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. Saul sent messengers to David’s house, to watch him, and to kill him in the morning. Michal, David’s wife, told him, saying, “If you don’t save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.”
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1 Samuel 19:9-11 sits inside this longer paragraph.
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. Saul sent messengers to David’s house, to watch him, and to kill him in the morning. Michal, David’s wife, told him, saying, “If you don’t save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.” So Michal let David down through the window. He went away, fled, and escaped. Michal took the teraphim, and laid it in the bed, and put a pillow of goats’ hair at its head, and covered it with clothes. When Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, “He is sick.”
Parallel Translations
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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.
Saul sent messengers to David’s house, to watch him, and to kill him in the morning. Michal, David’s wife, told him, saying, “If you don’t save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.”
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And the evil spirit from the LORD was upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his javelin in his hand: and David played with his hand.
And Saul sought to smite David even to the wall with the javelin; but he slipped away out of Saul’s presence, and he smote the javelin into the wall: and David fled, and escaped that night.
Saul also sent messengers unto David’s house, to watch him, and to slay him in the morning: and Michal David’s wife told him, saying, If thou save not thy life to night, to morrow thou shalt be slain.
Show all 3 translations
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And an evil spirit from the LORD was upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand; and David was playing with his hand.
And Saul sought to smite David even to the wall with the spear; but he slipped away out of Saul's presence, and he smote the spear into the wall; and David fled, and escaped that night.
And Saul sent messengers unto David's house, to watch him, and to slay him in the morning; and Michal David's wife told him, saying: 'If thou save not thy life to-night, to-morrow thou shalt be slain.'
Cross-references (21)
- 1 Samuel 16:14 (v9) Now Yahweh’s Spirit departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from Yahweh troubled him.
- Psalms 59:1-17 (v11) Deliver me from my enemies, my God. Set me on high from those who rise up against me. Deliver me from the workers of iniquity. Save me from…
- 1 Samuel 16:16 (v9) Let our lord now command your servants who are in front of you to seek out a man who is a skillful player on the harp. Then when the evil…
- 1 Samuel 18:10-11 (v9) On the next day, an evil spirit from God came mightily on Saul, and he prophesied in the middle of the house. David played with his hand,…
- 1 Samuel 18:11 (v10) and Saul threw the spear, for he said, “I will pin David to the wall!” David escaped from his presence twice.
Show all 21 cross-references
- 1 Samuel 20:33 (v10) Saul cast his spear at him to strike him. By this Jonathan knew that his father was determined to put David to death.
- Judges 16:2 (v11) The Gazites were told, “Samson is here!” They surrounded him and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and were quiet all…
- Proverbs 21:30 (v10) There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against Yahweh.
- 1 Samuel 19:6 (v10) Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan: and Saul swore, “As Yahweh lives, he shall not be put to death.”
- Job 5:14-15 (v10) They meet with darkness in the day time, and grope at noonday as in the night. But he saves from the sword of their mouth, even the needy…
- Psalms 18:17 (v10) He delivered me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me; for they were too mighty for me.
- Psalms 34:19 (v10) Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but Yahweh delivers him out of them all.
- Psalms 124:7 (v10) Our soul has escaped like a bird out of the fowler’s snare. The snare is broken, and we have escaped.
- Isaiah 54:17 (v10) No weapon that is formed against you will prevail; and you will condemn every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the…
- Hosea 6:4 (v10) “Ephraim, what shall I do to you? Judah, what shall I do to you? For your love is like a morning cloud, and like the dew that disappears…
- Matthew 10:23 (v10) But when they persecute you in this city, flee into the next, for most certainly I tell you, you will not have gone through the cities of…
- Matthew 12:43-45 (v10) When an unclean spirit has gone out of a man, he passes through waterless places, seeking rest, and doesn’t find it. Then he says, ‘I will…
- Luke 4:30 (v10) But he, passing through the middle of them, went his way.
- Luke 11:24-26 (v10) The unclean spirit, when he has gone out of the man, passes through dry places, seeking rest, and finding none, he says, ‘I will turn back…
- John 10:39 (v10) They sought again to seize him, and he went out of their hand.
- 2 Peter 2:20-22 (v10) For if, after they have escaped the defilement of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again…
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (17 sources)
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On v9 He played on his harp to mitigate the rage…
He played on his harp to mitigate the rage of the evil spirit, as 1 Sam. 16:23.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv9–11 1Sa 19:9 And the evil spirit from the LORD…
1Sa 19:9 And the evil spirit from the LORD was upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his javelin in his hand: and David played with [his] hand.
