Outline of Chapter 26:

       vv.    1–3        Saul Goes Out After David Again

       vv.    4–7        David and Abishai Go Into Saul’s Camp

       vv.    8–12      David Explains to Abishai What is Permissible with Regards to Saul

       vv.   13–16      David Chides Abner for not Protecting Saul

       vv.   17–25      David and Saul Converse One Last Time

Charts, Short Doctrines and Maps:

       v.      4           The Niphal Participle of Kûwn

       v.      5           A Summary of Abner’s Lineage

       v.      5           What Did We Really Learn When We Examined Where Saul Slept?

       v.      7           1Samuel 26:2–7 Presented Chronologically

       v.      9           1Samuel 26:9 (a graphic)

       v.     19           A Summation of 1Samuel 26:19

       v.     25           The Intransitive Meanings of ׳âsâh and Yâkôl

       v.     25           Qal infinitive absolute

       v.     25           An Almost Definitive Listing of the Various English Translations of 1Samuel 26:25b

       v.     25           Why Saul Will Not Pursue David Again

       v.     25           Compare and Contrast 1Samual 24 and 26

       v.     25           Why Did God Allow Saul to Persecute David for this Many Years?

I ntroduction: Although it appeared as though Saul might be ready to stop pursuing David back in 1Sam. 24, that is not really the case. Saul was not a rational person. Anything could set him off. What happens in this chapter is the Ziphites come to Saul and tell him that David can be found in the hill of Hachilah, which is right on the edge of the desert. This is all the encouragement that Saul needs. He gathers up and army of 3000 and goes in pursuit of David. However, David finds a place to hide where he is able to observe Saul entering into his space. So, when Saul and his men camp within David’s visual range, David decides to take Abishai with him to pay Saul a visit in the camp. The first thing that occurs to me at this point, on the outset of this study, is why? Why does David take a man and go down into Saul’s camp? Maybe I’ll have some idea by the time the exegesis of this chapter is complete.

Once they get into Saul’s well-fortified camp, Abishai immediately suggests to David that they kill Saul. You may recall the reasoning given in 1Sam. 24: David’s men quote some Scripture, which we postulated was Psalm 110:1, which should not have been applied to David. Abishai offers to kill Saul for David, but David tells him that he cannot strike the Lord’s anointed without consequences. Instead of killing Saul, David takes his spear, which is stuck in the ground next to his head; and he takes Saul’s personal water jar. Then David puts some distance between himself and Saul’s camp and then calls out to Saul’s primary aide-de-camp, Abner and chews him out for falling asleep during a watch. This apparently wakes Saul up, who realizes it is David; and David again asks, “Why are you pursuing me?” Saul apologizes again and David sends his spear back as a constant reminder. Saul tells David that he will not pursue him any more and he returns to Gibeah.

One of the accusations leveled against this portion of Samuel is that this is a different version of the events that we have already covered in 1Sam. 24. Since there are similarities, higher critics say that these are two traditions based upon the same event; and that they were recorded sometime after the actual event. Now, apart from the obvious (and superficial) similarities between the two chapters, there is no other reason to think this. Personally, I have had several incidents in my life which had similar aspects to them. I have had situations involving the same people and involving different people, where there were many things in common. However, the situations were different. Therefore, there is no reason to postulate that these two situations have to be based upon the same occurrence. Just like all of the higher criticism that we have faced up until this time, there is no reason to fall for it. The primary purpose of so called higher criticism is to discredit Scripture. The idea is to somehow imply that Scripture is not inspired by God the Holy Spirit. If these two chapters are about the same incident, then one set of events is incorrect; and possibly both chapters have inaccuracies in them. If that is the case, then there is no such thing as inspired Scripture. However, if one approaches this from an objective view, examines all of the fulfilled prophecy, then one cannot help but be amazed as to how clairvoyant these Scriptures seem to be. An impartial examination would indicate that it is more likely that these Scriptures are inspired; and that there is much more evidence for this than there is for these to be poorly recorded history, written down centuries after the events spoken of. Furthermore, even one of the greatest secular historians of all time, Will Durant, remarked concerning the accuracy of Scripture, that, apart from the miraculous events which were recorded, one could not help but recognize the historical detail contained within both testaments, and that there was no logical reason to regard Scripture as inaccurate. There are similarities between this chapter and 1Sam. 24; therefore, at the completion of this chapter, we will compare it these two chapters.

Saul Goes Out After David Again

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

The Dead Sea Scrolls            .

Peshitta                                 Then the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Behold, David is hiding himself in the Gibaoth-hawilah, which is before the wilderness.”

Septuagint                             And the Ziphites come out of the dry country to Saul to the hill, saying, “Behold, David hides himself with us in the hill Echela, opposite Jessemon.”

Significant differences           .

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV                                       Once again, some people from Ziph went to Gibeah to talk with Saul. "David has a hideout on Mount Hachilah near Jeshimon out in the desert," they told him.

