David mourneth for the death of Saul and Jonathan: he ordereth the man to be slain who pretended he had killed Saul.
Dauid hearing that Saul and Ionathas are slaine, 11. mourneth with al his familie, weeping and fasting. 13. causeth him to be slaine who affirmed that he had killed king Saul. 18. He traineth vp archers. 19. and inuiteth also al Israel to mourne.
1Now it came to pass, after Saul was dead, that David returned from the slaughter of the Amalecites, and abode two days in Siceleg.Or egli avvenne che essendo già morto Saul, David, disfatti gli Amaleciti, tornò a Siceleg, dove era da due giorni.AND it came to passe, after that Saul was dead, that Dauid returned from the slaughter of Amalec, and taryed in Siceleg two dayes.Factum est autem, postquam mortuus est Saul, ut David reverteretur a cæde Amalec, et maneret in Siceleg duos dies. 2And on the third day, there appeared a man who came out of Saul’s camp, with his garments rent, and dust strewed on his head: and when he came to David, he fell upon his face, and adored.Quando il terzo giorno comparve un uomo che veniva dal campo di Saul colla veste stracciata, col capo sparso di polvere, e accostatosi a David si prostrò colla faccia per terra, e lo adorò:And in the third day there appeared a man coming out of Sauls campe, his garments torne, and sprinkled on the head with dust, and as he came to Dauid, he fel vpon his face, and adored.In die autem tertia apparuit homo veniens de castris Saul veste conscissa, et pulvere conspersus caput: et ut venit ad David, cecidit super faciem suam, et adoravit. 3And David said to him: From whence comest thou? And he said to him: I am fled out of the camp of Israel.E David gli disse: Donde vieni? E quegli disse: Dal campo d'Israele sono fuggito.And Dauid said vnto him: Whence comest thou? Who said to him: I fledde out of the campe of Israel.Dixitque ad eum David: Unde venis ? Qui ait ad eum: De castris Israël fugi. 4And David said unto him: What is the matter that is come to pass? tell me: He said: The people are fled from the battle, and many of the people are fallen and dead: moreover Saul and Jonathan his son are slain.E David disse a lui: Che è egli avvenuto? dimmelo. E quegli rispose: Il popolo è fuggito dalla battaglia, e molti del popolo sono morti: e anche Saul, e Gionata suo figliuolo son morti.And Dauid said vnto him: What is the matter that is done? tel me. Who said: The people is fled out of the battel, and many of the people are ouerthrowen and dead: yca Saul also and Ionathas his sonne are dead.Et dixit ad eum David: Quod est verbum quod factum est ? indica mihi. Qui ait: Fugit populus ex prælio, et multi corruentes e populo mortui sunt: sed et Saul et Jonathas filius ejus interierunt. 5And David said to the young man that told him: How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son, are dead?E David disse a quel giovane, che raccontava tali cose: Come sai tu che sia morto Saul, e Gionata suo figliuolo?And Dauid said to the yong man that told him: How knowest thou that Saul is dead, and Ionathas his sonne?Dixitque David ad adolescentem qui nuntiabat ei: Unde scis quia mortuus est Saul, et Jonathas filius ejus ?
6And the young man that told him, said: I came by chance upon mount Gelboe, and Saul leaned upon his spear: and the chariots and horsemen drew nigh unto him,E quel giovane disse: Io era casualmente arrivato sul monte Gelboe, quando Saul si gettò sulla punta della sua lancia: e si appressavano de' cocchi, e dei cavalieri.And the young man that told him, sayd: By chance I came into mount Gelboe, and Saulleaned vpon his speare: moreouer the chariots and horsemen approched vnto him,Et ait adolescens qui nuntiabat ei: Casu veni in montem Gelboë, et Saul incumbebat super hastam suam: porro currus et equites appropinquabant ei, 7And looking behind him, and seeing me, he called me. And I answered, Here am I.E rivoltosi indietro, e vedendomi, mi chiamò. E avendogli io risposto: Eccomi:and turning backward, and seing me he called. To whom when I had answered, here I am:et conversus post tergum suum, vidensque me, vocavit. Cui cum respondissem: Adsum: 8And he said to me: Who art thou? And I said to him: I am an Amalecite.Disse egli a me: Chi sei tu? E io dico a lui: Sono un Amalecita.he said to me: Who art thou? And I said to him: I am an Amalecite,dixit mihi: Quisnam es tu ? Et aio ad eum: Amalecites ego sum. 9And he said to me: Stand over me, and kill me: for anguish is come upon me, and as yet my whole life is in me.Ed egli mi disse: Sta sopra di me, e uccidimi; perocché sono oppresso di affanno, e sono tuttora pieno di vita.And he said to me: Stand vpon me, and kil me: because anguishes hold me, and as yet al my life is in me.Et locutus est mihi: Sta super me, et interfice me: quoniam tenent me angustiæ, et adhuc tota anima mea in me est. 10So standing over him, I killed him: for I knew that he could not live after the fall: and I took the diadem that was on his head, and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them hither to thee, my lord.E standogli sopra lo uccisi, ben sapendo come non potea vivere dopo tal rovina: e presi il diadema che avea in testa, e lo smaniglio che avea al suo braccio, e gli ho portati qua a te mio signore.And standing vpon him, I killed him for I knewe that he could not liue after the fal: and I tooke the Diademe that was on his head, & the bracelette from his arme, and haue brought to thee my lord hither.Stansque super eum, occidi illum: sciebam enim quod vivere non poterat post ruinam: et tuli diadema quod erat in capite ejus, et armillam de brachio illius, et attuli ad te dominum meum huc. 11Then David took hold of his garments and rent them, and likewise all the men that were with him.Ma David, prese le sue vesti, stracciolle, e (similmente) tutti quelli che eran con lui,And Dauid taking his garments rent them, and al the men that were with him,Apprehendens autem David, vestimenta sua scidit, omnesque viri qui erant cum eo,
