THE GIFT OF ^Ifritd on. Barnes. Comell university Library BS580.D3 .D28 David, his Hjeanltlme^ The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924029279606 DAVID: HIS LIFE AND TIMES. REV. WILLIAM J. PEANE, M.A,, RECTOR OP ASHEN, ESSEX. A. D. F. RANDOLPH AND CO. 38, WEST 23RD STREET. ^6*-7S- PREFACE. The events of David's life are told in copious detail in the two Books of Samuel and in the beginning of the First Book of Kmgs ; the Chronicler takes up his story after the death of Saul, and the Psalms afford glimpses of his inner life and may be re- garded as a spiritual comment upon the outward circumstances of his career. Of his connection with the Psalter I have spoken in the concluding chapter ; suffice it here to say, that taking his contributions at the lowest computation, enough remains to convey a very exalted idea of his powers and to show the working of his soul under very varied experiences. Without entering into vexed questions of authorship, I have felt justified in quoting passages from the Psalms which, whether written by David or not, illustrate his history and his feelings. I have not loaded my pages with formal refutations of the aspersions which have been cast upon his motives and his character. In a popular work of this kind such controversial matter would have been out of place. Virtually I have defended him from undeserved reproaches, and the reader will find in the explana- tions afforded by the text, what, I trust, is a just view of his failings and merits. The biography of David has exercised many pens- I may mention the works of R. Chandler, Krummacher, Stahelin, and Weiss, and as most satisfactory, Dean Stanley's Lectures and his Article in "The Dictionary of the Bible-" Outside Holy IV PREFACE. Scripture there is no reliable information concerning David. Josephus and Eusebius add little worthy of credit, while Tal- mudic and Mohammedan legends are quite unhistorical. Since I have finished writing this little book, I find that I have entered into some details, especially in David's later years, which are also given in Archdeacon Farrar's volume, ''Solomon : his Life and Times." I think it best to let the passages remain, as my story would not be complete without them, and readers would not thank me for referring them to another work for particulars which they naturally expect to find here. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. PAGB Early Life . i Bethlehem— Family of Jesse— David's life as shepherd — Samuel's circuit — He arrives at Bethlehem ; selects and anoints David — David's early training. CHAPTER 11. Introduced to Saul lo Philistines, invade the land — Elah— Goliath— David sent to the camp ; is introduced to Saul ; fights with and kills the giant — Defeat of the Philistines — David's interview with Saul — Friend- ship with Jonathan — David returns home ; is summoned to Court to relieve Saul's melancholy madness. CHAPTER III. Life at Court 24 David's rapid advancement — Saul jealous of David ; plans his death ; offers him Merab as wife ; substitutes Michal on certain conditions — David fulfils the conditions and marries Michal — Renewed schemes of Saul— Jonathan's Expostulation leads to a temporary reconciliation — Saul again threatens David's life — David saved by Michal ; flees to Rama —Futile attempts to arrest him there — David's interview with Jonathan — Saul's enmity proved irreconcilable — The friends' parting. CHAPTER IV. OuTLAV^r Life in Jud^a 40 David at Nob — Received by Ahimelech — Flees to Gath — ^Takes refuge in Adullam — Destruction of Nob — David relieves Keilah — At Ziph-Last interview with Jonathan — David at Hachilah and Maon — In imminent peril — Spares Saul's life at Engedi, and expostulates with him — Carmel — Nabal and Abigail — David marries Abigail — Spares Saul's life a second time — Saul regrets his persecution, and promises to cease from further pursuit. VI CONTENTS. CHAPTER V. PAGB Exile in Foreign Land 65 David takes refuge among the Philistines ; dwells at Gath ; removes to Ziklag — His expeditions — The Philistines invade the land of Israel— David marches with them ; is sent back to Ziklag, which he finds plundered and burnt ; pursues and defeats the Amalekites — Battle of Gilboa— Death of Saul and his s6ns reported to David — David's elegy. CHAPTER VI. King at Hebron ; . . . 81 David removes to Hebron ; is anointed king of Judah — Ish- bosheth, the rival king, at Mahanaim — Battle at the Pool of Gibeon — Defeat of Abner and death of Asahel — Abner makes overtures to David — Michal restored — Abnei- assassinated by Joab — David's feelings at this event — Ishbosheth murdered — David anointed king of Israel — Philistines make_ war — The Well of Bethlehem — Double defeat of the Philistines. CHAPTER VII. King At Jerusalem 99 Capture of Jerusalem — The seat of government established there —Removal of the Ark from Kirjath-Jearim — Perez-Uzzah — Ark brought to Jerusalem — Michal's insulting words — Organization of priests and Levites — Psalmody — Military organization — Civil administration — David proposes to build a temple ; is forbidden to undertake it, but is promised a great future — Mephibosheth. CHAPTER Vlir. Foreign Wars . * War with Philistines^Moabites defeated and punished — War with Ammonites — Aramasan league against Israel — Hadadezer — Rabbah — Defeat of Syrians — Further operations — Aramaean dities reduced — Edom conquered — Psalms of victory — Extent of David's kingdom;— Rabbah taken — ^Ammonites severely treated. ' CHAPTER IX. Sin and its Consequences 136 Polygamy— Adultery with Bathsheba — Vain attempts to impli- cate Uriah — Uriah virtually murdered by Joab's connivance — Nathan's parable — David's repentance — Death of his child — Solomon born — Amnon's incestuous outrage— Absalom, in re- venge, murders Amnon ; is kept in banishment— Joab's stratagen? effects his return — Three years' famine for the slaughter of the Gibeonites by Saul — The atonement — Rizpah. CONTENTS. Vll CHAPTER X. Absalom's Revolt , , 158 Absalom's ambitious design — He steals the affections of the people — Causes of disaffection — ^Absalom at Hebron — Ahithopbel —The insurrection breaks out — David leaves Jerusalem ; sends back the Ark with the priests— Hushai—Ziba — Shimei's insult — Ahithophel's evil counsel adopted— His further plan defeated by Hushai — David informed of the movement in Jerusalem ; arrives at Mahanaim ; is supported there by friends — End of Ahithophel — Battle of Mahanaim — Defeat of rebels — Absalom slain by Joab — News brought to David— His grief for Absalom — Joab rouses David to action — The ten tribes submit to David — Judah also invites his return — Shimei, Ziba, and Mephibosheth ■ — Barzillai — Dissension between Israel and Judah — Revolt of Sheba — Amasa made commander ; murdered by Joab— Sheba slain — Joab reinstated. CHAPTER XL The Census 185 Administration of the kingdom — The