Ver. 9. With his javelin in his hand.] This he would not be without, as being ever in fear. The great Turk, that tyrant, hath always as he sitteth in his throne, lying at hand ready by him a target, a scimitar, an iron mace, with bow and arrows, for his defence. {a} Our Richard III had always his naked sword stuck by his bedside. {b}
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{a} Turk. Hist.
{b} Daniel
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 On vv9, 11 David’s successes against the Philistines, which should have cheered…
David’s successes against the Philistines, which should have cheered his heart, made him sad, and the devil watched the opportunity to improve his melancholy, as before he bad done.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Matthew Henry 1710 · Public Domain On v11 Here is, I. Saul's further design of mischief to…
Here is, I. Saul's further design of mischief to David. When David had escaped the javelin, supposing he went straight to his own house, as indeed he did, Saul sent some of his guards after him to lay wait at the door of his house, and to assassinate him in the morning as soon as he stirred out, Sa1 19:11. Josephus says the design was to seize him and to hurry him before a court of justice that was ordered to condemn him and put him to death as a traitor; but we are here told it was a shorter way they were to take with him: they were ordered to slay him. Well might David complain that his enemies were bloody men, as he did in the psalm which he penned at this time, and upon this occasion (Ps. 59), when Saul sent, and they watched the house to kill him. See Sa1 19:2, Sa1 19:3, and Sa1 19:7. He complains that swords were in their lips.
II. David's wonderful deliverance out of this danger. Michal was the instrument of it, whom Saul gave him to be a snare to him, but she proved to be his protector and helper. Often is the devil out-shot with his own bow. How Michal came to know the danger her husband was in does not appear; perhaps she had notice sent her from court, or rather was herself aware of the soldiers about the house, when they were going to bed, though they kept so still and silent that they said, Who dost hear? which David takes notice of, Psa 59:7. She, knowing her father's great indignation at David, soon suspected the design, and bestirred herself for her husband's safety. 1. She got David out of the danger. She told him how imminent the peril was (Sa1 19:11): Tomorrow thou wilt be slain. As Josephus paraphrases it, she told him that if the sun saw him there next morning it would never see him more; and then put him in a way of escape. David himself was better versed in the art of fighting than of flying, and had it been lawful it would have been easy for him to have cleared his house, by dint of sword, from those that haunted it; but Michal let him down through a window (Sa1 19:12), all the doors being guarded; and so he fled and escaped. And now it was that, either in his own closet before he went or in the hiding-place to which he fled, he penned that fifty-ninth Psalm, which shows that, in his fright and hurry, his mind was composed, and, in this great danger, his faith was strong and fixed on God; and, whereas the plot was to slay him in the morning, he speaks there with the greatest assurance (Sa1 19:16), I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning. 2. She practised a deception upon Saul and those whom he employed to be the instruments of his cruelty. When the doors of the house were opened in the morning, and David did not appear, the messengers would search the house for him, and did so. But Michal told them he was sick in bed (Sa1 19:14), and, if they would not believe her, they might see, for (Sa1 19:13) she had put a wooden image in the bed, and wrapped it up close and warm as if it had been David asleep, not in a condition to be spoken to; the goats' hair about the image was to resemble David's hair, the better to impose upon them. Michal can by no means be justified in telling a lie, and covering it thus with a cheat. God's truth needed not her lie. But she intended hereby to keep Saul in suspense for a while, that David might have some time to secure himself, not doubting but those messengers would pursue him if they found he had gone. The messengers had so much humanity as not to offer him any disturbance when they heard he was sick; for to those that are in this misery pity should be shown; but Saul, when he heard it, gave positive orders that he should be brought to him sick or well: Bring him to me in the bed, that I may slay him, Sa1 19:15. It was base and barbarous thus to triumph over a sick man; and to vow the death of one who for aught that he knew was dying by the hand of nature. So earnestly did he thirst after his blood, and so greedy was his revenge, that he could not be pleased to see him dead, unless he himself was the death of him; though awhile ago he had said, Let not my hand be upon him. Thus when men lay the reins on the neck of their passions they grow more and more outrageous. When the messengers were sent again, the cheat was discovered, Sa1 19:16. But by this time it was to be hoped that David was safe, and therefore Michal was not then much concerned at the discovery. Saul chid her for helping David to escape (Sa1 19:17): Why hast thou deceived me so? What a base spirit was Saul of, to expect that, because Michal was his daughter, she must therefore betray her own husband to him unjustly. Ought she not to forsake and forget her father and her father's house, to cleave to her husband? Those that themselves will be held by no bonds of reason or religion are ready to think that others should as easily break those bonds. In answer to Saul's chiding, Michal is not so careful of her husband's reputation as she had been of his person, when she makes this her excuse: He said, Let me go, why should I kill thee? As her insinuating that she would have hindered his flight was false (it was she that put him upon it and furthered it), so it was an unjust unworthy reflection upon him to suggest that he threatened to kill her if she would not let him go, and might confirm Saul in his rage against him. David was far from being so barbarous a man and so imperious a husband, so brutish in his resolves and so haughty in his menaces, as she here represented him. But David suffered both from friends and foes, and so did the son of David.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv9–11 And the evil spirit from the Lord was upon…
And the evil spirit from the Lord was upon Saul,.... His melancholy and frantic disorder returned upon those victories of David, and he grew envious, jealous, spiteful, and malicious:
as he sat in his house with his javelin his hand; which either describes the posture he was in when the evil spirit came upon him; or the effects of it, he became dull and melancholy, did not care to go abroad, but kept at home, and was suspicious of everybody; and therefore kept a javelin in his hand to defend himself; or it may be rather to dispatch David with it, when an opportunity should offer, which quickly did:
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and David played with his hand; on some instrument of music, particularly the harp, to drive away the evil spirit, the melancholy disorder, from Saul; which showed his humility, that though he was an officer in the army, had a considerable post in it, yet deigned to act the part of a musician to Saul, and his great kindness and affection for him his sovereign, willing to serve him what he could to promote his health and comfort, and the trust and confidence he put in his promise and oath, or rather in the providence of God for his protection in the way of his duty, though he knew how spiteful and injurious Saul had been to him.
