were more of a liability than a help.

Besor is from basar, to be fresh and thus full. That word was introduced in 1 Samuel 4:17, where it described the person “announcing” what occurred in the battle.

It gives the sense of announcing good news. As such, Strong defines the name of Besor as Cheerful. Abarim sees the root as possibly basar, flesh. Thus, they provide an option of Place of Flesh or Place of Glad Tidings. Jones and Young go with an Arabic nuance, saying Cold or Cool Brook.

The word translated as wadi, nakhal, signifies a winter torrent where the waters rush through it after the rains. During the times of no rain, it remains an empty bed. It is derived from the verb nakhal, to inherit. The connection is that the waters “inherit” the land where they flow.

These depleted men were left at the wadi while the rest continued the pursuit…

^{21 (con’t)} So they went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him.

vayets_eu liqrath David v_eliqrath ha’am asher ito – “And they went out to encounter David, and to encounter the people who ‘with him’.” The size of the band returning from plundering the raiders was immense. There would be a seemingly endless line of animals followed by all of the captives who were retrieved, along with a great amount of plunder.

As such, the two hundred at the wadi would have seen them coming from a great distance. Realizing it was David and his men, they went out to meet them…

^{21 (con’t)} And when David came near the people, he greeted them.

vayigash David eth ha’am vayishal lahem l_eshalom – “And he neared, David, the people, and he asked to them to peace.” David’s first concern is their situation. Were they faring well? Was their health restored? There was no sense of bragging or lording it over those who were left behind. Rather, David shared concern about them. Some of the others, however, weren’t so forgiving…

²² Then all the wicked and worthless men of those who went with David

vayaan kal ish ra u-v_eliyaal mehaanashim asher hal_ekhu im David – “And he answered, all ‘man evil, and worthlessness’ from the mortals who they walked with David.” As has been seen before, the singular, he, refers to a collective. They are lumped into a single unit termed ra, evil, and beliyaal, worthlessness.

They may have been outstanding warriors, tireless and able to continue while others couldn’t, but they lacked the ability to empathize with those others. Because of their strength and endurance, they saw the others as unworthy of receiving recompense. They…

^{22 (con’t)} answered and said, “Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered,

vayom_eru yaan asher lo hal_ekhu imi lo niten lahem meha’shalal asher hitsalnu – “and they said, ‘Because which not they walked with me, not we will give to them from the booty which we caused to snatch.” The collective “me” is used, followed by the plural “we.” They have cumulatively pitted themselves against the whole, including David, to strengthen their position.

This would be like one guy coming forward and saying, “I went out to the battle while these guys stayed behind. Therefore, none of us will give them anything.” These men, speaking unitedly, are probing to see what David will do by speaking for everyone who engaged in the battle.

To me, this discourse bolsters the argument that “they” is the correct translation in verse 21, “and they caused to ‘sit’ them in ‘Wadi, the Besor’.” These worthless fellows agreed that the worn-out men should stay behind, plotting that when they came back with the spoil, they would not share any of it.

In other words, they were already planning on keeping the booty from the men at the wadi while encouraging them to stay behind and rest. It explains why they are so evil and worthless. They wanted nothing to be given to the others…

^{22 (con’t)} except for every man’s wife and children, that they may lead them away and depart.”

The words are direct and curt: ki im ish eth ishto v_eeth banav v_eyinhagu v_eyelekhu – “for if man his wife and his sons. And they will drive, and they will walk.’” It is equivalent to, “Let them take their wives and their sons and beat it.” They had agreed to let these men stay at the wadi and protect the supplies. However, with the battle behind them, their lying sympathies of the previous days have become arrogant vociferations…

²³ But David said, “My brethren, you shall not do so with what the Lord has given us,

vayomer David lo thaasu khen ekhai eth asher nathan Y_ehovah lanu – “And he said, David, ‘Not you will do thus, my brothers, with what He gave, Yehovah, to us.” David brilliantly introduces the Lord’s role in the matter, while at the same time calling them “brothers.” His determination is tempered with the affection of a soldier toward his comrades.

The side of the evil, worthless men is pitted against the Lord. Once Yehovah was mentioned, they could not claim the victory was theirs without losing all credibility in the eyes of the people.

The victory was a gift. A gift is an act of grace. If they received grace, then those who stayed with the supplies deserve the same grace. To bolster the scope of what occurred, David continues…

^{23 (con’t)} who has preserved us and delivered into our hand the troop that came against us.

vayishmor othanu vayithen eth ha’g_edud haba alenu b_eyadenu – “and He guarded us, and He gave the cohort, the ‘coming upon us,’ in our hand.” None of the men were at Ziklag when the attack took place. If they had been, they may have been overwhelmed in the attack.

When they returned to Ziklag, David consulted the ephod, and they were assured of finding the attackers and of victory over them. Just what the Lord said would occur is what transpired.

During the battle, as many lads as there were in David’s entire army escaped on camels, meaning the number they defeated was enormous. Only the Lord could effect such a magnificent victory. Therefore, any claims to the contrary would have to be weighed against what was predetermined by the Lord. In being weighed, they would be found wanting.

²⁴ For who will heed you in this matter?

umi yishma lakhem ladavar ha’zeh – “And who, he will hear to you to the word, the this?” David uses this same type of speech elsewhere. The men pitted their view against David. In turn, David pits his view against them. However, as seen, he has done so only in conjunction with invoking the name of the Lord.

His argument could fail only if the men he challenged denied the Lord, something that would not happen. Therefore…

^{24 (con’t)} But as his part is who goes down to the battle, so shall his part be who stays by the supplies; they shall share alike.”

ki k_ekheleq ha’yored bamilkhamah u-k_ekhehleq ha’yoshev al ha’kelim yakhdav yakhaloqu – “For according to portion the ‘descending in the battle,’ and according to portion the ‘sitting upon the vessels’, unitedly, they will apportion.” An army is a unit. Its various parts all work together to form a whole. To reject the effort of one part is to damage the whole. This is seen by Paul in 1 Corinthians 12.

There he refers to the various parts of the body which form a whole, a metaphor for the body of Christ. He says –

“But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, ²⁵ that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. ²⁶ And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.” 1 Corinthians 12:24-26

David wisely used this same logic concerning the army under his command…

²⁵ So it was, from that day forward;

vayhi mehayom ha’hu vama_elah – “And it was, from the day, the it, and upward.” The word maal, upward, is used for the first time in this manner. It was misunderstood by the Jewish sage Rashi (as cited by Gill) to mean “back to the time of Abraham, after the battle where Lot was rescued.” That is a wholly inept conclusion.

Rather, this is the first time in the Bible that this upward language is used as a temporal formula concerning an event. Consider the ruling beginning at that point and ascending onward from there. Future events are treated as higher than present events because they accumulate from that day forward.

This is a vertical way of saying that from that point onward, the statute continued. It is also used to indicate age, such as “twenty years old and upward.”

This does not mean that time goes upward or downward. Rather, Hebrew more commonly views time through before/after language, where the ancient or former are “before,” and what follows comes “after.”