census ordered ; its guilt ; its progress and completion — Gad's message to David — Three days' pestilence ; stayed at Jerusalem — Purchase of Araunah's threshing-floor on Moriah — An altar raised there. CHAPTER Xn. Closing Years 193 Quiet times — Preparations for building the Temple — David's declining health ; last song — Adonijah's conspiracy ; supported by Joab and Abiathar — Conspirators at Enrogel ; proclaim Adonijah king — News brought to David — He has Solomon pro- claimed king, anointed, and enthroned — The conspirators disperse — Adonijah spared— David's last injunction to Solomon respecting religion — Advice concerning Joab and Shimei — Care of Barzillai — Plans and details of the Temple — David's last public address — Solomon's second anointing — David's death ; funeral ; tomb. CHAPTER Xni. Character 205 David, as man ; his mental characteristics — David, as king ; results of his reign — David, as psalmist ; his influence on psalmody — David, as prophet — As type of Christ — Conclusion, CHAPTER I. EARLY LIFE, Bethlehem — Family of Jesse — David's life as shepherd— Samuel's circuit- He arrives at Bethlehem ; selects and anoints David — David's early tiaioing. "Earth has many a noble city ; Bethlehem, thou dost all excel : Out of thee the Lord from heaven Came to rule His Israel." Thus sang our forefathers in old time, celebrating the little town in which Jesus, the Redeemer, was born. The history of Bethlehem begins with the birth of Benjamin, bought by the death of his mother between thcee and four thousand years ago, and it is connected with the sweet story of Boaz and Ruth, the ancestors of David. The appearance of the place to-day is very much the same as it was in those early ages. Standing on a long narrow ridge of grey limestone, its limits have been con- trolled by the necessities of the site ; and travellers who have examined the present little town agree in regarding it as a type of the ordinary Jewish country town, affording a true picture of such a place when it was the scene of the old Bible story. On this spot about B.C. 1088, when Troy had fallen, but its war was yet unsung by Homer's verse, was born David, the king, poet, prophet, whose history we are about to narrate. David was the youngest son of a family often, the children of one Jesse, a householder and small proprietor, and, as Jewish tradition tells,' a weaver of sacred carpets, who lived at Beth- * "Targ. Jonathan," on 2 Sam. xxi. 19. "Dictionary of the Bible," 1. 202> 2 ^ 2 DAVID. lehem and farmed land in the neighbourhood. The genealogy of his family is given in the Book of Ruth, and repeated by St. Matthew and St. Luke ; and from it we learn that Jesse was the grandson of Boaz by his Moabitish wife Ruth, and was descended from that Salmon, prince of the house of Judah, who espoused Rahab, "the harlot," in the time of Joshua. Thus, through some of his immediate ancestresses, David was allied to foreign races, and in after-years used this connection for the preserva- tion of his own and his parents' lives. The remembrance of the relationship was not without influence on the character of the future monarch. It enlarged his sympathies, raised him above the selfish isolation of the Hebrew, enabled him to utter from the heart those aspirations for the conversion of the Gentiles which are found interspersed among his poems. It was almost a prophetic instinct that prompted the people's, prayer at the marriage of Boaz and Ruth, when they said (Ruth iv. ii, J2) : " Do thou worthily in Ephratah, and be famous in Bethlehem : and let thy house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bare unto Judah, of the seed which the Lord shall give thee of this young woman." The name David is generally taken to mean "beloved " ; and as the youngest of so large a family he may well have been the darling of his parents, though not equally acceptable to his brothers, between most of whom and himself there was a great discrepancy in age. Of his mother we know nothing,^ and of his brethren little more than the names. The eldest, Eliab, an imperious and ill-tempered man, was after- wards made head of the tribe of Judah.* The names of the others were Abinadab, Shammah or Shimmeah, Nethaneel, Raddai, Ozem. There was one other son, who probably died young, whose name is not given.3 By a different mother* there were also two daughters Zeruiah and Abigail, the eldest of the 'f The expression, "son of Thine handmaid," inPsa. Ixxxvi. i6, and cxvi. i6, has been taken to imply that David's mother was a woman of piety and devotion ; but there is no evidence to prove that either of these Psalms was written by David, and the latter is most probably of post-exilian date. 2 I Chron. xxvii. i8, where he is called Elihu. 3 Eight sons are mentioned i Sam. xvii. 12, Comp. ibid. xvi. 10. 4 The name Nahash in 2 Sam. xvii. 25 ("Abigail the daughter of Nahash") is either that of Jesse's wife, or has crept into the text instead of Jesse. To suppose that Nahash, the king of the Ammonites (i Sam. xi. i), is meant seems to be a most improbable idea. Jesse, a pious Israelite, would not have married the concubine of an idolatrous enemy. EARLY LIFE. 3 family. The former was the mother of the three celebrated warriors, Joah, Abishai, and Asahel ; the latter of the ill-fated Amasa. These nephews of David, being nearly of his own age, were admitted to the closest companionship, and play an im- portant part in the subsequent history of their illustrious uncle. The possessions of Jesse comprised numerous flocks of sheep which were pastured on the slopes and hills in the neighbour- hood. To tend and guard these was the charge of the youngest of his sons. This was no light task, though the position of the shepherd, disesteemed in comparison of military pursuits, was but a humble one, and usually assigned to the least conspicuous member of a family. Not that the occupation of shepherd was anything but honourable among Eastern people, and especially among the Israelites themselves. The sons and daughters of the greatest of their patriarchs had exercised this calling ; the great Prophet Moses himself had kept the flocks of Jethro ; but in a turbulent age and in an unsettled state cf society the arts of peace are apt to be disparaged, and the strong right arm is some- what unduly esteemed. The duties of a shepherd in this unenclosed country were, however, sufficiently onerous, and required the exercise of many soldier-like qualities. In the early morning he led forth the flock from the fold, marching at its head to the spot where they were to be pastured ; here he watched them all day, taking care that none of the sheep strayed, and, if any for a time eluded his watch and wandered away from the rest, seeking diligently till he found and brought it back. In those lands sheep require to be supplied regularly with water, and the shepherd for this