Gities of our God: and the Lord do that which feemeth him good*.

THE Syrians, it seems, were the better foldiers; and one reason of their being so, might be, that they had of late, as appears from the courfe of this history, been more exercised in arms; and therefore Joab led the choice of the Ifraelite army against them, and began the attack; which was well judged upon many accounts: first, because it was a proof both to his own army, and the enemy, that he was not intimidated; which was of vaft confequence in his prefent fituation. 2dly, Because they were mercenaries, who never think themselves under the fame engagements to make an obftinate refiftance, as they do that fight for their country. And, 3dly, because, if they were once routed, who were the better foldiers, the Ammonites, intimidated by their defeat, would become an eafier conqueft to his brother.

THE event anfwered; the Syrians were put to flight; and when the Ammonites faw

*We may learn from hence how naturally great dangers inspire fentiments of true religion.

+ Ut quibus temere collectis, neque in victoria decus effet, neque in fuga flagitium. Tacit. 2 Hift.

them

them turn their backs, the text tells us, they fled alfo, and entered into the city. --- And Joab, not being in a condition either to purfue the chariots, (for he had no horfe) or to affault or befiege the city, returned to Jerufalem; but (it is to be prefumed) not till he faw the country freed from the Syrian army.

AND now it was, as I apprehend, that David, reflecting upon the danger his army had escaped, and partly, perhaps, thro' his own fault, in declining to lead them out in perfon, added seven more verses to the xcivth Pfalm; the first of which begins with acknowledging the danger, and afcribing the deliverance to GOD Unless the Lord had been my help, my foul had almoft dwelt in filence, &c. And not content with this, David, again revolving the greatness of the deliverance, (which, perhaps is not to be paralleled in hiftory) compofed, or at least fung a fecond time, another hymn of thankf giving to God, upon this occafion, Pfalm cxxiv. which is evidently the thanksgiving

of

*If it had not been the Lord who was on our fide, now may Ifrael fay; if it had not been the Lord who was on our fide; when men rofe up against us: then they had fwallowed us

up

of a man whose people were thought a fure prey to their enemies; and yet escaped by the providential interpofition of GOD in their favour. Which was evidently the condition of the Ifraelites, when they were pent in between two great hoftile armies; from whence there was no poffibility of escaping, but by breaking through them by main force: a condition, and a deliverance, which could never be represented by an apter image, than that which David makes use of in the close of this Pfalm; a bird caught in a fnare, who had no chance for his life, but by breaking it: Our foul is escaped even as a bird out of the fnare of the fowlers: the fnare is broken, and we are delivered.

up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us: then the waters had overwhelmed us, the stream had gone over our foul: then the proud waters had gone over our foul. Bleffed be the Lord, who hath not given us a prey to their teeth.---Our foul is efcaped as a bird out of the fare of the fowlers: the fare is broken, and we are escaped.

Our help is in the Name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

CHAP.

CHAP. XX.

The Syrian War finished.

David's

Felicities during this Period fummed up.--This Book ends.

W

year

HETHER the feason of the was too far advanced to keep the field any longer, or whatever other reason made Joab return to Jerufalem, with the Ifraelite army; the Syrians, who knew how far they had injured and provoked David, had good reason to expect they would vifit them again, upon the return of the spring : and they made their preparations accordingly.

HADAREZER (for fo he is now called, by an eafy change of the Hebrew letters d and r, [7] whofe fimilitude is obvious to every eye) affembled his forces, and not finding them of ftrength fufficient to be confided in, the text tells us, he sent and brought out the Syrians that were beyond the river Euphrates, and they came to Helam, - under the conduct of Shobach, captain of

Hadar

Hadarezer's hoft. Which when David learnt, and was fufficiently informed concerning them, he gathered the choice troops of his whole realm together, and led them out in person against the enemy; paffed the Fordan, and arrived at Helam, where they found the Syrians prepared to receive them; and drawn up in battle array. A battle enfued, and with that, a carnage the greatest of any recorded in David's wars. The Syrians, faith the facred writer, fled before Ifrael, and David flew the men of feven hundred chariots of the Syrians; and forty thousand horfemen (2 Sam. x. 18.); a relation, which we find a good deal diverfified in the first book of Chronicles, the xixth chapter, and the 18th verfe; where it is faid in the English verfion, (which I think very justifiable from the original) that he flew feven thousand men which fought in chariots, and forty thousand footmen. Now critics are of opinion, that these seven thousand men which fought in chariots, are the men of feven hundred chariots mentioned in the fecond book of Sam. ten to a chariot; which I think could not be, because then the fashion of their military chariots must have been intirely changed in the compafs of one year.

VOL. II.