Verse 2
And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel ,.... Prepared for battle, and put themselves in a posture for it; formed themselves in a line of battle, and so invited and challenged the Israelites to fight them:
and when they joined battle ; engaged with each other, the Israelites doing the same, putting themselves in a proper form and posture for fighting; or "the battle was spread", or "spread itself" F2 ותטש המלחמה "et diffusum est praelium", Pagninus, Montanus, Drusius. ; that is, as the Targum, they that made war were spread; the soldiers were placed in order for battle, to the right and left, which took up on both sides a large space; though Abarbinel understands this in a very different sense, and takes the word to have the same signification as in Psalm 78:60 , where it has the sense of forsaking; and so here the Israelites forsook the battle, and fled, which brought on their destruction, flight being, as the Jews say F3 Misn. Sotah, c. 8. sect. 6. , the beginning of fall or ruin, as it follows:
Israel was smitten before the Philistines ; they had the worst of it and were beaten:
and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men ; so many fell upon the spot, in the field.
Be the first to react on this!