NAB                                       Men from Ziph came to Saul in Gibeah, reporting that David was hiding on the hill of Hachilah at the edge of the wasteland.

NLT                                        Now some messengers from Ziph came back to Saul at Gibeah to tell him, “David is hiding on the hill of Hakilah, which overlooks Jeshimon.”

REB                                       The Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah with the news that David was in hiding on the hill of Hachilah overlooking Jeshimon.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

God’s Word™                         The people of Ziph came to Saul at Gibeah. "David is hiding at the hill of Hachilah near Jeshimon," they said.

JPS (Tanakh)                        The Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah and said, “David is hiding in the hill of Hachilah facing Jeshimon.”

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

MKJV                                     And the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, saying, Is not David hiding himself in the hill of Hachilah, on the edge of the desert?

Young's Updated LT              And the Ziphites come in unto Saul, at Gibeah, saying, “Is not David hiding himself in the height of Hachilah, on the front of the desert?”

What is the gist of this verse? The Ziphites again go to Saul and tell him exactly where David is hiding.

Translation: Then the Ziphites went to Saul in Gibeah... This is the second time that the Ziphites went to Saul to tell them where David was. First of all, we need to distinguish between the two Ziph’s: There is a city Ziph in the Negev area of Judah (Joshua 15:24 1Chron. 2:42 4:16) and a second in the hill country of Judah (Joshua 15:55). That there are two cities named Ziph in Judah should not be disturbing, as both are mentioned in Joshua 15. During the time that David was hiding from Saul, he spent much of his time in the hill country of Judah, just west of the Dead Sea. That he might pass through the same area more than once is to be expected. That the Ziphites might turn David in twice is also not unexpected. If they would do it once, and they discover David in their general area again, then what would prevent them from turning him in again? David was upset by this and he wrote a Psalm 54 about them (and about his enemies in general), a psalm we have already studied.

The Ziphites were pesky people for David. They kissed up to Saul and made every overture to get on his good side. It is even possible that some of them viewed David as a national threat. Recall the Jesus Christ was a great divider of people. So, a man of God should also be expected to divide people are well.

I am assuming that the Ziphites had no specific assignment from Saul; that is, Saul did not specifically go to Ziph and tell them to report any Davidic activity; but he certainly rewarded them the first time, and made it worth their whiles to betray David. Therefore, when the opportunity presented itself once again, the Ziphites ran immediately to Saul with the information. And, of course, we are probably dealing with a small delegation of less than a dozen (probably 3 or 4). This was probably a result of a quick, unofficial meeting of a dozen or so of the elders, who then sent an immediate delegation to Saul.

Now, if you or I were David, we might store this away in our memories and go wipe out the Ziphites once becoming king over Israel. However, the city of Ziph is only mentioned in Joshua 15 and in 1Chron. 2:42 4:16; and after this chapter, we will not hear about the Ziphites again during David’s kingship (except for Psalm 54, of course). Ziph will only be mentioned once again as a city rebuilt for defense purposes by Rehoboam (2Chron. 11:8).

Translation: ...and said, “[Is] David not hiding himself in the Hachilah hill overlooking Jeshimon [or, the desert-wasteland]?” These men don’t simply go to Saul and give him a general idea where David was (like Doeg did—recall, he passed along very old information to Saul). However, their information about David was accurate, precise and up-to-date.

1Sam. 23:19 reads: Then Ziphites came up to Saul at Gibeah, 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 description which follows tells Saul where on the hill David and his men are. Furthermore, as you see, the two verses are quite similar. Therefore, when we complete this chapter, we will compare the incidents.

Since the hill of Hachilah is only mentioned in these two verses. So, we really don’t know where this place is, but Saul and David both knew. It is also possible that this is related to Keilah, which is mentioned back in 1Sam. 23:10—you may recall that David delivered the people of Keilah from the Philistines, but they were still willing to turn him in to Saul. Ziph and Keilah are possibly neighboring cities (or territories) with a mountain or two between them—one known as the hill of Hachilah. It is a reasonable theory; however, I should point out that Hachilah and Keilah are spelled quite differently, although their pronunciations are probably similar (the pronunciations which I offer are based, to some degree, on Hebrew lexicon and grammar books, but no one knows for sure how the Hebrew sounded then).

Jeshimon is also only mentioned in these two passages (1Sam. 23:19, 24 26:1, 3). There is another Jeshimon found in Num. 21:20 23:28, which is a region of Pisgah in Moab, northeast of the Dead Sea (for those who are geographically challenged, Judah—which is where David is—is to the west of the Dead Sea). The same word is also found in Jer. 22:6 and Hosea 2:3, where it is rendered wilderness, desert, desert-wilderness, waste. In these passages, it is clearly not a reference to a particular geographical area, but to a type of geographical area. You may wonder, how did Saul know where to go? Simple: he is speaking to Ziphites; they occupy a specific geographical area, and therefore the knowledge made it clear as to where Jeshimon is.