12And they mourned, and wept, and fasted until evening for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of the Lord, and for the house of Israel, because they were fallen by the sword.E si battevano il petto e piangevano, e digiunaron fino alla sera a causa di Saul, e di Gionata suo figliuolo, e del popolo del Signore, e della casa d'Israele, perchè eran periti di spada.and they mourned, and wept, and fasted vntil euening vpon Saul and vpon Ionathas his sonne, and vpon the people of our Lord, and vpon the house of Israel, because they were fallen by the sword.et planxerunt, et fleverunt, et jejunaverunt usque ad vesperam super Saul, et super Jonathan filium ejus, et super populum Domini, et super domum Israël, eo quod corruissent gladio. 13And David said to the young man that told him: Whence art thou? He answered: I am the son of a stranger of Amalec.Disse poi David al giovane, che aveagli recata la nuova: Donde se' tu? E quegli rispose: Son figliuolo di un uomo forestiero Amalecita.And Dauid said to the yong man that had told him: Whence art whou? Who answered: I am the sonne of a man a stranger of Amalec.Dixitque David ad juvenem qui nuntiaverat ei: Unde es tu ? Qui respondit: Filius hominis advenæ Amalecitæ ego sum. 14David said to him: Why didst thou not fear to put out thy hand to kill the Lord’s anointed?E disse David: Come non hai avuto ribrezzo di stender la tua mano per uccidere il cristo del Signore?Dauid said to him: Why didst thou not feare to put to thy hand, to kil the annointed of our Lord?Et ait ad eum David: Quare non timuisti mittere manum tuam ut occideres christum Domini ? 15And David calling one of his servants, said: Go near and fall upon him. And he struck him so that he died.E chiamato uno de' suoi servi, disse David: Vieni qua, gettati sopra costui. Ed ei gli diede il colpo, e colui morì.And Dauid calling one of his seruants said: Goe runne vpon him. Who stroke him, and he died.Vocansque David unum de pueris suis, ait: Accedens irrue in eum. Qui percussit illum, et mortuus est. 16And David said to him: Thy blood be upon thy own head: for thy own mouth hath spoken against thee, saying: I have slain the Lord’s anointed.E David disse a lui: Il tuo sangue (sia) sulla tua testa; imperocché la tua bocca ti ha condannato, avendo tu detto: Io ho ucciso il cristo del Signore.And Dauid said to him: Thy bloud be vpon thine owne head: for thyn owne mouth hath spoken against thee, saying: I haue slaine the annointed of our Lord.Et ait ad eum David: Sanguis tuus super caput tuum: os enim tuum locutum est adversum te, dicens: Ego interfeci christum Domini. 17And David made this kind of lamentation over Saul, and over Jonathan his son.E David fece questo cantico funebre sopra Saul, e sopra Gionata suo figliuolo.And Dauid mourned this kind of mourning vpon Saul, and vpon Ionathas his sonne, (Planxit autem David planctum hujuscemodi super Saul, et super Jonathan filium ejus
18(Also he commanded that they should teach the children of Juda the use of the bow, as it is written in the book of the just.) And he said: Consider, O Israel, for them that are dead, wounded on thy high places.E ordinò che s'insegnasse a' figliuoli di Giuda il cantico dell'arco come nel libro de' Giusti sta scritto. Or egli disse: ripensa, o Israele, a coloro i quali delle lor ferite son morti sopra i tuoi colli.and he commanded that they should teach the children of Iuda the bowe, as it is written in the Booke of the iust.) And he said: Consider, o Israel for them that be dead wounded vpon thy high places.(et præcepit ut docerent filios Juda arcum, sicut scriptum est in libro justorum), et ait: Considera, Israël, pro his qui mortui sunt, / super excelsa tua vulnerati. 19The illustrious of Israel are slain upon thy mountains: how are the valiant fallen?Gli eroi d'Israele sono stati uccisi sopra i tuoi monti: come son eglino morti questi campioni?The Nobles, ô Israel, are slayne vpon thy mountaynes: how are the valiants fallen?Inclyti Israël super montes tuos interfecti sunt: / quomodo ceciderunt fortes ? 20Tell it not in Geth, publish it not in the streets of Ascalon: lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.Non si porti tal nuova a Geth, non si porti tal nuova nelle piazze di Ascalona: perchè non ne faccian festa le figliuole de' Filistei, e non esultino le figlie degli incirconcisi.Tel it not in Geth, neither tel ye it in the high waies of Ascalon: lest perhaps the daughters of the Philisthijms be gladde, lest the daughters of the vncircumcised reioice.Nolite annuntiare in Geth, / neque annuntietis in compitis Ascalonis: / ne forte lætentur filiæ Philisthiim; / ne exultent filiæ incircumcisorum. 21Ye mountains of Gelboe, let neither dew, nor rain come upon you, neither be they fields of firstfruits: for there was cast away the shield of the valiant, the shield of Saul as though he had not been anointed with oil.Monti di Gelboe, nè rugiada, nè piova cada sopra di voi, nè campi abbiate, onde offerir si possano le primizie: perocché colà fu gittato per terra lo scudo dei forti, lo scudo di Saul, come se egli non fosse stato unto con olio.Mountaines of Gelboe, let neither dew, nor rayne come vpon you, neither be they fields of the first fruits: because there was the shield of the valiantes cast away, the shield of Saul, as though he were not annointed with oyle.Montes Gelboë, nec ros, nec pluvia veniant super vos, / neque sint agri primitiarum: / quia ibi abjectus est clypeus fortium: / clypeus Saul, quasi non esset unctus oleo.
