1 Samuel 18:12
in 1 Samuel 18So Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with David but had departed from Saul.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Saul was afraid of David, because Jehovah was with him, and was departed from Saul.
KJV
And Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with him, and was departed from Saul.
⋯
This verse in 1 Samuel 18
Commentary
4 notes on this versePerhaps he pretended to be afraid that David would do himself mischief, to force his way to the crown. Those that design ill against others are commonly willing to have it thought that others design ill against them.
This site's exposition
Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with David but had departed from Saul
Fear of David becomes this chapter's refrain, spoken again at 18:15 and 18:29. The verse states its own reason in one breath, the Lord with David and the Lord departed from Saul, the two halves of 16:13-14 set side by side. Henry reads the fear as proof Saul already knows, in his own conscience, what the anointing at Ramah settled.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
And Saul feared David, etc. The people of the Jews feared the Church of Christ, because they saw the grace of divine power in it while they themselves were forsaken. For it is written: Many signs and wonders were done among the people by the …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
And Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with him,....
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
I will strike Dovid and the wall. I will strike one blow so, that the spear will pierce Dovid and the wall. 2 Shaul wanted to strike Dovid in a manner that it would appear that it was unintentional.
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
11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיִּרָ֥א | vaiyira' | and he was afraid | H3372 → | 315 times |
| שָׁא֖וּל | shaul | Saul | H7586 → | 402 times |
| מִלִּפְנֵ֣י | milifnei | from to before | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| דָוִ֑ד | david | David | H1732 → | 999 times |
| כִּֽי־ | ki- | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| הָיָ֤ה | hayah | he was | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| יְהוָה֙ | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| עִמּ֔וֹ | imo | with him | H5973 → | 1050 times |
| וּמֵעִ֥ם | umeim | and from with | H5973 → | 1050 times |
| שָׁא֖וּל | shaul | Saul | H7586 → | 402 times |
| סָֽר׃ | sar | he had turned aside | H5493 → | 299 times |
וַיִּרָ֥אand he was afraid
vaiyira'H3372 →315 times
שָׁא֖וּלSaul
shaulH7586 →402 times
מִלִּפְנֵ֣יfrom to before
milifneiH6440 →2123 times
דָוִ֑דDavid
davidH1732 →999 times
כִּֽי־for
ki-H3588 →4482 times
הָיָ֤הhe was
hayahH1961 →3559 times
יְהוָה֙Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
עִמּ֔וֹwith him
imoH5973 →1050 times
וּמֵעִ֥םand from with
umeimH5973 →1050 times
שָׁא֖וּלSaul
shaulH7586 →402 times
סָֽר׃he had turned aside
sarH5493 →299 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
1 Samuel 16:18One of the servants answered, “I have seen a son of Jesse of Bethlehem who knows how to play the harp. He is a mighty man of valor, a warrior, eloquent and handsome, and…
it leads to
- 1 Samuel 3:19
And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and He let none of Samuel’s words fall to the ground.
- Genesis 39:23
The warden did not concern himself with anything under Joseph’s care, because the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.
- Genesis 39:2
And the LORD was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, serving in the household of his Egyptian master.
- 1 Samuel 17:32–36
And David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail on account of this Philistine. Your servant will go and fight him!”
- 1 Samuel 10:7
When these signs have come, do as the occasion demands, for God is with you.
- 1 Samuel 3:19
Through
1 Samuel 28:15Then Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” “I am deeply distressed,” replied Saul. “The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has turned away from me. He…
it leads to
- Luke 16:23–26
In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham from afar, with Lazarus by his side.
- 1 Samuel 28:6
He inquired of the LORD, but the LORD did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets.
- 1 Samuel 16:13–14
So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward. Then Samuel set out and…
- Luke 16:23–26
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About 1 Samuel
Who and where
2 names in this verse with a page on the site.
- PersonUnited MonarchyDavidSecond king of united Israel, shepherd-turned-monarch, ancestor of the Messiah, and traditional author of many Psalms.
- PersonUnited monarchySaulIsrael's first king, head and shoulders above the people; began in humility, ended in rejection — sparing what God devoted, consul…
This page draws on Bede, Commentary on Samuel; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Books of Samuel and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.