14 of the men of Israel are after Absalom.

And David said

unto all his servants that were with him at Jerusalem, Arise, and let us flee; for we shall not else escape from Absalom: make speed to depart, lest he overtake us suddenly, and bring evil upon us, and smite the city with the edge of 15 the sword. And the king's servants said unto the king, Behold, thy servants are ready to do whatsoever my lord 16 the king shall appoint. And the king went forth, and all his household after him. And the king left ten women, which 17 were concubines, to keep the house. And the king went forth, and all the people after him, and tarried in a place 18 that was far off. And all his servants passed on beside him; and all the Cherethites, and all the Pelethites, and all the Gittites, six hundred men which came after him from Gath, passed on before the king.

13. The hearts, &c.] Cp. v. 6; Jud. ix. 3.

14. let us flee] For the moment David's courage seems to have failed him. The calamities predicted by Nathan (ch. xii. 11), stared him in the face a sack of Jerusalem with all the horrors of civil war seemed imminent: he could not face them, and retreat proved in the end to be the wisest course. Time was gained; the first violence of rebellion spent itself; his loyal subjects recovered from their alarm and rallied to defend him. Ahithophel was perfectly right in discerning that delay would be fatal to the enterprise (ch. xvii. 1, 2).

16. And the king went forth] "It was apparently early on the morning of the day after he had received the news of the rebellion that the king left the city of Jerusalem. There is no single day in the Jewish history of which so elaborate an account remains as that which describes this memorable flight. There is none, we may add, that combines so many of David's characteristics—his patience, his high-spirited religion, his generosity, his calculation: we miss only his daring courage. Was it crushed, for the moment, by the weight of parental grief, or of bitter remorse?" Stanley's Lect. II. 97. Who, we may ask, was the eyewitness who has preserved the picture of the scene with such minute and life-like detail? May it not have been the prophet Nathan ?

17. tarried in a place that was far off] Better, halted at the Far House the last house on the outskirts of the city, before the road crossed the Kidron. It seems to be used almost as a proper name— Beth-merchak-for the locality. Here David halted, while his troops passed in review before him, and crossed the Kidron.

18. all the Gittites] If the text is sound, we must infer that David had brought with him a body of Philistine followers from Gath, a supposition which is in accordance with the view that the Cherethites and Pelethites were Philistines. See note on ch. viii. 18. But it is possible that we should follow the LXX. in reading Gibbôrîm in place of

19-23. The fidelity of Ittai.

Then said the king to Ittai the Gittite, Wherefore goest 19 thou also with us? return to thy place, and abide with the king: for thou art a stranger, and also an exile. Whereas 20

Gittites. During his wanderings David formed a corps of six hundred picked men, who were particularly distinguished as "David's men." They appear first at Keilah (1 Sam. xxiii. 13, cp. xxii. 2), were with him in the wilderness of Paran (xxv. 13), followed him to Gath (xxvii. 2, 3) and Ziklag (xxvii. 8, xxix. 1, xxx. 1, 9), came up with him to Hebron (2 Sam. ii. 3), and finally to Jerusalem (v. 6). This corps seems to have been afterwards maintained as a guard with the title of "the Gibbôrîm," that is, "the Heroes" or "the Mighty Men (cp. ch. x. 7, xvi. 6, xx. 7; 1 Kings i. 8), and it is natural to identify the six hundred here mentioned with that body. Some critics think that without altering the reading, we should identify the Gittites with the Gibbôrîm, and suppose that they were called Gittites either because they had followed David ever since his residence in Gath; or because the corps had at this time been largely recruited from the natives of Gath.

The Sept. text of v. 18 is as follows: "And all his servants passed on beside him, and all the Cherethites and all the Pelethites, and halted at the olive tree in the wilderness. And all the people marched by close to him, and all his attendants, and all the mighty men, and all the warriors, six hundred men, and were present by his side; and all the Cherethites and all the Pelethites, and all the Gittites, the six hundred men who came after him from Gath, marched on before the king.' This appears to be the rendering of a text differing somewhat from the present Hebrew, to which has been added a rendering of the present Hebrew text, with some further glosses or alternative renderings. "The olive tree in the wilderness," which marked the scene of the second halt, (if the reading is genuine and not a mere mistranslation), was probably beyond the Mount of Olives on the road to the Jordan.

