Synopsis of the Chapter
The Amalekites burn Ziklag and drive off the plunder; David with his men pursues them, and strikes them while they feast and despoils them; then he divides the spoils equally between those who had fought and those who had remained with the baggage, verse 21, and sends a portion of them to other cities of Judea.
Verse 6: David Strengthened Himself in God ¶
6. AND DAVID STRENGTHENED HIMSELF IN THE LORD HIS GOD -- that is, he recovered his courage, relying on hope and trust in God, says Vatablus: God instilled this strength and hope in David's soul, so that, hoping he would defeat the Amalekites, he would pursue them and wrest from them the plunder driven off from Ziklag. For where human resources are lacking, one must take refuge in the divine. Wisely Seneca says in epistle 88: "I make the year fortunate and happy by good thoughts and greatness of soul; which is never greater than when it has put aside what belongs to others; and has made peace for itself by fearing nothing; has made riches for itself by coveting nothing."
Verse 7: Bring the Ephod ¶
7. BRING THE EPHOD TO ME -- In Hebrew, "bring the Ephod to me," namely so that clothed in it, through it as High Priest you may consult God for me, whether I should pursue the Amalekites or not.
Verse 13: The Egyptian Slave ¶
13. AND MY MASTER ABANDONED ME BECAUSE I BECAME ILL. -- Tropologically, Eucherius says: "What does it mean that the Egyptian Amalekite boy sits exhausted on the road, except that the lover of the present world, covered with the blackness of his sin, is often left by that same world as weak and despised? God therefore chooses those whom the world despises, because very often the contempt itself calls a man back to himself."
Verse 14: The Cherethites ¶
14. WE RAIDED THE SOUTHERN REGION OF THE CHERETHITES. -- The "Cherethites" were a certain region of the Philistines situated to the south, from which David gathered his bravest legions, hence called Cherethites and Pelethites, that is, executioners and couriers, which he therefore always kept with him thereafter, as praetorian soldiers and royal bodyguards.
Verse 16: Eating and Drinking ¶
16. EATING AND DRINKING. -- Note the stratagem of David, by which with a few men he unexpectedly attacked the very numerous Amalekites while they were feasting, and slew them all. In a similar way Abraham, with three hundred servants, pursued four kings who had captured Lot, attacked them by night, and killed them while sleeping, Genesis 14:14.
Verse 24: Equal Shares ¶
24. FOR THE SHARE OF THE ONE WHO GOES DOWN TO BATTLE SHALL BE EQUAL TO THE SHARE OF THE ONE WHO REMAINS WITH THE BAGGAGE -- because they cooperated equally in the victory; for if those men had not guarded the baggage of the fighters, the fighters would not have won; but from fear of losing their baggage they would have fought more timidly and turned their backs to the enemy. In a similar manner Polybius, Book X, relates that the Romans divided plunder acquired in war not only to those present in battle, but also to those left as a garrison, to the sick, and to those performing public duties.
Verse 25: A Statute in Israel ¶
25. AND THIS WAS ESTABLISHED FROM THAT DAY FORWARD. -- Our Vulgate, the Septuagint, and the Chaldean indicate that this law began with David, not with Adam, interpreting the Hebrew mala as "henceforth."
Verse 26: Gifts to the Elders of Judah ¶
HE SENT GIFTS FROM THE PLUNDER TO THE ELDERS OF JUDAH. -- Note here the generosity of David, which God instilled in him, so that by this munificence he might win the hearts of his tribesmen, that they might soon choose him as their king. For on the very same day that David defeated the Amalekites in battle and distributed the spoils, Saul entered battle with the Philistines and fell slain in it, and David therefore soon succeeded him in the kingdom of Judah by God's counsel.