1 Samuel 19:9-19

9 But then a black mood from God settled over Saul and took control of him. He was sitting at home, his spear in his hand, while David was playing music.

10 Suddenly, Saul tried to skewer David with his spear, but David ducked. The spear stuck in the wall and David got away. It was night.

11 Saul sent men to David's house to stake it out and then, first thing in the morning, to kill him. But Michal, David's wife, told him what was going on. "Quickly now - make your escape tonight. If not, you'll be dead by morning!"

12 She let him out of a window, and he made his escape.

13 Then Michal took a dummy god and put it in the bed, placed a wig of goat's hair on its head, and threw a quilt over it.

14 When Saul's men arrived to get David, she said, "He's sick in bed."

15 Saul sent his men back, ordering them, "Bring him, bed and all, so I can kill him."

16 When the men entered the room, all they found in the bed was the dummy god with its goat-hair wig!

17 Saul stormed at Michal: "How could you play tricks on me like this? You sided with my enemy, and now he's gotten away!" Michal said, "He threatened me. He said, 'Help me out of here or I'll kill you.'"

18 David made good his escape and went to Samuel at Ramah and told him everything Saul had done to him. Then he and Samuel withdrew to the privacy of Naioth.

19 Saul was told, "David's at Naioth in Ramah."

1 Samuel 19:9-19 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 19

This chapter relates the dangers David was exposed unto through Saul's enmity at him, and his deliverance from them, as by the notice Jonathan gave him of his father's designs against him, and by his kind interposition on his behalf, 1Sa 19:1-7; by David's slipping out of Saul's presence, when he was about to cast a javelin at him, 1Sa 19:8-10; by Michal's letting him down through a window, when Saul sent messengers to kill him, and by deceiving them with an image laid in his bed in the room of him, 1Sa 19:11-17, and again by Samuel's protection of him at Naioth, whither David fled, and where Saul sent messengers after him, and at length came himself; and instead of laying hands on David, both he and the messengers were set a prophesying, 1Sa 19:18-24.