venty men were punished with immediate death (V). This dreadful flaughter ftruck fuch terror into them, that they fent to the inhabitants of Kirjath-jearim, a city in the neighbourhood of Bethfhemesh, and in the tribe of Judah, defiring, that they would fetch the ark away from them; which they accordingly did, and placed it in the houfe of one Abinadab, which ftood on the highest part of the city, where it continued till David's time, that is, about feventy years; and confecrated Abinadab's fon Eleazar to be the keeper of it. SAMUEL, who acted by this time both as prophet and judge, took occafion, from the people's affembling in great y I Sam. vi. per tot. (V) This is what ours, and moft other verfions, make the original to fay; for which reason we have not dared to depart from it, though we own, with the learned Bochart, that we can neither conceive how there could be fuch a multitude of people in a village on the borders of Judæa, nor how it could be confiftent with the goodness of GOD, to make fuch a flaughter of thofe men, who came with joy to receive the ark, fuppofing fuch a number could really have all looked into it. But we beg leave to obferve here, that the original is capable of a twofold fenfe, befides this in our verfion, both which do greatly leffen that number, and remove the difficulty. The first is that of Bochart above-mentioned (65), who fhews, that it ought to have been rendered fifty men of a thousand, instead of fifty thousand, that is in all, feventy; because, as he obferves rightly after St. Jerom (66), (65) Phaleg. fub Bethshemesh. Vid. cb. 6. 6. 4. (66) In hebdom. Dan. Trem. in loc. VOL. IV. it is not usual in the Hebrew 'The other fenfe is, that & Le Scen, essay on a new verf. part ii. Samuel's multitudes before the ark, to lament their not yet rec exhorta vered liberty, to perfuade them to put away Aftare tion to the and the other ftrange deities, from among them, and people. ferve the LORD alone; upon which condition only could promise them a fpeedy deliverance from the P liftine yoke. The people readily complied, and afterwar affembled at Mizpeh, according to his appointment, whe they fafted and prayed, and expreffed all the tokens of lively, repentance. This unufual meeting gave umbrag to the Philistines, who immediately took up arm and came against them; but Samuel, having offered up fucking lamb for a burnt-offering, by his prayers obtain fuch a form of thunder and lightning, as quite difcomfite their enemies, whom the Ifraelites purfued with grea flaughter into Beth-car. In memory of this fignal v &tory, Samuel caufed a great ftone to be erected betwee Mizpeb and Shen, which he called Eben-ezer, or the fton of help; and, from that time to Samuel's death, the Phi liftines were fo far from making any further attempt again Ifrael, that they fuffered them to recover all the cities and fortreffes which had been taken from them, from Ekro even unto Gath, and the territories about them r. At the the flood fame time the Ifraelites were at peace with the Amorites, fo that the land enjoyed a profound peace all the days of Bef. Chr. Samuel's government: whilft be, to make it easier to the 1096. people, left Ramah, his usual place of refidence, and the W place of his nativity, once a year, to take a circuit round Beth-el, Gilgal, and Mizpeh, to adminifter judgment; and then returned to his own city, where he had built an altar unto Goɔ, and whither the people might refort unto him at all other times". Year of 1252. By that time Samuel had judged Ifrael twenty years with great integrity and applaufe, he had the mortification to hear, that his two fons, foel and Abiah, whom he had, in his later days, made judges at Beersheba (Y), fuffered s Ibid. vii. to the end. fephus adds, that he appointed the eldest to keep his refidence at Beth-el, and the other at Beersheba, and ordered them to take a yearly circuit at proper places, fo that cach fhould have one half of Ifrael to his fhare (69); but the text fays nothing of it. r1 Sam. ibid. & feq. (69) Ant. l. vi. c. 3. them B.I reco themselves to be bribed to pervert judgment; upon which account he faw himself furrounded by the elders of Ifrael, who defired him, that he would appoint to them a king, like other nations, fince his fons were not worthy to fucceed him in his office. Samuel expoftulated with them in the strongest terms, upbraided them with their ingratitude, and forewarned them of their danger; and, among other diffuafives, laid before them all the mifchiefs and grievances they were likely to fuffer from a king. In a word, he omitted nothing that could poffibly divert them from their defign; though to no purpofe, till GOD commanded him to comply with them, and to fet fuch a king over them, as he should direct. Whereupon Samuel, having promised to comply with their demand, difmiffed them for the prefent; and Saul was foon after appointed by GOD to be the first king of Ifrael. SECT. VIII. The history of the Jews under their monarchical government. Year of the flood 1253. 