2 Samuel 1:18 NIV

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 1:18

(Also he bade them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow ,.... These words, with what follow in this verse, are rightly put into a parenthesis, since they do not begin nor make any part of the elegiac song, or lamentation of David; and are here inserted to show, that, amidst his sorrow and lamentation, he was not unmindful of the welfare of the people, and to provide for their defence and security; and therefore gave orders that care should be taken, especially in the tribe of... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 2 Samuel 1:18

The use of the bow - The use of is not in the Hebrew; it is simply the bow, that is, a song thus entitled. See the observations at the end, 2 Samuel 1:21 ; (note). 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 1:17-18

( ZIKLAG .) The song of the bow. I. THE OCCASION of this lament, threnody, elegy, or funeral dirge, was the arrival of fatal tidings from Gilboa. "There were only two in that great slaughter concerning whose fate David was eager to know the truth—his enemy and his friend. 'How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son be dead?' ( 2 Samuel 1:5 ). When the news was fully established, he immediately went through all the signs of Eastern grief. He and his six hundred heroes sat... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Samuel 1:18

Also he bade them teach the children of Judah [the use of] the bow. The old view is that given by the inserted words, and is well put by Ephrem Syrus in his commentary upon the passage. He says that, as Israel's defeat at Gilboa was the presage of a long struggle, and as the Philistines had gained the victory there by their skill in archery, David used his utmost authority with his own tribe to get them to practise this art for their protection in future wars. This explanation would be... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - 2 Samuel 1:18

The use of the bow - Omit “the use of.” “The bow” is the name by which this dirge was known, being so called from the mention of Jonathan’s bow in 2 Samuel 1:22. The sense would then be: And he commanded them to teach the children of Israel the song called Kasheth (the bow), i. e. he gave directions that the song should be learned by heart (compare Deuteronomy 31:19). It has been further suggested that in the Book of Jasher there was, among other things, a collection of poems, in which special... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - 2 Samuel 1:18

2 Samuel 1:18. And bade them teach the children of Judah Among whom he now was, and over whom he first reigned; the use of the bow While he made lamentation for the dead, he did not neglect the living: that they might be provided with better means to defend themselves, as the king designed of God to reign over them, he ordered that they should immediately learn to be skilful in the use of bows and arrows, by which principally the Philistines had gained this victory. The Israelites seem... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - 2 Samuel 1:1-27

1:1-4:12 CIVIL WAR AFTER SAUL’S DEATHMourning for Saul and Jonathan (1:1-27)David learnt of Saul’s death from one of Saul’s own men, an Amalekite who had become a citizen of Israel (1:1-4; see v. 13). The man clearly thought that by adding a few details to the story and by bringing Saul’s crown to David, he could win David’s favour (5-10; cf. 4:10).As long as Saul lived, David had regarded him as the Lord’s anointed king and had consistently refused to harm him (cf. 1 Samuel 24:6; 1 Samuel... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - 2 Samuel 1:18

children = sons. the use of . The Ellipsis is wrongly supplied. The word "Lamentation" should be repeated from 2 Samuel 1:17 ; "The Bow" being the subject of the Lamentation (2 Samuel 1:22 ). the bow. This is the name of the Lamentation, be-cause it is mentioned in 2 Samuel 1:22 ; and it is what the tribe of Saul and Jonathan (Benjamin) was noted for (compare 1 Chronicles 8:40 ; 1Ch 12:2 . 2 Chronicles 14:8 ; 2 Chronicles 17:17 ). For a similar reason the scripture (Exodus 3:0 ) about... read more

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

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 2 Samuel 1:18

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 2 Samuel 1:18

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Samuel 1:11-27

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Samuel 1:17-18

The Pulpit Commentary - 2 Samuel 1:18

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - 2 Samuel 1:18

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - 2 Samuel 1:18

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - 2 Samuel 1:1-27

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - 2 Samuel 1:18

Group of Brands