22From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the valiant, the arrow of Jonathan never turned back, and the sword of Saul did not return empty.Nel sangue degli uccisi, nelle grasse viscere dei valorosi non ha lasciato mai di saziarsi la freccia di Gionata: la spada di Saul non è mai rientrata nel fodero senza frutto.From the bloud of the slaine, from the fatte of the valiants, the arrowe of Ionathas neuer returned backward, and the sword of Saul did not returne emptie.A sanguine interfectorum, ab adipe fortium, / sagitta Jonathæ numquam rediit retrorsum, / et gladius Saul non est reversus inanis. 23Saul and Jonathan, lovely, and comely in their life, even in death they were not divided: they were swifter than eagles, stronger than lions.Saul, e Gionata amabili, e gloriosi nella lor vita, più veloci dell'aquile, più forti de' leoni, non sono stati divisi neppur nella morte.Saul and Ionathas amiable, and comely in their life, in death also were not diuided: swifter then eagles, stronger then lyons.Saul et Jonathas amabiles, et decori in vita sua, / in morte quoque non sunt divisi: / aquilis velociores, leonibus fortiores. 24Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you with scarlet in delights, who gave ornaments of gold for your attire.Figlie d'Israele spargete lagrime sopra Saulle, il quale vi rivestiva di delicate vesti di scarlatto, e vi somministrava aurei fregi per adornarvi.Yee daughters of Israel weepe vpon Saul, who clothed you with scarlet in delicaces, who gaue golden ornaments to your attyre.Filiæ Israël, super Saul flete, / qui vestiebat vos coccino in deliciis, / qui præbebat ornamenta aurea cultui vestro. 25How are the valiant fallen in battle? Jonathan slain in the high places?Come mai son eglino caduti i forti nella battaglia? Come mai è stato ucciso Gionata sopra i tuoi monti?How haue the valiantes fallen in battel? Ionathas bene slayne in thy high places?Quomodo ceciderunt fortes in prælio ? / Jonathas in excelsis tuis occisus est ? 26I grieve for thee, my brother Jonathan: exceeding beautiful, and amiable to me above the love of women. As the mother loveth her only son, so did I love thee.Te io piango, o fratello mio, Gionata, bello oltre modo, e amabile più d'ogni amabil fanciulla. In quella guisa che la madre ama l'unico figlio, così io ti amava.I am sorie for thee my brother Ionathas exceeding beautiful, and amiable aboue the loue of wemen. As the mother loueth her onlie sonne, so did I loue thee.Doleo super te, frater mi Jonatha, / decore nimis, et amabilis super amorem mulierum. / Sicut mater unicum amat filium suum, / ita ego te diligebam. 27How are the valiant fallen, and the weapons of war perished?Come mai sono caduti i forti, e le loro armi guerriere si son perdute ?How haue the strong fallen, and the weapons of warre perished?Quomodo ceciderunt robusti, / et perierunt arma bellica ?
1:1
Year of the World 2949, Year before Christ 1055.
Salien
Siceleg, though it had been burnt down. (Salien, the year of the world 2949.)
1:6
Worthington
Chance. He feigned this to obtain the favour of David; but the king punished him as he deserved. (Worthington)
Menochius
Spear, or sword, as it is before expressed. (Menochius)
1:8
Calmet
Amalecite. The Rabbins say he was the son of Doeg; and has this appellation because Amalec sprung from Esau, Genesis 36:12. But this is all very uncertain. The man seems to have gotten possession of the marks of the royal dignity in the night, as the Philistines deferred till the next day stripping the bodies of the deceased. (Calmet)
1:9
Calmet
Anguish. Hebrew, "the coat of mail withholds me." Septuagint, "horrid darkness encompasses me." Shabah, signifies a coat of mail, made of cloth, very thick, and boiled in vinegar, to render it more impenetrable. The Greeks emperors and the French formerly wore them much, instead of iron. (Calmet)
Protestants however agrees with us.
Haydock
In me. I have yet received no mortal wound. (Haydock)
1:10
Challoner
I killed him. This story of the young Amalecite was not true, as may easily be proved by comparing it with the last chapter of the foregoing book. (Challoner)
Fall. This he says, apprehending that David would perhaps disapprove of what he had done.
Diadem, or ribband, which was tied round his head, as a badge of his dignity. Hebrew, "the crown." But it was not of metal, though such were already common, Exodus 28:36., and 1 Paralipomenon 20:2. Some pretend that Doeg gave these insignia to this son, that he might ingratiate himself with the future king. But they were upon Saul, so that the enemy could easily distinguish him.
Bracelet. The Hebrews took a great many from the Madianites, Numbers 31:50. Such presents were made by the Romans to soldiers who had performed some feats of valour. (Pliny, [Natural History?] 33:2.) (Livy 1:10.)
1:11
Calmet
Rent them, in sign of grief, as many other nations did. Tum pius Aeneas humeris abscindere vestem. (Virgil, Aeneid v.) (Calmet)
1:12
Haydock
Of the Lord, the priests; (Abulensis) though it seems to be explained by the following words, of all the Israelites. (Haydock)
1:13
Stranger, residing among the Hebrews.
1:16
Calmet
Head. None but thyself can be answerable for thy death. See Matthew 27:25. David was already supreme magistrate, and he wished that all should be convinced that he rejoiced not at the death of the king, and that none might imitate the example of this wretch. (Calmet)
Thus Vitellius punished the murderers of Galba, "not out of respect to Galba; but, according to the custom of princes, as a protection for the present, and a threat of vengeance for the future," in case any should dare to treat him in like manner. (Tacitus i.) Tradito principibus more, munimentum in praesens, in posterum ultionem.
