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King James Version (KJV)
“In our prayers we talk to God, in our Bible study God talks to us, and we had better let God do most of the talking.”
— D.L. Moody
Scripture focus
Ye mountains of Gilboa, [let there be] no dew, neither [let there be] rain, upon you, nor fields of offerings: for there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away, the shield of Saul, [as though he had] not [been] anointed with oil.
2 Samuel 1:21 — KJV
No dew. Dew and rain make possible the products of the earth. To deprive of its harvests the region where Saul and Jonathan were slain would be the greatest calamity David could invoke. For similar passionate poetical maledictions see Job 3:3–10; Jer. 20:14–18.
Fields of offerings. The meaning of this phrase is not clear. The LXX reads “fields of first-fruits.” Some form of curse upon the once fertile ground of Gilboa is intended, an imprecation that the soil might be so barren that nothing would grow, not even the first fruits-the greatest calamity that could befall the land.
Vilely cast away. Heb. niga‘al from the root ga‘al, “to abhor,” “to loathe.” The word may also be translated “defiled.” This latter seems to be the meaning required by the context. The statement would then refer to these shields as defiled with blood. The translation found in the KJV attributes cowardice to Saul, a sentiment inconsistent with the poem.
Anointed with oil. The words “as though he had” and “been” are not in the Hebrew, as the italics indicate. The Hebrew simply reads, “ the shield of Saul not anointed with oil.” It was an ancient custom to anoint the shield before going to battle (see Isa. 21:5). Instead of being anointed and ready for battle, Saul’s shield lay defiled in blood.
By SdaBc
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