purpose has to guide them either to some running stream or to wells dug in the wilderness and fur- nished with, troughs. At night he brought the flock home to the fold, counting them as they passed under the rod at the door to assure himself that none were missing. Nor did his labours always end with sunset. Often he had to guard the fold through the dark hours from the attack of wild beasts or the wily attempts of the prowling thief. There was no little peril in the occupation. David himself mentions (l Sam. xvii. 34 ff.) howthat he had rescued a lamb from a lion on one occasion and from a bear on another, and had slain the wild beasts with his own hand. There were also marauding tribes to resist, who were always ready to swoop down upon unguarded posts, and to plunder homesteads and carry off cattle. Such was the employ- 4 DAVID. ment in which David passed his early years. That he was no mere shepherd boy, with hopes and aspirations which never reached beyond the petty concerns of his lowly occupation, was plain for all to see. There was something in this bright-eyed youth which made others feel their inferiority and stirred the spleen of commoner natures ; while those who were capable of appreciating excellence acknowledged the graces of his person, the nobility of his sentiments, the charm of his eloquence.' This pastoral avocation was a good training for the future ; it culti- vated those faculties, virtues, and graces, which were Heeded for the destiny he had to fulfil. The bodily powers were exer- cised and braced by a hardy life in the open air ; courage and self-reliance became habitual in the presence of constant danger and responsibility ; dexterity in the use of rustic weapons, the bow and the sling, was acquired. Then the solitariness of the long day, the absence of distracting cares and interests, encouraged reflection and self-communing. As he wandered on the breezy uplands, as he watched the play of light and shadow on the distant mountains, as he gazed into the blue depths of the cloudless sky, his thoughts arranged themselves in rhythmic form, and he sung his hymn in praise of the Creator of this wonderful world to the glories of which his heart was newly opened. To him the heavens declared the glory of God and the firmament showed His handywork ; day unto day uttered speech, night unto night showed knowledge. It was the voice of the Lord that he heard in the thunder, powerful and full of majesty, that brake in pieces the cedars of Lebanon and shook the very wilderness. His own insignificance in the midst of the wonders of creation made him feel more keenly his dependence upon God and augmented his simple faith. Inspired by thoughts like these he sang in after-years : " When I consider Thy heavens^ the work of Thy finger^ The iiiuon and the stars which Thou hast ordained ; What is man, that Thou art mindful of him ? And the son of man that Thou visitest him ? " And his trust in God shines beautifully forth i ■ I Sam. xvi. i8. EARLY LIFE. 5 " The Lord is my shepherd ; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside waters of rest. He restoreth my soul, He guideth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake." * It was in these lonely hours, as he watched his father*s sheep, ' that he attained that skill in minstrelsy which early attracted the ^ notice of his neighbours and contemporaries. The particular instrument which was the constant companion of his wander- ings and the vehicle for the outward expression of his highest thoughts, was the kinnor, a small harp of triangular shape like a Greek Delta, having eight or ten strings. To the accompani- ment of this instrument he sang his praise to God, poured out his soul in supplication, uttered his fervent aspirations after righteousness, and signified his faith and trust in Jehovah, the covenant Lord. In this simple, innocent life David passed his early years, educating himself for an unknown future, cultivating those manly noble qualities which should fit him for the eminent station to which God should call him. He might have said with the good poet Wordsworth : " Wisdom and Spirit of the universe ! Thou Soul, that art the Eternity of thought, And giv*st to forms and images a breath And everlasting motion ! not in vain, By day or star-light, thus from my first dawn Of childhood didst thou intertwine for me The passions that build up our human soul ; Not with the mean and vulgar works of Man j But with high objects, with enduring things, With life and nature ; purifying thus ' The elements of feeling and of thought. And sanctifying by such discipline Both pain and fear, — until we recognize A grandeur in the beatings of the heart." When David was some fourteen or fifteen years old there came a startling interruption to his quiet uneventful life. As he was one day tending his flock in the immediate neighbourhood * Psa. viii. ; xix. ; xxiii. ; xxix. We may regard such Psalms as ex- pressing David's sentiments without deciding absolutely concerning theii authorship. So in other cases. O DAVID. of Bethlehem, he was summoned home by an urgent message The great judge and prophet Samuel, now with his father, had desired his immediate presence at a sacrificial feast then about to commence. Samuel, it seems, was accustomed to visit various localities at uncertain intervals for the purpose not only of holding courts of justice and redressing grievances, but also of celebrating religious services, and offering sacrifices. Religious matters were at this period in an abnormal state. No sanctuary had taken the place of the destroyed shrine at Shiloh ; the ark was deposited in one spot, the tabernacle in another ; and in the abeyance of discipline and the enforced inaction of the regular priesthood, the prophet was permitted or authorized to perform sacerdotal functions, and by circuiting among the outlying population to keep alive in the land the knowledge of God. Ostensibly on one of these irregular visits Samuel had come to Bethlehem. Really he had been sent by the Lord to anoint one of Jesse's sons as the future successor to Saul whose disobedi- ence and self-will had led to his rejection from the kingship of Israel. Not that this successor was to depose the reigning sove- reign, and at once assume the royal power ; many years were to elapse before the vacancy of the throne was to open the way to his peaceful accession. . Meantime in God's wise Providence the future monarch was thus early to be designated, the nomi- nation being kept from the cognisance of the jealous Saul by occurring during this religious visitation of Samuel. The sudden appearance tof the venerable prophet, carrying in his hand the long horn or phial filled with sacred oil, and driving before him a heifer adapted for sacrifice, filled the rustic villagers with dismay. Why had he penetrated to their secluded home ? Had any among them been