BibleTools
1 Samuel 30:6
Compare all
4 Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept, until they had no more power to weep.
5 And David’s two awives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite, had been taken captive.  
6 Now David was greatly distressed, for athe people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was1 grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. bBut David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.  
7 aThen David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, “Please bring the ephod here to me.” And bAbiathar brought the ephod to David.  
8 aSo David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?” And He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.”  
9 So David went, he and the six hundred men who were with him, and came to the Brook Besor, where those stayed who were left behind.
10 But David pursued, he and four hundred men; afor two hundred stayed behind, who were so weary that they could not cross the Brook Besor.  
11 Then they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David; and they gave him bread and he ate, and they let him drink water.
12 And they gave him a piece of aa cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. So bwhen he had eaten, his strength came back to him; for he had eaten no bread nor drunk water for three days and three nights.  
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 athe Cherethites, in the territory which belongs to Judah, and of the southern area bof 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 amaster, 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, aeating 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.
Book Notes:
Barnes' Book Notes



Introduction to Samuel

The double name of these Books, the first and second book of samuel , as they are called in the printed Hebrew Bible, and the first and second book of kings, as they are called in the Vulgate, well marks the two principal features which characterize them. They contain the record of the life and ministry of samuel, the great prophet and judge of Israel, and they also contain the record of the rise of the kingdom of Israel. If again the Books of Samuel are taken as forming one history with the Books of Kings (the present line of division between II Samuel and I Kings being an arbitrary one), then the division into four Books of Kings is a natural one. But if these books are looked upon rather as an isolated history, then the name of Samuel is properly affixed to them, not only because he stands out as the great figure of that age, but because his administration of the affairs of Israel was the connecting link, the transitional passage, from the rule of the judges to the reign of the kings, distinct from each, but binding the two together.

The important place to be filled by Samuel in the ensuing history is seen at once in the opening chapters of the book which bears his name. Further, the fact that Samuel' s birth of her that had been barren is represented in Hannah' s song as typical of the triumphs of the Church and of the Kingdom of Christ, is another indication of the very distinguished place assigned to Samuel in the economy of the Old Testament, borne out by the mention of him in such passages as Psalms 99:6; Jeremiah 15:1; Acts 3:24. Though however, Samuel' s personal greatness is thus apparent, it is no less clearly marked that his place is one not of absolute but of relative importance. When we view the history as a whole, the eye does not rest upon Samuel, and stop there, but is led on to the throne and person of David as typical of the Kingdom and Person of Christ. An incidental mark of this subordination may be seen in the fact that the Books of Samuel are really a continuation of the Book of Ruth; a Book which derived its significance from its containing a history of David' s ancestors and genealogy. Clearly, therefore, in the mind of the sacred historian, the personal history of Samuel was only a link to connect DAVID with the Patriarchs, just as the subsequent history connects David himself with our Lord JESUS CHRIST.

But a still more remarkable and conclusive proof of the same subordination may be found in the circumstance, that it is only the closing years of Saul' s reign of which any account whatever is given in this Book. For after having related a few facts connected with the beginning of Saul' s reign, the historian passes over some 20 or 30 years Acts 13:21 to relate an occurrence in the last quarter of Saul' s reign, God' s rejection of Saul from the kingdom, and His choice of "a man after His own heart" to be king in Saul' s room I Samuel 13:13-14.

The contents of the Books of Samuel consist mainly of three portions,

(1) the history of Samuel' s life and judgeship from 1 Sam. 1-12: inclusive;

(2) the history of Saul' s reign from 1 Sam. 13:1-15:35;

(3) the history of David from I Samuel 16:1 to the end of the second Book; this latter portion not being completed until I Kings 2:11.

The sources from which the narrative is derived, were probably:

(1) the Book of Jasher II Samuel 1:18;

(2) David' s Psalms 2 Sam. 22; 23;

(3) the Chronicles of king David I Chronicles 27:24;

(4) the Book of Samuel the Seer;

(5) the Book of Nathan the Prophet;

(6) the Book of Gad the Seer I Chronicles 29:29; II Chronicles 9:29;

(7) the national collection of genealogies.

