1-Samuel 30-1
  [1-Samuel 30:1] AND IT CAME TO PASS, WHEN DAVID AND HIS MEN WERE COME
TO ZIKLAG ON  THE THIRD DAY, THAT THE AMALEKITES HAD INVADED THE SOUTH,
AND ZIKLAG, AND SMITTEN  ZIKLAG, AND BURNED IT WITH FIRE;
David and his men had been with the main Philistine host at Aphek. They
returned to their home base at Ziklag on the third day to find that it
had been raided and their families taken captive.  They were to pursue
after the raiders and come across an Egyptian slave who with his master had
participated in the raid and then been cast aside and remained without
food or water for three days. Shimeon Ben-Ephrat ("Shmuel-Aleph. Mikra
LaYisrael") points out that this means on the very day when the
Philistine Leaders had demanded that David be sent away and that King Achish had
ordered David to depart the raid on Ziklag had taken place. They
returned just in time to learn about the raid and to successfully pursue the
raiders.  We can learn from this that Divine Providence has its own
timetable. Sometimes we may be unceremoniously obliged to leave one
spot because our presence is required elsewhere.
Ben-Ephrat points out that in this chapter the superb leadership
qualities of David come into focus. He withstands personal and public pressures,
danger and rebellion and acts with a cool head in a determined
manner  immediately channeling all energies in the required direction.
He conducts a 12 hour battle of physical vengeance and at the end of  it
does not give into the pressure of those who fought alongside him but does
as he sees to be right and fair.  He does all this while communing with the
Almighty to the best of his ability.

[1-Samuel 30:2] AND HAD TAKEN THE WOMEN CAPTIVES, THAT WERE THEREIN:
THEY SLEW NOT ANY, EITHER GREAT OR SMALL, BUT CARRIED THEM AWAY, AND WENT ON THEIR WAY.

[1-Samuel 30:3] SO DAVID AND HIS MEN CAME TO THE CITY, AND, BEHOLD, IT
WAS BURNED WITH FIRE; AND THEIR WIVES, AND THEIR SONS, AND THEIR DAUGHTERS,
WERE TAKEN CAPTIVES.

[1-Samuel 30:4] THEN DAVID AND THE PEOPLE THAT WERE WITH HIM LIFTED UP
THEIR VOICE AND  WEPT, UNTIL THEY HAD NO MORE POWER TO WEEP.

[1-Samuel 30:5] AND DAVID'S TWO WIVES WERE TAKEN CAPTIVES, AHINOAM THE
JEZREELITESS,  AND ABIGAIL THE WIFE OF NABAL THE CARMELITE.

[1-Samuel 30:6] AND DAVID WAS GREATLY DISTRESSED; FOR THE PEOPLE SPAKE
OF STONING HIM, BECAUSE THE SOUL OF ALL THE PEOPLE WAS GRIEVED, EVERY MAN
FOR HIS SONS AND FOR HIS DAUGHTERS: BUT DAVID ENCOURAGED HIMSELF IN THE
LORD HIS GOD.
The people were angry. They blamed David for leaving the settlement
unprotected. David and his men had attacked the Amalekites:  "AND DAVID
AND HIS MEN WENT UP, AND INVADED THE GESHURITES, AND THE  GEZRITES, AND THE
AMALEKITES" [1-Samuel 27:8]. He had provoked the enemy and then left
the women and children open to attack and vulnerable to the enemy who had
every reason to take offensive action.
  <<ENCOURAGED HIMSELF>>: Hebrew "VeYitChazaek", strengthened himself.
He turned to God. He did not despair. He did not give up. He turned to the
Almighty and then did what was possible.

[1-Samuel 30:7] AND DAVID SAID TO ABIATHAR THE PRIEST, AHIMELECH'S SON,
I PRAY THEE, BRING ME HITHER THE EPHOD. AND ABIATHAR BROUGHT THITHER THE
EPHOD TO DAVID.
David makes an enquiry of the Almighty through the Ephod. He examines
the possibilities and asks God to help him make the final decision.  An
ordinary person would feel pressured or to throw his hands up in
despair or to go racing off into the wilderness in a pursuit that was also fraught
with danger and could end  in disaster. David conquers both his
personal grief and family responsibility and the panic reaction of the crowd.
When he does act  it is with certainty and the authority of Divine Sanction.

[1-Samuel 30:8] AND DAVID ENQUIRED AT THE LORD, SAYING, SHALL I PURSUE
AFTER THIS  TROOP? SHALL I OVERTAKE THEM? AND HE ANSWERED HIM, PURSUE:
FOR THOU SHALT SURELY OVERTAKE THEM, AND WITHOUT FAIL RECOVER ALL.

