1 Samuel 23:22-29

22 Therefore, I pray you, go ye, and make ready more diligently, and do ye more curiously, either attentively, and behold ye swiftly, where his foot is, either who saw him there, where ye said; for he thinketh on me, that fellily I ambush him. (And so, I pray you, go ye, and more diligently, yea, most attentively, seek ye him out, and quickly see ye, where his foot is, and who saw him there, where ye said; for he thinketh, that I am foolish to even try to ambush him.)
23 Behold ye, and see all his hiding places, in which he is hid, and then turn ye again to me at a certain thing, that I go with you; that if he encloseth himself yea in [the] earth, I shall seek him with(in) all the thousands of Judah. (Seek ye out, and see all his hiding places, where he can be hid, and return to me with this certain information, and then I shall go back with you; yea, if he is hid there in the land, I shall seek him out among all the thousands of Judah.)
24 And they rose up, and went into Ziph before Saul. And David and his men were in the desert of Maon, in the field places, at the right half of Jeshimon (And David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, to the south of Jeshimon).
25 Therefore Saul went and his fellows to seek David, and it was told to David; and anon he went down to the stone, and lived in the desert of Maon; and when Saul had heard this, he pursued David in the desert of Maon. (And so Saul and his fellows went to seek out David, and this was told to David; and at once he went down to a rocky hill, and lived there in the wilderness of Maon; and when Saul had heard this, he pursued David in the wilderness of Maon.)
26 And Saul went and his men at the side of the hill on [the] one part; forsooth David and his men were in the side of the hill on the tother part; soothly David despaired, that he might (not) escape from the face of Saul. And so Saul and his men compassed by the manner of a crown round about David and his men, that they should take them. (And Saul and his men went on one side of the hill; and David and his men were on the other side of the hill; and David truly despaired that he might not escape from Saul. And Saul and his men encompassed David and his men round about like a crown, in order to capture them.)
27 And (then) a messenger came to Saul, and said, Haste thou, and come, for the Philistines have spread themselves on the land.
28 Therefore Saul turned again, and ceased to pursue David; and went against the coming of (the) Philistines. For this thing they called that place The Stone of Parting (And because of this they called that place Selahammahlekoth).
29 Therefore David went up from thence, and dwelled in the most secure places of Engedi.

1 Samuel 23:22-29 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.

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