1 Samuel 24:6-10 sits inside this longer paragraph.
1When Saul had returned from following the Philistines, he was told, “Behold, David is in the wilderness of En Gedi.” 2Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men on the rocks of the wild goats. 3He came to the sheep pens by the way, where there was a cave; and Saul went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were staying in the innermost parts of the cave. 4David’s men said to him, “Behold, the day of which Yahweh said to you, ‘Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you.’ ” Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul’s robe secretly. 5Afterward, David’s heart struck him, because he had cut off Saul’s skirt. 6He said to his men, “Yahweh forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, Yahweh’s anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, since he is Yahweh’s anointed.” 7So David checked his men with these words, and didn’t allow them to rise against Saul. Saul rose up out of the cave, and went on his way. 8David also arose afterward, and went out of the cave, and cried after Saul, saying, “My lord the king!” When Saul looked behind him, David bowed with his face to the earth, and showed respect.
9David said to Saul, “Why do you listen to men’s words, saying, ‘Behold, David seeks to harm you?’ 10Behold, today your eyes have seen how Yahweh had delivered you today into my hand in the cave. Some urged me to kill you; but I spared you; and I said, I will not stretch out my hand against my lord; for he is Yahweh’s anointed. 11Moreover, my father, behold, yes, see the skirt of your robe in my hand; for in that I cut off the skirt of your robe, and didn’t kill you, know and see that there is neither evil nor disobedience in my hand, and I have not sinned against you, though you hunt for my life to take it. 12May Yahweh judge between me and you, and may Yahweh avenge me of you; but my hand will not be on you. 13As the proverb of the ancients says, ‘Out of the wicked comes wickedness;’ but my hand will not be on you. 14Against whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom do you pursue? A dead dog? A flea? 15May Yahweh therefore be judge, and give sentence between me and you, and see, and plead my cause, and deliver me out of your hand.”
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv6, 10 For seeing it was his own private cause, he…
For seeing it was his own private cause, he repented that he had touched his enemy.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv6–10 1Sa 24:6 And he said unto his men, The…
1Sa 24:6 And he said unto his men, The LORD forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the LORD’S anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he [is] the anointed of the LORD.
Ver. 6. The Lord forbid that I should do this thing.] Thus he blesseth himself from such a disloyalty to his master and sovereign. The Janizaries have learned of the Jesuits to kill their king if he please them not. Peter du Moulin said truly of many of the priests of France, that they were for their loyalty not beholden to the maxims of Italy.
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 vv6, 7, 9, 10 He said unto his men; either, first, Before he…
He said unto his men; either, first, Before he cut off Saul’s lap. Or rather, secondly, Afterwards, when he returned with Saul’s lap in his hand, and his soldiers were enraged that he had not killed him.
This thing which you persuade me to do, even cut off Saul.
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Unto my master, whom I must still own for my sovereign lord and king, to whom I owe allegiance whilst he lives, although after his death the right of the kingdom be mine.
To stretch forth mine hand against him, to wit, to kill him. A synecdochical expression. See Gen 37:22.
The anointed of the Lord, i.e. anointed by God to the kingdom; by which unction his person was made sacred and inviolable, and is so to be accounted by me, and you, and all his subjects. And as God only exalted him, and God only could pronounce a sentence of deprivation of his kingdom against him; so it belongs to God only to execute his own sentence, and actually to depose him.
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 v9 We have here David's warm and pathetic speech to…
We have here David's warm and pathetic speech to Saul, wherein he endeavours to convince him that he did him a great deal of wrong in persecuting him thus and to persuade him therefore to be reconciled.
I. He calls him father (Sa1 24:11), for he was not only, as king, the father of his country, but he was, in particular, his father-in-law. From a father one may expect compassion and a favourable opinion. For a prince to seek the ruin of any of his good subjects is as unnatural as for a father to seek the ruin of his own children.