1095. SAUL the fon of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, was a Saul, firf very comely youth, well-fhaped, and taller by the king of head and fhoulders than the common fize. He had been Ifrael. fent with a fervant, about the time of this defection, to seek after some strayed affes; and, after three days useless fearch, Samuel, who knew him to be the perfon appointed Bef. Chr. by GOD to the regal dignity, and was then going to blefs a facrifice which was held in his city, took that opportunity to introduce him to the feaft, where he fet him in the highest place, and diftinguifhed him from all the other guests, by a particular difh of meat fet before him above the reft. He detained him all that night; and, early on the morrow, called him up to receive his directions, and accompanied him fome part of the way; and, having commanded his fervant to go on before ", he poured the oil upon his head, and faluted him king of Ifael. Saul behaved, during all this ceremony, with exraordinary modefty, alleging the fmalnefs of his tribe nd family, as an argument of his being unfit for fo high dignity; but the prophet affured him, that he fhould find imfelf endowed with fuch a fuperior portion of God's Spi rit, as would give him a new heart, fo that he would fhortly feel himfelf quite another man. Among other things that Samuel told him fhould befal him in his way home, one was, that he would be met by a company of prophets, and that he would then receive the spirit of prophecy, and prophefy with them. This, as well as the reft, came to pafs accordingly; and the furprize, with which thofe of his acquaintance beheld it, occafioned that faying, which paffed afterwards into a proverb, Is Saul alfo among the prophets? Soon after this, Samuel called all the heads of Ifrael to Mizpeh, and caufed them to prefent themselves by their tribes before the LORD; and, as they paffed in their order, that of Benjamin was taken; then were the families of it called, and that of Matri was taken, and next to that the fon of Kishy. WHILST this was doing, Saul had hid himself; and, upon his being brought out, Samuel prefented him to the people, as the perfon whom God had chofen to be their head; and immediately the air rang with the people's fhots, Long live the king! Here Samuel, who, at their fift tumultuous meeting, had forewarned them of all that a king might do in the plenitude of his power, and what they had to fear from him, now thought it neceffary to inform him, before the affembly, of what he ought to do, and what to avoid; after which he caufed him to be proclaimed and anointed king of Ifrael. The new king returned to his houfe in Gibeah, whither a number of brave honeft men of Ifrael followed him; whilft another company of loofe fellows, who defpifed his youth and comelinefs, and thought him unfit for fuch a government, refufed to acknowlege him, or to bring any prefents, as. the reft did. Ber it was not long before he had an occafion to give them an earnest of his courage, and to let them fee how well he could use his new authority. The inhabitants of Jabefb-gilead were ftreightly befieged by the Ammonites, and upon the brink of lofing not only their liberty, but their right eye, as a lafting reproach to the whole nation; when, having obtained a refpite of feven days from the Ammonitish king, they fent an account of their difmal Saul's firft ftate to the elders of Ifrael. Saul immediately took a yoke exploit. of oxen, and caufed them to be hewed in pieces, and difpatched with the utmoft fpeed through all the tribes, with this threatening meffage, that whofoever refufed to follow x 1 Sam. x. 11. y Ver. 21. z Ver. 24. him him to the relief of their brethren of Jabefb-gilead, his cattle should undergo the fame fate. The people, alarmed at this news, immediately repaired to Bezek, to the number of three hundred thoufand, befides thirty thousand of the tribe of Judah; and Saul, having fent the befieged word, that he would come to their rescue by the next morning, marched all that night; and, as foon as he came near the enemy, divided his army into three bodies, and fell upon them by break of day with fuch fury, that they were forced to raife the fiege, and fly with the utmost precipitation, and a very confiderable lofsz. The people, elevated with this fignal victory, were for putting to death all that had refused to acknowlege Saul for their. king; but he generously withftood it, alleging, that it was not fit to ftain the beginning of his reign with the flaughter of their brethren, after GOD had wrought fo great a falvation in Ifrael. This moderate answer pleased the people ftill more; and Samuel, who had accompanied him to the battle, invited now the people to Gilgal, there to confirm the kingdom unto Saul by an univerfal confent, fince he had fhewn himself fo worthy of it; which was accordingly performed with great folemnity 2. SAMUEL took this happy opportunity to juftify his adminiftration, as judge; because his authority, being devolved upon Saul, could be no longer a check to any of them from exhibiting their complaint, if any fuch they had against him. He therefore challenged them, as he was now old, and ready to leave the world, to accufe him openly, before their new king, if he had committed any fraud, injuftice, or oppreffion, against any of them, that he might now make them reftitution before he died; and he had the fatisfaction of being cleared and commended by the general voice of the people. However, to convince them of their ingratitude in demanding a king, he recapitulated all the grievous thraldoms which their idolatry and difobedience had drawn upon them, fince their being feated in that land; and the many fignal deliverances which GOD had wrought for them upon their repentance; and, to add a ftill greater weight to his words, and affure them how highly GoD was difpleafed at them, he reminded them, that it was then the time of harveft, when the air is generally ferene, and free from clouds, and ftormy rains; but he told them, that he would, by his prayers, obtain fuch an extraordinary ftorm of thunder and rain, as fhould convince them, that God had been 1 Sam. xi. per tot. z Vol. ii. p. 144. D3 highly |