[1-Samuel 30:9] SO DAVID WENT, HE AND THE SIX HUNDRED MEN THAT WERE
WITH HIM, AND  CAME TO THE BROOK BESOR, WHERE THOSE THAT WERE LEFT BEHIND STAYED.

[1-Samuel 30:10] BUT DAVID PURSUED, HE AND FOUR HUNDRED MEN: FOR TWO
HUNDRED ABODE BEHIND, WHICH WERE SO FAINT THAT THEY COULD NOT GO OVER
THE BROOK BESOR.
Out of six hundred men, two hundred could not go on. These were all
hardy warriors with years of experience in the Wilderness. This indicates
something of the pace of pursuit. Some of those who could not continue
had  shortly beforehand wanted to stone David but it when it came to
doing something they could not keep up.
<<THE BROOK BESOR>>: In that time was probably a flowing stream and
required some effort to cross over and this on top of the breakneck
speed they had been going up until now was just too much for one out of three
of the warriors.

[1-Samuel 30:11] AND THEY FOUND AN EGYPTIAN IN THE FIELD, AND BROUGHT
HIM TO DAVID, AND  GAVE HIM BREAD, AND HE DID EAT; AND THEY MADE HIM DRINK WATER;

[1-Samuel 30:12] AND THEY GAVE HIM A PIECE OF A CAKE OF FIGS, AND TWO
CLUSTERS OF RAISINS: AND WHEN HE HAD EATEN, HIS SPIRIT CAME AGAIN TO
HIM: FOR HE HAD EATEN NO BREAD, NOR  DRUNK ANY WATER, THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS.
Technically one can go for quite a while without food but three whole
days without water is close to the limit and this situation was liable to
have been worsened by the desert climate and psychological distress.

[1-Samuel 30:13] AND DAVID SAID UNTO HIM, TO WHOM BELONGEST THOU? AND
WHENCE ART THOU? AND HE SAID, I AM A YOUNG MAN OF EGYPT, SERVANT TO AN
AMALEKITE; AND MY  MASTER LEFT ME, BECAUSE THREE DAYS AGONE I FELL SICK.
They cast him aside because he was an impediment. We see in the next
few verses that they themselves were camped nearby and were partying
with the surplus booty including food and drink that they had with
them.
The Egyptian had been thrown aside without food or drink to die in the
desert even though his erstwhile "companions" were not
fleeing for their lives and did not lack supplies. On the contrary they
themselves were resting nearby while feasting and drinking.
To eliminate the weak and useless is a common approach adopted by
Western Society more often than we would care to admit. It is against Biblical
Principles. In my opinion it is also counter-productive, i.e. it
negates its own "justification".
We see  here a contrast between David and the Amalekites. The
Amalekites throw away the useless mouth and do not even "waste" any supply of
water and food but leave the "human garbage" to die. David and his men come
upon him and first revive him, then ask him questions, and then ask for his
help.
The Amalekites discard their erstwhile companion when he was no longer
of use to them. David (as shown below) will insist that those of his men
who tried yet failed to keep up with him and therefore did not participate
in the battle will nevertheless share in the spoils of victory. Those who
had a different view are described by Scripture as "wicked".
The Nazis had a euthanasia program in which they killed "useless"
mouths.
Even WW1 veterans who had been injured fighting for Germany were put to
death because they were no longer useful. This caused a public outcry
and the program was officially stopped though in practice it continued.
Later the staff of the euthanasia program were transferred to the
Concentration Camps and used the "expertise" they had acquired against Jews, Gypsies,
and millions of other "undesirables".

[1-Samuel 30:14] WE MADE AN INVASION UPON THE SOUTH OF THE CHERETHITES,
AND UPON THE  COAST WHICH BELONGETH TO JUDAH, AND UPON THE SOUTH OF CALEB;
AND WE BURNED ZIKLAG   WITH FIRE.
"CHERETHITES": These may have been foreigners from Crete some of whom,
like the Kenites, had settled amongst the Israelites and identified with them.

[1-Samuel 30:15] AND DAVID SAID TO HIM, CANST THOU BRING ME DOWN TO
THIS COMPANY?  AND HE SAID, SWEAR UNTO ME BY GOD, THAT THOU WILT NEITHER
KILL ME, NOR DELIVER ME  INTO  THE HANDS OF MY MASTER, AND I WILL BRING THEE
DOWN TO THIS COMPANY.

