Outline of Chapter 23:

       vv.    1–7        David Delivers Keilah

       vv.    8–13      David Escapes Saul and Leaves Keilah

       vv.   14–18      David in Ziph/David and Jonathan Renew Their Covenant

       vv.   19–24      The Ziphites Betray David to Saul

       vv.   25–28      David Escapes from Saul in the Wilderness of Maon

Charts and Maps:

       v.      6           A Simultaneous Time Line for David and Saul

       v.      6           A Summary of the Doctrine of the Ephod of God

       v.     17           Public Awareness that God had Chosen David

       v.     18           A List of the Covenants Between Jonathan and David

I ntroduction: 1Sam. 23 is actually two chapters, for all intents and purposes. In the first half of this chapter, David forgets about his own problems and about being pursued by Saul when he hears about the city of Keilah being attacked by the Philistines. Most people would have said: “Look, I’m sorry, but I’ve got troubles of my own. I really can’t help you.” Not David; he asked guidance from God, and, when it became clear that this people became his responsibility, he took on their distress as his own. He rescued the citizens of Keilah from the Philistines, and set himself up at the same time for an assault by Saul. Furthermore, rather than being assured of the support of these grateful citizens, David was guaranteed that they would have simply turned around and turned him into Saul.

When David leaves Keilah to escape Saul, this begins the second half of this chapter. What is amazing is that there is no cleaver outfoxing of Saul by David; David does not pull several slick maneuvers which result in the deliverance of his men; God steps in and causes David’s deliverance.

The lesson is clear: God can and will deliver even in the bleakest of circumstances. However, if He has given you a responsibility, then it is up to you to see it through.

Now let’s cover this chapter in more detail: David might have been at the famous Masada, but God, through Gad, had urged him to move into more central Judah (1Sam. 22:5); and wherever David moves to, he receives word that Keilah has been attacked by the Philistines (or, more properly, the threshing floors of Keilah) (1Sam. 23:1). David is told to move out against the Philistines by God, but his men question this call (1Sam. 23:2–3). David once again goes to God, and is told once again to take his men to defend the people of Keilah, which he does successfully (1Sam. 23:4–5). Abiathar the priest is said to come to David while he is in Keilah, and he brings the ephod with him (1Sam. 22:20–23 23:6). Saul hears about David defending the people of Keilah and begins to gather every man that he can to go to Keilah to get David (1Sam. 23:7–8). David, like Saul, also hears things, and he hears that Saul is plotting evil against him (1Sam. 23:9). Therefore, David calls upon Abiathar the priest to determine via the ephod two hypothetical questions: will Saul come down to Keilah after David and will the men of Keilah hand David over to Saul rather than risk the wrath of the full Israelite army? Both of David’s questions are answered in the affirmative (1Sam. 23:10–12). Since David leaves Keilah with his men, to hides out with his men in the hill country of the wilderness of Ziph, Saul gives up his attack on Keilah (1Sam. 23:13–14a). However, Saul continues to search out David (1Sam. 23:14b).

Saul apparently searches for David in the very area where David is hidden out; and Jonathan seizes this opportunity to come to David and to reassure him of their friendship and bond, as well as of David’s inevitable future (1Sam. 23:15–18). Saul eventually returns to Gibeah, and the Ziphites come up to him to remind him that David is still in their vicinity, and they promise to surrender David over to him (1Sam. 23:19–20). At first, Saul wants reassurances from these Ziphites as to where David is exactly, and where his various haunts are; then he simply saddles up and heads out in that direction (1Sam. 23:21–25). Just as Saul is closing in on David—he apparently does not realize just how close he is to catching David—he is told that the Philistines had made another raid on the land, and that his military might is needed elsewhere (1Sam. 23:26–27). So Saul leaves off chasing David and David stays in the strongholds of Engedi (1Sam. 23:28–29).

David Delivers Keilah

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Masoretic Text                       And so they make know to David to say, “Behold, Philistines are warring in Keilah and they are plundering the threshing floors.”

Septuagint                             And it was told David, saying, “Listen, the Philistines war in Keila, and they rob, they trample on the threshing floors.”

Significant differences           .

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV                                       One day some people told David, “The Philistines keep attacking the town of Keilah and stealing grain from the threshing place.”

NAB                                       David received information that the Philistines were attacking Keilah and plundering the threshing floors.

NLT                                        One day news came to David that the Philistines were at Keilah stealing grain from the threshing floors.

REB                                       The Philistines had launched an assault on Keilah and were plundering the threshing-floors.

TEV                                       David heard that the Philistines were attacking the town of Keilah and were stealing the newly harvested grain.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

God’s Word™                         David was asked, “Did you know that the Philistines are fighting against Keilah? They are robbing the threshing floors.”

JPS (Tanakh)                        David was told: “The Philistines are raiding Keilah and plundering the threshing floors.”

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

NASB                                     Then they told David, saying, “Behold, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah, and are plundering the threshing floors.”

Young's Updated LT              And they declare to David, saying, “Lo, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah, and they are spoiling the threshing floors.”

What is the gist of this verse? For whatever reason, someone comes to David and tells him that the Philistines have attacked Keilah and they are stealing their produce.

