《TreasuryofScriptureKnowledge–2 Samuel》(R. A.Torrey)

Commentator

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge was, and still is, a Bible reference work first published around 1830, created by the London publisher Samuel Bagster (1772-1851). It is a set of cross-references. That is, it consists entirely of a book-length listing of cross-references, showing only the chapter and verse citations with no accompanying text. About the size of a complete Bible, the TSK is also organized like a Bible, beginning at Genesis and ending at Revelation. Each verse of the Bible is cross-referenced to several others to enable the reader to gain a true sense of each word and phrase as it is used in the Bible.

  • 800,000 cross-references, listing verses that illustrate how words and phrases are used elsewhere in the Bible.
  • Helps the reader interpret Scripture with Scripture.
  • Brief chapter summaries.
  • Dates and other notes.

But the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge is usually described as being the work of R. A. Torrey. Most editions you can buy these days have Torrey's name on the cover, and sometimes in the title: R. A. Torrey's Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. According to commen knowledge, Torrey did not specifically try to claim authorship of the reference book, but he did become one of its chief promoters, and as his own fame rose, his endorsement of the book mattered to more and more people. Inevitably his name ended up on the cover. But if you read his introduction to the book, often printed inside, you see that he describes having first encountered it "some twenty years ago."

Originally printed in a 700+ page book and now enhanced with two-way cross-referencing, this entire reference is available to you on StudyLight.org.

00 Introduction

01 Chapter 1

Introduction

1 / The Amalekite, who brought tidings of the overthrow, and accused himself of Saul's death, is slain.
17 / David laments Saul and Jonathan with a song.

Verse 1
Now it came to pass after the death of Saul, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David had abode two days in Ziklag;

when David

1 Samuel 30:17-26

Ziklag

1 Samuel 27:6

Verse 2
It came even to pass on the third day, that, behold, a man came out of the camp from Saul with his clothes rent, and earth upon his head: and so it was, when he came to David, that he fell to the earth, and did obeisance.

the third

Genesis 22:4; Esther 4:16; 5:1; Hosea 6:2; Matthew 12:40; 16:21

a man

4:10

clothes

Genesis 37:29,34; Joshua 7:6; 1 Samuel 4:12,16; Joel 2:13

and earth

15:32; 1 Samuel 4:12

he fell

14:4; Genesis 37:7-10; 43:28; 1 Samuel 20:41; 25:23; Psalms 66:3; Revelation 3:9

Verse 3
And David said unto him, From whence comest thou? And he said unto him, Out of the camp of Israel am I escaped.

From

2 Kings 5:25

am I

Job 1:15-19

Verse 4
And David said unto him, How went the matter? I pray thee, tell me. And he answered, That the people are fled from the battle, and many of the people also are fallen and dead; and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also.

How went

Heb. What was, etc.

1 Samuel 4:16; *marg:

the people

1 Samuel 31:1-6; 1 Chronicles 10:1-6

Verse 5
And David said unto the young man that told him, How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son be dead?

How knowest

Proverbs 14:15; 25:2

Verse 6
And the young man that told him said, As I happened by chance upon mount Gilboa, behold, Saul leaned upon his spear; and, lo, the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him.

As I happened

The story of this young man appears to be wholly a fiction, formed for the purpose of ingratiating himself with David, as the next probable successor to the crown. There is no fact in the case, except for the bringing of the diadem and bracelets of Saul, as a sufficient evidence of his death, which, as he appears to been a plunderer of the slain, he seems to have stripped from the dead body of the unfortunate monarch. It is remarkable, that Saul, who had forfeited his crown by his disobedience and ill-timed clemency with respect to the Amalekites, should now have the insignia of royalty stripped from his person by one of those very people.

Ruth 2:3; 1 Samuel 6:9; Luke 10:31

mount

21; 1 Samuel 28:4; 31:1

Saul

1 Samuel 31:2-7

Verse 7
And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called unto me. And I answered, Here am I.

Here am I

Heb. Behold me.

9:6; Judges 9:54; 1 Samuel 22:12; Isaiah 6:8; *marg:; Isaiah 65:1

Verse 8
And he said unto me, Who art thou? And I answered him, I am an Amalekite.

an Amalekite

Genesis 14:7; Exodus 17:8-16; Numbers 24:20; Deuteronomy 25:17-19; 1 Samuel 15:3; 27:8; 1 Samuel 30:1,13,17

Verse 9
He said unto me again, Stand, I pray thee, upon me, and slay me: for anguish is come upon me, because my life is yet whole in me.

anguish, etc

or, my coat of mail, or, my embroidered coat hindereth me, that my, etc.