[1-Samuel 30:16] AND WHEN HE HAD BROUGHT HIM DOWN, BEHOLD, THEY WERE
SPREAD  ABROAD UPON ALL THE EARTH, EATING AND DRINKING, AND DANCING,
BECAUSE OF ALL THE GREAT   SPOIL THAT THEY HAD TAKEN OUT OF THE LAND OF
THE PHILISTINES, AND OUT OF THE LAND OF JUDAH.
They were apparently quite numerous and greatly outnumbered the force
of David. They had also covered quite a distance from the scene of their
crime and due to these two factors did not consider the possibility of
anybody pursuing after them. They were a large force and had attacked
settlements both in Philisitia and Judah and amassed a great deal of booty
including food and drink. After their exertions, they felt "It was time to Party".

[1-Samuel 30:17] AND DAVID SMOTE THEM FROM THE TWILIGHT EVEN UNTO THE
EVENING OF THE NEXT DAY: AND THERE ESCAPED NOT A MAN OF THEM, SAVE FOUR
HUNDRED YOUNG MEN, WHICH RODE UPON CAMELS, AND FLED.
    <<TWILIGHT>>: Hebrew "Neshef". In Modern Hebrew  this word is used
for an evening party. In Biblical Hebrew it connotes either the evening
twilight or the Dawn of Morning  i.e. the Change of Light.
Our understanding is that the raid of the Amalekites had taken place on
Day One at the very moment when David had been ordered to return to leave
the Philistine Camp and return to Ziklag which he set out to do the next
morning (Day Two: "SO DAVID AND HIS MEN ROSE UP EARLY TO DEPART IN THE
MORNING" 1-Samuel 29:11). After a day and a half i.e. on the Third Day
they came to Ziklag and discovered the town burned down and their families
missing. David immediately consulted the Urim and set of in pursuit. On
the next day (Day Four) they cross the Besor River and find the Egyptian
servant perishing in the wilderness who happened to be not far from the
Amalekite Encampment. In one day they had covered the same distance
that the fleeing Amalekites had covered in three.
They revive him and then wait till dawn to attack according to most
Commentators.
The battle lasts according to Yehudah Kiel (Daat Mikra) and Ben-Ephrat
from dawn until evening. i.e. ca.12 hours.
The verse says:
"FROM THE TWILIGHT EVEN UNTO THE EVENING OF THE NEXT DAY" i.e. it says
the "NEXT DAY" but Ben-Ephrat interprets this to mean the day after their
arrival and not the day after they began the attack.
Some of the Sages (Midrash Pesikta) and the Radak say that the battle
lasted from the Evening through the Night and the following Day and
through the Night after that until the Dawn, i.e. ca 36 hours!
The Talmud (Beracoth 3;b) says the battle lasted from the Evening of
that same day all through the Next Day until the Evening, i.e. ca.24 hours.
In my humble opinion the view of the Talmud fits the verses and the
psychological reality best of all.
In WW2 the Russians reported that the Germans were not so good at night
fighting and  did not like to fight at that time even though in other
ways they could be more than proficient.
So too, the Arabs according to reports do not like to fight at night.
The IDF on the other hand traditionally prefers night fighting.
Orde Wingate  the British officer who helped train Jewish soldiers of
the Hagana before WW2 also preferred night fighting.

[1-Samuel 30:18] AND DAVID RECOVERED ALL THAT THE AMALEKITES HAD
CARRIED AWAY: AND DAVID RESCUED HIS TWO WIVES.

They were all safe and sound. 
                
1-Samuel 30-2
[1-Samuel 30:19] AND THERE WAS NOTHING LACKING TO THEM, NEITHER SMALL
NOR GREAT, NEITHER  SONS NOR DAUGHTERS, NEITHER SPOIL, NOR ANY THING THAT
THEY HAD TAKEN TO THEM: DAVID  RECOVERED ALL.

[1-Samuel 30:20] AND DAVID TOOK ALL THE FLOCKS AND THE HERDS, WHICH
THEY DRAVE BEFORE  THOSE OTHER CATTLE, AND SAID, THIS IS DAVID'S SPOIL.
The Amalekites had been raiding Philistine settlements and settlements
of Judah apart from Ziklag. That which pertained to the followers of David
from Ziklag was to be returned to them. The rest belonged to the
Conqueror since the original owners would have despaired of ever recovering it.
Even if there had have been an attempt to return it an equivocal manner such
an effort under prevailing circumstances would have been impractical.
Nevertheless we shall see below that David took this spoil and divided
a good portion of it amongst the townships of Judah who had been victims
of the Amalekite raids. Since a lot of it had come from Philistine
settlements their net gain may even have been greater than their loss.

