And the men of David said unto him
Some of his principal men, who were about him, and near him, such as Joab and Abishai:
behold the day of which the Lord said unto thee:
now the time was come that he spoke of to him by Samuel, or Gad, or to himself directly:
behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand;
and such was Saul, as appeared by his seeking to take away his life; and now he was in the hand of David to take away his life, if he pleased:
that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good unto thee;
an opportunity of this kind now offered:
then David arose;
from that part of the cave in which he was, the further part of it:
and cut off the skirt of Saul's robe privily;
unawares to him, and unobserved by him, which might be easily done, if Saul was asleep, and it is probable he was; and by the same way it may be accounted for that he did not hear the discourse that passed between David and his men.