guilty of a crime which the Judge had come to investigate and punish? Or, now that the breach between the king and the prophet had become notorious, would they incur the monarch's displeasure by welcoming the seer? Disquieted by such reflections, the elders of the place went forth to meet him trembling ; but he calmed their apprehensions, assuring them that he had come to sacrifice unto the Lord, and bidding them prepare themselves for the ceremony by the usual purifications so as to be ready to join with him in the offering and the consequent feast. Specially he invited Jesse and his sons to be present with due preparation, he himself going to their house and superintending EARLY LIFE. 7 their purification. Either during this lustration, or in the interval between the act of sacrifice and the feast, Samuel felt himself impelled to discover which of the young men was destined for the throne. He took the horn of oil in his hand. and probably without distinctly announcing his purpose de- manded of Jesse that his sons should present themselves singly before him. When he saw Eliab, the eldest, approach ; and marked his noble mien, his handsome countenance, his goodly stature, untaught by woful experience how little reliance could be placed on outward appearances, he said to himself, " Surely the Lord's anointed is before me." He was wrong. The Lord seeth not as man seeth. Bodily advantages weigh not with Him ; He looks to the heart, the moral excel- lence. Eliab was not the chosen one ; nor was Abinadab, nor Shammah,nor any other one of the seven brethren. Perplexed by this seeming failure, Samuel asked whether these were all the sons that Jesse had, and was informed that there was yet another, the youngest, a boy of no account who was employed in keeping his father's sheep. " Send and fetch him," said the prophet, " for we will not sit down to table till he come hither." David accordingly was hurriedly summoned, and entered the august presence, knowing nothing of what was in store for him. See him standing before the aged prophet, with his fair, pure complexion, his auburn hair, his light but athletic frame, his open guileless countenance, his bright eyes, his whole appearance goodly to look upon. This was the chosen one ; the inward voice whispered, "Arise, and anoint him ; for this is he." And Samuel obeyed the impulse, took the horn of sacred oil, and anointed David in the midst of his brethren. Only the members of his own family were present on this occasion, and if they understood anything of the important bearing of this ceremony, the danger of its disclosure and the feeling of clanship would alike prevent them from divulging it. It was expedient indeed that some witnesses should be present, who might, when necessary, testify to the unction ; but these witnesses were such as were most likely to keep the matter secret, and to publish it only when it would most redound to the credit and glory of their family and their town. It is however almost certain that the brethren knew nothing of the motive of the ceremony. Plainly Eliab would never have spoken to David in the arrogant and contemptuous tone which 8 DAVID. he used on the occasion of the fight with Goliath, if he had had any true conception of his young brother's high destiny. Probably his friends saw in the ceremony only David's designa- tion to the prophetical of5fice ; they inferred that he was thus ad- mitted as a member of the School of the Prophets which Samuel had founded. In this supposition they were partly correct ; but there was much more in the circumstance than this. The sacred narrator says : ** The spirit of the Lord came mightily (overpoweringly) upon David from that day forward;*' and referring to this event long afterwards, when the monarchy had fallen on evil days, a Psalmist sings : " I have found David My servant ; with My holy oil have I anointed him " (Psa. Ixxxix. 20). Doubtless, if Samuel left the brethren in ignorance of the exact nature of the anointing which they witnessed, he imparted its significance in whole or in part to Oa\id; otherwise its utility towards his training for future dignity would have been impaired. Man must correspond to God's gifts, or their efficacy is impeded. The consciousness of being considered worthy of a noble destiny is a powerful stimulus to a noble life. Though inspiration came upon David with sudden and peculiar power, it did not force his will or deprive him of the mastery of his own actions ; it enhanced his natural faculties, but did not overbear them with might irresis- tible. The Holy Spirit which then came upon him raised in him high hopes and aspirations, and gave him strength to live up to them ; new powers awoke ; intellectually and morally he became a new man ; all that was good developed quickly and firmly ; all that was of baser character passed away or became entirely controlled. Kingly virtues readily bloomed in that kindly soil. Government of self was the fitting prelude to the rule of others ; he learned gentleness, charity, accessibility, sincerity; he rose superior to selfish interests, and saw that the objects of one in authority ought to be the honour of God and the good of the community. All these high wishes and purposes were fostered and directed by Samuel in the school at Ramah. Here, whenever he could be spared from his home duties, he became , a diligent student ; and the good old prophet, so grievously disappointed in his first venture, lavished all his care to mould this promising youth into a *' man after God's own heart," a worthy ruler under the Theocracy. " He taught him not' only reading and writing, but EARLY LIFE. 9 also instructed him in music an|d poetry scientifically, so thai the vague utterances and uncertain strains of the shepherd boy took form and substance, and became the regular and enduring psalms and melodies of the finished poet and harpist. And, more than all, he taught the neophytey the law of the Lord, made him conversant with the past history of the nation, drew thence lessons of life, warnings, encouragements, made him wise with the wisdom from above. And the venerable seer loved this pious manly youth who met his advances with answering affection, and looked to him tfs guide and teacher on all occasions in his earlier life. Thus David grew on, daily advancing in holiness and right- eousness ; as his bodily vigour developed, and his intellectual training progressed, so continually new strength and grace were communicated to his soul, enabling him to realize the unseen and conform his desires and conduct to the highest standard. And surrendering himself to the Divine impulse, and guided in action by the counsels of Samuel, David made no effort to assert himself or to publish his claims to the royal dignity ; he con- tinued, when he was not in the school at Ramah, to tend his father's sheep and to act as the least