2 Samuel 1:18

THE translators have acted very properly in inserting the words, "the use of," for that is what the passage means. But if you read it without those words, the sense is still the same— "He bade them teach the children of Judah the bow," that is to say, how to use the bow. In modern times, critics have said that by the expression, "the bow," is meant the song which David composed.

THE translators have acted very properly in inserting the words, "the use of," for that is what the passage means. But if you read it without those words, the sense is still the same— "He bade them teach the children of Judah the bow," that is to say, how to use the bow. In modern times, critics have said that by the expression, "the bow," is meant the song which David composed. And to sustain their notion, they quote from the Koran of Mahomet in which they tell us that there is a certain chapter called, "the Bow," and, therefore, David called his song, "the bow," as if so late an instance of oriental usage was at all to the point. I declare that there is nothing whatever in Scripture to justify the statement that the words, "the bow," can be applied to David's lament! No doubt, some of the Psalms have titles given to them, but there is never an instance of a Psalm being quoted by its title. It is quoted by its number, never by its name. I accept the passage as our learned translators understood it—David bade them teach the children of Judah the bow. If any enquire, "What, then, is the connection? Why should David teach the people the use of the bow because Saul and Jonathan were slain? Why is the military order concerning the use of a certain instrument of war inserted here, when the passage is full of lamentation?" If any ask, I say, I answer most fitly, as I shall have to show you—it was the best memorial of that skillful archer, Jonathan, and of the other princes who had fallen by the arrows of the Philistines, that from the disastrous day of their slaughter, David caused his own tribe, over which he had chief power, to be trained in the use of that special weapon of war. I. But now to our work. From my text I want to gather a few useful lessons. And the first is this—ACTIVITY IS A VALUABLE SOLACE FOR SORROW.

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 2Sa 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 Deu 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. 1Sa 2:1-10 was another; Num 21:27-30 was another; Lam. 2 was another; Lam. 3 was another; Jacob’s blessing Gen. 49; Moses’ song Deut. 32; perhaps his Blessing (Deut. 33. See 2 Sam. 1:29); and such Psalms as Ps. 44; Psa 46:1-11; Psa 76:1-12, etc.; Hab. 3; and Zec 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.