The point of the text is that David’s ruling rose from that day onward as a standing ordinance in Israel. That is seen in the next words…

^{25 (con’t)} he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day.

vaysimekha l_ekhoq u-l_emishpat l_eyisrael ad ha’yom ha’zeh – “And he put it to enactment and to verdict to Israel until the day, the this.” This is where the thought of ascension takes place. Each new instance is piled upon the previous one, forming a mountain of fulfilled verdicts concerning David’s first precedent-setting decision. The narrative continues…

²⁶ Now when David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the spoil to the elders of Judah,

vayavo David el tsiqlag vayshalakh mehashalal l_eziqne Y_ehudah – “And he came, David, unto Ziklag, and he sent from the booty to ‘aged, Judah’.” This is the ‘booty, David’ referred to in verse 20. All of the livestock that was captured in the battle, except for what belonged to the men and was previously plundered from them, was given to David.

This was his personal portion of the spoil. Instead of retiring and settling down as a rancher, he had other designs for the animals. It is his way of making or solidifying alliances with groups, some of whom were probably plundered by Amalek.

Ziklag is derived first from tsuq, to pour out or melt, or to oppress or distress, such as to put pressure on someone to give up information or to lay siege to a city. The second part is from log, a small amount poured into a hollow, like the hand. Thus, it signifies Measure of Pressure or Measure of Pouring.

Judah is from yadah, to use the hand. In the case of Judah, it signifies raising the hands as a means of praise. Hence, it is rendered Praise.

^{26 (con’t)} to his friends, saying, “Here is a present for you from the spoil of the enemies of the Lord”—

Rather: l_ereehu lemor hineh lakhem berakhah mish_elal oy_eve Y_ehovah – “to his associate, to say, ‘Behold! To you benediction from booty, ‘hatings, Yehovah’.’” Despite every translation I checked, the word associate is singular. This either means that David sent the spoil to one friend who was instructed to parcel the present out to the elders, or the word “associate” is being used collectively. As he is in Ziklag, the former seems likely.  Next, he gives…

²⁷ to those who were in Bethel, those who were in Ramoth of the South, those who were in Jattir,

laasher b_evieth el v_elaasher v_eramoth negev v_elaasher b_eyatir – “To whom in Bethel, and to whom in ‘Ramoth, Parchedland’, and to whom in Jattir.” The Bethel mentioned here is unlikely to be the Bethel seen in so many other passages. Rather, it is probably the location called Bethul in Joshua 19:4 and Kesil mentioned in Joshua 15:30.

Bethel means House of God. Ramoth means Heights or High Places. Jattir is from yatar, to jut over or exceed. Thus, it is defined as Redundant, Superfluity (CG), Preeminence, or Lofty.

²⁸ those who were in Aroer, those who were in Siphmoth, those who were in Eshtemoa,

v_elaasher baaroer v_elaasher b_esiphmoth v_elaasher b_eesht_emoa – “And to whom in Aroer, and to whom in Siphmoth, and to whom in Eshtemoa.” Aroer means Stripped, Bare, or Naked. Siphmoth is found only here in the Bible. Its root is debated. Abarim says it means Fence Keepers. Strong has it coming from saphah, to abrade, and thus bare. As such, it would mean Bare Spots. Eshtemoa comes from shama, to hear. It means Hearing but in the sense of Obedience.

²⁹ those who were in Rachal, those who were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, those who were in the cities of the Kenites,

velaasher b_erakhal v_elaasher b_eare hay_erakhm_eeli v_elaasher b_eare ha’qeni – “And to whom in Rachal, and to whom in ‘cities, the Jerahmeelite’, and to whom in ‘cities, the Kenite.’” Rachal is also found only here. It is from rakhal, to travel for trading, as in a spice merchant. Thus it would mean Traders or Place of Traffic.

The Jerahmeelite was mentioned in Chapter 27. The name means He Will Obtain Mercy of God. Kenite means Acquire.

³⁰ those who were in Hormah, those who were in Chorashan, those who were in Athach,

v_elaasher b_ekhar_emah v_elaasher b_evor-ashan v_elaasher baatakh – “And to whom in Hormah, and to whom in Bor-ashan, and to whom in Athach.” Hormah means Anathema. Bor-ashan is seen only here in the Bible as well. The problem with the name is that the letters beth and kaph are similar-looking. As such, depending on the translation, it is either a b or c (with a k sound).

The word ashan signifies smoke. If it is preceded by bor, it would be Pit of Smoke (Smoking Pit). If by kor, it would be Furnace of Smoke (Smoking Furnace). Athach is also only found here. Strong has it coming from an unused root meaning to sojourn. Thus, it would be Sojourn or Sojourning. Young says Lodging or Inn.

*^{31 (fin)} those who were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were accustomed to rove.

v_elaasher b_ekhevron u-l_ekhal ham_eqomoth asher hithhalekh sham David hu vaanashav – “And to whom in Hebron, and to all the places which he walked himself there, David, he and his mortals.” The NKJV gives the sense. In each place David walked, he sent his benediction. Hebron means Alliance.

The chapter ends without any fanfare. The list is provided to reveal how David made his early alliances, preparing his support base for when he would rule over Judah. Depending on when the battle between Saul and the Philistines took place, Saul may already be dead when these gifts were sent out.

Amalek has been attacking all along
Taking plunder wherever they go
Their way of life and actions have been wrong
Many have been taken, as we know

But none that belonged to the Lord will be lost
While the ages have unfolded before us
Each dispensation has revealed the cost
That has been paid for them by Jesus

In the end, the Lord will recover all
It is a truth found in His word
All who upon the Lord did call
Can be certain that He has heard

He will deliver them to eternal life
In a land free from Amalekite strife

II. All Will Be Recovered

In verse 1, David, accepting the doctrines of Christ, came to Ziklag, Measure of Pressure on the third day. Ziklag indicates the time of the tribulation, described in the New Testament with the Greek word thlipsis, pressure.

The number three signifies that which is solid, real, substantial, complete, and entire. In essence, it refers to divine perfection. Expanding on that, Bullinger says –

“The number three, therefore, must be taken as the number of Divine fulness. It signifies and represents the Holy Spirit as taking of the things of Christ and making them real and solid in our experience. It is only by the Spirit that we realise spiritual things. Without Him and His gracious operation, all is surface work: all is what a plane figure is to a solid (John 3:6).”

The tribulation will be the time of divine fullness concerning the redemptive plans of those who hold to the doctrines of Christ. Arriving at Ziklag, they found that the Amalekites, the People Who Wring Off, had invaded the parchedland as far as Ziklag, burning it with fire. The Amalekites are those who are disconnected from the body and who strive to disconnect the body.

The Amalekites have been wringing people off the body, those who hold to the doctrines of Christ, from the earliest times that the gospel was preached, all the way through until the tribulation (pictured by Ziklag, Measure of Pressure).

In verse 2, it said they took all the women in the city, and they did not kill any man. Instead, they were all driven away in subjugation. In verses 3 and 4, when the men arrived in Ziklag and found all their families gone, they wept until they had no more strength to continue.

Verse 5 specifically mentioned that David’s wives Ahinoam (Kindred to Sweetness), the Jezreelitess (God Sows), and Abigail (Father of Joy, meaning the source of Joy), the wife of Nabal (Dolt) the Carmelite (Vineyard of God) were taken.