Translation: They then told David, saying, “Listen, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah... As these chapters progress, David thinks less and less about his own problems and more and more about the problems of others. He also inquires of God as to what he should do, something which was completely absent from 1Sam. 21 (although this could merit some disagreement; see 1Sam. 22:9–10.

Keilah is maybe 5 miles south of Adullam and is almost directly between Gath and Ziph (it’s slightly closer to Gath), on the southeast diagonal which runs between those two cities. It is found in the Shephelah, in the lowlands of Judah, not far from the ever-changing Israel-Philistine border. Keilah is only mentioned in three different contexts in Scripture: (1) as a city given to Judah (Joshua 15:44); (2) as a city under siege (1Sam. 23:1–13); and as a city which was later repopulated by the Jews who returned from captivity (Neh. 3:17–18). We also find Keilah mentioned in the Amarna Letters as Qilti, as an Egyptian base, in letters from the princes of Jerusalem and Hebron, each complaining of the other’s occupation of Keilah at different times. What is unusual is, Keilah is a fortified city (1Sam. 23:7); so an unprovoked attack like this was rather daring. However, the winnowing and storage of the grain would probably have been outside the city walls; therefore, the Philistines did not attack the walled city itself, but they attacked the Israelite granaries instead—they were simply interested in the produce of the Israelites.

When some thieves break into houses or into vehicles, what they end up stealing sometimes barely justifies the number of hours that they put into the actual planning, stealing and fencing. However, it is in their nature to steal, rather than to hold down a proper job which would pay them the same amount. The Philistines had an army of men who were well able to plant and to harvest; however, they felt that they could simply use their force to take what others had planted and harvested. They saw that as their proper vocation. They behaved exactly as a street thug would, except that they were more like a huge gang of street thugs.

Recall that we do not know exactly where David is. One possibility is that he was at the famous Masada, which is directly across a peninsula which leads into Moab, where his parents were. Gad the prophet had told David to move from there (which is far eastern Judah) to Judah (or, as we have discussed, to make himself more visible in Judah). It is possible that David moved closer to Keilah—he went to the forest of Hereth, which location is unknown to us (1Sam. 22:5). Logically, we would assume that David is now much closer to Keilah than before, in a place where someone might come to him and inform him that Keilah had been attacked (he was too far away and too remote in Masada for such information to come to him).

We don’t know exactly in what context this information was brought to David. There were no newspapers in those days, and it was possible that a runner (or several runners) were spreading this information. Some men may have come to David, knowing that he had a small army nearby. Had David still been in Masada (if that is where he was), he would have been too far for someone to have come to notify him of this news. Had he moved considerably northwest, that would have placed him closer to Keilah than Saul was. Now, if someone had come to David in hopes of enlisting his aide, this would explain David’s immediate reaction (“Should I go and help these people?”). Furthermore, since David was a famous military figure (1Sam. 21:11), then we should expect men to come to him for help.

Translation: ...and they are plundering [their] threshing floors.” The Philistines realized that Israel’s greatest soldier, David, was no longer functioning as an officer-soldier for Saul (see 1Sam. 21:10–15), so they felt as though they could no attack Israel with impunity. After all, the Philistines could either grow their own crops or they could wait for the Israelites to grow and harvest these crops and simply steal them. Such activity was not unusual in the ancient world (compare Judges 6:11). Sometimes such an attack would result in one country paying another tribute, which would include a portion of their harvest.

According to Gnana Robinson (whose theological positions I don’t subscribe to) tells us that the Philistines were known as sea-bandits, and that they raided numerous ships and cities along the seas for goods. Robinson claims recent archaeological activity has revealed that it was they who destroyed the ancient city-states of Ugarit and Ebla, who civilization had great influence on the history of early Israel. That the Philistines also stole from nearby cities would be in character.

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Masoretic Text                       And so says Y^ehowah unto David, “Go, strike in the Philistines and you have delivered Keilah.”

Septuagint                             And David inquired of the Lord, saying, Should I go and strike these Philistines?” And the Lord said, “Go and you will strike these Philistines and you will save Keila.”

Significant differences           .

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV                                       David asked the Lord, “Should I attack these Philistines?” “Yes,” the Lord answered. “Attack them and rescue Keilah.”

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

God’s Word™                         David asked the Lord, “Should I go and attack these Philistines?” “Go,” the Lord told David, “attack the Philistines, and save Keilah.”

JPS (Tanakh)                        David consulted the Lord, “Shall I go and attack those Philistines?” And the Lord said to David, “Go; attack the Philistines and you will save Keilah.”

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

NASB                                     So 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 deliver Keilah.”

Young's Updated LT              And David asks at Jehovah, saying, “Do I go? And have I struck among these Philistines?” And Jehovah says unto David, “Go, and you have struck among the Philistines, and saved Keilah.”

What is the gist of this verse? David asks God if he should defend Keilah from the marauding Philistines. God tells him yes.

Translation: David then inquired of Y^ehowah, saying, “Should I go and strike these Philistines?” David is placed in a moderately awkward position here. He had just gone to the Philistines for deliverance from Saul, and now they are attacking Israel. However, if David understands the consequences of his actions correctly, he will realize that he is the cause of this. The Philistines are striking Israel because they do not fear David—as far as they are concerned, David has gone a little bonkers on them and is no longer a threat.

