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1 SAMUEL 24

PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

READING CYCLE THREE (see "Bible Interpretation Seminar")

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT THE PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects. Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one subject.

1. First paragraph
2. Second paragraph
3. Etc.

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 24:1-7
  ¹Now when Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, saying, "Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi." ²Then Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel and went to seek David and his men in front of the Rocks of the Wild Goats. ³He came to the sheepfolds on the way, where there was a cave; and Saul went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were sitting in the inner recesses of the cave. ⁴The men of David said to him, "Behold, this is the day of which the Lord said to you, 'Behold; I am about to give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it seems good to you.'" Then David arose and cut off the edge of Saul's robe secretly. ⁵It came about afterward that David's conscience bothered him because he had cut off the edge of Saul's robe. ⁶So he said to his men, "Far be it from me because of the Lord that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord's anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, since he is the Lord's anointed." ⁷David persuaded his men with these words and did not allow them to rise up against Saul. And Saul arose, left the cave, and went on his way.

24:2 "chosen men" These were his best, most loyal soldiers, probably Benjamites. Notice he takes 3,000 to confront David's 600.

This must have been somewhere close to Engedi (lit. "spring of wild goats"). The Rift Valley rises quickly to the hill country of Judea.

24:3 "relieve himself" This (BDB 696, KB 754, Hiphil INFINITIVE CONSTRUCT) is literally "cover his feet." several times in the OT "feet" are a euphemism for

1. male genitals (cf. Exod. 4:25; Jdgs. 3:24; Ruth 3:4,7,8,14; Isa. 7:20)
2. female genitalia (cf. Deut. 28:57; Ezek. 16:25)
3. possibly angelic genitalia (cf. Isa. 6:2)

NIDOTTE, vol. 3, p. 1048, mentions that in 2 Kgs. 18:27 and Isa. 18:27; 36:12, where urine is called "water of feet."

24:4 David spares Saul's life but takes the opportunity to try to show him that he was not his enemy (vv. 8-15).

SPECIAL TOPIC: "the sons of God" in GENESIS 6

▣ "enemy" The MT has a PLURAL Qal ACTIVE PARTICIPLE, but the Masoretic scholars suggested a SINGULAR (BDB 33, KB 38).

▣ David's men take Saul's entering the cave as a sign YHWH was delivering him to David, but this was not the case. Be careful of random circumstances being interpreted as the will of God! Revelation and spiritual discernment, not circumstances, must guide our lives!

24:5 "David's conscience bothered him" This is literally "David's heart smote him" (BDB 645, KB 697, Hiphil IMPERFECT with waw). This same imagery is used of David again in 2 Sam. 24:10. David had a soft heart toward God.

The MT has the FEMININE NOUN (BDB 489, KB 486), which denotes the end of a garment (i.e., Saul's royal robe). The same word occurs for Samuel's priestly robe in 1 Sam. 15:27. It is used of a common robe in Num. 15:38; Deut. 22:12.

24:6 David felt that Saul was still in a sense YHWH's chosen king (lit. anointed). Saul's removal must be an act of God, not David.

SPECIAL TOPIC: "ANOINTING" IN THE BIBLE

The MT has the strong VERB (BDB 1042, KB 1608, Piel IMPERFECT with waw) which means "divide," "cleave," "tear in pieces." BDB comments that this is too strong in meaning for this context and suggests a textual error for the word "restrains."

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 24:8-15
  ⁸Now afterward David arose and went out of the cave and called after Saul, saying, "My lord the king!" And when Saul looked behind him, David bowed with his face to the ground and prostrated himself. ⁹David said to Saul, "Why do you listen to the words of men, saying, 'Behold, David seeks to harm you'? ¹⁰Behold, this day your eyes have seen that the Lord had given you today into my hand in the cave, and some said to kill you, but my eye had pity on you; and I said, 'I will not stretch out my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord's anointed.' ¹¹Now, my father, see! Indeed, see the edge of your robe in my hand! For in that I cut off the edge of your robe and did not kill you, know and perceive that there is no evil or rebellion in my hands, and I have not sinned against you, though you are lying in wait for my life to take it. ¹²May the Lord judge between you and me, and may the Lord avenge me on you; but my hand shall not be against you. ¹³As the proverb of the ancients says, 'Out of the wicked comes forth wickedness'; but my hand shall not be against you. ¹⁴After whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom are you pursuing? A dead dog, a single flea? ¹⁵The Lord therefore be judge and decide between you and me; and may He see and plead my cause and deliver me from your hand."

