Commentaria in II Regum (II Samuelis)
17. FOR THEY COULD NOT BE SEEN, NOR ENTER INTO THE CITY,—as if to say: Achimaas and Jonathan, David’s scouts, did not dare to enter the city openly, and show themselves in Jerusalem, because its gates were closely guarded by watchmen, by whom they would have been recognized and seized: therefore a maidservant was sent to them, to carry to them what Chusai had said and done, that they might report the same to David.
18. BUT A CERTAIN BOY SAW THEM.—The Hebrews in St. Jerome hand down that this boy was the son of the maidservant who bore the message from the Pontiffs to their sons Jonathan and Achimaas, that they might report it to David: but it is uncertain who this boy was; for he was rather grown, since he reported it to Absalom to win his favour, and it is not likely that he wished to accuse his mother and cast her into danger of her life.
19. AS IF DRYING HULLED BARLEY.—Ptisan is a Greek word, signifying barley or wheat with the husk removed; for “ptisso” is to purge, to husk, to pound. For ptisan is made from other grains, says Dioscorides, book 2. In Columella, ptisan is a kind of porridge of barley meal, which has the greatest power of restoring strength and nourishing; its cream or juice is given to those in fever. Physicians commonly call ptisan barley separated from the husk and boiled in water, a most wholesome drink, whose praises Hippocrates wrote in an entire volume. Pliny gives the reasons, book 22, chapter 25: “Because ptisan,” he says, “is slippery and easily swallowed, because it keeps off thirst, because it does not swell in the stomach, because it is easily brought up again, and for those accustomed to it this alone can be given as food twice a day in fever.”
21. ARISE AND PASS QUICKLY OVER THE RIVER,—the Jordan. Chusai gives David this counsel because, though he himself had overthrown the counsel of Achitophel, who advised Absalom to pursue David at once, yet he feared lest Absalom, being urged by Achitophel and his companions, should change his mind, and send soldiers after David at once to take him.
23. BUT ACHITOPHEL, SEEING THAT HIS COUNSEL WAS NOT FOLLOWED, etc., HANGED HIMSELF,—lest he be taken by David and hanged as a traitor; he forestalled, therefore, and redeemed an infamous and violent hanging by a private and voluntary one. For he, being prudent and shrewd, foresaw that the warlike David would, from the delay given him, collect strong forces and subdue the rebel Absalom. So Procopius, Theodoret and others. See here how true that saying: “Bad counsel is worst for the counsellor.”
Symbolically, Achitophel, the betrayer of David, was a type of Judas the betrayer, who likewise hanged himself with a halter, say Angelomus and Rupert.
Furthermore, Elias in the Thisbite renders the Hebrew vaiechanec, he was suffocated; whence he thinks he was suffocated by a catarrh. But the Septuagint, Josephus, our version and others constantly translate, and assert that he hanged himself; for his evil conscience, despair and the just vengeance of the Deity drove him to this, that he should strangle his own throat, with which he had given the impious counsel, and betrayed his lord David. Whence they seem to have read in the Kal form iechanec, that is, he strangled himself, though now they read passively in the Niphal vaiechanec, that is, he was strangled. But the Chaldee, Vatablus, Pagnini, Lyranus, Abulensis and others, reading iechanec, translate nevertheless actively, he strangled himself, or was strangled by himself; for a reciprocal action or passion is signified, which the agent inflicts on himself. Hear Josephus, book 7 of the Antiquities, chapter 9: “Having called together all his household, he laid before them what he had advised Absalom, adding that, since he had not persuaded him, he would certainly soon perish. For David would wholly prevail in this war, and recover the kingdom he had lost. It is better, therefore, he said, with a great mind, as becomes a free man, to go out of life, than to offer himself to be tortured by David for the service done against him for the son.”
24. AND DAVID CAME TO THE CAMP.—The Hebrew and Septuagint: he came to Mahanaim, that is, to the city which is called Mahanaim, that is, camps, because Jacob, fleeing his brother Esau, had there seen two hosts, and as it were two camps of Angels fighting for him against his brother, Genesis 32:1. And therefore David, fleeing his son Absalom, withdrew into the same city, hoping that God would be present with him there, as he had been with his forefather Jacob, as we shall hear in the following chapter that he was in fact present. Add: Mahanaim was a city both very strongly fortified and very beautiful, as Adrichomius teaches, in the tribe of Gad, situated in Galaad.
Tropologically, let leaders learn from David here, in dangers and battles, to rely on the help of the tutelary and presiding Angels, and to invoke it; for they procure victory, as they here procured it for David; on which matter I said more on Daniel chapter 10; Josue chapters 10 and 11, and Judges chapter 5.
AND ABSALOM PASSED OVER THE JORDAN,—not at once, but after some days, as Chusai had advised, in which David prepared forces to resist him; whence he drew up three strong lines, with which he conquered Absalom, as we shall hear in chapter 18, verse 4 and following.