Verse 10
So I stood upon him, and slew him, because I was sure that he could not live after that he was fallen: and I took the crown that was upon his head, and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them hither unto my lord.

slew

Judges 1:7; 9:54; 1 Samuel 22:18; 31:4,5; Matthew 7:2

crown

12:30; Lamentations 5:16

bracelet

This was probably worn as an ensign of royalty, as is frequently the case in the East. When the Khalif Cayem Bemrillah granted the investiture of certain dominions to an Eastern prince, the ceremony was performed by sending him letters patent, a crown, chain, and bracelets. The bracelet, says Mr. Morier, are ornaments fastened above the elbows, composed of precious stones of great value, and are only worn by the king and his sons.

Verse 11
Then David took hold on his clothes, and rent them; and likewise all the men that were with him:

rent

3:31; 13:31; Genesis 37:29,34; Acts 14:14

likewise

Romans 12:15

Verse 12
And they mourned, and wept, and fasted until even, for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of the LORD, and for the house of Israel; because they were fallen by the sword.

Psalms 35:13,14; Proverbs 24:17; Jeremiah 9:1; Amos 6:6; Matthew 5:44; 2 Corinthians 11:29; 1 Peter 3:8

Verse 13

2Samuel href="/desk/?q=2sa+1:8&sr=1">2 Samuel 1:8

Verse 14
And David said unto him, How wast thou not afraid to stretch forth thine hand to destroy the LORD'S anointed?

How

Numbers 12:8; 1 Samuel 31:4; 2 Peter 2:10

stretch forth

1 Samuel 24:6; 26:9; Psalms 105:15

Verse 15
And David called one of the young men, and said, Go near, and fall upon him. And he smote him that he died.

Go near

4:10-12; Judges 8:20; 1 Samuel 22:17,18; 1 Kings 2:25,34,46; Job 5:12; Proverbs 11:18

Verse 16
And David said unto him, Thy blood be upon thy head; for thy mouth hath testified against thee, saying, I have slain the LORD'S anointed.

Thy blood

Genesis 9:5,6; Leviticus 20:9,11-13,16,27; Deuteronomy 19:10; Joshua 2:19; Judges 9:24; 1 Samuel 26:9; 1 Kings 2:32,33,37; Ezekiel 18:13; 33:5; Matthew 27:25; Acts 20:26

mouth

10; Job 15:6; Proverbs 6:2; Luke 19:22; Romans 3:19

Verse 17
And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son:

lamented

19; Genesis 50:11; 2 Chronicles 35:25; Jeremiah 9:17-21

Verse 18
(Also he bade them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jasher.)

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 Sa 20:36,) is celebrated in this song.

the book

Joshua 10:13

Jasher

or, the upright. So LXX. [ ;] 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.

Verse 19
The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places: how are the mighty fallen!

beauty

23; Deuteronomy 4:7,8; 1 Samuel 31:8; Isaiah 4:2; 53:2; Lamentations 2:1; Zechariah 11:7,10

how are

25,27; Lamentations 5:16

Verse 20
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.

Tell

Deuteronomy 32:26,27; Judges 14:19; 16:23,24; 1 Samuel 31:9; Micah 1:10

Philistines

Exodus 15:20,21; Judges 11:34; 1 Samuel 18:6; Ezekiel 16:27,57

uncircumcised

1 Samuel 17:26,36; 31:4,9

Verse 21
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.

mountains

1 Samuel 31:1; 1 Chronicles 10:1,8

no dew

Judges 5:23; Job 3:3-10; Isaiah 5:6; Jeremiah 20:14-16

offerings

Joel 1:9; 2:14

not

Instead of belee, "not," we should probably, with Dr. Delaney and others, read keley, "weapons," as it is found on one MS. and in the first edition of the Hebrew Bible, printed at Soncini, 1488: "the shield of Saul; the weapons of the anointed with oil."

anointed

1 Samuel 10:1; Isaiah 21:5

Verse 22
From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty.

the bow

1 Samuel 14:6-14; 18:4; Isaiah 34:6,7

Verse 23
Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided: they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.

pleasant

or, sweet.

1 Samuel 18:1; 20:2

they were

1 Samuel 31:1-5

swifter

2:18; Deuteronomy 28:49; 1 Chronicles 12:8; Job 9:26; Jeremiah 4:13; Lamentations 4:19

stronger

23:20; Judges 14:18; Proverbs 30:30

Verse 24
Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet, with other delights, who put on ornaments of gold upon your apparel.

