and Saul threw the spear, for he said, “I will pin David to the wall!” David escaped from his presence twice.
Parallel Translations
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and Saul threw the spear, for he said, “I will pin David to the wall!” David escaped from his presence twice.
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And Saul cast the javelin; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall with it. And David avoided out of his presence twice.
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And Saul cast the spear; for he said: 'I will smite David even to the wall.' And David stepped aside out of his presence twice.
Cross-references (8)
Passages linked to 1 Samuel 18:11 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- 1 Samuel 20:33 Saul cast his spear at him to strike him. By this Jonathan knew that his father was determined to put David to death.
- Isaiah 54:17 No weapon that is formed against you will prevail; and you will condemn every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of Yahweh’s servants, and their righteousness is of me,” says Yahweh.
- Psalms 37:32-33 The wicked watch the righteous, and seek to kill him. Yahweh will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.
- Luke 4:30 But he, passing through the middle of them, went his way.
- John 8:59 Therefore they took up stones to throw at him, but Jesus was hidden, and went out of the temple, having gone through the middle of them, and so passed by.
- John 10:39 They sought again to seize him, and he went out of their hand.
- Proverbs 27:4 Wrath is cruel, and anger is overwhelming; but who is able to stand before jealousy?
- 1 Samuel 19:9-10 An evil spirit from Yahweh was on Saul, as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand; and David was playing with his hand. Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear; but he slipped away out of Saul’s presence, and he stuck the spear into the wall. David fled, and escaped that night.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (9 sources)
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John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain 1Sa 18:11 And Saul cast the javelin; for he…
1Sa 18:11 And Saul cast the javelin; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall [with it]. And David avoided out of his presence twice.
Ver. 11. And Saul cast the javelin.] At David to kill him, whom he could not have sufficiently honoured, saith Chrysostom, if he had taken the crown from off his own head, and set it upon his, since he owed to David both his kingdom and his life. But this is merces mundi: look for no better. In princes’ courts there are, saith one, lenta beneficia, iniuriae praecipites, slow favours, quick injuries. David, for his music, hath a javelin thrown at him, to pin him to the wall.
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And David avoided out of his presence.] So did our Saviour often, when his enemies sought his life. {Luk 4:30 Joh 10:39}
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain Once at this time, and another time upon a…
Once at this time, and another time upon a like occasion, 1Sa 19:10.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain And Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord…
And Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with him,.... Protecting and preserving him, prospering and succeeding him, giving him victory over his enemies, and favour among the people; the Targum is,"the Word of the Lord was for his help.''Procopius Gazaeus interprets it of the Holy Ghost, whose grace was vouchsafed unto him: he might be afraid in his melancholy fits, that as he had attempted to take away the life of David, that David would contrive and seek an opportunity, and take away his life, and seize the kingdom which God had given him, and his being with him strengthened these fears:
and was departed from Saul; so that he was destitute of courage, and greatness of mind, and of wisdom and prudence, and became mean and abject, and exposed himself to the contempt of his subjects.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain And Saul cast the javelin - Being now quite…
And Saul cast the javelin - Being now quite under the power of that evil spirit. Twice - Once now, and another time upon a like occasion, chap. xix, 10.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 11. Saul cast the javelin] The javelin or…
Verse 11. Saul cast the javelin] The javelin or spear was the emblem of regal authority; kings always had it at hand, and in ancient monuments they are always represented with it.
In ancient times, says Justin, kings used a spear instead of a diadem: Per ea tempora reges hastas pro diademate habebant, Hist. lib. xliii. And as spears were the emblems of supreme power, hence they were reputed as attributes of the Divinity, and were worshipped as representatives of the gods. Ab origne verum, pro DIIS immortalibus veteres HASTAS coluerent, ob cujus religionis memoriam, adhuc deorum simulachris HASTAE adduntur.-Ibid.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 11. I will smite David even to the wall…
11. I will smite David even to the wall — Literally, I will smite in David and in the wall; that is, nail him to the wall by the javelin. Twice he made the deadly attempt, and twice the agile youth avoided the blow. Compare
1Sa_19:10.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 11. Saul cast the javelin; for he said] Probably;…
11. Saul cast the javelin; for he said] Probably; Saul lifted (or brandished) the spear, and said. It does not seem to be meant that he actually cast it, as he did upon the later occasion (1Sa_19:10). The threatening gesture was twice repeated, and David prudently withdrew on both occasions.
avoided] “Withdrew,” “escaped.” The word is connected with the adj. void, and Norm. Fr. voider, to empty, from Lat. viduare. It is generally transitive: comp. “six of us only stayed and the rest avoided the room” (Bacon): but the intransitive usage is supported, e.g., by Shakespeare, Tempest, IV. 1.
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“Well done, avoid, no more.”
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (11) And Saul cast the javelin.—The Alexandrian MS. of…
(11) And Saul cast the javelin.—The Alexandrian MS. of the LXX. and the Chaldee Version translate the Hebrew here “lifted the javelin.” The probable meaning of the verb in this place is “brandished,” or “aimed.” It is hardly credible that if he actually threw it, David would have trusted himself a second time in the king’s chamber.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 18:11 In his jealousy and fear, Saul would have…
18:11 In his jealousy and fear, Saul would have been happier with one dead David than with thousands of dead Philistines (18:7).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.