David received news that the Philistines were attacking Keilah and plundering grain from its threshing floors. After seeking guidance from the Lord, David and his men attacked the Philistines and successfully rescued the city. This chapter highlights David's role as a protector of his people while illustrating the neglect of King Saul in defending them.

1. 1 SAMUEL 23 COMMENTARY
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
David Saves Keilah
His experience at Keilah resulted in his writing Psalm 31.
1 When David was told, "Look, the Philistines are
fighting against Keilah and are looting the
threshing floors,"
BARNES, "David’s growing importance, fugitive as he was, is marked by
this appeal to him for deliverance from the Philistines. The “threshing
floors” were the natural objects of plunder Jdg_6:11. Keilah was in the
Shephelah (marginal reference), probably close to the Philistine border, but
its site is uncertain.
Jos_2:11 Samuel Jos_23:1 PP1
CLARKE, "The Philistines fight against Keilah - Keilah was a fortified
town in the tribe of Judah near to Eleutheropolis, on the road to Hebron.
Rob the threshing-floors - This was an ancient custom of the Philistines,
Midianites, and others. See Jdg_6:4. When the corn was ripe and fit to be
threshed, and they had collected it at the threshing-floors, which were
always in the open field, then their enemies came upon them and spoiled
them of the fruits of their harvest.
GILL, "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, 1Sa_23:7; it was a city in the tribe of Judah, on the borders
of the Philistines; of which See Gill on Jos_15:44,
and they rob the threshing floors; took away the corn upon them, which
1

2. they were threshing and winnowing, which were usually done without the
city for the sake of wind, see Jdg_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 1Sa_22:1; compared with 2Sa_
23:13.
HENRY, "Now we find why the prophet Gad (by divine direction, no
doubt) ordered David to go into the land of Judah, 1Sa_22:5. It was that,
since Saul neglected the public safety, he might take care of it,
notwithstanding the ill treatment that was given him; for he must render
good for evil, and therein be a type of him who not only ventured his life, but
laid down his life, for those that were his enemies.
I. Tidings are brought to David, as to the patron and protector of his
country's liberties, that the Philistines had made a descent upon the city of
Keilah and plundered the country thereabouts, 1Sa_23:1. Probably it was
the departure both of God and David from Saul that encouraged the
Philistines to make this incursion. When princes begin to persecute God's
people and ministers, let them expect no other than vexation on all sides.
The way for any country to be quiet is to let God's church be quiet in it. If
Saul fight against David, the Philistines shall fight against his country.
JAMISON, "1Sa_23:1-6. David rescues Keilah.
Then they told David — rather, “now they had told”; for this information
had reached him previous to his hearing (1Sa_23:6) of the Nob tragedy.
Keilah — a city in the west of Judah (Jos_15:44), not far from the forest of
Hareth.
and they rob the threshing-floors — These were commonly situated on the
fields and were open to the wind (Jdg_6:11; Rth_3:2).
GILL, "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, 1Sa_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, 1Sa_23:7; and of David's being in the wilderness of Ziph, where, in a
wood there, he had an interview with Jonathan, 1Sa_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,
1Sa_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, 1Sa_23:24.
K&D, "1Sa_23:1-14
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3. Rescue of Keilah. - After his return to the mountains of Judah, David
received intelligence that Philistines, i.e., a marauding company of these
enemies of Israel, were fighting against Keilah, and plundering the
threshing-floors, upon which the corn that had been reaped was lying ready
for threshing. Keilah belonged to the towns of the lowlands of Judah (Jos_
15:44); and although it has not yet been discovered, was certainly very close
to the Philistian frontier.
PULPIT. "They told David, etc. The return of David into his own land was
quickly followed by exploits which not only increased his power, but turned
the eyes of all the people towards him as their protector. His first success
was the deliverance of the city of Keilah from a body of Philistines who were
plundering it of the produce of its harvest. This place lay a few miles south
of the stronghold of Adullam, and itself occupied a defensible position,
being perched on a steep hill overlooking the valley of Elah, not far from the
thickets of Hareth (Condor, ’Tent Work,’ 2:88). Being thus at no great
distance from the Philistine border, a band of men started thence on a foray
for the purpose of robbing the threshing floors. As no rain falls in Palestine
in the harvest season (1Sa_12:17), the corn is threshed out in the open air by
a heavy wooden sledge made of two boards, and curved up in front, with
pieces of basalt inserted for teeth, drawn over it by horses, or it is trampled
out by cattle. Conder (’Tent Work,’ 2:259) describes the threshing floor as "a
broad flat space on open ground, generally high. Sometimes the floor is on a
flat rocky hill top, and occasionally it is in an open valley, down which there
is a current of air; but it is always situated where most wind can be found,
because at the threshing season high winds never occur, and the grain is
safely stored before the autumn storms commence." As the grain after
winnowing is made into heaps until it can be carried home, there is always a
period when the threshing floors have to be watched to guard them from
depredation, and this was the time chosen by the Philistines for a foray in
force.
BENSON, "1 Samuel 23:1. Then they told — Or rather, Now they had told David.
For it is evident from 1 Samuel 23:6, that David had received the information here
referred to, and had even delivered the inhabitants of Keilah before Abiathar came
to tell him of the slaughter of the priests. The Philistines fight against Keilah —
Probably the Philistines were encouraged to make this inroad into the land of Israel
by hearing that David was forced to flee his country, and that God had departed
from Saul. When princes begin to persecute God’s people and ministers, let them
expect nothing but vexation on all sides. Keilah was a city in the tribe of Judah,
Joshua 15:44. They rob the thrashing-floors — Which were commonly without their
cities, for the convenience of wind, to separate the chaff from the corn. See Ruth 3:2.
HAWKER, "This is an interesting Chapter, and it contains some sweet practical
instructions to the exercised believer, in his views of what is here recorded in the life
of David. Saul is still pursuing him for slaughter; the Lord works deliverance by
3

4. David for the men of Keilah; notwithstanding which the men of Keilah intended to
deliver David into Saul's hand. David retreats to the wilderness of Ziph, and there
has an interview with Jonathan; but upon the Ziphites treachery, in inviting Saul to
come and take him, David escapes from thence, and retreats to the strong holds of
En-gedi.
Verses 1-4
(1) ¶ Then they told David, saying, Behold, the Philistines fight against Keilah, and
they rob the threshingfloors. (2) Therefore David enquired of the LORD, saying,
Shall I go and smite these Philistines? And the LORD said unto David, Go, and
smite the Philistines, and save Keilah. (3) And David's men said unto him, Behold,
we be afraid here in Judah: how much more then if we come to Keilah against the
armies of the Philistines? (4) Then David enquired of the LORD yet again. And the
LORD answered him and said, Arise, go down to Keilah; for I will deliver the
Philistines into thine hand.
If the Reader will consult the preceding chapter, at the fifth verse, where Gad the
prophet bids David go into the land of Judah, he will then discover both the cause in
this rescue the Lord intended him for Keilah, and that he might have a servant of
the Lord in the person of Gad for his instructor in all doubtful cases. It is sweet in
providences to trace the Lord's hand, and to connect one event with another, in
order to observe the Lord's dealings with his people. But it is sweeter still to behold,
in the outlines of the Lord's people's exercises, some resemblance, however faint
they are, to Jesus. Amidst all David's own private distresses, the love of Israel was
uppermost in his heart. But oh! how shrunk to nothing is this view of David
compared to David's Lord, who, in all his agonies in the garden, and the path to the
cross, would have restrained the tears of the daughters of Jerusalem, which they
were shedding for him, to shed them over the beloved Jerusalem. Luke 23:28.
ELLICOTT, " (1) Then they told David. . . .—For this and like duties the prophet
Gad (1 Samuel 22:5) had summoned David to return with his armed band to Judah.
There was a great work ready to his hand in his own country at that juncture. Saul
was becoming more and more neglectful of his higher duty—that of protecting his
people; as time went on and his malady increased, his whole thoughts were
concentrated on David’s imaginary crimes, and the history of the latter part of his
reign is little more than a recital of his sad, bewildered efforts to compass the young
hero’s destruction. The task of protecting the people from the constant marauding
expeditions of the Philistines, and probably of the neighbouring nations, then was
entrusted to David. To point this out to the son of Jesse was evidently the first great
mission of Gad the seer. Samuel’s mind was, no doubt, busied in this matter. It is
more than probable that Gad was first dispatched to join David at the instigation of
the aged, but still mentally vigorous, prophet.
Keilah.—“This town lay in the lowlands of Judah, not far from the Philistine
frontier, some miles south of Adullam, being perched on a steep hill overlooking the
4

5. valley of Elah, not far from the thickets of Hareth” (Conder; Tent Life in Palestine).
COFFMAN, "Verse 1
DAVID'S EXPERIENCES AT KEILAH AND AT ZIPH
This and the following chapters of First Samuel relate a number of David's
experiences during that long period in which he was an outlaw and a fugitive,
always fleeing from one place to another, ever striving to avoid the constant efforts
of King Saul to bring about his death.
DAVID RESCUES KEILAH FROM THE PHILISTINES
"Now they told David, "Behold, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah, and they
are robbing the threshing floors." Therefore, David inquired of the Lord, "Shall I
go and attack these Philistines"? And the Lord said to David, "Go and attack the
Philistines and save Keilah." But David's men said to him, "We are afraid here in
Judah; how much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the
Philistines"? Then David inquired of the Lord again, and the Lord answered him,
"Arise, go down to Keilah; for I will give the Philistines into your hand." And David
and his men went to Keilah, and fought with the Philistines, and brought away their
cattle, and made a great slaughter among them. So David delivered the inhabitants
of Keilah."
Keilah was located near the Philistine border. "It was a fortified city allotted to
Judah (Joshua 15:44). It was mentioned in the Tel el-Amarna letters as Qilti and
identified with Khirbet Qila, located eight miles northwest of Hebron overlooking
the Elah Valley road to Hebron. In the times of Nehemiah, the city was reoccupied
by the Israelites returning from the captivity in Babylon (Nehemiah 3:17-18)."[1]
At the time of this episode, the citizens of Keilah were harvesting their grain crops,
which afforded the principal means of their livelihood. It seldom rained in the
summer; and the threshing floors were loaded with the grain being threshed out by
the people. The Philistines, desiring to keep Israel in subjection by starvation, came
up to rob the people of their grain, even bringing along their oxen and asses for the
purpose of carrying away the loot. "In the East, even today, the principal source of
food supply remains - bread."[2]
The mention of "their cattle" (1 Samuel 23:5) is supposed by some scholars to mean
that the Philistine raiding party had also brought with them flocks of goats and
sheep which they had probably robbed from others. In any case, it must indeed have
been a tremendous shock to them when David suddenly fell upon them, slaughtered
a great many of them and took charge of all they left behind. "And they told David,
"Behold the Philistines are fighting against Keilah" (1 Samuel 23:1). Nothing is said
here about who told David this news, but it seems to have been the leaders of Keilah,
hoping for assistance from David and his men.
5

6. "David inquired of the Lord" (1 Samuel 23:1). We are not told how David did this,
but 1 Samuel 23:6-14, below, explains that Abiathar had joined David's forces,
bringing the ephod with him.
"Arise, go down to Keilah" (1 Samuel 23:4). "The Judean hills, where David and his
men were hiding, were at a higher elevation than Keilah."[3]
CONSTABLE, "Verses 1-5
David"s rescue of Keilah
Keilah was about three miles southeast of Adullam in the Shephelah, the foothills
between the coastal plain on the west and the hill country of Judah on the east. The
Philistines were plundering the threshing floors there. The threshing floors were
places where the Israelites stored their threshed grain after threshing it (cf. 2 Kings
6:27; Joel 2:24). David sought to defend his countrymen and fellow Judahites from
their hostile foreign enemy, even though he was also watching out for Saul. Saul
should have come to their rescue since he was the king, but there is no mention of
him doing so.
The writer recorded in this passage that David inquired of the Lord four times ( 1
Samuel 23:2; 1 Samuel 23:4; 1 Samuel 23:10-11). He placed himself under God"s
authority, though Saul did not. For this reason God could and did work through
David as His vice-regent. God manifested His will through the Urim and Thummim
in the priestly ephod ( 1 Samuel 23:6; 1 Samuel 23:9; cf. Exodus 28:30). The Urim
(lit. lights) and Thummim (lit. perfections) were evidently two stones or similar
objects, one light and the other dark in color. The high priest carried them in the
pocket on the front of his ephod (apron). He ascertained God"s will by drawing one
out after mentally assigning a meaning to each. Evidently Abiathar interpreted the
will of God for David.
David was not just defending himself during this period of his life. He was
aggressively carrying out the will of God by defeating Israel"s enemies as the
Lord"s anointed servant. God told David to go against the Philistines first. Then, in
response to David"s second prayer, He promised that He (emphatic in the Hebrew
text) would give the Philistines into David"s hand. David"s men were
understandably afraid to attack the Philistines who had greater numbers and
stronger forces. Nevertheless David attacked and soundly defeated the Philistines
because of God"s promise and power. The writer gave credit to David for the
victory ( 1 Samuel 23:5), but clearly it was God who enabled him to win against such
a daunting foe ( 1 Samuel 23:4).
PARKER, "GAD is still accompanying the fugitive David and assisting him in the
interpretation of the divine will. When David is said, in the second verse, to have
inquired of the Lord whether he should go and smite the Philistines, the inquiry was
6

7. made through the prophet. That such inquiries were made through prophets is
proved by the narrative given in1Kings xxii. When the Urim and Thummim were
not available it was lawful to consult the prophet instead of the priest. The lesson to
ourselves is that religious instrumentalities are to be adopted according to our
opportunities. Men cannot always go up into the public sanctuary to offer worship
to God; but for that reason they need not be silent or irreverent. On many occasions
usual opportunities are foreclosed, as when men are travelling, or in sickness, or in
circumstances of distress, but under such conditions access to the divine throne is as
open and free as ever. Herein is the glorious liberty of the Gospel of Christ;
wherever we are, we can address the divine majesty and come boldly to the throne
of mercy to obtain grace to help in time of need. On the second occasion David had
an opportunity of consulting God through the medium of the ephod. Abiathar the
priest, with the ephod, had arrived. In the ephod were set twelve precious stones,
one for each of the twelve tribes. The names of the tribes were engraved on these
gems, together with other sacred words. According to high authority, the common
belief was that the ephod stones gave their answer to the royal and high-priestly
questions by some peculiar shining. Upon these matters we can, of course, have no
certain information, but there remains the moral and permanent lesson that David
never took any important step in life without endeavouring to discover the divine
will. That is the point upon which our attention has to be fixed. Whilst we are
wasting our time in propounding unanswerable questions, we may be depriving the
soul of vivid personal communion with God. If there is one Christian doctrine
clearer than another, it is that every man may by prayer and supplication make
known his requests unto God and receive from Heaven the light which he needs to
guide him all the days of his life.
In the fourteenth verse we have a picture of a divinely protected man:
LANGE, "1 Samuel 23:1. David’s recall to Judah by Gad, and the distress of a part
of Judah in consequence of a Philistine inroad stood probably in pragmatical
connection. In this, his people’s time of need, David the fugitive was to do them a
service by a successful feat of arms against the hereditary enemy; and this was to be
of service to him by gaining for him higher consideration as God’s chosen one for
the throne and the helper of his people. The Philistines were warring against Keilah,
a fortified city ( 1 Samuel 23:7) in the lowland of Judah ( Joshua 15:44), according
to the Onomasticon eight miles from Eleutheropolis towards Hebron, with an evil-
disposed population, who acted ungratefully and treacherously toward David
(verse12), though he had saved them from imminent danger. Inhabitants of this city
took part ( Nehemiah 3:17-18) in the building of the wall of Jerusalem. According to
Kiepert’s map (from the Onom. Κεειλά, Ceila, or ’Εχελά), it lay somewhat south-
west of Tarkumieh, and Isaiah, according to Tobler (3Wand151), the present Kila,
near the Philistine border.[FN20]—The Philistine inroad was also a predatory
incursion, in which they had an eye to the grain which was threshed and stored in
the threshing-floors. 1 Samuel 23:2. The news of the Philistines’ incursion
determined David to attack them. It is probable, as we have already intimated, that
he was brought to Judah by Gad for this purpose. But here, in David’s inquiry of
7

8. the Lord, the agent is not the prophet Gad (Ew.), of whom it is not said, that he
remained with David after 1 Samuel 22:20, but the high-priest Abiathar[FN21] by
Urim and Thummim, the expression “to inquire of Jehovah” being never used when
the divine will was sought through a prophet, but undoubtedly of the high-priest’s
inquiry by the sacred lot (as in 1 Samuel 22:10; 1 Samuel 22:13; 1 Samuel 22:15).—
By this inquiry David learns God’s will; to attack the Philistines and rescue Keilah
is now a divine command with the promise of victory in the order: “Rescue Keilah.”
GUZIK, "A. David saves Keliah from the Philistines.
1. (1Sa_23:1-4) God directs David to fight against the Philistines and
deliver the city of Keliah.
Then they told David, saying, “Look, the Philistines are fighting against
Keilah, and they are robbing the threshing floors.” 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.” 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?” 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.”
a. Then they told David: When David was hiding out in the stronghold
(1Sa_22:5) he was safe, but he couldn’t be reached in a time of need to
help God’s people. One of the great reasons why God called David out
of the stronghold, into a place of greater danger (the land of Judah),
was so that he could serve and bless God’s people more effectively.
b. The Philistines are fighting against Keliah, and they are robbing
the threshing floors: Why did they bring this plea for help to David,
and not to King Saul? Because Saul was not fulfilling his role as king
over Israel. It was Saul’s job to protect Keliah, it was Saul’s job to
fight against the Philistines, but Saul wasn’t doing his job, so the
LORD called David to do it.
i. God loved His people too much to let them suffer with an
unfaithful king. If Saul wasn’t up to the task, God would raise up a
man who was, and David was the one. God directed David to act
like a king even if he was not the king yet.
c. Therefore David inquired of the LORD: This shows David’s wisdom
and godliness. Some might have immediately said, “This isn’t my
responsibility, it is Saul’s. Let him deal with it.” Others might have
immediately said, “Let’s go! I can fix this problem! Get out of my way
and let’s do it!” Either course was foolish, but David was wise because
he inquired of the LORD.
i. When David inquired of the LORD, he was willing to do just as
the LORD commanded. Sometimes we inquire of the LORD, but
our minds are already made up - we will do certain things, and we
will not do certain things. That isn’t really inquiring of the LORD
8

9. at all!
d. David inquired of the LORD - but how? 1Sa_23:6 says, Now it
happened, when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David at
Keliah, that he went down with an ephod in his hand. An ephod was
a special apron that priests would wear, to cover over their clothing,
so the sacrificial blood and gore would splash on the ephod, not so
much on their clothing.
i. It is likely that this wasn’t just any ephod; this was the ephod of
the High Priest, which had the breastplate of judgment (Exo_
28:15) attached to it (Exo_28:28). The breastplate had in it a
pouch with two stones, known as the Urim and Thummim (Exo_
28:30). When David inquired of the LORD, he probably asked
Abiathar to use the Urim and Thummim.
ii. How did the priest use the Urim and Thummim to inquire of the
LORD? The names Urim and Thummim mean “Lights and
Perfections.” We aren’t sure what they were or how they were
used. Most think they were a pair of stones, one light and another
dark, and each stone indicated a “yes” or “no” from God. The idea
is that High Priest would ask God a question that could be
answered with a “yes” or a “no,” reach into the breastplate, and
pull out the stone indicating God’s answer. This ephod, with the
Urim and Thummim, was more helpful to David than a thousand
soldiers, because it helped him discern the will of God.
iii. Many Christians today would consider the Urim and Thummim
as crude tools of discernment; sort of an Old Testament “Magic 8-
Ball.” In fact, using the Urim and Thummim was superior to the
tools many Christians today use: relying purely on feeling, or on
outward appearances, or simply using no discernment at all.
iv. “Each child of God has his own Urim and Thummim stone,
which is a conscience void of offense, a heart cleansed in the blood
of Christ, a spiritual nature which is pervaded and filled by the
Holy Spirit of God.” (Meyer)
v. The key to the effectiveness of the Urim and Thummim was that
God’s Word gave them. In seeking God through the Urim and
Thummim, one was really going back to God’s Word for guidance,
because it was the word of God that commanded their place and
allowed their use. Today, if we have the same focus on God’s
Word, He will guide us also. One old preacher was asked to
explain the Urim and Thummim. He said, “Well, this is how I
understand it. When I need to know God’s will, I get out my Bible
and I do a lot of usin’ and thummin’ through my Bible, and God
always speaks to me.” More Christians would know God’s will if
they did more usin’ and thummin’!
vi. Also, notice that David was not asking God about something
that God had already revealed in His Word. David didn’t ask,
“Now LORD, do You really want me to keep that third
9

10. commandment?” David was fulfilling the LORD’s revealed will to
the best of his ability, and trusted that God would lead him in His
specific will.
e. Go, and attack the Philistines, and save Keliah: By all outward
appearance, this was a crazy thing to do. First, David had 400 men
whose had thin resumes and bad credit reports (everyone who was in
distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was
discontented gathered to him, 1Sa_22:2); not exactly a regular army!
Second, David had enough trouble with Saul, and he didn’t need to
add trouble from the Philistines - one enemy is usually enough!
Third, this would bring David wide open out before King Saul, and
expose him to that enemy also. This was a dangerous course of action!
i. Then why do it at all? David had two great reasons: the
command of God, and the need of the people. David was willing to
spend himself, to endanger himself, so that he obey the command
of God, and meet the need of the people.
f. But David’s men said to him, “Look, we are afraid here in Judah.”
David’s men counseled him to not go to Keliah. We can understand
their counsel; but we should not agree with it. We should thank God
at this point that David became captain over them (1Sa_22:4), and
that this wasn’t a democracy.
g. David inquired of the LORD once again: Wisely, David took the
words from his men into great account. He wrestled with their advice,
and saw that in many ways it made a lot of sense. At the same time, he
knew this was an issue that had to be decided before the LORD.
h. Arise, go down to Keiliah, for I will deliver the Philistines into your
hand: God likes to confirm His word, especially when He directs us to
do something hard or unusual. This time, the LORD not only
confirmed His previous command, but He also gave a promise with it:
I will deliver the Philistines into your hand.
i. The promise was intended to give both David and his men more
and more confidence in God and His command.
2 he inquired of the LORD , saying, "Shall I go
and attack these Philistines?"
The LORD answered him, "Go, attack the
Philistines and save Keilah."
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11. BARNES 2-4, "If Gad was with David at the forest of Hareth 1Sa_22:5, and
there inquired for him of the Lord 1Sa_23:2,1Sa_23:4, but did not
accompany him to Keilah, and if Abiathar’s flight occurred at the time of
David’s being at Keilah, we have an additional striking instance of God’s
watchful providential care of David in thus sending Abiathar to supply the
place of Gad at so critical a moment.
CLARKE, "Therefore David inquired of the Lord - In what way David
made this inquiry we are not told, but it was probably by means of Abiathar;
and therefore I think, with Houbigant that the sixth verse should be read
immediately after the first. The adventure mentioned here was truly noble.
Had not David loved his country, and been above all motives of private and
personal revenge, he would have rejoiced in this invasion of Judah as
producing a strong diversion in his favor, and embroiling his inveterate
enemy. In most cases a man with David’s wrongs would have joined with the
enemies of his country, and avenged himself on the author of his
adversities; but he thinks of nothing but succouring Keilah, and using his
power and influence in behalf of his brethren! This is a rare instance of
disinterested heroism.
The Lord said - Go and smite - He might now go with confidence, being
assured of success. When God promises success, who need be afraid of the
face of any enemy?
GILL, "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, 1Sa_22:5; for as for Abiathar, he was not
yet come with the ephod, the Urim and Thummim, to inquire by them, 1Sa_
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;
11

12. 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.
HENRY, "David is forward enough to come in for their relief, but is willing
to enquire of the Lord concerning it. Here is an instance, 1. Of David's
generosity and public-spiritedness. Though his head and hands were full of
his own business, and he had enough to do, with the little force he had, to
secure himself, yet he was concerned for the safety of his country and could
not sit still to see that ravaged: nay, though Saul, whose business it was to
guard the borders of his land, hated him and sought his life, yet he was
willing, to the utmost of his power, to serve him and his interests against the
common enemy, and bravely abhorred the thought of sacrificing the
common welfare to his private revenge. Those are unlike to David who
sullenly decline to do good because they have not been so well considered as
they deserved for the services they have done. 2. Of David's piety and regard
to God. He enquired of the Lord by the prophet Gad; for it should seem (by
1Sa_23:6) that Abiathar came not to him with the ephod till he was in
Keilah. His enquiry is, Shall I go and smite these Philistines? He enquires
both concerning the duty (whether he might lawfully take Saul's work out of
his hand, and act without a commission from him) and concerning the
event, whether he might safely venture against such a force as the
Philistines had with such a handful of men at his feet, and such a dangerous
enemy as Saul was at his back. It is our duty, and will be our case and
comfort, whatever happens, to acknowledge God in all our ways and to seek
direction from him.
JAMISON, "David inquired of the Lord — most probably through Gad
(2Sa_24:11; 1Ch_21:9), who was present in David’s camp (1Sa_22:5),
probably by the recommendation of Samuel. To repel unprovoked assaults
on unoffending people who were engaged in their harvest operations, was a
humane and benevolent service. But it was doubtful how far it was David’s
duty to go against a public enemy without the royal commission; and on that
account he asked, and obtained, the divine counsel. A demur on the part of
his men led David to renew the consultation for their satisfaction; after
which, being fully assured of his duty, he encountered the aggressors and,
by a signal victory, delivered the people of Keilah from further molestation.
David inquired of the Lord — most probably through Gad (2Sa_24:11;
1Ch_21:9), who was present in David’s camp (1Sa_22:5), probably by the
recommendation of Samuel. To repel unprovoked assaults on unoffending
people who were engaged in their harvest operations, was a humane and
benevolent service. But it was doubtful how far it was David’s duty to go
against a public enemy without the royal commission; and on that account
he asked, and obtained, the divine counsel. A demur on the part of his men
led David to renew the consultation for their satisfaction; after which, being
fully assured of his duty, he encountered the aggressors and, by a signal
12

