Goliath defies the A. M. 2941. An. Exod. Isr. 7 And the staff of his spear mies of Israel this day; give me was like a weaver's beam; and a man, that we may fight tohis spear's head weighed six hun-gether. dred shekels of iron and one bearing a shield went before him. Anno ante I. Olymp. 287. 8 And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and ye * servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me. 9 If he be able to fight with me, and to 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. 1 A. M. 2941. 11 When Saul and all Israel I. Olymp. 287. heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid. 12 Now David was "the son of that Ephrathite of Beth-lehem-judah, whose name was Jesse; and he had eight sons: and the man went among men for an old man in the days of Saul. 13 And the three eldest sons of Jesse went and followed Saul to the battle: and the names of his three sons that went to the battle were Eliab the first-born, and next unto him Abi 10 And the Philistine said, I'm defy the ar- nadab, and the third Shammah.` i 2 Sam. xxi. 19, 26; 2 Sam. xxi. 21. Ch. viii. 17.— Chap. xi. 1.-- Ver. javelin or dart; others, that it was a lancé; some, a • Gen. xxxv. 19.—P Chap. xvi. 10, 11; see 1 Chron. ii. 13, 14, 15.4 Chap. xvi. 6, 8, 9; 1 Chron. ii. 13. all our battles I have gone at the head of the army, and we conquered and cut down men, and laid them as low as the dust of the earth; and to this day the Philistines have not granted me the honour of being chief Verse 7. The staff of his spear was like a weaver's of a thousand men. And ye, men of Israel, what noble beam] Either like that on which the warp is rolled, exploit has Saul, the son of Kish, of Gibeah, done, that or that on which the cloth is rolled. We know not ye should have made him king over you? If he be a how thick this was, because there were several sorts hero, let him come down himself and fight with me; of looms, and the sizes of the beams very dissimilar. but if he be a weak or cowardly man, then choose you Our woollen, linen, cotton, and silk looms are all dif-out a man that he may come down to me." ferent in the size of their beams; and I have seen several that I should not suppose too thick, though they might be too short, for Goliath's spear. His spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron] That is, his spear's head was of iron, and it weighed six hundred shekels; this, according to the former computation, would amount to eighteen pounds twelve ounces. And one bearing a shield] hatstsinnah, from 1 tsan, pointed or penetrating, if it do not mean some kind of a lance, must mean a shield, with what is called the umbo, a sharp protuberance, in the middle, with which they could as effectually annoy their enemies as defend themselves. Many of the old Highland targets were made with a projecting dagger in the centre. Taking the proportions of things unknown to those known, the armour of Goliath is supposed to have weighed not less than two hundred and seventy-two pounds thirteen ounces! Plutarch informs us that the ordinary weight of a soldier's panoply, or complete armour, was one talent, or sixty pounds; and that one Alcimus, in the army of Demetrius, was considered as a prodigy, because his panoply weighed two talents, or one hundred and twenty pounds. Verse 8. I a Philistine] The Targum adds much to this speech. This is the substance: "I am Goliath the Philistine of Gath, who killed the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas the priests; and led into captivity the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, and placed it in the temple of Dagon my god; and it remained in the cities of the Philistines seven months, Also, in Verse 9. Then will we be your servants] stipulation we hear nothing farther. Of this Verse 10. I defy] 'n 'is ani cheraphti, “I strip and make bare," the armies of Israel; for none dared to fight him. From the Dhunoor Veda Shastra it appears that, among the Hindoos, it was common, before the commencement of an engagement, to challenge the enemy by throwing out some terms of abuse, similar to those used by Goliath. We find this also in Homer: his heroes scold each other heartily before they begin to fight. See on ver. 43. Verse 11. Saul and all Israel-were dismayed] They saw no man able to accept the challenge. Verse 12.