esteemed in the family circle, being quite content to leave the development of his future career to the pleasure of the Lord, and well assured that He would show the way to the accomplishment of His purpose in His own good time. CHAPTER 11. INTRODUCED TO SAUL. '"*hilistines invade the land — Elah — Goliath — David sent to the camp ; is introduced to Saul ; fights with and kills the giant— Defeat of the Philistines — David's interview with Saul — Friendship with Jonathan — David returns home ; is summoned to Court to relieve Saul's melancholy madness. Of David's first introduction to King Saul tradition gave differing accounts,^ but it seems most probable that it took ' The difficulties connected with David's first introduction to Saul and his early connection with the Court are very great, and have never been satisfactorily elucidated. These difficulties have been occasioned by the last editor of i Samuel having adopted various documents, some concerned with the fife of Saul, others with that of David, and inserted them in his work without endeavouring to make out of them one consistent story, or arranging the facts in strict chronological order. The principal dis- crepancies in the present Hebrew text are these : in chap. xvi. ig ff., David is made known to Saul as a skilful musician, is sent for to Court, beloved by the king, made his armour-bearer, and his father Jesse is requested to allow him to be continually with the king. In chap. xvii. David is at home in time of war, is sent casually to the camp on an errand to his brothers, where he is regarded as a mere shepherd-boy unaccustomed to the use of military weapons, and is quite unknown to Saul and Abner. Observing these discrepancies, and endeavouring to reconcile them, modern editors have exhausted their ingenuity in theories and accommodations which still leave some difficulties unsolved. Without recounting these, I may state at once that the most plausible arrangement is one revived and adopted by Hummelauer in his lately published commentary on the Books of Kings. This writer suggests that the fight with GoHath was the occasion of David's introduction to Saul, his position as Court musician and armour-bearer being obtained subsequently. The seeming dislocation in chronology is INTRODUCED TO SAUL. H place on the occasion of a great national event. When he was some eighteen or twenty years old, the restless Philistines gathered their forces and invaded the territory of Judah, with the view of regaining the supremacy which they had lost by the defeat at Michmash and under subsequent operations of the warlike king of Israel. Marching up the broad valley of Elah (so named from the terebinths growing there, as it is now named Wady-es-Sunt from its acacias), which runs north-west from the Judaean hills near Hebron to the sea, they pitched their camp near Shochoh, the present Shuweikeh, on the west side of the valley, at a place called, from the frequent encounters there occurring, Ephes-dammim, "Boundary of blood," and now represented by the ruin Beit Fased, " House of bleeding." ^ To meet this inroad Saul led forth his troops, taking up a position on the eastern side of the valley facing the enemy. In this valley there exists a curious ravine worn by winter torrents some twenty feet across, and having steep banks ten or twelve feet high. This ghor effectually separated the hostile armies, so that for forty days they had rested opposite one another, not risking a general engagement. Not that the Philistines were idle. They did their utmost to provoke a combat in which the advantage would be wholly on their side. accounted for by the supposition that the portion of chap, xvi. which contains the mention of David's summons to Court to soothe the diseased mind of the king is the termination of the History of Saul, the author of which intends only to show how Saul lost God's favour, how David was anointed as his successor and came to be noticed and to take part in public affairs. Chapter xvii. commences the History of David from the beginning, recounting what happened before his attendance on the king, repeating some facts already mentioned. The earhest MS. of the Septuagint, the Vatican, omits the following passages which are now found in the Hebrew, viz., chap. xvii. 12-31, 41, 48 (partly), 50, 55-58 ; xviii. 1-5 and other portions of this chapter. The text thus arranged probably represents the original Hebrew, the additions being made, possibly from authentic sources, at a later period. The Vatican text makes a complete and consistent narrative, as a cursory examination will show ; and if it were expedient to tamper with the Hebrew text and correct it by the Greek, a straightforward story might at once be set forth. If, however, we desire to maintain the integrity of the present Hebrew text, the explanation of Hummelauer seems to be the one that most fairly answers objections. This I have accordingly adopted here. * *' Quarterly Statement," 1875, p. 191 f. ; ibid. 1880, p. 211 f. ; Conder, " Tent Work," ii. 160. 12 DAVID. Among their troops was a man of gigantic stature, Goliath by name/ a descendant, possibly, of the Anakim who on their dispersion by Joshua took refuge in the cities of Philistia (Josh. xi. 2i). This warrior whom the Philistines put forth as their champion was indeed a formidable antagonist. The Targum rnakes him boast of being the hero who slew Hophni and Phinehas in the former war and carried off the ark, and who had often led the Philistines to victory on subsequent occasions. But even without the addition of this terrible reputation there was enough in his very appearance to inspire fear. His height is said to have been " six cubits and a span," which, taking the cubit at eighteen inches and the span at half a cubit, would make him nearly ten feet high. Instances of like extraordinary stature are quoted by commentators from Pliny ^ and other ancient authors ; and our own country has produced one John Middleton, born at Hale in Lancashire, A.D. 1578, who was nine feet three inches tall and possessed of extraordinary strength, and whose portrait is preserved in the buttery of Brasenose College, Oxford. The armour of Goliath, which the Israelites retained as spoils and examined with natural curiosity, is minutely described by the historian. On his head was a helmet of bronze or copper, probably, as the Philistine accoutrements were imported from the west, of the shape with which Grecian monuments have made us familiar, covering the head and nape, but leaving the face wholly exposed. His body was defended by a coat of mail composed of small " There is great doubt whether this giant's name was Goliath ; the record usually calls him simply " the Philistine," and in 2 Sam. xxi. 19, Goliath of Gath is said to have been slain during David's reign by Elhanan. Probably, as Ewald suggests, the champion's real name was