Jamieson, Fausset and Brown suggest that, since David married Abigail, he returned to this general area so that they could keep an eye on her land holdings and possessions, which were extensive. They did not live on her land, as an attack by Saul could devastate her property.

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Septuagint                             And Saul arose and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, and with him [were] 3000 men chosen out of Israel, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph.

Significant differences           .

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV                                       Saul took three thousand of Israel's best soldiers and went to look for David there in Ziph Desert.

NJB                                        So Saul set off and went down to the desert of Ziph, accompanied by three thousand picked me of Israel, to search for David in the desert of Ziph.

NLT                                        So Saul took three thousand of his best troops and went to hunt him down in the wilderness of Ziph.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

God’s Word™                         Saul went to the desert of Ziph, taking with him 3,000 of Israel's best-trained men to search for David. .

JPS (Tanakh)                        Saul went down at once to the wilderness of Ziph, together with three thousand picked men of Israel, to search for David in the wilderness of Ziph,...

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

MKJV                                     And Saul arose and went down to the wilderness of Ziph to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph, having three thousand chosen men of Israel with him.

Young's Updated LT              And Saul rises, and goes down unto the wilderness of Ziph, and with him three thousand men, chosen ones of Israel, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph.

What is the gist of this verse? Saul takes 3000 of his men to the desert-wilderness of Ziph to find David.

Translation: So Saul arose... This is the same word used for to take a stand, and this is what Saul is doing. He is going to take another stand against David. Again and again, Saul aggressively pursued David, looking to kill him; and God allowed him only to live so that David could grow spiritually.

It is possible that Saul was not actively searching for David at this point in time—as per the end of 1Sam. 24—and suddenly, when the Ziphites came to him, his killer lust returned to him. It would be a good time to attack David, Saul might have reasoned to himself, as David would not be expecting it.

Application: Although I have never had any person as crazy as Saul go after me with the idea of taking my life, I have had enemies throughout the years, and many have sought to impact my life in a very negative way; and at least two (and possibly more) looked to remove me from my livelihood. There are many others who have treated me unjustly. Now, many times, I was hurt and bothered by these attacks; however, just every once and awhile, at least for a portion of the attack, I realized that God was allowing them to do this and that their efforts would all come to naught. So there is no misunderstanding, no matter what these people did, and no matter how they thought they may have succeeded, the end result for me was always a blessing. Even for the many times that I did not have the faith to trust God’s judgment and guidance (after all, pressure and difficult circumstances are often used by God to guide us). In every case where my enemies sought to affect me financially, the end result was generally less work and more money. The time period for which this was not the case was very brief. As a believer, you will be attacked and some of these attacks will be vicious and they may even appear to be life-changing. You need not worry about what others do to you. God is over all; God is sovereign. They are doing just exactly what God has allowed them to do and they are going no farther than God allows them to go. The end result, if you are a growing believer, will be blessing. In fact, the end result if you are simply in fellowship, will be blessing.

I want you to recognize what is going on here. A thousand years later, the Peter will speak of a dog returning to his vomit (1Peter 2:22): this is Saul in this situation. He knows what he did was wrong—his pursuance of David with the intent to kill him (1Sam. 24:16–19). However, he still makes an attempt to chase down David with the intent of killing him. For a believer in reversionism, or an unbeliever who has rejected the gospel, they may often return to a course of action which they formerly rejected, having their soul inculcated with darkness (or, as Bob Thieme referred to it: scar tissue). All that Saul said at the end of 1Sam. 24 was accurate, and probably the product of a sincere heart. Nevertheless, in this chapter, Saul is ready to go after David once again, with murderous intent. It’s wrong, Saul previously recognized it was wrong, and yet, his blackened soul sends him again after David.

Translation: ...and he went down to the wilderness of Ziph,... David’s location was well-described by the Ziphites; a particular and well-known site in their stomping grounds, which is the wilderness (or, desert) of Ziph. This does not mean well-populated or often visited; just known well enough to where their description will get Saul there. Because this area was generally uninhabited, this made for an ideal hiding place for David.

Translation: ...along with [lit., and with him] 3000 men... Saul, of course, is not going to pursue David without his own men. David has 600 men, so Saul brings along five times as many. He does not want to leave anything to chance.

Application: I mentioned the attacks of others. I recall one attack of one individual which involved several years of preparation. This person left very little to chance. She worked at this from several different angles, recruiting those who would support her, and acting with great stealth. The result was, she got exactly what she wanted. The result was, I was out of a job. The final result is that I work literally a fifth of the hours that I did in the past, and I have a greater income and considerably more in my savings accounts. Had she not acted as she did, the financial blessing which I received would not have come to me. It was a matter of her setting into motion a number of things that I would not have initiated myself. The result for me was less work and greater prosperity. You must realize that God can handle these people. God is able to work things out for your good. Now, I want to make something very clear: I did not deserve the end results. I was not blessed because I was a good person or because I was any better than this other person. This was all a part of God’s plan for my life and He used adversity, as He often does, to guide us and to bring about the best for us.