13. victory, delivered the people of Keilah from further molestation.
PULPIT, "1Sa_23:2-5
David enquired of Jehovah. This seems to show that Abiathar was already
with David, as the prophet Gad had no ephod, and at this time, and for a
considerable period subsequently, the usual way of consulting God was by
the Urim and Thummim (see 1Sa_23:6). Though the answer was a
command to go, yet David’s men hesitated; not that they had any doubt of
the immediate result, but, regarding Saul as their most dangerous enemy,
they were unwilling to embroil themselves also with the Philistines. They
argue, We be afraid here in Judah: why then should we close the Philistine
territory against us by attacking their armies! Hebrew, "ranks," men
disciplined and drawn up in array (see 1Sa_17:22). In order to remove these
prudential doubts, David again consults God, and being a second time
encouraged to undertake the rescue of Keilah, proceeds thither with his
men. This attack, being unexpected, was entirely successful. The Philistines
were driven back with great slaughter, and David brought away their cattle.
The word signifies "small cattle," such as sheep and goats. Besides robbing
the threshing floors, the Philistines apparently had been driving off the
flocks from the neighbouring pastures. Both Hareth, where David and his
men had lain hid in the thickets (1Sa_22:5), and Keilah were in the tribe of
Judah, in the southern portion of the Shephelah (Jos_15:44).
BENSON, "1 Samuel 23:2. David inquired of the Lord — In what way he made
inquiry is not certain, as it seems from 1 Samuel 23:6 that Abiathar had not yet
brought to David the sacred ephod, with all things belonging to it that were made
use of in consulting God. Shall I go and smite these Philistines? — We have here a
remarkable instance of David’s love to his country; unto which he did not become
an enemy when he was banished from it. On the contrary, he hasted to its assistance
unsolicited. This action of David’s, in going to the relief of Keilah, is one of the most
extraordinary ones recorded in history. “Another man, in David’s place, would have
rejoiced at this invasion, and perhaps encouraged it; and this both from self-
preservation and policy; first, because he had nothing to fear for himself, while Saul
had such an enemy upon his hands; and secondly, because the distress of his
country was the likeliest means to bring Saul to reason, and force him to recall, and
be reconciled to, his best champion. But David was governed by other than these
narrow views; nor safety nor honour was desirable to him, purchased by the
distress of his country and his friends. His bosom beat with an eager desire to
relieve Keilah; but it was not an adventure to be unadvisedly undertaken; and
therefore he inquired of God, saying, Shall I go and smite these Philistines? This is
one of those passages of Scripture that give evidence of their own truth. None but a
hero could put the question; and none but God could resolve it: And the Lord said
unto David. Go, and smite the Philistines, and save Keilah.” — Delaney.
13

14. ELLICOTT, "(2) David enquired of the Lord.—The enquiry was not made of the
priest wearing the ephod, by means of the Urim and Thummim, for, according to 1
Samuel 23:6, Abiathar, the high priest who succeeded the murdered Ahimelech,
only joined David at Keilah, the citizens of which place were then asking for his aid
against their foes. But Gad the prophet was with David, and the enquiry was made,
no doubt, through him. We know that such enquiries were made through prophets,
for we possess a detailed account of such an enquiry being made by Jehoshaphat of
the prophet Micaiah (1 Kings 22:5; 1 Kings 22:7-8), in which passage the same
formula is used as in this case. The Talmud too, when discussing the enquiries made
through the Urim and Thummim, whilst dwelling on the greater weight of the
decision pronounced by the sacred stones, assumes that questions were also asked
through the prophets. “The decree pronounced by a prophet is revocable, but the
decision of the Urim and Thummim is irrevocable.”—Treatise Yoma, fol. 73
Colossians 1.
COKE, "1 Samuel 23:2. David enquired of the Lord, &c.— This was one of the
noblest adventures of David's life, and perhaps the most extraordinary of any
recorded in history. The Philistines, probably encouraged by David's disgrace and
Saul's distraction, invaded Judah, and besieged Keilah, wasting the country all
around it. Another man in David's place would have rejoiced at this invasion, and
perhaps encouraged it; and this both from self-preservation and policy: First,
Because he had nothing to fear for himself, while Saul had such an enemy upon his
hands; and secondly, Because the distress of his country was the likeliest means to
bring Saul to reason, and force him to recal, and be reconciled to, his best
companion. But David was governed by other than these narrow views: neither
safety nor honour were desirable to him, if to be purchased by the distress of his
country and his friends; his bosom beat with an earnest desire to relieve Keilah: but
it was not an adventure to be unadvisedly undertaken; and therefore we are
assured, that he enquired of God, saying, Shall I go, and smite these Philistines?
This is to me one of those passages of Scripture which give evidence of their own
truth. None but a hero could put the question, and none but GOD could resolve it.
And the Lord said unto David, Go, and smite the Philistines, and save Keilah.
BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATOE, "Shall I go?
The leadings of Providence
David lived under the Mosaic dispensation. Now, that dispensation, as it was
remarkable for many extraordinary circumstances, was so more especially for the
particular revelation which God was pleased to make in it of Himself to mankind
upon special occasions. The will of the Lord appears to have been made known in
five several ways:
For our guide in temporal things, God has given us our understanding.
14

15. 1. Let our first rule be, that we are chiefly solicitous to discharge Duty.
2. Beware of mistaking your own inclinations for the suggestions of Provident.
3. It may be laid down as a maxim that Providence never sanctions the neglect of
any duty to point out other courses of action. There is a beautiful uniformity in the
conduct which God prescribes for us. No duties over clash with each other.
4. We ought to beware of seeking for other directions than those which Providence
has been pleased to appoint. Do not expect revelations where God has not promised
them.
5. Let me also caution you against a partial use of the means which Providence has
afforded us for our direction. You pray, perhaps, very sincerely; but do you also
listen to the suggestions of prudence; do you take the advice of wise and faithful
friends? (John Venn.)
3 But David's men said to him, "Here in Judah we
are afraid. How much more, then, if we go to
Keilah against the Philistine forces!"
GILL, "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.
15

16. HENRY, "God appointed him once and again to go against the Philistines,
and promised him success: Go, and smite the Philistines, 1Sa_23:2. His men
opposed it, 1Sa_23:3. No sooner did he begin to have soldiers of his own
than he found it hard enough to manage them. They objected that they had
enemies enough among their own countrymen, they needed not to make the
Philistines their enemies. Their hearts failed them when they only
apprehended themselves in danger from Saul's band of pursuers, much
more when they came to engage the Philistine-armies. To satisfy them,
therefore, he enquired of the Lord again, and now received, not only a full
commission, which would warrant him to fight though he had no orders
from Saul (Arise, go down to Keilah), but also a full assurance of victory: I
will deliver the Philistines into thy hand, 1Sa_23:4. This was enough to
animate the greatest coward he had in his regiment.
K&D, "1Sa_23:3-6
But his men said to him, “Behold, here in Judah we are in fear (i.e., are
not safe from Saul's pursuit); how shall we go to Keilah against the ranks
of the Philistines?” In order, therefore, to infuse courage into them, he
inquired of the Lord again, and received the assurance from God, “I will
give the Philistines into thy hand.” He then proceeded with his men, fought
against the Philistines, drove off their cattle, inflicted a severe defeat upon
them, and thus delivered the inhabitants of Keilah. In 1Sa_23:6 a
supplementary remark is added in explanation of the expression “inquired
of the Lord,” to the effect that, when Abiathar fled to David to Keilah, the
ephod had come to him. The words “to David to Keilah” are not to be
understood as signifying that Abiathar did not come to David till he was in
Keilah, but that when he fled after David (1Sa_22:20), he met with him as
he was already preparing for the march of Keilah, and immediately
proceeded with him thither. For whilst it is not stated in 1Sa_22:20 that
Abiathar came to David in the wood of Hareth, but the place of meeting is
left indefinite, the fact that David had already inquired of Jehovah (i.e.,
through the oracle of the high priest) with reference to the march to Keilah,
compels us to assume that Abiathar had come to him before he left the
mountains for Keilah. So that the brief expression “to David to Keilah,”
which is left indefinite because of its brevity, must be interpreted in
accordance with this fact.
BENSON, "Verse 3-4
1 Samuel 23:3-4. David’s men said, Behold, we are afraid here in Judah — “They
had more than difficulty enough to defend themselves against Saul where they were;
and could it be less than madness to provoke more and greater enemies? Doubtless
Saul would send forces to beat off the Philistines, and then they should be pent in
between two hostile armies. And yet, notwithstanding all this, David undertook and
achieved the adventure; which it was impossible he should, against such fears, and
16

17. such reasonings of his forces, from any motive other than the assurance of divine
protection and aid. Which fully confirms the Scripture account of this matter, that
he did not undertake it until he had, for the fuller satisfaction of his associates,
again consulted, and was again assured of success by the divine oracle.”
LANGE, "1 Samuel 23:3. Against this David’s men protest from the point of view of
their present situation, which on merely human grounds was certainly not of a
nature to inspire them with courage.—We are afraid here in Judah, namely, as
persecuted fugitives, who have abandoned a comparatively safe abode for the
present more dangerous one, and are now further to rush into this danger by open
war against the Philistines; we are always in danger from Saul, and now shall we
march against the Philistine ranks at Keilah? Being not safe in Judah,[FN22] ought
we forsooth to go to Keilah against the Philistines? (‫י‬ ִ‫כּ‬ ‫ף‬ ַ‫,א‬ comp. Habakkuk 2:5; 1
Samuel 14:30; 1 Samuel 21:6; Ew, § 354 c [= “yea, is it that?” or: “how much more
when?”—Tr.]).
4 Once again David inquired of the LORD , and
the LORD answered him, "Go down to Keilah,
for I am going to give the Philistines into your
hand."
CLARKE, "David inquired of the Lord yet again - This was to satisfy his
men, who made the strong objections mentioned in the preceding verse.
GILL, "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:
17

18. victory; and therefore none of David's men had anything to fear after such a
declaration of the will of God.
LANGE, "1 Samuel 23:4. David holds to his resolution against these objections; to
confirm it and to encourage his men he again inquires of the Lord and receives the
same affirmative answer with the assurance that the Lord has given his enemies into
his hand.—Though treated by the king as an outlaw, he yet maintains true love to
his people, which impels him to help them in their need, and to show that, in spite of
his undeserved sufferings, he will not sin against them by refusing to perform a deed
of deliverance which is well-pleasing to God.—The “go down” indicates that David
was still in the mountains of Judah whence he must descend in order to reach
Keilah.
BI, "Verses 4-26
1 Samuel 23:4-26
Arise, go down to Keilah.
The training in the wilderness
The contrast between David at Nob or Gath and at Hareth and Keilah is most
marked.
1. It is God’s will he desires to know (1 Samuel 23:4). Truly David at this time
waited only upon God, and his expectation was from Jehovah (Psalms 62:1-12).
Hunger for Divine guidance is a gracious sign! The Master blessed such (Matthew
5:6). Such a state of heart is preparation surely for larger blessing.
2. Obedience and humble reliance upon God may not lessen difficulties? David’s
own people oppose his advance upon Keilah. So he and his enter Keilah. All now is
well surely! Yes, all is well, but it looked not so. Strange that in obeying God he
found more difficulties! Not so if we understand he is in training for the crown. Is
this not so of all those who are unto God a nation of priestly kings? Not a murmur
escapes David’s lips. Into Ziph, a small place at the edge of the Southern desert,
David enters, concealing himself in the ravines there. The time spent in Ziph was a
time of separation and solitariness.
3. Obedience leading to apparently hopeless disaster. To seek the favour of the king
the Ziphites send word to him of David. Deceit generally sets its face toward power.
It is well to be on the side which looks like winning at any rate. From their point of
view their “part” might be justified. What can we say, however, concerning Soul’s
reception of these Ziphites? What a whimpering, hypocritical utterance: “Blessed be
ye of the Lord, for ye have compassion on me!” How horrid the “forms” of piety
when the thing itself is gone! A benediction in the name of God from Saul! Success is
with these plotters! They track their prey. Before Saul and his men David flees
18

19. down the face of the rock into the wilderness. Here truly they are enclosing him in
the net they have spread. Strangers had risen up against him, and the oppressor
sought for his soul. (Psalms 54:3). Hope began to droop her wings. (1 Samuel 23:27).
Times of deepest distress are hours of God’s deliverances. Have we no record
indelibly written of God’s delivering mercy?--no place called Sela-hammahlekoth (1
Samuel 23:28), or Rock of Divisions, to which memory leads? Psalms 54:1-7,
ascribed to this period, tells of calmness of heart during this exciting time, “Behold,
God is mine helper” (verse 4). (H. E. Stone.)
5 So David and his men went to Keilah, fought the
Philistines and carried off their livestock. He
inflicted heavy losses on the Philistines and saved
the people of Keilah.
CLARKE, "Brought away their cattle - The forage and spoil which the
Philistines had taken, driving the country before them round about Keilah.
GILL, "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.
HENRY, "He went accordingly against the Philistines, routed them, and
rescued Keilah, (1Sa_23:5), and it should seem he made a sally into the
19

20. country of the Philistines, for he carried off their cattle by way of reprisal
for the wrong they did to the men of Keilah in robbing their threshing-
floors. Here notice is taken (1Sa_23:6) that it was while David remained in
Keilah, after he had cleared it of the Philistines, that Abiathar came to him
with the ephod in his hand, that is, the high priest's ephod, in which the
urim and thummin were. It was a great comfort to David, in his banishment,
that when he could not go to the house of God he had some of the choicest
treasures of that house brought to him, the high priest and his breast-plate
of judgment.
GUZIK, "(1Sa_23:5) David rescues the people of Keliah.
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.
a. So David and his men went to Keliah and fought: It isn’t enough to
inquire of God’s will, or even to know God’s will. We must have a
commitment to obey God’s will, even when it is difficult.
b. God blessed the obedience of David: Struck them with a mighty
blow . . . David saved the inhabitants of Keliah. We also see that God
perfectly kept His promise to David (I will deliver the Philistines into
your hand, 1Sa_23:4).
BENSON, "Verse 5
1 Samuel 23:5. So David and his men went to Keilah, &c. — “His success on this
occasion was very extraordinary; he saved the city and the inhabitants; he delivered
the country all around from the ravages of the enemy; he smote the Philistines with
great slaughter, and brought away their cattle, by which means he was enabled to
subsist himself and his forces, without being a burden to his country. One would
have imagined that this extraordinary success and deliverance of so great a city
might have secured David a safe retreat among the men of Keilah; but it was not so;
such is the nature of man, present dangers quickly obliterate past obligations!
Gratitude is, without question, a most lovely virtue, but seldom lives in the extremes
either of adversity or success! It is like those fine colours which storms and sunshine
equally deface.” — Delaney.
6 (Now Abiathar son of Ahimelech had brought
20

21. the ephod down with him when he fled to David at
Keilah.)
CLARKE, "Came down with an ephod - I think this verse should come
immediately after 1Sa_23:1 (note).
GILL, "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" (k), as it were by chance, and not with design; and
so some Jewish interpreters (l) 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.
HENRY, "Here notice is taken (1Sa_23:6) that it was while David
remained in Keilah, after he had cleared it of the Philistines, that Abiathar
came to him with the ephod in his hand, that is, the high priest's ephod, in
which the urim and thummin were. It was a great comfort to David, in his
banishment, that when he could not go to the house of God he had some of
the choicest treasures of that house brought to him, the high priest and his
breast-plate of judgment.
JAMISON, "an ephod — in which was the Urim and Thummim (Exo_
28:30). It had, probably, been committed to his care, while Ahimelech and
the other priests repaired to Gibeah, in obedience to the summons of Saul.
PULPIT, "1Sa_23:6
When Abiathar … fled to David to Koilah, he came down with an ephod in
his hand. Literally, "an ephod came down in his hand, and so, word for
word, the Syriac. The object of this verse is to explain how it was that David
(in 1Sa_23:2 and 1Sa_23:4) was able to inquire of Jehovah. The words to
Keilah—Hebrew, Kelah-wards—do not mean that it was at Keilah that
Abiathar joined David, but that he came in time to go thither with him. In
1Sa_22:20 it seems as if Abiathar must have joined David even at an earlier
21

22. date, for he is represented as fleeing to him immediately after the massacre
of the priests at Nob. Now, granting that David’s stay at Gath with Achish
was very brief, he must have remained at Adullam a considerable time,
inasmuch as men joined him there in large numbers (1Sa_22:2), which
seems to show that his hiding place had become generally known. It was
probably this concourse of men to him that was "discovered," i.e. made
known, to Saul, and, as being an act of formal revolt, so raised his ire. As
being supposed to be in league with David, Saul put the priests to death, and
Abiathar fled; but probably the news of this terrible act had already reached
David, and, in anxiety about his father and mother, he had gone to find
refuge for them in Moab. Thither Gad follows him, bringing prophetic
approval of his conduct, but ordering him to return into the territory of his
own tribe. If then David was on his way to Moab when Abiathar reached
Adullam, he may have remained in hiding there till David’s return to the
thickets of Hareth. But, possibly, even before Abiathar joined him the news
may have arrived of the Philistine foray, and David’s mind was set Keilah-
wards. But there were those who doubted of the prudence of this
proceeding, and Abiathars arrival with the ephod enabled him to consult
Jehovah’s will. By his presence also David had now the approval of the
priesthood.
BENSON, "1 Samuel 23:6. He came down with an ephod — Rather, with the ephod,
namely, the high-priest’s ephod, wherein were the Urim and Thummim. For
Abiathar, being left, it is probable, to keep the sanctuary, while his father
Ahimelech and the rest of the priests went to wait upon Saul, as soon as he heard of
their slaughter he took this principal vestment of the high-priest, and carried it to
David. Thus God, in the course of his providence, gave him an opportunity, while
Doeg, the butcher, was killing his brethren, both of escaping himself and of bringing
to David the ephod, of which now Saul was justly deprived.
ELLICOTT, "(6) With an ephod in his hand.—The difficulty-here with the version
and commentators is that they failed to understand that enquiry of the Lord could
be made in any other mode than through the Urim. (See Note above on 1 Samuel
23:2.) Saul in happier days, we know, enquired and received replies “through
prophets,” for before he had recourse to forbidden arts we read how, in contrast
evidently to other and earlier times, the Lord answered him not, neither by dreams,
nor by Urim, nor by prophets (1 Samuel 28:6). The LXX. here must have
deliberately altered the Hebrew text, with the view of escaping what seemed to these
translators a grave difficulty. They render. “And it came to pass, when Abiathar the
son of Ahimelech fled to David, that he came down with David to Keilah, having an
ephod in his hand,” thus implying that Abiathar had come down with David to
Keilah, having joined him previously. The Hebrew text is, however, definite and
clear, and tells us that Abiathar first joined David when he was at Keilah. But the
difficulty which puzzled the LXX. and so many others vanishes when we remember
that the enquiry of the Lord was not unfrequently made through the prophet; and
22

23. this was evidently done by David through Gad, a famous representative of that
order, in the case of the enquiry referred to in 1 Samuel 23:2; 1 Samuel 23:4 of this
chapter.
COFFMAN, "Verse 6
DAVID WARNED BY GOD TO LEAVE KEILAH
"When Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David to Keilah, he came down with
an ephod in his hand. Now it was told Saul that David had come to Keilah. And Saul
said, "God has given him into my hand; for he has shut himself in by entering a
town that has gates and bars." And Saul summoned all the people to war, to go
down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men. David knew that Saul was plotting
evil against him; and he said to Abiathar the priest, "Bring the ephod here." Then
said David, "O Lord, the God of Israel, thy servant has surely heard that Saul seeks
to come to Keilah to destroy the city on my account. Will the men of Keilah
surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down as thy servant has heard? O
Lord, the God of Israel, I beseech thee, tell thy servant." And the Lord said, "He
will come down." Then said David, "Will the men of Keilah surrender me and my
men into the hand of Saul"? And the Lord said, "They will surrender you." Then
David and his men, who were about six hundred, arose and departed from Keilah,
and they went wherever they could go. When Saul was told that David was escaped
from Keilah, he gave up the expedition. And David remained in the strongholds in
the wilderness, in the hill country of the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him
every day, but God did not give him into his hand."
"Abiathar the son of Ahimelech ... came (to David) with an ephod in his hand" (1
Samuel 23:6). Scholars disagree as to the point in time when Abiathar came to
David. Willis placed their coming together here at Keilah.[4] Matthew Henry's
commentary supports Willis in this understanding of the passage;[5] however, Keil
wrote that, "The words `to David to Keilah' are not to be understood as signifying
that Abiathar did not come to David until he was in Keilah. What is meant is that,
`when he fled after David (1 Samuel 22:20), he met with him as he was already
preparing to march to the aid of Keilah and proceeded with David to Keilah.'"[6]
Of course, the International Critical Commentary would place 1 Samuel 23:6 at
some other place in the narrative.[7] This writer fails to see how the solution of this
question involves anything very important.
"Saul said, `God has given him into my hand'" (1 Samuel 23:7). "It is ironic that
Saul would think that God had delivered David into his hand, since Samuel had
declared to him emphatically that God had rejected him because of his sins (1
Samuel 13:13-14; 15:23,26)."[8]
It is a mark of Saul's paranoid hatred of David that, at the very moment, "When
Israel's king (Saul) should have been considering what honor and dignity should be
done to David for his deliverance of Keilah from the marauding band of the
23

24. Philistines, he caught at the situation as an opportunity for killing David. What an
ungrateful wretch Saul was!"[9]
"And the Lord said, `They will surrender you'" (1 Samuel 23:12). "The men of
Keilah," the people of whom the Lord here spoke, does not refer to the general
population of the place but to its leaders, elders or leaders. David doubtless enjoyed
widespread popularity with the people; but the leaders, through abject fear of the
murderous Saul, would have surrendered David at once rather than risk the
extermination of the whole city like that suffered by Nob.
In spite of David's tremendous popularity throughout Israel, there were many
situations like that at Keilah where there continued to be a residual loyalty to Saul.
"This chapter gives two instances in which the people would gladly have turned
David over to Saul."[10]
There seems to be some confusion in 1 Samuel 23:10-12 regarding the inquiring of
the Lord by means of the Urim and Thummim. We do not believe that any part of
these verses needs to be omitted or moved. Keil has an excellent explanation of them
just as they appear in the text.
It is evident that when the will of God was sought through the Urim and Thummim,
the person making the inquiry placed the matter before God in prayer and received
an answer, but always to one particular question only. David asked two questions in
1 Samuel 23:11, but received an answer to only one of them, so he had to ask the
first question a second time.[11]
"And David remained in the strongholds in the wilderness, in the hill country of the
Wilderness of Ziph" (1 Samuel 23:14). John Rea writes that, "Ziph was a town in
the hill country of Judah (Joshua 15:55), located five miles south southeast of
Hebron, sometimes identified as El Zif, which had a strategic position commanding
the desert. It was founded by Mesha, a son of Caleb (1 Chronicles 2:42, NEB). It was
near this place that David twice hid from Saul; and the citizens of this place twice
betrayed the secret of David's hiding place to Saul (1 Samuel 23:19; 26:1)."[12]
CONSTABLE, "Verses 6-14
David"s escape from Keilah
Abiathar had evidently remained in the forest of Hereth when David took his men to
attack the Philistines in Keilah (cf. 1 Samuel 22:20-23). Now the priest joined David
at Keilah ( 1 Samuel 23:6). The presence of the ephod made it possible for David to
continue to obtain guidance from the Lord in answer to his prayers.
Saul piously claimed that God had delivered David into his hands ( 1 Samuel 23:7).
Obviously God had not done this since David was the Lord"s anointed king-elect.
God did not want Saul to hunt him down, much less kill him. Keilah evidently had
24