[1-Samuel 30:21] AND DAVID CAME TO THE TWO HUNDRED MEN, WHICH WERE SO
FAINT
THAT  THEY COULD NOT FOLLOW DAVID, WHOM THEY HAD MADE ALSO TO ABIDE AT
THE BROOK BESOR: AND THEY WENT FORTH TO MEET DAVID, AND TO MEET THE PEOPLE
THAT WERE WITH HIM: AND WHEN DAVID CAME NEAR TO THE PEOPLE, HE SALUTED THEM.
These were those who had set out with David to pursue the Amalekites
but had not been able to maintain the pace and had been left behind. David
showed them respect.

[1-Samuel 30:22] THEN ANSWERED ALL THE WICKED MEN AND MEN OF BELIAL, OF
THOSE THAT  WENT WITH DAVID, AND SAID, BECAUSE THEY WENT NOT WITH US,
WE WILL NOT GIVE THEM OUGHT  OF THE SPOIL THAT WE HAVE RECOVERED, SAVE TO
EVERY MAN HIS WIFE AND HIS CHILDREN, THAT THEY MAY LEAD THEM AWAY, AND
DEPART.
<<ALL THE WICKED MEN AND MEN OF BELIAL>>:  Scripture testifies that
they wished to dispossess their weaker brethren were wicked people.

[1-Samuel 30:23] THEN SAID DAVID, YE SHALL NOT DO SO, MY BRETHREN, WITH
THAT WHICH THE LORD HATH GIVEN US, WHO HATH PRESERVED US, AND DELIVERED
THE COMPANY THAT CAME AGAINST US INTO OUR HAND.
David testifies that  it was the Almighty who gave him and those of his
followers who had completed the pursuit and entered the battle fray the
super-human ability to see the matter through to its conclusion. This
ability was a gift that they had merited to receive and they needed to
acknowledge the Divine source of this gift.

[1-Samuel 30:24] FOR WHO WILL HEARKEN UNTO YOU IN THIS MATTER? BUT AS
HIS PART IS THAT  GOETH DOWN TO THE BATTLE, SO SHALL HIS PART BE THAT
TARRIETH BY THE STUFF: THEY SHALL PART ALIKE.

[1-Samuel 30:25] AND IT WAS SO FROM THAT DAY FORWARD, THAT HE MADE IT A
STATUTE AND AN  ORDINANCE FOR ISRAEL UNTO THIS DAY.
In the Army one has front-line troops and those who serve in the rear. 
The rearguard are usually specialized units or service personnel whose
physical profiled ability is often lower than that of they who are in the front
line.  David established the principle that all they who serve should
receive equal honor and an equal share in booty gained through battle.

[1-Samuel 30:26] AND WHEN DAVID CAME TO ZIKLAG, HE SENT OF THE SPOIL
UNTO THE ELDERS OF  JUDAH, EVEN TO HIS FRIENDS, SAYING, BEHOLD A PRESENT FOR
YOU OF THE SPOIL OF THE ENEMIES  OF THE LORD;

[1-Samuel 30:27] TO THEM WHICH WERE IN BETHEL, AND TO THEM WHICH WERE
IN SOUTH  RAMOTH, AND TO THEM WHICH WERE IN JATTIR,

[1-Samuel 30:28] AND TO THEM WHICH WERE IN AROER, AND TO THEM WHICH
WERE IN  SIPHMOTH, AND TO THEM WHICH WERE IN ESHTEMOA,

[1-Samuel 30:29] AND TO THEM WHICH WERE IN RACHAL, AND TO THEM WHICH
WERE IN THE  CITIES OF THE JERAHMEELITES, AND TO THEM WHICH WERE IN THE
CITIES OF THE KENITES,
The Kenites were descendants of the followers of Jethro the Midianite
who had attached themselves to Israel. We see here that many of them had
settled amongst Judah in the south.  A portion of them were also to
settle in the North in the region of Hamath where too an enclave of Judah
(known to archaeology as "Yadi") was to be found.
It is thought that the region of  the JERAHMEELITES (Modern Hebrew:
"Yerach-Ma-ayli") and the  KENITES was in the region of present-day
Arad in the State of Israel.

[1-Samuel 30:30] AND TO THEM WHICH WERE IN HORMAH, AND TO THEM WHICH
WERE IN  CHORASHAN, AND TO THEM WHICH WERE IN ATHACH,
<<CHORASHAN>>:  This appears to be a mistake in the King James Version
we are using. The Hebrew source has "BOR-ASHAN" which literally means
"Hole of Smoke".
The Hebrew word "bor" means "hole" and in verbal form could be used to
mean "make a hole" the same as the English word "bore" meaning to drill or
make a hole.

[1-Samuel 30:31] AND TO THEM WHICH WERE IN HEBRON, AND TO ALL THE
PLACES WHERE DAVID  HIMSELF AND HIS MEN WERE WONT TO HAUNT.

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