Page images
PDF
EPUB
[graphic][merged small]

after the death of Samuel, removed farther southward, even into the wilderness of Paran,' it would seem that, having no confidence in Saul's fits of right feeling, he was fearful of the consequences of the absence of that degree of moral restraint upon him which had existed while the prophet lived. The southern country offers, in the proper season, excellent pastures, to which those of Judah, who had large possessions of cattle,' were wont to send their flocks during a part of the year. The advantage offered by the free use of these open pastures was, however, in some degree counterbalanced by the danger from the prowling Arab tribes with which they sometimes came in contact. David probably supported his men during the eight months of his stay in this region by acting against those tribes, and making spoil of their cattle. And as their hand was against every man, it was natural that every man's hand should be against them; the rather, as we may be sure, from their general conduct, that they lost no occasion of oppressing or plundering the people inhabiting, or pasturing their flocks, along or near the southern frontier. Thus the presence of David's troop was, for that reason, a great advantage to the shepherds, as he had by this time secured sufficient control over his men to oblige them to respect the property of the Israelites. And this was, at least in the feelings of the people, no small thing in a body of men, living abroad with swords in their hands, and obliged, as they were, to collect their subsistence in the best way they could.

- Wilderness.'-By wilderness or desert the reader is not always to understand a country altogether barren and unfruitful, but such only as is rarely or never sown or cultivated; which, though it yields no crops of corn or fruit, yet affords herbage, more or less, for the grazing of cattle, with fountains or rills of water, though more sparingly interspersed than in other places.

2. The man was very great.'-This, coupled with the following description of his substance, affords an interesting indication of what was considered to constitute a very large property among the Hebrews at this period.

He was shearing his sheep in Carmel.'-Except for this incident, and for the trophy set up by Saul for his victory over the Amorites (xv. 12), and the mere name in Josh. xv. 55, Carmel is not further mentioned in Scripture. Eusebius and Jerome describe it as a village with a Roman garrison. It is mentioned in the history of the Crusades as a place where king Almaric found a pool with plenty of water for his troops in 1172, when he drew back and encamped here, after having marched without effect against Saladin, who invaded the country south and east of the Dead Sea. But it is not said whether the place was then inhabited or ruined. How and when Carmel became desolate no record tells, and its name and site were forgotten until the present century, when it was visited by Seetzen; but since his day no traveller appears to have recognized it till Dr. Robinson's visit.

The place now bears the name of Kurmul, and lies about eight miles east of south from Hebron. The ruins are extensive, lying around the head and along the two sides of a valley of some width and depth; and the head of which forms a semicircular amphitheatre shut in by rocks. The main ruins are on the level ground west of 168

this amphitheatre; and here stands the castle, in what must have been the middle of the ancient town. This is a remarkable ruin, the exterior walls of which may from the style be referred to Herod or the Romans, while the interior has been built up at a subsequent period, in a later and Saracenic style of architecture. The other ruins consist chiefly of the foundations and broken walls of dwellings and other edifices, scattered in every direction, and thrown | together in mournful confusion and desolation. Most of the stones have been only rough-hewn, or else have been worn away by time and exposure. A more particular account of the ruins may be seen in Professor Robinson's Researches, ii. 196-199.

3. Of the house of Caleb.'-Caleb means a dog in Hebrew; and the ancient versions, as well as several of the. modern, do not render it as a proper name, but as a further indication of Nabal's character. Under this view it will denote a man of a dog-like, that is, of a churlish, snapping, snarling disposition, or, as Boothroyd has it, 'irritable as a dog.'

[ocr errors]

5. Get you up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and greet him in my name, etc.-We have already stated the results of Dr. Robinson's researches in the region containing Carmel, Maon, Ziph, and En-gedi. One passage in his statement affords a very interesting commentary on the portion of the history of David contained in this and the connected chapters. He writes: We were here in the midst of scenes memorable of old for the adventures of David during his wanderings in order to escape from the jealousy of Saul; and we did not fail to peruse here, and with the deepest interest, the chapters of Scripture which record those wanderings and adventures. Ziph and Maon gave their names to the desert on the east, as did En-gedi; and twice did the inhabitants of Ziph endeavour to betray the youthful outlaw to the vengeance of his persecutor. At that time David and his men appear to have been very much in the condition of similar outlaws at the present day; for "every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him: and he became a captain over them and there were with him about four hundred men." They lurked in these deserts, associating with the herdsmen and shepherds of Nabal and others, and doing them good offices, probably in return for information and supplies obtained through them. Hence when Nabal held his annual sheep-shearing in Carmel, David felt himself entitled to share in the festival, and sent a message, recounting his own services, and asking for a present. "Wherefore let the young men find favour in thine eyes; for we come in a good day; give, I pray thee, whatsoever cometh to thine hand unto thy servants, and to thy son David." In all these particulars we were deeply struck with the truth and strength of the Biblical descriptions of manners and customs, almost identically the same as they exist at the present day. On such a festive occasion near a town or village, even in our own time, an Arab sheikh of the neighbouring desert would hardly fail to put in a word, either in person or by message; and his message, both in form and substance, would be only a transcript of that of David.'

