Attributed commentary excerpt
John Gill's Exposition on 2 Samuel 3:5
A historical reference excerpt for this verse. Read it alongside the biblical text and other available sources.
Exposition of the Old and New Testament
John Gill (1697–1771) · 18th-century historical commentary
Source: BibleWord.ai's local reference edition of this named work.
And the sixth, Ithream, by Eglah David’s wife, etc.] Who also is not spoken of in any other place; only, in a like chronological account as the former, it is remarked that the mother of this only is called David’s wife; the reason of which is supposed to be, either because she was a person of no note, and had nothing else to distinguish her; but the same may be said of the two foregoing; or because she was his beloved wife, his heifer, as her name signifies; hence the Jews f51 take her to be Michal his first wife, whom he greatly loved, and who, though she had no children after her contempt of David for playing before the ark, unto the day of her death, yet might have before: but it should be observed, that as yet she was not returned to David in Hebron; and when she was returned, did not seem to continue there long enough to have a son there; and besides, being his first wife, would not be reckoned last; but still more foreign is another notion of the Jews f52, that she was Saul’s widow, who though she might not be married to another might be married to a king, as David was; and this they suppose receives some confirmation from (<101208>2 Samuel 12:8); but after all it may be this phrase “David’s wife”, as some have observed, by a figure the rhetoricians call “zeugma”, or “hypozeugma”, is to be joined to everyone of the women before mentioned, (<100302>2 Samuel 3:2-5), who were his wives, and so called to distinguish them from his concubines, by whom he had sons also. Polygamy, or plurality of wives, which David gave into, is no favourable part of his character.
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