[¹] Or, balsam trees.
14. Thou shalt not go up after them] In 2 Samuel v. 23 the words after them are connected with the following verb: Thou shalt not go up: make a circuit behind them. In Samuel the command is to assail the rear of the enemy, in Chronicles to avoid the rear (which was perhaps protected by a rear-guard) and to attack (presumably) the flank. The reading in Chronicles is to be preferred as a harder reading, which yields good sense on examination.
from them] The Hebrew word suggests that David occupied a commanding position from which he would be tempted to attack.
over against the mulberry trees] Render, along, parallel to. The line of David’s attack is to be parallel to a line of mulberry trees (or to a ridge on which mulberry trees stood) situate probably at right angles to the line of the Philistine march. Thus David’s advance would be concealed from the Philistines until the very moment of the attack, which would fall on the flank of the Philistine march.
mulberry trees] or, as margin, balsam trees. Some kind of tree or shrub from which gum exudes seems to be meant.
¹⁵And it shall be, when thou hearest the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou shalt go out to battle: for God is gone out before thee to smite the host of the Philistines.
15. the sound of marching] the sound of the wind in the trees is to be taken as an omen from Jehovah, indicating the favourable moment for the assault. The Targum, characteristically, has the sound of angels coming to thy help.
thou shalt go out to battle] Samuel has a more vivid phrase, thou shalt bestir thyself.
¹⁶And David did as God commanded him: and they smote the host of the Philistines from Gibeon[¹] even to Gezer. ¹⁷And the fame of David went out into all lands; and the Lord brought the fear of him upon all nations.
[¹] In 2 Samuel v. 25, Geba.