2 Samuel 1:18

Contextual Overview

¹⁷ And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son. ¹⁷ Then David composed a funeral song for Saul and Jonathan, ¹⁷ And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son: ¹⁷ David sang a funeral song about Saul and his son Jonathan, ¹⁷ Then David chanted this lament over Saul and his son Jonathan. ¹⁷ And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul, and over Jonathan his son: ¹⁷ David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son ¹⁷Then David sang this dirge (funeral song) over Saul and his son Jonathan, ¹⁷ And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and Jonathan his son, ¹⁷ Forsooth Dauid biweilide sych a weilyng on Saul, and on Jonathas, his sone;

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

teach: Genesis 49:8, Deuteronomy 4:10

bow: Kasheth, or the bow, was probably the title of the following threnody; so called, in the oriental style, because Saul's death was occasioned by that weapon, and because the bow of Jonathan, out of which "the arrow was shot beyond the lad," - 1 Samuel 20:36, is celebrated in this song.

the book: Joshua 10:13

Jasher: or, the upright, So LXX וני גיגכיןץ פןם וץטןץע; Targum, siphra deooritha, "the book of the law;" the Arabic, "the book of Ashee: this is the book of Samuel." This book was probably a collection of divine odes, written to commemorate remarkable events.

Reciprocal: Numbers 21:14 - in the book

Cross-References

Psalms 19:6
The sun rises at one end of the heavens and follows its course to the other end. Nothing can hide from its heat.

Psalms 19:6
His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.

Psalms 19:6
His going forth is from the end of the heavens, And his circuit to the ends of it; And there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.

Psalms 19:6
The sun rises at one end of the sky and follows its path to the other end. Nothing hides from its heat.

Psalms 19:6
It emerges from the distant horizon, and goes from one end of the sky to the other; nothing can escape its heat.

Psalms 19:6
His going forth [is] from the end of the heaven, and his circuit to the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from his heat.

Psalms 19:6
His going forth is from the end of the heavens, His circuit to the ends of it; There is nothing hid from the heat of it.

Psalms 19:6
The sun's rising is from one end of the heavens, And its circuit to the other end of them; And there is nothing hidden from its heat.

Psalms 19:6
Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat.

Psalms 19:6
his goynge out was fro hiyeste heuene. And his goyng ayen was to the hiyeste therof; and noon is that hidith hym silf fro his heet.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

(Also he bade them teach the children of Judah [the use] of the bow,.... These words, with what follow in this verse, are rightly put into a parenthesis, since they do not begin nor make any part of the elegiac song, or lamentation of David; and are here inserted to show, that, amidst his sorrow and lamentation, he was not unmindful of the welfare of the people, and to provide for their defence and security; and therefore gave orders that care should be taken, especially in the tribe of Judah, which was his own tribe, and where he had the greatest authority, and for whom he might have the chiefest concern, that they should be trained up in military exercises, learn the art of war, and the use of every weapon of war, particularly of the bow, which, being a principal one, may be put for all; and which may be the rather mentioned, because the Philistines were expert in the use of it, and seemed to have done much execution with it in the recent battle, see 1 Samuel 31:3. They are said p to be the inventors of it; though Pliny q ascribes it to others; and it may be the people of Israel and of Judah had of late neglected to learn the use of it, and to make use of it, and instead of that had taken to other sort of arms in fighting; for that that was not unknown to them, or wholly disused, is clear from this song, 2 Samuel 1:22; see also 1 Chronicles 12:2. Moreover, as the Philistines, especially the Cherethites, were expert in archery, David found ways and means to get some of them afterwards into his service, and by whom he might improve his people in the art, see 2 Samuel 8:18; though some r are of opinion that the word "keshet", or bow, was the title of the following lamentation or song, taken from the mention of Jonathan's bow in it; which song the children of Judah were to be taught to sing; but then, as has been observed by some, for this there would have been no need of the following reference, since the whole this song is here recorded:

behold, it is written in book of Jasher); which the Targum calls the book of the law; and Jarchi and Ben Gersom restrain it to the book of Genesis, the book of the upright, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and suppose respect is had to the prophecy concerning Judah, Genesis 49:8, but Kimchi, extending it to all the five books of Moses, adds his blessing, in Deuteronomy 33:7. In the Arabic version it is explained of the book of Samuel, interpreted the book of songs, as if it was a collection of songs; which favours the above sense. Jerom s interprets it of the same book, the book of the righteous prophets, Samuel, Gad, and Nathan: hut this book seems to have been a public register or annals, in which were recorded memorable actions in any age, and had its name from the uprightness and faithfulness in which it was kept; and in this were set down the order of David for the teaching the children of Judah the use of the bow, and perhaps the method which he directed to for instruction in it; Deuteronomy 33:7- :.

p Bedford's Chronology, p. 245. q Nat. Hist. l. 7. c. 56. r See Gregory's Notes and Observations, &c. ch. 1. and Weemse of the Judicial Laws, c. 44. p. 171. s Trad. Heb. in 2 lib. Reg. fol. 77. D.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The use of the bow - Omit “the use of.” “The bow” is the name by which this dirge was known, being so called from the mention of Jonathan’s bow in 2 Samuel 1:22. The sense would then be: And he commanded them to teach the children of Israel the song called Kasheth (the bow), i. e. he gave directions that the song should be learned by heart (compare Deuteronomy 31:19). It has been further suggested that in the Book of Jasher there was, among other things, a collection of poems, in which special mention was made of the bow. This was one of them. 1 Samuel 2:1-10 was another; Numbers 21:27-30 was another; Lamentations 2:0 was another; Lamentations 3:0 was another; Jacob’s blessing Genesis 49:0; Moses’ song Deuteronomy 32:0; perhaps his Blessing (Deuteronomy 33:0. See 2 Sam. 1:29); and such Psalms as Psalms 44:0; Psalms 46:1-11; Psalms 76:1-12, etc.; Habakkuk 3:0; and Zechariah 9:9-17, also belonged to it. The title by which all the poems in this collection were distinguished was קשׁת qesheth, “the bow.” When therefore the writer of 2 Samuel transferred this dirge from the Book of Jasher to his own pages, he transferred it, as we might do any of the Psalms, with its title.

The book of Jasher - See the marginal reference note.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Samuel 1:18. The use of the bow — The use of is not in the Hebrew; it is simply the bow, that is, a song thus entitled. See the observations at the end. 2 Samuel 1:21.