In Chapter 25, they represented those of the church who missed the rapture (married to a Dolt), and those of Israel who entered the tribulation, but will come to a saving knowledge of Christ. Together, they will form the whole of those whom God calls during the tribulation.

Because their families were taken (verse 6), the men spoke of stoning David because they grieved “man upon his son, and upon his daughters.” The singular, son, highlights the matter. It was as if following the doctrines of Christ had caused their continuance to be cut short, something that would be expected during the tribulation.

Despite that, David, accepting the doctrines of Christ, seized himself in Yehovah his God. There is total trust that the Lord will get them through this ordeal. After reestablishing himself, David had Abiathar the priest (Father of Superfluity), the son of Ahimelech, bring the ephod near (verse 7).

It was previously seen that Abiathar’s name comes from a word that signifies an excess, but not as unwanted or without a purpose. It is that which goes beyond the needs of the original thing. He represents the law, which, despite being obsolete, still serves a purpose, even to this day.

He was noted as the son of Ahimelech, My Brother Is King, signifying the law anticipating Christ. Christ came, fulfilling the law. It is annulled and done (Ahimelech’s death), but it still serves a purpose in its issue (Abiathar). It is used as a tutor to lead people to Christ.

This is just what can be expected from the tribulation, where the temple is restored in contradiction to Israel calling on Jesus. And yet, because of the temple and all the trouble it will bring on Israel, it will be the necessary tutor to finally lead them to Him.

In verse 8, David inquired of the Lord if he should pursue the troop, asking if he would reach them. The Lord responded that he would reach the Amalekites, and he and his men would recover all that was lost.

Verse 9 noted that David and six hundred men went after them. It is the number of man, fallen man, in a cycle where nothing is wanting and the whole cycle is complete.

Still in verse 9, they came to Wadi, the Besor. The wadi signifies an inheritance. Besor, coming from basar, means to be fresh and thus full. In 1 Samuel 4:17, it was used to describe the person “announcing” what occurred in the battle. It is a word used throughout the Old Testament in announcing good news –

“How beautiful upon the mountains
Are the feet of him who brings good news,
Who proclaims peace,
Who brings glad tidings [m_ebaser: announcing] of good things,
Who proclaims salvation,
Who says to Zion,
‘Your God reigns!’” Isaiah 52:7

Abarim defines the Besor as the Place of Glad Tidings. Stated more simply (as in the 1 Samuel 4 sermons), it indicates the Gospel. Hence, wadi ha’besor would indicate Inheritance of the Gospel. A portion of them was left behind (‘being remained’), too death-spent to engage the battle.

Despite that (verse 10), David and four hundred men continued the pursuit. Four hundred is a derivative of four, the number of creation and the world (and city) number, and ten, which signifies “Completeness of order, marking the entire round of anything. … It implies that nothing is wanting; that the number and order are perfect; that the whole cycle is complete.”

It is also a derivative of forty and ten. Bullinger says of forty –

“It is the product of 5 and 8, and points to the action of grace (5), leading to and ending in revival and renewal (8). This is certainly the case where forty relates to a period of evident probation. But where it relates to enlarged dominion, or to renewed or extended rule, then it does so in virtue of its factors 4 and 10, and in harmony with their signification.”

The number two hundred signifies insufficiency. These two hundred were described by a word found only in this chapter, pagar, “death-spent.” The word comes from peger, a carcass.

One can see that during the tribulation, a spiritual battle takes place that leads to revival and renewal, while at the same time, there are those who will die during the tribulation because of their faith in the gospel, having no opportunity to engage in the battle.

Of note is that the same numbers as seen in 1 Samuel 25 are seen here. Two hundred remain with the supplies and four hundred go out for battle. The difference is that in Chapter 25, it was not the will of the Lord. In this chapter, the Lord was consulted and said they would prevail.

In verse 11, it mentioned that David’s men found an Egyptian (Double Trouble) man in the field. Man is born in sin, and he cannot redeem himself. Thus, he is in double trouble (Egypt). The field represents the world. He was of no value to the Amalekites, those who attempt to sever the head from the body, so they discarded him.

They gave this guy bread, water, a slice of fig-cake, and two raisin-cakes. Together, these speak of God’s provision for restoring and sustaining a person. Despite having no sustenance for three days, the period of divine fullness, he still revived. As it said, “it returned, his spirit, unto him.”

This means that even those who never knew about God, unlike those in the church who were left behind and the Jews who pursued Him incorrectly, can also be saved at any time during the tribulation. This Egyptian represents those mentioned in Revelation 7 –

“After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, ¹⁰ and crying out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’” Revelation 7:9, 10

Verse 13 was the Egyptian’s detailed explanation of himself, carefully distancing himself from Amalek, despite being a servant of one of them.

In verse 14, the Egyptian explained where they had stripped the land. First was in the parchedland of the Cherethite. The name indicates cutting. I defined it as the Cutter. It points to those of Israel before Christ’s coming with whom the Lord cut the Mosaic Covenant.

They next stripped Judah. That would be Israel after the exile of the ten tribes. They then stripped the parchedland of Caleb. Caleb has consistently pictured the Gentiles. Thus, this represents those in the Gentile-led church but who missed the rapture because they never really believed.

Last, they stripped Ziklag, Measure of Pressure, meaning the tribulation, which was burned with fire. Peter speaks of that as occurring during the tribulation –

“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. ¹¹ Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, ¹² looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?” 2 Peter 3:10-12

Thus, it speaks of the impact of Amalek throughout all time, from the calling of Israel, throughout the church age, right through the tribulation.

In verse 15, David instructed the Egyptian to take him down to Amalek’s location. The Egyptian agreed as long as David swore not to kill him or hand him over to his lord.

In verse 16, David found the Amalekites having a giant party with all of the booty they had taken “from ‘land, Philistines’, and from ‘land, Judah’.” That revealed that the Cherethite, the Cutter, was located in Philistine territory.

This makes complete sense when considering that those of the Law of Moses were always hemmed in by Weakeners. It is like their default position.

In verse 17, David attacked Amalek from “the breeze and until the evening to their morrow.” It means the entire duration of the lighted day. The day is when man works and goes about his business, as noted by Jesus in John 9:4 and 11:9.

In the battle, it said none escaped except four hundred lads who rode upon camels and fled. The symbolism of the camel is to treat fully or adequately deal with a matter. Thus, these escapees represent that in the world (four) nothing is wanting, the whole cycle is complete (ten), and the matter has been adequately dealt with (camel).

Verse 18 noted that David, accepting the doctrines of Christ, recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away, including rescuing his two wives. These two represent those of the church who missed calling on Jesus, and those of Israel who together enter the tribulation and then call on Jesus.

Verse 19 reiterated that nothing was lacking and that everything had been recovered. In verse 20, it noted that all the tson, flock, and baqar, cattle, became David’s booty.

The two speak of migrating through the word, checking out what it says, and seeking out and inquiring as to what is in it. All of those they represent became David’s booty, leading the way before the rest of the entourage.

In verse 21, David came to the two hundred who were death-spent and had stayed at Wadi, the Besor (Inheritance of the Gospel). David greeted them and asked about their peace.

In verse 22, the wicked and worthless who went into the battle with David said that because the two hundred didn’t go with them, they should not get any of the spoil, and they should only be allowed to keep what was theirs. After that, they should beat it.

