the flood Saul's de- him, in the humbleft terms, that he would take some sufeat and ftenance before he went away; which, after long impordeath. tunity, he confented to: and, as foon as they had reYear of freshed themfelves, they went their way, and reached their army before break of days. A dreadful battle foon ensued, according to all that had been foretold to Saul, whofe fear of being taken alive, and ill ufed by his enemies, rather than the wounds he received from them (Q), made him rush upon his own fword, to put an end to his unfortunate life. Here the victorious Philiftines could not for1 Sam. xxviii. paff. 1293 1055. 2. Were it true, that GOD had refufed to answer him in the ordinary ways of urim, and the like, yet it doth not follow, that he might not do it in an extraordinary one, in order to make the greater impreffion upon him, who had all along been but too regardless of GOD's commands, when communicated to him by the prophet. He might likewife be fuffered to feek for counfel from a witch, to make him fenfible what degree of impiety he had brought himself into; and GoD fending Samuel to reprove him for it, was a fignal way of discountenancing fuch a wicked and forbidden pra&tice. we fhould lofe ourselves in a labyrinth almoft as dark and intricate, as thofe do, who fuppofe, that two fuch remarkable events, as the death of Saul and his three fons, and the total defeat of the Ifraelitish army, could be foretold fo pofitively and exactly, either by a juggling woman, or by the devil, or indeed by any, but an omniscient power. 1 (Q) Notwithstanding what has been faid elsewhere (1) of Saul's receiving feveral wounds before he fell upon his sword, for want of attending more to the original, than to ours, and other verfions, we beg leave to obferve here, that, in this place, and in the Chronicles, where the account of Saul's death is repeated, the root of the verb is in chol, which fignifies to be in dread, in pangs, and alludes to the travail of a woman, &c. and not challal, to wound; so that it doth not appear, that he was at all wounded, but only in the extremity of fear, when he faw himself so thick befet with enemies, that there was ΠΟ way to escape (2). (2) Vide Chald. paraph, Munft, & al. in loc. bear However, we do not pretend to remove all difficulties that can be raised against this opinion; but only to fhew, that it is attended with fewer, and lefs, than the other two : for which reason we fhall carry our inquiry no farther, whether it were the real foul of Samuel, or an angel affuming his fhape; whether Saul faw, or only heard him fpeak; and many others, concerning which (1) See before, vol. ii. p. 247. bear venting their refentment on his dead body, and thofe of his fons; they mangled and hung them up upon the walls of Bethfhan. But the grateful Jabefbites, remembring how Saul had faved them formerly from lofing their eyes and liberty, foon after fent fome of their braveft men to rescue them, gave them an honourable burial, and kept a feven days faft, in memory of their deaths h. DAVID had been returned from the flaughter of the plunderers of Ziklag about two or three days, when he received the news of Saul's and Jonathan's death, by an Amalekite, who alfo brought him Saul's crown and bracelets. How glad foever David might be to hear of his enemy's death, yet that of his beloved Jonathan touched him David's to the heart; and the great defeat of the Ifraelites caufed mourning a general mourning and fafting in his whole army. As for Saul for the meffenger, he, having unadvisedly pretended to and Jonahave given Saul his last wound at his defire, was ordered nathan. to immediate death, for having lifted up his hand against the LORD's anointed. David greatly mourned the unhappy fate of the father and fon; and their deaths infpired his poetic genius with one of the fineft elegies that ever was penned, which he caused to be tranfmitted to future i ages As foon as they had done mourning for Saul, he confulted the LORD, which way he should steer his course next; and was commanded to remove to Hebron. He was there again anointed king over Judah by those of that tribe, who came to him in multitudes; whilft Abner, Saul's general, proclaimed his fon Ifbbofheth, who was then forty years old, king of Ifrael at Mahanaim. Thus was the kingdom divided between these two, each enjoying his Succeeds own fhare quietly, without molefting the other, during the space of two years (R), the tribe of Judah cleaving to David, and the reft, at least for the most part, to Ish b 2 Sam. cap. ult, ver. 4. See before, vol. ii. p. 247. 1 2 Sam. i. per tot. (R) At least, this feems to be the sense of those words, And Ifhbofheth reigned two years (2); for it is plain he reigned much longer, but not peaceably. Much the fame was faid of the beginning of Saul's reign (3). Abner alfo might (2) 2 Sam, ii. 10. (3) Sam. xiii. 1. Uffer, annal. fub A. M. 2951. Ifhbofheth Saul. bobeth. The first popular thing David did after this, was to fend a meffage of thanks to the inhabitants of Jabefbgilead, for the regard they had paid to the bodies of the deceafed king, and his fons k; after which, he married Maacab, the daughter of Talmai king of Gefbur, by whom he had afterwards Abfalom and Tamar 1 (S). At the end of two years, Abner, having repaffed the Jordan with his army, encamped on one fide of the pool of Gibeon; and Joab the fon of Zeruiah, David's general, over-against him on the other. HITHERTO there had paffed no hoftilities, nor had any war been declared between the two monarchs; fo that, their fubjects on both fides being all Ifraelites, there was a neceffity of making fome kind of hoftile overture, which might bring on an engagement. The two generals therefore bethought themselves of the following strange one : they agreed to fend twelve brave men out of each army, to meet in a proper place between them, under pretence of performing fome warlike exercife; but they were no fooner come within reach of