-The 12th verse, to the 31st inclusive, are wanting in the Septuagint; as also the 41st verse; and from the 54th to the end; with the first five verses of chap. xviii., and the 9th, 10th, 11th, 17th, 18th, and 19th of the same. All these parts are found in the Codex Alexandrinus; but it appears that the MS. from which the Codex Alexandrinus was copied, had them not. See observations at the end of this chapter. Dr. Kennicott has rendered it very probable that these portions are not a genuine part of the text, Notwithstanding what Bishop Warburton and others have done to clear the chronology of the present printed Hebrew, it is impossible to make a clear consistent sense of the history, unless these verses are omitted. Let any one read the eleventh verse in connection with the thirty-second, leave out the forty-first, and connect the fifty-fourth with the sixth of chap. xviii., and he David is sent to his brethren. A. M. 2941. B. C. 1063. An. Exod. Isr. 428. Anno ante I. Olymp. 287. A. M. 2941. An. Exod. Isr.. 428. Anno ante 14 And David was the young- this man that is come up? surely est: and the three eldest follow- to defy Israel is he come up and ed Saul. it shall be, that the man who 15 But David went and re-killeth him, the king will enrich I. Olymp. 287. turned from Saul to feed his father's sheep him with great riches, and will give him his at Beth-lehem. daughter, and make his father's house free in Israel. T 16 And the Philistine drew near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days. 17 And Jesse said unto David his son, Take now for thy brethren an ephah of this parched corn, and these ten loaves, and run to the camp to thy brethren; 18 And carry these ten cheeses unto the * captain of their thousand, and look how thy brethren fare, and take their pledge. 19 Now Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, were in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines. W V 20 And David rose up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and took, and went, as Jesse had commanded him; and he came to the trench, as the host was going forth to the fight, and shouted for the battle. 21 For Israel and the Philistines had put the battle in array, army against army. 22 And David left his carriage in the hand of the keeper of the carriage, and ran into the army, and came and saluted his brethren. 23 And as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the armies of the Philistines, and spake according to the same words and David heard them. 24 And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled a from him, and were sore afraid. 25 And the men of Israel said, Have ye seen Chap. xvi. 19.- Heb. cheeses of milk. —— Heb. captain of a thousand. Gen. xxxvii. 14. Or, place of the carriage; chap. xxvi. 5.- w Or, battle array, or, place of fight.- - Heb. the vessels from upon him. Heb. asked his brethren of peace, as Judg. xviii. 15.- z Ver. 8: will be perfectly convinced that there is nothing wanting to make the sense complete; to say nothing of the other omissions noted above. If the above be taken in as genuine, the ingenuity of man has hitherto failed to free the whole from apparent contradiction and absurdity. I must confess that where every one else has failed, I have no hope of succeeding: I must, therefore, leave all farther attempts to justify the chronology; and refer to those who have written for and against the genuineness of this part of the common Hebrew text. At the end of the chapter I shall introduce some extracts from Kennicott and Pilkington and leave the whole with the unprejudiced and discerning reader. Verse 18. Carry these ten cheeses] Cheeses of : b 26 And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this d uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God? 27 And the people answered him after this manner, saying, " So shall it be done to the man that killeth him. 28 And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men; and Eliab's h anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why camest thou down hither? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride and the naughtiness of thine heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle. 29 And David said, What have I now done? Is there not a cause? 30 And he turned from him toward another, and spake after the same manner: and the peo-" ple answered him again after the former manner. 31 And when the words were heard which David spake, they rehearsed them before Saul: and hem sent for him. 32 And David said to Saul," Let no man's heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine. 33 And Saul said to David, P Thou art not a Chap. xiv. 6. Verse 10. Deut. v. 26.a Heb. from his face. Josh. xv. 16.-c. Chap. xi. 2. - Verse 25. h Gen. xxxvii. 4, 8, 11; Matt. x. 36. Ver. 17.—————k Ver. 26, 27. Heb. word. in Heb. taok him. n Deut. xx. 1, 3. Chap. xvi. 18.-P See Num. xiii. 31; Deut. ix. 2. 