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1 Samuel
Chapter Twenty-three
New King James Version (NKJV)
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
1 Samuel 23:1; 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
1 Samuel 23:7; and
of David's being in the wilderness of Ziph
where
in a wood there
he had an
interview with Jonathan
1 Samuel 23:14; 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
1 Samuel 23:19; 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
1 Samuel 23:24.
1 Samuel 23:1 Then they told
David
saying
“Look
the Philistines are fighting against Keilah
and they are
robbing the threshing floors.”
YLT
1And they declare to David
saying
`Lo
the Philistines are fighting against Keilah
and they are spoiling
the threshing-floors.'
Then they told David
.... Either the men of
Keilah sent to him
being near them
or some well wishers of theirs
and of
their country
acquainted him with their case:
saying
behold
the Philistines fight against Keilah; had laid
siege to it
being a fortified place
1 Samuel 23:7; it
was a city in the tribe of Judah
on the borders of the Philistines; of which
See Gill on Joshua 15:44
and they rob the threshing floors; took away the corn upon
them
which they were threshing and winnowing
which were usually done without
the city for the sake of wind
see Judges 6:11; it was
harvest time when the three mighty men came to David in the cave of Adullam
and so now it might be the time of threshing
harvest being over
see 1 Samuel 22:1;
compared with 2 Samuel 23:13.
1 Samuel 23:2 2 Therefore David inquired
of the Lord
saying
“Shall I go and attack these Philistines?” And the Lord said to David
“Go and attack the Philistines
and save Keilah.”
YLT
2And David asketh at
Jehovah
saying
`Do I go? -- and have I smitten among these Philistines?' And
Jehovah saith unto David
`Go
and thou hast smitten among the Philistines
and
saved Keilah.'
Therefore David inquired of the Lord
saying
shall I go and smite
these Philistines?.... For though David was well disposed to serve his country
and
was desirous of freeing them from their enemies the Philistines
he might have
some doubts in his mind whether it would be right for him to engage with them
now; partly because he could not act under a commission from his prince
Saul
the king; and partly because he had such a small number of forces with him
that it might be hazardous for him to attack the armies of the Philistines with
them
and attempt to raise the siege of Keilah; and therefore he thought it
advisable
as doubtless it was
to inquire of the Lord what was his mind and
will in this matter: how and by what means he inquired it is not said
very
probably it was by the prophet Gad
who was with him
1 Samuel 22:5; for
as for Abiathar
he was not yet come with the ephod
the Urim and Thummim
to
inquire by them
1 Samuel 23:6;
though some think that is observed there to show in what way David did inquire
namely
by Urim and Thummim; and so Kimchi and Abarbinel understand it; and it
is supposed that he came to David when he was about Keilah
and near unto it
and so before he came thither
and time enough for him to inquire by him
whether he should go thither or not:
and the Lord said unto David
go
and smite the Philistines
and
save Keilah; which was not only giving him leave to go
and signifying it was
his mind and will he should; but that he should be successful
and rout the
Philistines
and raise the siege of Keilah
and save the city from falling into
their hands.
1 Samuel 23:3 3 But David’s men said to
him
“Look
we are afraid here in Judah. How much more then if we go to Keilah
against the armies of the Philistines?”
YLT
3And David's men say unto
him
`Lo
we here in Judah are afraid; and how much more when we go to Keilah
unto the ranks of the Philistines?'
And David's men said unto him
behold
we be afraid here in Judah
.... Of Saul
and his army falling upon them
and crushing them
though they were in the
tribe of Judah
where they had many friends
and in the heart of that tribe:
how much more then if we come to Keilah; which
though
in the same tribe
yet in the further parts of it
and on the borders of the
Philistines: and there engage
against the armies of the Philistines? too numerous
and powerful for them
and so by this means be driven out of their place of
safety
the forest of Hareth
where they could hide themselves upon occasion;
to be exposed not only to the Philistines
before them
on the edge of their
country
from whence they could have re-enforcements easily
but to Saul and
his army behind them; and so
being between two fires
would be in danger of
being cut off.
1 Samuel 23:4 4 Then David inquired of the
Lord once again. And
the Lord
answered him and said
“Arise
go down to Keilah. For I will deliver the
Philistines into your hand.”
