Commentaria in II Regum (II Samuelis)
3. AND THE PEOPLE TURNED AWAY, etc.—The Hebrew and Chaldee have: And the people stole themselves away that day to enter into the city, as people steal themselves away who are ashamed when they flee in battle and turn their backs to the enemy. Stole, that is, withdrew by stealth, entered the city by stealth; not with triumph, as victors are wont, but as those who have escaped by flight and been beaten.
5. THOU HAST CONFOUNDED (Vatablus, put to shame) THIS DAY THE FACES OF ALL THY SERVANTS WHO HAVE SAVED THY LIFE,—who, namely, by fighting for thee saved thy life, which the enemy and traitor Absalom was bent on snatching from thee, whose death thou this day mournest, as though thou wouldst rather that we all had fallen beaten, that he might be the survivor and victor.
11. FOR THE DISCOURSE OF ALL ISRAEL (which went before concerning the reconciliation and bringing back of the king) WAS COME TO THE KING IN HIS HOUSE,—as if to say: Therefore David summoned more freely and, in the manner of a friendly complaint, accused his fellow-tribesmen and the tribe of Juda, that they were slow to bring him back to the kingdom, and were in this matter the last, because he knew that the other tribes of Israel had decreed by common consent to bring him back. Wherefore these words are to be enclosed in a parenthesis with the Romans. The Complutensian adds, because he had said these words: Thus say ye to the people; but these words are to be deleted with the Hebrews, Chaldees and Romans.
12. WHY ARE YOU THE LAST TO BRING BACK THE KING?—The tribe of Juda, and especially the citizens of Jerusalem, when David fled, had received Absalom coming with a great army, and had handed over to him the city and the citadel of Sion, which he had fortified with a strong garrison of soldiers; wherefore, ill at ease in conscience, because they had offended David, and fearing the garrison of Absalom occupying the citadel of Sion, they did not dare to recall David. David, therefore, kindly invites them all to himself, calling them his kinsmen, and promising impunity, that they may receive him into the city and kingdom,
13. AND SAY TO AMASA: ART THOU NOT MY BONE AND MY FLESH?—For Amasa was the son of Abigail, who was David’s sister, as was said in chapter 16, verse 25.
SO DO GOD TO ME, AND SO MAY HE ADD, IF THOU BE NOT THE CHIEF CAPTAIN OF THE ARMY BEFORE ME ALWAYS IN THE PLACE OF JOAB,—that is, in the place and stead of Joab, say Abulensis, Dionysius and others. Wrongly Lyranus interprets “in place of Joab” as under Joab, as if Amasa had been subject to Joab. Amasa was the leader of Absalom’s army: wherefore David is eager to win him back, promising him the command of his army, in place of Joab; for he knew that Absalom’s army depended on Amasa, and especially the soldiers who were in the citadel of Sion, and thence the city of Jerusalem and all its citizens; wherefore David was eager to bind him to himself with the promised most ample reward of honour, that he might bring back to him all Absalom’s army, Jerusalem and the whole tribe of Juda; which Amasa in fact performed. Amasa, therefore, put an end to the rebellion, and reconciled all the Israelites to David, which without him David would have accomplished slowly and with difficulty, and only by a dangerous war.
The Rabbis add that David stripped Joab of the command of the army because he had killed Absalom against his order, as I said in chapter 18, verse 14. Theodoret adds and says: “David held Joab’s audacity in perpetual hatred; but he tolerated him on account of his talent and prudence, and holding him suspect lest he plot something new against him.”
14. AND HE TURNED (namely Amasa, or, as others say, Sadoc the pontiff) THE HEART OF ALL THE MEN OF JUDA, AS OF ONE MAN,—so that unanimously and by the common consent of all they recalled their king David.
the servant of Miphiboseth, who through Jonathan was a grandson of Saul. Siba anticipated his master Miphiboseth, that he might preserve David’s favour, and that David might consider him more faithful to himself than Miphiboseth, and so confirm the gift of Miphiboseth’s goods made to him by David.
20. AND THEREFORE I AM COME THIS DAY THE FIRST OF ALL THE HOUSE OF JOSEPH,—that is, of the ten tribes of Israel, whose head was the tribe of Ephraim, who was the son of Joseph: for otherwise Semei was descended from the tribe of Benjamin, not from Ephraim or Joseph, as I said in chapter 16, verse 5. He opposes, then, the house of Joseph to the house of Juda, that is, Israel, or opposes the ten tribes to the tribe of Juda. Again, the house of Joseph can be taken as the house of Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasses: for these had one standard and one line in the camps.
22. WHY ARE YOU THIS DAY AN ADVERSARY TO ME?—as if to say: Why do you oppose me and my clemency, advantages and glory? For Satan in Hebrew is the same as adversary. Whence Christ says to Peter, Matthew 16:23: “Go behind me, Satan,” that is, do not oppose me, but follow me going to death and the cross. Hence the devil is called Satan, because he is the chief and sworn enemy of the faithful.