25. only one gate by which people could enter and exit the town. Saul felt confident that
he could control the gate and so trap David.
Saul summoned soldiers to accompany him to Keilah ( 1 Samuel 23:7), but there is
no mention that he prayed for divine guidance as David had done ( 1 Samuel 23:2; 1
Samuel 23:4). David prayed again and requested answers to two questions ( 1
Samuel 23:10-11). He opened and closed his prayer with an appeal to the "LORD
God of Israel," the ultimate ruler of His people. He also described himself as the
Lord"s "servant" twice. David voiced concern for his men ( 1 Samuel 23:12) as well
as for himself ( 1 Samuel 23:11). God gave the answer to David"s second question
first, and then He answered his first question.
The willingness of the people of Keilah to hand their savior over to Saul
demonstrates base ingratitude for David"s deliverance of them. It also reveals how
fearful they were of Saul who had recently destroyed another town, Nob, for
harboring David ( 1 Samuel 22:19).
David left Keilah after he learned that he would be vulnerable if he stayed there ( 1
Samuel 23:13). He did not take revenge on the citizens of Keilah for telling Saul
where he was. Saul had taken revenge on the citizens of Nob for not telling him
where David was. The number of David"s supporters had grown from400 ( 1
Samuel 22:2) to600. More people were siding with David and were turning from
Saul. Saul abandoned his plans to attack Keilah, and David moved on to the
wilderness near Ziph.
HAWKER, "(6) And it came to pass, when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to
David to Keilah, that he came down with an ephod in his hand.
It was no inconsiderable token this neither of the same favour, in that the priest
brought with him the ephod into the wilderness: for, as David was cut off from the
house of the Lord, it was pleasing, and especially in those days, to have the symbols
of his worship. The Urim and the Thummim were in the ephod: and David, no
doubt, considered them as lights and perfections to instruct him. But, Reader, do
not overlook our superior privileges. We need no more the Urim, nor the Thummim,
the ephod, nor the altar, In Christ we have all: he is the sum and substance, of
which those symbols were the shadow and figure. Oh! precious Jesus! be thou my
High Priest, my Ephod, my Urim and Thummim, both Altar and Sacrifice. On thee
would I offer up all my poor offerings; and from thee receive all I need.
LANGE, "1 Samuel 23:6 is a supplementary historical explanation relative to the
possibility of the inquiry of the Lord in 1 Samuel 23:2-3, which was not possible
without the high-priestly cape or ephod to which was attached the Urim and
Thummim. The main point is that, when Abiathar fled from Saul to David, he
brought with him the high-priestly dress from Nob. But it was before this time that
Abiathar came to David; he came as fugitive ( 1 Samuel 22:20) before David went to
Keilah, for before this David inquired of the Lord through the high-priestly oracle.
25

26. Accordingly, the remark: “when Abiathar fled to David to Keilah” is an indefinite
statement, in which Keilah is by anticipation put as the first goal of his flight. The
Sept. correctly explains: “When Abiathar, the son of Ahitub, fled to David, the
ephod was in his hand, and he had gone down with David to Keilah, the ephod in his
hand.” [Dr. Erdmann here gives not the reading of the Sept, but the Hebrew text as
amended by Thenius after the Sept.; the Greek text, however does imply that
Abiathar had come to Keilah with David, having fled to him before. Thenius’
amended Heb. text would indicate the back reference of this statement in 1 Samuel
23:6; but the present Heb. text naturally means that it was at Keilah that Abiathar
first came to David, and so it is understood by Ewald, Stanley and the Bible
Commentary. In 1 Samuel 22:20-23 it is not said where or when the priest reached
David, and the statement may be an anticipatory conclusion of the narrative of the
massacre, the intermediate fact 1 Samuel 23:1-5 being then taken up with its
consequent procedures. Ewald also remarks that the account of the inquiry in 1
Samuel 23:2-3 is differently worded from that in 1 Samuel 23:9-12; the former may
have been by the prophet Gad, against which, however, as Erdmann remarks, is the
use of the phrase “inquire of the Lord,” which regularly refers to the sacred
oracle.—On the whole, if we retain the Heb. text of 1 Samuel 23:6, we must hold
that Abiathar joined David after the rescue of Keilah; but a slight change in the
text[FN23] (which seems to be corrupt) will permit us to adopt the view of Thenius,
Keil, Philippson, and Erdmann, which is in other respects more satisfactory. This
latter is also the view of Wordsworth, while Bp. Patrick adopts the other (referring
to the employment of Urim and Thummim by Saul 1 Samuel 28:6, on which see
Erdmann), but neither of these writers mentions the difficulties of the question.—
Tr.].
Criswell, “You remember the tabernacle was at Nob, a little town named Nob. And
86 priests served before God at the altar in the little town of Nob. And you
remember because of the fury of Saul, Saul slew every one of the priests, except
Abiathar, who escaped. And he slew the families of all the priests. And he burned
the town. And he plowed it up. And Abiathar was the only priest that escaped. And
Abiathar came to David. And David was doubly glad to receive him because
Abiathar held in his hand the sacred ephod that he had retrieved out of the burning
and the slaughter and the sacking of Nob.
Now, for a look at that ephod. Not only did David have the prophet Gad to tell him
the word of the Lord, but when Abiathar brought the sacred ephod, he had also a
sure access to God through Urim and Thummim.
Now, for us to understand that, I want you to look for a moment at the dress of the
high priests. The high priest wore an inner garment made out of white linen. And
above the inner garment he wore a robe made out of pure blue. And then, over the
robe of pure blue he wore the sacred ephod. It was a garment that was beautifully
and curiously wrought. It was made out of white, fine twine linen. And in wrought,
were colors of blue and scarlet and purple and gold.
And affixed to the sacred ephod was the sacred breastplate that had in it 12 precious
stones. And on the stones, the names of the 12 tribes of Israel. And curiously, in
26

27. wrought and attached to that sacred breastplate, were two glorious, resplendent
white diamonds. And those stones were called Urim and Thummim, the intensive
plural for light and perfection.
And whenever one sought to know the mind of God, with the high priest, Abiathar,
here, and with that sacred ephod, Urim and Thummim inquiry could be made of the
will of God. And God would answer through Urim and Thummim. How did God
answer through those resplendent, iridescent, beautiful gems? Nobody knows.
When Josephus wrote his history he spoke of it, but it was lost of him. Josephus had
suggested that when the answer was yes, those diamonds glowed in splendor and in
glory. And when the answer was no, the diamonds dimmed in their color and their
light. But many of the things that were revealed through Urim and Thummim were
not yes and no, they were long directives for David.
The Talmud says that the way Urim and Thummim answered was by lighting up
the different letters in the Hebrew alphabet that were written upon the stones of the
breastplate, and the name of Jehovah that was written on Urim and Thummim. But
all of those things are farfetched and they are human guesses. Nobody knows, nor
shall we ever know until we see David or Abiathar and ask face-to-face.
7 Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah,
and he said, "God has handed him over to me, for
David has imprisoned himself by entering a town
with gates and bars."
GILL, "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,
27

28. he imagined he would not be able to get out, and escape his hands.
HENRY, "Here is, I. Saul contriving within himself the destruction of
David (1Sa_23:7, 1Sa_23:8): He heard that he had come to Keilah; and did
he not hear what brought him thither? Was it not told him that he had
bravely relieved Keilah and delivered it out of the hands of the Philistines?
This, one would think, should have put Saul upon considering what honour
and dignity should be done to David for this. But, instead of that, he catches
at it as an opportunity of doing David a mischief. An ungrateful wretch he
was, and for ever unworthy to have any service or kindness done him. Well
might David complain of his enemies that they rewarded him evil for good,
and that for his love they ere his adversaries, Psa_35:12; Psa_109:4. Christ
was used thus basely, Joh_10:32. Now observe, 1. How Saul abused the God
of Israel, in making his providence to patronise and give countenance to his
malicious designs, and thence promising himself success in them: God hath
delivered him into my hand; as if he who was rejected of God were in this
instance owned and favoured by him, and David infatuated. He vainly
triumphs before the victory, forgetting how often he had had fairer
advantages against David than he had now and had yet missed his aim. He
impiously connects God with his cause, because he thought he had gained
one point. Therefore David prays (Psa_140:8), Grant not, O Lord! the
desires of the wicked; further not his wicked device, lest they exalt
themselves. We must not think that one smiling providence either justifies
an unrighteous cause or secures its success. 2. How Saul abused the Israel
of God, in making them the servants of his malice against David. He called
all the people together to war, and they must with all speed march to Keilah,
pretending to oppose the Philistines, but intending to besiege David and his
men, though concealing that design; for it is said (1Sa_23:9) that he secretly
practised mischief against him. Miserable is that people whose prince is a
tyrant, for, while some are sufferers by his tyranny, others (which is worse)
are made servants to it and instruments of it.
JAMISON, "1Sa_23:7-13. Saul’s coming, and treachery of the Keilites.
it was told Saul that David was come to Keilah — Saul imagined himself
now certain of his victim, who would be hemmed within a fortified town.
The wish was father to the thought. How wonderfully slow and unwilling to
be convinced by all his experience, that the special protection of Providence
shielded David from all his snares!
K&D, "1Sa_23:7-9
As soon as Saul received intelligence of David's march to Keilah, he said,
“God has rejected him (and delivered him) into my hand.” ‫ר‬ ַ‫כּ‬ִ‫נ‬ does not
mean simply to look at, but also to find strange, and treat as strange, and
then absolutely to reject (Jer_19:4, as in the Arabic in the fourth
conjugation). This is the meaning here, where the construction with ‫י‬ ִ‫ָד‬‫י‬ ְ‫בּ‬ is
to be understood as a pregnant expression: “rejection and delivered into
my hand” (vid., Ges. Lex. s. v.). The early translators have rendered it quite
28

29. correctly according to the sense ‫ר‬ ַ‫כ‬ ָ‫,מ‬ πέπρακεν, tradidit, without there being
any reason to suppose that they read ‫ר‬ ַ‫כ‬ ָ‫מ‬ instead of ‫ר‬ ַ‫כּ‬ִ‫.נ‬ “For he hath shut
himself in, to come (= coming, or by coming) into a city with gates and
bolts.”
BENSON, "1 Samuel 23:7. Saul said, God hath delivered him into my hand —
David, who judged of other men’s generosity by his own, hoped he should be
protected in Keilah; and Saul, who judged in the same manner of their baseness,
believed he should not; and therefore he rejoiced upon receiving the news of David’s
being shut up there, persuaded he should now get possession of his person. But it
was strange he should imagine that God had taken measures to bring an innocent
and pious man into his power, who was a contemner of God, a breaker of his
commandments, and one that trampled on all laws, human and divine.
ELLICOTT, "(7) God hath delivered him into mine hand.—There was little chance,
Saul knew, of his being able to capture or slay his foe when he was roaming at large
through the desert and forests which lay to the south of Palestine, and which
stretched far southward beyond the reach of any armed force that he could collect;
but there was a hope of being able to compass his enemy’s destruction, either
through treachery or a hand-to-hand encounter, in a confined space like a city with
bars and gates, such as Keilah. Saul and his counsellors knew too well whom they
had to deal with in the case of the citizens of that faithless, thankless city. It is
strange, after all that had passed, that Saul could delude himself that his cause was
the cause of God, and that David was the reprobate and rejected. The Hebrew word
here is remarkable: God hath “repudiated or rejected him.” The LXX. renders
“sold him” (into my hands).
HAWKER, "(7) ¶ And it was told Saul that David was come to Keilah. And Saul
said, God hath delivered him into mine hand; for he is shut in, by entering into a
town that hath gates and bars.
I beg the Reader, through the whole history of Saul, to mark with me the progress of
sin. He is arrived to that degree of ripeness in iniquity, that now he hath not only
thrown off the mask in openly persecuting David, but he dares to join God himself
with him as engaged in his cause. Thus, Reader, the apostle tells us, that evil men
and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. 2 Timothy
3:13.
LANGE, "1 Samuel 23:7. On hearing of David’s march to Keilah, Saul imagines
that God has given him into his hands. He thinks that he will act as an instrument of
the Lord against David. His reason therefor is indeed external and superficial
enough: “for he is there shut in in a city with gates and bars.” (‫כַּר‬ִ‫נ‬ in pregnant sense
= “look at, ignore, Deuteronomy 32:27, despise, reject,” Jeremiah 19:4); into my
hands [Heb. hand], that Isaiah, he hath given him, by abandoning and rejecting
29

30. him. By blinding and self-deception Saul has fallen into the dreadful illusion that it
is David, instead of himself, that is rejected by God.—The difficulty of the pregnant
expression [God has rejected him into my hands] no doubt occasioned the change in
the Sept. to “sold.”—For he is shut in in entering.[FN24] The fact that David has
entered or been drawn into this city with gates and bars, Saul thinks equivalent to
his being shut in.
8 And Saul called up all his forces for battle, to go
down to Keilah to besiege David and his men.
CLARKE, "Saul called all the people together - That is, all the people of
that region or district, that they might scour the country, and hunt out
David from all his haunts.
GILL, "1 Samuel 23:8
And Saul called all the people together to war,.... Or "caused them to hear"
(m) 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.
JAMISON, "Saul called all the people together to war — not the united
tribes of Israel, but the inhabitants of the adjoining districts. This force was
raised, probably, on the ostensible pretext of opposing the Philistines,
while, in reality, it was secretly to arouse mischief against David.
HAWKER, "Verse 8-9
(8) And Saul called all the people together to war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege
David and his men. (9) And David knew that Saul secretly practised mischief
against him; and he said to Abiathar the priest, Bring hither the ephod.
30

31. This furnisheth an interesting view of David. In his distress, what doth he do? He
doth not take counsel of his friends: he doth not engage anything upon his own
strength; but he flies to the Lord: bring hither the ephod. Reader, let us, in all our
lesser trials, adopt the same. Whither shall the exercised go with their troubles, but
to the Lord? Bring hither, I would say, God's word, and let me seek counsel there!
Oh! it is a very high privilege to have a God in Christ to go to, who is engaged in
covenant to deliver his people; and when more likely than when they call upon him?
LANGE, " 1 Samuel 23:8. And Saul caused the whole people to hear, summoned
them to war (comp. 1 Samuel 15:4). Such summons to war was a royal right. The
reason assigned to the people for the summons was to drive out the Philistines.
Saul’s real purpose, which he could the more easily conceal under this pretext of
war on the Philistines, was: to besiege David and his men, who were already in
Keilah, the city with gates and bars.
[The “secretly” of Eng. A. V. is to be omitted.—Tr.]. This gives David occasion again
to consult the divine oracle. Bring hither the ephod, said he to Abiathar (comp. 1
Samuel 14:13; 1 Samuel 30:7). The high-priestly dress had to be brought, because it
was the sacred dress for official duties.
9 When David learned that Saul was plotting
against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, "Bring
the ephod."
CLARKE, "Bring hither the ephod - It seems as if David himself, clothed
with the ephod, had consulted the Lord; and 1Sa_23:10-12 contain the
words of the consultation, and the Lord’s answer. But see on 1Sa_23:2
(note).
GILL, "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:
31

32. 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.
HENRY, "David consulting with God concerning his own preservation. He
knew by the information bought him that Saul was plotting his ruin (1Sa_
23:9) and therefore applied to his great protector for direction. No sooner is
the ephod brought to him than he makes use of it: Bring hither the ephod.
We have the scriptures, those lively oracles, in our hands; let us take advice
from them in doubtful cases. “Bring hither the Bible.”
JAMISON, "he said to Abiathar the priest, Bring hither the ephod — The
consultation was made, and the prayer uttered, by means of the priest. The
alternative conditions here described have often been referred to as
illustrating the doctrine of God’s foreknowledge and preordination of
events.
PULPIT, "1Sa_23:9-13
Saul secretly practised mischief. This phrase is correctly translated "devised evil" in
Pro_3:29; Pro_14:22. There is no idea of secrecy in the Hebrew verb, which literally
means "to work in metals," "to forge." Saul’s purpose was open enough, and when
David heard of it he tells Abiathar to bring the ephod, and then offers earnest
prayer to God for counsel and advice. In his prayer his two questions are put
inversely to the logical order, but in accordance with their relative importance in
David’s mind, and no ground exists for altering the text. But when the ephod was
brought forward the questions were of course put in their logical sequence. To the
first question, "Will Saul come down to besiege Keilah?" the answer was, "He will."
To the second, "Will the citizens of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of
Saul?" the answer also was, "They will. Whereupon he and his followers, now
increased to 600 men, withdrew, and went whithersoever they could go. Literally.
"they went about whither they went about," i.e. without any fixed plan, as chance or
their necessities dictated. As David was once again at large, Saul had no longer any
reason for besieging Keilah, especially as its citizens had preferred his side, as that
of the more powerful, to gratitude for the safety of their lives and property.
BENSON, "1 Samuel 23:9-11. Bring hither the ephod — Which, doubtless, Abiathar
put on; otherwise he could not have inquired of the Lord by it. The Lord said, He
will come down — He purposeth to come if thou continue here. For still both
David’s question and God’s answer are conditional, upon supposition. As David’s
being there was the only motive for Saul’s coming, so, if he departed, Saul could
have no inducement to come. And accordingly we find he laid aside his design so
soon as he was informed that David had escaped. It seems probable from this place
that God’s answer by Urim and Thummim was not by any change in the colour or
situation of the precious stones in the breast-plate of the ephod, but by a voice or
32

33. suggestion from God to the high-priest.
ELLICOTT, "Verse 9
(9) Secretly practised mischief.—The idea of secrecy suggested in the English
translation does not appear in the Hebrew; the accurate rendering would be, “was
forging, or devising.” It is likely enough that Jonathan contrived to keep his friend
informed of these Court plots against him.
Bring hither the ephod.—It is quite clear that a different method of enquiry was
used by David on this occasion. In 1 Samuel 23:3-4 it is merely stated that he
enquired of the Lord; here at Keilah his enquiry was prefaced, in 1 Samuel 23:6, by
a definite statement that Abiathar the priest, with the ephod, had arrived here
before he asked the question of God. The history tells us he directed Abiathar the
priest to “bring hither the ephod,” thus pointedly connecting the enquiry in some
way with the ephod. In this ephod were set twelve precious stones, one for each of
the twelve tribes. The names of the tribes were engraved on these gems, the Rabbis
tell us, along with some other sacred words. On important solemn occasions—it
seems perfectly certain during a considerable time—that these stones were allowed
by the providence of God, who worked so many marvels for His people, to be used
as oracles. It has been already stated that according to a most ancient tradition the
use of the sacred gems was restricted to the high priest, who could only call out the
supernatural power at the bidding of the king or the head of the State for the time
being (such an one as Joshua, for instance). The Divine response given by the sacred
gems seems to have been the visible response to earnest, faithful prayer.
The common belief is that the ephod stones gave their answer to the royal and high
priestly questions by some peculiar shining. But a passage (quoted at length in the
Excursus M on the Urim and Thummim at the end of this Book) from the
Babylonian Talmud (Treatise Yoma)—apparently little known—tells us that the
Rabbis had two other explanations traditionally handed down from the days when
the ephod and its holy gemmed breastplate was questioned on solemn occasions by
the high priest.
GUZIK, "(1Sa_23:9-13) David escapes from Keliah.
When David knew that Saul plotted evil against him, he said to Abiathar
the priest, “Bring the ephod here.” 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. 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.” 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.” 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.
33

34. a. Bring the ephod here: David was in a bad place, and he was in a bad
place because the LORD led him there. Some might be angry with the
LORD, and even give a “I told You this would happen!” to God.
Instead, David did the right thing - he inquired of the LORD again!
i. “Here is a second inquiry. God loveth to be often sought unto by
his praying people (Luk_18:1), and the therefore answereth them
by degrees, that he may frequently hear from them.” (Trapp)
b. He will come down . . . They will deliver you: This is another
example of David seeking God through the priest using the Urim and
Thummim. Notice how the questions are presented in a “Yes or No”
format, because that is how the Urim and Thummim were used.
i. They will deliver you: Why would the people of Keliah betray the
man who just saved their city? No doubt, they heard of Saul’s
brutal massacre of the priests (1Sa_22:16-19), so they knew Saul
would stop at nothing to kill David. David knew this also (Saul
seeks to come to Keliah to destroy the city of my sake).
ii. “They look upon Nob so lately razed and harassed, and fear to
fare accordingly.” (Trapp)
iii. Was this word of the LORD demonstrated to be false? Not at
all. Obviously, the word of the Lord to David was true depending
on David’s actions. If David would have stayed in Keliah, the word
would have surely come to pass. “We may observe from this that,
however positive a declaration of God may appear that refers to
any thing in which man is to be employed, the prediction is not
intended to suspend or destroy free agency, but always
comprehends it in some particular condition.” (Clarke)
c. So David and his men . . . arose and departed from Keliah: David
could have stood and fought, and there was something in him that
probably wanted to. But David knew that it was not of the LORD, and
that a lot of innocent people would get hurt in the battle. So David,
who was a great warrior, humbled himself and escaped. David was
not the kind of man to sneak away from a battle, but he didn’t let his
pride get the best of him in this matter.
i. Saul . . . halted the expedition: David’s humble heart saved the
city of Keliah. In this, he shows the same heart as the greater Son
of David, Jesus, who through His humble action spared us against
not only Satan, but against the righteous judgment of God. Saul
directed his attack against David instead of Keliah, and so did God
pour out His judgment on Jesus, the Son of David, instead of us.
10 David said, "O LORD , God of Israel, your
34

35. servant has heard definitely that Saul plans to
come to Keilah and destroy the town on account
of me.
GILL, "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.
HENRY, " David's address to God upon this occasion is, (1.) Very solemn
and reverent. Twice he calls God the Lord God of Israel, and thrice calls
himself his servant, 1Sa_23:10, 1Sa_23:11. Those that address God must
know their distance, and who they are speaking to. (2.) Very particular and
express. His representation of the case is so (1Sa_23:10): “Thy servant has
certainly heard on good authority” (for he would not call for the ephod upon
every idle rumour) “that Saul has a design upon Keilah;” he does not say,
“to destroy me,” but, “to destroy the city” (as he had lately done the city of
Nob) “for my sake.” He seems more solicitous for their safety than for his
own, and will expose himself any where rather than they shall be brought
into trouble by his being among them. Generous souls are thus minded. His
queries upon the case are likewise very particular. God allows us to be so in
our addresses to him: “Lord, direct me in this matter, about which I am now
at a loss.” He does indeed invert the due order of his queries, but God in his
answer puts him into method. That question should have been put first, and
was first answered, “Will Saul come down, as thy servant has heard?”
“Yea,” says the oracle, “he will come down; he has resolved it, is preparing
for it, and will do it, unless he hear that thou hast quitted the town.” “Well,
but if he do come down will the men of Keilah stand by me in holding the
city against him, or will they open to him the gates, and deliver me into his
hand?” If he had asked the men (the magistrates or elders) of Keilah
themselves what they would do in that case, they could not have told him,
not knowing their own minds, nor what they should do when it came to the
trial, much less which way the superior vote of their council would carry it;
or they might have told him they would protect him, and yet afterwards
have betrayed him; but God could tell him infallibly: “When Saul besieges
35

36. their city, and demands of them that they surrender thee into his hands,
how fond soever they now seem of thee, as their saviour, they will deliver
thee up rather than stand the shock of Saul's fury.” Note, [1.] God knows all
men better than they know themselves, knows their length, their strength,
what is in them, and what they will do if they come into such and such
circumstances. [2.] He therefore knows not only what will be, but what
would be if it were not prevented; and therefore knows how to deliver the
godly out of temptation, and how to render to every man according to his
works.
HAWKER, "Verses 10-13
(10) Then said David, O LORD God of Israel, thy servant hath certainly heard that
Saul seeketh to come to Keilah, to destroy the city for my sake. (11) Will the men of
Keilah deliver me up into his hand? will Saul come down, as thy servant hath
heard? O LORD God of Israel, I beseech thee, tell thy servant. And the LORD said,
He will come down. (12) Then said David, Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my
men into the hand of Saul? And the LORD said, They will deliver thee up. (13) Then
David and his men, which were about six hundred, arose and departed out of
Keilah, and went whithersoever they could go. And it was told Saul that David was
escaped from Keilah; and he forbare to go forth.
The enquiry of David, and the Lord's answers, were suited to his present
circumstances. It was not that Saul would come down, but that it was his intention
to come down; and, therefore, it implied the necessity of David's departure. The
Lord is graciously pleased to furnish out suitable providences, when such things wilt
answer his blessed purpose, without stepping out of the ordinary way, to deliver his
servants.
LANGE, " 1 Samuel 23:10. This inquiry of the Lord by the ephod was connected
with outspoken prayer, whereby is indicated the innermost kernel and most
essential significance of this questioning of the divine oracle. In the invocation of
God there is here to be noted1) the designation of the covenant-God as the God of
Israel, and2) David’s avowal that he is the servant of this God, in whose service he
knew himself to be. The reason for his questions is given in the words: I, thy
servant, have heard that Saul seeks to come, etc.
11 Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me to
him? Will Saul come down, as your servant has
heard? O LORD , God of Israel, tell your
36