Those sections which give full details of the sayings and doings of Samuel, are conjectured to be extracted from "the Book of Samuel the seer" (e. g. i - xii). Those sections which contain narratives in which Nathan bears a part 2 Sam. 7; 11; 12; I Kings 1; 2 may be referred to the "Book of Nathan the seer." Such passages as 2 Sam. 21; II Samuel 22:5; 24; etc., are pretty certainly from the Book of Gad the Seer. We seem to see extracts from the Chronicles of the kingdom in such passages as I Samuel 13:1; I Samuel 11:1-11, I Samuel 11:15; I Samuel 14:47-52; II Samuel 2:8-11; II Samuel 3:1-5; II Samuel 5:4-16; 8; II Samuel 20:23-26; II Samuel 21:15-22; 23:8-39; while the song of Hannah I Samuel 2:1-10, the elegy on the death of Abner II Samuel 3:33-34, and the two Psalms 2 Sam. 22; II Samuel 23:1-7, may as well as the elegy on Saul and Jonathan, be taken from the Book of Jasher.

It is difficult to decide when the final arrangement of the Books of Samuel, in their present shape, was made. The series of historical books from Judges to the end of II Kings is formed on one plan, so that each book is a part of a connected whole. This would point to the time of Jeremiah the prophet, as that when the whole historical series from judges to kings inclusive was woven into one work. In his use of the work of contemporary writers, the final compiler left out large portions of the materials before him.

The chief quotations and resemblances from the Books of Samuel in the New Testament are found in the writings of Luke and Paul. The title THE CHRIST ("the anointed" ), given to the Lord Jesus Matthew 1:16; Matthew 2:4; Matthew 16:16; Luke 2:26; John 1:20, John 1:41; John 20:31; Acts 2:30, is first found in I Samuel 2:10; and the other designation of the Saviour as the SON OF DAVID Matthew 9:27; Matthew 15:22; Matthew 21:9, Matthew 21:15; Matthew 22:42, is derived from II Samuel 7:12-16. In these books are passages which occur in duplicate elsewhere, chiefly in the Books of Chronicles and Psalms; and a careful comparison of these duplicate passages throws great light upon the manner in which the sacred historians used existing materials, incorporating them word for word, or slightly altering them for the sake of explanation, as seemed most expedient to them. It illustrates also the errors and fluctuations of scribes in transcribing manuscripts, especially in regard to proper names.

For these duplicate passages, and also on the chief quotations from other books in the Old Testament, consult the marginal references. The style of the Books of Samuel is clear, simple, and forcible, and the Hebrew remarkably pure and free from Chaldaisms. The chief difficulties are the geographical statements of 1 Sam. 9; 10; the very difficult poem in II Samuel 23:1-7; and the account of the mighty men which follows it, 2 Sam. 23:8-39. There are also some manifest corruptions of the text; but contradictions or disagreements of any kind in the statements of the Books of Samuel, as compared with each other, or with the Books of Chronicles, do not exist.

The time included in the history of these books cannot be exactly defined, from the lack of any systematic chronology in them. But it may be estimated roughly at about 130 years, made up of the following subdivisions, the precise length of the first of which is a matter of conjecture:

Years
The life of Samuel up to Saul's election
to be king (I Samuel 8:1,5)		 50
Saul's reign (Acts 13:21) 40
David's reign (II Samuel 5:4) 40
___________
Total 130

Join 137,346+ readers

A Verse and a Thought,
Every Morning

Consistent Bible study is hard to start.

The Berean gives you the starting point: one scripture and a focused commentary in your inbox each morning — read it in minutes, or go as deep as you like.

Free, daily, and spam-free. We never share your address. Unsubscribe anytime.

Close
E-mail This Page