YLT
4And David addeth again to
ask at Jehovah
and Jehovah answereth him
and saith
`Rise
go down to Keilah
for I am giving the Philistines into thy hand.'
Then David inquired of the Lord yet again
.... Not for
his own sake
who firmly believed it was the will of God he should go and
succeed
but for the sake of his men
and to remove the doubts and fears that
hung on their minds:
and the Lord answered him
and said
arise
go down to Keilah; immediately
make no stay
nor hesitate about it
but go with all haste to the relief of the
place:
for I will deliver the Philistines into thine hands; which is
still more explicit
and is a promise not only of delivering Keilah out of the
hands of the Philistines
but of delivering them into David's hands
and so of
an entire: victory; and therefore none of David's men had anything to fear
after such a declaration of the will of God.
1 Samuel 23:5 5 And David and his men went
to Keilah and fought with the Philistines
struck them with a mighty blow
and
took away their livestock. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.
YLT
5And David goeth
and his
men
to Keilah
and fighteth with the Philistines
and leadeth away their cattle
and smiteth among them -- a great smiting
and David saveth the inhabitants of
Keilah.
So David and his men went to Keilah
.... Animated by a
commission from God
and a promise of success by him:
and fought with the Philistines; encamped before Keilah:
and brought away their cattle; which they had brought
with them for the support of their army; or having routed them
they pursued
them into their own country
and brought off their cattle from thence:
and smote them with a great slaughter; killed great
numbers of them
and put the rest to flight:
so David saved the inhabitants of Keilah; from falling
into the hands of the Philistines
by timely raising the siege of the city.
1 Samuel 23:6 6 Now it happened
when
Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David at Keilah
that he went down
with an ephod in his hand.
YLT
6And it cometh to pass
in
the fleeing of Abiathar son of Ahimelech unto David
to Keilah
an ephod came
down in his hand.
And it came to pass
when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David
to Keilah
.... Either when he was there
or near the place:
that he came down
with an ephod in his hand; not with a linen ephod on his back
which
the priests in common wore
but the ephod with the Urim and Thummim in his
hand
which was peculiar to the high priest; and his father the high priest
being dead
it belonged to him
and therefore he took care to bring it with
him; though the words may be literally rendered
"the ephod came down in
his hand"F11אפוד ירד
בידו "ephod descendit in manu sua"
Pagninus
Montanus; "ephod descendebat in manu sua"
Munsterus; so Tigurine
version and Piscator.
as it were by chance
and not with design; and so some
Jewish interpretersF12Kimchi & Ben Melech. understand it
that
in his fright and flight
among his garments and other things he took hold of
to carry with him
and not minding well what he took
this happened to be
being so ordered by the providence of God; though the Targum renders
it
"the ephod he made to descend in his hand
'or brought it in his hand; and
so Kimchi and Abarbinel observe it may be interpreted
though they seem to
incline to the other sense.
1 Samuel 23:7 7 And Saul was told that
David had gone to Keilah. So Saul said
“God has delivered him into my hand
for he has shut himself in by entering a town that has gates and bars.”
YLT
7And it is declared to Saul
that David hath come in to Keilah
and Saul saith
`God hath made him known for
my hand
for he hath been shut in
to enter into a city of doors and bar.'
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 23:8 8 Then Saul called all the
people together for war
to go down to Keilah to besiege David and his men.
YLT
8And Saul summoneth the
whole of the people to battle
to go down to Keilah
to lay siege unto David
and unto his men.
And Saul called all the people together to war
.... Or
"caused them to hear"F13ישמע
"fecit audire"
Montanus
Piscator. summoned them by an herald
whom
he sent into all parts of the kingdom to proclaim war
and require them in his
name to attend him; which was the prerogative of a king to do:
to go down to Keilah
to besiege David and his men; that was what
he privately intended
but the pretence was to make war against the
Philistines.
1 Samuel 23:9 9 When David knew that Saul
plotted evil against him
he said to Abiathar the priest
“Bring the ephod
here.”
YLT
9And David knoweth that
against him Saul is devising the evil
and saith unto Abiathar the priest
`Bring nigh the ephod.'
