1 Samuel 23:11

11 if the men of Keilah shall betake me into his hands, and if Saul shall come down, as thy servant hath heard, thou Lord God of Israel, show to thy servant? And the Lord said, He shall come down. (will the men of Keilah deliver me into his hands? and will Saul come down, as thy servant hath heard? O Lord God of Israel, tell thy servant. And the Lord said, He shall come down.)

1 Samuel 23:11 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 23:11

Will the men of Keilah deliver me up into his hands? will
Saul come down, as thy servant hath heard?
&c.] That is, if David continued there, which is the supposition all proceeds upon. The questions are not orderly put, as may easily be observed, the last should have been first; which shows some perturbation of mind David was in upon hearing the design of Saul against him:

O Lord God of Israel, I beseech thee, tell thy servant;
give an answer by Urim and Thummim, as he did:

and the Lord said, he will come down;
if David abode there; that was in his thoughts, in his purpose and design, which the Lord, being omniscient, full well knew, who knows all future contingencies: hence the Jews ^F14 gather, that two things are not to be asked together; and if they are asked, only answer is made to one, and the answer is only made to that which it was proper to ask first; and that which is asked out of order should be asked again, which was the case here, as follows.

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FOOTNOTES:

F14 T. Bab. Yoma, fol. 73. 1, 2.

1 Samuel 23:11 In-Context

9 And when David perceived, that Saul made ready evil privily to him, he said to Abiathar, the priest, Bring hither [the] ephod. (And when David understood, that Saul planned to attack him, he said to Abiathar, the priest, Bring the ephod here.)

10 And David said, Lord God of Israel, thy servant hath heard say, that Saul disposeth to come to Keilah, that he destroy the city for me; (Then David said, Lord God of Israel, thy servant hath heard say, that Saul disposeth to come to Keilah, to destroy the city because of me;)

11 if the men of Keilah shall betake me into his hands, and if Saul shall come down, as thy servant hath heard, thou Lord God of Israel, show to thy servant? And the Lord said, He shall come down. (will the men of Keilah deliver me into his hands? and will Saul come down, as thy servant hath heard? O Lord God of Israel, tell thy servant. And the Lord said, He shall come down.)

12 And David said again, Whether the men of Keilah shall betake me, and the men that be with me, into the hands of Saul? And the Lord said, They shall betake thee to Saul, if thou abidest him there. (And David asked, Shall the men of Keilah deliver me, and my men, into the hands of Saul? And the Lord said, They shall deliver thee to Saul, if thou waitest here for him.)

13 Therefore David rose, and his men, as six hundred; and they went out of Keilah, and wandered uncertain hither and thither. And it was told to Saul, that David had fled from Keilah, and was saved; wherefore Saul dissembled to go out. (And so David and his men, about six hundred in all, rose up; and they went out of Keilah, and wandered about with uncertainty. And it was told to Saul, that David had fled from Keilah, and so he was saved; and for a short while Saul left off going after him.)