What is important is that David now looks to God for guidance. David recently moved into Judah, taking a more identifiable position (except to Saul) as per Gad’s guidance (1Sam. 22:5). We are not given the nuts and bolts of this, but originally, I suspected that David is inquiring through Abiathar utilizing the ephod, as one often would use the ephod to answer a yes or no question. This is because Abiathar is said to have come to David in 1Sam. 22:20–21. However, that was properly stated with the context of 1Sam. 22. In this chapter, we are given the actual time frame that Abiathar came to David—he came to David after David was already in Keilah (1Sam. 23:6). Therefore, David would have asked Gad. Now, bear in mind that we have no indication that Gad is traveling with David or continues to travel with David; and we won’t hear from Gad again until 2Sam. 24:11, which is way off into the future. However, Gad would be the most reasonable person for David to have inquired God through. The key to the timing of Abiathar’s arrival is in the Hebrew of v. 6, which we will cover when I exegete that verse. However, regardless of what any expositor says, Abiathar will not be with David until David actually goes to Keilah.

Translation: And Y^ehowah said to David, “Go [and] strike the Philistines... God gives David and order and then also tells him the result. The order is for David to pick up and go and to strike these Philistines. If David had inquired of God through Abiathar, then either the left or right stone would have lit up or done something to indicate an affirmative answer to David’s question. However, when he asks Gad the prophet for guidance, Gad gives David God’s will in full sentences.

Translation: ...and you will deliver Keilah.” The result is that David will deliver Keilah. David is told not only to attack the Philistines, but he is told that he will be victorious as well. Besides this association with Gad, another way that David will know that he is in the will of God is, once he settles into Keilah for a short time (which would only occur because he goes to Keilah to deliver the people there), then Abiathar, the only remaining priest from the line of Ithamar, comes to him. If anything is a sign, that is.

Now recall, these men with whom David has allied himself are not professional soldiers; if anything, they are professional malcontents. They don’t mind airing their own grievances, but they don’t see themselves as the kind of men who go around and rescue others. They will tells David this in no uncertain terms.

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Masoretic Text                       And so say men of David unto him, “Behold we here in Judah are afraid; and in fact for we go [to] Keilah unto ranks of Philistine.”

Septuagint                             And the men of David said to him, “Listen, we are afraid here in Judæ; and how will it be if we go to Keilah? Should we go after the spoils of the Philistines?”

Significant differences           .

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV                                       But David's men said, “Look, even here in Judah we're afraid of the Philistines. We will be terrified if we try to fight them at Keilah!”

NLT                                        But David’s men said, “We’re afraid even here in Judah. We certainly don’t want to go to Keilah to fight the whole Philistine army!”

REB                                       But David’s men said to him, ‘Here in Judah we are afraid. How much worse if we challenge the Philistine forces at Keilah!’

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

God’s Word™                         David's men told him, “We're afraid of staying here in Judah. How much more afraid do you think we'll be if we go to Keilah against the Philistine army?”

JPS (Tanakh)                        But David’s men said to him, “Look, we are afraid here in Judah, how much more if we go to Keilah against the forces of the Philistines!”

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

NASB                                     But David’s men said to him, “Behold, we are afraid here in Judah. How much more then if we go to Keilah against the ranks of the Philistines?”

Young's Updated LT              And David's men say unto him, “Lo, we here in Judah are afraid; and how much more when we go to Keilah, unto the ranks of the Philistines?”

What is the gist of this verse? David’s men protest against this idea of going to Keilah to challenge the Philistines. Their reasoning is simple: if they are already afraid just being in Judah (a move mandated by God), then they are going to be all the more afraid to face the Philistines.

Translation: Then David’s men said to him, “Listen, we are afraid [being] here in Judah;... God has already told David what he must do. This is not a simple matter of saying, “Okay, boys, saddle up; we’re headin’ out to face them Philistines.” David was with a group of misfits; certainly, there may have been some in his group who were unfairly persecuted; however, for the most part, these are outlaws, malcontents, tax evaders, and anti-establishment types. They do not so much stand with David as stand against Saul and the state of Israel. It is not simply a matter of standing by their conscience; they would probably be the same group of guys no matter who is in power. Like David had been, these are self-serving men who have banded for their mutual protection. However, the idea of doing anything altruistic is not within the realm of their thinking. So, when David says, “Okay, men, saddle up and let’s ride to Keilah,” they respond with “Hey, we’re afraid just hanging out where we are. We don’t need to increase our fear by getting involved with the people of Keilah.” They had good reason to fear; they were persona non grata already, and they were even more so in hanging out with David. For all they knew, Saul had posted a heavy reward for delivering David and his men, dead or alive. So, in Judah, the plan was to hide out, not to make themselves conspicuous.

Translation: ...how much more [will we be afraid if] we go [to] Keilah against the ranks of the Philistines.” These men continue their line of reasoning with David: “If we are afraid now simply by living in Judah, how much more are we going to be afraid if we go to Keilah and attack the Philistines?” The presumed result of attacking the Philistines was two-fold: (1) the Philistines would kill them, as the Philistines are a trained fighting force and they are a rag tag outfit of misfits. (2) Once the Philistines got through with killing them, Saul would know where they are and he would come and finish the job. As Gill put it, these men would be voluntarily placing themselves between two fires, which, from the standpoint of human viewpoint, is a stupid thing to do.