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 On v9 The evil spirit - David's successes against the Philistines…
The evil spirit - David's successes against the Philistines revived his envy, and the devil watched the opportunity, as he had done before.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv9–11 Verse 9. And the evil spirit from the Lord]…
Verse 9. And the evil spirit from the Lord] His envy and jealousy again returned, producing distraction of mind, which was exacerbated by diabolic influence. See on 1Sa 16:14.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv10–11 1Sa 19:10. Saul sought to smite David with the…
1Sa 19:10. Saul sought to smite David with the javelin — “How sad and shocking a scene was this! David labouring with all his study and skill to relieve Saul’s anguish; and Saul, in the same instant, meditating his destruction! sitting sullen and determined, with his javelin in his hand, watching his opportunity, and waiting, perhaps, until the power of music had so far calmed his spirits as to render his hand steady. He then darted his spear at David with all his might, and with such force, that, he happily declining it, it pierced and stuck into the wall; and David fled.” — Delaney. Saul’s wrath and fury, on this occasion, made him entirely forget his oath. So dangerous it is to be possessed with such passions! It seems likely, from Saul’s having a javelin in or near his hand, that it was usual for kings, in those days, to hold one in their hands, in the same manner as a sceptre in after-times, as a mark of royal authority.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv10–11 David fled - This was the beginning of David’s…
David fled - This was the beginning of David’s life as a fugitive and outcast, though for no “offence or fauIt” of his (Psa 59:3, Prayer Book Version).
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv9, 11 Saul. His jealousy was again enkindled by the success…
Saul. His jealousy was again enkindled by the success of David. (Calmet) --- Hand, on music, to assuage the paroxysms of the king’s fury. (Haydock)
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).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On v11 Saul sent messengers unto David's house, to watch him,…
Saul sent messengers unto David's house, to watch him, and to slay him--The fear of causing a commotion in the town, or favoring his escape in the darkness, seemed to have influenced the king in ordering them to patrol till the morning. This infatuation was overruled by Providence to favor David's escape; for his wife, secretly apprised by Jonathan, who was aware of the design, or by spying persons in court livery watching the gate, let him down through a window (see on Jos 2:15).
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv10–11 10. David fled, and escaped that night — Fled…
10. David fled, and escaped that night — Fled from the king’s presence and first sought refuge in his own house. To some it seems strange that David did not effect his escape altogether from Saul after his former attempt to smite him. 1Sa_18:11. But doubtless David regarded Saul’s former attack as an outburst of his madness, not flowing from any deep-seated design against his life. But now, after the startling revelations which Jonathan had made to him of Saul’s deadly purpose, he feels that his life is no longer safe in the royal court.
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 On vv9–11 9. the evil spirit] See on 1Sa_16:14.
9. the evil spirit] See on 1Sa_16:14.
as he sat, &c.] Now he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand, and David was playing with his hand. These words are a parenthesis picturing the circumstances under which Saul attempted to murder David. On Saul’s spear see at 1Sa_18:10.
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 On vv9–10 (9) And the evil spirit . . . was…
(9) And the evil spirit . . . was upon Saul.—Again the terrible malady was upon the king—not unlikely brought on by the wild storm of jealous fury which Saul allowed to sweep unchecked across his soul. Once more—
“Out of the black mid-tent’s silence, a space of three days,
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Not a sound hath escaped to thy servants of prayer nor of
praise,
To betoken that Saul and the spirit have ended their strife,
And that, faint in his triumph, the monarch sinks back
upon life.”