And. David knew that Saul secretly practised mischief against him
.... That is
plotted and contrived it
formed schemes in order to do him mischief
giving
out one thing
and designing another; so he pretended war against the
Philistines
but his intention was to come against Keilah
and take David
there:
and he said to Abiathar the priest
bring hither the ephod; not for David
to put on
but for the priest himself
that being clothed with it
and the Urim
and Thummim in it
he might inquire for him of the Lord.
1 Samuel 23:10 10 Then David said
“O Lord God of Israel
Your servant has certainly heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah to destroy
the city for my sake.
YLT
10And David saith
`Jehovah
God of Israel
Thy servant hath certainly heard that Saul is seeking to come in
unto Keilah
to destroy the city on mine account.
Then said David
.... By the priest
for it was he that put
the questions for and in the name of the inquirer:
O Lord God of Israel; the great Jehovah
the
covenant God of his people
who always has a merciful regard unto them:
thy servant hath certainly heard; had good information of
it
on which he could depend:
that Saul seeketh to come to Keilah; that was his intention
and resolution:
to destroy the city for my sake; to besiege it
and
demolish it
if that was necessary
in order to take him.
1 Samuel 23:11 11 Will the men of Keilah
deliver me into his hand? Will Saul come down
as Your servant has heard? O Lord God of Israel
I pray
tell Your servant.” And the Lord said
“He will come
down.”
YLT
11Do the possessors of Keilah
shut me up into his hand? doth Saul come down as Thy servant hath heard?
Jehovah
God of Israel
declare
I pray Thee
to Thy servant.' And Jehovah
saith
`He doth come down.'
Will the men of Keilah deliver me up into his hands? will Saul
come down
as thy servant hath heard?.... That is
if David
continued there
which is the supposition all proceeds upon. The questions are
not orderly put
as may easily be observed
the last should have been first;
which shows some perturbation of mind David was in upon hearing the design of
Saul against him:
O Lord God of Israel
I beseech thee
tell thy servant; give an
answer by Urim and Thummim
as he did:
and the Lord said
he will come down; if David
abode there; that was in his thoughts
in his purpose and design
which the
Lord
being omniscient
full well knew
who knows all future contingencies:
hence the JewsF14T. Bab. Yoma
fol. 73. 1
2. gather
that two things
are not to be asked together; and if they are asked
only answer is made to
one
and the answer is only made to that which it was proper to ask first; and
that which is asked out of order should be asked again
which was the case
here
as follows.
1 Samuel 23:12 12 Then David said
“Will the
men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul?” And the Lord said
“They
will deliver you.”
YLT
12And David saith
`Do the
possessors of Keilah shut me up
and my men
into the hand of Saul?' And
Jehovah saith
`They shut [thee] up.'
Then said David
will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into
the hand of Saul?.... That is
the lords and great men of the place
the governor
of the city
and the heads of it
the chief magistrates in it:
and the Lord said
they will deliver thee up: that is
provided he stayed there; for the Lord knew the dispositions and affections of
their minds
that they were inclined to do it
and would do it
if he continues
among them till Saul came down; which showed the great ingratitude of this
people to their deliverer.
1 Samuel 23:13 13 So David and his men
about six hundred
arose and departed from Keilah and went wherever they could
go. Then it was told Saul that David had escaped from Keilah; so he halted the
expedition.
YLT
13And David riseth -- and his
men -- about six hundred men
and they go out from Keilah
and go up and down
where they go up and down; and to Saul it hath been declared that David hath
escaped from Keilah
and he ceaseth to go out.
Then David and his men
which were about six hundred
.... Having
had an increase of two hundred since he was at the cave of Adullam
1 Samuel 22:1
and
upon his relief of Keilah
1 Samuel 23:5; so
that he sustained no loss of men by fighting with the Philistines
but had an
addition to his small forces:
arose and departed out of Keilah
and went whithersoever they
could go; not knowing whither they should go
having no particular place
in view; but went where they thought they could be safest
or that appeared the
most proper place for them; so the Targum
"they went to a place which was
fit to go unto;'which was fittest for their purpose
and most for their safety
and security
be it where it would:
and it was told Saul that David was escaped from Keilah; very likely
some of the inhabitants informed him of it
since they were disposed to deliver
David to him
had he stayed among them
and Saul had come down:
and he forbore to go forth: from the place where he
was
in order to come to Keilah
1 Samuel 23:14 14 And David stayed in strongholds
in the wilderness
and remained in the mountains in the Wilderness of Ziph.
