When Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, “He is sick.”
Parallel Translations
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When Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, “He is sick.”
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And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, He is sick.
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And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said: 'He is sick.'
Cross-references (3)
Passages linked to 1 Samuel 19:14 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Joshua 2:5 About the time of the shutting of the gate, when it was dark, the men went out. Where the men went, I don’t know. Pursue them quickly. You may catch up with them.”
- 2 Samuel 16:17-19 Absalom said to Hushai, “Is this your kindness to your friend? Why didn’t you go with your friend?” Hushai said to Absalom, “No; but whomever Yahweh, and this people, and all the men of Israel have chosen, I will be his, and I will stay with him. Again, whom should I serve? Shouldn’t I serve in the presence of his son? As I have served in your father’s presence, so I will be in your presence.”
- 2 Samuel 17:20 Absalom’s servants came to the woman to the house; and they said, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?” The woman said to them, “They have gone over the brook of water.” When they had sought and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (8 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
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John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain 1Sa 19:14 And when Saul sent messengers to take…
1Sa 19:14 And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, He [is] sick.
Ver. 14. She said, He is sick.] This officious lie she held belike either no sin, or a very peccadillo, since it was to save the life of her husband: wherein she becometh an example of human infirmity.
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 Messengers, to wit, other messengers in the morning, supposing…
Messengers, to wit, other messengers in the morning, supposing the former to be either slow or perfidious.
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 when Saul sent messengers to take David,.... Either…
And when Saul sent messengers to take David,.... Either the same who in the morning inquired for David, or those staying longer than Saul expected, and fearing they were negligent or corrupted, he sent others: to whom
she said, he is sick; and in bed, and cannot be spoke with; this lie she told through her affection to David, and to preserve his life; and this stratagem she devised to gain time, that while she was amusing the messengers with this tale of hers, before they could discover the truth of the matter David would be out of their reach; whereas, had she denied his being at home, or signified that he had made his escape, they would have immediately pursued after him, and he would have been in danger of being taken by them.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain 1Sa 19:14-17. Saul sent messengers to take David —…
1Sa 19:14-17. Saul sent messengers to take David — As he did not come out of doors, where they waited for him, Saul sent other messengers to take him in the house. She said, He is sick — Her affection for David, and fear for his life, induced her to tell a plain lie, in which she is neither to be justified nor imitated. She intended hereby, however, to keep Saul in suspense for a while, till David should arrive at some place of safety. He said, Let me go; why should I kill thee? — This was another untruth; and an untruth very injurious to David’s reputation. Far was it from him either to intend or threaten to kill any one, much more his own wife. But Michal feared to enrage her father to too high a degree if she told the truth. Her weakness is to be pitied, while it is to be condemned and shunned.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain Sick. This is an officious lie. She tells another…
Sick. This is an officious lie. She tells another to excuse herself, ver. 17. The children of Saul strive to prevent their father’s cruelty, by taking part with the innocent David. (Haydock) --- It is thought that David composed the 68th Psalm, Eripe, &c., on this occasion. (Calmet)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 14. she said, He is sick] Apparently she took…
14. she said, He is sick] Apparently she took the messengers into the outer chamber and pointed to the figure in bed in an inner closet, not letting them go near enough to detect the imposture. The plan gained David time to escape. The Sept. has, “and they [the messengers] brought word that he was sick.”
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.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain Vers. 14-17. When, after waiting till the usual hour…
Vers. 14-17. When, after waiting till the usual hour for David"s appearance, he came not, the watchers send and inform Saul, who now orders his open arrest. But Michal despatches a messenger to tell her father that he is sick. Upon this Saul orders bed and all to be brought, that he may slay him. As an Oriental bed is usually a mere strip of carpet, this would be easy enough. But when the messengers force their way through, in spite of every obstruction which Michal can devise to waste time, and come up close to the sleeping figure, "Lo, teraphim in the bed, and a goatskin at its head." They carry the news to Saul, who sends for Michal, and reproaches her for letting his enemy go. And she, afraid of bringing her father"s anger upon herself, answers with a falsehood, such as we find David also too readily having resort to; for she tells Saul that his flight was David"s own doing, and that she had taken part in it only to save her life. Why should I kill thee? She pretends that David had told her not to force him to kill her by refusing to give her aid in his escape. Saul, no doubt, saw that she had been a willing agent; but as she professed to have been driven to do what she had done by David"s threats, he could say no more.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 General Information:
General Information:
Saul acts out his desire to kill David.
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take David
"take David back to Saul"
she said
Here "she" refers to Michal.
Bring him up to me in the bed
The reason why the men thought David was in bed can be made explicit. AT: "If he really is too sick to come to me, bring me the bed with him in it" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
translationWords
Saul (OT)
David
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.