lost, and in the course of time that of the giant slain by Elhanan was transferred to David's antagonist. See a different solution in i Chron. xx. 5, adopted by the Authorized Version, 2 Sam. xxi. 19, « "Hist. Nat." vii. 16. Here we read that in the reign of Claudius Caesar an Arab came to Rome who was nine feet nine inches high, and in that of Augustus there were in the city a man and woman even taller. Many of us must remember the Chinese Chang who was seven feet eight ; and Keil mentions the appearance of a giant in Berlin in 1857 who quite equalled Goliath in stature. We read of others of Goliath's family notorious for their enormous size and strength ; and the IsraeHtes in their early wars had often to encounter these prodigies, though they could never meet them without dismay (Deut. ii. 10 ff., iii. 11 ff. .; 2 Sara. xxi. 15 ff. ; i Chron. XX. 4). INTRODUCED TO SAUL. l^ plates of metal fastened on a surface of cloth or leather, and overlapping one another, such as we may see in the representa- tions of Assyrian warriors. This was of enormous weight, "five thousand shekels of brass," equivalent to two hundred- weights of our measure, a ponderous equipment which must have rendered him unwieldy and slow in movement. The corselet, covering front, back, and sides, descended to the knees, and was there met by greaves of copper fastened by clasps or thongs round the calf and ankle, and thus defending the leg. His huge shield, large enough to protect the whole body, and formed of hide stretched on a wooden or osier frame bordered by metal, was borne by an attendant. For offensive purposes he carried first a spear with a shaft or handle of such extraordinary size that it is hyperbolically described as " like a weaver's beam," i.e., the ponderous piece of wood to which the warp was attached in the loom. The spear's head, formed of iron or of the same metal as the other arms, weighed six hundred shekels, or eighteen pounds avoirdupois. Besides this weapon he had a sword girt at his side, and a javelin ' slung across his shoulders. Such was the champion, who, relying on his brute strength and his impenetrable armour, had these many days been defying the ranks of Israel. ** Why," he cried to them, as he stood forth in his threatening panoply in front of the gathered host, " Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? Am not I the Philistine champion, and ye servants to Saul.^ Let us decide the war by single combat. Choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me. If he be able to fight with me and kill me, then will we be your servants ; but if I prevail against him and kill him, then shall ye be our servants and serve us." Such challenges were not unusual in olden days, though the proposed combatants were usually more equal in size, strength, and skill. Thus Paris, in Homer, offers to fight with Menelaus ; Turnus, in Virgil, with ^neas ; thus in Roman story the Horatii and Curiatii rest the fate of their respective countries on the issue of the battle between them." But Saul had no hero in his army willing to cope with ' The Authorized Version renders -SzVoa, "target"; but evidently some offensive weapon is meant, and Goliath would not have had two shields, or have gone into battle without some missile. The word occurs in the sense of "javelin," Josh. viii. i8 ; Job xxxix. 23, xli, 29, and elsewhere. 2 Homer, " II." iii. 67 ff. ; Virgil, "^n." xii. 13 ff. ; Livy, i. 24 f. 14 DAVID. this Philistine champion, and for a long time Goliath was able to exhibit his monstrous proportions and to vaunt his prowess unchecked. The opponent who eventually arose came from a most unexpected quarter. Among the warriors who had answered Saul's summons on the invasion of the country were the three eldest sons of Jesse. I'hcir father's old age was sufficient reason for his declining active service in person, and his other sons were employed at home on the farm or in distant pasturages. In these wars, the troops, which were drawn from a very narrow circle, were not supported at the king's expense, but provided their own rations as tliey best were able. In the case of Jesse's sons, it was the old man's custom to send them provisions by the hand of David, ^ as Bethlehem was only a few miles distant from the encampment. It was on one of these occasions that the event happened which decided David's future career. Some time having elapsed since Jesse had communicated with his three sons, he determined to send David to carry them some necessary supplies and to see how they fared. With the simplicity of primitive times the narrator specifies the provender thus forwarded. There was an ephah (something less than a bushel) of parched corn, that is, grains of wheat roasted in an iron pan before they had become hard and dry, and forming a very palatable article of food still much used in this country ; then there were ten loaves of bread, the large, round, flat cakes which the Jewish peasants make to this day ; besides these, there was a present to the captain of their division, consisting of ten slices of dried curd, — the whole store being just such as would be furnished by a country farm. After telling David that he would find the troops in the valley of Elah,^ and bidding him brin;; some token from his brothers which, in default of a letter, might assure him of their welfare, and that they had duly received the provisions, he despatched him on his errand. Nothing loath to change the monotony of his pastoral life for the ' The words " David went and returned ^went to and fro, R.V.] from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem" (i Sam. xvii. 15), have seemed to many commentators to refer to the statement in ch. xvi. 19 concerning David's attendance at Court in the capacity of musician ; but they are better explained as referring to his visits to the army in »,rder to carry provisions to his brethren. a Verse 19 is really part of Jesse's speech. INTRODUCED TO SAUL. 15 excitement of a visit to the scene of war, David, leaving his flock in the hands of a servant, set out at the dawn of day with an attendant to drive the ass that carried the victuals which were to be conveyed to the army. When he arrived in the neighbour- hood of the camp, which was surrounded by a rude fortification composed of waggons arranged in a circle, he heard the Israelite war cry as some troops were led forth on a skirmish with the enemy. Fired with patriotic ardour, he hastily leaves his servant with the luggage in the camp, and hurries to the front where he knows that he will find his brothers. While he was greeting ,them in the midst of their comrades, the Philistine champion came forth as at other times in the" valley in front of the ranks, and repeated his boastful challenge. David's attention was at once called to this spectacle, and the people around began to tell how Saul had made lavish offers to