1
2Sa 14:1-21.
英文原文
2Sa 14:1-21.
JOAB INSTRUCTS A WOMAN OF TEKOAH.
2
無標題
2-21. 約押打發人往提哥亞去，從那裏請了一個聰明的婦人來——王深愛押沙龍；如今他既已從暗嫩橫死的悲痛中平復，便渴望再次與他所鍾愛的兒子相聚，而這兒子已在外流亡了整整三年。但他顧忌輿論，又顧及公益，對是否要召回或赦免他有罪的兒子頗感踟躕；約押那敏銳的心察覺到這父愛與王責之間的掙扎，便設計了一個辦法，既可解王的顧慮，又可遂王的心願。他請來一位才智出眾、口才了得的鄉間婦人，叫她去求見王，以請求王為他裁斷一件家務的冤情為由，使王信服：在某些情形下，殺人者的性命也是可以保全的。提哥亞在耶路撒冷以南約十二哩，伯利恆以南六哩；從這麼遠的地方請一個婦人來，目的是要使人既認不出求告者，也不易查究她的話的真偽。她的話以比喻的形式說出——那情景、那言語、那神情——都與場合十分相稱，所呈的案情與大衛的情形盡可能相似，卻不至於過早被識破。她既使王在王言中作出承諾，便坦言自己的用意，是要使王的良心得著安慰：赦免押沙龍，不過是他在陌生人案件中所會行的，毫無偏袒之嫌。這計策奏效了；大衛追溯其源於約押，並暗喜能得著這位粗獷卻大抵見識高明的軍人的判斷，便差遣他往基述去，將他那流亡的兒子領回來。
英文原文
2-21. And Joab sent to Tekoah, and fetched thence a wise woman--The king was strongly attached to Absalom; and having now got over his sorrow for the violent death of Amnon, he was desirous of again enjoying the society of his favorite son, who had now been three long years absent. But a dread of public opinion and a regard to the public interests made him hesitate about recalling or pardoning his guilty son; and Joab, whose discerning mind perceived this struggle between parental affection and royal duty, devised a plan for relieving the scruples, and, at the same time, gratifying the wishes, of his master. Having procured a countrywoman of superior intelligence and address, he directed her to seek an audience of the king, and by soliciting his royal interposition in the settlement of a domestic grievance, convinced him that the life of a murderer might in some cases be saved. Tekoah was about twelve miles south of Jerusalem, and six south of Beth-lehem; and the design of bringing a woman from such a distance was to prevent either the petitioner being known, or the truth of her story easily investigated. Her speech was in the form of a parable--the circumstances--the language--the manner--well suited to the occasion, represented a case as like David's as it was policy to make it, so as not to be prematurely discovered. Having got the king pledged, she avowed it to be her design to satisfy the royal conscience, that in pardoning Absalom he was doing nothing more than he would have done in the case of a stranger, where there could be no imputation of partiality. The device succeeded; David traced its origin to Joab; and, secretly pleased at obtaining the judgment of that rough, but generally sound-thinking soldier, he commissioned him to repair to Geshur and bring home his exiled son.
7
無標題
7. 他們就要熄滅我那剩下的炭火——聖經將人的生命比作燈光。熄滅以色列的燈
（撒下21:17）
就是毀滅王的生命；為人預備燈
（詩132:17）
就是賜他後裔；熄滅炭火在此則意味著這婦人保全丈夫姓名和家族的最後指望歸於滅絕。這比喻很美：一塊在灰燼之下尚存活的炭火——她重新點火、在以色列中點燈的全部依靠。
英文原文
7. they shall quench my coal which is left--The life of man is compared in Scripture to a light. To quench the light of Israel
(2Sa 21:17)
is to destroy the king's life; to ordain a lamp for any one
(Ps 132:17)
is to grant him posterity; to quench a coal signifies here the extinction of this woman's only remaining hope that the name and family of her husband would be preserved. The figure is a beautiful one; a coal live, but lying under a heap of embers--all that she had to rekindle her fire--to light her lamp in Israel.
