Bible Commentaries

And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on ^a the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and ^b smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire;

(a) After that he departed from Achish.

(b) That is, destroyed their city.

So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, [it was] burned with fire; and their ^c wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives.

(c) For those only remained in the city, when the men were gone to war.

And David was greatly distressed; for the people ^d spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.

(d) Thus we see that in trouble and adversity we do not consider God's providence, but like raging beasts forget both our own duty and contemn God's appointment over us.

And David enquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake [them], and without fail ^e recover [all].

(e) Though God seem to leave us for a time, yet if we trust in him, we will be sure to find comfort.

And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him ^f bread, and he did eat; and they made him drink water;

(f) God by his providence both provides for the needs of the poor stranger, and made him a guide to David to accomplish his enterprise.

And David said to him, Canst thou bring me down to this company? And he said, ^g Swear unto me by God, that thou wilt neither kill me, nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring thee down to this company.

(g) For others were in all ages held in most reverence, even among the heathen.

And when he had brought him down, behold, [they were] p> p>

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spread abroad upon all the earth, {(h)} eating and drinking, and dancing, because of all the great spoil that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah.

(h) The wicked in their pomp and pleasures do not consider the judgment of God, which is then at hand to smite them.

And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening ⁱ of the next day: and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, which rode upon camels, and fled.

(i) Some read, and to the morrow of the two evenings, that is, three days.

And David took all the flocks and the herds, [which] they drave before those [other] cattle, and said, This [is] David's ^k spoil.

(k) Which the Amalekites had taken from others, and David from them, besides the goods of Ziklag.

Then answered all the wicked men and [men] of Belial, of those that went with David, and said, Because they went not with us, we will not give them [ought] of the spoil that we have recovered, save to every man his ^l wife and his children, that they may lead [them] away, and depart.

(l) Under these are understood the cattle and goods, which belonged to every man.

^m And it was [so] from that day forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel unto this day.

(m) Some refer these words to David, that he alleged an old custom and law, as if it were written, it is both now, and ever has been.

And to [them] which [were] in Hebron, and ⁿ to all the places where David himself and his men were wont to haunt.

(n) Showing himself mindful of their benefits towards him.