any one who would meet the Philistine, promising great riches, and the hand of his daughter, and exemption from taxes and personal service. Fancying that this might be mere rumour, David asked the truth from others of the soldiers, and hear4 that it was even so. And now the spirit that was in him began to arouse the heroic impulse. Should the heathen thus insult the Lord's inheritance ? Should there be no champion found to take away this reproach from Israel ? Should this uncircum- cised Philistine, a foul idolater, presume unchecked to defy the armies of the only living and true God? Thus indignant, and glowing with faith in Jehovah, he murmured, as he passed from group to group amid the despondent, gloomy soldiery. So early and strongly awoke in his breast feelings and aspirations which are usually the outcome of maturer age, jealousy for the honour of God, zeal for his country's welfare, eager desire to do her service, a noble ambition to attempt an enterprise which tried warriors declined, and absolute trust in the favour and direction of heaven. His words exhibited a quiet confidence that the Philistine would be vanquished, because he was impiously fighting against God, and implied that a champion would be found to uphold the righteous cause. Hearing David thus talking with the bystanders, his eldest brother, Eliab, was greatly incensed. He was a man of a jealous disposition, narrow-minded and worldly, and had no sympathy with David's high motives and aspirations. He remembered the unction at Bethlehem without fully understand- 1 6 DAVID. ing its import ; he had often been forced to acknowledge the virtue and prowess of his young brother, and he had nourished thoughts of suspicion and envy which now culminated in angry words. Was this presumptuous stripling come to perform some deed of daring, which he, who was twice his age, had shrunk from attempting? "Why art thou come down hither?" he angrily asks. "And who is taking care of that little flock of sheep which our father entrusted to thee, not one of which he can afford to lose? I know thy impudence and the malice of thy heart. The errand on which thou hast nominally come is all pretence ; it is to see the battle, to witness bloodshed that thou art present here.*' Eliab should have looked at home, and marked the beam in his own eye ; the presumption and malice, of which he accused his innocent brother, were very apparent in his own words. But David gently replies, by soft answer endeavouring to turn away wrath : " What have I now done ? Is there no cause?'* that is, "You know how fond I am of adventurous risks, and that it would be no vain boast were I to assert that if I were a soldier in this army, I would not tamely submit to this insult.'" And he turned from his cold, unsympathizing brother to make further inquiries about the challenge, receiving the same answer as before. It was not long ere the words and bearing of this bold youth were reported to Saul, who accordingly sent for him to see if he was inclined and able to carry out the action which his language seemed to promise. Thus, in his simple white shepherd's dress, with his open, ruddy countenance and fair hair, with no weapons but his sling and staff, David stands before King Saul. With modest but <]rm confidence, he speaks : " Let not my lord's heart lail within him on account of the Philistine ; I, thy servant, will go and fight with him." Something of the faith which animated David inspired Saul to place the honour of Israel in the hands of this youthful champion ; he was disposed to allow the combat ; but looking on the almost boyish hero, and contrasting him in his mind with the gigantic foe, before * The above is Klostermann*s explanation of the clause, obscure from brevity, " Is there not a cause?" Other interpretations are these : "It was only a word,'* I was only speaking labout the challenge and doing no wrong. ' ' Is not this a public matter, about which every one is speaking ? " " Is not my father's command a sufficient cause ? " INTRODUCED TO SAUL. IJ giving his consent to the duel, he puts forward its difficulties and dangers. ** Thou art not able," he says, "to go and fight with this Philistine ; thou art but a shepherd-boy, and he has been a warrior from his youth." David makes no boast of warlike skill or prowess, but he recounts his combats with wild beasts while keeping watch over his flock ; how that, unaided, he had slain a lion and the much more formidable bear, and he affirms that the Lord will aid him to be equally successful in the fight against this heathen in spite of his brutal strength, because he had dared to defy the armies of the living God. Won by the youth's quiet confidence, and recognizing in him a power and a spirit beyond nature, Saul consents to his proposal *' Go ! " he cries, ** and the Lord shall be with thee." But at the same time he will omit nothing that might help him in this momen- tous contest. The young champion shall not be armed less securely than his opponent. So he gives David his own dress, the coat, like the buff-coat of mediaeval times, worn under the armour, and to which the sword was attached, and the mail corselet and helmet, and wishes him thus completely equipped to go forth. David, who was lightly made and unused to have his movements fettered by the weight of armour, took a few steps thus encumbered, but found that he could not hope to fight successfully dressed in this panoply. If he were to prosper, it must be by superior activity, not by strength of arm or impenetrability of armour. So he doffed the assumed weapons, and taking with him only those with which he was familiar and in the use of which he was eminently dexterous, his sling and his club, he set forth on his expedition. It was not foolhardiness, or mere love of adventure, or thirst for fame, that prompted the enterprise. A strong religious principle was the moving power. In his eyes it was utterly unworthy of a nation that beheved in Jehovah thus to cower before mere brute force, forgetting in whose hands lay the issue, and that God defends the right ; it was abhorrent to all his notions that a foul idolater, an uncircumcised Philistine, should flout the armies of the true worshippers of the Lord ; and he blushed for his countrymen's little faith in trembling at this boastful pretender. This national disgrace he resolved to wipe out in reliance on the protection and aid of heaven. The position was not of his own seeking. He had come to the camp ignorant of what was going on. He had seen the crisis 3 l8 DAVID. No one but himself had looked upon it in the right light, as a conflict between light and darkness, truth and error, religion and idolatry. The Providence of God had led him so to view it ; and he rose to the occasion, resting his cause on the succour of Him in knowledge of whom the being and continu- ance of Israel were bound