0 milk, says the margin. In the East they do not make what we call cheese: they press the milk but slightly, and carry it in rush baskets. It is highly salted, and little different from curds. Verse 19. Fighting with the Philistines.] See at the end of the chapter. Verse 29. Is there not a cause?] ain dan mibn. halo dabar hu. I believe the meaning is what several of the versions express: I have spoken but a word. And should a man be made an offender for a word? Verse 32. And David said] This properly connects with the eleventh verse. Verse 33. Thou art but a youth] Supposed to be about twenty-two or twenty-three years of age. David, anxious to meet Goliath, A. M. 2941. An. Exod. Isr. I. Olymp. 287. able to go against this Philistine | out of the paw of the bear, he to fight with him; for thou art will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee. but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth. 34 And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: 35 And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smoté him, and slew him. Verse 34. Thy servant kept his father's sheep] He found it necessary to give Saul the reasons why he undertook this combat; and why he expected to be victorious. 1. I have courage to undertake it, and strength to perform it. 2. Both have been tried in a very signal manner: (1.) A lion came upon my flock, and seized a lamb; I ran after him, he attacked me, I seized hold of him by his shaggy locks, smote and slew him, and delivered the lamb. (2.) A bear came in the same way, and I attacked and slew him. 3. This, with whom I am to fight, is a Philistine, an uncircumcised man; one who is an enemy to God. God therefore will not be on his side. On that ground I have nothing to fear. 4. He has defied the armies of the Lord; and has in effect defied Jehovah himself: therefore the battle is the Lord's, and he will stand by me. 5. I have perfect confidence in his protection and defence; for they that trust in him shall never be confounded. 6. I conclude, therefore, that the Lord, who delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. Verse 35. The slaying of the lion and the bear mentioned here, must have taken place at two different times; perhaps the verse should be read thus: I went out after him, (the lion,) and smote him, &c. And when he (the bear) rose up against me, I caught him by the beard and slew him. Verse 37. Go, and the Lord be with thee.] Saul saw that these were reasonable grounds of confidence, and therefore wished him success. Verse 38. Saul armed David] He knew that although the battle was the Lord's, yet prudent means should be used to secure success. Verse 39. I cannot go with these] In ancient times it required considerable exercise and training to make a man expert in the use of such heavy armour; armour which in the present day scarcely a man is to be found who is able to carry; and so it must have been then, until that practice which arises from frequent use had S A. M. 2941. B. C. 1063. An. Exod. Isr. 428. Anno ante I. Olymp. 287. 38 And Sault armed David with his armour, and he put a helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail. 39 And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him. 40 And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the "brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his Chap. xx. 13: 1 Chron. xxii. 11, 16.with his clothes. ———————a Or, valley. Heb. clothed David Heb. vessel. made the proprietor perfect. I have not proved them, says David; I am wholly unaccustomed to such armour, and it would be an encumbrance to me. Verse 40. He took his staff] What we would call his crook. Five smooth stones] 1. Had they been rough or angular, they would not have passed easily through the air, and their asperities would, in the course of their passage, have given them a false direction. 2. Had they not been smooth, they could not have been readily despatched from the sling. A shepherd's bag] That in which he generally carried his provisions while keeping the sheep in the open country. And his sling] The sling, both among the Greeks and Hebrews, has been a powerful offensive weapon. See what has been said on Judg. xx. 16. It is composed of two strings and a leathern strap; the strap is in the middle, and is the place where the stone or bullet lies. The string on the right end of the strap is firmly fastened to the hand; that on the left is held between the thumb and middle joint of the fore finger. It is then whirled two or three times round the head; and when discharged, the finger and thumb let go their hold of the left end string. The velocity and force of the sling are in proportion to the distance of the strap, where the bullet lies, from the shoulder joint. Hence the