In verse 23, David explained that the entire scenario was a gift of grace and protection by the Lord. Even if the two hundred had engaged in the battle and the other four hundred hadn’t, those not fighting were entitled to an equal portion.

David proclaimed that all who descended to the battle would get the same portion as those who stayed with the vessels. With that stated, verse 25 noted that this became a statute from that day forward. As seen, the word maal was used in a new way.

It was as if the edict caused the results to accumulate in an ascending pile from that point on. After that, verse 26 began a list of names of those with whom David shared his spoil when he got to Ziklag.

If Ziklag, Measure of Pressure, represents the tribulation, and if the battle is complete, then this is the benediction of that period, meaning at the end of the tribulation.

The first share was to the aged of Judah, Praise. There it said “to his associate” in the singular. One can see that Judah, the land where Jesus came from, is cumulatively considered an associate in accepting the doctrines of Christ.

Along with that, thirteen other names are mentioned: Bethel, Ramoth of the Parchedland, Jattir, Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa, Racal, the cities of the Jerahmeelite, the cities of the Kenite, Hormah, Borashan, Athach, and Hebron. Along with them, it said, “and to all the places he walked himself there, David, he and his mortals.”

I attempted to discern a pattern or meaning from these places, but was unable to do so. What we have seen here is a real battle that pictures the spiritual battle that began all the way back at the Exodus and which continues through the tribulation.

It noticeably skips over the saved of the church. Amalek, those who attempt to sever the head from the body, have been at war with those who hold to the doctrines of Christ since Israel was brought out of Egypt.

That is because the gospel was preached to Abraham, as seen in Galatians 3:8. Since that time, people have trusted the promises of the Lord. The Amalekites have steadily worked against this doctrine through law observance and other means, attempting to sever the head from the body.

However, the story today tells us that none of them, throughout all of those ages, will be lost, as summed up in the words of verse 19 –

“And not it was arranged to them from the diminutive and until the great, and until sons, and daughters, and booty, and until all which they took to them. The ‘all’, he caused to return, David.”

At the end of the tribulation, all the faithful souls of this era will be brought out of the bondage of death, including those who die during the tribulation. The verses that explain this are –

“And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake,
Some to everlasting life,
Some to shame and everlasting contempt.
³ Those who are wise shall shine
Like the brightness of the firmament,
And those who turn many to righteousness
Like the stars forever and ever.” Daniel 12:2, 3

&

“And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. ⁵ But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.” Revelation 20:4, 5

The church is not seen in this chapter. That is because the church is dealt with separately at the rapture. It is a sweet nudge to the doctrine of the rapture, and a confirmation of a pre-tribulation rapture, something highlighted in an earlier 1 Samuel sermon.

The matter of the four hundred soldiers as opposed to the two hundred who stayed behind at the wadi is an exact parallel to Jesus’ parable of the workers in the vineyard from Matthew 20. The same portion that belongs to those who do the main laboring is given to those who do nothing but guard the supplies. The meaning is that one cannot merit the Lord’s grace.

David set forth the precept in 1 Samuel 30, and it continues to ascend on the pile of God’s salvation benefits. The overarching message of this passage is that all who hold to the doctrines of Christ, regardless of when (with the exception of the church age, which will be dealt with in a separate way), will be saved. None will be lost.

A good example of this precept is found in Luke 21 –

“Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer; ¹⁵ for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist. ¹⁶ You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. ¹⁷ And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. ¹⁸ But not a hair of your head shall be lost. ¹⁹ By your patience possess your souls.” Luke 21:14-19

Jesus says that some in the future will be put to death, and yet not a hair of their heads will be lost. Jesus will recover all that belong to Him. The chapter is a necessary portion of the doctrine that has been presented since 1 Samuel 17.

It is intended to solidify several key doctrines, such as the church not replacing Israel, that there will be a rapture, and that it will be pretribulation. That all of the saints who held to the doctrines of Christ will be raised by the Lord after the tribulation, and that none of them will be lost.

It is a marvelous section of the doctrinal journey that began in 1 Samuel 17. In the next chapter, Saul and his household will die, and more information conveying details of the ongoing biblical narrative will take place.

God has meticulously described what will happen while Sheol reigns over those who have placed their faith in the doctrines of Christ. In 2 Samuel, even after Saul’s death, his dynasty will continue for a while. Eventually, David will rule over all Israel. Exciting stories and insights into God’s redemptive plans and purposes will be seen as the life of David continues.

Closing Verse: “So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, ‘Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.’ ⁹ And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius.” Matthew 20:8, 9

Next Week: 1 Samuel 31:1-13 It’s his final stride, then that’s all… (And He Died, Saul) (65^th and final 1 Samuel Sermon)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. He is the One who abases the haughty and exalts the humble. He regards the lowly, and the proud, He knows from afar. So yield yourself to Him, trust Him, and believe His word. In this, He will do great things for you and through you.

1 Samuel 30:21-31 (CG)

²¹And he came, David, unto ‘two hundred, the mortals’ who they ‘death-spent’ from walking after David, and they caused to sit them in ‘Wadi, the Besor’. And they went out to encounter David, and to encounter the people who ‘with him’. And he neared, David, the people, and he asked to them to peace. ²²And he answered all ‘man, evil and worthlessness’ from the mortals who they walked with David, and they said, “Because which not they walked with me, not we will give to them from the booty which we caused to snatch, for if man his wife and his sons. And they will drive, and they will walk.”

²³And he said, David, “Not you will do thus, my brothers, with what He gave, Yehovah, to us, and He guarded us, and He gave the cohort, the ‘coming upon us,’ in our hand.” ²⁴And who, he will hear to you to the word, the this? For according to portion the ‘descending in the battle’, and according to portion the ‘sitting upon the vessels’, unitedly, they will apportion. ²⁵And it was from the day, the it, and upward. And he put it to enactment and to verdict to Israel until the day, the this.

²⁶And he came, David, unto Ziklag, and he sent from the booty to ‘aged, Judah’, to his associate, to say, “Behold! To you benediction from booty, ‘hatings, Yehovah’.” ²⁷To whom in Bethel, and to whom in ‘’Ramoth, Parchedland, and to whom in Jattir, ²⁸and to whom in Aroer, and to whom in Siphmoth, and to whom in Eshtemoa, ²⁹and to whom in Rachal, and to whom in ‘cities, the Jerahmeelite’, and to whom in ‘cities, the Kenite’, ³⁰and to whom in Hormah, and to whom in Bor-ashan, and to whom in Athach, ³¹and to whom in Hebron, and to all the places which he walked himself there, David, he and his mortals.

 

1 Samuel 30:21-31 (NKJV)

²¹ Now David came to the two hundred men who had been so weary that they could not follow David, whom they also had made to stay at the Brook Besor. So they went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him. And when David came near the people, he greeted them. ²² Then all the wicked and worthless men of those who went with David answered and said, “Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered, except for every man’s wife and children, that they may lead them away and depart.”

²³ But David said, “My brethren, you shall not do so with what the Lord has given us, who has preserved us and delivered into our hand the troop that came against us. ²⁴ For who will heed you in this matter? But as his part is who goes down to the battle, so shall his part be who stays by the supplies; they shall share alike.” ²⁵ So it was, from that day forward; he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day.