[ocr errors]

6. Peace be both to thee, and peace be to thine house,

[ocr errors][ocr errors]

and peace be unto all that thou hast.'-The immutability of ancient customs in the East is shewn in nothing more strikingly than in matters of form and ceremony, and especially in that branch in which salutations are comprehended. The permanent type, the burden of all salutations, is now, as it was formerly, PEACE. We know not any single passage we could adduce which would shew this more strikingly, and so illustrate this and similar texts, than the following extract from William Biddulph, an old traveller in Palestine, whose account is inserted in Purchas's Pilgrimage (p. 1340):-The greatest part of them are very courteous people amongst themselves, saluting one another at their meetings with their hand on their breast (for they never uncover their head) with these words: Salam Alike Sultanum; that is, Peace be unto you, Sir. Wherunto the other replieth, Alekem Salam; that is, Peace be to you also. And sometimes thus, Elph Marhabbaianum; or in Turkish, thus, Hosh Geldanos, Sophi Geldanos, that is, Welcome, my dear friend. And in the morning, Subalkier Sultanum, that is, Good morrow, Sir: and in the evening, thus, Misalker Sultanum, that is, Good even, Sir. And when friends and acquaintance meet, who have not seen one another many days before, they salute one another in Turkish, thus, Neder hulen? that is, How do you? In Arabick, thus, Ish halac Seedi? that is, How do you, Sir? And Ish babtac? that is, How doth thy gate? (meaning all within his gate), and so proceeds by particulars to ask how doth thy child, slave, horse, cat, dog, ass, &c., and everything in the house except his wife; for that is held a very unkind question, and unusual amongst them. And if a man come to their houses, and at the door inquire of the children for their father, they will answer him; but if he inquire for the mother, they will throw stones at him and revile him.'

11. My bread and my water,' etc.-Here we have another indication of the value of water. Among us it would be considered strange to mention water in this way; but it is not thus in the East. Water was usually provided by the masters for their husbandmen and the shearers of their sheep. Nabal had probably procured his with some difficulty, and by the labour of his people; and it was therefore quite natural for him to mention it among the articles of provision which he could not be expected to spare. On such great occasions as the ploughing or harvest to the husbandman, or a shearing to the shepherd, the owner was careful to supply an adequate quantity of water for the men while at work. In all such operations in the East, a number of attendants are usually employed to serve out water to the labourers, carrying it to them as they stand at their work. Weak wine seems to have been sometimes employed anciently. Homer describes wine as being served to ploughmen; but we may believe that water was more common, though less poetical :

'Oft as in their course

They came to the field's bourn, so oft a man
Met them, who in their hands a goblet placed
Charged with delicious wine.'

Iliad, xviii.-COWPER.

An adequate supply of water--good water-is also a circumstance of the most essential importance in the provision for the festivities in which the occasions of extraordinary rural or pastoral exertion terminated.

23. She hasted, and lighted off the ass.'-See the note on Gen. xxiv. 65. The following description of Antar's action on approaching the king of Persia is a very excellent illustration of Abigail's proceeding in the presence of David. Antar and his party meet with the king as he is riding out to hunt:-On perceiving Nushirvan they instantly dismounted. Antar presented himself, and attempted to kiss Chosroe's feet in the stirrup, but the king

not only prevented him, but stooped towards him and kissed him between the eyes; and never had Nushiryan conferred such a mark of distinction on any one but Antar.' To this last action, of kissing between the eyes, we have referred in the note to ch. x. 1. In the above extract we see, that, as is still the custom, they dismounted as soon as they saw the king, and therefore either waited till he rode up, or proceeded on foot to meet him. The parallel is the more complete if, as some understand, David was mounted, and that therefore the expression fell at his feet' (literally fell on his feet') means that she took hold of his feet-to kiss them, doubtless-as he sat on his ass or mule. 25. Nabal is his name, and folly is with him.'-The significant character of the Hebrew names gave great occasion for a reference to, or an application of, the meanings which they offered. Of this there are many instances in Scripture; and the present is one of these, Nabal signifying a fool.