Translation: ...—chosen [men] of Israel—... Saul didn’t just take the first 3000 men who volunteered; he chose Israel’s finest fighting men. Recall that David’s 600 were mostly malcontents, who do not always make the best soldiers. 3000 was typically Saul’s ideal fighting force (1Sam. 13:2 24:2).

Translation: ...to seek David First on the list for Saul was to find David; to locate exactly where he was hiding. Interestingly enough, although we have witnessed Saul’s rage in previous chapters, that motivation is not mentioned here—however, we may reasonably imply it.

Translation: ...in the wilderness of Ziph. Again, Saul knew that David was in the wilderness of Ziph, and he knew precisely what area David was staying in. This will be clear, as Saul will camp close enough to David that David will know where he is.

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Peshitta                                 And Saul encamped in Gibaoth-hawilah, which is before the wilderness by the wayside. But David abode in the wilderness, and he saw that Saul came after him in the wilderness.

Septuagint                             And Saul encamped in the hill of Echela in front of Jessemon, by the way, and David dwelt in the wilderness. And David saw that Saul comes after him into the wilderness.

Significant differences           .

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV                                       Saul set up camp on Mount Hachilah, which is across the road from Jeshimon. But David was hiding out in the desert. When David heard that Saul was following him,...

NAB                                       Saul camped beside the road on the hill of Hachilah, art the edge of the wasteland. David, who was living in the desert, saw that Saul had come into the desert after him...

NLT                                        Saul camped along the road beside the hill of Hakilah, near Jeshimon, where David was hiding. But David know of Saul’s arrival,...

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

God’s Word™                         Saul camped by the road at the hill of Hachilah near Jeshimon, but David stayed in the desert. When he realized Saul had come to the desert for him,...

JPS (Tanakh)                        ...and Saul encamped on the hill of Hachilah which faces Jeshimon, by the road. When David, who was then living in the wilderness, learned that Saul had come after him into the wilderness,...

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

MKJV                                     And Saul pitched in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the edge of the desert, by the highway. And David was staying in the wilderness. And he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness.

Young's Updated LT              And Saul encamps in the height of Hachilah, which is on the front of the desert, by the way, and David is abiding in the wilderness, and he sees that Saul has come after him in to the wilderness;...

What is the gist of this verse? When Saul got closer to David, David was able to observe that he was nearby.

Translation: So Saul camped upon the road at the hill of Hachilah which [is] overlooking Jeshimon... Saul knew just about where David was. However, he camped along the trail or road in this area, which meant that he could be easily seen by others. It is possible that this was part of his strategy, as some generals like to intimidate their enemies first. He had a huge army surrounding him; and he probably felt very secure in that fact.

Translation: ...while [lit., and] David was staying in the desert-wilderness. David could not camp out in the open. David and his men needed to stay off the beaten path, and they had to be in a position to observe others.

Translation: He observed that Saul had come to the desert-wilderness after him. David and his men were positioned to watch over the general area around them. Therefore, it was easy for them to spot Saul coming along the trail. David could have had many different reactions here.

David and Abishai Go Into Saul's Camp

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Peshitta                                 David therefore sent out spies, and learned that Saul had come after him.

Septuagint                             And David sent spies and ascertained that Saul was come prepared out of Keila.

Significant differences           .

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV                                       ...he sent some spies to find out if it was true.

NAB                                       ...and sent out scouts, who confirmed Saul’s arrival.

LT                                  ...so he sent out spies to watch his movements.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

God’s Word™                         David sent spies to confirm that Saul had arrived.

JPS (Tanakh)                        ...David sent out scouts and made sure that Saul had come.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

The Amplified Bible                David sent out spies, and learned that Saul had actually come.

Updated Emphasized Bible   David therefore sent runners, and took knowledge that Saul had come for a certainty.

MKJV                                     And David sent out spies and knew that Saul had come indeed.

Young's Updated LT              ...and David sends spies, and knows that Saul had come unto Nachon,...

What is the gist of this verse? David sends out spies to have a closer look.

These details could offer up several slightly different scenarios. One possibility was that, David already had men who moved throughout the periphery of their camp, to keep their eye out for Saul’s troops; when they saw this, came back and reported it to David. On the other had, what I believed happened is, David, either himself or through his troops, observed a large troop movement, and, although he assumed that this was Saul, he sent men out to confirm this suspicion.

Translation: Then David sent spies... David and his men observed a large army nearby; although their assumption is that it was Saul again, they had to make certain. Therefore, David sent out a couple spies. Based upon what is to come, David probably sent out Ahimelech the Hittite and Abishai ben Zeruiah to confirm that this is Saul (see v. 6).

You will note that most of this account is from David’s perspective. We do not know if Saul sent out spies or not.