Application: One has to be careful here. There are some who read something like this, and decide that, if they think God is telling them to do something, and if it’s a stupid enough idea, then they should do it. David has been told here, in no uncertain terms, to defend the city of Keilah. When God’s will is unquestionable, you follow His will despite what seems reasonable. However, if that still, small voice inside of you is telling you to buy that piece of jewelry, even though it will put you in debt for the next 5 years, you don’t go ahead and do it, since it must be God’s will. I spoke to a woman the other night, and she told me that whenever God told her to move, she moved. Always being interested in things like this, I asked how did God contact her. I wouldn’t have asked, had I known that I would get a sermon on the 4 ways which God contacts us. However, one of the ways, is God speaks to her just as she and I spoke to one another. If God is speaking to you audibly, as you and I speak to one another, then you need anti-psychotic drugs. The number of people that God spoke audibly to in Scripture is a small percentage of those people mentioned in Scripture. The number of times that God spoke to these men was relatively few (Moses being an exception to this). My point in all of this is, just because a particular choice is stupid and because you think God is leading you that way, that does not mean that it is God’s will! On the other hand, there are choices and opinions which run contrary to Scripture which are held by society in general. At the time that I write this, the majority of American society believes that homosexual actions are not wrong, that women should be in the pulpit, and that we got here through some form of evolution (even if it is theistic evolution). The correct stance on these matters comes from clear statements of Scripture, and we may take that stance, even though society may view us as ignorant. That is a far cry from choosing to do something stupid because you think God is telling you to do that.

Application: There is a lot of over-thinking in Christendom today when it comes to divine guidance. People get wrapped up in such inconsequential matters, such as, should I take a left turn or a right turn at the next intersection. Believers tend to focus on meaningless questions. Divine guidance, for the most part, is simple. You need to take in God’s Word every day and you need to be in fellowship for a maximum amount of time. After that, there are a large number of mandates which help us to guide our lives. This lady that I spoke to, who speaks to God—I would bet that she has on several occasions, she has screwed her creditors. Now, it is a clear violation of Scripture to act dishonorably in the financial realm. You do not lie and cheat people in order to bilk them out of a few dollars. When you owe someone money, then you make arrangements to pay them what you owe them. If you have a credit record filled with debt that you have walked away from, then you don’t need a new car; you don’t need to move; you need to take responsibility for your actions and you need to pay your debts.

Application: If you have a credit report filled with R-9's and R-8's, then do not brag to someone about what a great Christian you are and how God speaks to you—especially if that person will have an opportunity to see your credit report. Don’t give your testimony to someone who is going to also see your credit and find out that you are a liar and a cheat. God doesn’t need that kind of testimony. Now, let’s say that you have run into serious financial difficulty—even if it was your own fault—and you have paid off those R-9's and those R-8's; then you have some room to give your testimony to someone who will hold your credit report. “I messed up and I made a lot of bonehead mistakes; however, I was convinced by the Word of God that I should be an honest steward of His resources; therefore, even though I racked up several R-9's and R-8's, and that the accumulation of that debt was my fault, you can also see that I also paid these accounts down to zero.” Now, that is a great Christian testimony. An unbeliever might hear that, and think, “Maybe this fellow is not the hypocrite I thought he was.”

The word used with the Philistines is ma׳ărekeh, which refers to the organized rows, the ranks, the battle line of Philistines. This is a reference to a highly trained military force. These men have enough sense to realize who they are up against. David is the man with the faith. His troops have no spiritual strength or orientation.

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Masoretic Text                       And so adds again David to inquire in Y^ehowah and so answers him Y^ehowah and so He says, “Stand up, go down [to] Keilah and I am giving Philistines into your hand.”

Septuagint                             And David inquired yet again of the Lord; and the Lord answered him and said to him, “Arise and go down to Keila, for I will deliver the Philistines into your hands.”

Significant differences           .

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV                                       David asked the Lord about it again. “Leave right now,” the Lord answered. “I will give you victory over the Philistines at Keilah.”

NLT                                        So David asked the Lord again, and again the Lord replied, “Go down to Keilah, for I will help you conquer the Philistines.”

REB                                       David consulted the Lord once again and got the answer, ‘Go down at once to Keilah; I shall give the Philistines into your hands.’

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

God’s Word™                         David asked the Lord again, and the Lord answered him. He said, “Go to Keilah. I'm giving you the power to defeat the Philistines.”

JPS (Tanakh)                        So David consulted the Lord again, and the Lord answered him, “March down at once to Keilah, for I am going to deliver the Philistines into your hands.”

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

NASB                                     Then David inquired of the Lord once more. And the Lord answered him and said, “Arise, go down to Keilah, for I will give the Philistines into your hand.”

Young's Updated LT              And David adds again to ask at Jehovah, and Jehovah answers him, and says, “Rise, go down to Keilah, for I am giving the Philistines into your hand.”

What is the gist of this verse? David double-checks with God, and God again tells him to go to Keilah and promises David victory over the Philistines.