²⁶ Now when David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the spoil to the elders of Judah, to his friends, saying, “Here is a present for you from the spoil of the enemies of the Lord”— ²⁷ to those who were in Bethel, those who were in Ramoth of the South, those who were in Jattir, ²⁸ those who were in Aroer, those who were in Siphmoth, those who were in Eshtemoa, ²⁹ those who were in Rachal, those who were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, those who were in the cities of the Kenites, ³⁰ those who were in Hormah, those who were in Chorashan, those who were in Athach, ³¹ those who were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were accustomed to rove.

Artwork by Douglas Kallerson

1 Samuel 30:13-20
Wadi, the Besor, Part II

(Typed 25 May 2026 – Memorial Day) There are promised blessings and assured curses in the law concerning Israel. It says in Leviticus 26:7, “You will chase your enemies, and they shall fall by the sword before you.”

That was a promise when Israel was obedient to the Lord. Another word from the books of Moses said, “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Write this for a memorial in the book and recount it in the hearing of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.’” Exodus 17:14

Taken together, with the Lord’s promise to David when he consulted the ephod to determine the Lord’s will, it was certain that David would prevail in this battle.

We read such words, look at their fulfillment in the Bible, and we applaud God for His faithfulness. We also remark about David’s confidence in the Lord.

And yet, what is our outlook on life as we live it? When a loved one is taken from us, do we get upset at God? If we suffer physical or emotional distress, do we blame Him?

And what happens to our walk when we stumble and do something so incredibly stupid that we fear God might pull His love from us or decide to stop saving us?

Text Verse: “For by You I can run against a troop;
By my God I can leap over a wall.” 2 Samuel 22:30

We are in a lifelong battle against the biggest spiritual troop imaginable. Satan is hot on our heels, trying to trip us up. He is working to steal our joy, cause us to question God’s goodness, and whisper in our ears that we are deluded to think that God loves us and will never forsake us.

He is a miserable foe, always putting obstacles in our way to stop us from advancing in any and every area.

Unless we want to be a part of the defeated masses, we should bolster our walk with Bible reading, increase our stamina by consulting properly handled analyses of His word, and stay doggedly in prayer, communicating with Him over every aspect of our lives.

Avoiding Bible studies for a week or two makes it easier to find something else to fill our time dedicated to that. Skipping a day of reading the word will quickly lead to not reading the word at all. Anything positive that we do with and for the Lord will find something to easily replace it if we allow ourselves to be redirected from it.

David engaged the battle against a troop, and he tirelessly jumped over the obstacles that got in his way. Yes, he failed the Lord at times. Those failures are recorded for our benefit, because when he failed, he gathered himself up, redoubled his efforts in the proper direction, and got back on track.

Church may seem less exciting than Sunday morning at the beach, but it is where you will be fed, reminding you of what is really important. You have eternity to sit on the beach, or do whatever it is God has in store for us.

Spend your time wisely, and may your efforts be properly directed all the days that you walk before the Lord who saved you. Let this be a reminder to you to hold fast to such truths that are to be found in His superior word. And so, let us turn to that precious word once again, and… May God speak to us through His word today, and may His glorious name ever be praised.

I. Eating, and Drinking, and Roundelaying (verses 13-16)

¹³ Then David said to him, “To whom do you belong, and where are you from?”

vayomer lo David l_emi atah v_ee mizeh atah – “And he said to him, David, ‘To whom, you? And where, from this, you?’” Verse 11 already identified this person as an Egyptian. That was either an advanced note by the chronicler, or he was identifiable by some characteristic which the men recognized when they found him.

Either way, David interrogates him to find out if there is any connection between him and those taken from Ziklag. David means Beloved. He has typologically been used to refer to accepting the doctrines of Christ. The man responds to David carefully…

^{13 (con’t)} And he said, “I am a young man

vayomer naar – “And he said, ‘Lad.’” The word lad seems odd to apply to oneself. Translations say “youth”, “boy”, “young man,” etc. Some translations skip over the word, as if it is out of place. Others incorrectly give up on it as being part of his words and make it a part of the introduction: “‘I’m from Egypt,’ the young man answered.”

The reason it is odd is that anyone looking at him would know his general age. Thus, it seems like a superfluous addition. At times, the word naar, lad, is rendered as a servant, such as –

“Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul’s father, were lost. And Kish said to his son Saul, ‘Please take one of the servants [naar] with you, and arise, go and look for the donkeys.’” 1 Samuel 9:3

There are instances where this word is used of a servant old enough to have his own sons. However, naar is not used in the sense of a servant here. This is because he specifically calls himself a servant as he continues. He next says…

^{13 (con’t)} from Egypt,

mitsri – “Egyptian.” As noted, he has already been identified as an Egyptian. He would probably look like an Egyptian, and unless he was a servant for an extended period, his accent would sound Egyptian as well. Egypt means Double Trouble. Next, he says…

^{13 (con’t) …}

anokhi – “I myself.” There are different ways to identify oneself. The simplest is to have the verb carry a first-person identifier, such as taking the word adon, lord, and making it possessive, adoni, my lord. There is also the word ani, I. It is always plain: ani Charlie, “I, Charlie.” It is the common word used in Israel today.

A third way is to use anokhi, a fuller/heavier form. Quite often, it appears where the speaker’s personal presence, identity, responsibility, or distinction from another party is prominent. In this case, it signals that this Egyptian lad’s presence in relation to the surrounding narrative is at issue.

So, taken with the last word, he is setting himself apart from the surrounding situation, mitsri anokhi – “I myself, Egyptian.” He continues his carefully chosen words…

^{13 (con’t)} servant

eved – “servant.” Saying eved here means he could not have used naar, lad, in any other sense than a purposeful use similar to, “I’m just a young guy.” Adding in that he is a servant is like having a pity party, “I’m just a young guy, a servant. I am unimportant.” This has all been introduced before getting to his next words…

^{13 (con’t)} of an Amalekite;

l_eish amaleqi – “to ‘man, Amalekite’.” He could have just said “to an Amalekite”, but he adds in “man” to reflect a distinction between his being a lad and the one he was a servant to who is a man. As odd as his response may sound, each word has been carefully chosen because of the last word, Amalekite.

As a servant of an Amalekite, he understood that they were at constant war with Israel. It would be a part of their culture and conversation. This person is standing among Hebrews, and he is doing everything in his power to elicit sympathy and to distinguish himself from those with whom he was, until just recently, allied.

He is trying to absolve himself of responsibility. Step back and look at the whole thing. He is a youth identified by nationality, “Egyptian,” and only then by servile association, “servant to a man, an Amalekite.”

Thus, he is connected to the Amalekite company, but he is not an Amalekite. The use of anokhi helps bring his personal identity to the front: “An Egyptian lad — I myself.”

Amalek is derived from am, people, and malaq, to nip or wring off the head of a bird with or without severing it from the body. They are The People Who Wring Off. They are those who are disconnected from the body and who strive to disconnect the body.

