Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon; lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.
All Commentaries on 2 Samuel 1:20 Go To 2 Samuel 1
John Chrysostom
AD 407
You have heard David’s lament for Saul.… If David did not wish the matter paraded in public so that it might not be a source of joy to his foes, so much the more must we avoid spreading the story to alien ears. Rather, we must not spread it even among ourselves for fear that our enemies may hear it and rejoice, for fear that our own may learn of it and fall. We must hush it up and keep it guarded on every side. Do not say to me, “I told so-and-so.” Keep the story to yourself. If you did not manage to keep quiet, neither will he manage to keep his tongue from wagging.