ancient Baleares, or inhabitants of Majorca and Minorca, are said to have had three slings of different lengths, the longest they used when the enemy was at the greatest distance; the middle one, on their nearer approach; and the shortest, when they came into the ordinary fighting distance in the field. The shortest is the most certain, though not the most powerful. The Balearians are said to have had one of their slings constantly bound about their head, to have used the second as a girdle, and to have carried the third always in their hand. See DIOD. Sic. lib. v., C. 18, p. 286, edit. Bipont. In the use of the sling it requires much practice to He meets Goliath, and CHAP. XVII. smites him to the earth. A. M. 2941. B. C. 1063. 428. Anno ante I. Olymp. 287. hand and he drew near to the into mine hand; and I will smite A. M. 2941. countenance. с hit the mark; but when once this dexterity is acquired, the sling is nearly as fatal as the musket or bow see on ver. 49. David was evidently an expert marksman; and his sling gave him greatly the advantage over Goliath; an advantage of which the giant does not seem to have been aware. He could hit him within any speaking distance; if he missed once, he had as many chances as he had stones; and after all, being unencumbered with armour, young, and athletic, he could have saved his life by flight. Against him the Philistine could do but little, except in close fight; it is true he appears to have had a javelin or missile spear, (see on ver. 6,) but David took care to prevent the use of all such weapons, by giving him the first blow. Verse 41. The man that bare the shield] See on ver. 7. Verse 42. He disdained him] He held him in contempt; he saw that he was young, and from his ruddy complexion supposed him to be effeminate. Verse 43. Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves?] It is very likely that Goliath did not perceive the sling, which David might have kept coiled up within his hand. Cursed David by his gods.] Prayed his gods to curse him. This long parley between David and Goliath is quite in the style of those times. A Hindoo sometimes in a fit of anger says to his enemy, The goddess Kalee shall devour thee! May Doorga destroy thee! Homer's heroes have generally an altercation before they engage; and sometimes enter into geographical and genealogical discussions, and vaunt and scold most contemptibly. Verse 44. Come to me, and I will give thy flesh] He e 47 And all--this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give you into our hands. 48 And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. 49 And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth. intended, as soon as he could lay hold on him, to pull him to pieces. · Vere 45. Thou comest to me with a sword] I come to thee with the name ( beshem) of Jehovah of hosts; the God of the armies of Israel. What Goliath expected from his arms, David expected from the ineffable name. Verse 46. This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand] This was a direct and circumstantial prophecy of what did take place. Verse 47. For the battle is the Lord's] It is the Lord's war: you are fighting against him and his religion, as the champion of your party; I am fighting for God, as the champion of his cause. Verse 48. The Philistines arose] This was an end of the parley; the Philistine came forward to meet David, and David on his part ran forward to meet the Philistine. Verse 49. Smote the Philistine in his forehead] Except his face, Goliath was everywhere covered over with strong armour. Either he had no beaver to his helmet, or it was lifted up so as to expose his forehead; but it does not appear that the ancient helmets had any covering for the face. The Septuagint however supposes that the stone passed through the helmet, and sank into his forehead: Kat diedv ó 2100ç dia τNG TEPIKƐpahaias eiç то μεтwпоV Aνтoν, "and the stone passed through his helmet, and sank into his skull." To some this has appeared perfectly improbable; but we are assured by ancient writers that scarcely any thing could resist the force of the sling. Diodorus Siculus, lib. v., c. 18, p. 287, edit. Bipont, says, "The Baleares, in time of war, sling greater The Philistines flee, and A. M. 2941. I. SAMUEL. 50 Soh David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David. 51 Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith... And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled. 52 And the men of Israel and of Judah arose, and shouted, and pursued the Philistines, until thou come to the valley, and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell down by the way to Shaaraim, even unto Gath, and unto Ekron, 53 And the children of Israel returned from chasing after the Philistines, and they spoiled their tents. Chap. xxi. 9; Ecclus. xlvii. 