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| Chapter XXXIII.
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Chapter XXXIII.
Accordingly, Saul, having
been first anointed by Samuel with the sacerdotal oil, was appointed
king. He was of the tribe of Benjamin, and his father’s name was
Kish. He was modest in mind, and of a singularly handsome figure, so
that the dignity of his person worthily corresponded to the royal
dignity. But in the beginning of his reign, some portion of the people
had revolted from him, refusing to acknowledge his authority, and had
joined themselves to the Ammonites. Saul, however, energetically
wreaked his vengeance on these people; the enemy were conquered, and
pardon was granted to the Hebrews. Then Saul is said to have been
anointed by Samuel a second time. Next, a bloody war arose by an
invasion of the Philistines; and Saul had appointed Gilgal as the place
where his army was to assemble. As they waited there seven days for
Samuel, that he might offer sacrifice to God, the people gradually
dropped away owing to his delay, and the king, with unlawful
presumption, presented a burnt-offering, thus taking upon him the duty
of a priest. For this he was severely rebuked by Samuel, and
acknowledged his sin with a penitence that was too late. For, as a
result of the king’s sin, fear had pervaded the whole army. The
camp of the enemy lying at no great distance showed them how actual the
danger was, and no one had the courage to think of going forth to
battle: most had be-taken themselves to the marshes.301
| 301 The text here is very
uncertain; we have followed the reading of Halm, “lamas,”
but others have “lacrimas” or “latebras.” |
For besides the want of courage on the part of those who
felt that God was alienated
from them on account of the king’s sin, the army was in the
greatest want of iron weapons; so much so that nobody, except Saul and
Jonathan his son, is said to have possessed either sword or spear. For
the Philistines, as conquerors in the former wars, had deprived the
Hebrews of the use of arms,302
| 302 “Armorum”
is here supplied, but some prefer “cotis,” according to
1 Sam. xiii. 20. | and no one had had
the power of forging any weapon of war, or even making any implement
for rural purposes. In these circumstances, Jonathan, with an audacious
design, and with his armor-bearer as his only companion, entered the
camp of the enemy, and having slain about twenty of them, spread a
terror throughout the whole army. And then, through the appointment of
God, betaking themselves to flight, they neither carried out orders nor
kept their ranks, but placed all the hope of safety in flight. Saul,
perceiving this, hastily drew forth his men, and pursuing the
fugitives, obtained a victory. The king is said on that day to have
issued a proclamation that no one should help himself to food until the
enemy were destroyed. But Jonathan, knowing nothing of this
prohibition, found a honey-comb, and, dipping the point of his weapon
in it, ate up the honey. When that became known to the king through the
anger of God which followed, he ordered his son to be put to death. But
by the help of the people, he was saved from destruction. At that time,
Samuel, being instructed by God, went to the king, and told him in the
words of God to make war on the nation of the Amalekites, who had of
old hindered the Hebrews when they were coming out of Egypt; and the
prohibition was added that they should not covet any of the spoils of
the conquered. Accordingly, an army was led into the territory of the
enemy, the king was taken, and the nation subdued. But Saul, unable to
resist the magnitude of the spoil, and unmindful of the divine
injunctions, ordered the booty to be saved and gathered
together.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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