Saul sought him every day
but God did not deliver him into his hand.
YLT
14And David abideth in the
wilderness
in fortresses
and abideth in the hill-country
in the wilderness
of Ziph; and Saul seeketh him all the days
and God hath not given him into his
hand.
And David abode in the wilderness in strong holds
.... In the
wilderness of Ziph
in high and strong rocks there
as it seems to be explained
by what follows:
and remained in a mountain in the wilderness of Ziph; which had its
name from a city in the tribe of Judah
of which See Gill on Joshua 15:55
and Saul sought him every day; for though he did not go
forth from the place where he was to Keilah
yet hearing which way he went
and
whereabout he lurked
he sought after him continually
if haply he might find
him:
but God delivered him not into his hand: which suggests
that it was only the providence of God that secured him
or
in all
probability
such was the diligence of Saul
that he would have found him out
and he must have fallen into his hands
as he expected.
1 Samuel 23:15 15 So David saw that Saul had
come out to seek his life. And David was in the Wilderness of Ziph in a
forest.[a]
YLT
15And David seeth that Saul
hath come out to seek his life
and David [is] in the wilderness of Ziph
in a
forest.
And David saw that Saul was come out to seek his life
.... Either he
saw him with his bodily eyes from the top of the mountain where he was
1 Samuel 23:14; or
he perceived
he understood by information given him by his friends
it may be
by Jonathan
or by spies he sent to observe his motions:
and David was in the wilderness of Ziph in a wood; where he and
his men could hide themselves among the trees in it; sometimes he was in a
mountain in this wilderness
and sometimes in a wood
where he thought himself
the safest; thus was this great man obliged to shift about for his safety.
1 Samuel 23:16 16 Then Jonathan
Saul’s son
arose and went to David in the woods and strengthened his hand in God.
YLT
16And Jonathan son of Saul
riseth
and goeth unto David to the forest
and strengtheneth his hand in God
And Jonathan
Saul's son
arose
.... And came from
Gibeah
which
according to BuntingF15Travels
&c. p. 334. (text
not clear could be 834 or some other number)
was twenty two miles from the
place where David was:
and went to David into the wood: having had intelligence
where he was
this being a proper place to have an interview with him
privately:
and strengthened his hand in God; and his heart too
his
hand of faith to lay hold on God
as his covenant God and lean and rely upon
him; he strengthened him in his power and in his providence
and in his
promises to him; the Targum is
"he strengthened him in the Word of the
Lord;'not only in his word and promise
but in Christ the essential Word of
God
who should spring from him according to the flesh.
1 Samuel 23:17 17 And he said to him
“Do
not fear
for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. You shall be king
over Israel
and I shall be next to you. Even my father Saul knows that.”
YLT
17and saith unto him
`Fear
not
for the hand of Saul my father doth not find thee
and thou dost reign
over Israel
and I am to thee for second
and also so knoweth Saul my father.'
And he said unto him
fear not
.... Distrust not the
power
providence
and promises of God
nor dread the wrath of Saul
or fear
falling into his hands:
for the hand of Saul my father shall not find thee; to lay hold
on him
seize him
and do him any hurt:
and thou shalt be king over Israel; meaning after the death
of his father; which he knew either by some special revelation made to him; or
rather by being informed he had been anointed by Samuel
and which he had
either from Samuel or from David himself; and this he most firmly believed
though David was now in so low a condition:
and I shall be next unto thee; not succeed him in the
kingdom; but if living when he came to the throne
he should be the second man
in civil affairs
as he now was
and that he should be content with:
and that also Saul my father knoweth; having
knowledge of the anointing of David by Samuel; or he might
and did conclude this
from various circumstances
that David was his neighbour Samuel had told him
of
God had given his kingdom to
1 Samuel 15:28.
1 Samuel 23:18 18 So the two of them made a
covenant before the Lord.
And David stayed in the woods
and Jonathan went to his own house.
YLT
18And they make a covenant
both of them before Jehovah; and David abideth in the forest
and Jonathan hath
gone to his house.
