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II.

from these texts, that Shochoh lay not far from Azekah. SECT.
And accordingly there were in Eufebius and Jerom's time
two towns or villages of this name, lying in the road from
Eleutheropolis to Jerufalem (as Azekah did), at nine miles
distance. Whence it follows, that the valley of Elah, where
the Ifraelites pitched, was likewife thereabouts, as alfo Ephes-
dammim.

Saul having conceived an implacable hatred against David, we read chap. xix. that David fled, and escaped to Samuel to Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done unto him. And he and Samuel, went and dwelt at Naioth, which (as we are told the next verfe) was in Ramah; i. e. in the district of Ramah, otherwife called Ramathaim-Zophim, the birthplace and ufual dwelling-place of Samuel. And consequently Sechu mentioned ver. 22. lay in the way from Gibeah of Saul to Ramah.

After this David withdrew to Nob, to Ahimelech the prieft, who delivered to him Goliath's fword, chap. xxi. 1-9. That this Nob was a facerdotal city, or a city affigned to the priests, is evident from chap. xxi. 19. and also from Nehem. xi. 32. where we find it not only reckoned among the Levitical cities, but also reckoned among the cities appertaining to the tribe of Benjamin. Indeed this is not reckoned among the cities firft affigned to the priests, and it seems to have been added afterwards, and that only occafionally, whilst the ark was at Kirjath-jearim.

14.
Of Naioth.

15.

Of Nob.

Of the fo

From Nob, David went to Achish King of Gath; where 16. thinking himself in danger, he feigned himself mad, and fo reft of Haefcaped thence to the cave Adullam. Thence he withdrew reth. to Mizpeh of Moab, together with his father and mother, where these continued all the time of David's troubles. But David himself, at the direction of the prophet Gad, returned into the land of Judah, and came into the foreft of Hareth, a place only mentioned here (chap. xxii. ver. 5.); but lying in the tribe of Judah, as appears from the claufe immediately foregoing, and probably not far from Keilah, of which we read in chap. xxiii.

For it being told David, that the Philiftines had be

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170

fieged of Keilah.

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I.

CHAP. fieged Keilah, he went and relieved it. Now this we find reckoned among the cities of Judah, Josh. xv. 44. and it appears from several circumstances, that it lay on that part of Judah, which adjoined to the country of the Philistines, that is, in the weft or fouth-west part of that tribe.

18.

Of the wilderness of Ziph.

19.

David being informed by God, that the men of Keilah would not be faithful to him, withdrew into the wildernefs of Ziph. We find a city of this name mentioned Jofh. xv. 55. together with Carmel and Maon; and therefore it probably adjoined to them; and accordingly here in the story of David we have mention made of Carmel and Maon, as adjoining to Ziph. So that it is not to be doubted, but by the Ziph, in the wilderness whereof David now lay, and where was the hill of Hachilah, is to be understood Ziph near Carmel and Maon. This is placed by Jerom eight miles eaftward from Hebron.

From the wilderness of Ziph David withdrew into the Of Maon. adjacent wilderness of Maon, which was a neighbouring town to Carmel. Hence it is faid of Nabal, chap. xxv. ver. 2. that there was a man in Maon, whofe poffeffions were in Carmel; and Nabal, though he might dwelf generally in Maon, yet is ftyled Nabal the Carmelite, from the place where his eftate lay. See 2 Sam. ii. 3, 4, &c.

20.

From the wildernefs of Maon David went and dwelt in Of Engedi, ftrong holds at Engedi, 1 Sam. xxiii. 29, &c. The old name of this place was Hazezon-tamar, as appears from Gen. xiv. 7. compared with 2 Chron. xx. 2. It was a city in the tribe of Judah, as appears from Jofh. xv. 62. and that not far from the Salt Sea, and in a wilderness or defolate country. Hence it is not improbable, that the Jefhimon, or wilderness, on the fouth of which Ziph and Maon are faid to be fituated, 1 Sam. xxiii. 19, 24. is to be understood of the great wilderness lying from the Salt Sea, for fome way weftward, along the north coaft of Judah. Engedi is taken notice of, Cant. i. 14. for its camphire, or (as others render it) cypress. And Jerom tells us, it was remarkable for opobalfamum (supposed to be the fame now-a-days called by the name of balm of Gilead), and that it was a great town in

II.

his days. But it is most remarkable on account of the great - s E C T. inftance of loyalty fhewn by David in an adjoining cave towards Saul. And a like inftance we have again fhewn by David to Saul in the wilderness of Ziph, after his return thither from the wilderness of Paran, 1 Sam. xxvi.

