1 Samuel 23:7

7 And it was told to Saul, that David had come into Keilah; and Saul said, The Lord hath taken him into mine hands, and he is (en)closed, and entered into a city, in which be gates and locks. (And Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah; and Saul said, The Lord hath delivered him into my hands, and now he is enclosed, for he hath gone into a city, where there be gates and locks.)

1 Samuel 23:7 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 23:7

And it was told Saul that David was come to Keilah
No doubt it was told him what he came thither for, to relieve it, and deliver it out of the hands of the Philistines, and what success he had; which one would have thought would have reconciled his mind to him, and made him think well of them; but instead of that, it only led him to contrive mischief against him:

and Saul said, God hath delivered him into mine hand;
as if the success he had given to David was against, him, and in favour of Saul:

for he is shut in, by entering into a town that hath gates and bars;
while he betook himself to caves, and fields, and woods, he had no great hopes of finding him out, and coming up with him, and seizing him; but now he had got into a fortified place, enclosed with walls, and that had gates to it, kept bolted and barred; when he brought his army against it, and surrounded it, he imagined he would not be able to get out, and escape his hands.

1 Samuel 23:7 In-Context

5 Therefore David went, and his men, into Keilah, and fought against the Philistines; and he drove away their work beasts, and smote them with [a] great wound; and David saved the dwellers of Keilah. (And so David and his men went to Keilah, and fought against the Philistines; and he took away their work beasts, and struck them down with a great slaughter; and so David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.)
6 And in that time, wherein Abiathar, [the] son of Ahimelech, fled to David into Keilah, he came down, and had with him (the) ephod, that is, the cloak of the highest priest. (And when Abiathar, the son of Ahimelech, joined David at Keilah, he brought the ephod with him.)
7 And it was told to Saul, that David had come into Keilah; and Saul said, The Lord hath taken him into mine hands, and he is (en)closed, and entered into a city, in which be gates and locks. (And Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah; and Saul said, The Lord hath delivered him into my hands, and now he is enclosed, for he hath gone into a city, where there be gates and locks.)
8 And Saul commanded to all the people, that it should go down to battle into Keilah (that they should go down to do battle at Keilah), and besiege David and his men.
9 And when David perceived, that Saul made ready evil privily to him, he said to Abiathar, the priest, Bring hither [the] ephod. (And when David understood, that Saul planned to attack him, he said to Abiathar, the priest, Bring the ephod here.)
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.