And they two made a covenant before the Lord
.... Renewed
the covenant they had before made in the name and fear of God
and before him
as a witness of it. Kimchi and Abarbinel interpret this phrase:
before the Lord
of the covenant being made before Abiathar
with the Urim and Thummim in his hand; and so JeromF16Trad. Heb. in
lib. Reg. fol. 76. K.
before Gad the prophet
and Abiathar who wore the
ephod:
and David abode in the wood; being a proper place for
him for secrecy and safety:
and Jonathan went to his house; in Gibeah; and these two
dear and cordial friends never saw one another more
as is highly probable.
1 Samuel 23:19 19 Then the Ziphites came up
to Saul at Gibeah
saying
“Is David not hiding with us in strongholds in the
woods
in the hill of Hachilah
which is on the south of Jeshimon?
YLT
19And the Ziphites go up unto
Saul to Gibeah
saying
`Is not David hiding himself with us in fortresses
in
the forest
in the height of Hachilah
which [is] on the south of the desolate
place?
Then came up the Ziphites to Saul to Gibeah
.... Who
though he had been out in quest of David
yet was now returned to Gibeah
the
place of his residence
and where he kept his court; and hither came the
Ziphites
the inhabitants of Ziph
in the wilderness of which David hid
himself
with a proposal to deliver him to Saul; for though they were of the
same tribe with David
yet being terrified with what Saul had done to Nob
they
thought it best for their own security to inform Saul where he was
and make an
offer to deliver him to him. Some interpreters
as Kimchi
think that this was
done before Jonathan was with Saul
and should be rendered
"the Ziphites
had come up to Saul"; and hence it is before said
and David saw
&c.
for he had heard that the Ziphites should say to Saul
that David had hid
himself there; and at this time it was that David wrote the fifty ninth psalm
Psalm 54:1
saying
doth not David hide himself with us in the strong holds in
the wood; which is in the wilderness of Ziph
in their neighbourhood; they
were informed he had hid himself there
and they thought it their duty to let
the king know of it: and particularly
in the hill of Hachilah
which is on the south of Jeshimon? Hachilah is
by JeromF17De loc. Heb. fol. 91. C. called Echela; and he speaks of
a village of that name seven miles from Eleutheropolis
and of Jeshimon as ten
miles from Jericho to the south
near the dead sea; on the top of this hill
which was an ascent of thirty furlongs or about four miles
Jonathan the high
priest built a castle
and called it Masada
often spoken of by Josephus; who
saysF18De Bello Jud. l. 7. c. 8. sect. 3. Vid. Adrichom. Theatrum T.
S. p. 38. 2. & 39. 1.
that Herod built a wall around it of seven furlongs
or about a mile
twelve cubits high
and eight broad
and thirty seven towers
of fifty cubits stood in it.
1 Samuel 23:20 20 Now therefore
O king
come down according to all the desire of your soul to come down; and our part shall
be to deliver him into the king’s hand.”
YLT
20And
now
by all the desire
of thy soul
O king
to come down
come down
and ours [is] to shut him up into
the hand of the king.'
Now therefore
O king
come down
.... From Gibeah to Ziph
and the wilderness of it
where David was:
according to all the desires of thy soul to come down; to seize such
a prey which he was greatly desirous of
and of nothing more so than of that
according to Abarbinel
the sense is
that the thing was ready in whatever way
he should desire it; if he chose to come down himself
and lay hold on him
they invite him to come down; but if he did not choose to come down himself
they would seize him
and bring him to him
and deliver him up into his hand
and so he would be under no necessity of going down after him:
and our part shall be to deliver him into the king's hand; this we will
take upon us to do
and save the king the trouble of coming down.
1 Samuel 23:21 21 And Saul said
“Blessed are
you of the Lord
for you have compassion on me.
YLT
21And Saul saith
`Blessed
[are] ye of Jehovah
for ye have pity on me;
And Saul said
blessed be ye of the Lord
.... He highly
commends them for the offer they made to him
blesses God for them
and desires
the blessing of God upon them for it:
for ye have compassion on me; pitied him on account of
the troubles he met with from his son-in-law
were sorry for him
and
sympathized with him
which others did not
of which he complained
1 Samuel 22:8.
1 Samuel 23:22 22 Please go and find out for
sure
and see the place where his hideout is
and who has seen him
there. For I am told he is very crafty.