up. Purity of motive supported his faith ; past experience in private life inspired him with confidence in an enterprise undertaken for the honour of God and the love of His people. And humanly speaking, the conflict was far from hopeless. Provided his arm was strong and his aim was steady, the sling was the best possible weapon to employ against an adversary whose might was irresistible, and with whom in close combat he could not expect to cope. Setting out he soon arrived at the ravine which, as we have said, crossed the valley and formed a barrier between the opposing hosts. Descending into this at one of the few places where a descent is practicable, he chose five smooth stones from the water-worn pebbles with which the sides and channel are covered, and placing them in the wallet that hung at his waist, climbed the opposite bank, and presented himself sud- denly on the Phihstine side of the valley. Here was the giant seated in front of the army after uttering his insulting challenge. As his eye lighted on David and he perceived that he was advancing in hostile fashion, he rose from his seat indeed, but he openly exhibited his disdain of such an antagonist. Was this the champion whom the Israelites had pitted against him, a mere youth, pretty indeed and fair to look upon, but one whose cheek was not bronzed with military toil, who could have had no experience in war, and who came to the fight armed with a club? "Am I a dog," he exclaimed indignantly, "that thou comest to me with staves? Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field." And the giant cursed David by the God whom he adored, blaspheming the holy name of Jehovah. The youth was not alarmed at this bluster, or at the closer sight of the monster. Like a hero in ancient story he answered taunt with taunt. "Thou comesr agamsi me with sword, and spear, and javehn ; but I come against thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel which thou hast defied." And he goes on to pronounce an assurance of victory over him INTRODUCEB TO SAUL. Tp and his people, " that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel ; and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear ; for the battle is the Lord% and He will give you into our hand." This was the young warrior's confidence. Often in after-life did he think on this occurrence, and in many a psalm express the feeUng with which he entered on the conflict. "There is no king saved by the multitude of an host, A mighty man is not delivered by much strength. Our soul hath waited for the Lord ; He is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in Him, Because we have trusted in His holy name " (Psa. xxxiii. i6, 20, 21). Slowly the encumbered giant advanced to meet his agile foe, thinking with one thrust of his ponderous lance to end^he fight. But David never contemplated coming to close quarters. He saw the only vulnerable spot in Goliath's frame, the face which was not protected by the visor of mediaeval helmets. Surely with one of these five stones he could strike him from a distance. Many Israelites were skilled in the use of the sling. In the time of the Judges (xx. 16) we read of seven hundred chosen men of the tribe of Benjamin, who, left-handed, could sHng stones at an hair-breadth and not miss. David's dexterity stood him now in good stead. Despising his boyish antagonist Goliath did not condescend to have the protection of the shield- bearer to cover his face, but came on with a careless confidence to meet his fate, perhaps not perceiving the sling in David's hand. While the two were at some distance apart, the youthful hero loaded his weapon. Thrice round his head he whirled the thong, and then with all his strength and with an inward prayer for success he hurled the stone. The missile flew true to the mark ; full on the forehead it struck the giant and with such force as to sink into the bone. Stunned and insensible Goliath fell prone upon the earth. Seeing the effect of the blow, David ran up, and stood over the prostrate Philistine, and having no sword of his own, took that of his adversary and with it cut off his head, which he raised aloft in sight of the two observant armies. What an exulting shout arose from the I sraelite5 as they saw this token of victory ! What terror and Sismay filled the hearts of the Philistines at this unexpected spectacle 1 They 20 DAVID. had agreed to the terms of the combat because the result was to them a foregone conclusion ; they had no fears as to the issue ; and this utter frustration of all their hopes struck them ■with sudden panic. Surely, it was a great victory. It restored Israel's faith in the unseen Jehovah who had shown Himself so evidently on His people's side ; it taught them, in what spirit to resist their enemies ; it pointed to an ideal theocratic king. The Greek translators of the Old Testament have appended to the end of the Psalter a psalm, which they assert that David composed on this occasion. There is no Hebrew original of this poem extant, and it is probably not genuine, but it accords well with the history, and is of very ancient date. " This psalm was written by David's own hand, and beyond the number [/>., the 150 genuine Psalms], when he fought the single combat with Goliath." Such is the title. The following is the ode : " I was little among my brethren, and the youngest in the house of my father. I used to keep my father's sheep ; my hands made an instrument of music, and my fingers fitted a psaltery. And who shall report it unto my Lord ? He is the Lord, He heareth. He sent His messenger (angel), and took me from my father's sheep, and anointed me with the oil of His anointing. My brethren were fair and tall, but the Lord was not well pleased with them. I went out to meet the Philistine, and he cursed me by his idols ; but I drew his own sword, and cut off his head, and took away the reproach from the children of Israel." The immediate effect of David's victory was the utter defeat of the Philistines. Panic-stricken, the armies of the aliens were turned to flight ; ' they rushed down the valley, some taking refuge in Gath which stood at its mouth on a towering chalk-hill, others making their way to Ekron, far away to the north, pursued and slaughtered up to the very gates, so that David's threat was nlade good : " I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth ; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel." Meantime Saul was naturally anxious to know more about this youthful champion. When he had sent him forth to the combat, he had inquired of Abner, his general, whose son he was ; but Abner could not inform him. But after the battle Abner sought out the hero, and found him stripping the giant ' Heb. xi. 34. INTRODUCED TO SAUL, 21 of his armour ; and he brought him to Saul with the head of Goliath in his hand, grim trophy of his victory. To the kin