1 Samuel 24:6

6 He said to his men, the LORD forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the LORD's anointed, to put forth my hand against him, seeing he is the LORD's anointed.

1 Samuel 24:6 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 24:6

And he said unto his men
When he returned and brought the skirt of Saul's garment in his hand; or else he said this before that, though here mentioned, when they moved it to him to dispatch him, as he had a fair opportunity of doing it:

God forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the Lord's
anointed;
and which he could not think of but with detestation and abhorrence, since he was his sovereign lord and master, and he a subject of his, and was anointed by the order of God, and his person sacred:

to stretch forth my hand against him;
to take away his life; to cut off the skirt of his garment gave him uneasiness; but to slay him, the thought of it was shocking to him:

seeing he [is] the anointed of the Lord;
anointed by Samuel to be king, ( 1 Samuel 10:1 ) , by order of the Lord, ( 1 Samuel 9:17 ) .

1 Samuel 24:6 In-Context

4 The men of David said to him, Behold, the day of which the LORD said to you, Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you. Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Sha'ul's robe secretly.

5 It happened afterward, that David's heart struck him, because he had cut off Sha'ul's skirt.

6 He said to his men, the LORD forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the LORD's anointed, to put forth my hand against him, seeing he is the LORD's anointed.

7 So David checked his men with these words, and didn't allow them to rise against Sha'ul. Sha'ul rose up out of the cave, and went on his way.

8 David also arose afterward, and went out of the cave, and cried after Sha'ul, saying, My lord the king. When Sha'ul looked behind him, David bowed with his face to the eretz, and did obeisance.