over Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead" (ver. 7), seems to point to a camp in the immediate neighborhood

of that river.

Of course, the expression must be taken in a general sense, and not absolutely, and refers to the total

want of regular armament.

Our Hebrew text has "thirty thousand chariots" -a number not only disproportionate to the horsemen but

unheard of in history. The copyist's mistake evidently arose in this manner. Writing, "And the Philistines

gathered themselves together to fight with Israel," the copyist by mistake repeated the letter l, which in

Hebrew is the numeral sign for 30, and so wrote what reads "thirty thousand chariots," instead of "one

thousand chariots," as had been intended.

This Beth-aven is mentioned in Joshua 7:2, and must not be confounded with Bethel, east of which it

evidently lay, between Bethel and Michmash. At the same time the word rendered "eastward from Beth-

aven" (ver. 5) does not necessarily mean "eastwards," but might also be rendered "in front of," or "over

So ver. 7 literally.

I have so punctuated in accordance with most critics, to indicate that the offering of sacrifices refers to

Saul's purpose in going to Gilgal, and that the sentence about Samuel's coming down is intercalated. But on

this point I do not feel sure. It would make no difference, however, so far as regards the meaning of Samuel,

whose injunction was intended to warn Saul not to interfere with the functions of the priestly office. I have,

of course, translated the passage literally. The rendering of our Authorised Version, "and thou shalt go

down," is impossible. We have our choice between the imperative and the conditional mood, and the

balance of argument is strongly in favor of the latter.

Of course, two other theories are possible. The one, a suggestion that the verse 1 Samuel 10:8 may be

displaced in our Hebrew text, and should stand somewhere else, is a wild and vague hypothesis. The other

suggestion, that all between 10:17 and 13:2 is intercalated from another narrative will not bear investigation.

If the reader tries to piece ch. 10:16 to 13:3, he will at once perceive that there would be a felt gap in the

narrative. Besides, how are we to account for the selection of three thousand men, and the going to war

against the Philistines on the part of a man who is made the target of wit in his own place, and who dares not

tell even his own uncle of his secret elevation to the royal office?

The context seems to imply that Saul offered his sacrifice and Samuel came before the actual termination

of the seven days.

Our Authorised Version erroneously corrects, "Gibeah," apparently following the LXX.

This Ahiah, or rather Achijah ("brother," "friend of Jehovah"), is supposed to be the same as Achimelech

("brother," "friend of the King," viz., Jehovah), 1 Samuel 22:9, etc. Ewald (Gesch., 2., 585, Note 3) regards the

two names as interchangeable, like Elimelech and Elijahu. Keil suggests that Achimelech may have been a

brother of Achijah.

The Chaldee paraphrast has "serpents" - this valley being supposed to have been their lurking-place. But

I have taken the more general meaning of the term.

Samuel 14:5, literally, "the one tooth poured" - "or a pillar" - "towards the north before" (or "over

against") "Michmash."