Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible · 1 Samuel Kapitel 25

1 Samuel 25:1. And Samuel died— This great prophet was in the ninety-seventh or ninety-eighth year of his age: he had ruled sixteen, or, as others think, twenty years before the reign of Saul, and judged the Israelites, that is, was their principal judge, for about forty years after. No wonder that so righteous a ruler, and so just a judge, should be universally lamented, especially when the wisdom and equity of his government, compared with Saul's tyranny and extravagancies, made his memory more dear, and his loss more regretted. He was buried in his house at Ramah; for the Jews had no places of public sepulture. Each family had its private sepulchres; which appears to have been the case from Abraham to the time of Joseph of Arimathea. They were, indeed, for the most part, in fields and rocks; and Samuel is the first that we read of who was buried in, or at his own house; probably in his garden: see ch. 1Sa 28:3 though we are afterwards told that Joab was buried in the same manner, 1Ki 2:34 and the practice, for aught we know, might have been frequent among them; as we are told it was enjoined the Thebans, "before they built a house, to build a sepulchre in the place." Samuel was now attended by all Israel to his grave; and his remains were removed, many centuries after, with incredible pomp, and almost one continued train of attendants, from Ramah to Constantinople, by the emperor Arcadius, Ann. Dom. 401.

REFLECTIONS.—The best of men are dying worms. Samuel departs in peace: he had lived highly respected, and dies universally lamented. His last days he had spent far from a busy world, in the pleasing enjoyment of presiding in the school of the prophets at Naioth, where he was at leisure to look forward to that rest to which he was going, and wait his joyful dismission. He was buried in Ramah, in his own house or garden, and all Israel mourned his loss; a loss the more sensibly felt in the present distracted condition of their country under Saul's outrageous government. David hereupon retires to Paran, that he might be more out of the way of Saul. Note; (1.) In age it becomes us particularly to look forward, and as we get nearer our journey's end, to prepare for our great change. (2.) The death of a great and faithful minister will draw forth tears of real grief from all who know the invaluable blessing they have lost, and who sensibly feel the want of his admonitions, preaching, and prayers.

Wilderness of Paran— Which was to the south of Judea, and on the confines of Arabia, nay, the Mahometans make it a part of Arabia Deserta; and David himself is generally thought to own it such in that dolorous complaint of the 120th Psalm, where he laments his so long continuance in the tents of Kedar: but that by no means follows; for he might, upon Saul's pursuit, have passed from Paran to Arabia, and so sojourned there a considerable time; but as it was the place of Ishmael's residence, it cannot, I think, well be doubted to have been part of Arabia. There seems no doubt, from the whole of this history, that Paran, Maon, and Carmel, were contiguous. See note on chap. 1 Samuel 23:14.

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1 Samuel 25:3. Nabal—as of the house of Caleb— כלבי kalibi, in the Hebrew, and he was a Calebite. As כלב caleb signifies a dog, some of the ancient interpreters understand the word as expressive of his bad disposition; whence the Syriac, Arabic, and LXX translate it, a man of a churlish, snarling, or dog-like disposition, ανθρωπος Κυνικος . See Le Clerc and Calmet.

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1 Samuel 25:14. And he railed on them— The Hebrew word ויעט waiiaat, is never used to signify railing, but denotes, he flew at them, like a ravenous bird on its prey: an expression used in almost all languages to denote a violent attack or assault upon any person to abuse and injure him; and it is probable, by David's resentment, that Nabal employed some of his servants to attack them. The same verb is used to denote the sudden, furious, hostile invasion of the prey; ch. 1Sa 25:14 and is there rendered by the LXX, "Hast rushed upon the spoil," viz. in order to seize it. The substantive עיט aiiet signifies a bird of prey; so we read, Jeremiah 12:9. The bird with talons; as that place should be rendered.

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1 Samuel 25:22. So and more also do God unto the enemies of David— If we put all circumstances together, though David's passion, and oath to destroy Nabal and servants, are not to be vindicated; though the resolution was cruel, and the oath a rash and wicked one, yet it must be allowed, that the provocation given him was very great. The last clause of this verse is rendered by the French, I will leave to Nabal nothing that belongs to him, from man even to dog.

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1 Samuel 25:37. His heart died within him— The baseness of Nabal's own heart made him believe David incapable of forgiving him; and therefore, upon Abigail's representing the case to him, which, no doubt, she did in lively colours, his terror became irremediable. This extremity of terror we commonly express by the term thunderstruck; which is finely and feelingly described by Ovid. Trist. lib. i, eleg. 3.

So was I stunn'd, as one that's thunder-struck, Who lives, but lives unconscious of his life.

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1 Samuel 25:39. When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, &c.— David, hearing of the death of Nabal, adores the divine justice so remarkably displayed in the punishment of this wicked man; and is full of thankfulness, that his cause was thus remarkably pleaded, without any intervention of his own. How fine a lesson is this to mankind, to remit injuries; to refer themselves and their concerns to the providence of God; to quell the spirit of revenge in the haughty heart, and to recede from rash and wicked resolutions, even though backed by solemn oaths!

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1 Samuel 25:40. When the servants of David were come to Abigail— We would just remark, that in this, as in their historical details in general, the sacred writers are very concise. There can be no doubt, but that a decent time passed before David's proposals were made to Abigail, and that his servants omitted nothing to convince her of the respectful and tender sentiments wherewith her virtue and beauty had inspired the heart of David.

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