1 Samuel 24:4

4 et venit ad caulas quoque ovium quae se offerebant vianti eratque ibi spelunca quam ingressus est Saul ut purgaret ventrem porro David et viri eius in interiori parte speluncae latebant

1 Samuel 24:4 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 24:4

And the men of David said unto him
Some of his principal men, who were about him, and near him, such as Joab and Abishai:

behold the day of which the Lord said unto thee:
now the time was come that he spoke of to him by Samuel, or Gad, or to himself directly:

behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand;
and such was Saul, as appeared by his seeking to take away his life; and now he was in the hand of David to take away his life, if he pleased:

that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good unto thee;
an opportunity of this kind now offered:

then David arose;
from that part of the cave in which he was, the further part of it:

and cut off the skirt of Saul's robe privily;
unawares to him, and unobserved by him, which might be easily done, if Saul was asleep, and it is probable he was; and by the same way it may be accounted for that he did not hear the discourse that passed between David and his men.

1 Samuel 24:4 In-Context

2 cumque reversus esset Saul postquam persecutus est Philistheos nuntiaverunt ei dicentes ecce David in deserto est Engaddi

3 adsumens ergo Saul tria milia electorum virorum ex omni Israhel perrexit ad investigandum David et viros eius etiam super abruptissimas petras quae solis hibicibus perviae sunt

4 et venit ad caulas quoque ovium quae se offerebant vianti eratque ibi spelunca quam ingressus est Saul ut purgaret ventrem porro David et viri eius in interiori parte speluncae latebant

5 et dixerunt servi David ad eum ecce dies de qua locutus est Dominus ad te ego tradam tibi inimicum tuum ut facias ei sicut placuerit in oculis tuis surrexit ergo David et praecidit oram clamydis Saul silenter

6 post haec percussit cor suum David eo quod abscidisset oram clamydis Saul