YLT
22go
I pray you
prepare
yet
and know and see his place where his foot is; who hath seen him there? for
[one] hath said unto me
He is very subtile.
Go
I pray you
prepare yet
.... That is
go home
return to their habitations
and get things in a greater readiness for him;
inquire more diligently after David
get more intelligence of him
and inform
themselves more exactly about him:
and know and see his place where his haunt is; or
"foot"F19רגלו "pes
ejus"
Pagninus
Montanus. is
where that steps and walks most frequently
not only get knowledge of it by information
but if they could get sight of it
with their own eyes
that they might describe it more exactly:
and who hath seen him there; not only seen
the place
but him in the place
and that often
that it may be certain it is
the place he usually resorts to:
for it is told me that he dealeth very subtilly; sometimes he
is seen in one place
and sometimes in another; he is here today
and elsewhere
tomorrow; and by such crafty methods it is not easy to know where the place is
and where to be found; this Saul had information of from some
who knew the
methods David took to keep it unknown where it was; or "it says to
me"; my heart says so to me
as R. Isaiah interprets it; my mind suggests
this to me
knowing the man
that he uses such wiles as these: or "he said
to me"
so Kimchi; when he was with me
and we were intimate
when I used
to ask him how he smote the Philistines
so and so
and preserved himself from
them; his answer was
"that he dealt very subtilly"
he used a good
deal of craftiness; and so I imagine he does now.
1 Samuel 23:23 23 See therefore
and take
knowledge of all the lurking places where he hides; and come back to me with
certainty
and I will go with you. And it shall be
if he is in the land
that
I will search for him throughout all the clans[b] of Judah.”
YLT
23And see and know of all the
hiding-places where he hideth himself
and ye have turned back unto me
prepared
and I have gone with you
and it hath been
if he is in the land
that I have searched him out through all the thousands of Judah.'
See therefore
and take knowledge of all the lurking places where
he hideth himself
.... Which he most frequents
that ye may be able to describe
them
and the way to them
and easily find them when necessary:
and come ye again to me with the certainty; of time and
place
when and where he may be certainly found:
and I will go with you; upon such certain
intelligence: it is very much he did not seize this opportunity
and go
directly with them; for by this delay
David being informed of the Ziphites
coming to Saul to betray him
had time to depart elsewhere:
and it shall come to pass
if he be in the land; in the land
of Israel
or rather in the land that is in the tribe of Judah:
that I will search him out throughout all the thousands of Judah; through all
the divisions of that tribe
which
as others
were divided into thousands
see
Micah 5:2.
1 Samuel 23:24 24 So they arose and went to
Ziph before Saul. But David and his men were in the Wilderness of Maon
in the plain on the south of Jeshimon.
YLT
24And they rise and go to
Ziph before Saul
and David and his men [are] in the wilderness of Maon
in the
plain
at the south of the desolate place.
And they arose
and went to Ziph
before Saul
.... Not
before his person
as if he went with them
and they before him leading the
way; but they went thither before he went
to prepare things more exactly
and
with more certainty
before he came
and in order to return to him again and go
with him:
but David and his men were in the wilderness at Maon; for by the
time the Ziphites returned home
David had intelligence of their design
and
therefore removed from the wilderness of Ziph to the wilderness of Maon; which
though in the same tribe
was a distinct place; See Gill on Joshua 15:55
in the plain on the south of Jeshimon; the same as
in 1 Samuel 23:19;
only David was now farther to the south of it
and in a plain
whereas before
he was on an hill.
1 Samuel 23:25 25 When Saul and his men went
to seek him
they told David. Therefore he went down to the rock
and
stayed in the Wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that
he pursued
David in the Wilderness of Maon.
YLT
25And Saul and his men go to
seek
and they declare to David
and he goeth down the rock
and abideth in the
wilderness of Maon; and Saul heareth
and pursueth after David [to] the
wilderness of Maon.
