1 Samuel 19:14

14 And Saul sent officers to seize David; and it was answered that he was 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 She let him down through a window. And he went and fled away, and escaped.

13 And Michol took an image, and laid it on the bed, and put a goat’s skin, with the hair at the head of it, and covered it with clothes.

14 And Saul sent officers to seize David; and it was answered that he was sick.

15 And again Saul sent to see David, saying: Bring him to me in the bed, that he may be slain.

16 And when the messengers were come in, they found an image upon the bed, and a goat skin at his head.