37. servant."
And the LORD said, "He will."
CLARKE, "In these verses we find the following questions and answers: -
David said, Will Saul come down to Keilah? And the Lord said, He will come
down. Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul?
And the Lord said, They will deliver thee up. In this short history we find an
ample proof that there is such a thing as contingency in human affairs; that
is, God has poised many things between a possibility of being and not being,
leaving it to the will of the creature to turn the scale. In the above answers of
the Lord the following conditions were evidently implied: - If thou continue
in Keilah, Saul will certainly come down; and If Saul come down, the men of
Keilah will deliver thee into his hands. Now though the text positively
asserts that Saul would come to Keilah, yet he did not come; and that the
men of Keilah would deliver David into his hand, yet David was not thus
delivered to him. And why? Because David left Keilah; but had he stayed,
Saul would have come down, and the men of Keilah would have betrayed
David. We may observe from this that, however positive a declaration of
God may appear that refers to any thing in which man is to be employed, the
prediction is not intended to suspend or destroy free agency, but always
comprehends in it some particular condition.
GILL, "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 Jews (n) 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.
HENRY, " Note, [1.] God knows all men better than they know themselves,
37

38. knows their length, their strength, what is in them, and what they will do if
they come into such and such circumstances. [2.] He therefore knows not
only what will be, but what would be if it were not prevented; and therefore
knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation, and how to render to
every man according to his works.
K&D 11-12, "In these verses we find the following questions and answers: -
David said, Will Saul come down to Keilah? And the Lord said, He will come
down. Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul?
And the Lord said, They will deliver thee up. In this short history we find an
ample proof that there is such a thing as contingency in human affairs; that
is, God has poised many things between a possibility of being and not being,
leaving it to the will of the creature to turn the scale. In the above answers of
the Lord the following conditions were evidently implied: - If thou continue
in Keilah, Saul will certainly come down; and If Saul come down, the men of
Keilah will deliver thee into his hands. Now though the text positively
asserts that Saul would come to Keilah, yet he did not come; and that the
men of Keilah would deliver David into his hand, yet David was not thus
delivered to him. And why? Because David left Keilah; but had he stayed,
Saul would have come down, and the men of Keilah would have betrayed
David. We may observe from this that, however positive a declaration of
God may appear that refers to any thing in which man is to be employed, the
prediction is not intended to suspend or destroy free agency, but always
comprehends in it some particular condition.
ELLICOTT, " (11) Will the men of Keilah deliver me up into his hand? will Saul
come down, as thy servant hath heard?—There is a curious inversion of David’s
questions here. In their logical sequence, of course the second, respecting Saul’s
coming down, should have been put first, for the men of Keilah could not have
delivered him into Saul’s hands if Saul had not come down. Dean Payne Smith
suggests that in David’s earnest prayer “his two questions are put inversely to the
logical order, but in accordance with the relative importance in his mind.” The
Dean thinks “that when the ephod was brought forward, the questions were of
course put, and replied to in their logical sequence.
“And the Lord said, He will come down.”
“ And the Lord said, They will deliver thee up.”
Thus the answer of the Urim and Thummin was given to the questions in their
logical order. The Talmud has an interesting comment here. In consulting the Urim
and Thummim, the enquirer is not to ask about two things at a time, for if he does,
he will be answered about one only, and only about the one he first uttered, as it is
said (1 Samuel 23:11-12). David asked first “Will the men of Keilah deliver me into
his hands?” and then he asked also “Will Saul come down?” The answer was to the
second query. “And the Lord said He will come down.” But it has just been asserted
38

39. that the enquirer will be answered only about the one thing he first uttered. To this
it is replied, David framed his enquiry not in good order, but the reply of the Urim
and Thummim was as though the enquiry had been in proper order. Hence when
David became aware that his question had not been put properly, he repeated it
again in better order, as it has been said, “Then said David, Will the men of Keilah
deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul? And the Lord said, They will deliver
thee up.”—Treatise Yoma, fol. 73, Colossians 1.
LANGE, "1 Samuel 23:11. The two questions. The first is: Will the citizens of
Keilah deliver me into his hand?—“Citizens” (‫ק׳‬ ‫ֵי‬‫ל‬ֵ‫ﬠ‬ַ‫)ב‬ comp. Joshua 24:11,
“citizens” of Jericho, 2 Samuel 21:12; Judges 9:6. That this question stands first is
certainly surprising, since logically this position belongs to the second question: Will
Saul come down? We cannot regard this as a mere inconcinnity in the narrative. We
may see in it the expression of David’s excited state of mind. Thenius’ proposed
reading in order to secure logical arrangement in the two questions, namely: “Saul
comes … to destroy the city, in order that the citizens of Keilah may deliver me into
his hand” (he omits the suffix in ‫י‬ ִ‫ֲבוּר‬‫ﬠ‬ַ‫ב‬ in 1 Samuel 23:10 and for ‫י‬ִ‫נ‬ ֻ‫ר‬ִ‫נּ‬ ְ‫ַס‬‫י‬ֲ‫ה‬ reads
‫י‬ִ‫נ‬ ֻ‫ר‬ִ‫גּ‬ ְ‫ס‬ַ‫)ה‬ is all the more hazardous and untenable, as no version gives any hint for
such a reading.—The divine answer, which is affirmative, refers only to the second
question. Therefore the first question is repeated in 1 Samuel 23:12, and is then
answered in the affirmative. There is thus a sort of chiasm or crossing in the order
of the questions and answers. 1 Samuel 23:13. The certainty that Saul will come
with an army, and that the men of Keilah will treacherously deliver him up,[FN25]
determines David to depart with his band (about six hundred men) before Saul can
carry out his plan. They went about whither they went, “whither their way led
them” (Maurer), as chance circumstances required, without fixed plan or aim. A
mode of warfare by means of scouts and spies now arose between the two men. They
have precise information of each other’s plans and enterprises. Saul soon learns that
David has escaped from Keilah, and accordingly abandons his intended march
thither.
12 Again David asked, "Will the citizens of Keilah
surrender me and my men to Saul?"
And the LORD said, "They will."
And why not? In doing so they will be rewarded by Saul, and besides David isn't
39

40. even a real Jew. His great-grandmother was a Moabitess and his great-great-
grandmother was a Canaanitess.
BARNES, "The conduct of the men of Keilah would be like that of the men
of Judah to Samson their deliverer Jdg_15:10-13.
CLARKE, "In these verses we find the following questions and answers: -
David said, Will Saul come down to Keilah? And the Lord said, He will come
down. Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul?
And the Lord said, They will deliver thee up. In this short history we find an
ample proof that there is such a thing as contingency in human affairs; that
is, God has poised many things between a possibility of being and not being,
leaving it to the will of the creature to turn the scale. In the above answers of
the Lord the following conditions were evidently implied: - If thou continue
in Keilah, Saul will certainly come down; and If Saul come down, the men of
Keilah will deliver thee into his hands. Now though the text positively
asserts that Saul would come to Keilah, yet he did not come; and that the
men of Keilah would deliver David into his hand, yet David was not thus
delivered to him. And why? Because David left Keilah; but had he stayed,
Saul would have come down, and the men of Keilah would have betrayed
David. We may observe from this that, however positive a declaration of
God may appear that refers to any thing in which man is to be employed, the
prediction is not intended to suspend or destroy free agency, but always
comprehends in it some particular condition.
GILL, "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.
BENSON, "1 Samuel 23:12. The Lord said, They will deliver thee up — God saw
the base and cowardly disposition of the inhabitants of Keilah, who, though they
had been so lately delivered by David, yet would have given him up, had he stayed
among them, at the first appearance of Saul’s army coming against them. “And
here, methinks,” says Delaney, “is an event that will easily solve that hard question,
about the consistency of the divine prescience with human free-will. A good
politician, who was let into the course of Saul’s secret practices with the men of
Keilah, and had fair opportunities of sifting their dispositions upon the point, might
fairly pronounce upon the event; how much more, then, that all-seeing God, who
40

41. searcheth the secrets of the heart, and seeth the thoughts afar off — seeth them in all
their secret workings, tendencies, and temptations, and through all their mazes and
masks.” To explain this a little further: the inhabitants of Keilah acted freely, just as
their own hearts dictated to them; they were at liberty to behave faithfully to David,
had he stayed among them, as well as to betray him. God did not, therefore,
pronounce that they would deliver him up to Saul, because he had laid them under
any absolute necessity of so doing; but because he saw Saul’s secret designs, on the
one hand, and the secret workings of their minds, and their tendency to fear and
baseness, on the other. And, therefore, when David inquired of him, he pronounced,
They will deliver thee up. If any person could have known as much of their hearts as
God, he might have pronounced the same concerning them. It is, however, the
property of God only to see the secrets of the heart. And as this power in him
extends to every man that cometh into the world, as folly as it did to the people of
Keilah, we may easily conceive how God foreknows all the changes of events in this
world from the beginning to the end, though he leave the human mind to act of itself
freely; and only by his superintending wisdom directs all, to bring about his
gracious purposes, and to educe good from evil.
COKE, "1 Samuel 23:12. And the Lord said, They will deliver thee up— One would
imagine, that this extraordinary success, in the deliverance of so great a city, might
have secured David a safe retreat among the men of Keilah; but it was not so: such
is the nature of man; present dangers quickly obliterate past obligations. Gratitude
is without question a most lovely virtue, but too seldom lives in the extremes either
of adversity or success. It is like those fine colours which storms and sun-shine
equally deface. This is an event which, methinks, will easily solve that hard question
about the consistency of the divine prescience with human free-will. A good
politician, who was let into the course of Saul's secret practices with the men of
Keilah, and had fair opportunities of sifting their dispositions upon the point, might
fairly pronounce upon the event: how much more then that all-seeing GOD, who
searcheth the secrets of the heart, and seeth the thoughts afar off; seeth them in all
their secret workings, tendencies, and temptations, and through all their mazes and
masks. The treachery of the men of Keilah to David has given frequent occasion to
observe how much more honourable was the conduct of the Athenians to their
guardians, their orators, whom no threats could oblige them to give up to the
resentment of Alexander.
NISBET, "Verse 19
"Doth not David hide himself with us in strong holds?"— 1 Samuel 23:19.
A useful spiritual application of these words instantly suggests itself; still we are
simply on the ground of accommodation, and not on the ground of critical
exposition.—The great spiritual lesson is that the good man is always hidden in a
stronghold.—"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."—We
are to be hidden in the Rock of Ages.—We are not protected merely by the shadow
of some perishing substance; we are hidden under the wings of the Almighty.—The
41

42. Lord is our shield and buckler, our sword and our invincible defence.—There are
strongholds of faith, reason, experience; there are strongholds of history, of general
testimony on the part of Christian believers, and above all in our own consciousness
of the divine nearness and the divine ministry in our personal life.—We know in
whom we have believed, and we know that he is able to keep that which we have
committed to his charge.—It is in no poor hut that the Christian lives, but in the
very centre of the pavilion of God.—Our citizenship is in heaven: we seek a country
out of sight: we have bread to eat that the world knoweth not of.—They who take
the soul of the Christian captive must first overcome the Almightiness which guards
it.—Being assured that we are in a stronghold, let us be cautious how we adventure
out of it.—Imagination may tempt us, speculation may promise us glittering
rewards, foolish friends may implore us to come away and to range the larger
country and increase our experience of life and nature: all these temptations may be
addressed to us without any purpose of mischief: we should therefore so know
ourselves as to realise our weakness, and so far be assured of our need of divine help
as never to go beyond the limit which God has imposed upon us;—Let the soul say
morning by morning, "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh
my help: my help cometh even from the Lord, who hath made heaven and earth."—
We can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth us.—Our sufficiency is of
God.—All these promises are full of sacred and tender comfort, and were written
not to be looked upon with the eye of the body only but to be gazed upon with the
vision of the soul, until all that is most beautiful in them passes into the spirit and
becomes part of our manhood.—Whenever the enemy rises against us may we
remember that we are hidden in a stronghold; may we never live so loosely and
vainly as to give that enemy the impression that we can be found wandering alone in
any place at any hour; may our steadfastness and our zeal be such that we shall be
found evermore within the sacred and impregnable enclosure of the divine
sovereignty and protection.
BI, "Verse 12
1 Samuel 23:12
They will deliver thee up.
The men of Keilah
When first; introduced to us here, David is represented as being reduced to great
straits by the malignant hostility of Saul. But although David’s condition seems so
desperate, and Saul’s power so great--when an emergency arises, and the men of
Keilah find themselves in sore straits, it is not from Saul, the king after man’s own
heart, but from the despised David, that assistance comes. Let us try and picture to
ourselves the scene. The country folk are crowding into the little town by
hundredth. Their homesteads have been pillaged and burned, and they themselves
have only escaped with their lives. The ruthless Philistines have already stripped
some of them of everything they possess, and unless unlooked for help arrive there
42

43. seems no escape from the superior forces of the foe. They have taken refuge for the
moment in Keilah, but this temporary shelter affords them no real security. The
town is quite unprepared to stand a siege, or even to resist a vigorous assault. On
every face you can see sorrow and anxiety only too plainly printed. Suddenly
breathless messengers appear approaching the walls of the little city, and it is easy
to see that they are the bearers of good tidings. From lip to lip the good news
spreads, and all is summed up in a single word, and that word is David. Yes, it is
actually true; the conqueror of Goliath of Gath has once again put his life in his
hands, and wrought a great deliverance. The Philistines are utterly routed, and
Keilah is saved. Imagine if you can the feelings of the eager multitude at that
moment, as him good news spreads like wildfire amongst them. See yonder the old
men, the fathers of the city, are lifting up their hands to God, and pouring forth
praise; mothers are weeping for joy, and strong men have tears in their eyes as they
grasp each other’s hands in heartfelt gratulation. And have not some of us known
something of a similar feeling in the course of our own inner life? Was there not a
time when we woke up to find ourselves in terrible danger, and indeed were driven
to despair of helping ourselves, or escaping by our own futile strugglings out of the
hand of the destroyer. Robbed and injured, and threatened with still graver evils,
we found ourselves reduced to the sorest straits, and nothing that the world spirit
could do for us could relieve us from our misery or our peril. Some of you have
known something of all this in your own personal experience. And then there came
the moment of deliverance, when you were able to say, “I thank God through Jesus
Christ my Lord.” Not by a Miltonic conflict between winged combatants, not by any
display of divine omnipotence crushing down all opposition, but none the less by the
most sublime deed of heroism that ever was performed, deliverance came. Our
wistful gaze turned at last towards the cross of Calvary, and there we saw our battle
fought and won by Him whom man despised, whom the world crucified as a felon
outside the gate. A new and not less alarming peril arose, and one they had neither
foreseen nor even thought of in their first moments of joyous enthusiasm. It is heard
with feelings of consternation that the infuriated king is preparing to march upon
the ill-fated town, thus exposed to a new and not less terrible alarm. What was to be
done? Their manner towards David becomes cold and restrained, and soon, no
doubt, the rulers and elders of the town gather together in secret conclave to discuss
bow they were to deal with their former benefactor and friend. Meanwhile David
also is making the discovery of his new danger. He has received the information
from the Urim and Thummim, “Saul will certainly come down.” And the sacred
historian lets us into the secret cause of this hostile movement. On hearing of
David’s entry into Keilah, Saul had exclaimed, “God hath delivered him into my
hand,” etc. There is something very suggestive and instructive in all this. The
entrance of Christ into our nature offers Satan his opportunity, and you may
depend upon it he will use it. So soon as Jesus Christ is received into our hearts, and
when we have admitted His royal claim, or even begun to recognize Him as the
anointed Heir of all, the world will begin to marshal its forces against us; and the
great object of the prince of the world is to induce us to commit just such an act of
perfidy as Saul expected or desired from the men of Keilah. This much is sure, Saul
will certainly come down. This spirit of rancorous hatred which animated Saul
43

44. against David has been reproduced over and over again in the history of the
Christian Church. This moved the heathen of old in their persecution of the
primitive Christians; and those who confessed Christ in those days, and were true to
Him, knew well that in every city bonds and imprisonments, and perhaps even
torture and death, awaited them. And when persecution is not thus public and open,
it is often none the less cruel. I have known of fathers in affluent circumstances who
have threatened to cut their sons off with a shilling if they did not give up their
religion, and who have proved as good as their word. Amongst our friends in our
home circle, in society, in the workshop, in the regiment, on sea or land, they who
are true to their divine Master are exposed to the bitter animosity and relentless
persecution of the world. And let us remember that the persecution that takes the
form of ribald scorn or refined contempt is less easily tolerated by many natures
than more violent measures of persecution. To return to the men of Keilah, whom
we left in solemn conclave assembled to consider this new danger, and how it was to
be met. I fancy I can see one shrewd and keen-looking old man rising up amongst
his neighbours go give his view of the matter--a sort of moral anticipation of the
counsel of Caiaphas. “It is a very simple and a very practical question that we are
about to decide, my friends, and I will put it thus in a single sentence: Is one man to
perish, or the city? That is the question in its naked simplicity. Some will, I dare say,
talk very sentimentally of the brave thing David has done, and of the debt of
gratitude we owe him. Well, that may be all very fine as a matter of sentiment; but
this is a business meeting, and our wisdom will lie in taking a calm, dispassionate,
business-like view of the matter. We have, of course, to consider our own interests.
We are in a work-a-day sort of world, and we must regard everything from a
business point of view. Three courses are open to tin. Either to fight David’s battle,
and share David’s fate, sacrificing our lives, or flying with him to the mountains of
the wild goats, leaving our city to be spared by the conqueror. Our next course is to
give David a word of warning, and tell him at our dilemma. That may seem a right
thing to do; but if Saul known that we have done it we shall bring down his
indignation on our heads, and the probability is that he will vent his fury on the men
of Keilah; so that our case will be just as bad as it would be if David were within our
walls. The third course, and to my mind it is the only sensible one, is to make up our
mind that when the time comes we will deliver David up to his master, and to
intimate this our intention at once to Saul. Whatever may come of this, the
responsibility will be with Saul, and not with us; we shall only have acted as our
circumstances compelled us to do. Of course we are very sorry for David, and of
course we all feel profound regret at having to treat a man so, who has been very
useful to us. But then, you know, as I have said, we must consider ourselves. This is
our only chance of safety, and we must make the most of it. We may not like doing
it, but we all have to do a great many things that we don’t like. And while they are
thus deliberating, there is David alone with God and his priest. The ephod is
brought out, and the enquiry is made, “Will Saul come down?” and the answer is,
“He will come down.” David’s heart sinks within him. “O Lord!” he asks a second
time, “will the men of Keilah deliver me up and my men into the hands of Saul?”
And from the mystic breastplate the inexorable answer is returned, “They will
deliver thee up.” I wonder if that was the moment when David said in his haste, “All
44

45. men are liars.” At any rate, I do not suppose he ever entertained a lower estimate of
humanity than at that moment. These fervent thanks, expressed with so much
emotion, were only empty breath after all. What a miserable world it is! Honour
and manliness seem vanished from it, and truth has sped her flight. It must have
been a sad moment; and which of us would not have felt for him? But stay. Have we
no similar feelings for another “Man of Sorrows, and acquainted with grief;”
another, to whom we ourselves owe far more than the men of Keilah ever owed to
David? It comes to pass that not a few Christians who have once known something
of the great deliverance, and rejoiced in God’s salvation, prove false to their Master
in the hour of trial, that they may escape the world’s hostility. They throw open the
gates of Mansoul to the world, and so betray their Master into the hands of His foe
by betraying His cause. You may be sure that the first care of the world spirit when
thus invited to enter and take possession of our nature will be, so to speak, to
assassinate his rival, and Christ will desert the desecrated fane, and leave the soul to
its new false friends. (W. Aitken, M. A.)
13 So David and his men, about six hundred in
number, left Keilah and kept moving from place
to place. When Saul was told that David had
escaped from Keilah, he did not go there.
GILL, "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, 1Sa_
22:1, and upon his relief of Keilah, 1Sa_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
45

46. Keilah,
HENRY, "David, having thus far notice given him of his danger, quitted
Keilah, 1Sa_23:13. His followers had now increased in number to 600; with
these he went out, not knowing whither he went, but resolving to follow
Providence and put himself under its protection. This broke Saul's
measures. He thought God had delivered David into his hand, but it proved
that God delivered him out of his hand, as a bird out of the snare of the
fowler. When Saul heard that David had escaped from Keilah, he forbore to
go forth with the body of the army, as he intended (1Sa_23:8), and resolved
to take only his own guards, and go in quest of his people's enemies and
turn their counsels head-long.
K&D, "1Sa_23:13
“They went whithersoever they could go” (lit. “they wandered about
where they wandered about”), i.e., wherever they could go without danger.
BENSON, "1 Samuel 23:13-14. Which were about six hundred — His forces were
increased two hundred since his famous victory over the Philistines at Keilah.
Whithersoever they could go — To the first convenient place of safety to which a
way lay open. In the wilderness of Ziph — A mountainous wilderness, within the
precincts of the tribe of Judah, and upon the confines of Edom, Joshua 15:2. It was
not far from Maon and Carmel, 1 Samuel 23:25, 1 Samuel 25:5. God delivered him
not into his hand — Saul confidently pronounced, when he found David had entered
into Keilah, that God had delivered him into his hand. And, therefore, to show the
vanity of that ill-grounded confidence, the sacred writer makes use of the very same
expression reversed, and declares God delivered him not into his hand, though Saul
sought him every day.
14 David stayed in the desert strongholds and in
the hills of the Desert of Ziph. Day after day Saul
searched for him, but God did not give David into
his hands.
BARNES, "Ziph is placed between Hebron and En-gedi (marginal
references). (The “wood” 1Sa_23:15 is by Conder taken as a proper name,
46

47. “Cheresh,” and identified with Khoreisa.)
CLARKE, "Wilderness of Ziph - Ziph was a city in the southern part of
Judea, not far from Carmel.
GILL, "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 Jos_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.
HENRY, "Here is, I. David absconding. He abode in a wilderness, in a
mountain (1Sa_23:14), in a wood, 1Sa_23:15. We must here, 1. Commend
his eminent virtues, his humility, modesty, fidelity to his prince, and patient
attendance on the providence of his God, that he did not draw up his forces
against Saul, fight him in the field, or surprise him by some stratagem or
other, and so avenge his own quarrel and that of the Lord's priests upon
him, and put an end to his own troubles and the calamities of the country
under Saul's tyrannical government. No, he makes no such attempt; he
keeps God's way, waits God's time, and is content to secure himself in woods
and wildernesses, though with some it might seem a reproach to that
courage for which he had been famous. But, 2. We must also lament his
hard fate, that an innocent man should be thus terrified and put in fear of
his life, that a man of honour should be thus disgraced, a man of merit thus
recompensed for his services, and a man that delighted in the service both
of God and his country should be debarred from both and wrapped up in
obscurity. What shall we say to this? Let it make us think the worse of this
world, which often gives such bad treatment to its best men; let it reconcile
even great and active men to privacy and restraint, if Providence make
these their lot, for they were David's; and let it make us long for that
kingdom where goodness shall for ever be in glory and holiness in honour,
and the righteous shall shine as the sun, which cannot be put under a
bushel.
II. Saul hunting him, as his implacable enemy. He sought him every day,
so restless was his malice, 1Sa_23:14. He sought no less than his life, so
cruel was his malice, 1Sa_23:15. As it had been from the beginning, so it was
now, and will be, he that is born after the flesh persecuteth him that is born
47

48. after the spirit, Gal_4:29.
JAMISON, "1Sa_23:14-18. David escapes to Ziph.
David abode in the wilderness ... of Ziph — A mountainous and
sequestered region was generally called a wilderness, and took its name
from some large town in the district. Two miles southeast of Hebron, and in
the midst of a level plain, is Tell-ziph, an isolated and conical hillock, about
a hundred feet high, probably the acropolis [Van De Velde], or the ruins
[Robinson] of the ancient city of Ziph, from which the surrounding
wilderness was called. It seems, anciently, to have been covered by an
extensive woods. The country has for centuries lost its woods and forests,
owing to the devastations caused by man.
K&D, "1Sa_23:14
David retreated into the desert (of Judah), to the mountain heights (that
were to be found there), and remained on the mountains in the desert of
Ziph. The “desert of Judah” is the desert tract between the mountains of
Judah and the Dead Sea, in its whole extent, from the northern boundary of
the tribe of Judah to the Wady Fikreh in the south (see at Jos_15:61).
Certain portions of this desert, however, received different names of their
own, according to the names of different towns on the border of the
mountains and desert. The desert of Ziph was that portion of the desert of
Judah which was near to and surrounded the town of Ziph, the name of
which has been retained in the ruins of Tell Zif, an hour and three-quarters
to the south-east of Hebron (see at Jos_15:55).
1Sa_23:14. “And Saul sought him all the days, but God delivered him not
into his hand.” This is a general remark, intended to introduce the accounts
which follow, of the various attempts made by Saul to get David into his
power. “All the days,” i.e., as long as Saul lived.
PULPIT, "1Sa_23:14, 1Sa_23:15
Strong holds. Natural fortresses in the woods and mountains are meant,
and places difficult of access. The wilderness of Ziph. This lay to the south of
Hebron, upon the edge of the great desert of Judah (Jos_15:55). Saul sought
him every day. The pursuit was maintained constantly, with men always
spying David’s movements, and ready to report to Saul any opportunity of
seizing him; but apparently there was no body of men at present perpetually
in quest of him. In a wood. Many rightly regard this as a proper name,
Horesh, and as the same place as the mountain mentioned in 1Sa_23:14;
for, as Conder remarks (’Tent Work,’ 2:89), "a moment’s reflection will
convince any traveller that, as the dry, porous formation of the plateau must
be unchanged since David’s time, no wood of trees can then have flourished
over this unwatered and sun-scorched region ."
GUZIK, " David narrowly escapes Saul in the Judean wilderness.
48

