719 matching verse commentaries
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Tell [it] not in Gath,.... One of the five principalities of the Philistines, and the chief of them, being raised to a kingdom, and whose king was at the head of the armies of the Philistines that engaged with Saul. This is not to be understood of a command of David, who could not hinder the victory the Philistines had got over Israel being known...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Ye mountains of Gilboa,.... On which fell Saul and his sons, and many of the people of Israel, 2 Samuel 1:6; [let there be] no dew, neither [let there be] rain upon you; which is not to understood as a real imprecation; for David would never curse any part of the land of Israel, for which he had so great a regard; but only as a poetical figure,...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan turned not back,.... That is, it always did execution, the arrows shot frown it pierced into men, shed their blood, and slew them; even they entered into the fat of the mighty, or mighty ones, that were fat, and brought them down; so the arrows of the Medes and Persians,...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Saul and Jonathan [were] lovely and pleasant in their lives,.... To one another, had no quarrel or difference with each other, only on the account of David; otherwise they agreed together in the court, and in the camp, in their councils, and in their conduct: and in their death they were not divided; neither from the people, nor from one another;...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,.... In their mournful elegies; who clothed you with scarlet, with [other] delights; not only with scarlet, but with other fine and delightful apparel, such as were very pleasing to the female sex, especially young people, who are delighted with gay apparel; this Saul was the means of, through the spoil he...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle!.... The mighty and valiant men of war, the common soldiers as well as their general officers, whose loss David mourns, and the repetition of shows how much it affected him: O Jonathan, [thou wast] slain in thine high places; in the high places of the land of Israel, the mountains of Gilboa,...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan,.... So he was, not only by nation and religion, but by affinity, having married the sister of Jonathan; and still more so by affection and friendship, he being a friend of David's, that stuck closer to him than a brother, and who loved him as his own soul; he was distressed for him, not on account of...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
How are the mighty fallen,.... This is the burden of this elegiac song, being the third time it is mentioned: and the weapons of war perished! not only the valiant soldiers were killed, but their arms were lost; and particularly he may mean Saul and Jonathan, who as they were the shields of the people, so they were the true weapons and instruments...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
INTRODUCTION TO SECOND SAMUEL 2 This chapter relates that David, upon inquiring of the Lord, was directed to go up to Hebron, and did, where he was anointed king of Judah, 2 Samuel 2:1. And that being told of the kindness of the men of Jabeshgilead in burying Saul, he sent them thanks, and promised to remember it, and took the opportunity to let...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And it came to pass after this,.... After David had heard of the death of Saul and Jonathan, and made a lamentation over them, perhaps the next day; since David and his men are only said to mourn, and weep, and fast till even, 2 Samuel 1:10; that David inquired of the Lord; of the Word of the Lord, as the Targum, by Abiathar the priest, and...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
So David went up thither,.... From Ziklag to Hebron, which was sixteen miles according to Bunting (y) and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail, Nabal's wife, the Carmelite; who were beloved by him, and who had shared with him in his troubles, and which he took with him to partake of his honour and grandeur, wealth and riches;...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And his men that were with him did David bring up, every man with his household,.... They and their families, and no doubt provided well for them when he was settled on the throne, who had shown themselves to be his faithful friends, closely attached to his interest, and had run the risk of their all on his account. See Matthew 19:28. And they...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the men of Judah came,.... The inhabitants of the tribe of Judah came from the several parts of it to Hebron, that is, the principal of them, the elders of each city: and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah; they did not take upon them to make him king over all Israel, but left the rest of the tribes to act for themselves;...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And David sent messengers unto the men of Jabeshgilead,.... To return them thanks for their courage and boldness in rescuing the bodies of Saul and his sons out of the hands of the Philistines, and for their civility in the burial of them: and said unto them, blessed [be] ye of the Lord; which may be considered either as a wish, the Lord bless you...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And now the Lord show kindness and truth unto you,.... Or true kindness; confer real favours, bestow upon you good and substantial blessings, blessings indeed! and I also will requite you this kindness, because ye have done this thing. He not only prayed to God to bless them and reward them for it, but would remember them himself, and at a proper...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Now therefore let your hands be strengthened, and be ye valiant,.... And not be afraid of the Philistines, who might resent their conduct in taking away from them the bodies of Saul and his sons, whom they had hung up in triumph; and these men might fear they would bring their armies against them, and destroy them; but David bids them be of good...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
But Abner, the son of Ner, captain of Saul's host,.... This man's father, Ner, was Saul's uncle, 1 Samuel 14:50, and he was his own cousin, and being general of his army, a post he was willing to keep, might be the reasons for doing what he did, as follows: took Ishbosheth the son of Saul; and who seems to be his only son left, except what he had...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And he made him king over Gilead,.... Which lay beyond Jordan, and included the tribes of Gad and Reuben, and the half tribe of Manasseh; these he prevailed upon to acknowledge Ishbosheth, their king, and proclaimed him king over them: and over the Ashurites: that is, those of the house or tribe of Asher, as the Targum, and indeed none else can...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Ishbosheth, Saul's son, [was] forty years old when he began to reign over Israel,.... Being born the same year his father began to reign. [See comments on 1 Samuel 31:6]; and reigned two years; which some understand of these, and no more; and whereas David reigned seven years and a half over Judah, before he reigned over all Israel, it is thought...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And the time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah,.... And over them only, was seven years and six months; to which being added thirty three years he reigned over all Israel in Jerusalem, made forty years and six months; and which, for the roundness of the number, is usually called forty years. See 2 Samuel 5:4.