1 Samuel 23:15-29

Saul Pursues David

15 David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life. David was in the wilderness of Ziph at Horesh.

16 And Jonathan, Saul's son, rose and went to David at Horesh, and strengthened his hand in God.

17 And he said to him, "Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you. ¹Saul my father also knows this."

18 ²And the two of them made a covenant before the LORD. David remained at Horesh, and Jonathan went home.

19 ³Then the Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, "Is not David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah, which is south of ⁴Jeshimon

20 Now come down, O king, according to all your heart's desire to come down, ⁵and our part shall be to surrender him into the king's hand."

21 And Saul said, ⁶"May you be blessed by the LORD, ⁷for you have had compassion on me

22 Go, make yet more sure. Know and see the place where his foot is, and who has seen him there, for it is told me that he is very cunning.

23 See therefore and take note of all the lurking places where he hides, and come back to me with sure information. Then I will go with you. And if he is in the land, I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah."

24 And they arose and went to Ziph ahead of Saul. Now David and his men were ⁸in the wilderness of Maon, ⁹in the Arabah to the south of ¹⁰Jeshimon.

25 And Saul and his men went to seek him. And David was told, so he went down to the rock and lived in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he pursued after David in the wilderness of Maon.

26 Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain. And David was hurrying to get away from Saul. As Saul and his men were closing in on David and his men to capture them,

27 a messenger came to Saul, saying, "Hurry and come, for the Philistines have made a raid against the land."

28 So Saul returned from pursuing after David and went against the Philistines. Therefore that place was called the Rock of Escape.^[a]

29 ^[b] And David went up from there and lived in the strongholds of ¹¹Engedi.

1 Samuel 23:15-29 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.

Cross References

• 1. 1 Samuel 24:20; [1 Samuel 20:31]
• 2. 1 Samuel 18:3; 1 Samuel 20:8, 16, 42; [2 Samuel 21:7]
• 3. 1 Samuel 26:1; See Psalms 54
• 4. Numbers 21:20
• 5. ver. 12
• 6. See Ruth 2:20
• 7. [1 Samuel 22:8]
• 8. 1 Samuel 25:2; Joshua 15:55
• 9. See Deuteronomy 1:1
• 10. [See ver. 19 above]
• 11. Joshua 15:62; 2 Chronicles 20:2; Song of Songs 1:14; Ezekiel 47:10

Footnotes

• [a]. Or Rock of Divisions
• [b]. Ch 24:1 in Hebrew