1 Samuel 22:13
in 1 Samuel 22And Saul asked him, “Why have you and the son of Jesse conspired against me? You gave him bread and a sword and inquired of God for him so that he could rise up against me to lie in wait, as he is doing today.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Saul said unto him, Why have ye conspired against me, thou and the son of Jesse, in that thou hast given him bread, and a sword, and hast inquired of God for him, that he should rise against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?
KJV
And Saul said unto him, Why have ye conspired against me, thou and the son of Jesse, in that thou hast given him bread, and a sword, and hast enquired of God for him, that he should rise against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?
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This verse in 1 Samuel 22
Commentary
4 notes on this verse"His design" (says Saul) "was to rise up against me, and thou didst assist him with victuals and arms." See what bad constructions the most innocent actions are liable to, how unsafe those are that live under a tyrannical government, and what reason we have to be thankful for the happy constitution and administration of the government we are under.
This site's exposition
summon Ahimelech the priest
on 1 Samuel 22:11-15
Saul summons Ahimelech and his father's whole family from Nob and charges them with conspiracy for the bread, the sword and the inquiry of God. Ahimelech answers that none of the king's servants is as faithful as David, the king's son-in-law and captain of his bodyguard.
This site's exposition
Why have you and the son of Jesse conspired
Saul repeats Doeg's report of the bread, sword and the inquiry, and adds a motive Doeg never gave, that David meant to rise against him. Henry marks how the most innocent acts are here given the worst construction. The charge rests on Doeg's word alone.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
And Saul said unto him, why have ye conspired against me, thou, and the son of Jesse?....
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
And inquiring of God for him. [By allowing him to consult the Urim and Tumim], you have made him a king, because no inquiry may be made of the Urim and Tumim for a commoner.
1 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
Who bows to your bidding. As in "And they turned [ וַיָסֻרוּ ] to him," 6 Bereishis:3. meaning that he is near to service you and to obey your orders. How then was I to know that he was not going on your mission?
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 5 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
21 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּ֤אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| אֵלָיו֙ | ʾelov | to him | H413 → | 5510 times |
| שָׁא֔וּל | shaul | Saul | H7586 → | 402 times |
| לָ֚מָּה | lamah | <to> why? | H4100 → | 752 times |
| קְשַׁרְתֶּ֣ם | keshartem | have you conspired | H7194 → | 44 times |
| עָלַ֔י | ʾalai | on me | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| אַתָּ֖ה | ʾatah | you | H859 → | 1094 times |
| וּבֶן־ | uven- | and [the] son of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| יִשָׁ֑י | yishai | Jesse | H3448 → | 42 times |
| בְּתִתְּךָ֨ | betitekha | when giving you | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| ל֜וֹ | lo | to <the> him | ||
| לֶ֣חֶם | lechem | bread | H3899 → | 298 times |
| וְחֶ֗רֶב | vecherev | and a sword | H2719 → | 413 times |
| וְשָׁא֥וֹל | veshaol | and [you] enquired | H7592 → | 171 times |
| לוֹ֙ | lo | for <the> him | ||
| בֵּֽאלֹהִ֔ים | belohim | by God | H430 → | 2601 times |
| לָק֥וּם | lakum | to rise up | H6965 → | 628 times |
| אֵלַ֛י | ʾelai | against me | H413 → | 5510 times |
| לְאֹרֵ֖ב | leorev | to an ambusher | H693 → | 41 times |
| כַּיּ֥וֹם | kaiyom | as the day | H3117 → | 2304 times |
| הַזֶּֽה׃ ס | hazeh | <the> this | H2088 → | 1180 times |
וַיֹּ֤אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
אֵלָיו֙to him
ʾelovH413 →5510 times
שָׁא֔וּלSaul
shaulH7586 →402 times
לָ֚מָּה<to> why?
lamahH4100 →752 times
קְשַׁרְתֶּ֣םhave you conspired
keshartemH7194 →44 times
עָלַ֔יon me
ʾalaiH5921 →5755 times
אַתָּ֖הyou
ʾatahH859 →1094 times
וּבֶן־and [the] son of
uven-H1121 →4930 times
יִשָׁ֑יJesse
yishaiH3448 →42 times
בְּתִתְּךָ֨when giving you
betitekhaH5414 →2011 times
ל֜וֹto <the> him
lo
לֶ֣חֶםbread
lechemH3899 →298 times
וְחֶ֗רֶבand a sword
vecherevH2719 →413 times
וְשָׁא֥וֹלand [you] enquired
veshaolH7592 →171 times
לוֹ֙for <the> him
lo
בֵּֽאלֹהִ֔יםby God
belohimH430 →2601 times
לָק֥וּםto rise up
lakumH6965 →628 times
אֵלַ֛יagainst me
ʾelaiH413 →5510 times
לְאֹרֵ֖בto an ambusher
leorevH693 →41 times
כַּיּ֥וֹםas the day
kaiyomH3117 →2304 times
הַזֶּֽה׃ ס<the> this
hazehH2088 →1180 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Psalms 119:69Though the arrogant have smeared me with lies, I keep Your precepts with all my heart.
it leads to
- Matthew 5:11–12
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.
- Job 13:4
You, however, smear with lies; you are all worthless physicians.
- Psalms 119:157
Though my persecutors and foes are many, I have not turned from Your testimonies.
- Psalms 109:2–3
For wicked and deceitful mouths open against me; they speak against me with lying tongues.
- Matthew 26:59–68
Now the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were seeking false testimony against Jesus in order to put Him to death.
- Matthew 5:11–12
Through
Amos 7:10Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent word to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, “Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel. The land cannot bear all his words,
it leads to
- Jeremiah 38:4
Then the officials said to the king, “This man ought to die, for he is discouraging the warriors who remain in this city, as well as all the people, by speaking such words to…
- 1 Kings 12:31–32
Jeroboam also built shrines on the high places and appointed from every class of people priests who were not Levites.
- Jeremiah 38:4
Through
1 Samuel 22:8Is that why all of you have conspired against me? Not one of you told me that my own son had made a covenant with the son of Jesse. Not one of you has…
it leads to
- 1 Samuel 18:3
Then Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself.
- 1 Samuel 18:3
Where this verse is studied
About 1 Samuel
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.