Translation: ...so that [lit., and so] he could confirm [lit., to know to a certainty] that Saul had come [after him]. As mentioned above, this final word in v. 4 is very difficult to translate. David needs to know for certain if this is Saul who has come out.

As a side issue: you may wonder why Young, for instance, did not get this. Robert Young was a genius and his translation is generally unappreciated. Part of the problem is, in his desire to be consistent, he lost much of the literary power of the KJV, which is a literary masterpiece. However, as one who dabbles in translation and exegesis, I can confirm that one can only devote so much time to each word. So, this is why Young chose Nachon here. He really did not examine this word carefully enough. I cannot fault him, as he translated the entire Bible. If I exegete half of it before I die, I will have impressed myself.

Since the Hebrews do not always think in terms of chronological order, it might be interpreted that David first sent out the spies and then found out that Saul was out there still after him. However, David (or his lookouts) could hear Saul’s men set up camp. He could see them, although apparently, he could barely make them out; so David send out spies to get ore information. Because of the final word in this verse, which indicates that this matter was confirmed, we know that David sent out spies after Saul’s presence had become known. I am sure that David did not expect trouble so soon from Saul, given their last encounter; however, how does one really know with Saul. In any case, Saul was too far away for his presence to be confirmed. So I believe what David was looking for was to determine if this army was out on a miliary call or whether Saul was there, indicating that they were probably looking for David.

As Matthew Henry points out, David is acting defensively and not offensively. He is not looking to go to war against Saul and his army. Other political leaders would be looking to foment a revolution. Saul is wasting the resources of his country. This means that he is letting other things go by the wayside. A deft politician or revolutionary could cause the people to rise up against such a leader. David is not like that, and he will make it clear in this chapter what is and is not allowed with regards to deposing a ruler like Saul. David’s primary concern was for his own safety and for the safety of those who had joined him.

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Peshitta                                 And David arose and came to the place where Saul was encamped; and David saw the place where Saul lay, and Abner the son of Ner, the commander of Saul’s army, was lying in the path, and the people were encamped round about him.

Septuagint                             And David arose secretly and he goes into the place where Saul was sleeping and there was Abenner, the son of Ner, the captain of his host. And Saul was sleeping in a chariot, and the people had encamped round about him.

Significant differences           .

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV                                       Then he sneaked up to Saul's camp. He noticed that Saul and his army commander Abner the son of Ner were sleeping in the middle of the camp, with soldiers sleeping all around them.

NJB                                        Setting off, David went to the place where Saul had pitched camp. He saw the place where Saul and Abner son of ner, commander of his army, had bedded down. Saul had bedded down inside the camp with the troops bivouacking round him.

NLT                                        David slipped over to Saul’s camp one night to look around. Saul and his general, Abner son of Ner, were sleeping inside a ring formed by the slumbering warriors.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

God’s Word™                         Then David went to the place where Saul had camped. David saw the place where Saul and Ner's son Abner, the commander of the army, were lying. Saul was lying in the camp, and the troops were camped around him. .

JPS (Tanakh)                        David went at once to the place where Saul had encamped, and David saw the spot where Saul and his army commander, Abner son of Ner, lay asleep. Saul lay asleep inside the barricade and the troops were posted around him.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

Updated Emphasized Bible   So then David arose and he came to the place where Saul had encamped, and David saw the place where Saul was lying, with Abner, son of Ner, prince of his host. And ║Saul║ was lying within the circular trench, with ║the people║ encamped round about him.

MKJV                                     And David arose and came to the place where Saul had pitched. And David saw the place where Saul lay. And Abner the son of Ner, the captain of his army, and Saul were lying within the barricade. And the people pitched all around him.

Young's Updated LT              ...and David rises, and comes in unto the place where Saul had encamped, and David sees the place where Saul has lain, and Abner son of Ner, head of his host, and Saul is lying in the path, and the people are encamping round about him.

What is the gist of this verse? David observes that Saul is asleep in a trench and that he is surrounded by his army and that Abner, his chief-of-staff, is nearby.

Translation: Then David arose and he came to the place where Saul had camped,... David has already observed Saul from a distance. He has already sent out spies to confirm that Saul was there. Now he is moving closer to get a better look. David may not be sure himself what he is going to do; he may not have a specific plan in mind. However, he has 600 men camped with him. Saul and 3000 men are within a mile of his camp. David cannot ignore this. He has to do something; so he goes down personally to investigate.

Now, recall that the Hebrew mind does not necessarily think chronologically. David is not going toward Saul’s camp alone. He will take someone with him. However, this is not mentioned until the next verse. Chronologically, we would have put v. 6 before v. 5 because that is how we think.

Application: Trusting God and putting it in the Lord’s hands does not mean that you become a bastion of inactivity. There are times when you must sit back and watch to see what God will do. There are other times when you must act; and it requires doctrine and the guidance of God the Holy Spirit to indicate which approach you should take. I must admit to always having a liking for the Alcoholics Anonymous prayer, which expresses this sentiment: God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.

