17 and Abishai son of Zeruiah giveth help to him, and smiteth the Philistine, and putteth him to death; then swear the men of David to him, saying, `Thou dost not go out again with us to battle, nor quench the lamp of Israel.'
and to his son I give one tribe, for there being a lamp to David My servant all the days before Me in Jerusalem, the city that I have chosen to Myself to put My name there.
And the people say, `Thou dost not go out, for if we utterly flee, they do not set `their' heart upon us; and if half of us die, they do not set `their' heart unto us -- for now like us `are' ten thousand; and now, better that thou be to us from the city for an helper.'
and David saith unto Abishai, `Now doth Sheba son of Bichri do evil to us more than Absalom; thou, take the servants of thy lord, and pursue after him, lest he have found for himself fenced cities, and delivered himself `from' our eye.' And the men of Joab go out after him, and the Cherethite, and the Pelethite, and all the mighty men, and they go out from Jerusalem to pursue after Sheba son of Bichri; they `are' near the great stone that `is' in Gibeon, and Amasa hath gone before them, and Joab `is' girded; his long robe he hath put on him, and upon it a girdle -- a sword `is' fastened upon his loins in its sheath; and he hath gone out, and it falleth. And Joab saith to Amasa, `Art thou `in' peace, my brother?' and the right hand of Joab layeth hold on the beard of Amasa to give a kiss to him; and Amasa hath not been watchful of the sword that `is' in the hand of Joab, and he smiteth him with it unto the fifth `rib', and sheddeth out his bowels to the earth, and he hath not repeated `it' to him, and he dieth; and Joab and Abishai his brother have pursued after Sheba son of Bichri.
but for David's sake hath Jehovah his God given to him a lamp in Jerusalem, to raise up his son after him, and to establish Jerusalem,
There I cause to spring up a horn for David, I have arranged a lamp for Mine anointed.
and lo, the whole family hath risen against thy maid-servant, and say, Give up him who smiteth his brother, and we put him to death for the life of his brother whom he hath slain, and we destroy also the heir; and they have quenched my coal which is left -- so as not to set to my husband a name and remnant on the face of the ground.'
They are before me in a day of my calamity, And Jehovah is my support,
For Thou `art' my lamp, O Jehovah, And Jehovah doth lighten my darkness.
Who is giving deliverance to kings, Who is freeing David His servant from the sword of evil.
that one was not the Light, but -- that he might testify about the Light. He was the true Light, which doth enlighten every man, coming to the world;
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on 2 Samuel 21
Commentary on 2 Samuel 21 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 21
The date of the events of this chapter is uncertain. I incline to think that they happened as they are here placed, after Absalom's and Sheba's rebellion, and towards the latter end of David's reign. That the battles with the Philistines, mentioned here, were long after the Philistines were subdued, appears by comparing 1 Chr. 18:1 with 20:4. The numbering of the people was just before the fixing of the place of the temple (as appears 1 Chr. 22:1), and that was towards the close of David's life; and, it should seem, the people were numbered just after the three years' famine for the Gibeonites, for that which is threatened as "three' years' famine (1 Chr. 21:12) is called "seven' years (2 Sa. 24:12, 13), three more, with the year current, added to those three. We have here,
2Sa 21:1-9
Here
2Sa 21:10-14
Here we have,
2Sa 21:15-22
We have here the story of some conflicts with the Philistines, which happened, as it should seem, in the latter end of David's reign. Though he had so subdued them that they could not bring any great numbers into the field, yet as long as they had any giants among them to be their champions, they would never be quiet, but took all occasions to disturb the peace of Israel, to challenge them, or make incursions upon them.