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II. He lays the blame of his rage against him upon his evil counsellors: Wherefore hearest thou men's words? Sa1 24:9. It is a piece of respect due to crowned heads, if they do amiss, to charge it upon those about them, who either advised them to it or should have advised them against it. David had reason enough to think that Saul persecuted him purely from his own envy and malice, yet he courteously supposes that others put him on to do it, and made him believe that David was his enemy and sought his hurt. Satan, the great accuser of the brethren, has his agents in all places, and particularly in the courts of those princes that encourage them and give ear to them, who make it their business to represent the people of God as enemies to Caesar and hurtful to kings and provinces, that, being thus dressed up in bear-skins, they may "be baited."
III. He solemnly protests his own innocence, and that he is far from designing any hurt or mischief to Saul: "There is neither evil nor transgression in my hand, Sa1 24:11. I am not chargeable with any crime, nor conscious of any guilt, and, had I a window in my breast, thou mightest through it see the sincerity of my heart in this protestation: I have not sinned against thee (however I have sinned against God), yet thou huntest my soul," that is, "my life." Perhaps it was about this time that David penned the seventh psalm, concerning the affair of Cush the Benjamite (that is, Saul, as some think), wherein he thus appeals to God (Sa1 24:3-5): If there be iniquity in my hands, then let the enemy persecute my soul and take it, putting in a parenthesis, with reference to the story of this chapter, Yea, I have delivered him that without cause is my enemy.
IV. He produces undeniable evidence to prove the falsehood of the suggestion upon which Saul's malice against him was grounded. David was charged with seeking Saul's hurt: "See," says he, "yea, see the skirt of thy robe, Sa1 24:11. Let this be a witness for me, and an unexceptionable witness it is; had that been true of which I am accused, I should now have had thy head in my hand and not the skirt of thy robe, for I could as easily have cut off that as this." To corroborate this evidence he shows him, 1. That God's providence had given him opportunity to do it: The lord delivered thee, very surprisingly, to day into my hand, whence many a one would have gathered an intimation that it was the will of God he should now give the determining blow to him whose neck lay so fair for it. When Saul had but a very small advantage against David he cried out, God has delivered him into my hand (Sa1 23:7), and resolved to make the best of that advantage; but David did not so. 2. That his counsellors and those about him had earnestly besought him to do it: Some bade me kill thee. He had blamed Saul for hearkening to men's words and justly; "for," says he, "if I had done so, thou wouldest not have been alive now." 3. That it was upon a good principle that he refused to do it; not because Saul's attendants were at hand, who, it may be, would have avenged his death; no, it was not by the fear of them, but by the fear of God, that he was restrained from it. "He is my lord, and the Lord's anointed, whom I ought to protect, and to whom I owe faith and allegiance, and therefore I said, I will not touch a hair of his head." Such a happy command he had of himself that his nature, in the midst of the greatest provocation, was not suffered to rebel against his principles.
V. He declares it to be his fixed resolution never to be his own avenger: "The Lord avenge me of thee, that is, deliver me out of thy hand; but, whatever comes of it, my hand shall not be upon thee" (Sa1 24:12), and again (Sa1 24:13), for saith the proverb of the ancients, Wickedness proceedeth from the wicked. The wisdom of the ancients is transmitted to posterity by their proverbial sayings. Many such we receive by tradition from our fathers; and the counsels of common persons are very much directed by this, "As the old saying is." Here is one that was in use in David's time: Wickedness proceedeth from the wicked, that is, 1. Men's own iniquity will ruin them at last, so some understand it. Forward furious men will cut their own throats with their own knives. Give them rope enough, and they will hang themselves. In this sense it comes in very fitly as a reason why his hand should not be upon him. 2. Bad men will do bad things; according as men's principles and dispositions are, so will their actions be. This also agrees very well with the connexion. If David had been a wicked man, as he was represented, he would have done this wicked thing; but he durst not, because of the fear of God. Or thus: Whatever injuries bad men do us (which we are not to wonder at; he that lies among thorns must expect to be scratched), yet we must not return them; never render railing for railing. Though wickedness proceed from the wicked, yet let it not therefore proceed from us by way of retaliation. Though the dog bark at the sheep, the sheep does not bark at the dog. See Isa 32:6-8.
