Agee. The first, according to one account,1 lifted up his spear against 800 men, whom he slew at one time; but another account makes the number three hundred,2-a difference which some reconcile by supposing that he slew 800 men in one action and 300 in another. However interpreted, this exploit well entitled the valiant Jashobeam to his place as 'chief among the captains.' Eleazar was one of those three who, with David, maintained the ground against a Philistine force, when their people had retreated, and at length routed them; so that when the men returned for very shame, there was nothing for them to do but to divide the spoil of their enemies. On that occasion Eleazar 'smote the Philistines till his hand was weary and clave unto his sword." This seems to have occurred during the period when David acted as Saul's general against the Philistines. So, seemingly, does the exploit of Shammah, who defended a field of barley against a troop of Philistines, and compelled them to retreat. These were the three men who formed the first class of David's worthies. The three next, who composed the second class, were renowned for a deed of truly chivalrous devotement to David-so that opposing hosts could not prevent them from fulfilling his slightest wish. When he was in the cave of Adullam, the Philistines had a garrison in Bethlehem; and he was unmindful of this circumstance when, suffering from thirst, and remembering the pleasantness of the water from the well of his native town, he expressed a longing for a draught thereof. The words had no sooner passed his lips than these three men took their departure, and going boldly through the Philistine host, drew 1 2 Sam. xxiii. 8. 2 1 Chron. xi. II. 3 This reminds one of the case of the Highland sergeant at Waterloo, whose basket-hilted sword had, after the battle, to be released from his hand by a blacksmith (SIMPSON'S Visit to Flanders in July 1815); and of the incident in the life of the celebrated Colonel Gardiner, who, when lying severely wounded on the field of battle, to secure his gold from being plundered, placed it in his hand, which he smeared with his blood, to prevent his grasp relaxing in the event of his fainting from weakness. In the same way the hand of Eleazar may have been in a manner glued to his sword by his own blood. water from the well, and brought it to their chief. men. Touched by this proof of hardihood and strong attachment, he refused to drink the draught so hardly won-'he poured it out before the Lord,' declaring that he would not drink the blood of his Alexander did something like this, only not so striking, at Gerodosia.1 A vessel of water was offered him when under extreme thirst, but he refused to take it, because he could not bear to drink it alone, and the small quantity could not be divided among all those who were about him. : The chief of this second class of three was Abishai, nephew of David and brother of Joab. He was celebrated for putting to rout three hundred adversaries; and this twofold distinction gave him the first place in this second rank of heroes. To this rank, probably at a later period, was Benaiah elevated, whose exploits were very remarkable. It is said that he 'had done many acts;' and three of them are mentioned as examples of their quality in fact, there is more recorded of this man than of any others. First, he slew two lion-like men of Moab;' next, 'he went down and slew a lion in the midst of a pit in time of snow.' Why the snow is mentioned is not clear, though it had no doubt some connection with the exploit; perhaps its lying on the ground had caused the lion to fall into the pit. Josephus understands that the lion, having fallen into a pit where there was much snow, got covered with it, and there making a hideous roaring, Benaiah went down and slew him. So read, it seems no great exploit. It has been very much outdone of late by Mr Cumming, though, to be sure, Benaiah had no gun. Altogether, the exploit would have been more signal, apparently, had the lion not been in the pit, although there may be something not altogether agreeable in such close quarters with a lion. Upon the whole, it is likely Bochart may be right in his notion, that Benaiah went into a cave for shelter from a snow-storm, and was there attacked by a lion, which had also sought shelter therein, and which he overcame and slew. 1 QUINTUS CURTIUS, Hist. lib. vii. cap. 5. The third recorded exploit of this valiant man is in some respects comparable to David's combat with Goliath. The opponent was an Egyptian giant about eight feet high, and armed with a spear. But Benaiah went down against him with no weapon save his staff; and plucking the spear out of his hand, slew him with his own spear. The man distinguished by these romantic feats eventually became captain of David's guard-a post which he retained under Solomon. Of the thirty who formed the third class, we possess only the names. Few of them are historically known; but we find in it, with a feeling of painful surprise, the name of Uriah the Hittite. That this man had been deemed worthy of this high honour, given only to the brave and the devoted, gives a still deeper dye to the crimson of David's sin against his life and honour. In this list also occurs the name of Joab's armour-bearer, Naharai; and yet the name of Joab himself is not found in any of the classes. This is difficult to account for, except by supposing that his position was too eminent, as commander-inchief, to need the distinction which the belonging to this order conferred on other men. Or, as this high place was of later acquirement, it may be that Joab was the unnamed third of the second trio of worthies. Thirty-fifth Week-Sixth Day. THE SONG OF THE BOW.-2 SAMUEL I. THERE are two accounts of the death of Saul. One is that of the sacred historian himself, the other that of an Amalekite who brought the tidings to David. The former is of course the true account. According to both, the Israelites were put to flight by the Philistines in the battle of Gilboa. Saul and his three valiant sons (of whom Jonathan was one) disdaining to flee with them, were all slain upon the field. The regular narrative says, that being sorely wounded by an arrow, Saul begged his armour-bearer to run him through, that he might not fall alive into the power of the Philistines. The armourbearer declined; whereupon the king took a sword, and cast himself upon it, dying, probably, with some such sentiments as the poet ascribes to him :— 'My kingdom from me rent, my children slain, My army lost, myself from hope cast out,— The seer hath spoken well. All is achieved. It would seem that the Amalekite had, from a distance, witnessed this transaction, and approaching, took the royal insignia from the body. These were, the bracelet-in the East a most ancient, and still subsisting, symbol of royalty—which we recognise in the ancient monuments of Egypt, Persia, and Assyria, and among the existing regalia of Persia, India, China, and other lands; also his crown, which, being worn in battle, was probably some kind of diademed helmet, such as we find in ancient monuments. It was, no doubt, a question with the man whether he should not make off with this precious spoil; but, on second thoughts, he fancied it would be better to take them to David, who, flattered by this recognition of his claims, would not fail to reward him beyond their intrinsic worth. Το enhance his merits, he also determined to claim the credit of having, at Saul's request, slain him with his own hand. How could David fail to load with honours and wealth the hand which had laid his great enemy in the dust? Never was human sagacity more at fault. David was affected with most sincere grief at the tidings which the man brought; but he burned with indignation that an Amalekite should have dared to shed the blood of the Lord's anointed, whose life had heretofore been so precious in his eyes. After, therefore, reproaching the man for the deed, he commanded that he should be put to death,—a hard measure, scarcely justified by the higher standard of feeling which Christianity has introduced, but which was, without doubt, highly applauded in that day. The touching and beautiful lamentation which David composed on receiving tidings of the death of Saul and Jonathan, remains to bear witness to his grief, and to that delicate susceptibility which made tears for a fallen rival natural to him, but which few are able to retain so freshly as he did amidst constant association with men of coarse natures and wild manners, such as had been his mates in the wilderness. Here is the song, in a somewhat more correct form than that of the authorized version : On thy heights, O Israel, is the Gazelle slain! How are the mighty fallen !1 Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon, Lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, Lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph. Hills of Gilboa, no dew, no rain, come on you, devoted fields, Saul's bow, never anointed with oil. From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, The bow of Jonathan turned not aside, And the sword of Saul came not back empty. Saul and Jonathan! lovely and pleasant were ye in life, Swifter than eagles, stronger than lions, were they. Daughters of Israel, weep ye for Saul : He arrayed you pleasantly in scarlet; He put ornaments of gold on your apparel. How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! 1 The lines in italics, it will be readily seen, form the chorus. VOL. III. U |