9
無標題
9. 婦人說……我主我王啊，願這罪歸我——意即阻礙司法、赦免殺人者的罪；按律法，報血仇的（Goel）無論在何處遇見那人，都必須將他殺死，除非他身在逃城之中。這樣做超越了君王的特權，行事如同專制君主一般。這婦人的話，指向希伯來法官與官長常用的謹慎做法，即鄭重地將他們所判定要流之血的責任，從自己身上轉移到控告者或罪犯身上
(2Sa 1:16; 3:28)；
有時控告者自己承擔這責任
(Mt 27:25)。
英文原文
9. the woman said . . . O king, the iniquity be on me--that is, the iniquity of arresting the course of justice and pardoning a homicide, whom the Goel was bound to slay wherever he might find him, unless in a city of refuge. This was exceeding the royal prerogative, and acting in the character of an absolute monarch. The woman's language refers to a common precaution taken by the Hebrew judges and magistrates, solemnly to transfer from themselves the responsibility of the blood they doomed to be shed, either to the accusers or the criminals
(2Sa 1:16; 3:28);
and sometimes the accusers took it upon themselves
(Mt 27:25).
13
無標題
13-17. 你為何這樣待神的百姓云云——她的論點可以用以下的意譯來說明：你既已赦免了我那殺了兄弟的兒子，卻不肯讓你的百姓迎回押沙龍；押沙龍的罪並不比我的兒子更大，因為他也是在類似的激怒情形之下殺了他的兄弟。押沙龍有理由抱怨，自己的父親待他比對待國中最卑微的臣民還要嚴厲苛刻；全國的人也有理由說，王對一個卑微婦人的懇求所給的關注，竟超過對全國百姓意願和期望的重視。我兒子的死，只不過是我的家庭的私事損失；而押沙龍得以保全，卻是以色列全民共同關切的事，因為他們如今都指望他接續你坐王位。
英文原文
13-17. Wherefore then hast thou thought such a thing against the people of God, &c.--Her argument may be made clear in the following paraphrase:--You have granted me the pardon of a son who had slain his brother, and yet you will not grant to your subjects the restoration of Absalom, whose criminality is not greater than my son's, since he killed his brother in similar circumstances of provocation. Absalom has reason to complain that he is treated by his own father more sternly and severely than the meanest subject in the realm; and the whole nation will have cause for saying that the king shows more attention to the petition of a humble woman than to the wishes and desires of a whole kingdom. The death of my son is a private loss to my family, while the preservation of Absalom is the common interest of all Israel, who now look to him as your successor on the throne.
22
2Sa 14:22-33.
2Sa 14:22-33.
約押將押沙龍帶回耶路撒冷。
22. 今日僕人知道我在我主我王眼前蒙了恩——約押在為這次向押沙龍施恩表示喜樂的種種話語之中，也流露了不少私心，自以為如今使父子二人都欠了他長久的人情。論到大衛這項舉動，有許多可以從輕發落的理由：押沙龍所受的激怒；他如今身在律法追討不到的地方；他可能沾染異教思想和敬拜的危險；希伯來王國的安全和利益；加上希伯來百姓對押沙龍強烈的偏愛——這一點由約押的計謀可以看出——這些考慮為大衛赦免他那雙手染血的兒子構成了一個似是而非的理由。但他這樣赦免，所行的更像東方專制君主，而不是以色列立憲的君王。為父的感情勝過了為王的責任；王作為最高的司法官，按照神明文的律法
(Ge 9:6; Nu 35:30, 31)，
有責任對每一個殺人者執行公正的審判，這律法他無權廢除
(De 18:18; Jos 1:8; 1Sa 10:25)。
英文原文
2Sa 14:22-33.
JOAB BRINGS ABSALOM TO JERUSALEM.
