II Samuel 1:1

David receives the news of Saul's death. - Sa2 1:1-4. After the death of Saul, and David's return to Ziklag from his campaign against the Amalekites, there came a man to David on the third day, with his clothes torn and earth strewed upon his head (as a sign of deep mourning: see at Sa1 4:12), who informed him of the flight and overthrow of the Israelitish army, and the death of Saul and Jonathan. Sa2 1:1-3 Sa2 1:1 may be regarded as the protasis to Sa2 1:2, so far as the contents are concerned, although formally it is rounded off, and ויּשׁב forms the apodosis to ויהי: "It came to pass after the death of Saul, David had returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites (1 Samuel 30:1-26), that David remained at Ziklag two days. And it came to pass on the third day," etc. Both of these notices of the time refer to the day, on which David returned to Ziklag from the pursuit and defeat of the Amalekites. Whether the battle at Gilboa, in which Saul fell, occurred before or after the return of David, it is impossible to determine. All that follows from the juxtaposition of the two events in Sa2 1:1, is that they were nearly contemporaneous. The man "came from the army from with Saul," and therefore appears to have kept near to Saul during the battle. Sa2 1:4 David's inquiry, "How did the thing happen?" refers to the statement made by the messenger, that he had escaped from the army of Israel. In the answer, אשׁר serves, like כּי in other passages, merely to introduce the words that follow, like our namely (vid., Ewald, 338, b.). "The people fled from the fight; and not only have many of the people fallen, but Saul and Jonathan his son are also dead." וגם ... וגם: not only ... but also. Sa2 1:5-10 To David's further inquiry how he knew this, the young man replied (Sa2 1:6-10), "…

Here is, I. David settling again in Ziklag, his own city, after he had rescued his family and friends out of the hands of the Amalekites (Sa2 1:1): He abode in Ziklag. Thence he was now sending presents to his friends (Sa1 30:26), and there he was ready to receive those that came into his interests; not men in distress and debt, as his first followers were, but persons of quality in their country, mighty men, men of war, and captains of thousands (as we find, Ch1 12:1, Ch1 12:8, Ch1 12:20); such came day by day to him, God stirring up their hearts to do so, till he had a great host, like the host of God, as it is said, Ch1 12:22. The secret springs of revolutions are unaccountable, and must be resolved into that Providence which turns all hearts as the rivers of water. II. Intelligence brought him thither of the death of Saul. It was strange that he did not leave some spies about the camp, to bring him early notice of the issue of the engagement, a sign that he desired not Saul's woeful day, nor was impatient to come to the throne, but willing to wait till those tidings were brought to him which many a one would have sent more than half-way to meet. He that believes does not make haste, takes good news when it comes and is not uneasy while it is in the coming. 1. The messenger presents himself to David as an express, in the posture of a mourner for the deceased prince and a subject to the succeeding one. He came with his clothes rent, and made obeisance to David (Sa2 1:2), pleasing himself with the fancy that he had the honour to be the first that did him homage as his sovereign, but it proved he was the first that received from him sentence of death as his judge. He told David he came from the camp of Israel, and intimated the bad posture it was in when he said he had…

1:1-27 The forty years of Saul’s reign came to a painful end. The Philistines inflicted a crushing blow on Saul’s people, killing his sons and dismembering Saul’s body after his suicide (1 Sam 31). On the heels of these tragedies, David’s career as leader came into focus. 1:1-16 An unnamed Amalekite sought out David, claiming to have killed Saul. This was a lie, as Saul had committed suicide (1 Sam 31:4-6). The Amalekite might have hoped that David would reward him for making it possible for David to assume the throne. Instead, David ordered him killed for harming the Lord’s anointed. 1:1 David returned from his victory: Just prior to this encounter, David and his men had killed many Amalekites because of what they had done to David’s city and family (see 1 Sam 30).