24:8 David showed humility and honor to Saul.

1. called him "My lord the king," v. 8
2. bowed his face to the ground, v. 8
3. prostrated himself, v. 8
4. called him "father" (respectful imagery), v. 11
5. calls himself
   1. a dead dog, v. 14
   2. a single flea, v. 14

24:9 Saul had been given bad advice from

1. his counselors
2. Doeg
3. the evil spirit from the Lord
4. military, family leaders

24:11 Notice the imperatives.

1. "see" ‒ BDB 906, KB 1157, Qal
2. "see" ‒ same as #1 (repeated for emphasis)
3. "know" ‒ BDB 393, KB 390, Qal
4. "perceive" ‒ lit. "see," same as #1,2

David claims he has not acted militantly against Saul.

1. no evil
2. no rebellion
3. no sin

24:12 "May the Lord judge between you and me" This is a Qal IMPERFECT VERB used in a JUSSIVE sense (BDB 1047, KB 1622).

Even though the next VERB is a PERFECT, it seems to be used also in a JUSSIVE sense (as in v. 15).

24:13 David is promising that he will not attack Saul (vv. 12-13). He is not the proverbial "wicked person" (BDB 957), but a loyal subject.

24:14 This is common ANE imagery of insignificance.

24:15 When YHWH judges, David is convinced He will.

1. YHWH will see (i.e., know) ‒ BDB 906, KB 1157, Qal JUSSIVE
2. YHWH will defend David (lit. "plead my cause") ‒ BDB 936, KB 1224, Qal JUSSIVE
3. YHWH will deliver ‒ BDB 1047, KB 1622, Qal IMPERFECT used in a JUSSIVE sense

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 24:16-22
  ¹⁶When David had finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, "Is this your voice, my son David?" Then Saul lifted up his voice and wept. ¹⁷He said to David, "You are more righteous than I; for you have dealt well with me, while I have dealt wickedly with you. ¹⁸You have declared today that you have done good to me, that the Lord delivered me into your hand and yet you did not kill me. ¹⁹For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him go away safely? May the Lord therefore reward you with good in return for what you have done to me this day. ²⁰Now, behold, I know that you will surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hand. ²¹So now swear to me by the Lord that you will not cut off my descendants after me and that you will not destroy my name from my father's household." ²²David swore to Saul. And Saul went to his home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold.

24:16-22 This paragraph is so sad to me. The mental illness of Saul is clearly revealed in his

1. past acts (trying to kill David)
2. current humility
   1. calls David "my son," v. 16
   2. he wept, v. 16
   3. you are more righteous than I, v. 17; see SPECIAL TOPIC: RIGHTEOUSNESS.
   4. admitted his wickedness against David, v. 17
   5. David's mercy to him, vv. 18-19

24:17 "while I" This is an intensified structure that emphasizes the contrast between Saul's actions and David's actions. This relates back to v. 12. YHWH will judge between these two anointed leaders!

24:20 What a shocking admission! This is what Jonathan had asserted in 1 Sam. 23:17. Saul knew YHWH's will but chose to try to alter it!

▣ "you shall surely be king" This is the intensified construction of an INFINITIVE ABSOLUTE and an IMPERFECT VERB of the same root (BDB 573, KB 590).

24:21 Saul asked David not to kill his family and cut off his name, as Jonathan had asked in 1 Sam. 20;15. This death to all relatives was common in the ANE when kingship changed (cf. Jdgs. 9:5; 1 Kgs. 15:29; 16:11; 2 Kgs. 10:1-17; 11:1).

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

This is a study guide commentary which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.

1. Why was David "heart struck" because he cut Saul's robe?
2. How did David's men interpret Saul being alone in the cave?
3. How does David try to show he holds no ill will against Saul?
4. What are the implications of v. 20?

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