49. 1. (1Sa_23:14-15) David takes refuge in Wilderness of Ziph.
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. So David saw that Saul had come out to
seek his life. And David was in the Wilderness of Ziph in a forest.
a. The Wilderness of Ziph: Ziph was a town below the southern tip of
the Dead Sea, with a dramatically varied landscape.
i. This was not a comfortable or easy place to be. God guided and
protected David, but it wasn’t comfortable or easy. This was an
essential time for God’s work in David’s life. He became a man
after God’s heart in the shepherd’s field, but he became a king in
the wilderness.
b. Saul sought him every day: Saul was a determined enemy, and
unrelenting in pursuit of David. Saul has become so obsessed with
killing David that he doesn’t give attention to the work God had called
him to do.
c. But God did not deliver him into his hand: Saul can be as
determined as he pleases, but he is not dictating these events - God is.
Man can intend, attempt, and work all kinds of evil, but God is still in
charge.
2. (1Sa_23:16-18) Jonathan and David meet each other for the last time.
Then Jonathan, Saul’s son, arose and went to David in the woods and
strengthened his hand in God. 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.” So the two of
them made a covenant before the LORD. And David stayed in the woods,
and Jonathan went to his own house.
a. What did Jonathan do for David? Jonathan strengthened his hand
in God. Jonathan could not rescue David, but he strengthened his
hand in God. Jonathan couldn’t give David all the answers, but he
strengthened his hand in God. Jonathan couldn’t stay with David, but
he strengthened his hand in God. What a precious gift Jonathan gave
David!
i. “He comforted and supported him against all his fears, by
minding him of God’s infallible promises made to him, and his
singular providence which hitherto had and still would be with
him.” (Poole)
b. Do not fear: In encouraging David, Jonathan gave him reasons to
not fear. David could reject fear because God would ultimately
protect him (Saul my father shall not find you). David could reject
fear because God’s promise would come to pass (You shall be king
over Israel). David could reject fear because he had loyal friends like
Jonathan (I shall be next to you).
i. In this wonderful encouragement, Jonathan would be proved
49

50. mostly correct, but not completely correct. God had promised that
David would be the next king when Samuel anointed David (1Sa_
16:1-13). Based on that, Jonathan could know that my father will
not find you, and that David would be king over Israel. Jonathan
had known these things for a long time (1Sa_18:4), and could say
them confidently in the LORD. But then Jonathan added his own
desire and aspiration: I shall be next to you. Because of their great
friendship, David and Jonathan looked forward to the day when
David would be king and Jonathan would support him and help
him. But it would never come to pass, because Jonathan would die
before David came to the throne. We see in Jonathan’s
encouragement a mix of a word from God and an expression of
hope and desire.
c. Even my father knows that: Saul knew that David would be the next
king, that the LORD had ordained it. Yet, he fights against the will of
God with everything he has. Sometimes we do the same thing; we
know what God’s will is, but we oppose it by not doing it. How foolish!
d. The two of them made a covenant before the LORD: David and
Jonathan had already a covenant (1Sa_18:3; 1Sa_20:16), but now they
confirm it again. Renewing or reconfirming a covenant does not make
the previous covenant less precious; it makes it more precious and
valid.
i. Was Jonathan being disloyal to his father here? Not at all. “Now
all this Jonathan could do, consistently with his duty to his father
and his king. He knew that David had delivered the kingdom; he
saw that his father was ruling unconstitutionally; and he knew
that God had appointed David to succeed Saul. This he knew
would come about in the order of Providence; and neither he nor
David took one step to hasten the time.” (Clarke)
ii. This was the last time David and Jonathan would ever see each
other on the earth, and their relationship was still confirmed in
the commitment of covenant.
3. (19-23) The Ziphites betray David.
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? 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.” And Saul said, “Blessed are you of the LORD,
for you have compassion on me. 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. 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 of Judah.”
a. Our part shall be to deliver him into the king’s hand: For every
faithful Jonathan, there is also a Ziphite, someone willing to betray.
50

51. Many a godly man or woman has known both friends and betrayers,
just as Jesus did.
b. Blessed are you of the LORD: Saul was so spiritually warped that he
could say to the betrayers of an innocent man, “Blessed are you of the
LORD.”
c. I am told that he is very crafty: It wasn’t David’s craftiness that had
kept him from Saul’s clutches so far. It was the goodness and
faithfulness of the LORD. But Saul doesn’t want to believe that, so he
thinks and says David’s protection is due to his being very crafty.
d. At this time, David expressed his feelings to the LORD in song, and
that song is preserved for us in Psa_54:1-7. The title to that Psalm
reads, A Contemplation of David when the Ziphites went and said to
Saul, “Is David not hiding with us?”
i. In Psa_54:1-7, David called out to the LORD for help: Save me, O
God, by Your name, and vindicate me by Your strength (Psa_54:1).
ii. In Psa_54:1-7, David understood his enemies: For strangers
have risen up against me, and oppressors have sought after my
life; they have not set God before them (Psa_54:3).
iii. In Psa_54:1-7, David expressed his confidence in the LORD:
Behold, God is my helper; the LORD is with those who uphold my
life (Psa_54:4).
iv. In Psa_54:1-7, David let go of the bitterness and fear and
praised the LORD instead: I will freely sacrifice to You; I will
praise Your name, O LORD, for it is good (Psa_54:6).
v. “Observe how David left the treachery of his supposed friends
with the One who is sufficient to deal with them. He is now looking
at God. First he was looking at his enemies and these supposed
friends of his, but now he sees them through God. If you begin
with God, your enemies grow small. If you begin with the enemy,
you may never reach God.” (Redpath)
ELLICOTT, " (14) The wilderness of Ziph.—This wilderness probably lies between
Hebron and En-gedi. Some of these “stations” in the wanderings of the future king
are only doubtfully identified. Cowper’s musical—though perhaps, according to our
recent canons of taste, old-fashioned—lines well describe the Psalmist-king’s weary
wanderings during this portion of his chequered career:—
“See Judah’s promised king bereft of all,
Driven out an exile from the face of Saul.
To distant caves the lonely wanderer flies,
51

52. To seek that peace a tyrant’s frown denies.
His soul exults; hope animates his lays;
The sense of mercy kindles into praise;
And wilds familiar with the lion s roar
Ring with ecstatic sounds unheard before.”
COWPER.
Saul sought him every day, but God delivered him.—This is merely a general
remark, and intended to cover a long period of time, including the remaining
portion of Saul’s reign, during which David was perpetually exposed to Saul’s
attempts to destroy him. It quietly mentions also that though Saul was armed with
all the power of the king in Israel, he was powerless, for the invisible King of Israel
declined to give this hated David into his hand.
COKE, "1 Samuel 23:14. In the wilderness of Ziph— This mountainous wilderness
was within the precincts of the tribe of Judah, (for there, as it was natural, David
thought himself most in safety,) and upon the confines of Edom; Joshua 15:24. It is
supposed to have had its name from the Hebrew word ‫זפת‬ zepheth, pitch, with
which it is said to have abounded. This is the more probable, if it was situate, as
some place it, on the borders of the Asphaltick lake. It was not far from Maon and
Carmel, 1 Samuel 23:25 chap. 1 Samuel 25:5.
HAWKER, "Verse 14-15
(14) ¶ And David abode in the wilderness in strong holds, and remained in a
mountain in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God
delivered him not into his hand. (15) And David saw that Saul was come out to seek
his life: and David was in the wilderness of Ziph in a wood.
Every day Saul sought to accomplish his purposes, and every day, the Lord as often
delivered his servant. Such are the Lord's deliverances to all his people. Oh! how
precious would it be to the souls of the faithful, if they every day lived, kept house,
and feasted upon this; for the truth is certain; the Lord himself saith, I, the Lord, do
keep it; will water it every moment: lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day.
Isaiah 27:3.
LANGE, "1 Samuel 23:14. David in the wilderness of Ziph and the treachery of the
Ziphites towards him. 1 Samuel 23:14. David’s next place of abode is in general the
wilderness, that Isaiah, of Judah, and its sheltering heights; but “the mountain in
the wilderness of Ziph” is specially mentioned as a more permanent dwelling-place.
52

53. Ziph (different from the place named in Joshua 15:24, which lay southwest of
Arad), perhaps the present Kuseifeh (Rob. III, 184, 188 [Am. ed, II, 200]) Joshua
15:55, lay farther north on the highland, about eight miles southeast of Hebron; see
Robins., II, 47 [Am. ed, I, 492] who found there a hill, Tell Zif, and near by
considerable ruins of old fortifications. [Mr. Grove, who formerly objected to
Robinson’s conjecture, now accepts it, but puts Zif (= Ziph) three miles south of
Hebron. See his Art. in Smith’s Bib-Dict., and Dr. Hackett’s note in Am. ed.—Tr.]
Individual parts of the great wilderness of Judah, which extended from the north of
Judah to the Amorite mountain in the south between the mountains of Judah and
the Dead Sea, were named from the various cities on the border of the mountains
and the wilderness; Song of Solomon, besides the wilderness of Ziph, the wilderness
of Maon, whither David afterwards went from Ziph ( 1 Samuel 23:25). The
mountain in the wilderness of Ziph is probably the mount Hachilah of 1 Samuel
23:19. The general remark is here proleptically made that all Saul’s attempts
against David were vain. Saul sought him every day, not: throughout his life (Keil),
but = continually; but God gave him not into his (Saul’s) hands.—David was under
the special protection of God. These words form the contrast to Saul’s word, 1
Samuel 23:7 : “God has rejected [delivered] him into my hand.” After the general
remark on the failure of Saul’s continued attempts follows ( 1 Samuel 23:15) the
mention of special cases, and the description of David’s persecution. Thus connected
with the preceding this verse (15) is not a “useless repetition” (Then.); for, after the
statement that Saul pursued David, it is here first declared that David received
information of this pursuit, and then David’s retreat in the wilderness is more
exactly described by the word “wood,” or thick wood (‫ה‬ ָ‫שׁ‬ ְ‫ר‬ֹ‫ה‬ַ‫,ב‬ from ‫שׂ‬ ֶ‫ר‬ֹ‫,ח‬ with ‫ה‬
parag.). Here, too, the forest is David’s chief means of concealment. Perhaps the
word is also a proper name [Horesh], so called from the forests, of which there is
now no trace in that region.
15 While David was at Horesh in the Desert of
Ziph, he learned that Saul had come out to take
his life.
GILL, "1 Samuel 23:15
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, 1Sa_23:14;
or he perceived, he understood by information given him by his friends, it
53

54. 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.
K&D 15-17, "David in the Deserts of Ziph and Maon. - The history of
David's persecution by Saul is introduced in 1Sa_23:15-18, with the account
of an attempt made by the noble-minded prince Jonathan, in a private
interview with his friend David, to renew his bond of friendship with him,
and strengthen David by his friendly words for the sufferings that yet
awaited him. 1Sa_23:15, 1Sa_23:16 are to be connected together so as to
form one period: “When David saw that Saul was come out ... and David
was in the desert of Ziph, Jonathan rose up and went to David into the
wood.” ‫ה‬ ָ‫שׁ‬ ְ‫ר‬ֹ‫,ח‬ from ‫שׁ‬ ֶ‫ר‬ֹ‫ח‬, with ‫ה‬ paragogic, signifies a wood or thicket; here,
however, it is probably a proper name for a district in the desert of Ziph that
was overgrown with wood or bushes, and where David was stopping at that
time. “There is no trace of this wood now. The land lost its ornament of
trees centuries ago through the desolating hand of man” (v. de Velde). “And
strengthened his hand in God,” i.e., strengthened his heart, not by supplies,
or by money, or any subsidy of that kind, but by consolation drawn from his
innocence, and the promises of God (vid., Jdg_9:24; Jer_23:14). “Fear not,”
said Jonathan to him, “for the hand of Saul my father will not reach thee;
and thou wilt become king over Israel, and I will be the second to thee; and
Saul my father also knows that it is so.” Even though Jonathan had heard
nothing from David about his anointing, he could learn from David's course
thus far, and from his own father's conduct, that David would not be
overcome, but would possess the sovereignty after the death of Saul.
Jonathan expresses here, as his firm conviction, what he has intimated once
before, in 1Sa_20:13.; and with the most loving self-denial entreats David,
when he shall be king, to let him occupy the second place in the kingdom. It
by no means follows from the last words (“Saul my father knoweth”), that
Saul had received distinct information concerning the anointing of David,
and his divine calling to be king. The words merely contain the thought, he
also sees that it will come. The assurance of this must have forced itself
involuntarily upon the mind of Saul, both from his own rejection, as
foretold by Samuel, and also from the marvellous success of David in all his
undertakings.
COFFMAN, "Verse 15
JONATHAN VISITS DAVID IN THE WILDERNESS
"And David was afraid because Saul had come out to seek his life. David was in the
Wilderness of Ziph at Horesh. And Jonathan, Saul's son, rose, and came to David at
54

55. Horesh, and strengthened his hand in God. And he said to him, "Fear not; for the
hand of Saul my father shall not find you; you shall be king over Israel, and I shall
be next to you; Saul my father also knows this." And the two of them made a
covenant before the Lord; David remained at Horesh, and Jonathan went home."
How strange it is that Jonathan so easily found David and visited him in his hiding
place; and yet Saul seldom knew David's whereabouts.
"Saul my father knows this" (1 Samuel 23:17). Henry believed that, "Jonathan had
sometimes heard his father say that David would be king."[13] In fact, David's
tremendous success in so many different enterprises, and his countless providential
escapes from danger must long ago have convinced Saul that David would be his
successor. This only accentuates the perverse wickedness of Saul who thus set
himself adamantly opposed to what he knew to be the will of God.
Willis pointed out three things which Jonathan did for David by way of encouraging
him. (1) Saul would not be able to find him, for God would protect David; (2) David
would indeed be king; and (3) Saul himself was perfectly aware of all this.
"The two of them made a covenant" (1 Samuel 23:18). "In all probability, this was a
renewal of the covenant mentioned earlier in 1Sam. 18:3,1 Samuel 20:8."[14]
CONSTABLE, "Verses 15-18
Jonathan"s encouragement of David
The town of Ziph was12miles southeast of Keilah, and the wilderness of Ziph was
near the town. Ziph stood in the wilderness area of Judah whereas Keilah was in the
more hospitable Shephelah. The sites of Horesh ( 1 Samuel 23:15) and Hachilah ( 1
Samuel 23:19) are not certain.
Jonathan risked his own safety to encourage his friend again. God had used
Abiathar to encourage David recently in Keilah ( 1 Samuel 23:6). Jonathan
encouraged David "in God" (cf. 1 Samuel 30:6). What he said to David rested on
God"s promises and plans for David that both Jonathan and Saul now knew (cf. 1
Samuel 20:2; 1 Samuel 20:31). Jonathan cooperated with God"s plans, but Saul
resisted them. It is curious that Jonathan could find David, but Saul and his
intelligence experts could not locate him. God was protecting His servant. Jonathan
and David made another covenant (cf. 1 Samuel 18:3; 1 Samuel 20:8; 1 Samuel
20:12-17). This is the last meeting of these "soul brothers" that the text records.
16 And Saul's son Jonathan went to David at
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56. Horesh and helped him find strength in God.
BARNES, "A touching example of mutual fidelity between friends. The
humility and unselfish love of Jonathan is apparent in 1Sa_23:17.
CLARKE, "And Jonathan - strengthened his hand in God - It is probable
that there was always a secret intercourse between David and Jonathan,
and that by this most trusty friend he was apprised of the various designs of
Saul to take away his life. As Jonathan well knew that God had appointed
David to the kingdom, he came now to encourage him to trust in the Most
High, and to assure him that the hand of Saul should not prevail against
him; and at this interview they renewed their covenant of friendship. Now
all this Jonathan could do, consistently with his duty to his father and his
king. He knew that David had delivered the kingdom; he saw that his father
was ruling unconstitutionally; and he knew that God had appointed David to
succeed Saul. This he knew would come about in the order of Providence;
and neither he nor David took one step to hasten the time. Jonathan, by his
several interferences, prevented his father from imbruing his hands in
innocent blood: a more filial and a more loyal part he could not have acted;
and therefore, in his attachment to David, he is wholly free of blame.
GILL, "And Jonathan, Saul's son, arose,.... And came from Gibeah, which,
according to Bunting (o), 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.
JAMISON, "Jonathan went to David into the wood, and strengthened his
hand in God — by the recollection of their mutual covenant. What a victory
over natural feelings and lower considerations must the faith of Jonathan
have won, before he could seek such an interview and give utterance to such
sentiments! To talk with calm and assured confidence of himself and family
being superseded by the man who was his friend by the bonds of a holy and
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57. solemn covenant, could only have been done by one who, superior to all
views of worldly policy, looked at the course of things in the spirit and
through the principles of that theocracy which acknowledged God as the
only and supreme Sovereign of Israel. Neither history nor fiction depicts
the movements of a friendship purer, nobler, and more self-denying than
Jonathan’s!
BENSON, "Verse 16
1 Samuel 23:16. Jonathan went and strengthened his hand in God — He comforted
and supported him against all his fears, by considerations on the divine goodness
and power, and by reminding him of God’s faithful promises made to him, and of
his singular providence, which hitherto had been, and still would be with him.
ELLICOTT, "(16) And Jonathan Saul’s son arose, and went to David.—Some have
wished to show that the account of the last interview between the friends really
belongs to the secret meeting between David and Jonathan recounted in 1 Samuel
20, and that it has got transposed; but such a view is quite untenable, for the
narrative here is circumstantial, and even mentions the scene of the interview—“the
wood,” or, less probable, the town named “Horesh.” The expression “strengthened
his hand in God” is added by the narrator to show how sorely tried was the king of
the future at this juncture, notwithstanding that so many gallant spirits rallied
round him. The determined and relentless hostility of the king of the land, his
sovereign, and once his friend—the apparent hopelessness of his struggle—the cruel
ingratitude of whole bodies of his fellow countrymen, such as the men of Ziph—his
homeless, outlawed condition: all these things naturally weighed upon the nervous
and enthusiastic temperament of David, which was soon depressed. His sad
forebodings in his desolateness and loneliness at this time are breathed forth in not a
few of the Psalms which tradition ascribes to him. At such a juncture the warm
sympathy, the steady onlook to a sunnier future of one like Jonathan was a real help
to David. Jonathan was far-sighted enough when David’s fortunes were at their
lowest ebb to look confidently forward to a time when all these thick dark clouds of
trouble should have passed away. Jonathan, we know (1 Samuel 20:14-15) possessed
sufficient confidence in David’s future fortune even to ask the hunted exile to
remember him, the prince, with kindness when he should have come into his
kingdom. Such warm sympathy, such glowing trustful words, we may well imagine,
raised the spirits of the outlaw, and gave him new courage to face the grave
difficulties of his dangerous position.
HAWKER, "Verses 16-18
(16) And Jonathan Saul's son arose, and went to David into the wood, and
strengthened his hand in God. (17) And he said unto him, Fear not: for the hand of
Saul my father shall not find thee; and thou shalt be king over Israel, and I shall be
next unto thee; and that also Saul my father knoweth. (18) And they two made a
covenant before the LORD: and David abode in the wood, and Jonathan went to his
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58. house.
It must have been a very refreshing thing to the heart of David, this interview with
Jonathan. And, no doubt, the Lord graciously brought it to pass for a relief to poor
David, to bear him up under his trouble. But, Reader, I hope you will not need from
me to be reminded, that if the visit of Jonathan was so sweet and seasonable to
David, what must his visits be to his poor ones in distress, who is a Friend at all
times, and a Brother born for adversity? Surely, dearest Jesus, if the kindness, and
friendship, and love of Jonathan was so constant, well may I depend upon thee,
whose love is from everlasting, and whose friendship is like thyself, the same
yesterday, and to-day, and forever. Do I see Jonathan, a poor creature like myself,
and whose friendship, at the highest, could be but creature friendship, thus faithful
to his David; and shall I ever more doubt thy love, thy friendship, dearest Jesus,
when both are the result of Creator and Redeemer affections. Oh! for grace to
behold thy frequent visits in the woods of this world, and the wilderness state, and
as frequently to renew the covenant engagements before Jehovah, in which thou
hast promised to be my portion, and I to be the purchase of thy blood forevermore.
PARKER, " In the sixteenth verse we have a beautiful exemplification of social
ministry:
"And Jonathan, Saul"s son arose, and went to David into the wood, and
strengthened his hand in God." ( 1 Samuel 23:16).
Jonathan took the larger view of life; that is to say, when he looked out upon things
he took in more field and more horizon than is generally included within the scope
of inferior men. He said: "Fear not: for the hand of Saul my father shall not find
thee; and thou shalt be king over Israel, and I shall be next unto thee; and that also
Saul my father knoweth" ( 1 Samuel 23:17). Jonathan thus fixed his vision upon
destiny, and accepting that stern fact, he ordered his conduct accordingly. Here we
have two different ways of acting in the matter of destiny: we have Saul"s way, and
we have Jonathan"s. What was Saul"s? It was a way of peevishness, opposition, and
bitter hostility; it was a strenuous and even desperate attempt to turn back the
purposes of Providence and reverse the decrees of Heaven. Saul kicked against the
pricks; Saul seemed to apply his poor hands to smite the forces of Omnipotence, and
he only suffered in the unequal contest. What was Jonathan"s method of looking
upon this solemn question of destiny or predestination? His way was to adopt it, to
act in harmony with it, to believe that in the outworking of it the most gracious
results would accrue. This was profound philosophy. When we see any man
evidently called to a great leadership or to supreme influence, however much our
personal dignity may be supposed temporarily to be injured, depend upon it, we are
only wise in proportion as we accept the new primacy and bid it good-speed, in the
name of the Lord. The process indeed is not always easy; sometimes it amounts to
little less than a living sacrifice, a burning out of the soul of the most inveterate
elements of evil, the destruction as by fire of the spirit of envy, jealousy, and malice.
If, however, we do not submit to undergo this process of purification, we shall
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59. become the victims of our own insanity, and be ground to powder by the calm but
irresistible march of events. These reflections have their great spiritual application,
as we have already seen. The coming King is the Son of God, and it is hard for any
man to oppose his enthronement. In such a contest it is man who must go down, yea,
even go down to the point of destruction. "Kiss the Song of Solomon , lest he be
angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed
are all they that put their trust in him." It is in vain for any infuriated Saul to
oppose the coronation of Christ in the world. "Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be
instructed, ye judges of the earth." He shall "break them with a rod of iron," and
"dash them in pieces like a potter"s vessel." It is remarkable that not only are the
most gracious promises written in connection with the name of Christ, but also in
association with that name are the most tremendous threatenings that ever appalled
the human imagination. "And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he
should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth
the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God." Blessed are they who
accept the kingship of Christ and prostrate themselves before his throne in reverent
loyalty and loving homage. "Of the increase of his government and peace there shall
be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to
establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal
of the Lord of hosts will perform this." Here is the great Gospel which Christian
apostles have never failed to preach, saying, "Therefore let all the house of Israel
know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both
Lord and Christ."
When the case went hard with David a providential surprise came to his
deliverance. When "Saul went on this side of the mountain, and David and his men
on that side of the mountain," there was but an inch of space between David and
destruction. But at that very moment there came a messenger to Saul, saying,
"Haste thee, and come; for the Philistines have invaded the land." Saul then turned
back from following David, and the place was called "Sela-hammahlekoth"—
namely, the rock of divisions. So again we come upon the doctrine, so often
enforced, that "man"s extremity is God"s opportunity." Steadfastly abide in this
doctrine, for it is no heathen proverb, but a part of the very philosophy of the divine
government. Only when we are at the very edge of things, and are even looking over
into the precipice below, can we know how near is the arm and how tender is the
grace of God. "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him." Even death shall not
separate us from the arms of God. Upon all these matters the Church should utter
no uncertain tone. Find a Church dejected, despairing, moaning about its
difficulties and its sorrows, and lamenting its exposure to imminent danger, and you
find a Church which has not entered into the spirit of a triumphant Christ. Rather
should we say, "All things work together for good to them that love God, to them
who are the called according to his purpose." "Who is he that condemneth? It is
Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of
God, who also maketh intercession for us." That is the tone of triumph which alone
becomes true faith; any other tone should be described not so much as a spiritual
infirmity, as involving spiritual treachery. What did the heroic apostle say? "If God
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60. be for us, who can be against us?" Nor did Paul exceed the saints of the Old
Testament in the completeness and emphasis of his triumph. Did not the Psalmist
say, "The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid"? And again,
"The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?" And did not
the holy prophet say, "There be more with us than with him: with him is an arm of
flesh; but with us is the Lord our God to help us, and to fight our battles "? History
is wasted upon us if we are still wondering how the battle will go. To Christian faith
the battle can only go in one way, and that is the way of triumph for the Son of God.
We must prove our faith by our steadfastness and willingness to suffer. We have not
attained the manhood to which we are called in Christ Jesus until we can say, "Who
shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or
persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?... Nay, in all these things
we are more than conquerors through him that loved us." When we can say these
words, and exemplify them in actual life, we need have no fear of Saul, though we
can feel his hot breath upon us; and no fear of the evil spirit, though all his legions
be embattled against our life. "For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the
world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith." "Lord,
increase our faith."
Selected Note
"And Jonathan, Saul"s son arose, and went to David into the wood" ( 1 Samuel
23:16).—Jealousy and every mean or low feeling were strangers to the generous
heart of Jonathan. Valiant and accomplished himself, none knew better how to
acknowledge valour and accomplishment in others. The act of David in meeting the
challenge of Goliath, and in overcoming that huge barbarian, entirely won his
heart; and from that day forward the son of Jesse found no one who loved him so
tenderly, who admired his high gifts with so much enthusiasm, or who risked so
much to preserve him from harm, as the very prince whom he was destined to
exclude from a throne. Jonathan knew well what was to happen, and he submitted
cheerfully to the appointment which gave the throne of his father to the young
shepherd of Bethlehem. In the intensity of his love and confidence he shrank not to
think of David as his destined king and master; and his dreams of the future
pictured nothing brighter than the day in which David should reign over Israel, and
he be one with him in friendship, and next to him in place and council—not because
he was covetous even of this degree of honour, but because "next to David" was the
place where he wished always to be, and where he desired to rest.
When Saul began to hate David as his intended successor, he was highly displeased
at the friendship which had arisen between him and his son. This exposed Jonathan
to much contumely, and even to danger of life; for, once at least, the king"s passion
against him on this account rose so high that he cast a javelin at him "to smite him
to the wall."
This unequivocal act taught Jonathan that the court of Saul was no safe place for
David. He told him Song of Solomon , and they parted with many tears. David then
set forth upon those wanderings, among strangers and in solitary places, which
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61. lasted all the time of Saul. The friends met only once more. Saul was in pursuit of
David when he was in the wilderness of Ziph; and Jonathan could not forbear
coming to him secretly in the wood to give him comfort and encouragement ( 1
Samuel 23:16-18). Nothing more is related of Jonathan till both he and his father
lost their lives in the fatal battle of Gilboa, combating against the enemies of their
country. When informed of this catastrophe David uttered a lamentation ( 2 Samuel
1:17-27) over his lost friend, than which there Isaiah , perhaps, nothing in Hebrew
poetry more beautiful and touching, or more full of fine images and tender
thoughts.
LANGE, "1 Samuel 23:16-18. Here is related how Jonathan comforted and
strengthened David, when the latter, having heard of Saul’s attempts against him,
greatly needed consolation. There is no ground for regarding this (Then.) as merely
the essential content of the traditional narration of Jonathan’s secret interview with
David in 1 Samuel20. It is another interview of Jonathan with his friend, whose
distress and danger led him to hasten to him in order by consoling and encouraging
words to give him the most precious proof of his faithful friendship.[FN26] The fact
is especially emphasized that Jonathan went to David into the wood; there they
could be safest from Saul. He strengthened his hand in God; that Isaiah, he revived
his sunken courage (comp. Nehemiah 12:18), by pointing to the divine promises, the
divine protection, and the great things that God had in store for him. Not wholly
correct and exhaustive is Clericus’ remark: “he drew consolation from his innocence
and God’s promises.”
Robert Roe, “To strengthen David before the next test, which is really going to be
tough, God sends him Jonathan, the one man who has the most to lose if David lives.
He would not only lose his vineyards, his fields, and his command of thousands but
also the kingship. With David dead, Jonathan would be king of Israel and Saul's
dynasty would continue. But God deliberately sends Jonathan, who makes a
covenant with David, [before the Lord, YHWH, the God of the covenant who
anointed David and covenanted to make him king of Israel] that he will be second to
David and that David will be king. So of all the people who stood to gain by David's
death, the one with the most to gain is the one sent by God to make a covenant with
David regarding the kingdom,. Jonathan gives up everything when, with just a
single knife thrust to the stomach, he could have had it all. Jonathan is committed to
David becoming king.”
Never will you find a more loyal friend than Jonathan. He might rightly be called
the greatest friend in the Bible. Only Jesus would outshine his record. When you are
number two in competition with God you deserve the highest title.
A friend is one who encourages you, and is ever a source of encouragement.
K&D, "1Sa_23:16-18
Jonathan … went to David into the wood. To Horesh, as in 1Sa_23:15. This
visit suggests two things: the first, that, after the scene in 1Sa_22:8, Saul
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62. was estranged from his son, and treated him harshly, regarding him as a
fellow conspirator with David; the second, that there was a growing
conviction, not only in Jonathan’s mind, but generally, that Jehovah had
transferred the kingdom from Saul to David, and that consequently David’s
final success was inevitable. He strengthened his (David’s) hand in God.
Such a visit, and the expression of Jonathan’s strong conviction that
Jehovah was with David, must necessarily have had a powerful moral effect
upon his mind. Under such trying circumstances David must often have
been tempted to despair; but the assurance of Jonathan’s unbroken love for
him, and the knowledge that he and many more regarded him as chosen by
God to be Israel’s king, would revive his courage and make him content to
bear the hardships of his present lot. I shall be next unto thee. Had he not
been killed in Mount Gilboa, it seems that, unlike Ishbosheth, Jonathan
would have resigned all claim to the crown. But the feeling must often have
distressed David, that the kingdom could become his only by dispossessing
his true and unselfish friend. Nor would such a regret be altogether
removed by Jonathan’s ready acquiescence in it as God’s will, though, as
next to him, and beloved as he deserved, his position as the king’s friend
would have been a not unenviable one. Still, to be second where by right of
inheritance he should have been first would have been a very trying lot, and
it was better for Jonathan that he should die a soldier’s death, even granting
that he would have felt a lively joy in David’s success and the glory of his
empire. But their love was to be exposed to no vicissitudes, and the two
friends parted never to meet again—David remaining at Horesh, while
Jonathan returned to his home at Gibeah.
BI, "Verse 16
1 Samuel 23:16
And Jonathan went to David into the wood, and strengthened his hand in God.
The true in life
Two lessons stand out in this chapter. First, that the most heroic heart may
sometimes be overcome with fear. Few men had a more intrepid soul than the
conqueror of Goliath; yet now he was driven by fear of Saul into the wood. We are
subject to variations of mood. Secondly, that the crimes of a father may alienate the
hearts of his children. Jonathan the son of Saul was now succouring the man whom
his own sire hated, and sought to destroy. Evil, even in a parent, cannot be loved,
nor wrong in a parent obeyed.
I. The deep depression of a true soul. Few men ever had a truer soul than David--
clear in its perceptions of truth, strong in its attachments to truth, inflexible in its
allegiance to truth. But that soul, in the “wood” here, is under depression. Several
things tend to depress the true spirit in this world.
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63. 1. Seemingly adverse circumstances. Jacob: “All these things are against, me.”
2. Providential discrepancies. Job, Aspah. “My foot had well nigh slipped.”
3. Non-success in religious service.
4. Consciousness of moral unworthiness.
5. Physical infirmities.
II. The distinguishing power of a true man. What is the distinguishing power which
a true man has? To destroy life! Brutes can do this. To weaken faith, and shake
confidence? A child can do this. What then? To strengthen a brother’s heart in
God! This is what Jonathan did now in “the wood.” But how can a true man
strengthen a depressed brother thus?
1. By a truthful exposition of God’s method of governing the fallen in this world.
The Gospel unfolds that method; shows that it is to the true corrective, not penal.
2. By a practical expression of genuine sympathy. One breath of it infuses new life to
the soul.
3. By a devout intercession with Heaven.
III. The highest function of a true friend. It is one thing to have the power to
strengthen, and another thing to use it when and where required. (Homilist.)
17 "Don't be afraid," he said. "My father Saul
will not lay a hand on you. You will be king over
Israel, and I will be second to you. Even my father
Saul knows this."
GILL, "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:
63

