1 Samuel 24:20

20 I know you will surely be king, and you will rule the kingdom of Israel.

1 Samuel 24:20 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 24:20

And now, behold, I know well that thou shalt surely be king,
&c.] Not merely by the common report, that he was anointed by Samuel, to which yet he might give credit; but by the providence of God prospering and preserving him, and by his princely spirit and behaviour, and by calling to mind what Samuel had said to him, that his kingdom should be given to a neighbour of his better than he, and so David was by his own confession, ( 1 Samuel 24:17 ) ; and the cutting off the skirt of his garment might put him in remembrance of the rending of the skirt of Samuel's mantle, upon which he told Saul his kingdom should be rent from him; though some think that was Saul's skirt, and so now he knew thereby, when David cut off his skirt, that the kingdom would be his; and it is a tradition of the Jews F6, that Samuel said to him at that time, that he that cut off the skirt of his garment should reign after him:

and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in thine hand;
and not be rent from him; and yet notwithstanding after this he sought to destroy him.


FOOTNOTES:

F6 Midrash Tillim apud Abarbinel. in loc.

1 Samuel 24:20 In-Context

18 You told me what good things you did. The Lord handed me over to you, but you did not kill me.
19 If a person finds his enemy, he doesn't just send him on his way, does he? May the Lord reward you because you were good to me today.
20 I know you will surely be king, and you will rule the kingdom of Israel.
21 Now swear to me by the Lord that you will not kill my descendants and that you won't wipe out my name from my father's family."
22 So David made the promise to Saul. Then Saul went back home, and David and his men went up to their hideout.
Scripture taken from the New Century Version. Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.