Translation: ...and David sees where Saul lays... Interestingly enough, David can get close enough to where he can see where Saul is. Now, although his spies could have told David where Saul was, and David could have gone out there alone; and then returned to take someone with him. I don’t believe that is the gist of these few verses. I believe David sent out the spies, Ahimelech and Abishai (and possibly others), and that these spies figured out exactly where Saul was; and now David returns with one of the spies.

David may or may not see Saul; however, he can see where Saul is lying. Abishai points the place out to David.

Translation: ...and [he sees] Abner, the son of Ner, [who is] Saul’s chief-of-staff [lit., commander of his army]. David and see both Saul and his chief-of-staff, Abner; with whom David is familiar. Recall that David was a military man (as well as a shepherd); so he knows all of Saul’s high-ranking officers and Saul’s shepherds. He is able to recognize and identify them. As a former military leader in Saul’s army, David knew Abner personally.

Translation: Saul is laying in a [wagon] path... It is apparently in the evening some time. There was probably a forced march from Gibeah to Ziph. David is getting a closer look to determine what he should do. Most of the translations have Saul sleeping in a rut, or in the track of a chariot; his men would be stationed about him. The Septuagint has Saul in a chariot instead.

Gill offers the following explanation: this is to be understood either of the camp itself, so called, as Ben Gersom, Abarbinel, and Ben Melech think, because it lay in a circular form, that all comers to it on every side might be seen; or else a sort of fortress all around the camp, made of carriages joined together; and as the word signifies a carriage, cart or chariot, it may design the chariot in which Saul slept, as kings have been used to do when not in their houses; and to this the Septuagint agrees, which uses a word that Procopius Gazaeus says signifies one kind of a chariot, and is used of a chariot drawn by mules, in the Greek version of Isa. 66:20; Grotius observes, kings used to sleep in chariots where there were no houses.

A chariot designed for Saul to sleep in seems to be the most reasonable explanation here. However, the masculine and feminine forms of this noun all seem to indicate an entrenchment, tench, rut, or path (see Psalm 23:3 65:11 140:5 Prov. 2:9 4:11, 26 Isa. 26:7). Furthermore, when a translation is changed, it is often changed to become more logical; therefore, I would have to say that Saul is in the wagon path right now, with his men around him.

The Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge is rather adamant about this point: The word maugal never signifies a ditch or rampart, but a chariot or wagon way. Nor does it seem to denote a ring of carriages, as Buxtorf and others interpret the word; for it is not probable that Saul would encumber his army with baggage in so rapid a pursuit, nor that so mountainous a country was practicable for wagons. It appears simply to mean here, the circular encampment (from agal, “round”) which these troops formed, in the midst of which, as being the place of honour, Saul reposed. An Arab camp, D’Arvieux informs us, is always circular, when the disposition of the ground will permit, the prince being in the middle, and the troops at a respectful distance around him. Add to which, their lances are fixed near them in the ground all the day long, ready for action.

You may wonder to yourself, if this is the case, why? That is, why would Saul sleep in along a wagon path rather than in a chariot? Recall that Saul is not of sound mind, and his thinking may be, he can see all around him from the path; however, he could not see this from a chariot, and he would be a sitting duck inside the royal chariot at night. Now, for the clincher: if Saul were inside a chariot, then the spear would not be stuck in the ground next to his head (vv. 7, 12). Furthermore, Abishai says that he will pin Saul to the ground with the spear in one blow (v. 8)—this makes little sense unless Saul is on the ground sleeping.

We will find out in v. 7 that David and Abishai had actually entered into Saul’s camp. This explains why David is able to make these observations at night (we must assume there is enough light available from the moon to aid David in seeing Saul). Once we get to v. 7, then we will regroup and look at these events chronologically.

Translation: ...and the people were camped around him. David has observed where Saul and Abner are; and he sees that Saul’s army are camped around him. We can reasonably assume that David and Abishai actually went into the camp at this point (even though Abishai has not yet been mentioned by name). In any case, David is close enough to know where Saul is (possibly because Abishai knows this information from having already been in the camp); and we also know that David will go into the camp for certain (vv. 7–12). All I am doing is suggesting a chronological scenario (which I will formalize in v. 7).

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Masoretic text                        And so answers David and so he says unto Ahimelech the Hittite and unto Abishai ben Zeruiah, brother of Joab, to say, “Who goes down with me unto Saul, unto the camp?”

And so says Abishai, “I—I will go down with you.”

Peshitta                                 Then David said to Ahimeleck the Hittite and to Abishai the son of Zoriah, Joab’s brother, saying, “Who will go down with me to Saul’s camp?” And Abishai said, “I will go down with you.”

Septuagint                             And David answered and spoke to Abimelech the Chettite, and to Abessa the son of Saruia the brother of Joab, saying, “Who will go in with me to Saul into the camp?” And Abessa said, “I will go in with you.”