1:18
Haydock
Bow. So this canticle was entitled, because it spoke in praise of the bow and arrows of Saul and Jonathan, ver. 22. So one of the works of Hesiod is called "a buckler;" of Theocritus "a flute;" of Simmias "a wing;" etc. Septuagint have neglected this word entirely (Calmet) in the Roman edition. But it is found in the Alexandrian copy, which reads "Israel," instead of Juda, perhaps properly. (Grabe, prol. 4:2.) (Haydock)
Worthington
Chaldean, "to shoot with the bow." Many suppose that David cautioned his men to exert themselves in that art, (Menochius) as they might soon expect to have to encounter the Philistines, (Tirinus) who were very expert bowmen. (Worthington)
Calmet
But the former interpretation seems preferable. (Calmet)
Grotius
The bow might be also the beginning of some favourite song, to the tune of which (Du Hamel) David would have his men to sing this canticle, (Haydock) particularly when they went to battle. (Grotius)
Menochius
Just. See Josue 10:3. (Menochius)
Calmet
It seems this was a more ancient record, to which the author of this book refers. (Calmet)
Haydock
He might have in view the canticle of Anna, (1 Kings 2:4,) or some other. (Haydock)
Calmet
The custom of composing canticles, on such solemn occasions, is very ancient and frequent. See 3 Kings 3:33., and 13:29., and Jeremias 48:31. (Homer, Iliad ps et ch) The style of this piece can hardly be equalled by the most polite writers. (Calmet)
Haydock
David is chiefly occupied with the praises of Jonathan. (Haydock)
Calmet
Consider....places. This sentence is omitted in Hebrew, Chaldean, Septuagint, and in some copies of St. Jerome's version. (T. 1:p. 365, Nov. edit. op.) It is a farther explication of the subsequent verse. (Calmet)
Haydock
Yet the Septuagint read, "Erect a pillar, O Israel, [upon thy heights; the Vatican Septuagint places this after slain. (Haydock)] in honour of the slain, thy wounded soldiers. How are the mighty fallen?" The Hebrew seems to be different from what the Septuagint, Chaldean, etc., read, as the Masora now adopts etsbi, instead of etsib, which has greatly puzzled interpreters. Hence Aquila translates akriboson, with the Septuagint of Ximenes, i.e., "Execute or consider with attention," this sepulchral monument on which you shall inscribe, "For the dead and for thy wounded." It was to be placed on some "eminence," according to custom. The present Hebrew is very indeterminate, denoting "glory, a honey-comb," etc., Ezechiel 20:6., and Daniel 11:16, 41. See Grabe, Prol. (Haydock)
1:19
Calmet
Illustrious. Hebrew, "the glory (beauty, hart, etc.) of Israel hath been pierced," etc. The comparison of Saul with a hart, is noble enough in the ideas of the ancients, Psalm 17:34., Canticle of Canticles 2:9., and 8:14. Syriac and Arabic, "O hart of Israel, they have been slain," etc. (Calmet)
Haydock
Slain. Hebrew chalal, signifies also "a soldier;" and this word agrees perfectly well with giborim, "valiant," both here and ver. 22 and 25. Kennicott would apply it to Jonathan, upon whom David's attention is mostly fixed. "O ornament of Israel! O warrior, upon thy high places! How," etc. (Haydock)
Tirinus
In this manner many such pieces commence, Lamentations 1:(Tirinus)
1:20
Haydock
Triumph. He was aware of the exultation of the infidels. (Haydock)
1:21
Calmet
Fruits, which may be offered to the Lord. Inanimate things could not offend, nor does David curse them in earnest. But (Tirinus) nothing could more strikingly express his distress and grief, than this imprecation. It is false that those mountains have since been barren. This canton is one of the most fruitful of the country. (Brochard.) (Calmet)
Menochius
Job (iii.) speaks with the same animation, and curses his day. (Menochius)
Haydock
Of Saul, or "Saul, the shield of his people, was cast away, as," etc. Protestants, "as though he had not been anointed with oil." (Haydock)
Tacitus
He is not reproached for throwing away his buckler, for nothing was deemed more shameful. The ancient Germans would not allow such a one to enter their temples or places of assembly. (Tacitus, mor. Germ)
Calmet
A woman of Sparta told her son, when she delivered one to him, "Bring this back, or be brought upon it" dead. Impositu scuto referunt Pallanta frequentes. (Virgil, Aeneid x.) (Sanctius) (Calmet)
Kennicott
As though. Hebrew seems to have sh, instead of s, (as it is in several manuscripts correctly, in noshug) and bli, instead of cli, (Delany) as the former word seems no where else to signify quasi non; and the Syriac, Arabic, and Chaldean omit the negation. It might therefore be the shield of Saul, "the arms of him who has been anointed with oil." (Kennicott)
Calmet
Some would refer this unction to the shield, (Vatable) as this was some times done: (Menochius) but the reflection would be here too trifling. (Calmet)
1:22
Kennicott
From. Hebrew, "without the blood of soldiers, without the fat of the valiant, the bow of Jonathan had never returned." (Kennicott)
Calmet
Fat. The entrails. It might also denote the most valiant of the soldiers, as we read of "the fat or marrow of corn" for the best, Psalm 80:17. (Calmet)
Haydock
Jonathan attacked the most courageous, and laid them dead at his feet. (Haydock)
Virgil
Empty. Saul carried destruction wherever he went. Et nos tela, pater, ferrumque haud debile dextra, Spargimus et nostro sequitur de vulnere sanguis. (Virgil, Aeneid 12:50.)
1:23
Calmet
Lovely, or united. Jonathan always behaved with due respect towards his father, though he could not enter into his unjust animosity against David. (Calmet)
Haydock
The latter passes over in silence all that Saul had done against himself, and seems wholly occupied with the thought of the valour and great achievements of the deceased. (Haydock)
Haydock
Sanchez believes that these epithets were introduced of course into funeral canticles, like Alas! my noble one, (Jeremias 22:18.; Menochius) as Saul could have no pretensions to be styled lovely, or friendly, towards the latter part of his reign; since he treated the priests, David, and even his son Jonathan, with contumely, and even with unrelenting fury. But all this David would willingly bury in oblivion. He will not even notice how different was the end of the two heroes. Jonathan died like a virtuous soldier in his country's cause; Saul was wounded, but impiously accelerated his own death, through dread of torments and of insult. Though they died, therefore, on the same field of battle, their end was as different as that of the saint and of the impenitent sinner. (Haydock)
1:25
Kennicott
Battle. Hebrew, "in the midst of battle! O Jonathan, thou warrior upon thy high places!" (Kennicott, Diss. 1:p. 123.)
1:26
Menochius
Brother. So they lamented, Alas! my brother, Jeremias 22:18. (Menochius)
1:27
Menochius
Perished, falling into the hands of the enemy; though Saul and Jonathan may be styled the arms, as well as the shield, of Israel. (Menochius)
Calmet
No character could be more worthy of praise than the latter. His breast was never agitated by envy, though he seemed to be the most interested to destroy David. Even Saul had many excellent qualities; which makes Ven. Bede compare him in those respects with Jesus Christ; as most of the memorable persons and events of the Old Testament had a view to Christ on the one hand, and to the Synagogue on the other. Saul is one of the most striking figures of the reprobation and conduct of the Jewish church. As he was adorned with many glorious prerogatives, and chosen by God, yet he no sooner beheld the rising merit of David, than he began to persecute him: so the Jews had been instructed by the prophets, and had been selected as God's peculiar inheritance; and nevertheless took occasion from the virtues and miracles of the Son of God, to conspire his ruin. The Romans were sent to punish the Jews, who are now become the most abject of all mankind, and are filled with rage, seeing the exaltation of the Christian Church, as Saul was reduced by the Philistines to the greatest distress, and his children were forced to implore the protection of the man whom he had so cruelly persecuted, etc. (Calmet)
Haydock
Saul and Judas may be a warning to us, that no person ought to live without fear, since they perished so miserably, though they had been elevated by the hand of God. (St. Ambrose, etc.) (Haydock)
1:10
I killed him.... This story of the young Amalecite was not true, as may easily be proved by comparing it with the last chapter of the foregoing book.
1:6
He fained al this, thincking to get fauoure (for Saul killed himself, li. 1. ch. 31.) but Dauid punished him, as such a crime desetued. v. 15.
1:12
Exequies of Saul obserued with mourning weeping and fasting.
1:18
The Philisthijms were strong & cunning archers therefore Dauid commanded that his subiectes should lerne and exercise the same maner of fight.
1:21
St Gregory of Nazianzus † AD 389 Select Orations of Saint Gregory Nazianzen 16.17
… why have valleys lamented and not abounded in corn, the mountains not dropped sweetness, as they shall do hereafter to the righteous, but been stript and dishonoured, and received on the contrary the curse of Gilboa?
St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 On the Duties of the Clergy 3.9
… How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! Jonathan was wounded even to death. I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan; very pleasant hast thou been unto me. Thy love came to me like the love of women. How have the mighty fallen and the longed-for weapons perished!
St John Chrysostom † AD 407 The Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Paul's Epistle to the Romans 23
… ii .); and doing like those who lament ( ἀνακαλοὕντας ), as David also did when Saul was fallen. For he made an address to the mountains which received him as he died, in the words, “Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there fall on you neither rain nor dew, because there were the shields of the mighty cast away.” (
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St Ambrose of Milan † AD 397 On the Duties of the Clergy 3.22
… What good friends those Hebrew children were whom the flames of the fiery furnace did not separate from their love of each other! Of them we have already spoken. Holy David says well: “Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant, inseparable in their life, in death they were not divided.”
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St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on 2 Timothy 7
I will now cite you from the Scriptures a wonderful instance of friendship. Jonathan, the son of Saul, loved David, and his soul was so knit to him, that David in mourning over him says, “Thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women. Thou wast wounded unto death.” (
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St John Chrysostom † AD 407 Homilies on Ephesians 20
… And therefore a certain blessed man too, when he would express surpassing love, and was mourning for one that was dear to him, and of one soul with him, did not mention father, nor mother, nor child, nor brother, nor friend, but what? “Thy love to me was wonderful,” saith he, “passing the love of women.” (
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2. AND ON THE THIRD DAY THERE CAME A MAN OUT OF THE CAMP OF SAUL. — The Rabbis fable that this man announcing to David the death of Saul was the son of Doeg the Idumaean, just as they feign that Doeg was the armor-bearer of Saul, who killed himself with him, and I said in book I, chapter xxxi, verse 4.
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8. I AM AN AMALECITE. — Philo, or rather Pseudo-Philo, in the Biblical Antiquities, says that the name of this Amalecite was Edab, and that he was the son of Agag king of the Amalecites, whom Samuel had slain; and that Saul, hearing that this was an Amalecite son of Agag, said: Behold now the words of Samuel have come upon me, when he said: He that shall be born of Agag shall be thy ruin; go therefore and say to David: I have slain thy enemy; and thou shalt say to him: Thus saith Saul, be not mindful of my hatred and of my injustice.
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9. STAND UPON ME, AND KILL ME, — that is to say, Lean upon me with thy sword, and drive it into me, and thus kill me. Josephus, book VII, chapters 1 and 2, thinks that this young man speaks the truth, as if Saul, overcome by fear and weakness, not being able to kill himself with his own sword, called upon this young man, who killed him. So also R. Levi. But rather the Sacred Scripture, than this young man who flatters David, is to be believed, which in book I, chapter xxxi, verses 2 and 31, plainly asserts that Saul killed himself. Therefore this young man lies, saying that he killed Saul, in order to gain the favor of David by having slain his enemy Saul, as Theodoret, Eucherius, Procopius, Angelomus, Lyra, Abulensis, Serarius, Torniellus, Salianus and others say. Yet truly he himself brought the diadem of Saul to David, because after the battle was finished and Saul was slain, he came willingly or by chance to Mount Gilboa, and there took the diadem from Saul, as Abulensis and Cajetan say. BECAUSE ANGUISH HATH HELD ME. — The Chaldean: trembling; the Septuagint: darkness; in Hebrew שבץ scabats, that is, enclosure, constriction, anguish, both of heart and of enemies, who surround me on all sides. Moreover scabats also signifies a garment with eyes or holes, as it were enclosed and shut in with eyes, such as is the netted breastplate of soldiers, and the Ephod of the high priest, and thus the Rabbis understand it here; but in various ways. First, R. Levi explains it of the netted breastplate of Saul, that is to say, Saul: Kill me, because I cannot pierce myself through on account of the netted breastplate with which I am covered. Second, others explain it of the breastplates of enemies, that is to say, The armored horsemen of enemies surround and constrain me; whence also the Zurich version translates, a crown hath seized me, namely of horsemen. Third, others in the Midrash explain it of the Ephod of the high priest, that is to say, The priests and the high priest Ahimelech hold and terrify me, whom I unjustly slew in chapter XXII: they exact punishment from me, as if Saul from the consciousness of his crime knew that he was driven to death on account of the slain priests. Abulensis adds, Question V, that Saul saw the shades and specters of priests clothed in priestly vestments, which terrified him; but more plainly our author translates scabats as anguish; whence the Chaldean and the Septuagint agree with him. Hence also Vatable translates, trembling hath seized me, or trepidation. AND YET ALL MY LIFE IS IN ME, — that is to say, Although I am grievously wounded by the archers, as was said in chapter xxxi, verse 3, yet I still live entirely, and I fear lest I fall alive into the hands of the enemy, and they shamefully torture and kill me; do thou therefore quickly pierce through and kill me. He alludes to the manner of the dying: for they die gradually by parts. First the soul departs from the eyes, so that they do not see; then from the ears, so that they do not hear, and thus gradually it departs from the other parts, until it leaves the heart itself; when this happens man dies completely. Whence Aristotle: The heart, he says, in man is the first living and the last dying. On the contrary, the eyes are the last living and the first dying: for in the embryo, the eyes are formed last. Hence Seneca, epistle 30: The soul of an old man, he says, is on his very lips, and is not drawn from the body with great force. For, as St. Ambrose says: Death is at the doors for the old, treachery lies in wait for the young.
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14. THAT THOU MIGHTEST KILL THE ANOINTED OF THE LORD, — namely Saul, who was anointed by the Lord through Samuel with chrism, or oil, as king of Israel, and therefore was as it were sacred and inviolable.
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16. THY BLOOD BE UPON THY HEAD, — that is to say, impute to thyself and thy head the shedding of thy blood, because thou hast confessed that thou didst kill Saul the king: for it is fitting that thou shouldst pay for the blood of Saul, which thou didst shed, with thy own blood and death. For this is the law of retaliation sanctioned by God. Thou wilt say: No injury is done to one who is willing; but Saul was willing and begged to be killed. I answer, first, that Saul could not will this, nor could he here cede his right; secondly, even if to Saul willing to be killed no injury would properly be done, yet an injury was done to God, who was the lord of Saul's life; and to the commonwealth of which Saul was the head. Thus St. Thomas, III part., Quest. XLVII, art. 6, ad 3. Thou wilt ask, whether it was lawful for David to command this Amalekite to be killed, when he was not yet king, nor had kingly authority? I answer in the affirmative. For he had this power, because he knew that after the death of Saul the kingdom would belong to him by the disposition of God. For to this end he had been anointed king by Samuel, that he might succeed Saul, rejected by God, or still living, as some wish, or rather dying, in the kingdom. Thus Abulensis, Cajetan, Serarius and others. Add that David had been authorized by Saul as a leader of war, to fight against the enemies of Israel and to kill them: but this Amalekite was an enemy, because he confessed that he had killed the king of Israel. Finally, God had commanded all the Amalekites to be killed, as we heard in cap. xv; and the guilty man himself acknowledged David as king and judge, inasmuch as he had brought to him the diadem, the insignia of royal dignity.
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18. AND HE COMMANDED THAT THE SONS OF JUDA SHOULD BE TAUGHT THE BOW. — The Chaldee has, to shoot the bow. Whence Bede, Lyran, Abulensis, Vatable, Salian and others thus explain it: He commanded that the sons of Juda should be taught the art of war, namely the art of shooting, because the use of arrows was then most customary; and it was fitting that Juda at this time should be the bulwark of the whole people against the victorious Philistines, as if to say, He exhorted them not to lose heart in adversities, but to prepare themselves for future wars, lest as now they had been conquered by the Philistines by the art of shooting — for Saul himself had been wounded by them, and the whole army had been put to flight — so in the future. But more aptly with Serarius, Sanchez and Mariana, by the bow understand the lamentation itself, or the dirge and epicedium of David; for the title of this was the bow, because in it the bow and the martial strength of Saul and Jonathan were praised. In a similar manner the Psalms have their titles by which they are denominated. Thus among the Greeks a certain Ode was called the Harmodium, because it celebrates the heroic deeds of Harmodius. Other Odes were called Daphnis and Niobe, because they praise them. Others are called the pipe and the shield, in Theocritus; thus we commonly call the psalms and hymns sung in the Church: Te Deum laudamus, Magnificat, Benedictus, De profundis, Miserere, from their beginning and title or subject. That this is so is evident, first, because otherwise there is no connection here; for what will the bow have to do with the lamentation of David? Secondly, because in the Septuagint it is recorded that David produced not simply a dirge, but this dirge, or, as our text, such a one; then in the same there is no other name which corresponds to the bow, except the dirge. Moreover it is subjoined that David said this in order to teach the sons of Juda; what thing? namely the very thing which they alone named, the dirge. Thirdly, Josephus handed down that the Jews learned these dirges so diligently that they adhered to them even to his own times. Fourthly, because in a similar manner Jeremiah, with the destruction of Jerusalem impending, commands that the sons be taught the dirge, and the manner of lamenting: Teach, he says in cap. IX, vers. 20, your daughters lamentation, and each one her neighbour mourning. Such are the dirges of Jeremiah. Fifthly, because it was the custom to teach and learn such songs, as appears from Deut. cap. XVII, and II Paral. xxxv, 25, where it is said that Jeremiah composed dirges concerning the death of King Josiah: Whose, it says, all the singers and singing women even to the present day, repeat the lamentation over Josiah. Tropologically St. Jerome, and from him Rupert: David, he says, said that the Lord should teach the sons of Juda the bow, that is, should teach the kings of Juda strength, that they might be strong and intent in the fear of the Lord, and in the precepts of God, lest through disobedience the kings of Juda should depart from strength and the fear of the Lord, and in the manner in which he himself perished, should perish. For strength is lacking to all who yield to temptations and fall into sins; for if they resisted them strongly, they would not sin. Wherefore he who is tempted has especially need of strength, which he ought to obtain by prayers from God. AS IT IS WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE JUST. — The Book of the Just, says St. Jerome, is the book of Samuel, in which are contained the just Prophets, namely Samuel, Gad and Nathan; in which book it is said to be written how Saul, departing from fear through his disobedience, perished. But it is incongruous that the same book and author should cite himself; wherefore this appears to be another book. What and what kind it was I have said, Joshua x, 13. In this book therefore the whole dirge of David and epicedium of Saul was written, of which only a part is here recounted. CONSIDER, O ISRAEL, FOR THOSE WHO ARE DEAD UPON THY HIGH PLACES (the high mountains of Gelboe) WOUNDED.
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19. THE ILLUSTRIOUS, ISRAEL, UPON THY MOUNTAINS THE MIGHTY HAVE BEEN SLAIN: HOW HAVE THE STRONG FALLEN? — This verse in matter and sense is the same as the preceding one. Wherefore for these two verses, only one is found in the Hebrew, Septuagint and Chaldean. For which reason this double verse has arisen from a twofold version of the Hebrew text. The former from the version of Aquila (which Procopius follows), and therefore some codices of the Vulgate edition, such as the Royal, omit it; the latter from the version of St. Jerome. The Hebrew texts word for word have: the glory of Israel upon thy heights is wounded; how have the heroes fallen? Thus Vatablus. He addresses David to the land of Israel, as if to say: O illustrious land of Israel, upon thy mountain Gelboe was wounded and fell Saul with Jonathan, who was the glory, the desire and the splendor (for all these things are signified by צבי tsebi) of thine; these two indeed were thy invincible heroes. The Chaldean renders it, they stood over Israel, over the house of your strongholds the slayers were lifted up, how have the strong fallen? The Roman Septuagint has, stand, Israel, over thy dead, upon the heights wounded; how have the mighty fallen? For stand, in Greek it is στήσαι, as if to say, apply thyself and bend thyself fixedly to this consideration; Aquila ἀκριβῶσον, that is, weigh it carefully. This song is written in a military spirit, as being composed by David the warrior concerning the robust warriors Saul and Jonathan.
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21. MOUNTAINS OF GILBOA, LET NEITHER RAIN NOR DEW COME UPON YOU, NOR (in you) BE FIELDS OF FIRSTFRUITS, — from which fruits may be born, whose firstfruits are to be offered to God according to the law. The mountains of Gilboa, stretching lengthwise from West to East for eleven leagues, are on the border of half the tribe of Manasseh and the tribe of Issachar, whose beginning is from the city of Jezreel, and extend almost to the Jordan. It appears that David curses and imprecates sterility upon the mountains of Gilboa, that is upon an irrational creature, not insofar as it is a creature of God, but insofar as it was the occasion and place of so great a disaster of Saul and the Hebrews; which is not a sin. See St. Thomas, II II, Question LXXVI, article 2. Hear St. Ambrose, book II On Cain, chapter VIII: Nature, he says, from the condemnation of the innocent soil, shows forth the future punishments of the guilty; on account therefore of the sins of men, the very elements themselves are condemned. Finally, David wished perpetual sterility as a punishment upon the mountains of Gilboa. In a similar manner Job, chapter III, cursed the day of his nativity, as also Jeremiah, chapter XX, verse 14, because that day had been to him the occasion and gateway of so many evils: see the things said there. St. Gregory adds, book IV of the Morals, chapter IV, that through the sterility of the mountains, men, namely the Jews, are punished; for these by their iniquity deserved that their king should be slain there. Yet it is true that David here did not truly and seriously curse the mountains of Gilboa, nor did he imprecate sterility upon them; but he spoke in a military manner, as it were, to signify the sorrow of his heart, as if to say: It would be fitting and worthy that you, O mountains of Gilboa, in memory of so great a disaster should be forever deprived of dew and rain, and of grain and fruits, because this disaster was accomplished in you. Thus Abulensis, Cajetan and others. Furthermore Rabanus and the Gloss say that this curse was as it were a prophecy, which was actually fulfilled. For the mountains of Gilboa were formerly very fertile, afterwards extremely sterile; and St. Ambrose seems to understand this, book III of the Offices, IX. For it is certain that the mountains of Gilboa are in many places rocky, dry and sterile, as witnessed by Bredenbach, Adrichomius and other geographers of the Holy Land. Yet others assert that these mountains were such before David: others think that this sterility befell them from the time of Elijah, who brought sterility and drought upon all Israel by his imprecation, III Kings XVII, 1. Thus the Master of the Scholastic History. Moreover Abulensis asserts that he knows men upon whom rain has fallen on the mountain of Gilboa. Allegorically St. Gregory, book IV of the Morals, chapter IV: Gilboa, he says, is interpreted as a flowing down; but through Saul anointed and dead, the death of our mediator is expressed: not undeservedly through the mountains of Gilboa the proud hearts of the Jews are signified, which while they flow down in the desires of this world, have mingled themselves in the death of Christ, that is of the anointed one. And because in them the anointed king dies bodily, they themselves are dried up from all the dew of grace. Furthermore Pagninus in the Names of the Hebrews: Gilboa, he says, in Hebrew is the same as a heap of swelling, or of inflation; for there the impious fall and are cast down, as the proud Lucifer from the highest heavens, and therefore Saul was slain on Gilboa. Mystically St. Bernard, sermon 54 in the Song of Songs, understands by the mountains of Gilboa demons, likewise the lukewarm and irreligious; for these are dry and sterile of grace and good works. Hear St. Bernard: The sinner shall see and shall be angry, he shall gnash with his teeth and pine away. How miserable, when he looks up to the heavens, in which he beholds innumerable mountains shining with divine brightness, resounding with divine praises, sublime in glory, abounding in grace! How more miserable, when he looks upon the earth, nevertheless having very many mountains of the people of his acquisition, solid in faith, lofty in hope, spacious in charity, cultivated with virtues, filled with the fruits of good works, receiving from the dew of heaven, as from the couch of the bridegroom, daily blessing? Then St. Bernard continues, and emphasizes this: With how much pain and rancor, we think, does that one most desirous of glory look upon these mountains so glorious around him, when he despises himself and his own as uncultivated in that region, dark, barren of all goods, so that he feels himself to be a reproach of men, and of Angels who reproaches all, according to that in the Psalms: This dragon whom thou hast formed to mock him! NOR BE FIELDS OF FIRSTFRUITS, — that is of fruits, from which firstfruits are selected and offered to God. The Chaldean renders it, challeta (for which the Latin Interpreter in the Royal Bibles wrongly put Halcha) that is a cake or small bread which was offered as it were of the firstfruits of fruits. AS IF HE HAD NOT BEEN ANOINTED WITH OIL, — supply Saul, who had been anointed by Samuel as king. Some refer anointed to shield — whence R. Solomon and Vatablus think that in the creation of a king, not only the king but also his shield was accustomed to be anointed with oil, so that from this anointing it would become slippery for casting off the darts of enemies; but thus all the shields of soldiers ought to have been anointed, as the Abulensian rightly arguing refutes this, who also asserts that the king's shield was accustomed to be anointed; but for another reason, namely so that his dignity as well as his strength in fighting might be represented by this anointing, that is to say: The shield of Saul once anointed with oil is now so anointed with the blood of enemies that that former anointing of God does not appear in it; and just as if it had not been anointed with oil. Isaiah favors this, chapter XXI, verse 5, saying: Arise, princes, seize (in Hebrew anoint) shields, that is, so that they may be polished, wiped clean and shining. Whence the Chaldean translates: wipe and make bright the arms. See the remarks there.