25. NOW AMASA WAS THE SON OF A MAN WHO WAS CALLED JETRA (or Jether) OF JEZRAHEL.—In 1 Paralipomenon 2:17 he is called “Jether the Ismaelite.” Whence our Sanchez suspects that in the Hebrew here, instead of Israeli, that is, Israelite, we should read Ismaeli, that is, Ismaelite: for one letter could easily be substituted for the neighbouring other. But all the Hebrew, Chaldee, Greek and Latin codices constantly have in this place Israelite, or Jezrahelite, not Ismaelite. Wherefore Vatablus and others answer differently, namely that Jether was an Ismaelite by origin, but an Israelite by faith and religion, because he had passed from the Ismaelites to the Israelites, and become a proselyte by circumcision and profession of the Mosaic law; or that Jether was an Israelite by origin, but called an Ismaelite by dwelling, because he had dwelt in Arabia. Again the Hebrews in St. Jerome hold that Jether is called an Ismaelite because his son Amasa, imitating the works of Ismael, did not accompany David in his flight; which sin of his was blotted out by Joab’s killing Amasa, and therefore Jether is here called an Israelite. But these are symbolic fictions.
I say, therefore, that Jether was by origin and race an Ismaelite, but migrated into Judea, namely into Jezrahel, and there became a proselyte and was circumcised. This is plain from the Vulgate version, which in this place calls him Jetra of Jezrahel. His house, therefore, was in Jezrahel or Jezrael. For what some with Vatablus hold, that he is here called an Israelite, is too common and general, and does not distinguish him from the rest. For all who are named here were Israelites. For Israeli, then, with other points and with our text, we must read Jezrael or Jesrael; where this place or city was, is not certain. Adrichomius, in his Description of the tribe of Juda, number 169, probably places it in the tribe of Juda: “Jezrael,” he says, “or Jesraeli, of which Josue 15, 16 and 19, took its name from Jezrael the son of Ephrata or Ethan. From this was Achinoam, wife of David, mother of Amnon, whom Absalom killed for the violation of Thamar. This was also the country of the most valiant man Amasa, the commander of Absalom’s army.” So Adrichomius. The only objection is that this Jezrael is written with Zain and Ain, while this Jesraeli is written with Shin and Aleph. But these letters are akin, and interchangeable.
This Jezrael, therefore, is different from Jezrael, the royal city and metropolis of the ten tribes, which was the boundary of the tribe of Manasses and Issachar, situated at the foot of mount Gelboe on the west, in which Jezabel, wife of Achab, had Naboth stoned, that she might seize his vineyard, and where therefore she herself was killed by Jehu and cast out to be devoured by dogs, 4 Kings 9:8, 9 and following.
WHO (Jetra or Jether) WENT IN (as husband or concubinary) TO ABIGAIL THE DAUGHTER OF NAAS (and by her begot Amasa), THE SISTER OF SARVIA, WHO WAS THE MOTHER OF JOAB.—Sarvia and Abigail were sisters of David; Sarvia was the mother of Joab, Abigail the mother of Amasa: wherefore David was uncle to both Joab and Amasa: and they were cousins to each other, as is plain from 1 Paralipomenon 2:13. And therefore their mothers are named here, not their fathers, to signify that through their mothers they were nephews of David. Abigail is here called the daughter of Naas, that is, of Jesse or Isai, who was David’s father: for he was by another name called Naas, of which name the Hebrews in St. Jerome in the Traditions give a symbolic cause: this Jesse, they say, was called Naas, in Hebrew nachas, that is, serpent, because he is said to have committed no deadly sin save that which he originally contracted from the ancient serpent. Such a man, then, deserved to be the father of King David, and thence of Christ.
27. AND WHEN DAVID WAS COME TO THE CAMP (the Hebrew and Septuagint, to Mahanaim) SOBI THE SON OF NAAS OF RABBATH OF THE CHILDREN OF AMMON.—Hear St. Jerome in the Traditions: “This Sobi was the son of Naas the king, with whom Saul fought. Naas himself also showed mercy to David, when he fled from the face of Saul; and when he was dead David said: I will show kindness to Hanon, as his father Naas showed kindness to me. But when Hanon was slain by David, who had done him an injury in shaving his servants, this Sobi was put by the same David in the place of his brother, who is read to have come to David with the rest, and to have offered him beds, and tapestry, and earthen vessels, and the rest that are mentioned.” And hence it came about that David gave his son Solomon as wife Naama the Ammonitess, 3 Kings 14:21, who seems to have been the sister or daughter of this Sobi, by whom Solomon begot Roboam in the last year of David, namely when Naama had first been made a proselyte, and converted to Judaism, sincerely or feignedly and by pretence, of which 3 Kings chapter 14.