1Sa 23:15-18 | KD | STEP | David in the Deserts of Ziph and Maon. - The history of David’s persecution by Saul is introduced in , with the account of an attempt made by the noble-minded prince Jonathan, in a private interview with his friend David, to renew his bond of friendship with him, and strengthen David by his friendly words for the sufferings that yet awaited him. , are to be connected together so as to form one period: “ When David saw that Saul was come out ... and David was in the desert of Ziph, Jonathan rose up and went to David into the wood .” חרשׁה, from חרשׁ, with ה paragogic, signifies a wood or thicket; here, however, it is probably a proper name for a district in the desert of Ziph that was overgrown with wood or bushes, and where David was stopping at that time. “There is no trace of this wood now. The land lost its ornament of trees centuries ago through the desolating hand of man” (v. de Velde). “ And strengthened his hand in God ,” i.e., strengthened his heart, not by supplies, or by money, or any subsidy of that kind, but by consolation drawn from his innocence, and the promises of God (vid., Jdg 9:24; ). “ Fear not ,” said Jonathan to him, “ for the hand of Saul my father will not reach thee; and thou wilt become king over Israel, and I will be the second to thee; and Saul my father also knows that it is so .” Even though Jonathan had heard nothing from David about his anointing, he could learn from David’s course thus far, and from his own father’s conduct, that David would not be overcome, but would possess the sovereignty after the death of Saul. Jonathan expresses here, as his firm conviction, what he has intimated once before, in 1Sa 20:13.; and with the most loving self-denial entreats David, when he shall be king, to let him occupy the second place in the kingdom. It by no means follows from the last words (“ Saul my father knoweth ”), that Saul had received distinct information concerning the anointing of David, and his divine calling to be king. The words merely contain the thought, he also sees that it will come. The assurance of this must have forced itself involuntarily upon the mind of Saul, both from his own rejection, as foretold by Samuel, and also from the marvellous success of David in all his undertakings.

‏ 1 Samuel 23:15-18

David in the Deserts of Ziph and Maon. - The history of David’s persecution by Saul is introduced in 1Sa 23:15-18, with the account of an attempt made by the noble-minded prince Jonathan, in a private interview with his friend David, to renew his bond of friendship with him, and strengthen David by his friendly words for the sufferings that yet awaited him. 1Sa 23:15, 1Sa 23:16 are to be connected together so as to form one period: “When David saw that Saul was come out ... and David was in the desert of Ziph, Jonathan rose up and went to David into the wood.” חרשׁה, from חרשׁ, with ה paragogic, signifies a wood or thicket; here, however, it is probably a proper name for a district in the desert of Ziph that was overgrown with wood or bushes, and where David was stopping at that time. “There is no trace of this wood now. The land lost its ornament of trees centuries ago through the desolating hand of man” (v. de Velde). “And strengthened his hand in God,” i.e., strengthened his heart, not by supplies, or by money, or any subsidy of that kind, but by consolation drawn from his innocence, and the promises of God (vid., Jdg 9:24; Jer 23:14). “Fear not,” said Jonathan to him, “for the hand of Saul my father will not reach thee; and thou wilt become king over Israel, and I will be the second to thee; and Saul my father also knows that it is so.” Even though Jonathan had heard nothing from David about his anointing, he could learn from David’s course thus far, and from his own father’s conduct, that David would not be overcome, but would possess the sovereignty after the death of Saul. Jonathan expresses here, as his firm conviction, what he has intimated once before, in 1Sa 20:13.; and with the most loving self-denial entreats David, when he shall be king, to let him occupy the second place in the kingdom. It by no means follows from the last words (“Saul my father knoweth”), that Saul had received distinct information concerning the anointing of David, and his divine calling to be king. The words merely contain the thought, he also sees that it will come. The assurance of this must have forced itself involuntarily upon the mind of Saul, both from his own rejection, as foretold by Samuel, and also from the marvellous success of David in all his undertakings. 1Sa 23:18-20

After these encouraging words, they two made a covenant before Jehovah: i.e., they renewed the covenant which they had already made by another solemn oath; after which Jonathan returned home, but David remained in the wood.

The treachery of the Ziphites forms a striking contrast to Jonathan’s treatment of David. They went up to Gibeah to betray to Saul the fact that David was concealed in the wood upon their mountain heights, and indeed “upon the hill Hachilah, which lies to the south of the waste.” The hill of Ziph is a flattened hill standing by itself, of about a hundred feet in height. “There is no spot from which you can obtain a better view of David’s wanderings backwards and forwards in the desert than from the hill of Ziph, which affords a true panorama. The Ziphites could see David and his men moving to and fro in the mountains of the desert of Ziph, and could also perceive how he showed himself in the distance upon the hill Hachilah on the south side of Ziph (which lies to the right by the desert); whereupon they sent as quickly as possible to Saul, and betrayed to him the hiding-place of his enemy” (v. de Velde, ii. pp. 104-5). Jeshimon does not refer here to the waste land on the north-eastern coast of the Dead Sea, as in Num 21:20; Num 23:28, but to the western side of that sea, which is also desert. 1Sa 23:20 reads literally thus: “And now, according to all the desire of thy soul, O king, to come down (from Gibeah, which stood upon higher ground), come down, and it is in us to deliver him (David) into the hand of the king.”