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22. FROM THE BLOOD OF THE SLAIN, FROM THE FAT OF THE MIGHTY, THE ARROW OF JONATHAN NEVER RETURNED BACKWARD, — but it penetrated the bodies of enemies even the strongest and fattest, and stained them with their blood, pierced through and killed them, that is to say: Jonathan and Saul with their arrows and swords drew forth and shed much blood, and wounded and killed many. Therefore some less correctly refer from the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, and connect it with the preceding verse, as if these words gave the reason why rain and dew should not descend upon the mountains of Gilboa, namely on account of the blood of Saul, Jonathan and the Hebrews shed, who were killed in them. Moreover Saul was easily seventy years old, Jonathan more than forty; for soon his younger brother, namely Ishbosheth, succeeding Saul in the kingdom was forty years old, as we shall hear in chapter II, verse 10.
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23. IN DEATH ALSO THEY WERE NOT DIVIDED, — that is to say: Saul and Jonathan, as life united them, so also did death. For friends rejoice to live together, and to die together, because the soul of the lover is more in the beloved friend than in the lover. Thus among the Gauls the Soldurii are celebrated, as it were the strongest soldiers, who swore mutual faith to one another in battle, so that they would either conquer or fall together, as Caesar testifies, book V of the Gallic War. Symbolically, the Church in the office of the Church adapts these words to the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, who on the same day, month and year were crowned with martyrdom by Nero: Glorious, it says, princes of the earth, as they loved one another in their life, so also in death they were not separated. Swifter than eagles, stronger than lions. It is a hyperbole, that is to say: Saul and Jonathan were most swift and most strong. Virgil gives a similar epitaph to his Daphnis, that is, to Julius Caesar pierced with twenty-three wounds in the senate house, or to Quintilius Varus, slain with three legions in Germany, in the Eclogues, where among other things he sings thus of him: Daphnis—even the Libyan lions groaned at / His death, the wild mountains and forests speak of it. / Daphnis taught to yoke Armenian tigers / To his chariot, etc. And further down he asserts that he was translated to heaven among the Gods: Bright Daphnis wonders at the unwonted threshold of Olympus, / And beneath his feet sees clouds and stars, etc. / Always honor, and your name, and praises shall remain.
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26. LOVELY ABOVE THE LOVE OF WOMEN. — Understand love either actively, that is, As much as women are accustomed to love their husbands and sons, so much have I loved you, O Jonathan; or passively, that is, As much as women are accustomed to be loved by husbands and sons, so much and more were you lovely to me in delights and beloved. Thus Theodoret. Morally, see here, marvel at and imitate how David was so forgetful of so many injuries from Saul, and how he did not rejoice at his death, though he was most hostile to him, but lamented it so seriously and honored it with so elegant a funeral oration, and therefore deserved to succeed him in the kingdom, and won the favor of the tribe of Judah, which immediately anointed him as their king. Wherefore St. Chrysostom, in the homily On Virtue and Vices, teaches that the envy of Saul harmed Saul himself, not David; for it itself brought infamy and death to Saul, but glory and kingdom to David: The common people, he says, do not know how much more miserable those ought to be considered who, while they think to harm others, pierce themselves with swords: which is the height of madness, to strike oneself and not to know it; but when he believes he is afflicting another with injury, then truly he is utterly destroying himself. He then demonstrates this by example and antithesis of Saul and David: Was not he troubled by trouble and an evil demon; while he was brighter than the sun in his trophies; and because he especially worshipped God, was he not known above the heavens with great piety? Did not he waste away with envy: while he, bearing all things easily, bound all to himself with charity? He adds the cause: Because he (Saul) had soldiers terrible in arms, he, namely David, had justice as his companion and helper, mightier than innumerable legions. The same Chrysostom, in volume II On Saul and David: If they had had a thousand lives, he says, would they not have readily spent them for their leader, as much from reverence as they showed to the enemy, having truly perceived how benevolent a mind he bore toward his own? Moreover, he who is mild and gentle toward those by whom he has been troubled; will be much more so toward those who are well-disposed toward him. Which indeed was for him the greatest pledge of security. And a little later: To David, he says, they obeyed not as to a man, but as to an Angel. Finally St. Ambrose in the Apology of David, chapter VI: He avenged his enemy, he says, he lamented his death most tearfully; and the kingdom owed to him, which alone he taught all men not to seize, even if it were owed, but to await, that it be conferred in its own time. Would that posterity had imitated this man! we would not have endured such bitter cruelties of wars.
Machine translation from the Latin, not reviewed.
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Saul (Heb. Šāʾūl "Obtained with Prayer")
… defeat (ibid. 28, 8-23). The next day Israel was routed by the Philistines at Aphek on Gilboa, and with many others 3 sons of S. fell (Jonathan, Abinadab, Malchishua); S. threw himself upon his spear (ibid. 29, 1; 31, 1-13). David mourned him greatly (II Sam. 1, 1-27). Another son of S., Ish-bosheth (v.), supported by Abner, would later reign two years over Israel.
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… Nebuchadnezzar, from whom he received the order to kill the diviners incapable of interpreting the king's dream, and to whom he introduced Daniel (Dan. 2:14-16, 24 f.); duties which in oriental courts we find entrusted to such officials (II Sam. 4:12; 1:15).
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Jonathan (Heb. Yônāthān, "Yahweh Has Given")
David bewailed, in a famous lament, "the bow of J., which never turned back," his anguish for his "brother J." who was "so dear" to him, whose love he prized "more than the love of women" (II Sam. 1, 19-27). At his death J. left a little son of 5 years, Mephibosheth (v.), whom David, in memory of his friend, would later make his perpetual table companion (II Sam. 9).
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EDEN. - The place where the earthly paradise was located (Gen. 2:8, 15). The Hebrew "edhen," according to the ancients, means "delight, pleasure" (II Sam. 1:24; Ps. 25 [36]:9); for the moderns, "steppe," "uncultivated plain," like the Akkadian edinu, or "fertile field," like the Sumerian edin. …
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · Vulgata Clementina · original Douay-Rheims (Douay 1609-10), transcription by EEBO-TCP (CC0) · La Sacra Bibbia, tradotta dalla Volgata da Antonio Martini (1769-1781) (LaParola (laparola.net), Martini OSIS text, Public domain (LaParola's electronic edition marks it 'Dominio pubblico')). Public domain.