64. 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, 1Sa_15:28.
HENRY, "III. God defending him, as his powerful protector. God delivered
him not into Saul's hand, as Saul hoped (1Sa_23:7); and, unless God
delivered him into his hand, he could not prevail against him, Joh_19:11.
IV. Jonathan comforting him as his faithful and constant friend. True
friends will find out means to get together. David, it is likely, appointed time
and place for this interview, and Jonathan observed the appointment,
though he exposed himself thereby to his father's displeasure, and, had it
been discovered, it might have cost him his life. True friendship will not
shrink from danger, but can easily venture, will not shrink from
condescension, but can easily stoop, and exchange a palace for a wood, to
serve a friend. The very sight of Jonathan was reviving to David; but,
besides this, he said that to him which was very encouraging. 1. As a pious
friend, he directed him to God, the foundation of his confidence and the
fountain of his comfort: He strengthened his hand in God. David, though a
strong believer, needed the help of his friends for the perfecting of what was
lacking in his faith; and herein Jonathan was helpful to him, by reminding
him of the promise of God, the holy oil wherewith he was anointed, the
presence of God with him hitherto, and the many experiences he had had of
God's goodness to him. Thus he strengthened his hands for action, by
encouraging his heart, not in the creature, but in God. Jonathan was not in a
capacity of doing any thing to strengthen him, but he assured him God
would. 2. As a self-denying friend, he took a pleasure in the prospect of
David's advancement to that honour which was his own birthright, 1Sa_
23:17. “Thou shalt live to be king, and I shall think it preferment enough to
be next thee, near thee, though under thee, and will never pretend to be a
rival with thee.” This resignation which Jonathan made to David of his title
would be a great satisfaction to him, and make his way much the more clear.
This, he tells him, Saul knew very well, Jonathan having sometimes heard
him say as much, whence it appears what a wicked man Saul was, to
persecute one whom God favoured, and what a foolish man he was, in
thinking to prevent that which God had determined and which would
certainly come to pass. How could he disannul what God had purposed? 3.
As a constant friend, he renewed his league of friendship with him. They
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65. made a covenant now, this third time, before the Lord, calling him to
witness to it, 1Sa_23:18. True love takes delight in repeating its
engagements, giving and receiving fresh assurances of the firmness of the
friendship. Our covenant with God should be often renewed, and therein
our communion with him kept up. David and Jonathan now parted, and
never came together again, that we find, in this world; for Jonathan said
what he wished, not what he had ground to expect, when he promised
himself that he should be next to David in his kingdom.
BENSON, "1 Samuel 23:17. Thou shalt be king, and I shall be next unto thee — Or,
hold the second place in the kingdom; which words import thus much: I do not look
to be king myself, as by my birth I might expect, but that thou shalt be king, God
having so appointed, and I but in a secondary place, inferior to thee. The first part
of this sentence Jonathan might well speak, as he had the promise of God for it,
which must stand; but the other he spoke in human confidence, and the event
showed how little is to be built on that. He ought, as we ought all to do with respect
to what is future and only in expectation, to have spoken in the language of St.
James: “If the Lord will, I shall be next unto thee.” And that also my father
knoweth — For he could not but remember what Samuel told him, (1 Samuel
15:28,) and, from David’s wonderful successes, he probably inferred that he was the
person of whom Samuel spake.
COKE, "Verse 17-18
1 Samuel 23:17-18. And I shall be next unto, &c.— i.e. "The "next person to thee in
thy kingdom." And they too made a covenant before the Lord; that is, solemnly
renewed the covenant which they had formerly made. Jonathan's conduct in this
remarkable transaction appears truly disinterested, generous, and great. He could
not now be ignorant of David's destination to the throne of Israel by the will of God,
and knew that nothing could prevent his succession to it, as God had appointed it.
In such a situation how does he act? He scorns by fraud and violence to attempt the
life of the man whom God had fixed on to be king, even in preference to himself; but
seeks him out in the wilderness, where his father was hunting him to destruction,
and strengthens his hand in God: not by promising to assist him in dispossessing his
father of the kingdom, or disturbing and distressing his government; not by
entering into any conspiracy or plot with him against his father's interest and
honour; but by comforting him under his cruel persecution, and assuring him of
God's protection from the hand or power of his father, his future advancement to
the crown, and his own confidence in David's friendship, that he should be
advanced to the highest honours in his court. He lets him know also, that Saul his
father very well knew that David should be his successor; and that Jonathan said
the truth in this, is evident from what Saul himself said to David but a little while
after, chap. 1 Samuel 24:20. In this whole affair, therefore, between Jonathan and
David, nothing passed but what was perfectly consistent with the allegiance and
duty of these two eminent friends to their common sovereign and father: there was
no treason talked of; no event spoken of, but what was known to Saul equally as to
65

66. Jonathan: not any treasonable measures concerted to precipitate and hasten the
event before the proper season appointed by Providence; nor any covenant entered
into by Jonathan to engage with David in any common cause against his own father.
David's succession to the crown after Saul, as we have said above, was well known
both to Saul and Jonathan: and the only circumstance in which Jonathan's conduct
differed from his father's was, that, with respect to an event which both of them
foresaw would come to pass, Jonathan was for quietly submitting to it, as an
appointment of God; while Saul was for practising every expedient to prevent it, if
possible.
Note; (1.) The words of a pious friend are a reviving cordial to a fainting heart. (2.)
Where true love is, even kingdoms are not too great to part with. (3.) Renewed
engagements are a strengthening to the bands of friendship; and the friend of Jesus
is glad of every opportunity to repeat his vows of fidelity to him.
LANGE, "1 Samuel 23:17. The words of Jonathan, explaining what was just before
said. Fear not, is the key-note of Jonathan’s address. As ground of which he points1)
to God’s almighty help: Saul’s hand will not find thee,—he is firmly convinced that
he (David) is under God’s protection, and that therefore Saul can gain no advantage
over him,—and2) to the fixed divine decree: Thou wilt be king over Israel; Jonathan
was certain through divine illumination that David was called by the Lord to be
king of Israel, and could therefore console and encourage him; for Saul could not
make void God’s counsel and will (comp. 1 Samuel 20:13 sq.). I shall be next to
thee,—herein Jonathan shows1) his absolute willingness to resign all claim to the
throne, and2) his hope that David will confer on him as a subject the place nearest
in association to himself. And so also Saul knows, my father is sure that thou wilt be
king. Saul must therefore have already learned this through the voice of God and of
the people.
BI, "Verse 17
1 Samuel 23:17
I shall be next unto thee.
A sermon to boys
This conduct of the king’s son teaches some important lessons.
1. Stand by the weak and defenceless. There is no nobler feature in any boy’s
character than a determination to do this.
2. We also learn to be content with a lower place when God has clearly marked out
another for a higher. Jonathan saw that God was with David, and he made his own
conduct to serve God’s purpose. Be always on the look out to render others service.
Fear not the taunts of men or the frowns of the world. Take Christ as your pattern.
66

67. For yourselves do not forget that unselfishness is the ornament of every true man,
the mark of every true gentleman, the essence of pure religion, and the germ of an
undying character. (Arthur Vinter.)
18 The two of them made a covenant before the
LORD . Then Jonathan went home, but David
remained at Horesh.
GILL, "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 Jerom (p), 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.
HENRY, " As a constant friend, he renewed his league of friendship with
him. They made a covenant now, this third time, before the Lord, calling
him to witness to it, 1Sa_23:18. True love takes delight in repeating its
engagements, giving and receiving fresh assurances of the firmness of the
friendship. Our covenant with God should be often renewed, and therein
our communion with him kept up. David and Jonathan now parted, and
never came together again, that we find, in this world; for Jonathan said
what he wished, not what he had ground to expect, when he promised
himself that he should be next to David in his kingdom.
K&D, "After these encouraging words, they two made a covenant before
Jehovah: i.e., they renewed the covenant which they had already made by
another solemn oath; after which Jonathan returned home, but David
remained in the wood.
The treachery of the Ziphites forms a striking contrast to Jonathan's
treatment of David. They went up to Gibeah to betray to Saul the fact that
67

68. David was concealed in the wood upon their mountain heights, and indeed
“upon the hill Hachilah, which lies to the south of the waste.” The hill of
Ziph is a flattened hill standing by itself, of about a hundred feet in height.
“There is no spot from which you can obtain a better view of David's
wanderings backwards and forwards in the desert than from the hill of
Ziph, which affords a true panorama. The Ziphites could see David and his
men moving to and fro in the mountains of the desert of Ziph, and could
also perceive how he showed himself in the distance upon the hill Hachilah
on the south side of Ziph (which lies to the right by the desert); whereupon
they sent as quickly as possible to Saul, and betrayed to him the hiding-
place of his enemy” (v. de Velde, ii. pp. 104-5). Jeshimon does not refer here
to the waste land on the north-eastern coast of the Dead Sea, as in Num_
21:20; Num_23:28, but to the western side of that sea, which is also desert.
BENSON, "1 Samuel 23:18. They two made a covenant before the Lord — We have
reason here to admire the sincere friendship of Jonathan, which remained so
unshaken to David in all events, as well in his adversity and dangers, as in his
prosperity and successes. It is to be observed, that, after making this covenant, they
never came together again, that we find, in this world.
LANGE, "1 Samuel 23:18. A new covenant is made by the two men, comp. 1 Samuel
20:16 sq, 42. Here, as there, the parting is briefly and vividly described: David
remained in the thicket—Jonathan went his way home. [The two friends meet no
more in life. How it would have been if Jonathan had lived we cannot tell; but all
possible complications were avoided by his death. His life thus presents an
untarnished picture of pure, self-denying friendship. This parting is one of the many
dramatic situations that occur in this Book.—Tr.]
19 The Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah and
said, "Is not David hiding among us in the
strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hakilah,
south of Jeshimon?
Now, in I Samuel 23:19, the experience that he had with the Ziphites gave rise to
Psalm 54.
BARNES, "(Hachilah is thought by Conder to be the long ridge called El
Kolah). For Jeshimon, see the margin and Num_21:20.
68

69. GILL, "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, Psa_
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
Jerom (q) 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 says (r), 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.
HENRY, "Here, 1. The Ziphites offer their service to Saul, to betray David to
him, 1Sa_23:19, 1Sa_23:20. He was sheltering himself in the wilderness of
Ziph (1Sa_23:14, 1Sa_23:15), putting the more confidence in the people of
that country because they were of his own tribe. They had reason to think
themselves happy that they had an opportunity of serving one who was the
ornament of their tribe and was likely to be much more so, who was so far
from plundering the country, or giving it any disturbance with his troops,
that he was ready to protect it and to them all the good offices that there was
occasion for. But, to ingratiate themselves with Saul, they went to him, and
not only informed him very particularly where David quartered (1Sa_
23:19), but invited him to come with his forces into their country in pursuit
of him, and promised to deliver him into his hand, 1Sa_23:20. Saul had not
sent to examine or threaten them, but of their own accord, and even without
asking a reward (as Judas did - What will you give me?), they offered to
betray David to him who, they knew, thirsted after his blood.
JAMISON, "1Sa_23:19-29. Saul pursues him.
Then came up the Ziphites to Saul to Gibeah, saying, Doth not David hide
himself with us? — From the tell of Ziph a panorama of the whole
surrounding district is to be seen. No wonder, then, that the Ziphites saw
David and his men passing to and fro in the mountains of the wilderness.
69

70. Spying him at a distance when he ventured to show himself on the hill of
Hachilah, “on the right hand of the wilderness,” that is, the south side of
Ziph, they sent in haste to Saul, to tell him of the lurking place of his enemy
[Van De Velde].
PULPIT, "1Sa_23:19, 1Sa_23:20
The Ziphites. Rather, "some Ziphites," or "people of Ziph," as there is no
article. They tell Saul that David was hiding in the fastnesses of the wild
region in their neighbourhood, and especially in the hill of Hachilah, a ridge
that ran along eastward of Maon. Conder recognises it in the long ridge
called El Kolah, running out of the Ziph plateau towards the Dead Sea
desert. It lay on the south of Jeshimon, or rather "on the right hand of the
desert." Jeshimon is not a proper name, but means any desert (Psa_107:4;
Isa_43:19), though it is used specially of the desert of Sinai in Deu_32:10,
and of that of Judah here and in Num_21:20; Num_23:28. Conder calls it
"the dreary desert which extends between the Dead Sea and the Hebron
mountains. It is called Jeshimon, or ’Solitude,’ in the Old Testament, and
’wilderness of Judea’ in the New (Mat_3:1). It is a plateau of white chalk,
2000 feet lower than the watershed, and terminated on the east by cliffs
which rise vertically from the Dead Sea shore to a height of about 2000 feet.
The scenery is barren and wild beyond all description. The chalky ridges are
scored by innumerable torrents, and their narrow crests are separated by
broad flat valleys. Peaks and knolls of fantastic forms rise suddenly from
the swelling downs, and magnificent precipices of ruddy limestone stand up
like fortress-walls above the sea. Not a tree nor a spring is visible in the
waste, and only the desert partridge and the ibex are found ranging the
solitude. It was in this pathless desert that David found refuge from Saul’s
persecution, and the same has been a place of retreat from the days of
Christ to the present time." The Ziphites assure Saul that from their
knowledge of this region they shall be able, if he come in force, so to guide
him as that David must fall into his hands.
GUZIK, "(19-23) The Ziphites betray David.
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? 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.” And Saul said, “Blessed are you of the LORD,
for you have compassion on me. 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. 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 of Judah.”
a. Our part shall be to deliver him into the king’s hand: For every
faithful Jonathan, there is also a Ziphite, someone willing to betray.
70

71. Many a godly man or woman has known both friends and betrayers,
just as Jesus did.
b. Blessed are you of the LORD: Saul was so spiritually warped that he
could say to the betrayers of an innocent man, “Blessed are you of the
LORD.”
c. I am told that he is very crafty: It wasn’t David’s craftiness that had
kept him from Saul’s clutches so far. It was the goodness and
faithfulness of the LORD. But Saul doesn’t want to believe that, so he
thinks and says David’s protection is due to his being very crafty.
d. At this time, David expressed his feelings to the LORD in song, and
that song is preserved for us in Psa_54:1-7. The title to that Psalm
reads, A Contemplation of David when the Ziphites went and said to
Saul, “Is David not hiding with us?”
i. In Psa_54:1-7, David called out to the LORD for help: Save me, O
God, by Your name, and vindicate me by Your strength (Psa_54:1).
ii. In Psa_54:1-7, David understood his enemies: For strangers
have risen up against me, and oppressors have sought after my
life; they have not set God before them (Psa_54:3).
iii. In Psa_54:1-7, David expressed his confidence in the LORD:
Behold, God is my helper; the LORD is with those who uphold my
life (Psa_54:4).
iv. In Psa_54:1-7, David let go of the bitterness and fear and
praised the LORD instead: I will freely sacrifice to You; I will
praise Your name, O LORD, for it is good (Psa_54:6).
v. “Observe how David left the treachery of his supposed friends
with the One who is sufficient to deal with them. He is now looking
at God. First he was looking at his enemies and these supposed
friends of his, but now he sees them through God. If you begin
with God, your enemies grow small. If you begin with the enemy,
you may never reach God.” (Redpath)
4. (1Sa_23:24-29) David’s dramatic, narrow escape.
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. 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. 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. But a
messenger came to Saul, saying, “Hasten and come, for the Philistines
have invaded the land!” Therefore Saul returned from pursuing David,
and went against the Philistines; so they called that place the Rock of
Escape. Then David went up from there and dwelt in strongholds at En
Gedi.
71

72. a. Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on
the other side of the mountain: If only Saul had known that David was
so close! They are on the same mountain (what we would think of as a
large hill), separated by the ridge. Saul did his best to trap David, and
it looked like he would.
b. But a messenger came to Saul: Out of the blue - actually, out of
heaven - a messenger came to Saul, and drew him away from David to
fight the Philistines. The hand of God was so evident that David and
his men made a memorial of the spot: they called that place the Rock
of Escape.
BENSON, "1 Samuel 23:19-22. Then came the Ziphites to Saul — They were of
David’s own tribe, though for this unnatural carriage to him he calls them
strangers. Saul said, Blessed be ye of the Lord — Saul, notwithstanding all his
injustice and cruelty to David, still supposes himself to be the injured person, and
his cause the right one. Thus too often do men let their passions blind them so as to
persuade themselves that the most unjust things are equitable. Go, I pray you,
prepare yet — Or rather, Make yourselves more certain of this, as the words may be
translated, and more agreeably to what follows.
ELLICOTT, " (19) The Ziphites.—The words of these Ziphites, and the king’s
grateful reply, show that they were very warm adherents of Saul, entirely devoted to
his fortunes, and well aware of his passionate desire to be rid of David.
On the south of Jeshimon.—Jeshimon is not the name of a place, but it signifies a
“desert” or “solitude” (see Isaiah 43:19). It is used here for the “dreary desert which
extends between the Dead Sea and the Hebron Mountains. . . . It is a plateau of
white chalk, terminated on the east by cliffs, which rise vertically from the Dead Sea
shore to a height of above 3,000 feet. The scenery is barren and wild beyond all
description.”—Conder: Tent Life in Palestine. This is the wilderness of Judea
spoken of in Matthew 3:1. David was just then encamped with some of his followers
in some thickets bordering on this trackless desert. The Ziphites evidently knew the
country well, not only the hills, but the solitary wastes stretching out at its base.
They were willing and ready, if Saul’s trained soldiers marched into their
neighbourhood, to act as their guides in the pursuit or the famous outlaw and his
men. They kept their promise faithfully, and in the pursuit which followed the
arrival of Saul and his forces, David was in extreme danger of capture. The news
that the Philistines had invaded the territories of Saul in great force hastily
summoned the king from the district, and David was thus saved from a destruction
which appeared to be imminent.
COFFMAN, "Verse 19
THE ZIPHITES DISCLOSE DAVID'S HIDEOUT TO SAUL
72

73. "Then the Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, "Does not David hide among
us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah, which is south of Jeshimon?
Now come down, O king, according to all your heart's desire to come down; and our
part shall be to surrender him into the king's hand." And Saul said, "May you be
blessed of the Lord; for you have had compassion on me. Go make yet more sure;
know and see the place where his haunt is, and who has seen him there; for it is told
me that he is very cunning. See therefore, and take note of all the lurking places
where he hides, and come back to me with sure information. Then I will go with
you; and if he is in the land, I will search him out among all the thousands of
Judah." And they arose and went to Ziph ahead of Saul."
"The strongholds of Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah" (1 Samuel 23:19). G. W.
Grogan of Glasgow identifies Horesh merely as "a place in the wilderness of
Judea."[15] J. D. Douglas identified "Hachilah" as, "a hill in the wilderness of
Judah where David was hidden when the Ziphites plotted to betray him to Saul. The
site is not accurately known but generally regarded as being near Dahret el Kola,
between Ziph and Engedi."[16]
"Our part shall be to surrender him into the king's hand" (1 Samuel 23:20). This, of
course, was the Ziphites promise to betray David. "The reason for the Ziphites
betrayal was either their zeal for Saul or the fact that David levied protection money
against them as he did against Nabal (1 Samuel 25)."[17] Willis pointed out another
possible reason, namely, that, "The Ziphites might have feared that Saul would
slaughter them, if he discovered that they knew where David was and did not tell
him."[18] The knowledge of what Saul did at Nob was known to all Israel. Any or
all of these reasons might have motivated the Ziphites. This shameful deed of the
Ziphites is mentioned in the superscription of Psalms 54.
"For you have had compassion on me" (1 Samuel 23:21). Saul's miserable
unhappiness and grief were very real, and not less so because his sins had brought
all of his misfortunes upon him. This is an accurate detail of what always happens
when any person whomsoever decides to forsake God and "live his own way."
CONSTABLE, "Verses 19-23
David"s escape from the wilderness of Ziph
Again the writer directed our attention back to Saul. Psalm 54tells us what David
was thinking and praying during this experience. He trusted in God.
Evidently the Ziphites thought that they would be better off if they informed Saul of
David"s presence in their area than if the king discovered that he was there. He
might have blamed them for sheltering David and taken revenge on them as he had
on the people of Nob.
73

74. Again Saul spoke piously (cf. 1 Samuel 23:7) and praised the Ziphites for having
compassion on him. Really it was David who was in need of compassion from these
people, but he found none. Saul proceeded to seek human help in finding David
from his allies ("go," "make more sure," "investigate," "see," "look," "learn;" 1
Samuel 23:22-23). However there is no mention of his seeking divine help in prayer
(cf. 1 Samuel 23:2; 1 Samuel 23:4; 1 Samuel 23:11-12). He attributed cunning to
David, but Saul was really the cunning hunter in this story. Herod the Great was
another cunning ruler, who also was not worthy to be king, who tried to execute the
Lord"s anointed, Jesus Christ (cf. Matthew 2:1-12). Saul was projecting his own
deceitful behavior onto David. Whereas God promised to go with David and deliver
the Philistines into his hands ( 1 Samuel 23:2; 1 Samuel 23:4), Saul promised to go
with the Ziphites to destroy David among the Judahites ( 1 Samuel 23:23).
HAWKER, "Verses 19-26
(19) ¶ Then came up the Ziphites to Saul to Gibeah, saying, Doth not David hide
himself with us in strong holds in the wood, in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the
south of Jeshimon? (20) Now therefore, O king, come down according to all the
desire of thy soul to come down; and our part shall be to deliver him into the king's
hand. (21) And Saul said, Blessed be ye of the LORD for ye have compassion on me.
(22) Go, I pray you, prepare yet, and know and see his place where his haunt is, and
who hath seen him there: for it is told me that he dealeth very subtilly. (23) See
therefore, and take knowledge of all the lurking places where he hideth himself, and
come ye again to me with the certainty, and I will go with you: and it shall come to
pass, if he be in the land, that I will search him out throughout all the thousands of
Judah. (24) And 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. (25) Saul also
and his men went to seek him. And they told David: wherefore he came down into a
rock, and abode in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he pursued
after David in the wilderness of Maon. (26) And Saul went on this side of the
mountain, and David and his men on that side of the mountain: and David made
haste to get away for fear of Saul; for Saul and his men compassed David and his
men round about to take them.
We have reason to bless God for these continued exercises of David, however
painful to him, they prove profitable to us. Those two precious Psalms, Ps 54 and Ps
63, were written by him upon those occasions as the Reader will perceive by
consulting them in the title page. And, Reader, depend upon it, that life in grace will
be peculiarly honoured by the Lord, that is, peculiarly marked with situations for
the exercise of grace and faith, and the display of God's faithfulness in carrying the
believer through them. If the Lord hath promised his presence to his people in
affliction, must they not be brought into trouble, in order to have that precious
promise realized?
PARKER, "Verse 19
74

75. "Doth not David hide himself with us in strong holds?"— 1 Samuel 23:19.
A useful spiritual application of these words instantly suggests itself; still we are
simply on the ground of accommodation, and not on the ground of critical
exposition.—The great spiritual lesson is that the good man is always hidden in a
stronghold.—"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."—We
are to be hidden in the Rock of Ages.—We are not protected merely by the shadow
of some perishing substance; we are hidden under the wings of the Almighty.—The
Lord is our shield and buckler, our sword and our invincible defence.—There are
strongholds of faith, reason, experience; there are strongholds of history, of general
testimony on the part of Christian believers, and above all in our own consciousness
of the divine nearness and the divine ministry in our personal life.—We know in
whom we have believed, and we know that he is able to keep that which we have
committed to his charge.—It is in no poor hut that the Christian lives, but in the
very centre of the pavilion of God.—Our citizenship is in heaven: we seek a country
out of sight: we have bread to eat that the world knoweth not of.—They who take
the soul of the Christian captive must first overcome the Almightiness which guards
it.—Being assured that we are in a stronghold, let us be cautious how we adventure
out of it.—Imagination may tempt us, speculation may promise us glittering
rewards, foolish friends may implore us to come away and to range the larger
country and increase our experience of life and nature: all these temptations may be
addressed to us without any purpose of mischief: we should therefore so know
ourselves as to realise our weakness, and so far be assured of our need of divine help
as never to go beyond the limit which God has imposed upon us;—Let the soul say
morning by morning, "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh
my help: my help cometh even from the Lord, who hath made heaven and earth."—
We can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth us.—Our sufficiency is of
God.—All these promises are full of sacred and tender comfort, and were written
not to be looked upon with the eye of the body only but to be gazed upon with the
vision of the soul, until all that is most beautiful in them passes into the spirit and
becomes part of our manhood.—Whenever the enemy rises against us may we
remember that we are hidden in a stronghold; may we never live so loosely and
vainly as to give that enemy the impression that we can be found wandering alone in
any place at any hour; may our steadfastness and our zeal be such that we shall be
found evermore within the sacred and impregnable enclosure of the divine
sovereignty and protection.
LANGE, "1 Samuel 23:19-24 a. The Ziphites betray to Saul David’s abode among
them; Saul forms with the betrayers his crafty scheme against David. 1 Samuel
23:19 is connected with 1 Samuel 23:15, not with 1 Samuel 23:14 (Thenius).
“Ziphites,” people of Ziph [without the Art.—Tr.] Some Ziphites went up to Saul to
Gibeah to betray to him David’s abode. The mountain Hachilah, with its wood and
its rocks, lay “on the right of the desert;” that Isaiah, south of the waste region
which stretched out on the west of the Dead Sea within the steppe of Judah. The
Article indicates the desert to be that well-known desert in this region, the
designation being almost a proper name [written as nom. pr. “Jeshimon” in Eng. A.
75

76. V.—Tr.] So in Numbers 21:20; Numbers 23:28, a desert is called “the desert” [Eng.
A. V. Jeshimon]. This is the desert northeastern border of the Dead Sea.
20 Now, O king, come down whenever it pleases
you to do so, and we will be responsible for
handing him over to the king."
GILL, "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.
They knew he would be pleased and they would benefit from betrayal of David.
Robert Roe, “The Ziphites live to the west of the Dead Sea, right in the heart of
Judah. They are members of the same tribe as David. You would think they would
be on his side, but all the fields and vineyards and command of thousands and
hundreds are going to the Benjamites. Like the Keilahites, the Ziphites want a share
of the spoil, and God has delivered into their hands David, the very thing they need
to gain all they want the most.
I Samuel 23, verse 19:
Then Ziphites came up to Saul at Gibeah, [They go all the way up to Benjamin
territory, to Saul's headquarters. They initiate the betrayal] saying, "Is David not
hiding with us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah, which is on the
south of Jeshimon? [the desert] Now then, O king, come down according to all the
desire of your soul to do so; and our part shall be to surrender him into the king's
hand." And Saul said, "May you be blessed of the Lord [YHWH]; for you have had
compassion on me. [It is interesting how religious the flesh gets, and not just blessed
of God, but blessed of the God of the covenant, their God, for a little betrayal. But
76

77. Saul is no fool] Go now, make more sure, and investigate and see his place where his
haunt is, and who has seen him there; [get your intelligence really down solid] for I
am told that he is very cunning. [This is probably true. This is probably the thing
that God is now going to deal with in David] So look, and learn about all the hiding
places where he hides himself, and return to me with certainty, and I will go with
you; and it shall come about if he is in the land that I will search him out among all
the thousands of Judah."
21 Saul replied, "The LORD bless you for your
concern for me.
GILL, "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, 1Sa_22:8.
HENRY 21-23, " Saul thankfully receives their information, and gladly lays
hold of the opportunity of hunting David in their wilderness, in hopes to
make a prey of him at length. He intimates to them how kindly he took it
(1Sa_23:21): Blessed be you of the Lord (so near is God to his mouth,
though far from his heart), for you have compassion on me. It seems he
looked upon himself as a miserable man and an object of pity; his own envy
and ill-nature made him so, otherwise he might have been easy and have
needed no man's compassion. He likewise insinuates the little concern that
the generality of his people showed for him. “You have compassion on me,
which others have not.” Saul gives them instructions to search more
particularly for his haunts (1Sa_23:22), “for” (says he) “I hear he deals very
subtilely,” representing him as a man crafty to do mischief, whereas all his
subtlety was to secure himself. It was strange that Saul did not go down with
them immediately, but he hoped by their means to set his game with the
more certainty, and thus divine Providence gave David time to shift for
himself. But the Ziphites had laid their spies upon all the places where he
was likely to be discovered, and therefore Saul might come and seize him if
he was in the land, 1Sa_23:23. New he thought himself sure of his prey and
pleased himself with the thoughts of devouring it.
K&D, "For this treachery Saul blessed them: “Be blessed of the Lord, that
77

78. ye have compassion upon me.” In his evil conscience he suspected David of
seeking to become his murderer, and therefore thanked God in his delusion
that the Ziphites had had compassion upon him, and shown him David's
hiding-place.
PULPIT, "1Sa_23:21-23
Ye have compassion on me. There is something pitiable in Saul’s answer. He
had brooded over his rejection from being king, and the many indications
that David was to be his successor, till he had become the prey of abject
melancholy. He evidently regarded himself as a wronged and injured man,
while David to his diseased imagination was ever conspiring against him
and plotting his murder. With much prolixity he encourages them still to
keep a close watch upon all David’s movements, so as to know his place
where his haunt is.
Literally, "his place where his foot will be," the place whither he goes for
rest and refuge. The reason he gives for this long and close observation of
David’s doings is that it is told him that he dealeth very subtilly. That is,
according to Saul’s information, he behaved with the utmost prudence, ever
keeping a careful look out against surprise, and using much skill to conceal
his movements and to provide for his escape from danger. Finally, they are
to return with the certainty—with trustworthy and accurate information,
and then Saul will gather his forces and search David out throughout all the
thousands of Judah. These are the larger divisions of the territory of the
tribe (Num_1:16; Num_10:4), throughout which Saul will hunt for him till
he has got him into his power.
LANGE, "1 Samuel 23:21. The feeling expressed in Saul’s answer agrees with the
Ziphites’ word as to his keen desire to come down to them. He invokes God’s
blessing on them for their offer and promise. He remains true to his illusion that
David is attempting his throne and life, and so committing a crime against God. He
imagines that he is in a dangerous situation, and that the Ziphites had compassion
on him or sympathy with him in making him this offer.
22 Go and make further preparation. Find out
where David usually goes and who has seen him
there. They tell me he is very crafty.
GILL, "Go, I pray you, prepare yet,.... That is, go home, return to their
78

79. 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" (s) 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.
K&D, "In his anxiety, however, lest David should escape him after all, he
charged them, “Go, and give still further heed (‫ין‬ ִ‫כ‬ ֵ‫ה‬ without ‫ב‬ ֵ‫,ל‬ as in Jdg_
12:6), and reconnoitre and look at his place where his foot cometh (this
simply serves as a more precise definition of the nominal suffix in ‫מ‬ ‫ק‬ ְ‫,מ‬ his
place), who hath seen him there (sc., let them inquire into this, that they
may not be deceived by uncertain or false reports): for it is told me that he
dealeth very subtilly.”
LANGE, "1 Samuel 23:22. He directs them how to act in order to gain information
of every retreat of David in his constant shifting of place. “Fix your mind, observe”
(supply ‫ֵב‬‫ל‬ as in Judges 12:6; 2 Chronicles 29:36). The heaping up of synonyms is no
argument against this rendering; the conception “see” is not thrice expressed
(Then.), but there is a gradation, Saul describing in an animated manner how they
are to get information of David’s abode: “Keep a good look-out still, that ye may
learn, and that ye may see in what place his foot will be,” that Isaiah, where he fixes
himself in his wandering. “Who has seen him” refers to the last: “And see his
place,” etc. The words, in keeping with Saul’s animated manner, are loosely put
together, he having in mind the moment when the man who discovers David’s abode
comes to inform him. Saul affirms the necessity for this espionage in the remark:
“for it is told me that he is very subtle.” This trait of character in David agrees with
what we otherwise know of him in this respect.
79

80. 23 Find out about all the hiding places he uses and
come back to me with definite information. [
1] Then I will go with you; if he is in the area, I
will track him down among all the clans of
Judah."
GILL, "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 Mic_5:2.
K&D, "They were to search him out in every corner (the object to ‫עוּ‬ ְ‫דּ‬ must
be supplied from the context). “And come ye again to me with the certainty
(i.e., when you have got some certain intelligence concerning his hiding-
place), that I may go with you; and if he is in the land, I will search him out
among all the thousands (i.e., families) of Judah.”
ELLICOTT, "(23) Throughout all the thousands of Judah.—The “thousands”
(Heb., alaphim), as we learn from Numbers 1:16; Numbers 10:4, were the greater
tribal divisions. Judah was especially mentioned by Saul as being “the tribe of
David,” and where he found probably the larger number of his adherents. It was
too, from its importance, the typical tribe, certainly in the southern part of Canaan.
80

81. LANGE, "1 Samuel 23:23. Saul continues his directions, and cannot say enough (to
satisfy himself) to exhort them to search in every nook and cranny. “Return to me
unto what is certain;” that Isaiah, when you have gotten certain information. Not till
then will he go down with them. He confidently declares that he will then seize him
among all the thousands of Judah. The Alaphim, thousands are, according to
Numbers 1:16; Numbers 10:4, the larger divisions of the twelve Tribes.
24 So they set out and went to Ziph ahead of Saul.
Now David and his men were in the Desert of
Maon, in the Arabah south of Jeshimon.
BARNES, "The plain - The Arabah, the desert tract which extends along
the valley of the Jordan from the Dead Sea to the Lake of Gennesareth, now
called El-Ghor. The word is now given by the Arabs to the valley between the
Dead Sea and the Gulf of Akaba.
GILL, "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 Jos_15:55,
in the plain on the south of Jeshimon; the same as in 1Sa_23:19; only David
was now farther to the south of it, and in a plain, whereas before he was on
an hill.
HENRY 24-26, " The imminent peril that David was now brought into.
Upon intelligence that the Ziphites had betrayed him, he retired from the
hill of Hachilah to the wilderness of Maon (1Sa_23:24), and at this time he
penned the 54th Psalm, as appears by the title, wherein he calls the Ziphites
strangers, though they were Israelites, because they used him barbarously;
but he puts himself under the divine protection: “Behold, God is my helper,
and then all shall be well” Saul, having got intelligence of him, pursued him
closely (1Sa_23:25), till he came so near him that there was but a mountain
81

82. between them (1Sa_23:26), David and his men on one side of the mountain
flying and Saul and his men on the other side pursuing, David in fear and
Saul in hope. But this mountain was an emblem of the divine Providence
coming between David and the destroyer, like the pillar of cloud between
the Israelites and the Egyptians. David was concealed by this mountain and
Saul confounded by it. David now flees as a bird to his mountain (Psa_11:1)
and finds God to him as the shadow of a great rock. Saul hoped with his
numerous forces to enclose David, and compass him in and his men; but the
ground did not prove convenient for his design, and so it failed. A new name
was given to the place in remembrance of this (1Sa_23:28): Selah-hammah-
lekoth - the rock of division, because it divided between Saul and David.
K&D, "With this answer the Ziphites arose and “went to Ziph before Saul”
(who would speedily follow with his warriors); but David had gone farther
in the meantime, and was with his men “in the desert of Maon, in the steppe
to the south of the wilderness.” Maon, now Maïn, is about three hours and
three-quarters S.S.E. of Hebron (see at Jos_15:55), and therefore only two
hours from Ziph, from which it is visible. “The table-land appears to
terminate here; nevertheless the principal ridge of the southern mountains
runs for a considerable distance towards the south-west, whereas towards
the south-east the land falls off more and more into a lower table-land.”
This is the Arabah or steppe on the right of the wilderness (v. de Velde, ii.
pp. 107-8).
PULPIT, "1Sa_23:24
While the Ziphites were conferring with Saul and gathering information
David had moved about six miles to the south of Ziph, and was in the
wilderness of Maon. This town is still called Main, and occupies a conical
hill, whence Robinson (’Bibl. Res.,’ 2:433) counted no less than nine cities
belonging to the hill country of Judah. Conder (’Tent Work,’ 2:90) calls it a
great hump of rock. In the plain on the south of Jeshimon. Literally, "in the
’Arabah to the right of the desert." The ’Arabah was the name of the low-
lying desert tract extending along the valley of the Jordan from the lake of
Gennesareth to the Dead Sea. Maon lay upon the edge of this depression, in
the southern portion of the Jeshimon or Solitude.
BENSON "1 Samuel 23:24-25. But David and his men were in the wilderness of
Maon — Having heard what the Ziphites had undertaken, David disappointed their
design by going into another place, with which, it is likely, they were not so well
acquainted. For Maon was a distant wilderness from Ziph, though both were in the
tribe of Judah. Saul also and his men went to seek him — Hearing, it is likely, by the
Ziphites, whither he was gone. Therefore he came down into a rock — Some craggy,
desolate place, where he thought Saul would not find him; or rather, into a cave
which was in the rock, where, at first, he might think to hide himself; but, on
further consideration, he removed from thence upon Saul’s approach.
82

83. ELLICOTT, " (24) In the wilderness of Maon.—Still further to the south. The name
of this district is still preserved in the village or small town of Main, which is built
on a prominent conical hill.
In the plain.—This accurate description was, no doubt, inserted by the compiler of
these books, owing to the intense interest which the wanderings of this favourite
hero and king excited among his countrymen. We can well imagine how gladly the
dwellers in Judea, especially in later days—after the glorious reign of David had
changed the tribes struggling with the surrounding petty nations for very existence
into a great and renowned nation—would trace out the itinerary of the great king as
he fled for his life before Saul. Is it too much to assume that each of these spots,
which to us is little more than a hard, dry name, for a long period were the resort of
reverent and curious pilgrims, anxious to gaze on localities made sacred by the
weary wanderings and the hair-breadth escapes of the glorious king of Israel?
The plain.—Literally, the Arabah, the desert track which extends along the Jordan
Valley from the Dead Sea to the Lake of Gennesareth; it is now called El-Ghor. The
term is also applied to the desolate valley which lies between the Dead Sea and the
Gulf of Akaba. Stanley, in his Sinai and Palestine, has given a picturesque
description of these weird districts.
COFFMAN, "Verse 24
DIVINE INTERVENTION SAVES DAVID FROM CAPTURE
"Now David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah to the
south of Jeshimon. And Saul and his men went to seek him. And David was told;
therefore he went down to the rock which is in the wilderness of Maon. And when
Saul heard that, he pursued after David in the wilderness of Maon. Saul went on
one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain;
and David was making haste to get away from Saul, as Saul and his men were
closing in on David to capture them, when a messenger came to Saul, saying, "Make
haste and come; for the Philistines have made a raid upon the land." So Saul
returned from pursuing after David, and went against the Philistines; therefore that
place was called the Rock of Escape. And David went up from there, and dwelt in
the strongholds of Engedi."
The place names of this passage are of significant interest.
"The Arabah" (1 Samuel 23:24b). This was the name of that great geological rift
that includes the Sea of Galilee, the Jordan river and the Dead Sea. Biblical mention
of it sometimes refers to the northern part of that great valley and sometimes to the
southern part. "The Dead Sea is called, "The Sea of the Arabah."[19] The Arabah
ended in the Gulf of Aqabah. The Arabah here is in the vicinity of the Dead Sea.
"The wilderness of Maon" (1 Samuel 23:25). "Maon is a city in the hill country of
83

84. Judah, and the home of Nabal the wealthy flock master. The site is now called El
Ma'in, eight miles south of Hebron."[20]
"Jeshimon" (1 Samuel 23:24b). "There were two places called Jeshimon, (1) a
barren place northeast of the Dead Sea, and (2) a place north of the hill Hachilah in
the wilderness of Maon."[21] It is the second of these that is referred to here.
One of David's most urgent problems was that of feeding his little army of some six
hundred men. This was the urgent problem lying back of the many raids that David
and his men conducted against the Philistines. Also, it is evident that he protected
some of the border cities against Philistine raids and required of them contributions
of food and money.
"A messenger came to Saul ... Make haste and come; for the Philistines have
invaded the land" (1 Samuel 23:27). "Providence gave Saul a diversion."[22] It is
generally agreed among scholars that without that providential intervention David
would almost certainly have been captured. It is interesting to speculate on just
what part of Israel the Philistines had attacked. Saul paid no attention whatever
when Keilah was attacked; why his haste to leave on this occasion? As Henry
suggested, "It was probably that part of Israel where Saul's own estates were
located."[23] If this had not been the case, it is difficult to believe that Saul,
otherwise, would have interrupted his pursuit of David.
"That place was called the Rock of Escape" (1 Samuel 23:28). This was that rock in
the wilderness of Maon (1 Samuel 23:25). There is some uncertainty about the name
given to it. The Hebrew name is, "Sela-hammah-lekoth, Rock of Smoothness (in the
sense of slipping away, or escaping)."[24] Matthew Henry thought that the name
meant, "The Rock of Division, because it divided between Saul and David ... This
mountain (the rock) was an emblem of the Divine Providence coming between David
and the destroyer."[25]
"The strongholds of Engedi" (1 Samuel 23:29). In the terrain overlooking the Dead
Sea, there is a freshwater spring, a marvelous oasis in the midst of some of the most
desolate country on earth. In ancient times, there were groves of date palm trees
here, making it, "An ideal place for an outlaw for food and for a hiding place."[26]
With such a safe hiding place, David would wait, as he said, until he would see
"what God would do" for him (1 Samuel 22:3).
CONSTABLE, "Verses 24-29
David in the wilderness of Maon
Maon stood about five miles south of Ziph in the wilderness of Judah. The
"Arabah" describes the low-lying area that extends from Mt. Hermon to the Red
Sea, including the Jordan Valley and Dead Sea regions. Jeshimon means "desert" or
"waste" in Hebrew, so it may have been the name of a region east of Ziph.
84