The lad’s response to David has been carefully worded thus far. He continues, saying…

^{13 (con’t)} and my master left me behind, because three days ago I fell sick.

vayaazveni adoni ki khalithi ha’yom sh_eloshah – “And he relinquished me, my lord, for I rubbed, the day, three.” Whatever he was hoping to convey previously, here he tries to elicit maximum pity from those who have found him. In essence, “I am such a miserable person that by simply falling sick, my master abandoned me.”

This may be true. The Amalekites may have abandoned him as too much trouble when he fell sick. It would show extreme coldness of heart. It would also show that he was not a valued servant or that he wasn’t worth any inconvenience at all.

As will be seen, the plunderers will be engaged, and there will be a great slaughter. Despite this, four hundred will get away on camels. That means the camp of plunderers would be in the thousands. Along with them, they had camels and all other types of animals. And yet, they didn’t bother to sling him over a donkey and take him along.

There is another possibility which cannot be known, but which may account for his careful separation of himself from those he was with. He could have attempted an escape from their camp, gotten lost in the wilderness, and run out of water. If so, his excuses are a fabrication to keep him from being considered a deserter.

As for the word khalah, rubbed, it is used in various contexts. When something is rubbed, it can show favor, like rubbing someone’s face. It can show sickness, like being worn down in health, as in this case. It can also apply in a spiritual sense, like being worn down in spirit, grieved, etc. He continues…

¹⁴ We made an invasion of the southern area of the Cherethites,

His words bear emphasis: anakhnu pashatnu negev ha’k_erethi – “We, we stripped ‘parchedland, the Cherethite’.” He adamantly includes himself in the plundering, noting that the band of raiders he was with “stripped” the southern area of the Cherethite.

The idea is that of a person having all his clothing stripped off or a person or an animal being skinned. It is a raid where everything that can be plundered is taken. In this case, it is the Cherethite, a new designation in Scripture.

The name, depending on the context, is derived from karath, to cut off, or from the name of Crete. Without the vowel points, the words Cherethite and Cretan are the same.

Various options for the meaning of the name are Executioners, Exiles, Cretans, or Outcasts. It is the same word as when one cuts a covenant, so I would call ha’k_erethi, the Cutter.

This group dwelt on the seacoast in the south of the land. They are thought to be either Philistine or from the same general group as the Philistines.

When David was stripping the land, it never said he came against these people. Later, when he is king, he will have them as his own warriors along with the Pelethites, as noted in 2 Samuel

It is possible that he met them during his time in Ziklag and was impressed with their military capabilities. As for the plundering, it was also…

^{14 (con’t)} in the territory which belongs to Judah,

v_eal asher lihudah – “and upon ‘which to Judah’.” This area was east of the Cherethite. The land grant of the southern area of Judah included where the Cherethite was and continued east. Judah is from yadah, to use the hand. In the case of Judah, it signifies raising the hands as a means of praise. Hence, it is rendered Praise. Next, he says…

^{14 (con’t)} and of the southern area of Caleb;

v_eal negev kalev – “and upon ‘parchedland, Caleb’.” The area of Caleb is further east. He was granted the land around Hebron because of his faithfulness to the Lord when the other spies who went into Canaan gave a bad report of the land.

In Joshua 15, that area was designated as his. Hebron itself was designated as a priestly city, but all of the surrounding area belonged to Caleb. The parchedland of Caleb would include the area granted to Caleb’s daughter Achsah, as also seen in Joshua 15.

Caleb means dog. In the passages where he was mentioned, he was consistently used as a picture of the Gentiles, being faithful like dogs.

Having carefully set a distinction between himself and his Amalekite master, he admits he was a part of the company that came against David’s city…

^{14 (con’t)} and we burned Ziklag with fire.”

v_eeth tsiqlag saraphnu baesh – “and Ziklag we burned in the fire.” Ziklag is the city where David and his men lived with their families. This is the only city the lad mentions as being burned with fire. David knew it was burned, and the Egyptian couldn’t deny it, so he openly states that he was among those who did it.

As noted in 1 Samuel 27, Ziklag signifies Measure of Pressure. With the information he needs at hand to regain his people and his goods, David sees his opportunity to act…

¹⁵ And David said to him, “Can you take me down to this troop?”

Rather: vayomer elav David hathorideni el ha’g_edud ha’zeh – “And he said unto him, David, ‘You will cause to descend me unto the cohort, the this.’” It is not a question. Rather, it is an order. David knows that he can use this person to direct him to the plunderers. And so, he speaks determinedly that this is what will happen.

There is natural reticence on the part of the Egyptian though…

^{15 (con’t)} So he said, “Swear to me by God that you will neither kill me

vayomer hishav_eah li belohim im t_emiteni – “And he said, “You must be (surely) sevened to me in God if you will cause to kill me.” Before he will agree to take them, he wants a solemn oath that David or his men will not kill him.

The Aramaic versions known as the Peshitta and the Lamsa say Lord JEHOVAH and Lord respectively instead of God. That seems unlikely. As an Egyptian, this lad would probably not be a follower of the Lord or know anything about the Lord.

He wants a general vow based on the God David followed as an assurance that he will be protected. He understands that being a part of the raiders, David and his men would be inclined to kill him. But he is equally concerned about another possibility…

^{15 (con’t)} nor deliver me into the hands of my master,

v_e’im tasgireni b_eyad adoni – “and if you will cause to shut me in ‘hand, my lord’.” Not knowing David’s intentions, the lad wants an oath that he will not be delivered into the hand of his lord. If he escaped from his master, his request is something the law prescribed as well –

“You shall not give back to his master the slave who has escaped from his master to you. ¹⁶ He may dwell with you in your midst, in the place which he chooses within one of your gates, where it seems best to him; you shall not oppress him.” Deuteronomy 23:15, 16

He told David that he fell sick and was abandoned, so this verse may not apply. But based on his treatment, it should. Either way, he worries that his life will be severely shortened or incomprehensibly misery-filled if he were to be given back to his owner. Thus, in making an oath concerning these two conditions…

^{15 (con’t)} and I will take you down to this troop.”

v_eoridkha el ha’g_edud ha’zeh – “And let me cause to descend you unto the cohort, the this.’” The word gedud, cohort, was used in verse 8 when David asked the Lord if he would overtake the raiders. It is used twice in this verse and one more time in verse 23.

In the stories of David’s life, the only other two times it is used will be in relation to his men as they are arranged into cohorts. This makes it likely that the text verse, which is repeated in Psalm 18:29, is probably written about this account.

David was likely told about the size of the force, their tactics, the specialties of fighters they had, and so forth. All of this is omitted from the narrative, but it would have all been disclosed before the attack.

And more, it has already been acknowledged by the Lord that David would prevail in this endeavor –

“And he asked, David, in Yehovah, to say, I will pursue after the cohort, the this? I will cause to reach him?
And He said to him, You must pursue, for causing to reach, you will cause to reach, and causing to snatch, you will cause to snatch.’” 1 Samuel 30:8 (CG)

The lad uses a jussive (let me cause to descend you), indicating his firm resolve to perform the action if his requests are granted. Without noting David’s acceptance, it is implied in the next words…

¹⁶ And when he had brought him down,

vayoridehu – “And he caused to descend him.” With obvious assurances made in accord with his petitions, the Egyptian was able to follow the track he knew would take them to the plunderers. Being marauders, they probably didn’t have a city. Rather, they would spread out in tents in an area they claimed as home. With this understanding, the narrative next notes…

^{16 (con’t)} there they were, spread out over all the land,

vehineh netushim al p_ene khal ha’arets – “And behold! Let-go upon ‘faces, all the land’.” The word natash, signifies to pound. By implication, it signifies to disperse, as if something is expanding because of being pounded. Saying “let-go” suits the various contexts of all forty uses in the Old Testament.