VI. He endeavours to convince Saul that as it was a bad thing, so it was a mean thing, for him to give chase to such an inconsiderable person as he was (Sa1 24:14): Whom does the king of Israel pursue with all this care and force? A dead dog; a flea; one flea, so it is in the Hebrew. It is below so great a king to enter the lists with one that is so unequal a match for him, one of his own servants, bred a poor shepherd, now an exile, neither able nor willing to make any resistance. To conquer him would not be to his honour, to attempt it was his disparagement. If Saul would consult his own reputation, he would slight such an enemy (supposing he were really his enemy) and would think himself in no danger from him. David was so far from aspiring that he was, in his own account, as a dead dog. Mephibosheth thus calls himself, Sa2 9:8. This humble language would have wrought upon Saul if he had had any spark of generosity in him. Satis est prostrsse leoni - Enough for the lion that he has laid his victim low. What credit would it be to Saul to trample upon a dead dog? What pleasure could it be to him to hunt a flea, a single flea, which (as some have observed), if it be sought, is not easily found, if it be found, is not easily caught, and, if it be caught, is a poor prize, especially for a prince. Aquila non captat muscas - The eagle does not dart upon flies. David thinks Saul had no more reason to fear him than to fear a flea-bite.
VII. He once and again appeals to God as the righteous Judge (Sa1 24:12 and Sa1 24:15): The Lord judge between me and thee. Note, The justice of God is the refuge and comfort of oppressed innocence. If men wrong us, God will right us, at furthest, in the judgment of the great day. With him David leaves his cause, and so rests satisfied, waiting his time to appear for him.
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 vv6–10 And he said unto his men,.... When he returned…
And he said unto his men,.... When he returned and brought the skirt of Saul's garment in his hand; or else he said this before that, though here mentioned, when they moved it to him to dispatch him, as he had a fair opportunity of doing it:
God forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the Lord's anointed; and which he could not think of but with detestation and abhorrence, since he was his sovereign lord and master, and he a subject of his, and was anointed by the order of God, and his person sacred:
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to stretch forth my hand against him; to take away his life; to cut off the skirt of his garment gave him uneasiness; but to slay him, the thought of it was shocking to him:
seeing he is the anointed of the Lord; anointed by Samuel to be king, Sa1 10:1, by order of the Lord, Sa1 9:17.
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 v10 Mine eye - The eye is said to spare,…
Mine eye - The eye is said to spare, because it affects the heart with pity, and moves a man to spare.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv6–7 Verse 6. The Lord's anointed] However unworthily Saul was…
Verse 6. The Lord's anointed] However unworthily Saul was now acting, he had been appointed to his high office by God himself, and he could only be removed by the authority which placed him on the throne. Even David, who knew he was appointed to reign in his stead, and whose life Saul had often sought to destroy, did not conceive that he had any right to take away his life; and he grounds the reasons of his forbearance on this-He is my master, I am his subject. He is the Lord's anointed, and therefore sacred as to his person in the Lord's sight. It is an awful thing to kill a king, even the most untoward, when he has once been constitutionally appointed to the throne. No experiment of this kind has ever succeeded; the Lord abhors king killing. Had David taken away the life of Saul at this time, he would, in the sight of God, have been a murderer.
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 vv7, 10 1Sa 24:7-8. And suffered them not to rise against…
1Sa 24:7-8. And suffered them not to rise against Saul — He not only would not do this ill thing himself, but he would not suffer those about him to do it. Thus did he render good for evil to him, from whom he had received evil for good; and was herein both a type of Christ, who saved his persecutors, and an example to all Christians, not to be overcome of evil, but to overcome evil with good. David also went out of the cave, and cried after Saul — A bold attempt this, to adventure to come into the presence of such an enraged enemy. But his innocence, and confidence in God, imboldened him, especially having so strong an evidence to give of his integrity.
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 v9 David was quite aware that there were flatterers at…
David was quite aware that there were flatterers at Saul’s court who were continually inflaming the King’s mind by their false accusations against him. This explains the language of many of the Psalms, e. g. Ps. 10; Psa 11:1-7; Psa 12:1-8; 35; and many more.
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 vv6–7 Heart struck him; viz., with remorse, as fearing he…
Heart struck him; viz., with remorse, as fearing he had done amiss. (Challoner) --- A tender conscience is uneasy about things which are not sinful, while some stick at nothing. (Worthington) --- The action of David seemed disrespectful. (Calmet) --- "The subjects of kings adore the royal name as a divinity." (Curtius vii.) Regium nomen....pro deo colunt.
