Shmuel Alef 22:23

23 Abide thou with me, fear not; for he that seeketh my nefesh seeketh thy nefesh; but with me thou shalt be mishmeret (in safeguard).

Shmuel Alef 22:23 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 22:23

Abide thou with me, fear not
He appeared to be in a fright; which is not to be wondered at, as not knowing what to do, and where to go and provide for his safety; when, to allay his fears, and make him easy, David invites and encourages him to stay with him, and not be afraid of Saul, nor any other:

for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life;
or, as Kimchi observes, it may be interpreted, "my life he seeks who seeks thy life"; we are in the same circumstances, and have the same common enemy, and therefore it is best and safest to be together; as the Targum,

``he that seeks to kill me seeks to kill thee;''

and as Jarchi adds, he that loves me will love thee, and he that keeps my life will keep thine:

but with me thou [shalt be] in safeguard;
intimating, that he would be as careful of him as of himself; and that for this reason, as Ben Gersom suggests, because he brought the ephod with the Urim and Thummim with him, by which he could inquire of God for him; but this was the thing David was confident of, that God would preserve him, and raise him to the kingdom, and therefore Abiathar might be sure of safety with him: at this time he penned the fifty second psalm, which shows the frame of spirit he was now in; see ( Psalms 52:1-9 ) .

Shmuel Alef 22:23 In-Context

21 And Evyatar (Abiathar) told Dovid that Sha’ul had slain the Kohanim of Hashem.

22 And Dovid said unto Evyatar (Abiathar), I knew it that day, when Do’eg the Edomi was there, that he would surely tell Sha’ul. I am mortally responsible for nefesh Bais Avicha.

23 Abide thou with me, fear not; for he that seeketh my nefesh seeketh thy nefesh; but with me thou shalt be mishmeret (in safeguard).