4; 1 Mic. iv. 30; see Judg. iii. 31 ; xv. 15; chap. xxiii. 21. are pursued by the Israelites. 54 And David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armour in his tent. 1 A. M. 2941. 55 And when Saul saw David go forth against the Philistine, he said unto Abner, the captain of the host, Abner, whose son is this youth? And Abner said, As thy soul liveth, O king, I cannot tell. 56 And the king said, Inquire thou whose son the stripling is. 57 And as David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him, and brought him before Saul m with the head of the Philistine in his hand. 58 And Saul said to him, Whose son art thou, thou young man? And David answered, I am the son of thy servant Jesse the Bethlehemite. stones than any other people, and with such force, Verse 54. David took the head of the Philistine] It that they seem as if projected from a catapult. Ato has been already remarked that this, with the followκαι κατα τας τειχομαχίας εν ταις προσβολαις τύπτοντες | ing verses, and the five first verses of the eighteenth τους προ των επαλξεων εφεστωτας κατατραυματιζουσιν· chapter, are omitted by the Septuagint. See the ob εν δε ταις παρατάξεσι τους τε θυρεους, και τα κράνη, servations at the end. και παν σκεπαστηριον όπλον συντρίβουσι. Κατα δε την ευστοχιαν ούτως ακριβεις εισιν, ώστε κατα το πλείστον μη ἁμαρτάνειν του προκειμένου σκοπου. | Therefore, in assaults made on fortified towns, they grievously wound the besieged; and in battle they break in pieces the shields, helmets, and every species of armour by which the body is defended. And they are such exact marksmen that they scarcely ever miss that at which they aim." The historian accounts for their great accuracy and power in the use of the sling, from this circumstance: Aitial de TouTwv, K. T. 2. "They attain to this perfection by frequent exercise from their childhood; - for while they are young and under their mother's care,. they are obliged to learn to sling; for they fasten bread for a mark at the top of a pole; and till the child hit the bread he must remain fasting; and when he has hit it, the mother gives it to him to eat."-Ibid. I have given these passages at large, because they contain several curious facts, and sufficiently account for the force and accuracy with which David slung his stone at Goliath. We find also in thè un ȧuapravεiv, not miss the mark, of the historian, the true notion of ¿μapravεiv, to sin, which I have contended for elsewhere. He who sins, though he aims thereby at his gratification and profit, misses the mark of present and eternal felicity. Verse 51. When the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled.] They were panic-struck; and not being willing to fulfil the condition which was stipulated by Goliath, they precipitately left the field. The Israelites took a proper advantage of these circumstances, and totally routed their enemies. Verse 58. Whose son art thou, thou young man ?] That Saul should not know David with whom he had treated a little before, and even armed him for the combat, and that he should not know who his father was, though he had sent to his father for permission to David to reside constantly with him, (chap. xvi. 22,) is exceedingly strange! I fear all Bishop Warburton's attempts to rectify the chronology by assumed anticipations, will not account for this. I must honestly confess they do not satisfy me; and I must refer the reader to what immediately follows on the authenticity of the verses which concern this subject.. On the subject of that large omission in the Septuagint of which I have spoken on ver. 12, I here subjoin the reasons of Mr. Pilkington and Dr. Kennicott for supposing it to be an interpolation of some rabbinical writer, added at a very early period to the Hebrew text. "Had every version of the Hebrew text," says Mr. Pilkington, "agreed to give a translation of this pas sage, as we now find, the attempts of clearing it from its embarassments would have been attended with very great difficulties; but, as in several other cases before mentioned, so here, the providence of God seems to have so far secured the credit of those who were appointed to be the penmen of the oracles of truth, that the defence of their original records may be undertaken upon good grounds, and supported by sufficient evidence. For we are now happily in possession of an ancient version of these two chapters, which appears to have been made from a Hebrew copy, which I had none of the thirty-nine verses which are here sup |