BROWNING: Saul.
But the time when the skilled musician with his Divine strains had roused him into life again was passed (see 1Sa_16:21-23), not now as in old days, when, to use the words the great poet put into David’s mouth—
“—I looked up to know
If the best I could do had brought solace: he spoke not, but
slow
Lifted up the hand slack at his side, till he laid it with care,
Soft and grave, but in mild settled will, on my brow; through
my hair
The large fingers were pushed, and he bent back my head.
with kind power—
All my face back, intent to peruse it as men do a flower.
Thus held he me there, with his great eye that scrutinized
mine,
And oh, all my heart how it loved him! . . .”
BROWNING: Saul.
This time, seizing the tall spear which was ever by his side, he hurled it with deadly intent at the sorrow-stricken, loving face, and David fled in hot haste from the doomed presence for ever. The LXX. was offended at the statement “evil spirit of (or from) Jehovah,” and cuts the knot by leaving out “Jehovah.” It is, no doubt, a hard saying, and no human expositor has ever yet been able fully to explain it.
To the expression Ruach Jehovah, “Spirit of Jehovah” (for “of” is more accurate than “from”), and the equivalent phrase, Ruach Elohim, “Spirit of God” (1Sa_16:14-15), the epithet “evil” is added. We cannot attempt to fathom the mysteries of the spirit world—we have absolutely no data—we simply possess in the sacred book a few scattered notices, which indicate the existence of evil spirits. To suppose that these malignant or evil beings were part of the heavenly host employed by the Eternal is a supposition utterly at variance with our conception of the All-Father. We may, however, safely grant (1) the existence of evil spirits—probably beings fallen through sin and disobedience from their high estate; and (2) we may suppose that these evil spirits—all, of course, belonging to the Eternal, even in their deep degradation (so though “evil,” still “spirits of God, or Jehovah,”)—receive occasional permission, for some wise—though to us unknown—reasons, to tempt and plague for a season the souls of certain men.
The introduction to the Book of Job (Job_1:6; Job_2:1-7), and the circumstance which led to the death of King Ahab before Ramoth Gilead (1Ki_22:19-22), at least favour this hypothesis. The presence of those evil spirits, or “devils, who possessed those unhappy ones whom we meet so often in the Gospel story, points to the same conclusion. Why certain souls should have been exposed to this dread experience is, of course, beyond our ken. From the scanty information vouchsafed to us, it seems, however, that the power of the evil spirit was sometimes permitted to be exercised (a) as a trial of faith, as in the case of Job; or (b) as a punishment incurred by the soul’s desertion of God, as in the case of Saul.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv10–11 Vers. 10-12. Saul sought to smite David. The verb…
Vers. 10-12. Saul sought to smite David. The verb used here is not that rendered cast in 1Sa_18:11, where probably we had the record of a purpose threatened, but not carried out. Here Saul actually threw his javelin at David with such violence that it was fixed into the wall. But David, though playing some instrument of music at the time, was on his guard, and slipped away. And David fled, and escaped that night. As usual, the historian gives the ultimate results of Saul"s violence first, and then returns and gives the particulars; for plainly David first went home, and it was only when he found that the house was surrounded by Saul"s emissaries that he fled away to find refuge with Samuel. Saul also sent messengers. As is often the case, this outbreak of violence on Saul"s part broke down all the former restraints of upright feeling and conscience. He had lost his self-respect, was openly a murderer as regards everything but the success of his attempt, and he determined that.that should not be long wanting. He sends persons, therefore, to watch David"s house, with orders that when in the morning he came out, suspecting no danger, they should fall upon him and slay him. But Michal in some way or other became aware of her husband"s danger. Possibly she had been at her father"s house in the afternoon, and with quick observation had noticed that more than usual was going on, and seeing that her own house was the object of these preparations, had divined their intent; or possibly Jonathan may have given her information, and so she warned David of his danger. As the entrance was guarded, he was let down through a window, like St. Paul afterwards, and so began the weary life of wandering which lasted through so many troubled years.
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 On v10 pin David to the wall with the spear
pin David to the wall with the spear
throw his spear so it would go through David and into the wall
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he might kill him
"Saul might kill David"
Michal ... told him
Michal told David
If you do not save your life
Here "save your life" is an idiom that refers to escape. AT: "If you do not escape" (See: Idiom)
you will be killed
This can be stated in active form. AT: "someone will kill you" (See: Active or Passive)
translationWords
send
messenger
save
life
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv10–11 19:10 hurled his spear: See also 18:11; 20:33.
19:10 hurled his spear: See also 18:11; 20:33.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.