They were armed with bows, and could use both the right hand and the left in hurling stones and shooting arrows out of a bow, even of Saul's brethren of Benjamin.
Of Saul's brethren of Benjamin - i:e., of the tribe of Benjamin (cf. 1 Chronicles 12:29); but some of them might be relatives of the king. This movement, to which the parties were led, doubtless, by the secret impulse of the Spirit, was of vast importance to the cause of David, as it must have been founded on their observation of the evident withdrawal of God's blessing from Saul, and His favouring presence with David, to whom it was universally known the Divine King of Israel had given the crown in reversion. The accession of the Benjamites who came first, and their resolution to share his fortunes, must have been particularly grateful to David, as it was a public and emphatic testimony, by those who had enjoyed the beat means of information, to the unblemished excellence of his character, as well as a decided protest against the grievous wrong inflicted by causelessly outlawing a man who had rendered such eminent services to his country.