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1 Samuel 20:26

in 1 Samuel 20

Saul said nothing that day because he thought, “Something has happened to David to make him ceremonially unclean—surely he is unclean.”

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

Nevertheless Saul spake not anything that day: for he thought, Something hath befallen him, he is not clean; surely he is not clean.

KJV

Nevertheless Saul spake not any thing that day: for he thought, Something hath befallen him, he is not clean; surely he is not clean.

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This verse in 1 Samuel 20

Commentary

6 notes on this verse
He is not clean - The new moon being a religious feast, and the meat to be eaten being peace-offerings, no one could assist at the feast who had any ceremonial uncleanness upon him (marginal references).

This site's exposition

So David hid in the field, and when the New Moon had come

on 1 Samuel 20:24-26

The plan is carried out exactly, and Saul sits "in his usual place by the wall, opposite Jonathan and beside Abner," with David’s place empty. Saul says nothing the first day, assuming David is "ceremonially unclean," the explanation any Israelite would reach for before treachery. Only four men sit at that table, so one empty seat cannot go unnoticed for long.

This site's exposition

Something has happened to David to make him ceremonially unclean

Albert Barnes explains the rule behind Saul's guess. The meat of the feast came from peace offerings, and Leviticus 7:20 barred anyone unclean from eating them. Many kinds of uncleanness lasted only until evening, so a second day's absence called for another reason.

The record, by era

The Medieval Church1 voice

A commentator

Bede

Commentary on Samuel · Written before 735.

proposed

He was thinking that perhaps it had happened to him, etc. For the Jews thought that Jesus was neither clean nor purified from sins because he had violated the Sabbath and done other things contrary to the decrees of the law or rather of their …

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

Nevertheless, Saul spake not anything that day,....

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

Blessed be God, no uncleanness is now a restraint upon us, but what we may by faith and repentance be washed from in the fountain opened, Ps. xxvi. He is enquired for the second day,

The words behind it

16 Hebrew words

Every 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.

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

12 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

Leviticus 15:5Anyone who touches his bed must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening.4 worksLeviticus 11:24These creatures will make you unclean. Whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean until evening,3 worksLeviticus 11:27All the four-footed animals that walk on their paws are unclean for you; whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean until evening,3 worksNumbers 11:26Two men, however, had remained in the camp—one named Eldad and the other Medad—and the Spirit rested on them. They were among those listed, but they had not gone out to the tent, and they prophesied in the camp.3 works1 Samuel 16:5“In peace,” he replied. “I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.2 worksLeviticus 11:31These animals are unclean for you among all the crawling creatures. Whoever touches them when they are dead shall be unclean until evening.2 works
The other 6 cross-references, with their words ▾
Leviticus 7:20–21But if anyone who is unclean eats meat from the peace offering that belongs to the LORD, that person must be cut off from his people.2 worksLeviticus 15:16–17When a man has an emission of semen, he must bathe his whole body with water, and he will be unclean until evening.2 worksLeviticus 11:40Whoever eats from the carcass must wash his clothes and will be unclean until evening, and anyone who picks up the carcass must wash his clothes and will be unclean until evening.2 worksNumbers 19:16Anyone in the open field who touches someone who has been killed by the sword or has died of natural causes, or anyone who touches a human bone or a grave, will be unclean for seven days.2 worksLeviticus 15:19–21When a woman has a discharge consisting of blood from her body, she will be unclean due to her menstruation for seven days, and anyone who touches her will be unclean until evening.2 worksZephaniah 1:7Be silent in the presence of the Lord GOD, for the Day of the LORD is near. Indeed, the LORD has prepared a sacrifice; He has consecrated His guests.1 works

The walk

8 stops

Each 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 16:5

    “In peace,” he replied. “I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

    it leads to

    • Leviticus 20:7–8

      Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, because I am the LORD your God.

    • Joshua 3:5

      Then Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you.”

    • Exodus 19:10

      Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. They must wash their clothes

    • Joshua 7:13

      Get up and consecrate the people, saying, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Among you, O Israel, there are things devoted to destruction. You cannot…

    • Exodus 19:14–15

      When Moses came down from the mountain to the people, he consecrated them, and they washed their clothes.

  • Through

    Leviticus 15:5

    Anyone who touches his bed must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening.

    it leads to

    • Leviticus 11:25

      and whoever picks up one of their carcasses must wash his clothes, and he will be unclean until evening.

    • Leviticus 17:15

      And any person, whether native or foreigner, who eats anything found dead or mauled by wild beasts must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean until evening; then he…

    • Leviticus 16:26

      The man who released the goat as the scapegoat must wash his clothes and bathe himself with water; afterward he may reenter the camp.

Where this verse is studied

About 1 Samuel

David and Jonathan — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain
David and Jonathan — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain
1 Samuel: the study guide →Read 1 Samuel 20 →

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Bede, Commentary on Samuel; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.

Read on in 1 Samuel 20 →