1 Samuel 19:7-17

7 Yonatan called David, and Yonatan shown him all those things. Yonatan brought David to Sha'ul, and he was in his presence, as before.

8 There was war again: and David went out, and fought with the Pelishtim, and killed them with a great slaughter; and they fled before him.

9 An evil spirit from the LORD was on Sha'ul, as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand; and David was playing with his hand.

10 Sha'ul sought to strike David even to the wall with the spear; but he slipped away out of Sha'ul's presence, and he struck the spear into the wall: and David fled, and escaped that night.

11 Sha'ul sent messengers to David's house, to watch him, and to kill him in the morning: and Mikhal, David's wife, told him, saying, If you don't save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be slain.

12 So Mikhal let David down through the window: and he went, and fled, and escaped.

13 Mikhal took the terafim, and laid it in the bed, and put a pillow of goats' [hair] at the head of it, and covered it with the clothes.

14 When Sha'ul sent messengers to take David, she said, He is sick.

15 Sha'ul sent the messengers to see David, saying, Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may kill him.

16 When the messengers came in, behold, the terafim was in the bed, with the pillow of goats' [hair] at the head of it.

17 Sha'ul said to Mikhal, Why have you deceived me thus, and let my enemy go, so that he is escaped? Mikhal answered Sha'ul, He said to me, Let me go; why should I kill you?

1 Samuel 19:7-17 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 19

This chapter relates the dangers David was exposed unto through Saul's enmity at him, and his deliverance from them, as by the notice Jonathan gave him of his father's designs against him, and by his kind interposition on his behalf, 1Sa 19:1-7; by David's slipping out of Saul's presence, when he was about to cast a javelin at him, 1Sa 19:8-10; by Michal's letting him down through a window, when Saul sent messengers to kill him, and by deceiving them with an image laid in his bed in the room of him, 1Sa 19:11-17, and again by Samuel's protection of him at Naioth, whither David fled, and where Saul sent messengers after him, and at length came himself; and instead of laying hands on David, both he and the messengers were set a prophesying, 1Sa 19:18-24.