And Saul also and his men went to seek him
.... Whether
the Ziphites returned to him with better intelligence
or sent him word where
David was
is not said
however Saul with his army came out in search of him:
and they told David; or it was told him
that
Saul was come in quest of him:
wherefore he came down into a rock; either into a cave in
it
or he came down from the hill Hachilah to a plain or valley
in order to go
up to a rock
the same with the mountain in 1 Samuel 23:26
and abode in the wilderness of Maon; in which was the rock or
mountain he came to:
and when Saul heard that
he pursued after David in the
wilderness of Maon; for upon the intelligence of the Ziphites
he came out to seek
for him in the wilderness of Ziph
but hearing that he was removed to the
wilderness of Maon
he pursued him there.
1 Samuel 23:26 26 Then Saul went on one side
of the mountain
and David and his men on the other side of the mountain. So
David made haste to get away from Saul
for Saul and his men were encircling
David and his men to take them.
YLT
26And Saul goeth on this side
of the mountain
and David and his men on that side of the mountain
and David
is hastened to go from the face of Saul
and Saul and his men are compassing
David and his men
to catch them.
And Saul went on this side of the mountain
and David and his men
on that side of the mountain
.... Saul with his army came to the very
mountain where David and his men were
the one was on one side of it
and the
other on the other side; there was only one mountain between them:
and David made haste to get away for fear of Saul; he fled on
one side of the mountain
while Saul was pursuing him on the other
and
hastening to get round unto him:
for Saul and his men compassed David and his men round about to
take them; he took methods by dividing his troops
and sending them
different ways
to surround David and his men
and had very near effected it.
1 Samuel 23:27 27 But a messenger came to
Saul
saying
“Hurry and come
for the Philistines have invaded the land!”
YLT
27And a messenger hath come
in unto Saul
saying
`Haste
and come
for the Philistines have pushed against
the land.'
But there came a messenger unto Saul
.... From his
court
by order of his council there; though the JewsF20Midrash apud
Yalkut in loc. say it was an angel from heaven; but be it which it will
it was
certainly the providence of God that directed this affair
that a messenger
should come to Saul just at that very time that David was like to fall into his
hands:
saying
haste thee
and come
for the Philistines have invaded the
land; were come into it
and spread themselves in it
as the word
signifies
which expresses their numbers they had poured in
the force they
came with
and the possessions they had already got; perhaps they had taken the
advantage of Saul's departure in quest of David
to penetrate into the tribe of
Benjamin
where his patrimony
residence
and court were
and which were liable
to fall into their hands; and therefore his presence was immediately required
and haste was necessary.
1 Samuel 23:28 28 Therefore Saul returned
from pursuing David
and went against the Philistines; so they called that
place the Rock of Escape.[c]
YLT
28And Saul turneth back from
pursuing after David
and goeth to meet the Philistines
therefore they have
called that place `The Rock of Divisions.'
Therefore Saul returned from pursuing after David
.... Stopped
short at once
as soon as ever he received the message:
and went against the Philistines; to stop them in their
progress
and drive them out of his country:
therefore they called that place Selahammahlekoth
which
signifies the rock of divisions. David and his men
very probably
gave it this
name
not only because it divided between Saul and his men
and David and his
men
when they were one on one side of it
and the other on the other side of
it; but because Saul was
by the providence of God
divided and separated from
David here
whereby he escaped falling into his hands. The Targum
is
"therefore they called that place the rock of division
the place where
the heart of the king was divided to go here and there:'he was divided in his
own mind
and at a loss what to do; he was in two minds
as Jarchi says
and
did not know which to follow
whether to return and deliver his country from
the hands of the Philistines
or to pursue and take David; and others represent
the soldiers of Saul as divided
some saying that since the son of Jesse was
just falling into their hands
they should not leave him; others
that the war
of Israel should be regarded before him
who might be found at any timeF21Midrash
apud Yalkut in loc. .
1 Samuel 23:29 29 Then David went up from
there and dwelt in strongholds at En Gedi.
YLT
29And David goeth up thence
and abideth in fortresses [at] En-gedi.
And David went up from thence
.... From the wilderness
of Maon
having had a narrow escape for his life:
and dwelt in strong holds in Engedi; another place in the
tribe of Judah
and which lay in the wilderness of Judah
and from whence that
is called the wilderness of Engedi; and here Dr. LightfootF23Works
vol. 1. p. 58. thinks he penned the sixty third psalm
Psalm 63:1
the
wilderness about Engedi being the most desert of all other places
that being
upon the borders of the dead sea; of this place; see Gill on Joshua 15:62.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)