They were spread out all over the place, covering all the land where they holed up after raiding. They were…

^{16 (con’t)} eating and drinking and dancing,

okh_elim veshotim v_ekhog_egim – “eating, and drinking, and roundelaying.” The Amalekites stripped communities across a vast swath of land extending from the Mediterranean practically to the Dead Sea. They would have tons of supplies, including livestock, harvested goods, people, and everything else one could imagine.

Knowing they could go out and plunder more anytime they needed, they got right into the business of consuming their spoil. The word khagag was used when Israel went into the wilderness to hold a feast to the Lord in Exodus.

It was also used of the mandated feasts of the Lord in Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. It signifies “to move in a circle.” In the case of a feast of the Lord, it would be a sacred procession. To understand a comparable use today, one might think of the Muslims when they go to Mecca and circle around their black idol stone, the Kaaba.

In the case of these raiders, they too would be doing what people do at celebrations. In the US, we call it a circle dance, but the more official term is a roundelay. The people would be a’drinkin’, a’hootin’ n’ a’hollerin’, and a’kickin’ up the dust in excited roundelays. This was…

^{16 (con’t)} because of all the great spoil which they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah.

b_ekhol ha’shalal ha’gadol asher laq_ehu meerets p_elishtim u-meerets Y_ehudah – “in all the ‘booty, the great’, which they took from ‘land, Philistines’, and from ‘land, Judah’.” This tells us that the Cherethite people belonged within Philistine territory.

At the time, this would have included Ziklag. After David returned to Judah, Ziklag would be considered Judah’s territory. In this excited state of partying, the raiders left themselves open to trouble. Ironically, the Egyptian lad they left behind as worthless was the impetus for their downfall…

Satan has taken what belonged to us
A life of goodness and fellowship with God
To snatch it back from him, God sent Jesus
To share in that, give the gospel a favorable nod

Through Jesus’ cross, the victory is gained
He prevailed over sin, opening the way
Through His work, access to heaven is attained
Now comes the anticipation of that glorious day

 Reconciliation with God with joy and peace
Eternity in His presence because of Jesus
Come to the cross and find release
See what great things God has done for us

II. The ‘All’, He Caused to Return, David (verses 17-20)

¹⁷ Then David attacked them from twilight until the evening of the next day.

vayakem David mehanesheph v_ead ha’erev l_emakhoratham – “And he caused to strike them, David, from the breeze and until the evening to their morrow.” A new word is seen, nesheph, a breeze. By implication, it refers to dusk or dawn when the breeze blows because of the temperature change from hot to cool or cool to hot.

It is derived from nashaph, to blow up fresh. That is seen only twice when the Lord is said to blow, such as at the parting of the Red Sea in Exodus 15. Of the word nesheph, the Topical Lexicon says –

“Scripture employs this liminal moment to underscore vulnerability, secrecy, expectancy, and the suddenness of divine intervention.”

The word “twilight” is misleading because it can refer to either the dawning light or the evening light, but it generally signifies the evening light. This was probably the early morning light, meaning that the people were partying all night long.

Many of them would be incredibly drunk. Others would have passed out from fun or exhaustion. Those still awake would be in no shape to effectively engage in battle.

Thus, they were strategically attacked by David and his men in the very earliest hours, with the battle lasting the entire day, as it says, “to their morrow.” The evening is the biblical beginning of the next day.

Some scholars, such as Keil, disagree with this, saying that the battle was over 24 hours long. Keil says, “Nesheph signifies the evening twilight here, not the dawn, – a meaning which is not even sustained by Job 7:4.” That is completely incorrect. Job 7:4 says –

“If I laid, and I will say, ‘When I will arise and it will be fluttered evening, and I will sate tossing until breeze [nesheph].” Job 7:4 (CG)

In other words, Job went to bed, and he wondered how long he would toss and turn until the time of the morning breeze. Keil notably left out Psalm 119, which also speaks of this time of day –

“I arose in the breeze [nesheph] and I (surely) helpcalled.
To your words [k.], I waited.” Psalm 119:147 (CG)

One gets up in the morning. This is what the psalmist did, crying out to God for help, pouring out his heart and looking to the promises of the Lord for the new day.

The number of those slain in the battle must have been incredible based on the next words…

^{17 (con’t)} Not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men who rode on camels and fled.

v_elo nimlath mehem ish ki im arba meoth ish naar asher rakh_evu al ha’g_emalim vayanusu – “And not he was eluded from them man, for if four hundreds man – lad, whom they rode upon the camels, and they fled.” If four hundred got away on camels, there must have been thousands in the camp.

This also tells us the battle commenced at the beginning of the day, not in the darkening night. If they fought all night, nobody would have seen people fleeing.

As for the number four hundred, it is a derivative of four, the number of creation and the world (and city) number. Ten signifies “Completeness of order, marking the entire round of anything, is, therefore, the ever-present signification of the number ten. It implies that nothing is wanting; that the number and order are perfect; that the whole cycle is complete” (Bullinger).

Four hundred is also a derivative of forty and ten. Bullinger says of forty –

“It is the product of 5 and 8, and points to the action of grace (5), leading to and ending in revival and renewal (8). This is certainly the case where forty relates to a period of evident probation. But where it relates to enlarged dominion, or to renewed or extended rule, then it does so in virtue of its factors 4 and 10, and in harmony with their signification.”

The gamal, camel, comes from the verb gamal, to deal fully or adequately with. Thus, it can mean to wean, repay, require, reward, ripen, and so forth. It refers to the treatment, either well or ill, that a person will receive.

With the battle complete and the enemy subdued…

¹⁸ So David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away, and David rescued his two wives.

vayatsel David eth kal asher laq_ekhu amaleq v_eeth sh_ete nashav hitsil David – “And he caused to snatch, David, all which they took, Amalek. And ‘two, his wives’, he caused to snatch, David.” Using the word natsal, to snatch, gives the mental image of David snatching his goods and wives from whatever catastrophe, such as selling off, that they would otherwise have faced.

This is a general statement of complete success for David’s men. Nothing that was raided and hoped to be retrieved was lost. One might say, “What about all the partying, drinking, and eating?”

The answer is that these raiders had gone over an entire swath of land. The portion belonging to David would have been an insignificant part of the total booty taken. This will be seen later as the chapter ends. The total scope of recovery is reiterated…

¹⁹ And nothing of theirs was lacking, either small or great,

v_elo nedar lahem ha’qaton v_ead hagadol – “And not it was arranged to them from the diminutive and until the great.” A new word is seen: adar, to arrange, such as in a battle. In this case, nothing was arranged, meaning lacking, as if they had to rearrange their possessions to form a new arrangement. This included…

^{19 (con’t)} sons or daughters, spoil or anything which they had taken from them; David recovered all.

v_ead banim u-vanoth u-mishalal v_ead kal asher laq_ekhu lahem ha’kol heshiv David – “and until sons, and daughters, and booty, and until all which they took to them. The ‘all’, he caused to return, David.” The list is all-inclusive. Boys weren’t used for target practice or sold on the road as slaves. Daughters were spared from being sold off in forced marriages or some other horror, etc.

