1 Samuel 26:10

10 And David said, "As the LORD lives, the LORD will smite him; or his day shall come to die; or he shall go down into battle and perish.

1 Samuel 26:10 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 26:10

And David said furthermore
In order to make Abishai easy, and prevent his doing what he proposed:

[as] the Lord liveth;
which was the form of an oath, made to assure Abishai of the truth of what follows, and therefore he need not be hasty to put Saul to death, since it would not be long before he should die, in one or other of the three following ways: either

the Lord shall smite him;
suddenly, which the Jews call cutting off, or death by the hand of heaven, by the immediate hand of God:

or his day shall come to die;
the time appointed for him to die a natural death, of some disease common to men:

or he shall descend into battle, and perish;
which was commonly reckoned death, casual or accidental, and in which last way Saul did die, ( 1 Samuel 31:3 1 Samuel 31:4 ) .

1 Samuel 26:10 In-Context

8 Then said Abi'shai to David, "God has given your enemy into your hand this day; now therefore let me pin him to the earth with one stroke of the spear, and I will not strike him twice."

9 But David said to Abi'shai, "Do not destroy him; for who can put forth his hand against the LORD'S anointed, and be guiltless?"

10 And David said, "As the LORD lives, the LORD will smite him; or his day shall come to die; or he shall go down into battle and perish.

11 The LORD forbid that I should put forth my hand against the LORD'S anointed; but take now the spear that is at his head, and the jar of water, and let us go."

12 So David took the spear and the jar of water from Saul's head; and they went away. No man saw it, or knew it, nor did any awake; for they were all asleep, because a deep sleep from the LORD had fallen upon them.