Chapter Note Matthew Henry Commentary (Complete)
F I R S T S A M U E L
CHAP. XXVI.
David's troubles from Saul here begin again; and the clouds return after the rain, when one would have hoped the storm had blown over, and the sky had cleared upon that side; but after Saul had owned his fault in persecuting David, and acknowledged David's title to the crown, yet here he revives the persecution, so perfectly lost was he to all sense of honour and virtue. I. The Ziphites informed him where David was 1 Samuel 26:1 ), and thereupon he marched out with a considerable force in quest of him, 1 Samuel 26:2 ; 1 Samuel 26:3 . II. David gained intelligence of his motions 1 Samuel 26:4 ), and took a view of his camp, 1 Samuel 26:5 . III. He and one of his men ventured into his camp in the night and found him and all his guards fast asleep, 1 Samuel 26:6 ; 1 Samuel 26:7 . IV. David, though much urged to it by his companions, would not take away Saul's life, but only carried off his spear and his cruse of water, 1 Samuel 26:8 - 12 . V. He produced these as a further witness for him that he did not design any ill to Saul, and reasoned with him upon his conduct, 1 Samuel 26:13 - 20 . VI. Saul was hereby convinced of his error, and once more desisted from persecuting David, 1 Samuel 26:21 - 25 . The story is much like that which we had 1 Samuel 24:1 - 221 Samuel 24:1 - 22 ). In both David is delivered out of Saul's hand, and Saul out of David's.
Book Note Matthew Henry Commentary (Complete)
AN
EXPOSITION,
W I T H P R A C T I C A L O B S E R V A T I O N S,
OF THE FIRST BOOK OF
S A M U E L.
This book, and that which follows it, bear the name of Samuel in the title, not because he was the penman of them (except of so much of them as fell within his own time, to the twenty-fifth chapter of the first book, in which we have an account of his death), but because the first book begins with a large account of him, his birth and childhood, his life and government; and the rest of these two volumes that are denominated from him contains the history of the reigns of Saul and David, who were both anointed by him. And, because the history of these two kings takes up the greatest part of these books, the Vulgar Latin calls them the First and Second Books of the Kings, and the two that follow the Third and Fourth, which the titles in our English Bibles take notice of with an alias: otherwise called the First Book of the Kings, c. The LXX. calls them the first and second Book of the Kingdoms. It is needless to contend about it, but there is no occasion to vary from the Hebrew verity. These two books contain the history of the last two of the judges, Eli and Samuel, who were not, as the rest, men of war, but priests (and so much of them is an appendix to the book of Judges), and of the first two of the kings, Saul and David, and so much of them is an entrance upon the history of the kings. They contain a considerable part of the sacred history, are sometimes referred to in the New Testament, and often in the titles of David's Psalms, which, if placed in their order, would fall in these books. It is uncertain who was the penman of them it is probable that Samuel wrote the history of his own time, and that, after him, some of the prophets that were with David (Nathan as likely as any) continued it. This first book gives us a full account of Eli's fall and Samuel's rise and good government, 1 Samuel 1:1 - 81 Samuel 1:1 - 8 Of Samuel's resignation of the government and Saul's advancement and mal-administration, 1 Samuel 9:1 - 151 Samuel 9:1 - 15 The choice of David, his struggles with Saul, Saul's ruin at last, and the opening of the way for David to the throne, 1 Samuel 16:1 - 311 Samuel 16:1 - 31 And these things are written for our learning.