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

Folly.'-The folly here specified is not to be understood in the usual sense of the word in a European idiom, as a negative quality, or the mere want of sense, but as a kind of obstinately stupid lethargy, or perverse absence of mind, in which the will is not altogether passive.

29. The soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life.'-Mr. Roberts, in his Oriental Illustrations, borrows from the proverbial expressions of the Hindoos by much the best illustration of this text that has ever fallen under our notice. He says: Anything important or valuable is called a kattu, i. e., " a bundle, a pack, a bale." A young man who is enamoured of a female is said to be "bound up in the kattu, bundle, of love." Of a just judge the people say, "He is bound up in the bundle of justice." adds other instances, from the application of which we see that Abigail intended to express that, under the Lord's protection, the life of David was so securely guarded, that all the attempts of his enemies against his existence must prove abortive.

He

36. He held a feast.... like the feast of a king.'Sheep-shearing is an operation to which allusion is frequently made in the sacred volume. The wool in very remote times was not shorn with an iron instrument, but plucked off with the hand. From the concurrent testimony of several writers, the time when it is performed in Palestine falls in the month of March. If this be admitted, it fixes the time of the year when Jacob departed from Laban on his return to his father's house, for he left him at the time he went to shear his sheep. In like manner the sheep of Nabal were shorn in spring; for among the presents which Abigail made to David, five measures of parched corn are mentioned. But we know from other passages of Scripture that they were accustomed to use parched corn when it was full grown, but not ripe; for the people of Israel were commanded in the law not to eat parched corn or green ears, until the selfsame day they had made an offering to the Lord. This time seems to have been spent by the eastern swains in more than usual hilarity: and it may be inferred from several hints in the Scriptures that the wealthier proprietors invited their friends and dependants to sumptuous entertainments. Nabal, on that joyous occasion, which the servants of David called a good or festive day, although a churlish and niggardly man, held a feast in his house, like the feast of a king;' and on a similar occasion Absalom treated his friends and relations in the same magnificent style. The modern Arabs are more frugal and parsimonious; yet their hearts, so little accustomed to expand with joyous feelings, acknowledge the powerful influence of increasing wealth, and dispose them to indulge in greater jollity than usual. On these occasions they perhaps kill a lamb, or a goat, and treat their relations and friends; and at once to testify their respect for their guests, and add to the luxury of the feast, crown the festive board with new cheese and milk, dates, and honey.

CHAPTER XXVI.

1 Saul, by the discovery of the Ziphites, cometh to Hachilah against David. 5 David coming into the trench stayeth Abishai from killing Saul, but taketh his spear and cruse. 13 David reproveth Abner, 18 and exhorteth Saul. 21 Saul acknowledgeth his sin.

AND the Ziphites came unto Saul to Gibeah, saying, 'Doth not David hide himself in the hill of Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon?

2 Then Saul arose, and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, having three thousand chosen men of Israel with him, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph.

3 And Saul pitched in the hill of Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon, by the way. But David abode in the wilderness, and he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness.

4 David therefore sent out spies, and understood that Saul was come in very deed.

5 ¶ And David arose, and came to the place where Saul had pitched : and David beheld the place where Saul lay, and *Abner the son of Ner, the captain of his host: and Saul lay in the trench, and the people pitched

round about him.

6 Then answered David and said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Abishai the son of Zeruiah, brother to Joab, saying, Who will go down with me to Saul to the camp? And Abishai said, I will go down with thee.

7 So David and Abishai came to the people by night: and, behold, Saul lay sleeping within the trench, and his spear stuck in the ground at his bolster but Abner and the people lay round about him.

8 Then said Abishai to David, God hath 'delivered thine enemy into thine hand this day now therefore let me smite him, I pray thee, with the spear even to the earth at once, and I will not smite him the second time.

9 And David said to Abishai, Destroy him not for who can stretch forth his hand against the LORD's anointed, and be guiltless?

10 David said furthermore, As the LORD liveth, the LORD shall smite him; or his day shall come to die; or he shall descend into battle, and perish.

11 The LORD forbid that I should stretch forth mine hand against the LORD's anointed: but, I pray thee, take thou now the spear that is at his bolster, and the cruse of water, and let us go.