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 v8 HE URGES THEREBY HIS INNOCENCY. (Sa1 24:8-15)
HE URGES THEREBY HIS INNOCENCY. (Sa1 24:8-15)
David also arose . . . and went out of the cave, and cried after Saul--The closeness of the precipitous cliffs, though divided by deep wadies, and the transparent purity of the air enable a person standing on one rock to hear distinctly the words uttered by a speaker standing on another (Jdg 9:7). The expostulation of David, followed by the visible tokens he furnished of his cherishing no evil design against either the person or the government of the king, even when he had the monarch in his power, smote the heart of Saul in a moment and disarmed him of his fell purpose of revenge. He owned the justice of what David said, acknowledged his own guilt, and begged kindness to his house. He seems to have been naturally susceptible of strong, and, as in this instance, of good and grateful impressions. The improvement of his temper, indeed, was but transient--his language that of a man overwhelmed by the force of impetuous emotions and constrained to admire the conduct, and esteem the character, of one whom he hated and dreaded. But God overruled it for ensuring the present escape of David. Consider his language and behavior. This language--"a dead dog," "a flea," terms by which, like Eastern people, he strongly expressed a sense of his lowliness and the entire committal of his cause to Him who alone is the judge of human actions, and to whom vengeance belongs, his steady repulse of the vindictive counsels of his followers; the relentings of heart which he felt even for the apparent indignity he had done to the person of the Lord's anointed; and the respectful homage he paid the jealous tyrant who had set a price on his head--evince the magnanimity of a great and good man, and strikingly illustrate the spirit and energy of his prayer "when he was in the cave" (Psa 142:1).
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Next: 1 Samuel Chapter 25
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 v7 7. David stayed his servants — Literally, He split…
7. David stayed his servants — Literally, He split them. Vulgate: confregit; he broke them to pieces. The idea is, that by his words he completely nonplussed them, so as to check their furious desire to make an end of Saul.
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 vv7–9 7. stayed] Lit. tore, or lashed: a strong expression.…
7. stayed] Lit. tore, or lashed: a strong expression. Vulg. “confregit viros suos sermonibus.”
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 vv8–10 (8) And cried after Saul.—The outlaw suffered the king…
(8) And cried after Saul.—The outlaw suffered the king and his companion to proceed some little way—possibly down the deep ascent which led up to the cave’s mouth—and then called after Saul, but with an address of the deepest reverence, accompanied too (see next clause) with an act of the profoundest homage which an inferior could pay to a superior. He would show Saul at least he was no rival king.
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 vv6, 8, 9 Vers. 6, 7. Seeing he is the anointed of…
Vers. 6, 7. Seeing he is the anointed of Jehovah. David bases his allegiance to Saul on religious grounds. He was Jehovah"s Messiah, and as such his person was sacred. To this principle David steadfastly adhered (1Sa_26:9; 2Sa_1:16) The Lord forbid. Hebrew, "Far be it from me from Jehovah," i.e. for Jehovah"s sake. So David stayed his servants. The verb is a strong one, and means to crush down. It shows that David had to use all his authority to keep his men, vexed by Saul"s pursuit, from killing him.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary 1892 · Public Domain On v8 1Sa_24:8. The closeness of the precipitous rocks and the…
CRITICAL AND EXPOSITORY NOTES—
1Sa_24:8. The closeness of the precipitous rocks and the depth of the ravines or wadies between them, together with the remarkable purity of the air, made it quite easy for David thus to converse with Saul at a distance sufficient to ensure his own safety. “My lord the King.” “This address indicates the double point of view whence David, in what follows, declares by deed and by word his relation and attitude to Saul. He recognises and honours Saul as his lord to whom he is bound to be subject; in calling him lord he declares himself guiltless of insurrection against him. In the king he sees the anointed of the Lord, the bearer of the holy theocratic office, in which character he was inviolable.” (Erdmann.)
