2 Samuel 1:19-21 KJV

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 2 Samuel 1:17-27

When David had rent his clothes, mourned, and wept, and fasted, for the death of Saul, and done justice upon him who made himself guilty of it, one would think he had made full payment of the debt of honour he owed to his memory; yet this is not all: we have here a poem he wrote on that occasion; for he was a great master of his pen as well as of his sword. By this elegy he designed both to express his own sorrow for this great calamity and to impress the like on the minds of others, who ought... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Samuel 1:19

The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places ,.... The high mountains of Gilboa, where Saul their king, and Jonathan his son, a prince of the blood, and natural heir to the crown, and multitudes of young men, the flower of the nation, were wounded and slain. Here begins the lamentation, or the elegiac song: how are the mighty fallen ! mighty men of war, strong and valiant, as Saul and his sons were, and the soldiers in his army. read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Samuel 1:20

Tell it not in Gath ,.... One of the five principalities of the Philistines, and the chief of them, being raised to a kingdom, and whose king was at the head of the armies of the Philistines that engaged with Saul. This is not to be understood of a command of David, who could not hinder the victory the Philistines had got over Israel being known at Gath, and talked of with pleasure there, but a wish it had not: publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon ; another of the principalities... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Samuel 1:21

Ye mountains of Gilboa ,.... On which fell Saul and his sons, and many of the people of Israel, 2 Samuel 1:6 , let there be no dew, neither let there be rain upon you ; which is not to understood as a real imprecation; for David would never curse any part of the land of Israel, for which he had so great a regard; but only as a poetical figure, expressing his concern for, and abhorrence of what happened on those mountains; much less did this in reality take place, as some have... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 2 Samuel 1:21

As though he had not been - In stead of בלי beli , Not, I read כלי keley , Instruments. Anointed with oil - See the observations at the end. 2 Samuel 1:18 , etc.: He bade them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow, קשת kasheth . The word kasheth is to be understood of the title of the song which immediately follows, and not of the use of the bow, as our translation intimates. Many of David's Psalms have titles prefixed to them; some are termed... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Samuel 1:11-27

The facts of the section are: 1 . Having become assured, through the testimony of the Amalekite, of the defeat of Israel in the death of Saul and Jonathan, David and his men spent the rest of the day in mourning. 2 . On the morrow David examines the Amalekite as to the particulars of Saul's death, and being shocked at the sin and shame of slaying the Lord's anointed, he condemns the man to death. 3 . Being left to his own reflections on the sad event which had happened to Israel,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Samuel 1:19

The beauty of Israel. The word zebi means both "beauty" and also "the gazelle." Ewald takes it in the second sense, and explains it of Jonathan. "everywhere the first in courage, in activity, and speed; slender also and of well-made figure, and whose personal beauty and swiftness of foot in attack or retreat gained for him among the troops the name of 'the gazelle.' The Syriac Version also translates 'gazelle,'" but Ephrem says that the whole Israelite nation is meant, the flower of whoso... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Samuel 1:19

How are the mighty fallen! This expression suggests numerous refleclions on— I. THE VANITY OF MAN in the glory of his might. He is proud of his exalted state, his wisdom, strength, or riches; and he is admired and envied by others. But: 1 . How precarious his position! He stands on "slippery places." All his grandeur rests on life, than which nothing is more unsubstantial or uncertain. 2 . How futile his purposes! Formed in ignorance, weakness, and presumption, they... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Samuel 1:19-27

David's lamentation over Saul and Jonathan. In this lamentation there is— I. A DECLARATION OF THE CAUSE OF MOURNING . "O pride of Israel, on thy high places slain! Alas! fallen are the heroes." ( 2 Samuel 1:19 .) This is the keynote. It contains "the theme of the entire ode." 1 . Men of rich endowments are the ornament, beauty, and glory of a people. 2 . Such men are sometimes stricken down suddenly and under unexpected circumstances. "Not on the level... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Samuel 1:20

Gath … Askelon. By thus localizing the triumph, and bringing before the mind the thought of multitudes in these well-known places rejoicing with dance and song over the news of their victory, a more affecting picture is produced by the contrast with Israel's distress than could have been effected by mere generalizations. Probably, too, there was present in David's mind the remembrance of scenes which he had witnessed in these towns. In course of time, "Tell it not in Gath" became a proverb (... read more

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 2 Samuel 1:17-27

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Samuel 1:19

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Samuel 1:20

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Samuel 1:21

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 2 Samuel 1:21

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Samuel 1:11-27

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Samuel 1:19

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Samuel 1:19

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Samuel 1:19-27

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Samuel 1:20

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