Translation: So David again inquired of Y^ehowah,... David is not certain that he go this message right. He has suggested to his troops that they should go down to Keilah and they were unenthusiastic, and several offered reasonable arguments as to why they shouldn’t face the Philistines. So, David, thinking that maybe he got the message wrong, inquires of God once again. Even though several exegetes suggest that David asked God a second time simply for the benefit of his men, I believe that he was rechecking for himself. You cannot assume that David is at some spiritual pinnacle. In 1Sam. 21, David is a failure in many respects. However, in the following two chapters, David gets up off the ground, dusts himself off, and he moves ahead. He does not go from 0 to 100 in one chapter. It takes time for him to mature. If he were fully mature in the spiritual realm, God would kill Saul and make David king over Israel. However, it is not time for David because he has not matured enough for that responsibility. Therefore, there is nothing wrong that David double-checks God’s orders for himself at this point in his spiritual life. We don’t have to cover for him and say that he did this for his followers; nor do we have to look down on David for rechecking God’s command here. His men gave him good reason why he should not defend Keilah. From human viewpoint, certainly their argument was certainly convincing.

As before, we are not given the exact mechanics and my educated guess would be that David again asked God through Gad.

Translation: ...and Y^ehowah answered him, saying, “Arise [and] go down [to] Keilah... We are not told exactly what occurred; whether this was an audible voice or whether there were impressions received by Gad (or even David), we are not told. However, it appears to be an audible voice. God again tells David to get up and go down to Keilah (which is somewhat a play on words).

Translation: ...and I will give the Philistines into your hand.” Jehovah makes it clear to David that he will deliver the Philistines into his hand. This, David finds interesting, as he could not even get his men to follow him on the first try.

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Masoretic Text                       And so goes David and his men [to] Keilah and so he fights in the Philistines and so he leads their livestock and so he strikes in them a striking great and so delivers David inhabitants of Keilah.

Septuagint                             So David and his men with him went to Keila, and fought with the Philistines; and they fled from before him, and he carried off their cattle, and struck them with a great slaughter, and David rescued the inhabitants of Keila.

Significant differences           .

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV                                       David and his men went there and fiercely attacked the Philistines. They killed many of them, then led away their cattle, and rescued the people of Keilah.

NLT                                        So David and his men went to Keilah. They slaughtered the Philistines and took all their livestock and rescued the people of Keilah.

TEV                                       So David and his men went to Keilah and attacked the Philistines; they killed many of them and took their livestock. And so it was that David saved the town.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

God’s Word™                         David and his men went to Keilah, fought the Philistines, drove off their livestock, and decisively defeated them. So David rescued the people who lived in Keilah.

JPS (Tanakh)                        David and his men went to Keilah and fought against the Philistines; he drove off their cattle and inflicted a severe defeat on them. Thus David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

NASB                                     So David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines; and he led away their livestock and struck them with a great slaughter. Thus David delivered the inhabitants of Keilah.

Young's Updated LT              And David goes, and his men, to Keilah, and fights with the Philistines, and leads away their cattle, and strikes among them—a great striking, and David saves the inhabitants of Keilah.

What is the gist of this verse? David leads his men to Keilah and the fight and defeat the Philistines, thus delivering Keilah. Furthermore, they plunder this army for their livestock.

Translation: David and his soldiers went [to] Keilah... David’s first lesson was that he was the leader of this rag-tag group of malcontents. He did not need to discuss what his plans were, or put these things to a vote. He gave the order, and saddled up and took off. These men chose to follow him. David was a leader, which is part of what he had to learn, and what the people of Israel needed to see.

Translation: ...and they [lit., he] fought against the Philistines. As mentioned, in the Hebrew, often a singular verb is used in a war effort, even though the entire army was involved. The idea is that there would have been no defense of the people of Keilah without David. It is his personal choice to lead his men against the Philistines. We already know that, had this been left up to them, then they would have passed on the notion of attacking the Philistines. Part of what a true leader does is inspire those under him to do greater things than they believe that they can do.

Translation: He led away their livestock... God did not put these Philistines or their possessions under the ban, so to speak, so that whatever David’s men wanted, they could take. The reason that these Philistines had livestock is that was their lunch wagon that traveled with them. The wives of these soldiers didn’t give them several packages of dried food; the soldiers traveled with a moving meal wagon—their livestock. We recall that David was hungry and this indicates that God knew and God would have taken care of that problem.

Translation: ...and struck them [with] a great slaughter... In the English, this phrase would have been given first. The previous phrase was a result of this great slaughter. Because David killed most or all of his enemies, he was able to take from them their possessions, which was their livestock.

Translation: ...and David delivered the inhabitants of Keilah. This was the most important factor of David’s action—he delivered the people of Keilah. The Philistines thought that they could attack the nearby cities of Judah and David made it clear that they could not. David’s actions will garner for him important grass roots support. Recall that the main reason that the people of Israel wanted a king was so that he could protect them from outside forces. It is obvious that Saul is too obsessed by David to do what the people wanted him to do. David, even though he is on the run and even though his life is in danger, still he looks after the people of Israel.

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Masoretic Text                       And so he is in a fleeing Abiathar a son of Ahimelech unto David [in] Keilah; an ephod he came down in his hand.

Septuagint                             And it came to pass when Abiathar the son of Achimelech fled to David, that he went down with David to Keila, having an ephod in his hand.

Significant differences           .