Significant differences           No significant differences.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV                                       David asked Ahimelech the Hittite and Joab's brother Abishai, "Which one of you will go with me into Saul's camp?" "I will!" Abishai answered.

NJB                                        Speaking to Ahimelech the Hittite and Abishai son of Zeruiah and brother of Joab, David said, ‘Who will come down with me to the camp, to Saul?’ Abishai answered, ‘I will go down with you.’

NLT                                        “Will anyone volunteer to go in there with me?” David asked Ahimelech the Hittite and abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother.

“I’ll go with you,” Abishai replied.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

God’s Word™                         David asked Ahimelech the Hittite and Abishai, who was Zeruiah's son and Joab's brother, "Who will go with me to Saul in the camp?" Abishai answered, "I'll go with you.”

JPS (Tanakh)                        David spoke up and asked Ahimelech the Hittite and Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, “Who will go down with me into the camp to Saul?” And Abishai answered, “I will go down with you.”

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

MKJV                                     And David answered and said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Abishai the son of Zeruiah, the brother of Joab, saying, Who will go down with me to the camp to Saul? And Abishai said, I will go down with you.

Young's Updated LT              And David answers and says unto Ahimelech the Hittite, and unto Abishai son of Zeruiah, brother of Joab, saying, `Who goes down with me unto Saul, unto the camp?' and Abishai says, “I—I go down with you.”.

What is the gist of this verse? David asks of the two spies which will return with him to the camp (it is an assumption on my part that these are the two spies).

Translation: So David spoke up... This can also mean to answer. What has probably occurred is, these two men, Ahimelech and Abishai, were the spies sent out in v. 4. They have returned with the information that David has asked for. Now David looks at them and says, “Okay, which one of you wants to return to the camp with me?” We would not order the verses this way, as we think chronologically. And, we want more information; we would like to hear that these are the two spies that David sent out.

Another proposed scenario is, spies went out and found where Saul was. David went out on his own and observed where Saul was. Then David returned to take someone with him. This position is based more upon these verses occurring in chronological order than anything else, which is a foolish assumption (I think we could make that general assumption with Luke; but probably with no other writer of Scripture).

Translation: ...and said to Ahimelech the Hittite... David has a less authoritative approach to his leadership role. He does not order one person to follow after him, but he chooses two, and asks which of them wants to follow him.

The first person he speaks to is Ahimelech the Hittite. We don’t know if he took these two men aside or whether he spoke to them in front of everyone else. It is possible that the three went together (perhaps with others); and these two had gone into Saul’s camp and now David wants to go into Saul’s camp as well. The verb used seems to indicate that he spoke to them in front of everyone else. He voice was loud enough to be heard by them, but not by, of course, anyone in Saul’s camp.

There are at least three different Ahimelech’s in the Old Testament; Abimelech the Hittite is found only here. Ham, Noah’s son, had a son Canaan, who had a son Sidon, who had a son Heth, who was the father of the Hittites (Gen. 10:1, 6, 15). These Anatolian Hittites ruled an empire which extended down into Syria during to the fourteen and thirteenth centuries  b.c. Uriah will be another Hittite under David’s command. This should indicate that men from all over the world were willing to come to David to get a fresh start. This is a picture of men coming to Jesus for a fresh start. David had the truth, and there were men who were drawn to him ultimately because he had the truth (even though they may not have realized this).

Surprisingly enough, there is nothing mentioned about anyone in Saul’s camp being sent out as spies to find David. That could be attributed to Saul’s poor strategizing or to his over-confidence. Also, we are getting this narrative mostly from David’s point of view, so we would not necessarily know if Saul sent out spies himself. I suspect that Saul depended more upon the numbers than he was about a careful approach and attack.

Translation: ...and to Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, brother of Joab,... David apparently had two men whom he trusted; one was a Hittite, and the other was Abishai. We meet Abishai for the first time in this chapter and are given his lineage, even though it means little to us. This is the first mention of Joab and the first mention of Zeruiah as well, in the English Bible. However, we have encountered them all before when we examined 1Chron. 2. David’s brothers are named in 1Chron. 2:13–15 and his sisters are named in 1Chron. 2:16, who are Zeruiah and Abigail. Zeruiah has three sons named: Abishai, Joab and Asahel. Abishai’s name means Jesse is my father. In the Hebrew, father does not necessarily mean the man who sired you; for the Jews, Abraham is their father. So, technically, Jesse is Abishai’s grandfather. However, this is proper usage in the Hebrew. Since Abishai will not play a big part in David’s life until 2Samuel, where he becomes more involved (at least, in recorded history), we will wait until 2Sam. 2–3 to discuss Abishai further (when he and Abner face one another again). All we need to know now is that he is David’s nephew.

Translation: ...saying, “Who will go down with me to Saul [and] into the camp?” Here is the question which David poses to these two men; “Which of you wants to go with me to Saul and to the enemy camp?” We don’t know if David gave any more information than that. It is likely that David was uncertain as to what he was going to do exactly. However, as the leader of these men, he cannot ignore 3000 soldiers camped within a mile, whose assignment is to capture and kill him. Therefore, David must act, even though he may not even know right at this point in time what this act is going to be.