Judges 5:30; Psalms 68:12; Proverbs 31:21; Isaiah 3:16-26; Jeremiah 2:32; 1 Timothy 2:9,10; 1 Peter 3:3-5

Verse 25
How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! O Jonathan, thou wast slain in thine high places.

How

19,27; Lamentations 5:16

thou was

Judges 5:18; 1 Samuel 14:13-15

Verse 26
I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: very pleasant hast thou been unto me: thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women.

thy love

1 Samuel 18:1-4; 19:2; 20:17,41; 23:16

Verse 27
How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished!

How are

19,25

weapons

2 Kings 2:12; 13:14; Psalms 46:9; Ezekiel 39:9,10

02 Chapter 2

Introduction

1 / David, by God's direction, with his company goes up to Hebron, where he is made king of Judah.
5 / He commends them of Jabesh-gilead for their kindness to Saul.
8 / Abner makes Ishbosheth king of Israel.
12 / A mortal skirmish between twelve of Abner's and twelve of Joab's men.
18 / Asahel is slain.
25 / At Abner's motion, Joab sounds a retreat.
32 / Asahel's burial.

Verse 1
And it came to pass after this, that David enquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah? And the LORD said unto him, Go up. And David said, Whither shall I go up? And he said, Unto Hebron.

enquired

5:19,23; Numbers 27:21; Judges 1:1; 1 Samuel 23:2,4,9-12; 30:7,8; Psalms 25:4,5; Psalms 27:4; 143:8; Proverbs 3:5,6; Ezekiel 36:37

Hebron

11; 5:1-3; 15:7; Genesis 32:2; Numbers 13:22; Joshua 14:14,15; 1 Samuel 30:31; 1 Kings 2:11; 1 Chronicles 29:7

Verse 2
So David went up thither, and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail Nabal's wife the Carmelite.

1 Samuel 25:42,43; 30:5; Luke 22:28,29

Verse 3
And his men that were with him did David bring up, every man with his household: and they dwelt in the cities of Hebron.

his men

1 Samuel 22:2; 27:2,3; 30:1,9,10; 1 Chronicles 12:1-7

the cities

Joshua 21:11,12

Verse 4
And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. And they told David, saying, That the men of Jabeshgilead were they that buried Saul.

the men of Judah

11; 19:11,42; Genesis 49:8-10

anointed

7; 5:3,5,17; 1 Samuel 16:13; 1 Chronicles 11:3

the men of Jabesh-gilead

1 Samuel 31:11-13

Verse 5
And David sent messengers unto the men of Jabeshgilead, and said unto them, Blessed be ye of the LORD, that ye have shewed this kindness unto your lord, even unto Saul, and have buried him.

David

This was a generous and noble act, highly indicative of the grandeur of David's mind. He respected Saul, though he had been greatly injured by him, as the anointed king of Israel, and once his legitimate sovereign; and he loved Jonathan as his most intimate friend.

Blessed

Ruth 1:8; 2:20; 3:10; 1 Samuel 23:21; 24:19; 25:32,33; Psalms 115:15

Verse 6
And now the LORD shew kindness and truth unto you: and I also will requite you this kindness, because ye have done this thing.

the Lord

15:20; Psalms 57:3; Proverbs 14:22; Matthew 5:7; 2 Timothy 1:16-18

I also

9:3,7; 10:2; Matthew 5:44; 10:16; Philemon 1:18,19

Verse 7
Therefore now let your hands be strengthened, and be ye valiant: for your master Saul is dead, and also the house of Judah have anointed me king over them.

let your

10:12; Genesis 15:1; 1 Samuel 4:9; 31:7,12; 1 Corinthians 16:13; Ephesians 6:10

valiant

Heb. the sons of valour.

Verse 8
But Abner the son of Ner, captain of Saul's host, took Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim;

Abner

1 Samuel 14:50; 17:55; 26:14

Saul's host

Heb. the host which was Saul's. Ish-bosheth.

3:7,8; 4:5,6; 1 Chronicles 8:33; 9:39

Esh-baal

Mahanaim.

17:26,27; Genesis 32:2

Verse 9
And made him king over Gilead, and over the Ashurites, and over Jezreel, and over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, and over all Israel.

Gilead

Numbers 32:1-42; Joshua 13:8-11; Psalms 108:8

Ashurites

The LXX. read [ ] Thasiri; and the Vulgate Gessuri, "Geshurites;" but it is probable that for ashuri, "Ashurites," we should read ashairi, "Asherites," or those of the tribe of Asher.