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV                                       Meanwhile, Saul heard that David was in Keilah. “God has let me catch David,” Saul said. “David is trapped inside a walled town where the gates can be locked.” Saul decided to go there and surround the town, in order to trap David and his men. He sent messengers who told the towns and villages, “Send men to serve in Saul's army!” By this time, Abiathar had joined David in Keilah and had brought along everything he needed to get answers from God. [vv. 6–8]

NLT                                        Abiathar the priest went to Keilah with David, taking the ephod with him to get answers for David from the Lord.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

God’s Word™                         When Ahimelech's son Abiathar fled to David at Keilah, Abiathar brought a priestly ephod with him.

JPS (Tanakh)                        When Abiathar son of ahimelech fled to David at Keilah, he brought down an ephod with him.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

The Amplified Bible                When Abiathar son of Ahimelech fled to David at Keilah, he came with an ephod in his hand.

Updated Emphasized Bible   Now it came to pass <when Abiathar son of Ahimelech, fled to David at Keilah> that he came down with ║an ephod║ in his hand.

NASB                                     Now it came about, when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David at Keilah, that he came down with an ephod in his hand.

Young's Updated LT              And it comes to pass, in the fleeing of Abiathar son of Ahimelech unto David, to Keilah, an ephod came down in his hand.

What is the gist of this verse? Abiathar came to David with the ephod while David was in Keilah.

You should note immediately the disparity between the literal renderings of this verse and those translations which are less than literal. In the less than literal renderings, most of them have Abiathar coming to David first, and then going down to Keilah with David. However, in the Hebrew, Abiathar comes down to David while David is in Keilah. There is no contradiction here when following the more literal understanding of this verse. Although it appears to us that 1Sam. 22:20–23 occurred prior to this chapter in time, it did not. That portion of 1Sam. 22 occurred after David had saved Keilah. However, it was included with chapter 22 because thematically, it belonged there. David’s guidance, therefore, came through the prophet Gad.

Translation: It was when Abiathar ben Ahimelech fled to David [in] Keilah... This actually helps us to better iron out some minor details. First of all, we must be clear that the writing of the Hebrews is more topical than chronological. Therefore, when Saul killed all of the priests and Abiathar escaped, fleeing to David, that was all related topically; however, that does not mean that it all occurred prior to David’s deliverance of Keilah. What appears to be the case is that these were simultaneous events. While Saul was taking his army to destroy the citizens of Nob, David finds out about the attack of the Philistines on Keilah. While Saul kills the men, women and children of Nob, Abiathar escapes to David after David has delivered the people of Keilah from the Philistines. This tells us that David did not consult Abiathar prior to delivering Keilah, as Abiathar came to David at Keilah and he carried the ephod with him. This indicates that there must have been an alternate method for David to ascertain God’s will with regards to Keilah, which logically, then, points to Gad (from 1Sam. 22:5).

An alternate understanding would be that Abiathar guided David to save Keilah, but remained behind and traveled there after the fight. However, the problem with that is that Abiathar would not necessarily be fleeing. Also, this seems to contradict what David 1Sam. 22:23 (“Stay with me, don’t be afraid”). Under this scenario, however, Abiathar could have come to David first, given him guidance, and then decided to remain where he was while David and his men attacked the Philistines in Keilah. For whatever reason, Abiathar did not feel safe, and he fled to Keilah, where David was, and David then told him to remain with him (1Sam. 22:23). Obviously, although this is a possibility, it chops up the end of 1Sam. 22 several times and scatters those pieces into 1Sam. 23.

Translation: ...[that] he came down [with] the ephod in his possession [lit., in his hand]. This is our biggest point of difficulty—if Abiathar comes down to David for the first time in Keilah, then how did David receive divine guidance prior to this point in time? How did he know that God required him to deliver Keilah? We are aware that God did speak to man directly and that He also spoke to man in his dreams. Therefore, there were other ways for God to guide David. However, we are also told that David asked God a second time, “Now, are You sure about this Keilah thing? My men have already poo-pooed the idea.” The simple solution, again, is that Gad the prophet provided David this guidance.

You will note the wording of v. 6b: Abiathar comes to David with the ephod in his hand. He is not wearing the ephod, as only the High Priest wears the ephod. He is aware that Saul had killed all of the priests, including his father. However, Abiathar does not put on the ephod and come to David as the new High Priest. He is shaken up; the full impact of having his father killed by Saul not having sunk in yet (Saul murdered all of Abiathar’s family). It probably does not even dawn on him that he is the new High Priest; or, if it does, it is something that he does not really think about, given the shock of all that has happened. In all likelihood, Abiathar knew that the Ephod is of great spiritual import and it was under his father’s care, so he grabbed it for both spiritual and emotional reasons. When his father went to Saul, along with all of the other priests, he probably placed his son in charge of the Tabernacle and this most famous artifact of the Tabernacle. Of all that was in the Tabernacle, this was the only item that Abiathar could pick up and run with.

Now might be an excellent time to examine the Doctrine of the Ephod—PDF version.

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Masoretic Text                       And so he is made conspicuous to Saul that had come David [to] Keilah and so says Saul, “Alienated him Elohim in my hand for he had been enclosed to enter into a city of [two] gates and a bar.”

Septuagint                             And it was told to Saul that David was come to Keila. And Saul said, “God has sold him into my hands, for he is shut up, having entered into a city that has gates and bars.”