Translation: And Abishai said, “I will go down with you.”  Abishai chose to go with David on this mission. This shows great trust in David’s leadership, as these were two men walking down into an encampment of 3000. Abishai is willing to follow David, even though David has not laid out a plan of action.

Please realize that David will become king. This has become fairly well-known. For those who believe it, sticking with David is probably the safest place to be. He is the king elected by Jehovah God. Therefore, nothing is going to happen to David. Therefore, the safest place to be is with David. Abishai, traveling with David toward a camp of 3000 hand-picked warriors is probably safer than those who remain in camp. I hope that you see the obvious parallel. When we are in Christ, David’s greater Son, we are also safe and protected. Nothing can be done to us that God has not already made provision for.

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Peshitta                                 So David and Abishai came to the people by night; and behold, Saul lay asleep in the path, with his spear lying on the ground by his bedside; and Abner and the people lay round about him.

Septuagint                             So David and Tbessa go in among the people by night; and behold, Saul was fast asleep in the chariot, and his spear was stuck in the ground near his head, and Abenner and his people slept round about him.

Significant differences           .

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV                                       That same night, David and Abishai crept into the camp. Saul was sleeping, and his spear was stuck in the ground not far from his head. Abner and the soldiers were sound asleep all around him.

NAB                                       So David and Abishai went among Saul’s soldiers by night and found Saul lying asleep within the barricade, with his spear thrust into the ground at his head and Abner and his men sleeping around him.

NJB                                        So in the dark David and Abishai made their way towards the force, where they found Saul lying asleep inside the camp, his spear stuck in the ground beside his head, with Abner and the troops lying round him.

NLT                                        So David and Abishai went right into Saul’s camp and found him asleep with his spear stuck in the ground beside his head. Abner and he warriors were lying asleep around him.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

God’s Word™                         So David and Abishai went among Saul's troops that night. Saul was lying asleep inside the camp with his spear stuck in the ground near his head. Abner and the soldiers were lying around him.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

MKJV                                     So David and Abishai came to the people by night. And behold, Saul lay sleeping in the tent, and his spear stuck in the ground at his head. But Abner and the people lay around him.

Young's Updated LT              And David comes—and Abishai—unto the people by night, and lo, Saul is lying sleeping in the path, and his spear struck into the earth at his pillow, and Abner and the people are lying round about him.

What is the gist of this verse? David and Abishai go into the midst of Saul’s camp and everyone, including his elite guard, is asleep. They find Saul asleep with his spear stuck in the ground next to his head.

Translation: So David and Abishai went to the army [lit., people] [that] night... We have postulated that David made one trip into Saul’s camp, taking Abishai with him, who was probably one of the spies. However, it is possible that Saul’s camp was entered as many as three times that night: once by David’s spies; once by David, and once by David and Abishai. In any case, this is the only time that we know that David (or anyone) actually went into the camp itself.

I have mentioned that some claim that this chapter and 1Sam. 24 are different traditions of the same historical event. If that is the case, why not also throw in Judges 7:9–14, when Gideon and Purah also go down, two men, into an enemy camp (the Midianites). In fact, while we are at it, why not say this is also another version of Jonathan and his young man, who, as two men, attacked a camp of enemy soldiers (1Sam. 14)? My point is, life is filled with situations that have some similarities to other situations.

Translation: ...and observed [that] Saul is lying asleep in the encampment... They were able to walk into the camp because everyone in the camp was asleep. Saul was laying asleep in a ditch or in a chariot path. It is interesting that a man of Saul’s unstable condition could sleep so well. However, we do not know how many days Saul was awake after finding out from the Ziphites where David was. This could be his third day without sleep and perhaps he just fell out immediately. This would account for all of his army being asleep as well. Saul, the egotist that he is, would have driven his soldiers hard; as long as he was awake, he would have forced marched them. We will later find out that this sleep was supernaturally induced.

Translation: ...with his spear embedded [lit., pressed] into the ground at his head. At least two theologians suggest that this spear stuck in the ground was SOP. Freeman also tells us that even today, the sheikh’s tent is always recognized by a tall spear stuck in the ground in front of it; and the place where the sheikh reclines to rest when halting on a march is designated in like manner. In any case, this aspect of Saul’s sleep is germane to this account. At Saul’s head was his spear, stuck into the ground.

Translation: And Abner and the army [lit., people] are laying around him. As mentioned, Saul, the madman, probably put his soldiers on a force march from Gibeah to Judah; they probably did not stop and rest; and Saul, no doubt, was carried. So once they arrive and know they are near David, everyone is totally exhausted. However, it is also typical in the ancient world to execute an night guard staff if they fall asleep. We will find out that this was God’s work in v. 12.

David Explains to Abishai What is Permissible with Regards to Saul

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts: