1 Samuel 19:14

14 Saul sent messengers to arrest David, but she said, "He's sick."

1 Samuel 19:14 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 19:14

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.

1 Samuel 19:14 In-Context

12 So Michal lowered David through a window. He took off and ran, and he got away.

13 Then Michal took the household's divine image and laid it in the bed, putting some goat's hair on its head and covering it with clothes.

14 Saul sent messengers to arrest David, but she said, "He's sick."

15 Saul sent the messengers back to check on David for themselves. "Bring him to me on his bed," he ordered, "so he can be executed."

16 When the messengers arrived, they found the idol in the bed with the goat's hair on its head.