1 Samuel 23:25

25 Therefore Saul went and his fellows to seek David, and it was told to David; and anon he went down to the stone, and lived in the desert of Maon; and when Saul had heard this, he pursued David in the desert of Maon. (And so Saul and his fellows went to seek out David, and this was told to David; and at once he went down to a rocky hill, and lived there in the wilderness of Maon; and when Saul had heard this, he pursued David in the wilderness of Maon.)

1 Samuel 23:25 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 23:25

And Saul also and his men went to seek [him]
Whether the Ziphites returned to him with better intelligence, or sent him word where David was, is not said, however Saul with his army came out in search of him:

and they told David;
or it was told him, that Saul was come in quest of him:

wherefore he came down into a rock;
either into a cave in it, or he came down from the hill Hachilah to a plain or valley, in order to go up to a rock, the same with the mountain in ( 1 Samuel 23:26 ) :

and abode in the wilderness of Maon;
in which was the rock or mountain he came to:

and when Saul heard [that], he pursued after David in the wilderness
of Maon;
for upon the intelligence of the Ziphites, he came out to seek for him in the wilderness of Ziph, but hearing that he was removed to the wilderness of Maon, he pursued him there.

1 Samuel 23:25 In-Context

23 Behold ye, and see all his hiding places, in which he is hid, and then turn ye again to me at a certain thing, that I go with you; that if he encloseth himself yea in [the] earth, I shall seek him with(in) all the thousands of Judah. (Seek ye out, and see all his hiding places, where he can be hid, and return to me with this certain information, and then I shall go back with you; yea, if he is hid there in the land, I shall seek him out among all the thousands of Judah.)
24 And they rose up, and went into Ziph before Saul. And David and his men were in the desert of Maon, in the field places, at the right half of Jeshimon (And David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, to the south of Jeshimon).
25 Therefore Saul went and his fellows to seek David, and it was told to David; and anon he went down to the stone, and lived in the desert of Maon; and when Saul had heard this, he pursued David in the desert of Maon. (And so Saul and his fellows went to seek out David, and this was told to David; and at once he went down to a rocky hill, and lived there in the wilderness of Maon; and when Saul had heard this, he pursued David in the wilderness of Maon.)
26 And Saul went and his men at the side of the hill on [the] one part; forsooth David and his men were in the side of the hill on the tother part; soothly David despaired, that he might (not) escape from the face of Saul. And so Saul and his men compassed by the manner of a crown round about David and his men, that they should take them. (And Saul and his men went on one side of the hill; and David and his men were on the other side of the hill; and David truly despaired that he might not escape from Saul. And Saul and his men encompassed David and his men round about like a crown, in order to capture them.)
27 And (then) a messenger came to Saul, and said, Haste thou, and come, for the Philistines have spread themselves on the land.
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.