Genesis 30:13; Numbers 1:40

over Jezreel

Joshua 19:18

Verse 10
Ishbosheth Saul's son was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David.

two years

Houbigant proposes to read shesh shanah, "six years" instead of shetayim shanim, "two years," of the text, which he contends is a solecism; for, in pure Hebrew, the words should be shetayim shanah; and this is the reading of twenty MSS.; but two is acknowledged by all the versions and MSS. yet collated.

Verse 11
And the time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.

time

Heb. number of days.

5:4,5; 1 Kings 2:11; 1 Chronicles 3:4; 29:27

Verse 12
And Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ishbosheth the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon.

A. M. 2951. B.C. 1053. An. Ex. Is. 438. Mahanaim

17:14; Genesis 32:2

Gibeon

Joshua 9:3; 10:2,4,12; 18:25

Verse 13
And Joab the son of Zeruiah, and the servants of David, went out, and met together by the pool of Gibeon: and they sat down, the one on the one side of the pool, and the other on the other side of the pool.

Joab

18; 8:16; 20:23; 1 Kings 1:7; 2:28-35; 1 Chronicles 2:16

together

Heb. them together. pool.

Jeremiah 41:12

Verse 14
And Abner said to Joab, Let the young men now arise, and play before us. And Joab said, Let them arise.

play before

17,26,27; Proverbs 10:23; 17:14; 20:18; 25:8; 26:18,19

Verse 16
And they caught every one his fellow by the head, and thrust his sword in his fellow's side; so they fell down together: wherefore that place was called Helkathhazzurim, which is in Gibeon.

by the head

Probably by the beard or hair of the head. Plutarch, in his Apophthegms, informs us, that all things being ready for a battle, Alexander's captains asked him whether he had any thing else to command them. "Nothing," said he, "but that the Macedonians shave their beards." Parmenio wondering what he meant, "Dost thou not know," said he, "that in fight, there is no better hold than the beard?"

Helkath-hazzurim

that is, the field of strong men.

Verse 17
And there was a very sore battle that day; and Abner was beaten, and the men of Israel, before the servants of David.

Abner

3:1

Verse 18
And there were three sons of Zeruiah there, Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel: and Asahel was as light of foot as a wild roe.

three

1 Chronicles 2:15,16; 11:26

was as light

1:23; 1 Chronicles 12:8; Psalms 147:10,11; Ecclesiastes 9:11; Amos 2:14

foot

Heb. his feet. a wild roe. Heb. one of the roes that is in the field.

Psalms 18:33; Song of Solomon 2:17; 8:14; Habakkuk 3:19

The word {tzevee,} rather denotes the gazelle or antelope

(See note on De 15:22.)

Verse 19
And Asahel pursued after Abner; and in going he turned not to the right hand nor to the left from following Abner.

turned

21; Joshua 1:7; 23:6; 2 Kings 22:2; Proverbs 4:27

following Abner

Heb. after Abner.

Verse 21
And Abner said to him, Turn thee aside to thy right hand or to thy left, and lay thee hold on one of the young men, and take thee his armour. But Asahel would not turn aside from following of him.

and take thee

It seems that Asahel wished to get the armour of Abner as a trophy.

armour

or, spoil.

Judges 14:19

Verse 22
And Abner said again to Asahel, Turn thee aside from following me: wherefore should I smite thee to the ground? how then should I hold up my face to Joab thy brother?

wherefore

2 Kings 14:10-12; Proverbs 29:1; Ecclesiastes 6:10

how then

3:27

Verse 23
Howbeit he refused to turn aside: wherefore Abner with the hinder end of the spear smote him under the fifth rib, that the spear came out behind him; and he fell down there, and died in the same place: and it came to pass, that as many as came to the place where Asahel fell down and died stood still.

the fifth rib

3:27; 4:6; 5:6; 20:10

stood still

20:12,13

Verse 26
Then Abner called to Joab, and said, Shall the sword devour for ever? knowest thou not that it will be bitterness in the latter end? how long shall it be then, ere thou bid the people return from following their brethren?

Shall

14; Acts 7:26

sword

11:25; Isaiah 1:20; Jeremiah 2:30; 12:12; 46:10,14; Hosea 11:6

it will be

16; Proverbs 17:14

how long

Job 18:2; 19:2; Psalms 4:2; Jeremiah 4:21

Verse 27
And Joab said, As God liveth, unless thou hadst spoken, surely then in the morning the people had gone up every one from following his brother.