22. To-day thy servant knoweth that I have found grace in thy sight--Joab betrayed not a little selfishness amid his professions of joy at this act of grace to Absalom, and flattered himself that he now brought both father and son under lasting obligations. In considering this act of David, many extenuating circumstances may be urged in favor of it; the provocation given to Absalom; his being now in a country where justice could not overtake him; the risk of his imbibing a love for heathen principles and worship; the safety and interests of the Hebrew kingdom; together with the strong predilection of the Hebrew people for Absalom, as represented by the stratagem of Joab--these considerations form a plausible apology for David's grant of pardon to his bloodstained son. But, in granting this pardon, he was acting in the character of an Oriental despot rather than a constitutional king of Israel. The feelings of the father triumphed over the duty of the king, who, as the supreme magistrate, was bound to execute impartial justice on every murderer, by the express law of God
(Ge 9:6; Nu 35:30, 31),
which he had no power to dispense with
(De 18:18; Jos 1:8; 1Sa 10:25).
25
無標題
25, 26. 以色列全族之中，無人像押沙龍那樣俊美，大得人的稱讚——這般非凡的人氣，不僅來自他的高傲氣質和翩翩風度，也來自他那異乎尋常的英俊外表。他有一個突出的特徵，似乎是人們極為欣賞的，那就是一頭豐盈美麗的頭髮。頭髮生長極其茂盛，迫使他「年年歲末」要剪髮；字面作「有時」、「時不時」，剪下來的頭髮重達二百舍客勒——等於金衡一百一十二盎司；但既然「重量是照王的舍客勒」，比通用的舍客勒輕，這重量便被折算低至三磅二盎司〔BOCHART〕，甚至有人算得更少。
英文原文
25, 26. But in all Israel there was none to be so much praised as Absalom for his beauty--This extraordinary popularity arose not only from his high spirit and courtly manners, but from his uncommonly handsome appearance. One distinguishing feature, seemingly an object of great admiration, was a profusion of beautiful hair. Its extraordinary luxuriance compelled him to cut it "at every year's end;" lit., "at times," "from time to time," when it was found to weigh two hundred shekels--equal to one hundred twelve ounces troy; but as "the weight was after the king's shekel," which was less than the common shekel, the rate has been reduced as low as three pounds, two ounces [BOCHART], and even less by others.
28
無標題
28. 於是押沙龍在耶路撒冷住了足足兩年，沒有見王的面——大衛批准押沙龍回來，無論犯了什麼錯，此後他卻表現了極大的謹慎和自制——因為他兒子並未被允許見父親的面，只被限制在自己的家中，與自己的家人為伴。這一點輕微的嚴厲，是要使他真心悔改，讓他看出父親並未完全赦免他；同時也是要使百姓知道大衛憎惡他的罪行。他既不得在朝中露面，也不得有任何排場，朝臣便都遠遠避開；連他的表兄弟也認為不宜與他交往。足足兩年之久，他住在耶路撒冷，自由比在歌述時更受限制，生活比在歌述時更與同胞隔絕；要不是他
(2Sa 14:30)
以激烈的手段決意要迫使約押注意他的事，他可能還要繼續在這種恥辱中更久；藉著約押善意而有力的影響，父子之間終於達成了完全的和好。
英文原文
28. So Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem, and saw not the king's face--Whatever error David committed in authorizing the recall of Absalom, he displayed great prudence and command over his feelings afterwards--for his son was not admitted into his father's presence but was confined to his own house and the society of his own family. This slight severity was designed to bring him to sincere repentance, on perceiving that his father had not fully pardoned him, as well as to convince the people of David's abhorrence of his crime. Not being allowed to appear at court, or to adopt any state, the courtiers kept aloof; even his cousin did not deem it prudent to go into his society. For two full years his liberty was more restricted, and his life more apart from his countrymen while living in Jerusalem, than in Geshur; and he might have continued in this disgrace longer, had he not, by a violent expedient, determined
(2Sa 14:30)
to force his case on the attention of Joab, through whose kind and powerful influence a full reconciliation was effected between him and his father.
2Sa 14:1-21.
約押指教提哥亞的一個婦人。