1 Samuel 26:9

9 But David said to Abishai, "Don't destroy him, for who can lift a hand against the Lord's anointed and be blameless?"^[a]

1 Samuel 26:9 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 26:9

And David said to Abishai, destroy him not
He laid his commands upon him not to hurt him:

for who can stretch forth his hand against the Lord's anointed, and be
guiltless?
since Saul was king, and appointed to that office by the Lord, and was anointed by his order for it, and invested with it by him, his person was sacred, and not to be touched; nor could his life be taken away by any without being guilty of a very great crime indeed, which it might be justly expected the Lord would resent and punish.

1 Samuel 26:9 In-Context

7 That night, David and Abishai came to the troops, and Saul was lying there asleep in the inner circle of the camp with his spear stuck in the ground by his head. Abner and the troops were lying around him.

8 Then Abishai said to David, "Today God has handed your enemy over to you. Let me thrust the spear through him into the ground just once. I won't [have to strike] him twice!"

9 But David said to Abishai, "Don't destroy him, for who can lift a hand against the Lord's anointed and be blameless?"

10 David added, "As the Lord lives, the Lord will certainly strike him down: either his day will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish.

11 However, because of the Lord, I will never lift my hand against the Lord's anointed. Instead, take the spear and the water jug by his head, and let's go."

Footnotes

• [a]. 1 Sm 10:1; 24:6