If I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with
me,
&c.] That is, when Saul was at peace with him; when he lived
at his court, and ate at his table his meaning is, that he did
not conspire against him, nor form schemes to deprive him of his
crown nor of his life: or, as it may be rendered, "if I have
rewarded to him that rewarded me evil" F21; that
is, as Jarchi explains it, if I rewarded him as he rewarded me,
evil for evil. This David did not; and it is eminently true of
Christ his antitype, ( 1 Peter 2:23
) ; and in it he ought to be imitated by every believer, (
Romans
12:17 ) ;
yea, I have delivered him that without cause is mine
enemy;
meaning Saul, who persecuted David without any just reason, and
whom David delivered without any obligation to do it; not for any
benefit and kindness he had received from him; for the phrase
"without cause" may be read in connection either with the word
"delivered" F23; for the deliverance was wrought
without any cause or merit on Saul's part, or profit to David; or
with the word "enemy", for Saul was David's enemy without any
just cause on David's part: and the deliverance referred to was
when he cut off Saul's skirt, in the cave at Engedi, and spared
his life; and when he took away his spear from him, as he was
sleeping in the trench, and did not destroy him, nor suffer those
that would to do it, ( 1 Samuel
24:4 1 Samuel
24:5 1 Samuel
24:7 1 Samuel
24:10 1 Samuel
24:17 ) ( 1 Samuel
26:8 1 Samuel
26:11 ) . The words may be rendered, "only I stripped him"
F24. The sense is, that he cut off the
skirt of his coat, and took away his spear, and so in part
stripped him both of his clothes and armour, at two different
times; not to do him any hurt, but to let him know, as Jarchi
observes, that he was delivered into his hands, and he could have
slain him, but did not. The same Jewish writer interprets the
word used "of stripping of garments"; and Aben Ezra observes,
from R. Moses, that the "vau", rendered "yea", signifies "only",
as in ( Genesis
42:10 ) .