85. Some of David"s sympathizers ("they," 1 Samuel 23:25) informed him that Saul
was approching with soldiers. David and his men then sought refuge behind a huge
rock in the area. Just as Saul"s men were about to close in on David, news reached
Saul that the Philistines had invaded an unspecified area of Israel. Saul had to
break off his personal vendetta to respond to the Philistine danger (cf. 1 Samuel
23:1). David then moved on to Engedi, 14miles east of Ziph, to increase his safety.
This chapter encourages all of God"s servants who, like David, feel vulnerable to
attacks by people who do not fear the Lord.
How did God deliver David? He saved him by bringing information to his ears that
David needed to protect himself ( 1 Samuel 23:2; 1 Samuel 23:4; 1 Samuel 23:11-12;
1 Samuel 23:25). He also did it by distracting David"s enemy ( 1 Samuel 23:27-28).
What did David do while he trusted God? He did not become anxious and just wait.
He sought God in prayer ( 1 Samuel 23:2; 1 Samuel 23:4; 1 Samuel 23:11-12; cf.
Psalm 54; Philippians 4:6), and he proceeded to serve God ( 1 Samuel 23:2; 1
Samuel 23:5; cf. Matthew 28:19-20).
How did David receive strength during his trials? God answered his prayers ( 1
Samuel 23:2; 1 Samuel 23:4; 1 Samuel 23:11-12; cf. Saul). Moreover, other godly
people encouraged David, namely, Abiathar the priest, who helped him in prayer ( 1
Samuel 23:6), and Jonathan the prince, who reminded him of God"s promises ( 1
Samuel 23:16-18).
LANGE, " 1 Samuel 23:24 a. The Ziphites went back to their region before Saul,
who, according to the agreement, was to follow later.
1 Samuel 23:24 b–28. David retires to the wilderness of Maon, and is delivered from
Saul.
1 Samuel 23:24 b. The wilderness of Maon lay farther south. The name still exists, =
Maïn, eight miles southeast of Hebron; the distance from Ziph is therefore only six
miles. Maïn lies on a conical hill, which commands a wide view, so that Rob. (II, 433
[Am. Ed, I, 493–495]) thence saw nine cities of the hill-country of Judah, Maon,
Carmel, Ziph, Juttah, Jattir, Socho, Anab, Eshtemoa, and Hebron ( Joshua
15:48-55). On the character of the ground see Van de Velde II:107 sq. [Mr. Grove in
Smith’s Bible Dict. thinks that the wilderness of Maon formed part of the larger
region called the Arabah, rendered in Eng. A. V. 1 Samuel 23:24, “the plain.”—
Tr.].—David, doubtless in consequence of information received as to the designs of
Saul and the Ziphites, betook himself to the wilderness of Maon.
85

86. 25 Saul and his men began the search, and when
David was told about it, he went down to the rock
and stayed in the Desert of Maon. When Saul
heard this, he went into the Desert of Maon in
pursuit of David.
CLARKE, "The wilderness of Maon - Maon was a mountainous district in
the most southern parts of Judah. Calmet supposes it to be the city of
Menois, which Eusebius places in the vicinity of Gaza; and the Maenaemi
Castrum, which the Theodosian code places near to Beersheba.
GILL, "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 1Sa_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.
JAMISON, "David ... came down into a rock, and abode in the wilderness
of Maon — Tell Main, the hillock on which was situated the ancient Maon
(Jos_15:55), and from which the adjoining wilderness took its name, is one
mile north, ten east from Carmel. The mountain plateau seems here to end.
It is true the summit ridge of the southern hills runs out a long way further
towards the southwest; but towards the southeast the ground sinks more
and more down to a tableland of a lower level, which is called “the plain to
the right hand [that is, to the south] of the wilderness” [Van De Velde].
86

87. K&D, "Having been informed of the arrival of Saul and his men
(warriors), David went down the rock, and remained in the desert of Maon.
“The rock” is probably the conical mountain of Main (Maon), the top of
which is now surrounded with ruins, probably remains of a tower
(Robinson, Pal. ii. p. 194), as the rock from which David came down can
only have been the mountain (1Sa_23:26), along one side of which David
went with his men whilst Saul and his warriors went on the other, namely
when Saul pursued him into the desert of Maon.
PULPIT, "1Sa_23:25, 1Sa_23:26
He came down into a rock. Hebrew, sela’, a cliff or precipice. In the next
verse it is described as a mountain, on one side of which was David and his
men, in full view of Saul and his army on the other. But as Saul’s forces were
much more numerous, they were preparing to separate, and so enclose
David, while he made haste. The word expresses anxiety and fear, and may
be translated, "And David sought anxiously to go from before the face of
Saul." Conder’s description of the spot (’Tent Work,’ 2:91) sets the whole
scene most vividly before us. It is as follows:—"Between the ridge of El
Kolah (the ancient hill of Hachilah) and the neighbourhood of Maon there is
a great gorge called ’the Valley of Rocks,’ a narrow but deep chasm,
impassable except by a detour of many miles, so that Saul might have stood
within sight of David, yet quite unable to overtake his enemy; and to this
"cliff of division" the name Malaky now applies, a word closely approaching
the Hebrew Mahlekoth. The neighbourhood is seamed with many torrent
beds, but there is no other place near Maon where cliffs such as are to be
inferred from the word sela’ can be found. It seems to me pretty safe,
therefore, to look on this gorge as the scene of the wonderful escape of
David, due to a sudden Philistine invasion, which terminated the history of
his hair-breadth escapes in the south country."
COKE, "Verse 25-26
1 Samuel 23:25-26. Saul also and his men went— Saul, informed of the place where
David was, went in person to invest it; and, humanly speaking, David could not
possibly escape: but God heard the prayers which this holy man made to him in this
extremity, and which he has so finely expressed in the 54th Psalm; all the parts
whereof are applicable to the present occasion. The prayers of great men in distress,
and their thanksgivings after great deliverances, have always been matter of
uncommon delight to curiosity, and to persons of serious and religious spirits; nor
does the glory of any great man shine out in their eyes with half the lustre, as when
they behold him on his knees, lifting up his eyes, or stretching out his hands to
Heaven, or, what is yet greater, prostrating himself before it, in humiliation and
acknowledgment.
LANGE, "1 Samuel 23:25. And Saul … went, namely, after he had gotten
87

88. information from the Ziphites. The “rock,” on which it is here presupposed that
David was staying, and which was in the wilderness of Maon, is perhaps the conical
hill of the present Maïn, whose summit is surrounded with ruins. He went down not
(as Sept.) “into the rock,” nor “to the rock” (Buns.), but “descended the rock,” in
order to conceal himself in the lowland or in the caves at its base. It is the same
mountain that is mentioned in 1 Samuel 23:26, on opposite sides of which Saul and
David found themselves. Here ( 1 Samuel 23:26) David was sore troubled (‫ז‬ָ‫פּ‬ ְ‫ֶח‬‫נ‬) to
escape Saul, while, on his part, Saul attempted to surround and seize him.
26 Saul was going along one side of the mountain,
and David and his men were on the other side,
hurrying to get away from Saul. As Saul and his
forces were closing in on David and his men to
capture them,
Now, in I Samuel 23, Verse 26, out of that experience at Maon and in the wilderness
of Judah he wrote Psalm 63
CLARKE, "Saul went on this side of the mountain - Evidently not knowing
that David and his men were on the other side.
GILL, "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.
K&D, "“And David was anxiously concerned to escape from Saul, and
Saul and his men were encircling David and his men to seize them; but a
88

89. messenger came to Saul ... . Then Saul turned from pursuing David.” The
two clauses, “for Saul and his men” (1Sa_23:26), and “there came a
messenger” (1Sa_23:27), are the circumstantial clauses by which the
situation is more clearly defined: the apodosis to ‫ד‬ ִ‫ו‬ ָ‫דּ‬ ‫י‬ ִ‫ה‬ְ‫ַי‬‫ו‬ does not follow till
‫ב‬ ָ‫ָשׁ‬‫יּ‬ַ‫ו‬ in 1Sa_23:28. The apodosis cannot begin with ָ‫א‬ ְ‫ל‬ ַ‫וּמ‬ because the verb
does not stand at the head. David had thus almost inextricably fallen into
the hands of Saul; but God saved him by the fact that at that very moment a
messenger arrived with the intelligence, “Hasten and go (come), for
Philistines have fallen into the land,” and thus called Saul away from any
further pursuit of David.
27 a messenger came to Saul, saying, "Come
quickly! The Philistines are raiding the land."
CLARKE, "There came a messenger - See the providence of God exerted
for the salvation of David’s life! David and his men are almost surrounded
by Saul and his army, and on the point of being taken, when a messenger
arrives and informs Saul that the Philistines had invaded the land! But
behold the workings of Providence! God had already prepared the invasion
of the land by the Philistines, and kept Saul ignorant how much David was
in his power; but as his advanced guards and scouts must have discovered
him in a very short time, the messenger arrives just at the point of time to
prevent it. Here David was delivered by God, and in such a manner too as
rendered the Divine interposition visible.
GILL, "But there came a messenger unto Saul,.... From his court, by order
of his council there; though the Jews (t) 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
89

90. required, and haste was necessary.
HENRY, "The deliverance of David out of this danger. Providence gave Saul
a diversion, when he was just ready to lay hold of David; notice was brought
him that the Philistines were invading the land (1Sa_23:27), probably that
part of the land where his own estate lay, which would be seized, or at least
spoiled, by the invaders; for the little notice he took of Keilah's distress and
David's relief of it, in the beginning of this chapter, gives us cause to suspect
that he would not now have left pursuing David, and gone to oppose the
Philistines, if some private interests of his own had not been at stake.
However it was, he found himself under a necessity of going against the
Philistines (1Sa_23:28), and by this means David was delivered when he
was on the brink of destruction. Saul was disappointed of his prey, and God
was glorified as David's wonderful protector. When the Philistines invaded
the land they were far from intending any kindness to David by it, yet the
overruling providence of God, which orders all events and the times of
them, made it very serviceable to him. The wisdom of God is never at a loss
for ways and means to preserve his people. As this Saul was diverted, so
another Saul was converted, just then when he was breathing out
threatenings and slaughter against the saints of the Lord, Act_9:1.
BENSON "1 Samuel 23:27-28. There came a messenger unto Saul — See the
providence of God! His wisdom is never at a loss for ways and means to preserve his
people. Nothing could be more distressful, nothing more hopeless than the situation
of David at this time. He was surrounded on all sides, and there seemed no way left
for escape; but as we learn from the fifty-fourth Psalm, composed by him on this
occasion, he addressed himself in prayer to his almighty Saviour, who soon showed
him that he can deliver at all times, and in all circumstances, however dangerous
and distressing. They called that place [ ‫המהלקות‬ ‫סלע‬ ] Sela-hammah-lekoth — That
is, the rock of divisions. Because God, by this interposition of the Philistines
invading the land just at this time, separated Saul from David, and in a manner
pulled him away, when the latter was now almost within his reach.
COKE, "1 Samuel 23:27-28. There came a messenger unto Saul— Thus, by the
timely interposition of Providence, David was delivered from one of the most
immediate dangers of his life: and from this time they called the place ‫סלע‬ ‫המחלקות‬
Selang hammachlekoth; i.e. the rock of divisions: the rock where Saul was obliged
to divide himself from David, and go after the Philistines. Osiander thinks that
David gave it this name in gratitude for his deliverance, as a memorial that there
God had, by little less than a miracle, divided his enemy from him. Possibly this was
a rock of one of those mountains which Solomon calls the mountains of Bether,
(Song of Solomon 2:17.) in the Margin of our Bible interpreted division.
Note; (1.) God has various ways of delivering his people; even the Philistines shall
sometimes be made instruments of his mercy to them. (2.) They who have fled to the
mountain of refuge Jesus Christ, shall find such a strong rock of division between
them and danger, that none shall be able to hurt them.
90

91. HAWKER, "Verses 27-29
(27) But there came a messenger unto Saul, saying, Haste thee, and come; for the
Philistines have invaded the land. (28) Wherefore Saul returned from pursuing after
David, and went against the Philistines: therefore they called that place
Selahammahlekoth. (29) And David went up from thence, and dwelt in strong holds
at Engedi.
The Hebrew word Sela-hammah-lekoth, means the rock of divisions. And is there
not an everlasting division between the Sauls and Davids in all ages of the church?
Reader, remark how, in the very moment of inevitable destruction, as it should
appear to us, the Lord calls off the enemy from the pursuit: thus is the case of Saul
from David. And in a yet more remarkable case, in the instance of another Saul, in
gospel times, when he was threatening, and breathing out nothing but death and
slaughter against the disciples of the Lord. It is sweet to trace the Lord's hand in our
deliverances. See those scriptures; Acts 9:1, and Isaiah 37:28-29.
LANGE, "1 Samuel 23:27. But suddenly, when David is in the greatest danger of
being surrounded, Saul receives information of a new Philistine incursion. He must
desist from farther pursuit. This was God’s plan to save David. The Philistines had
seized on the moment when Saul had withdrawn his men to the south in pursuit of
David, to invade the upper part of the land.
Here is a paradox. The great enemy whom David fought and finally destroyed as a
force were the Philistines, and yet they are the ones who saved his life by coming to
fight Saul at just the right time. It is God using evil or secular forces and history to
accomplish His will. God can use anyone, and He does.
Robert Roe, “David and his men knew who got them out of that mess, YHWH, and
they called it the Rock of Escape, literally "the Rock of Slipperies." They slipped
away from Saul.”
“How did God provide a way of escape that David might be able to get through the
desert? Who were the real agents? The Philistines, the enemy. One thing God likes
to do in your life and my life is to take the very enemies that have you petrified and
use them to provide a way of escape. Have you ever noticed that? That is what he
does here. He takes the very people David feared to make his enemies, but which
God made him make his enemies, and uses them to rescue David. With great
reverence I say, God loves to throw his sovereignty around to show us what kind of
a God he really is, totally adequate for any of our needs. He loves to deliberately
take the thing you fear the most and use it to deliver you from that fear, just as he
has done here with David.
91

92. 28 Then Saul broke off his pursuit of David
and went to meet the Philistines. That is why
they call this place Sela Hammahlekoth. [2]
BARNES, "Sela-hammahlekoth - See the margin. (Identified by Conder
with a narrow and impassable gorge between El Kolah and Maon, called
Malaky).
CLARKE, "They called that place Sela-hammah-lekoth - That is, the rock
of divisions; because, says the Targum, the heart of the king was divided to
go hither and thither. Here Saul was obliged to separate himself from
David, in order to go and oppose the invading Philistines.
GILL, "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 time (u).
K&D, "From this occurrence the place received the name of Sela-
hammahlekoth, “rock of smoothnesses,” i.e., of slipping away or escaping,
from ‫ק‬ ַ‫ל‬ ָ‫,ח‬ in the sense of being smooth. This explanation is at any rate
better supported than “rock of divisions, i.e., the rock at which Saul and
92

93. David were separated” (Clericus), since ‫ק‬ ַ‫ל‬ ָ‫ח‬ does not mean to separate.
PULPIT, "This cliff in 1Sa_23:28 is called Sela-Hammahlekoth, "the cliff of
divisions," or "of separations," ham representing the Hebrew article. Many
other derivations have been suggested, but the above, which alone agrees
with the ordinary meaning of the Hebrew verb, is proved to be right by Mr.
Conder’s researches. They enable us also to correct some small errors. Thus
David did not come down into a rock, but "to the cliff," the sela’ or
precipitous gorge described above. Nor did he "descend the rock"
(Erdmann) "in order to conceal himself in the low land, or in the caves at its
base," but he went to it as being an impassable barrier between him and his
pursuers. But "he hasted anxiously to get away" (1Sa_23:26), because Saul
would divide his army into two parts, and so David would only have the
advantage of the few miles of detour which Saul must make. But for the
news of the Philistine invasion his final escape would have been almost
hopeless. The ordinary notion that David and his men were concealed from
the sight of Saul by an intervening mountain is disproved, not only by no
such mountain existing, but also by the clause, "Saul and his men were
surrounding David and his men" (1Sa_23:28). They had them in sight, and
were forming in two divisions, so as to pass the gorge at the two ends and
close upon the flanks of David’s small band of followers.
ELLICOTT, " (28) Sela-hammahlekoth.—Literally, as in the margin of our Bibles,
the rock (or, still better, the cliff) of divisions. Other scholars, with greater reason,
prefer the derivation from a Hebrew word signifying to be smooth—the cliff of
smoothness: that is, of slipping away or escaping. Ewald rather fancifully interprets
the term as the “Cliff of Destiny or of Fate.”
LANGE, "1 Samuel 23:28. The place was called Sela hammahlekoth (‫קוֹת‬ְ‫ל‬ ְ‫ח‬ ַ‫מּ‬ַ‫ה‬ ‫ַע‬‫ל‬ ֶ‫.)ס‬
There are two explanations of the name: 1) rock of smoothness, that Isaiah, of
escape, and2) rock of dividings or divisions. The first (Ges, De Wette, Keil), takes
the notion of “escape” from the signification of the verb (‫ַק‬‫ל‬ָ‫)ח‬ “to be smooth,” for
which application, however, only Jeremiah 37:12, and that very doubtfully, can be
adduced. Further the substantive here used never means “escape,” but always
“distribution” ( Joshua 11:23; Joshua 12:7; Joshua 18:10; Ezekiel 48:29) and
“division” ( 1 Chronicles 26:1; 1 Chronicles 27:1; 2 Chronicles 31:17) and it must so
be taken here. This explanation is favored also by the word “therefore,” which
clearly refers to the circumstantially related fact that the armies of Saul and David
were separated, divided by the rock. Ewald’s explanation: “lot of fate” (= ‫ֶק‬‫ל‬ֶ‫)ח‬ is
unfounded. It accordingly means: “Rock of division.” Cler.: “rock of divisions,
where Saul and David were separated.” The rock divided the two armies, held them
asunder. Böttcher conjectures that the rock might originally from its nature have
been called “rock of smoothness,” and this name might afterwards from historical
recollection have been made to refer to the movements of Saul and David, who
according to 1 Samuel 23:26 had divided the rock-ground between them. Certainly
this explanation of the name “Rock of dividings, partings,” would be possible as
respects the ground. But, by reason of the “therefore,” the reference to Saul and
93

94. David’s relation to one another suits the connection better.
29 And David went up from there and lived
in the strongholds of En Gedi.
BARNES, "En-gedi (the fountain of the kid), anciently called Hazezon-
Tamar Gen_14:7 from the palm-trees which used to grow there, still
preserves its name in Ain-Djedy. It is about 200 yards from the Dead Sea,
about the center of its western shore. It is marked by great luxuriance of
vegetation, though the approach to it is through most dangerous and
precipitous passes. The country is full of caverns, which serve as lurking
places for outlaws at the present day. One of these, a spacious one called
Bir-el-Mauquouchieh, with a well in it suitable for watering sheep, close to
the Wady Hasasa, may have been the identical cavern in which David cut off
Saul’s skirt.
CLARKE, "Strong holds at En-gedi - En-gedi was situated near to the
western coast of the Dead Sea, not far from Jeshimon: it literally signifies
the kid’s well, and was celebrated for its vineyards, Son_1:14. It was also
celebrated for its balm. It is reported to be a mountainous territory, filled
with caverns; and consequently proper for David in his present
circumstances.
How threshing-floors were made among the ancients, we learn from Cato,
De Re Rustica, chap. 91, and 129. And as I believe it would be an excellent
method to make the most durable and efficient barn-floors, I will set it
down: - Aream sic facito. Locum ubi facies confodito; postea amurca
conspergito bene, sinitoque combibat. Postea comminuito glebas bene.
Deinde coaequato, et paviculis verberato. Postea denuo amurca
conspergito, sinitoque arescat. Si ita feceris neque formicae nocebunt,
neque herbae nascentur: et cum pluerit, lutum non erit. “Make a threshing-
floor thus: dig the place thoroughly; afterwards sprinkle it well with the lees
of oil, and give it time to soak in. Then beat the clods very fine, make it level,
and beat it well down with a paver’s rammer. When this is done, sprinkle it
afresh with the oil lees, and let it dry. This being done, the mice cannot
burrow in it, no grass can grow through it, nor will the rain dissolve the
surface to raise mud.”
94

95. The directions of Columella are nearly the same; but as there as some
differences of importance, I will subjoin his account: -
Area quoque si terrena erit, ut sit ad trituram satis habilis,
primum radatur, deinde confodiatur, permixtis paleis cum
amurca, quae salem non accepit, extergatur; nam ea res a
populatione murium formicarumque frumenta defendit. Tum
aequate paviculis, vel molari lapide condensetur, et rursus
subjectis paleis inculcetur, atque ita solibus siccanda
relinquatur.
De Re Rustica, lib. ii., c. 20.
“If you would have a threshing-floor made on the open
ground, that it may be proper for the purpose, first pare off the
surface, then let it be well digged, and mixed with lees of oil,
unsalted, with which chaff has been mingled, for this prevents
the mice and ants from burrowing and injuring the corn. Then
level it with a paver’s rammer, or press it down with a
millstone. Afterwards scatter chaff over it, tread it down, and
leave it to be dried by the sun.”
This may be profitably used within doors, as well as in the field; and a
durable and solid floor is a matter of very great consequence to the
husbandman, as it prevents the flour from being injured by sand or dust.
GILL, "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. Lightfoot (w) thinks he penned the sixty
third psalm, Psa_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 Jos_15:62.
HENRY, "David, having thus escaped, took shelter in some natural
fortresses, which he found in the wilderness of En-gedi, 1Sa_23:29. And this
Dr. Lightfoot thinks was the wilderness of Judah, in which David was when
he penned Psa_63:1-11, which breathes as much pious and devout affection
as almost any of his psalms; for in all places and in all conditions he still
kept up his communion with God.
JAMISON, "David went up from thence, and dwelt in strong holds at En-
gedi — that is, “the spring of the wild goats or gazelles” - a name given to it
from the vast number of ibexes or Syrian chamois which inhabit these cliffs
on the western shore of the Dead Sea (Jos_15:62). It is now called Ain Jiddy.
95

96. On all sides the country is full of caverns, which might then serve as lurking
places for David and his men, as they do for outlaws at the present day
[Robinson].
HAWKER, "Verse 29
REFLECTIONS
READER, let us pause over the perusal of this chapter, if it be for no other purpose
than to remark the gracious care of a covenant God over his people; and to observe,
that though many be the afflictions of the righteous, yet the Lord delivereth out of
them all. But let us further learn from the view of it, how graciously the same
merciful Lord supports the trials of his people, and makes their back suited to their
burden; that as their day is, so their strength shall be. Surely nothing but the Lord's
grace could have been found sufficient to have borne up David's mind under such
heavy afflictions. And who, thus supported, but must have been constrained to say
as he did; It is good for me to have been afflicted, that I might learn thy statutes? if
trouble, and the malice and persecution of our enemies, be made the means, in the
hand of our most wise and gracious God, to bring our hearts to live on him; and if,
(as is most probable) without these exercises, our hearts would not be found so
closely cleaving to the Lord; oh! who would not wish to be driven out from all
creature comfort, that we might experience such sweet and holy enjoyment as David
did, in communion with God.
But chiefly, from the perusal of this chapter, let us, Reader, eye Jesus. Was not that
precious Lamb of God represented in all David's troubles? Did Saul hunt David
from city to city, and from one place to another; and can we forget, how strong bulls
of Bashan beset him around, until his strength was poured out like water; and his
heart, like wax, was melted in his bowels! Yes! thou dearest Jesus, David's Lord and
Son! thou wast exposed to the wrath, both of devils and of wicked men, in the day of
thy calamity. Thou didst endure such a contradiction of sinners against thyself; and
wast brought under oppression and suffering, until that thy life was made an
offering, and a sacrifice for sin. But here, blessed Jesus, in the view of thine
unequalled sufferings, may I always connect with it the cause. All this was not for
thyself, but thy people. In the midst of all, thou wast holy, harmless, undefiled,
separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens. And when I see thee in
these situations of trial and suffering, and behold thee personating thy people, the
heir of all things, and yet not where to lay thine head; the brightness of thy Father's
glory, and yet thy visage marred more than any man: the wonder, the praise, the
adoration of angels, and yet, as thou saidst thyself, a worm, and no man; a reproach
of men, and the outcast of the people! Oh! precious, precious Jesus, what love must
have enflamed thy heart, that thou shouldest become all this, and infinitely more
than this, even sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in thee.
Hail! holy Saviour! gracious Lord God, Emmanuel! add one blessing more, and
incline every heart to love thee, that every knee may bow before thee, and every
96

97. tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Amen.
Robert Roe, “Engedi is way up, in the middle, on the western side of the Dead Sea.
It is full of limestone cliffs and pock-marked with limestone caves, honeycombed
with little valleys, the kind of place David ought to be. He is not going to be trapped
again. He is no longer quite so smart, and now he realizes but for YHWH he would
be dead. By the way, there is a tremendous water supply up there. It is called "The
Fountain of the Young Goats" So everything David needs to supply him is there.
97