one another, than each man took his antagonist by the head, and fheathed his fword in his body; fo that they were all killed upon the spot. In memory of this bloody feat, the place was called Helkath bazzurim, the field of ftrong men; and a dreadful Defeated battle immediately enfued, in which Abner's army was by David's totally routed, and himself forced to fly for his life. The general. purfuit lafted till fun-fet, by which time they were got as far as the hill of Ammah, within fight of Giah, along the wilderness of Gibeon. Here the Benjamites rallied again under Abner, and, pofting themselves on the rifing of the hill, refolved to make a ftout defence; but their general, who was weary of fighting, called to Joab, and defired him to put a stop to the flaughter of his brethren, whofe deftruction could not but caufe bitterness in the end. Joab, hearkening to him, caufed the trumpet to found a retreat; after which, Abner and his men took the way of 1 Ibid. iii. 3. k 2 Sam. ii. 5. (S) But we cannot think, with our learned Uber, that he contracted an affinity with that prince, to strengthen himfelf against his rival (4); that being exprefly forbidden by the law of Moses. It is more probable, that he took her prifoner in one of his excurfion; against that country, as we shall fhew in another note. (4) Uffer, fub A. M. 2950, Mahanaim, Mahanaim, and Joab returned to Hebron. There were but nineteen men killed on David's fide, but Benjamin loft 360TM; and from that time David grew daily stronger, and Ibbafbeth weaker; but the war between those two did not end till the death of the latter, which happened shortly after. In the mean time Abner, who had used all his endeavours to ftrengthen his master's party, fet fuch a value upon his own services, that he made no fcruple to have a criminal intercourfe with one of Saul's concubines, named Rizpah; and, when he was reprimanded for it by Ishbo- IfhboSheth, he refented it fo highly, that he fwore he would, fheth defrom that minute, become a friend to David; and fent ferted by meffengers privately to him, to contrive a revolt; after Abner. which he found out the following pretence for going to him unsuspected: David had fent to Ifhbofbeth, to defire of him to fend him his wife Michal, whom Saul, during his exile, had married to another; and Abner, having obtained an order from him to demand her of her husband, took upon him to convey her fafe to David; and, accompanied with twenty men, went, and prefented Michal to David, and was graciously received by him. But, as he was returning home, Joab, unknown to David, fent for him back to Hebron, under fome friendly pretence, and killed him as foon as he was come to the gate of the city, under colour indeed of revenging his brother Afahel's death, whom he had lately flain; but much more likely, to rid himself of so powerful a rival. As foon as David heard of it, he protefted his innocence of that bloody deed, and vented his refentment in imprecations against the author of it; after which he caused Abner to be decently buried, and attended his corpfe to the grave with all the tokens of forrow and respect " ISHBOSHETH foon heard of his death; and, as he had been the main fupport of his kingdom, both he and his men began to fear, that David would foon be too ftrong for him. This infpired two of his captains, Baanah and Rechab, to confpire against his life; who, entering his chamber in the heat of the day, when he was lain down on his bed, barbarously murdered him, cut off his head, Murdered fled with it, unperceived, to Hebron, and prefented it by Baanah to David, congratulating him upon the death of his com- and Repetitor. It was hardly to be expected, that David, who chab. Year of had punished the young Amalekite with death, for barely the flood pretending to have killed Saul, could forbear expreffing a 1295. much greater horror at this inhuman regicide, and Bef. Chr. inflicting a fuitable punishment upon the authors of it, 1053. whatever advantage his affairs might reap from it. Accordingly he commanded them to be immediately put to death, and their hands and feet to be cut off, and hung up over the pool of Hebron. As for the head of Ishbofheth, he caufed it to be buried in the fepulcre of Abner, which was alfo in the fame city •. David reigns all over the 12 tribes. Zion taken by Joab. DAVID by this time had reigned over Judah in Hebron about feven years and an half; and, when the reft of the tribes heard of Ifhbofheth's death, they affembled, and came to anoint him king over all Ifrael, and to pay their homage to him. These are reckoned, in another place P, to have amounted to the number of 320,000 men, and upwards, all ready armed, and expert warriors, out of all the twelve tribes, except part of that of Benjamin, which ftill adhered to the houfe of Saul. David received them with joy, and feafted them at Hebron during three days; all that time, not only his own and the neighbouring tribes, but even fome of the more diftant ones, pouring in plenty of provifions upon them 9. THE next year, David went and befieged Jerufalem, a place of fuch ftrength, that it had ftood till that time against the united force of Judah and Simeon. Here Joab fhewed fo much bravery and conduct, that he was made head general of Ifrael he beat the Jebusites that defended it, and carried the fortrefs of Sion, or Zion, by affaults, which David made his refidence from that time. He inlarged and fortified it from Millo inward round about, and called it the city of David, whilft Joab rebuilt the reft of the city, furrounding it with a ftrong wall; and from that time it became the metropolis of Judæa. In the mean time his fuccefs fo alarmed the jealous Philistines, that they came fuddenly upon him, took Bethlehem, and put a garifon into it, before he could make any refiftance, whilft he was forced to retire to the cave of Adullam for prefent fafety ". It was here, that, having expreffed a longing defire for fome of the water of |