1 Samuel 23:1-10

1 And they told to David, and said, Lo! The Philistines fight against Keilah, and ravish the cornfloors (and steal the harvest/and rob the threshing floors).
2 Therefore David counselled (with) the Lord, and said, Whether I shall go, and smite these Philistines? (And so David counselled with the Lord, and asked, Shall I go, and strike down these Philistines?) And the Lord said to David, Go forth, and thou shalt smite the Philistines, and thou shalt save Keilah.
3 And (the) men, that were with David, said to him, Lo! we be here in Judah, and have dread (and be afraid); how much more if we shall go into Keilah against the companies of (the) Philistines.
4 Therefore again David counselled with the Lord; the which answered (who answered), and said to David, Rise thou up, and go into Keilah; for I shall betake [the] Philistines into thine hand
5 Therefore David went, and his men, into Keilah, and fought against the Philistines; and he drove away their work beasts, and smote them with [a] great wound; and David saved the dwellers of Keilah. (And so David and his men went to Keilah, and fought against the Philistines; and he took away their work beasts, and struck them down with a great slaughter; and so David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.)
6 And in that time, wherein Abiathar, [the] son of Ahimelech, fled to David into Keilah, he came down, and had with him (the) ephod, that is, the cloak of the highest priest. (And when Abiathar, the son of Ahimelech, joined David at Keilah, he brought the ephod with him.)
7 And it was told to Saul, that David had come into Keilah; and Saul said, The Lord hath taken him into mine hands, and he is (en)closed, and entered into a city, in which be gates and locks. (And Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah; and Saul said, The Lord hath delivered him into my hands, and now he is enclosed, for he hath gone into a city, where there be gates and locks.)
8 And Saul commanded to all the people, that it should go down to battle into Keilah (that they should go down to do battle at Keilah), and besiege David and his men.
9 And when David perceived, that Saul made ready evil privily to him, he said to Abiathar, the priest, Bring hither [the] ephod. (And when David understood, that Saul planned to attack him, he said to Abiathar, the priest, Bring the ephod here.)
10 And David said, Lord God of Israel, thy servant hath heard say, that Saul disposeth to come to Keilah, that he destroy the city for me; (Then David said, Lord God of Israel, thy servant hath heard say, that Saul disposeth to come to Keilah, to destroy the city because of me;)

1 Samuel 23:1-10 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 23

This chapter gives an account of David's relieving Keilah, when it had like to have fallen into the hands of the Philistines, 1Sa 23:1-6; and of Saul's design to surprise him there, which David having notice of, and inquiring of the Lord, departed from thence; which when Saul heard of, he forbore to come forth, 1Sa 23:7-13; and of David's being in the wilderness of Ziph, where, in a wood there, he had an interview with Jonathan, 1Sa 23:14-18; and of the Ziphites offering to deliver him up to Saul, for which he commends them, and gives them instructions how they should behave to him in that affair, 1Sa 23:19-23; and of his seeking him in the wilderness of Maon, where David and his men were in great danger of being taken; which was prevented by the news of the Philistines invading the land coming to Saul just at the nick of time, 1Sa 23:24-29.

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.