12 So David took the spear and the cruse

1 Chap. 23. 19.
2 Chap. 14. 50, and 17. 55.
5 Heb. the sons of death.

of water from Saul's bolster; and they gat them away, and no man saw it, nor knew it, neither awaked: for they were all asleep; because a deep sleep from the LORD was fallen upon them.

13 ¶ Then David went over to the other side, and stood on the top of an hill afar off; a great space being between them:

14 And David cried to the people, and to Abner the son of Ner, saying, Answerest thou not, Abner? Then Abner answered and said, Who art thou that criest to the king?

15 And David said to Abner, Art not thou a valiant man? and who is like to thee in Israel? wherefore then hast thou not kept thy lord the king? for there came one of the people in to destroy the king thy lord.

16 This thing is not good that thou hast done. As the LORD liveth, ye are 'worthy to die, because ye have not kept your master, the LORD'S anointed. And now see where the king's spear is, and the cruse of water that was at his bolster.

17 And Saul knew David's voice, and said, Is this thy voice, my son David? And David said, It is my voice, my lord, O king.

18 And he said, Wherefore doth my lord thus pursue after his servant? for what have I done? or what evil is in mine hand?

19 Now therefore, I pray thee, let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If the LORD have stirred thee up against me, let him accept an offering: but if they be the children of men, cursed be they before the LORD; for they have driven me out this day from 'abiding in the inheritance of the LORD, saying, Go, serve other gods.

20 Now therefore, let not my blood fall to the earth before the face of the LORD: for the king of Israel is come out to seek a flea, as when one doth hunt a partridge in the mountains.

21 Then said Saul, I have sinned: return, my son David: for I will no more do thee harm, because my soul was precious in thine eyes this day: behold, I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly.

22 And David answered and said, Behold the king's spear! and let one of the young men come over and fetch it.

23 The LORD render to every man his righteousness and his faithfulness: for the LORD delivered thee into my hand to day, but I would not stretch forth mine hand against the LORD's anointed.

[blocks in formation]

6 Heb. smell.

7 Heb. cleaving.

24 And, behold, as thy life was much set by this day in mine eyes, so let my life be much set by in the eyes of the LORD, and let him deliver me out of all tribulation.

25 Then Saul said to David, Blessed be

thou, my son David: thou shalt both do great things, and also shalt still prevail. So David went on his way, and Saul returned to his place.

With

Verse 5. Saul lay in the trench, and the people pitched round about him.'—Ă ‘trench' is here an exceedingly unlikely meaning of the word by maʼgal. The marginal reading, in the midst of the carriages,' is better, if we understand it to mean not wheel-carriages, but of things carried on mules, etc., that is, baggage. This is occasionally the sense of the word 'carriage' in our version. We may be almost certain that no wheel-carriages were used in such military excursions as the present-much less in such a hilly part of the country as was the scene of this transaction. A very slight reference to existing usages in the East will suffice to elucidate the present and other allusions contained in the Scriptures, to the form of encampments. In all the different forms of encampment-the nomade, the travelling, the military—a general preference is given to a circular arrangement. The circumstances of the ground sometimes compel a departure from it; and the additional exigencies connected with pasturage and water render this more frequent among the Bedouins than in other cases. them, when the circular form can be adopted, the place of honour, occupied by the emir, sheikh, or chief, is in the centre; the other tents being pitched at a respectful distance around. Under the ordinary circumstances of a camp, however, the chief often, among some tribes, foregoes this distinction for the sake of the character for hospitality, which requires him to have his tent, in every form of encampment, the nearest to that direction from which strangers usually arrive. The eastern military and regal camps, when the ground allows, are also disposed circularly; and, if the army be large, in a number of concentric circles, the royal pavilion being in the centre. A description which Mr. Morier gives of the encampment of the Persian army, in the plain of Oujan, well explains this except in the circumstance that, as the king had a palace in the plain, and resided in it instead of in a tent, that became the central object. 'Around this building, to an immense extent, at various intervals, was spread the camp, consisting of tents and pavilions, of all colours and all denominations. An order had been issued that every tent in the camp should be pitched with its entrance immediately facing the palace; by which it was intended that every one who came forth should make the ser ferou, or bow the head to the royal abode..... The king thus became, as it were, the nave of a great wheel; and he was so completely hemmed in by his troops, that if an enemy had appeared, it would have been impossible to get at him without first cutting a road through the labyrinth of ropes and tents which everywhere surrounded him' (Second Journey, p. 268). Unquestionably, Saul's camp was arranged on the same general principle, and probably for the same reasons-the honour and security of the royal person. It is not indeed clear that Saul's party had tents in this unostentatious expedition; but the same general principle is observed even when a party is without tents. This explains how David was able to single out Saul even by night; and it gives point to his ironical reproaches of Abner and the rest, who had so insufficiently guarded their lord, around whom they slept. The mention of baggage,' if baggage be really intended by the word by, may obtain some further illustration from observing the manner in which travelling or mercantile caravans encamp. The circular form is usually adopted. The circle is formed by a long rope fastened to the ground by pins of wood or iron, and to which the camels are tied at night, forming the exterior circle. Within this, a kind of rampart is made with the

bales of merchandise, forming a sort of wall to the interior area. In the centre of this area the tent of the principal person, if he have any tent, is pitched; and the provisions and baggage are also usually there deposited. If the chief personage have no tent (and he often does without one if no women are of the party), he establishes himself among or under shelter of the heap of baggage, where the other heads of the party join him, unless his dignity be so distinguished that he is left to enjoy it apart, except he see fit to invite the society of others. The mass of the party repose along the circumference of the circle, mostly within the rampart formed by the bales; but it often happens that many sleep outside, particularly those who have charge of the cattle, to be ready to protect them from thieves, or to check any strife that may arise among them. This is also done by other persons who have a personal interest in the cattle they use as more generally happens in the caravans of horses and mules which traverse settled countries than in the camel caravans which cross the great deserts. It will easily be seen how far this applies to the elucidation of the text before us; and we believe that the statement we have given will furnish a sufficient explanation of all the passages of Scripture which bear on this subject.

[ocr errors]

11. The spear that is at his bolster, and the cruse of water.'-Literally in, at his head,' answering to "7, at his feet. This it is necessary to explain, that the present text may not seem to contradict an observation made under ch. xix. 13. Saul, as a king, and as sleeping apparently in the open air, may have had a bolster; but the present text does not say that he had; and we think it more than doubtful that bolsters had yet come into use for other than sick persons and women. The sleep of Saul, with his head on a bolster and a vessel of water by his side, receives illustration from the practice of Eastern travellers. The bolster is round, about eight inches in diameter and twenty in length. In travelling, it is carried rolled up in the mat or carpet in which the owner sleeps. In a hot climate, a draught of water is very refreshing in the night: hence a vessel, filled with water, is always near where a person sleeps. As to the custom of sleeping with the spear stuck into the ground at the head, see p. 27 of this volume. However, the text as a whole receives much illustration from the existing customs of the East.

13, 14. Then David....stood on the top of an hill afar off, a great space being between them: and David cried to the people,' etc.-See also Judg. ix. 7, 20; 2 Sam. ii. 25, etc. In all these instances persons are described as addressing the people' afar off,' and from the tops of hills, so that we are sometimes surprised to think how it was possible for them to be heard. We do not remember ever to have met with any attempt to explain this, save in the following interesting passage from Hough's Letters on the Nielgherries. 'The great extent to which the sound of the voice is conveyed has been thought by some persons to be a proof of the extreme rarity of the atmosphere. A similar observation is made by Captain Parry in his Voyage of Discovery to the Polar Regions, 1819-20, where he states, that in the depth of winter the sound of the men's voices was heard at a much greater distance than usual. This phenomenon is constantly observed on the Nielgherries, or Blue Mountains of Coimbatore in South India. I have heard the natives, especially in the morning and evening, when the air was still, carry on conversations from one hill to another, and that apparently without any extraordinary effort. They do not shout in the manner that strangers think necessary, in order to be heard at so great a distance; but utter every

syllable as distinctly as if they were conversing face to face. When listening to them, I have often been reminded of those passages of holy writ where it is recorded, that Jotham addressed the ungrateful people of Shechem from Mount Gerizim. In the dense atmosphere of England, and even in the purer air of the plains of India, it is not easy to imagine how a discourse could be carried on at so great a distance, and from such an eminence; but on the Nielgherries, the portions of sacred history to which I have referred receive a striking illustration.'

korē,

20. A partridge.'-The original word is which signifies the crier' or caller.' That it indicates a species of the Tetraonida (grouse, partridges), there is no reason to doubt; but to which one, if to any one, of the numerous species inhabiting that country, it applies, is hard to say. Probably it includes more than one species, as the ancients did not discriminate species by different names so nicely as we do, except among domestic animals. We set down the names of such of them as we have been able to ascertain. Francolinus vulgaris, or Syrian partridge; Perdrix rubra, or red-legged partridge; Perdrix saxatilis, or Greek partridge; Perdrix petrosa, or Barbary partridge; Pterocles alchata, or pin-tailed sand-grouse; Pterocles arenarius, or sand-grouse, and probably others which have not been yet ascertained. If we are to suppose that some particular

