1 Samuel 21:13

13 Und er verstellte seinen Verstand vor ihren Augen und tat unsinnig unter ihren Händen, und er kritzelte an die Flügel des Tores und ließ seinen Speichel auf seinen Bart herabfließen.

1 Samuel 21:13 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 21:13

And he changed his behaviour before them
Behaved like a fool, or a madman: or changed his "taste" F19; which some understand of his reason, acted as if he was deprived of it; and others of his speech, his words and the accent of them, drawled them out, as such persons do:

and feigned himself mad in their hands;
for in their hands he was, being taken by them, as the title of the fifty sixth psalm shows, ( Psalms 56:1 ) ; and this stratagem he used to get himself out of their hands, acting the part of a madman, delirious, and out of his senses:

and scrabbled on the doors of the gate;
as if he was writing something there, and making marks upon them:

and let his spittle fall down upon his beard;
slavered, as idiots and madmen do; and however mean this may seem in David to act such a part, it cannot be condemned as wicked, since it was only a stratagem to deliver himself, out of an enemy's hand, and stratagems are always allowed to be used against an enemy; and such a method as this has been taken by men of the greatest sense and wit, as by Brutus F20 and Solon {u}; and yet, according to the Vulgate Latin and Septuagint versions, this case of his was real and not feigned; that through the surprise of being known in the court of Achish, he was seized with an epilepsy; that his countenance was changed, and his mouth distorted, as persons in such fits are; that he fell among them as one convulsed, and fell at, and dashed against the doors of the gates, and foamed at the mouth, as such persons do; see ( Luke 9:39 ) ; and so in the following words the Greek version is, ye see the man is an epileptic; I do not want epileptics; but the thirty fourth and fifty sixth psalms, composed by him at this time, show that as he was of a sound mind, so in good health of body, and not subject to such fits as here represented, see ( Psalms 34:1-22 ) ( 56:1-13 ) ; which would have rendered him unfit for such composures.


FOOTNOTES:

F19 (wmej) "sensum suum", Montanus, Vatablus; "sermonem suum", Pagninus.
F20 Liv. Hist. l. 1. c. 56. Aurel. Victor. de Vir. Illustr. c. 13.
F21 Justin e Trogo, l. 2. c. 7.

1 Samuel 21:13 In-Context

11 Und die Knechte Achis' sprachen zu ihm: Ist das nicht David, der König des Landes? Haben sie nicht von diesem in den Reigen gesungen und gesprochen: "Saul hat seine Tausende erschlagen, und David seine Zehntausende"?
12 Und David nahm sich diese Worte zu Herzen und fürchtete sich sehr vor Achis, dem König von Gath.
13 Und er verstellte seinen Verstand vor ihren Augen und tat unsinnig unter ihren Händen, und er kritzelte an die Flügel des Tores und ließ seinen Speichel auf seinen Bart herabfließen.
14 Da kam Achis zu seinen Knechten: Siehe, ihr sehet einen wahnsinnigen Mann; warum bringet ihr ihn zu mir?
15 Fehlt es mir an Wahnsinnigen, daß ihr diesen hergebracht habt, um sich bei mir wahnsinnig zu gebärden? Sollte der in mein Haus kommen?
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