The Lord forbid that I should stretch forth mine hand
against
the Lord's anointed
Or suffer any about him to do it; he speaks of it with the utmost
detestation and abhorrence:
but, I pray thee, take thou now the spear that [is] at his
bolster;
not to smite him with, as he desired, but to carry off, and was
no other than his sceptre; (See Gill on
1 Samuel 20:33);
and the cruse of water;
which stood in the same place, as appears by ( 1 Samuel
26:12 ) . Some take this to be a pot to make water in; others
an hourglass, to know the time of night, in which not sand, but
water, flowed for that purpose: but rather this was for his
refreshment should he be hot and thirsty in the night, or to
purify him from any nocturnal pollution that might happen; for,
according to Clemens of Alexandria {m}, it was a custom of the
Jews often to purify themselves in bed: though Fortunatus
Scacchus F14 thinks Saul had this pot or cup for
a religious use; which he had with him, and with it gave thanks
to God, the author of all good, whenever he sat down to a meal;
such as the golden cup Philip king of Macedon always had under
his pillow when he slept F15:
and let us go;
and do nothing more; which would be sufficient to convince they
had been there, and to show what was in their power to do, had
they been so inclined.