This chapter relates that Saul, upon the information of the Ziphites, went out again with an armed force to seek David, 1 Sam. 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…

And the Ziphites came unto Saul to Gibeah Of Benjamin, called sometimes Gibeah of Saul, because it was the place of his birth and residence; hither Saul had returned after his last interview with David; whether, notwithstanding what had passed between him and David, he had privately encouraged the…

Then Saul arose Immediately, glad of an opportunity to seize on David, having the same disposition towards him as ever; and perhaps had repented he had not laid hold on him when he followed him out of the cave: and went down to the wilderness of Ziph: or towards it: having three thousand chosen men…

And Saul pitched in the hill of Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon, by the way To the wilderness; the very same place where the Ziphites suggested David was: but David abode in the wilderness; not in the hill of Hachilah, but in the wilderness of Ziph itself: and he saw that Saul came after him…

David therefore sent out spies To observe if he was coming or come, and where he was, that he might not be surprised by him; for though David knew the Lord was and would be his protection, he thought proper to be upon his guard, and to make use of means for his safety: and understood that Saul was…

And David arose, and came to the place where Saul had pitched, &c.] Came near it, within sight of it; so that he could take a view of it with his naked eye, and observe where and in what manner he was encamped: and David beheld the place where Saul lay, and Abner the son of Ner, the captain of his…

Then answered David Or addressed himself to the two following persons: and said to Ahimelech the Hittite; who was either an Hittite by birth, but was become a proselyte, or he was an Israelite that had dwelt among the Hittites, and so had this name given him; the former seems most probable; some…

So David and Abishai came to the people by night Josephus and, behold, Saul lay sleeping within the trench; (See Gill on 1 Sam. 26:5); and his spear stuck in the ground at his bolster; ready to take up and defend himself, should he be surprised; or this was his sceptre, which he always carried…

Then said Abishai to David Seeing Saul fast asleep, and a spear so near him: God hath delivered thine enemy into thine hand this day: or at this time, properly it was night: now therefore let me smite him, I pray thee, with the spear; with Saul’s own spear, which was stuck in the ground at his…

And David said to Abishai, destroy him not He laid his commands upon him not to hurt him: for who can stretch forth his hand against the Lord’s anointed, and be guiltless? since Saul was king, and appointed to that office by the Lord, and was anointed by his order for it, and invested with it by…

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…

The Lord forbid that I should stretch forth mine hand against the Lord’s anointed Or suffer any about him to do it; he speaks of it with the utmost detestation and abhorrence: but, I pray thee, take thou now the spear that is at his bolster; not to smite him with, as he desired, but to carry off,…

So David took the spear, and the cruse of water, from Saul’s bolster Abishai either refusing to take them, since he might not take away his life; or it may be rather David thought better of it, and took them himself, lest Abishai should be tempted, when so near to Saul, and his spear in his hand,…

Then David went over to the other side To a hill on the other side, opposite to Hachilah, where Saul lay encamped; or “passed over the passage” [[15]], the valley that lay between the two hills, and perhaps passed over a brook that ran in the valley, which is not unusual; so Josephus [[16]] says,…

And David cried unto the people To the army of Saul with a loud voice, that he might be heard: and to Abner the son of Ner; particularly to him, because he was general of the army: saying, answerest thou not, Abner? it seems he had called to him more than once, and he had returned no answer;…

And David said to Abner, art not thou a valiant man? &c.] Or a man [[19]], a man of great fame for courage and valour, a man of great authority, who had the next post in the army under Saul, but had not behaved like a man, worthy of his character and office: and who is like to thee in Israel? none…

This thing is not good that thou hast done Yea, it was very bad, a great fault, and very blameworthy, if he had neglected to set a watch over the king, whose business it was as a general; the words are expressed in a figure called “meiosis”, in which less is said than was intended: as the Lord…

And Saul knew David’s voice Though Abner at first did not, as appears by his words, but Saul did, by being this time thoroughly awake through the discourse that passed between David and Abner: and said, is this thy voice, my son David? the same question he put before, when he followed him out of…

And he said, wherefore doth my lord thus pursue after his servant? &c.] Suggesting that it was both below him to do it, and against his interest; for David was his servant, and he would gladly have continued in his service, and done his business, but he drove him from it, and pursued him as a…

Now therefore, I pray thee, let my lord the king hear the words of his servant Whether David waited for an answer to his question is not certain; probably he did, and observing none returned, desired audience of what he had further to say: if the Lord have stirred thee up against me; if he had put…

Now therefore let not my blood fall to the earth before the face of the Lord For should it be spilled, God, who is omniscient, will see it, and take notice of it; and being righteous, and to whom vengeance belongs, he will avenge it: some render it, “my blood shall not fall to the earth before the…

Then said Saul, I have sinned Which is more than he acknowledged before, and yet, it is to be feared he had no true sense of his sin, and real repentance for it; but, like Pharaoh, his guilty conscience for the present forced this confession from him; see ; return, my son David: meaning to his own…

And David answered and said, behold the king’s spear! &c.] And which perhaps was his sceptre, and which David therefore would not keep, lest it should be thought or said that he had deprived him of an ensign of his royalty, and be interpreted as a token of his design to seize his crown and throne:…

The Lord render to every man his righteousness, and his faithfulness Or recompense every man that deals justly and faithfully with others, as he had done with Saul; or the Lord, who is just and faithful to his promises, reward the men that act the good and upright part; and this was a prayer of…

And, behold, as thy life was much set by this day in mine eyes Or “magnified” [[23]]; and made great account of, as being the life of the king of Israel, and the Lord’s anointed, and so spared: so let my life be much set by in the eyes of the Lord; he does not say in the eyes of Saul, as it should…

Then Saul said to David, blessed be thou, my son David He desired God to bless him, and pronounced him blessed himself, believing he would be a happy and prosperous man: thou shall both do great things; he had done great things already, in slaying Goliath, obtaining victories over the Philistines,…