Of everything entrusted to David as the leader, nothing was lost.

²⁰ Then David took all the flocks and herds

Where to separate the clauses of this verse is confusing: vayiqakh David eth kal ha’tson v_eha’baqar – “And he took, David, all the flock and the cattle.” Even if the clause division is complicated, the words are readily understandable.

It means that all of the captured livestock, which would have been an immense amount taken from all over the southern areas that were raided, was taken by David. Although the animals were valuable, it was more favorable to the men than if he had taken all the gold and silver.

David probably told them what he planned to do with the flocks, which would have been well received by them. As will be seen later, he wasn’t keeping them for himself. With this much understood, it next says…

^{20 (con’t)} they had driven before those other livestock,

nahagu liphne ha’miqneh ha’hu – “They drove to ‘faces, the livestock’, the it.” It seems like there is a word missing. The KJV adds the word “which”, something some scholars argue against, along with the word “other”. The NKJV drops the “which” and keeps the “other.”

Both words seem ok. Taken together, the meaning is probably, “And David took all the flock and the cattle that they drove before the livestock which was theirs.”

The only exception to all of the animals David got was what belonged to the men of Ziklag. They had their animals separated. Those, meaning David’s plunder, were driven before the livestock of the men of Ziklag.

The unstated meaning is that everything else would have been divided up as spoil between all the men. That would include people, gold, silver, and whatever else was of value that had been stripped by the raiders. It would have been an incredible haul.

As for the animals mentioned, the tson, flock, is from a root meaning to migrate. The baqar, cattle, is from the verb baqar, to plow, but by extension, to search, seek out, inquire, etc. The livestock is from qanah, to acquire.

To explain why David’s animals were out front, the final clause says…

*^{20 (fin)} and said, “This is David’s spoil.”

vayom_eru zeh sh_elal David – “they said, ‘This ‘booty, David’.’” Think of an army coming home from battle with all their spoil, but the leader’s spoil being on display in front of everything else. That is what the structure of the words conveys.

David secured everything that was taken, while at the same time, he amassed an incredible amount of booty. Also, the enemy was completely defeated. For four hundred men, it would have been an astonishing victory.

Nothing is said about how many of his men may have been injured or killed in the battle. Instead, the verses focus on the magnitude of the victory, not mentioning the casualties.

Without determining any typology, we can still make a sound connection between these verses and life in Christ. The enemy, the devil, came between God and man. He plundered humanity and took the best of what was intended for us.

However, God in Christ came to lead the battle and bring restoration of everything lost, as seen in verses 18 and 19 –

“And he caused to snatch [natsal], David, all which they took, Amalek. And ‘two, his wives’, he caused to snatch, David. ¹⁹And not it was arranged to them from the diminutive and until the great, and until sons, and daughters, and booty, and until all which they took to them. The ‘all’, he caused to return [shuv], David.”

Satan took away man’s chance at life, fellowship with God, and existence without pain, suffering, sadness, or loss. Jesus, through His ministry and on His cross, was able to snatch right from the devil’s hands everything Satan plundered from us.

And He didn’t just get it and keep it for Himself! He returned it to the masses of humanity willing to follow Him in the spiritual battle being played out in redemptive history. All are welcome to participate by simple belief in what Jesus has done.

Through accepting the premise of the gospel, we have full rights to everything Jesus accomplished. From there, we are given the right to decide what we will do with that gift. Will you sit on your hands and wait for the rapture (or your death) to come? That is your right.

Or, will you share the gospel, become a missionary, or seek ordination and preach the word? There are opportunities for everyone to do something. Churches need members doing the business of the church.

Without reliable support, missionaries cannot just get up and go, expecting things to fall into place. Waitresses may never hear the gospel unless someone opens his mouth and speaks or leaves behind a tract.

The battle for restoration by Christ is done. Who will be a part of it? The answer is largely up to us. We are to be the hands and feet of sharing the good news that there are restoration and reconciliation. Let us be about the business of doing our part.

Closing Verse: “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? ¹⁵ And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written:
‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace,
Who bring glad tidings of good things!’” Romans 10:14, 15

Next Week: 1 Samuel 3:21-31 Big fun ahead, that’s for shore, just wait and see... (Wadi, the Besor, Part III) (64^th 1 Samuel Sermon)

The Lord has you exactly where He wants you. He has a good plan and purpose for you. He is the One who abases the haughty and exalts the humble. He regards the lowly, and the proud, He knows from afar. So yield yourself to Him, trust Him, and believe His word. In this, He will do great things for you and through you.

1 Samuel 30:13-20 (CG)

And he said to him, David, “To whom, you? And where, from this, you?”

And he said, “Lad, Egyptian, I myself, servant to ‘man, Amalekite’. And he relinquished me, my lord, for I rubbed, the day, three. ¹⁴We, we stripped ‘parchedland, the Cherethite’, and upon ‘which to Judah’, and upon ‘parchedland, Caleb’, and Ziklag we burned in the fire.”

¹⁵And he said unto him, David, “You will cause to descend me unto the cohort, the this.”

And he said, “You must be (surely) sevened to me in God if you will cause to kill me, and if you will cause to shut me in ‘hand, my lord’. And let me cause to descend you unto the cohort, the this.”

¹⁶And he caused to descend him. And behold! Let-go upon ‘faces, all the land’, eating, and drinking, and roundelaying in all the ‘booty, the great’, which they took from ‘land, Philistines’, and from ‘land, Judah’. ¹⁷And he caused to strike them, David, from the breeze and until the evening to their morrow. And not he was eluded from them man, for if four hundreds man – lad, who they rode upon the camels and they fled. ¹⁸And he caused to snatch, David, all which they took, Amalek. And ‘two, his wives’, he caused to snatch, David. ¹⁹And not it was arranged to them from the diminutive and until the great, and until sons, and daughters, and booty, and until all which they took to them. The ‘all’, he caused to return, David. ²⁰And he took, David, all the flock and the cattle they drove to ‘faces, the livestock’, the it. And they said, “This ‘booty, David’.”

 

1 Samuel 30:13-20 (NKJV)

¹³ Then David said to him, “To whom do you belong, and where are you from?”

And he said, “I am a young man from Egypt, servant of an Amalekite; and my master left me behind, because three days ago I fell sick. ¹⁴ We made an invasion of the southern area of the Cherethites, in the territorywhich belongs to Judah, and of the southern area of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire.”

¹⁵ And David said to him, “Can you take me down to this troop?”

So he said, “Swear to me by God that you will neither kill me nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will take you down to this troop.”

¹⁶ And when he had brought him down, there they were, spread out over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil which they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. ¹⁷ Then David attacked them from twilight until the evening of the next day. Not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men who rode on camels and fled. ¹⁸ So David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away, and David rescued his two wives. ¹⁹ And nothing of theirs was lacking, either small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything which they had taken from them; David recovered all. ²⁰ Then David took all the flocks and herds they had driven before those other livestock, and said, “This is David’s spoil.”