21.

From the wilderness of Ziph David went again to Achish King of Gath, who gave him Ziklag, chap. xxvii. ver. 6. Of Ziklag, This was a city at firft affigned to the tribe of Judah, but afterwards given to the tribe of Simeon, Jofh. xv. 31. and xix. 5. But being a city bordering on the Philistines, if they had ever been driven out of it by the Ifraelites, it feems they had got it again at this time from the Ifraelites ; whence the text fays, that Achish gave David Ziklag.

22.

Of the Ge

fhurites and

Whilft David ftayed here, which was a full year and four months, he went up and invaded the Gefhurites, and the Gezrites, or Gerzites, and Amalekites; who then in- Gerzites. habited the parts on the fouth-weft going to Shur and Egypt, 1 Sam. xxvii. 8. These Gerzites feem to be the fame. that are called Gerrhenians, 2 Macc. xiii. 24. from their chief town Gerra, mentioned by Strabo, as lying between Gaza and Pelufium in Egypt.

23.

Of Shunem.

After this, the Philiftines making war with the Ifraelites, came and pitched in Shunem; and the Ifraelites pitched in Gilboa, chap. xxviii. ver. 4. Shunem was a city in the border of the tribe of Iffachar, Jofh. xix. 18. and it being in this text placed next to Jezreel but one, it was in all probability the Shunem where the Philiftines now encamped. For Jezreel is placed by writers at the weft end of mount Gilboa; hence chap. xxix. ver. 1. we read, that the Ifraelites pitched by a fountain which is in Jezreel, before the fight at Gilboa. This Shunem is alfo remarkable for the Shunamite woman who was fo kind to Elifha. The Aphek mentioned chap. xxix. ver. 1. was probably that which lay in the tribe of Judah, and is before spoken of. Mount Gilboa, as Eufebius and Jerom tell us, was a ridge of mountains, fix miles diftance from Scythopolis or Beth- Of mount shan; among which was a town called Gilboa. These

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24.

Gilbea.

CHAP. mountains are remarkable for the death of Saul and Jonathan, who were flain here.

I.

25.

While the armies lay in the camps already mentioned, Of Endor. Saul, defirous to know the event of the approaching battle, goes to a woman that had a familiar fpirit, at Endor (chap. xxviii. ver. 7). This was a city of the half tribe of Manasseh, on the weft of Jordan. And Eufebius and Jerom tell us, that in their days there was a great town of that name, near mount Tabor, being about five miles to the south of it. And this might very well be the Endor here spoken of.

26. Of the

brook Be

for.

fhan.

27.

It is

David being difmiffed by the Philiftines, returned back to Ziklag, before the engagement at Gilboa. Being returned thither, he finds that the Amalekites had made an incurfion into those parts, and took his wives captive, and burnt Ziklag. Whereupon David, by the direction of God, purfues after the enemy, and comes to the brook Befor. evident from the circumftances of this story, that this brook must be in the fouth-weft border of the land of Ifrael, and fo empty itself into the Mediterranean Sea. The more particular fituation of it is what writers are not agreed about. Croffing this brook, David overtakes the enemy, and recovers all they had carried away; and so returning to Ziklag, fent presents of the booty he had taken to his friends, at feveral places in these fouthern parts, which are either mentioned already, or not of note enough to be here particularly infifted upon. Only it may be of use to remark, that whereas it is faid (1 Sam. xxx. 27.) that David fent of the spoil to them that were in Bethel, by Bethel here is to be understood, not Bethel lying in the north of the tribe of Benjamin, but Bethul mentioned among the cities of Simeon, Jofh. xix. 4.

After the fight on mount Gilboa, the Philiftines took the Of Beth body of Saul, and faftened it to the wall of Bethfhan. This was a city appertaining to the half tribe of Manaffeh on the weft of Jordan, and not far from Jordan, and the south coast of the fea of Galilee. It was a confiderable city in the times of Eufebius and Jerom, and was then, and had been for fome

ages,

II.

ages, called by Greek writers, Scythopolis, i. e. the city of SECT. the Scythians. It is fuppofed to take this name from fome remarkable occurrence here, when the Scythians made an inroad into Syria. It is faid 2 Macc. xii. 29. to lie fix hundred furlongs from Jerufalem. And thus much for the places mentioned in the first book of Samuel.

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