1 Samuel 26:6-16

6 David said to Ahimelech, (the) Hittite, and to Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, the brother of Joab, saying, Who shall go down with me to Saul into his tents? And Abishai said, I shall go down with thee.
7 Therefore David and Abishai came to the people in the night, and they found Saul lying and sleeping in the tent, and a spear set fast in the earth at his head; forsooth they found Abner and the people sleeping in his compass (and they found Abner and the other people sleeping all around him).
8 And Abishai said to David, God hath closed today thine enemy into thine hands; now therefore I shall pierce him with the spear once (through, and) in(to) the earth, and no need shall be (for) the second time. (And Abishai said to David, God hath enclosed thy enemy in thy hands today; and so now I shall pierce him once through with the spear, and into the ground, and there shall be no need for a second thrust.)
9 And David said to Abishai, Slay thou not him, for who shall hold forth his hand into the christ of the Lord, and shall be innocent? (And David said to Abishai, Kill thou him not, for who shall put his hand against the anointed of the Lord, and still be innocent?)
10 And David said, (As) The Lord liveth, for no but the Lord smite him, either his day come that he die, either he go down into battle, and perish;
11 the Lord be merciful to me, that I hold not forth mine hand into the christ of the Lord; now therefore take thou the spear, that is at his head, and the cup of water, and go we away. (the Lord forbid/God forbid that I put my hand against the Lord's anointed; and so now, let us take the spear, that is at his head, and the cup of water, and go we away.)
12 Then David took the spear, and the cup of water, that was at the head of Saul, and they went forth, and no man was that saw, and understood, and waked, but all men slept (and there was no one who saw it, or knew it, or even awoke, but all the men slept); for the sleep of the Lord had fallen [up]on them.
13 And when David had passed [over] even against, and had stood on the top of the hill afar (off), and a great space was betwixt them,
14 David cried to the people, and to Abner, the son of Ner, and said, Abner, whether thou wilt not answer? (Abner, wilt thou not answer me?) And Abner answered, and said, Who art thou, that criest, and dis-easest the king?
15 And David said to Abner, Whether thou art not a man (Art thou not a man), and what other man is like thee in Israel? why therefore hast thou not kept thy lord the king (safe)? For one man of the company entered, that he should slay thy lord the king;
16 this that thou hast done, is not good; the Lord liveth, for ye be sons of death, that kept not your lord, the christ of the Lord (this is not good, what thou hast done; as the Lord liveth, for ye be the sons of death, who kept not your lord safe, yea, the Lord's anointed). Now therefore see thou, where is the spear of the king, and where is the cup of water, that was at his head.

1 Samuel 26:6-16 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 26

This chapter relates that Saul, upon the information of the Ziphites, went out again with an armed force to seek David, 1Sa 26:1-3; of which David having intelligence, and of the place where he pitched, came with one of his men and reconnoitred his camp, and finding Saul and his men asleep, took away his spear, and the cruse of water at his head, and departed, without taking away his life, though solicited to it by his servant, 1Sa 26:4-12; which spear and cruse of water he produced to the reproach of Abner, Saul's general, and as a testimony of his sincere regard to Saul, and that he had no design upon his life, 1Sa 26:13-20; of which Saul being convinced, blessed David, and returned home again, 1Sa 26:21-25.

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