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1Sa_24:13. “As saith the proverb,” etc. “The meaning is, only a wicked man would wish to avenge himself, I do not.” (Keil.) “A prophetic speech. Thy death will not be from me, who have no such thoughts, but from the wicked. And so it was. Saul perished by his own wicked hand.” (Wordsworth.)
1Sa_24:14. “A flea.” Literally, a single flea. “By these similes David meant to describe himself as a perfectly harmless and insignificant man, of whom Saul had no occasion to be afraid, and whom it was beneath his dignity to pursue.” (Keil.)
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.—1Sa_24:8-15
DAVID’S VINDICATION OF HIMSELF TO SAUL
I. This vindication of David reveals that he still considered himself a subject of the king of Israel. The best and wisest men are always the least ready to rebel against those in authority, and their obedience will stand a much more severe test than that of men who are their inferiors in character and ability. A son who is far above his father in excellence and wisdom will be far more loyal to his weak and erring parent than one who is like him in character, and a subject who is morally and intellectually superior to his ruler will bear more before he renounces his allegiance than one who is less intelligent and godly. Noble and good men in all ages have been tried both in their public and private relationships by the incapacity and wickedness of those in authority over them, and it has sometimes become their duty to disown such authority and renounce their allegiance to such rule, but this is a step that is taken with the most reluctance by the men who seem to have the most right to take it. It seems to us, when we read this history, that of all the men in Israel at this time, David was the least bound to acknowledge Saul as his lord and king. No man in the kingdom had deserved Saul’s gratitude so much and none had received such ingratitude and cruelty at his hand. Yet David’s mode of address here shows him still acknowledging himself Saul’s subject, and reveals that he had only taken arms in self-defence, and not in defiance. The spirit of this Old Testament servant of God was the same as that which animated the apostles and martyrs of the Christian Church (Rom_13:1; Tit_3:1), and had its root in the same recognition of God as the Supreme Ruler and Judge of all men.
II. His conduct shows that he considered Saul’s position worthy of outward tokens of respect. When it is impossible to respect a man for what he is, we may sometimes feel bound to honour him for what he has been, or for what he now represents. A heap of ruined stones may have nothing in their present appearance to awaken interest, but if they are the remains of a city once famous for its beauty, thinking men cannot look at them without emotion. Or a building which has never had any pretensions to architectural beauty may awaken a feeling almost of reverence because it represents something of far more value and dignity than itself. So when David bowed himself before Saul it could hardly have been in token of respect for any moral excellence now found in him, but must have rather been in honour of what he once was and of what he even now represented. He was still the Lord’s anointed—the man whom God had Himself appointed to rule over His people Israel, and there had been a time when he had seemed not unworthy of the honour thus put upon him. And David, like every other godly man, was ever ready to render honour wherever it was due, whether to place or person, whether to individual excellence or to “powers ordained of God” (Rom_13:1.)
III. Yet David’s vindication contains an appeal to Saul’s reason and to God’s justice. Reverence for Saul as a king, and a sense of his own duty as a subject, did not degenerate into that servility which seems to ignore the fact that the higher the position the greater the obligation, and to forget that there is a Judge before whose bar all human distinctions fade away. David did not think it incompatible with his acknowledgment of Saul as his lord to remonstrate with him on his foolishness, and to remind him that there was a King to whom both the persecutor and the persecuted would have to render an account, and whose judgment would certainly be according to truth. The most genuine loyalty is always found associated with self-respect and with faith in God, and they are the most faithful servants of kings who do not fear to show them wherein they err, and who can with confidence commit their cause to Him who will one day certainly render every man according to his works. For neither of the two causes, one or the other of which sometimes operates in the decisions of a human judge and leads him to pronounce an unjust sentence, can ever have any place in the Divine administration. A man may condemn the innocent or justify the guilty through ignorance, or from wickedness. He may not be acquainted with all the facts of the case, or some selfish or other evil motive may lead him to pronounce a false verdict. But it is the joy of every lover of truth and righteousness to know that this can never be the case with God. He who searches and knows everyone of His creatures can never be mistaken in His judgment, and He who is infinitely above them, both in nature and in character, can have no motive or desire to wrong anyone of them in the smallest degree. Hence the assurance with which men in all ages have turned to Him when they have been wronged by their fellow-creatures, and have said, with David, “The Lord, therefore, be judge, and see, and plead my cause.”
OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS
1Sa_24:10. It by no means follows that all kings are God’s lieutenants in the sense in which Saul was, or lie under the same sacred charm of divine anointing. God does not stand in the same special relation to other nations as he did to the Jews. Magistracy is still the ordinance of God, but it is left to communities to choose both the form of government and the individuals who are to exercise it. Nations have power to choose their governors, and, unless there be a special arrangement to the contrary, they have power to discontinue them.… Thus viewed, the consideration that influenced David resolves itself into a principle of wider application. It was the fruit of that profound reverence for God’s will, and that thorough confidence in God’s providential government, and in the holy principles on which it is conducted, that characterised David in all his better periods and that will ever characterise the humble and consistent Christian.—Blaikie.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain On v8 David Protests his Innocence
David Protests his Innocence
v. 8. David also arose afterward, and went out of the cave, boldly taking this opportunity to defend himself against the slanders which filled Saul’s heart with mistrust against him, Psalms 7, and cried after Saul, saying, My lord the king! In these words he confesses himself bound to Saul as his subject and acknowledges him as the anointed of the Lord, who occupied his office by divine right. And when Saul looked behind him, David stooped with his face to the earth, and bowed himself, his behavior thus corresponding to his address of Saul.
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v. 9. And David said to Saul, Wherefore hearest thou men’s words, such as those of the men of Ziph and of Cush, the Benjamite, saying, Behold, David seeketh thy hurt? David thus represented the entire situation as due to intriguing tongues.
v. 10. Behold, this day thine eyes have seen how the Lord had delivered thee today into mine hand in the cave, for so the incident clearly appeared; and some bade me kill thee, the temptation to kill Saul had been presented to David; but mine eye spared thee, and I said, I will not put forth mine hand against my lord; for he is the Lord’s anointed. This fact David urged in his favor, first of all.
v. 11. Moreover, my father, as David calls Saul in pious reverence, see, yea, see the skirt of thy robe in my hand, a bit of evidence which demonstrated how absolutely Saul had been in his power; for in that I cut off the skirt of thy robe and killed thee not know thou and see that there is neither evil nor transgression, deliberate crime and wickedness, in mine hand, and I have not sinned against thee, he could rightly protest his innocence; yet thou hunts my soul to take it, pursuing him like a dangerous animal through forests and over mountains.
v. 12. The Lord judge between me and thee, for to His decision David left the entire matter, and the Lord avenge me of thee, for this unwarranted persecution of David would not go unpunished, as he firmly believed; but mine hand shall not be upon thee, he would not seek or take his own revenge.
v. 13. As saith the proverb of the ancients, Wickedness proceeded from the wicked; but mine hand shall not be upon thee. A wicked and godless person might have embraced the opportunity to take revenge, but David had purposely refrained from doing so. And David finally urged that Saul’s conduct was foolish and inconsistent with royal dignity.
v. 14. After whom is the king of Israel come out? After whom dost thou pursue? After a dead dog, who could no longer bite and bother people, after a flea, at best poor game for a royal hunter. David stressed his insignificance and harmlessness, for he neither had the desire nor was he in a position to work the king harm.
v. 15. The Lord, therefore, because David was innocent and because Saul’s persecution was foolish, be judge, and judge between me and thee, and see, and plead my cause, and deliver me out of thine hand, to be freed from the persecution of Saul by the justice of God. David here is an example to all children of God, showing what love of the enemy means. Like him, Christians should spare their enemies and reward them good for evil.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv8, 10 Why do you listen to the men who say,…
Why do you listen to the men who say, 'See, David is seeking your harm?
This is a rhetorical question. It can be translated as a statement. AT: "You should not listen to the men who say, 'See, David is seeking to harm you." (See: Rhetorical Question)
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translationWords
David
call
Saul (OT)
lord
king
bow
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 v6 24:6 The Lord’s anointed one was not to be…
24:6 The Lord’s anointed one was not to be violated (26:9, 11, 16, 23; 2 Sam 1:14, 16; 19:21). David would not harm Saul even though God had anointed him to be the next king (1 Sam 16:13).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.