19-23. THE FIDELITY OF ITTAI.

19. Ittai the Gittite] A distinguished Philistine who had quite recently (v. 20) migrated from his home with his family and followers (v. 22) to enter David's service. From the fact that he shared the command of the army with Joab and Abishai (ch. xviii. 2) it is clear that he must have been an experienced general.

return to thy place] His new home in Jerusalem. This is the right rendering of the Hebrew text as it stands: but the order of the words is unusual, and both Sept. and Vulg. support a different reading: Return and dwell with the king; for thou art a stranger and also an exile from thy place.

with the king] David's meaning is that Ittai need not involve himself in the revolutions of a foreign country, but might take service under Absalom or any other reigning king without breach of faith.

thou camest but yesterday, should I this day make thee go up and down with us? seeing I go whither I may, return thou, and take back thy brethren: mercy and truth be with 21 thee. And Ittai answered the king, and said, As the LORD liveth, and as my lord the king liveth, surely in what place my lord the king shall be, whether in death or life, even 22 there also will thy servant be. And David said to Ittai,

Go and pass over. And Ittai the Gittite passed over, and all his men, and all the little ones that were with him. 23 And all the country wept with a loud voice, and all the people passed over: the king also himself passed over the

an exile] We can only conjecture that Ittai had been compelled to leave his country in consequence of some revolution. If we may suppose this to have been the case, it gives additional delicacy to David's thoughtfulness in wishing to spare him the repetition of hardships he had but lately experienced.

20. I go whither I may] Not knowing where he might find a home, as in the old days of his flight from Saul. Cp. 1 Sam. xxiii. 13.

take back thy brethren: mercy and truth be with thee] The Hebrew as it stands must be rendered: take back thy brethren with thee in mercy and truth: but the true text is probably preserved by the Sept. and Vulg. Take back thy brethren with thee: and the Lord shew thee [or, shall shew thee] mercy and truth: to which some texts of the Vulg. add: because thou hast shewn kindness and faithfulness. Cp. ch. ii. 5, 6. 21. Ittai answered] Compare Ruth's answer to her mother-in-law (Ruth i. 16, 17).

23. all the country] Lit. all the land: the inhabitants who stood by to watch the procession, as distinguished from all the people, the army and retinue of followers accompanying David.

the brook Kidron] The ravine of Kidron is the deep ravine on the east of Jerusalem, now commonly known as the Valley of Jehoshaphat, which separates the city from the Mount of Olives. No stream now flows in it except during the heavy rains of winter, nor is there any evidence that there was anciently more water in it than at present. The name, if it is a Hebrew word, means black, referring either to the blackness of the torrent flowing through it (Job vi. 16), or more probably to the gloominess of the ravine. The Sept., following the common tendency to substitute a significant name of similar sound, calls it the ravine of the cedars (xeμáppovs Tŵv Kédρwv-Cedrôn, cp. John xviii. 1). In the O. T. it is chiefly mentioned as an unhallowed spot used for a common cemetery, into which idolatrous abominations were thrown by reforming kings (1 Kings xv. 13; 2 Chr. xxix. 16, Xxx. 14; 2 Kings xxiii. 4, 6, 12; Jer. xxxi. 40). The single mention of it in the N. T. is perhaps designed to recall the present occasion and to suggest the parallel between David fleeing from Jerusalem, and Christ leaving the city which had rejected Him, as the treachery of

brook Kidron, and all the people passed over, toward the way of the wilderness.

24-29.

The Ark sent back to Jerusalem.

And lo Zadok also, and all the Levites were with him, bear- 24 ing the ark of the covenant of God: and they set down the ark of God; and Abiathar went up, until all the people had done passing out of the city. And the king said unto 25 Zadok, Carry back the ark of God into the city: if I shall find favour in the eyes of the LORD, he will bring me again, and shew me both it, and his habitation: but if he thus say, 26 I have no delight in thee; behold, here am I, let him do to me as seemeth good unto him. The king said also unto 27 Zadok the priest, Art not thou a seer? return into the city

Judas was the counterpart and "fulfilment" of that of Ahithophel (John xviii. 1, xiii. 18).

toward the way of the wilderness] The road to Jericho led through the northern part of the desert of Judah. Cp. v. 28 and ch. xvi. 2.

