(Also he bade them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jasher.)
The verse belongs to the account in which David receives news that Saul and Jonathan have died in battle after Israel's defeat and grieves for them with sincere and profound sorrow. In response he composed the Song of the Bow in remembrance of these great warriors, a beautiful lament that recounts their valor and virtues. The lament is a poem that illustrates the abundance of poetry in Hebrew sacred literature.
The verse directs that the children of Judah be taught the use of the bow. That instruction is connected to the lament because the bow was a weapon used in the battle on Mount Gilboa, and the lament mourns the failure of the weapons and the deaths of those who wielded them. The instruction was recorded in the book of Jasher, which was a sacred history book that included accounts of Israel's battles.
The book of Jasher was a poetic collection in which Israel recorded the deeds of its heroes in song, Jasher meaning the Upright, and the book is no longer known to exist. Although the Bible refers to Jasher as a source for this instruction, Jasher is not part of the Bible, and its mention introduces a Jasher account in which Moses obtained permission for the Israelites in Egypt to rest on the seventh day. The identity of the book of Jasher is disputed, with Jewish rabbis differing over whether it was the book of the law, Deuteronomy, Samuel, or Judges, with some holding that it was lost during the captivity, and with several later works claiming to be it, including one first published in English in 1751 that was described as a forgery.
David honored Saul despite their enmity and Saul's long persecution of him and grieved especially deeply for Jonathan, whom he loved, and his prospects before him as king could not console him. David's refusal to take revenge and his grief for his enemies reveal trust in God and a Saviour dwelling in the heart.
The verse belongs to the account in which David receives news that Saul and Jonathan have died in battle after Israel's defeat and grieves for them with sincere and profound sorrow. In response he composed the Song of the Bow in remembrance of these great warriors, a beautiful lament that recounts their valor and virtues. The lament is a poem that illustrates the abundance of poetry in Hebrew sacred literature.
The verse directs that the children of Judah be taught the use of the bow. That instruction is connected to the lament because the bow was a weapon used in the battle on Mount Gilboa, and the lament mourns the failure of the weapons and the deaths of those who wielded them. The instruction was recorded in the book of Jasher, which was a sacred history book that included accounts of Israel's battles.
The book of Jasher was a poetic collection in which Israel recorded the deeds of its heroes in song, Jasher meaning the Upright, and the book is no longer known to exist. Although the Bible refers to Jasher as a source for this instruction, Jasher is not part of the Bible, and its mention introduces a Jasher account in which Moses obtained permission for the Israelites in Egypt to rest on the seventh day. The identity of the book of Jasher is disputed, with Jewish rabbis differing over whether it was the book of the law, Deuteronomy, Samuel, or Judges, with some holding that it was lost during the captivity, and with several later works claiming to be it, including one first published in English in 1751 that was described as a forgery.
David honored Saul despite their enmity and Saul's long persecution of him and grieved especially deeply for Jonathan, whom he loved, and his prospects before him as king could not console him. David's refusal to take revenge and his grief for his enemies reveal trust in God and a Saviour dwelling in the heart.