Significant differences           .

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

NLT                                        Saul soon learned that David was at Keilah. “Good!” he exclaimed. “We’ve got him now! God has handed him over to me, for he has trapped himself in a walled city!”

REB                                       It was reported to Saul that David had enterred Keilah, and he said, ‘God has put him into my hands; for he was walked into a trap by entering a walled town with its barred gates.’

TEV                                       Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah, and he said, “God has put him in my power. David has trapped himself by going into a walled town with fortified gates.”

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

God’s Word™                         When Saul was told that David went to Keilah, Saul said, “God has delivered him into my hands. He has trapped himself by going into a city which has a gate with a double door held shut by a bar.”

JPS (Tanakh)                        Saul was told that David had come to Keilah, and Saul thought, “God has delivered him into my hands, for he has shut himself in by entering a town with gates and bars.” A footnote on the word delivered: The meaning of many parts of 23:19ff. is uncertain. The events described in 23:19–24:22 are partly parallel in chapter 26, with variations.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

Updated Emphasized Bible   And <when it was told Saul that David had entered Keilah> Saul said—

God has given him over into my hand, for he has shut himself in by entering into a city with folding doors and a bar.

NASB                                     When it was told Saul that David had come to Keilah, Saul said, “God has delivered him into my hand, for he shut himself in by entering a city with double gates and bars.”

Young's Updated LT              And it is declared to Saul that David hath come in to Keilah, and Saul says, “God has made him known for my hand, for he has been shut in, to enter into a city of doors and bar.”

What is the gist of this verse? Saul finds out that David is in Keilah and he believes that this is a sign that God has trapped David for him.

Translation: Then it was made known to Saul that David had come [to] Keilah. It came to be that the news about David and Saul began to be broadcast throughout the country of Israel. Saul is told that David has gone to Keilah. This would have been nationwide news, as it was first reported abroad that the Philistines attacked Keilah; and now the news was that David had delivered Keilah from the Philistines.

David thinks of himself as the hero of the hour and he remains in Keilah for awhile. It is his thinking that, as a local hero, he is safe in Keilah. What he fails to assess properly is that, Saul will kill anyone in order to get to David. Just as the news about Keilah has been spread throughout the land, so has the news about the great slaughter in Nob. So the inhabitants of Keilah have two antithetical influences; David’s bravery and rescue of their city; and Saul’s merciless and dogged determination to find and kill David.

Translation: So Saul said, “Elohim has given [Hebrew, alienated] him into my hand... Saul is disturbed and not entirely connected to reality. Being informed that David is in Keilah makes Saul believe that God has given David over into his hand. This is interesting for two reasons: (1) Saul is already aware that God has made David king in his place, although David has not yet assumed the throne. (2) It is interesting that we know Saul’s thoughts here. Now, to explain: Saul may or may not believe what he has said here. Samuel has already informed him in no uncertain terms that David will be the new king in his stead; however, here it is, a year or two later, and Saul is still king and David is a fugitive. “Hmm,” Saul may think, “maybe Samuel didn’t get it right.” However, what I think is more likely is, Saul has got to motivate his own men and they have just destroyed the entire priestly city of Nob. How does one spearhead such a dastardly deed, and then keep his men in line? After all, Saul has just taken his men to the absolute depths of depravity to kill innocent women and children. So Saul speaks to his men aloud (which is how we know what he said), saying, “God has given David into my hand.” Do you see the logic here? David is in a walled city; Saul can easily assault that city with his armed forces, who are listening to him, and David will be unable to escape. It must be God Who has given David into Saul’s hand, so Saul muses aloud to his men. This gives some legitimacy to their power. God is still on their side; God has trapped David for them. Saul can more easily guide his men to attack David and to take down anyone who stands in the way.

Translation: ...for he has enclosed [himself] by entering into a city of gates and a [wood] bar.” The reason that Saul feels that David is trapped is that Keilah is a gated city; there are walls around the city and there are a pair of doors at the front which are fastened with a large wooden bar. This gates are just as effective at keeping someone inside as they are in keeping someone outside. While in the woods or in caves, David has a number of secure escapes routes that he can take; and, furthermore, Saul may not even know where to find him in the first place. However, in with David in Keilah, all Saul needs to do is to take a large army to the city, surround it, and then demand that its citizens deliver up David. For all intents and purposes, his plan is flawless, from the vantage of human viewpoint. He has said the right words to motivate his men; David is trapped in a walled city; and now Saul simply needs to take his men down to Keilah and demand David dead or alive.

David Escapes Saul and Leaves Keilah

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Masoretic Text                       And so calls Saul all the people to the war to go down [to] Keilah to besiege David and his men.

Septuagint                             And Saul charged all the people to go down to war to Keila, to besiege David and his men.

Significant differences           .

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

NLT                                        So Saul mobilized his entire army to march to Keilah and attack David and his men.

REB                                       He called out all the army to march on Keilah and besiege David and his men.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

God’s Word™                         So Saul called together all the troops to go to war and blockade Keilah, where David and his men were.

JPS (Tanakh)                        Saul summoned all the troops for war, to go down to Keilah and besiege David and his men.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

NASB                                     So Saul summoned all the people for war, to go down to Keilah to besiege David and his men.