24-29. THE ARK SENT BACK TO JERUSALEM.

24. and Abiathar went up] The Ark halted, to allow the people who were still coming out of the city time to overtake the procession. Meanwhile Abiathar went on up the Mount of Olives, for some purpose which is not stated, possibly to watch the stream of people coming out of the city. He then returned to carry the Ark back. It seems best to suppose that the narrative goes back here, and that the Ark was not taken across the Kidron. Certainly it does not seem to have been carried up the Mount of Olives.

25. his habitation] Jerusalem, and in particular the tent where the Ark was kept, was "the habitation " (Ex. xv. 13), the earthly "dwelling-place," of Jehovah (1 Kings viii. 13), so far as that could be said of any special locality (1 Kings viii. 27). For the thought cp. Ps. xliii. 3.

26. I have no delight in thee] For as he had sung in the confident faith of happier days, deliverance from his enemies depended on God's good pleasure. See ch. xxii. 20, and cp. 1 Kings x. 9.

behold here am I, &c.] Words of true resignation and humble submission to the will of God. He felt that he deserved this punishment for his sins.

27. Art not thou a seer] An obscure expression variously explained. (1) Art thou a seer? The high-priest is supposed to be called a seer, because he received divine revelations by means of the Urim and Thummim; but there is no trace of such a use of the term elsewhere. (2) Dost thou see? i. e. understand: an untenable rendering. (3) The Vulg. gives different vowels to the consonants, and renders, O seer, return, &c. (4) The Sept. reads, See! thou shalt return, which re

in peace, and your two sons with you, Ahimaaz thy son, 28 and Jonathan the son of Abiathar. See, I will tarry in the plain of the wilderness, until there come word from you to 29 certify me. Zadok therefore and Abiathar carried the ark of God again to Jerusalem: and they tarried there.

30

30-37. Hushai commissioned to defeat Ahithophel. And David went up by the ascent of mount Olivet, and wept as he went up, and had his head covered, and he went barefoot and all the people that was with him covered every man his head, and they went up, weeping as they 31 went up. And one told David, saying, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom. And David said, O LORD,

quires but a small change in the Heb. text, and is probably the best solution of the difficulty.

28. in the plain of the wilderness] The level district of the Jordan valley near Jericho, called elsewhere "the plains of Jericho." Cp. Josh. v. 10; 2 Kings xxv. 5; and note on ch. ii. 29. Instead however of plains which is the traditional reading (Qrî), the written text (Kthibh) has fords. This certainly seems the more probable reading both here and in ch. xvii. 16, where there is the same variation, for a definite place must have been named at which the messenger was to find David, and the ford, as a critical point, would be a most natural halting place.

to certify me] To tell me how matters are going in the city.

On

30-37. HUSHAI COMMISSIONED TO DEFEAT AHITHOPhel. 30. the ascent of mount Olivet] Lit. by the ascent of Olives: the name mount Olivet is derived from mons oliveti in the Vulgate of Acts i. 12. The "mount of Olives" is the ridge which rises on the east of Jerusalem above the Kidron ravine, screening the city from the desert country beyond. With the exception of this touching scene, there is little of interest connected with the Mount of Olives in the O. T. it, perhaps on the spot already consecrated for worship (v. 32), Solomon erected high places for the false gods of his foreign wives (1 Kings xi. 7, 8), which were desecrated long afterwards by Josiah (2 Kings xxiii. 13, 14). A passing allusion to the woods which covered it (Neh. viii. 15), and the details of the scenery in two prophetic visions (Ezek. xi. 23; Zech. xiv. 4), complete the references to it in the O. T. "Its lasting glory belongs not to the Old Dispensation but to the New." See Stanley's Sinai and Pal. p. 185 ff.

had his head covered, and he went barefoot] The muffled head marks the deep grief which shuts itself up from the outer world: the bare feet --still a sign of mourning in the East-betoken affliction, self-humiliation, penitence. Cp ch. xix. 4; Esth. vi. 12; Ezek. xxiv. 17.