PARTRIDGE. PIN-TAILED SAND-GROUSE. (Katta.) species is intended by the Hebrew kore, there are two between which we should somewhat hesitate to make the preference. The first is the katta, or katha, which has received that name among the Arabs from its cry or call, which is a remarkable circumstance when we refer to the etymology of the Hebrew word. Besides, the katta is one of the most common birds in and near Palestine, and actually swarms in the stony districts beyond the Jordan. They are so numerous in this quarter, that they occasionally appear like clouds in the distance. In fact, there is no place in which they are known to be equally abundant, not, certainly, in Arabia Petræa. Burckhardt notices them often. Near Boszra he says-The quantity of kattas here are beyond description; the whole plain seemed sometimes to rise: and far off in the air they were seen like large moving clouds.' In the country east of the Dead Sea, and

in the mountains of Edom, their numbers are the most excessive and incredible; and so dense are the flocks in which they fly, that the Arab boys often kill two or three at a time merely by throwing a stick among them. According to Russell the bird is found at all seasons, but thus numerously chiefly in May and June, when, even in Northern Syria, a quantity sufficient to load an ass has sometimes been taken at one shutting of the clap-net. The Turks, among whom the more delicate kinds of wild fowl are not in much request, are remarkably fond of this bird; but by the Franks in Syria the flesh is considered black, hard, and dry, and the bird never appears at their tables. The katta deposits upon the ground two or three eggs of a greenish black colour, and about the size of a pigeon's; and the dangers to which they are exposed in this situation agrees with the reference to the kore in Jer. xvii. 11; the partridge sitteth on eggs and hatcheth them not.' The Arabs collect large quantities of them, and eat them, fried in butter. Burckhardt, Hasselquist, and others are strongly of opinion that this bird is the selav (or quail) of Scripture; but perhaps not on sufficient evidence, although it must be admitted that the question as to the selav of the Israelites must be understood to lie between the katta and the common quail. It must be conceded, however, that some of the indications with respect to the partridge' of our version might be equally applicable to some one of the red-legged partridges, which, in the different species mentioned, are also very common in Palestine. Travellers seem to have applied the term 'red-legged' without any discrimination of species -for not only that which is distinctly so called, but the Greek and Barbary partridges, and the Francoline vulgaris, are red-legged. Monro shot a red-legged partridge' in the plains of Philistia, and says that its plumage resembled that of the red-legged partridge of France, but was nearly twice the size, being little less than a hen-pheasant. This he says was the Tetrao rubricollis (red-necked) of Linnæus, and he is probably right, as he must have known the obvious distinction of the species, which is red-legged as well as red-necked. Monro shot another partridge near Jerusalem, and found it to be the Barbary partridge. Burckhardt mentions the red-legged' partridge as a powerful runner. The present text in reference to hunting a partridge on the mountains, is applicable to the redlegged partridges even more than to the katta, for they are partial to upland brushwood, which is no uncommon character of the hills and mountains of Palestine. The mode in which the Arabs hunt them affords a further illustration of the comparison. They often get near enough to throw a destructive fire into a covey, by advancing under cover of an oblong piece of canvas, stretched over a couple of reeds or sticks, like a door. Having also observed that the birds! become languid and fatigued after they have been hastily put up once or twice, they immediately run in upon them, and knock them down with staves. Captains Irby and Mangles state that, on approaching an Arab encampment near Homs, we beheld a very animated and busy scene: the girls were singing, and the children busied in running down the young partridges with dogs, as they were as yet only able to fly a short distance at a time.'-Travels, p. 261.

6

[ocr errors]

CHAPTER XXVII.

1 Saul hearing David to be in Gath, seeketh no more for him. 5 David beggeth Ziklag of Achish. 8 He, invading other countries, persuadeth Achish he fought against Judah.

AND David said in his heart, I shall now 'perish one day by the hand of Saul: there is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines;

and Saul shall despair of me, to seek me any more in any coast of Israel: so shall I escape out of his hand.

2 And David arose, and he passed over i with the six hundred men that were with him unto Achish, the son of Maoch, king of Gath.

3 And David dwelt with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with his houshold,

1 Heb. be consumed.

[ocr errors]
[graphic]
« PreviousContinue »