Young's Updated LT              And Saul summons the whole of the people to battle, to go down to Keilah, to lay siege unto David and unto his men.

What is the gist of this verse? Saul gathers his forces and heads down to Keilah to attack it, in order to capture and/or kill David.

Translation: So Saul summoned all of the people for war to go down [to] Keilah... Gill tells us: Or "caused them to hear"; 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. Note the tragic irony here: David has just done what Saul should have done, and yet, Saul here summons the people for war to go down to Keilah to attack David. What Saul should have originally done is, he should have gathered his soldiers and gone down to Keilah to fight the Philistines. He should have delivered the city of Keilah. However, Saul is so far gone that he does not have a clue.

Now, in most of the looser translations, we have the Saul is gathering the troops or his army to go down to Keilah. However, in the Hebrew, Saul gathers the people. Saul gets together whoever he can. He is not interested in the quality of man; he wants quantity. He wants as many men as possible. The idea is, he wants to intimidate the city of Keilah. He would assume that they would be reticent to hand over to him the man that just saved them; however, if their city is surrounded by even a larger force than the Philistines, then they would have no choice but to give David up—this is Saul’s thinking.

Translation: ...to besiege David and his men. Here is Saul’s nefarious purpose: to attack David and his men. David has just done what Saul should have done; however, Saul is so torn up with hatred, jealousy and anger, that he no longer functions as a king.

Application: This is simple: when you function in a position of authority, mental attitude sins neutralize you. You cannot be effective as a leader if you are filled with mental attitude sins.

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Masoretic Text                       And so knows David that upon him Saul was fabricating the evil. And so he says unto Abiathar the priest, “Bring here the ephod.”

Septuagint                             And David knew that Saul spoke openly of [Greek: is not silent concerning] mischief against him; and David said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod of the Lord.”

Significant differences           .

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV                                       David heard about Saul's plan to capture him, and he told Abiathar, “Let's ask God what we should do.”

NAB                                       When David found out that Saul was planning to harm him, he said to the priest Abiathar, “Bring forward the ephod.”

NLT                                        But David learned of Saul’s plan and told Abiathar the priest to bring the ephod and ask the Lord what he should do.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

God’s Word™                         When David learned that Saul was planning to harm him, he told the priest Abiathar, “Bring the ephod.”

JPS (Tanakh)                        When David learned that Saul was planning [Hebrew, uncertain] to harm him, he told the priest Abiathar to bring the ephod forward.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

The Amplified Bible                David knew that Saul was plotting evil against him; and he said to Abiathar the priest, Bring the ephod here.

Updated Emphasized Bible   And David ascertain that Saul was contriving [or, fabricating] mischief ║against him║,— so he said to Abiathar the priest,

Bring the ephod here.

NASB                                     Now David knew that Saul was plotting evil against him; so he said to Abiathar the priest, ‘’Bring the ephod here.”

Young's Updated LT              And David knows that against him Saul is devising the evil, and says unto Abiathar the priest, “Bring near the ephod.”

What is the gist of this verse? David is fully aware that Saul is about to attack him, and he calls for Abiathar to come to him with the ephod.

Translation: David knew that Saul was devising evil [plans] against him,... We are not told how David knew this. It could have been simple logic; what David did would be known throughout Israel. Therefore, Saul would know that he had delivered Keilah and Saul would be plotting against him. David may have had those who were sympathetic to him who got this information to him. However, even though I prefer to think that this was a matter of simple deduction, we will find out in v. 10 that David actually hears this. Recall in the previous verse that Saul is gathering not soldiers but people; this would indicate that he sent messengers throughout the land to gather anyone that he could.

David did have a good reputation at one time; the people loved him. Therefore, there are going to be many people out there who are sympathetic toward his problems with Saul. Since Saul’s call for a citizen army is probably very public, there is probably very little time between Saul’s initial proclamation and David’s hearing of same.

Translation: ...so he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod here.” David needs guidance; he needs to know just what to do at this point. He’s become a very public figure, along with his rag-tag army, and he now needs to devise a plan or a way of escape. By himself, David could move quickly and easily throughout Israel with little fear of being caught. However, he is now with a large band of men who would therefore be much more visible and slower to move. That Saul is gathering a huge army is probably known to David. David also knew that Saul would bring this army against Keilah.

As I have mentioned before, I don’t believe that God ever directly speaks to David. David is inspired to write by God the Holy Spirit, which is not a matter of dictation (as much of Moses’ writing is). And in his writings, David does not forsake his personality, vocabulary or cultural and personal experiences. When God wishes to speak to David, He often sends a prophet to David (e.g., Nathan or Gad). When David desires to know the will of God, he calls for the ephod of God. Recall that the ephod has two stones on its shoulders—the Urim and Thummim—and it has 12 stones on the breastplate, to indicate the 12 tribes of Israel. It is through this ephod that David through a priest can determine God’s will.

Abiathar is possibly a very young man at this point. However, he is probably at least 18 or 19, if not older. He was not included with the priests who were summoned by Saul. He was probably left behind in the Tabernacle to watch over things when the 85 priests made their way to Gibeah, like sheep to the slaughter. However, regardless of his age, he was now the High Priest (a term, recall, which is never used in the book of Samuel).