1 Samuel 23:26
in 1 Samuel 23Saul was proceeding along one side of the mountain, and David and his men along the other side. Even though David was hurrying to get away, Saul and his men were closing in on David and his men to capture them.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Saul went on this side of the mountain, and David and his men on that side of the mountain: and David made haste to get away for fear of Saul; for Saul and his men compassed David and his men round about to take them.
KJV
And Saul went on this side of the mountain, and David and his men on that side of the mountain: and David made haste to get away for fear of Saul; for Saul and his men compassed David and his men round about to take them.
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This verse in 1 Samuel 23
Commentary
7 notes on this verseIt was that, since Saul neglected the public safety, he might take care of it, notwithstanding the ill treatment that was given him; for he must render good for evil, and therein be a type of him who not only ventured his life, but laid down his life, for those that were his enemies.
This site's exposition
compassed David and his men round about
This is the nearest Saul ever comes to taking David alive: the two parties stand on opposite sides of a single mountain, and Saul's men close around David's smaller company to take them. Nothing in the verse is David's own doing, no stratagem and no word from the ephod, and the older commentators read the bare fact of the encirclement as the chapter's real turning point for exactly that reason.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
This is what happened to Paul. For the potency of the light suddenly surprised his feeble eyes and injured them. But the greatness of the voice brought low his strength and entered his ears and opened them. For they had been closed up by Jewish …
The Medieval Church1 voice
And so Saul and his men surrounded David like a crown, etc. For, with the Lord Savior protecting His faithful, very often those who, out of fear of God, did not want to act, were compelled by the consideration of human peace or some other …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
), David and his men on one side of the mountain flying and Saul and his men on the other side pursuing, David in fear and Saul in hope. But this mountain was an emblem of the divine Providence coming between David and the destroyer, like the pillar of cloud between the Israelites and the Egyptians. David was concealed by this mountain and Saul confounded by it.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
And Saul went on this side of the mountain, and David and his men on that side of the mountain,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
Saul went on this side of the mountain - Evidently not knowing that David and his men were on the other side.
The words behind it
24 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֵּ֨לֶךְ | vaiyelekh | and he went | H1980 → | 1546 times |
| שָׁא֜וּל | shaul | Saul | H7586 → | 402 times |
| מִצַּ֤ד | mitzad | from [the] side of | H6654 → | 33 times |
| הָהָר֙ | hahar | the mountain | H2022 → | 546 times |
| מִזֶּ֔ה | mizeh | from this | H2088 → | 1180 times |
| וְדָוִ֧ד | vedavid | and David | H1732 → | 999 times |
| וַאֲנָשָׁ֛יו | vaanashav | and men his | H582 → | 566 times |
| מִצַּ֥ד | mitzad | [were] from [the] side of | H6654 → | 33 times |
| הָהָ֖ר | hahar | the mountain | H2022 → | 546 times |
| מִזֶּ֑ה | mizeh | from this | H2088 → | 1180 times |
| וַיְהִ֨י | vayhi | and he was | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| דָוִ֜ד | david | David | H1732 → | 999 times |
| נֶחְפָּ֤ז | nechpaz | hurrying away | H2648 → | |
| לָלֶ֙כֶת֙ | lalekhet | to go | H1980 → | 1546 times |
| מִפְּנֵ֣י | mipenei | from before | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| שָׁא֔וּל | shaul | Saul | H7586 → | 402 times |
| וְשָׁא֣וּל | veshaul | and Saul | H7586 → | 402 times |
| וַאֲנָשָׁ֗יו | vaanashav | and men his | H582 → | 566 times |
| עֹֽטְרִ֛ים | ʾoterim | [were] surrounding | H5849 → | |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | <to> | H413 → | 5510 times |
| דָּוִ֥ד | david | David | H1732 → | 999 times |
| וְאֶל־ | veel- | and <to> | H413 → | 5510 times |
| אֲנָשָׁ֖יו | ʾanashav | men his | H582 → | 566 times |
| לְתָפְשָֽׂם׃ | letafesam | to catch them | H8610 → |
וַיֵּ֨לֶךְand he went
vaiyelekhH1980 →1546 times
שָׁא֜וּלSaul
shaulH7586 →402 times
מִצַּ֤דfrom [the] side of
mitzadH6654 →33 times
הָהָר֙the mountain
haharH2022 →546 times
מִזֶּ֔הfrom this
mizehH2088 →1180 times
וְדָוִ֧דand David
vedavidH1732 →999 times
וַאֲנָשָׁ֛יוand men his
vaanashavH582 →566 times
מִצַּ֥ד[were] from [the] side of
mitzadH6654 →33 times
הָהָ֖רthe mountain
haharH2022 →546 times
מִזֶּ֑הfrom this
mizehH2088 →1180 times
וַיְהִ֨יand he was
vayhiH1961 →3559 times
דָוִ֜דDavid
davidH1732 →999 times
נֶחְפָּ֤זhurrying away
nechpazH2648 →
לָלֶ֙כֶת֙to go
lalekhetH1980 →1546 times
מִפְּנֵ֣יfrom before
mipeneiH6440 →2123 times
שָׁא֔וּלSaul
shaulH7586 →402 times
וְשָׁא֣וּלand Saul
veshaulH7586 →402 times
וַאֲנָשָׁ֗יוand men his
vaanashavH582 →566 times
עֹֽטְרִ֛ים[were] surrounding
ʾoterimH5849 →
אֶל־<to>
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
דָּוִ֥דDavid
davidH1732 →999 times
וְאֶל־and <to>
veel-H413 →5510 times
אֲנָשָׁ֖יוmen his
ʾanashavH582 →566 times
לְתָפְשָֽׂם׃to catch them
letafesamH8610 →
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
2 Chronicles 20:12Our God, will You not judge them? For we are powerless before this vast army that comes against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.”
it leads to
- Psalms 121:1–2
I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?
- Psalms 25:15
My eyes are always on the LORD, for He will free my feet from the mesh.
- Psalms 141:8
But my eyes are fixed on You, O GOD the Lord. In You I seek refuge; do not leave my soul defenseless.
- Psalms 123:1–2
I lift up my eyes to You, the One enthroned in heaven.
- Deuteronomy 32:36
For the LORD will vindicate His people and have compassion on His servants when He sees that their strength is gone and no one remains, slave or free.
- Psalms 121:1–2
Through
1 Samuel 19:12So Michal lowered David from the window, and he ran away and escaped.
it leads to
- Joshua 2:15
Then Rahab let them down by a rope through the window, since the house where she lived was built into the wall of the city.
- Acts 9:24–25
but Saul learned of their plot. Day and night they watched the city gates in order to kill him.
- Joshua 2:15
Through
Psalms 17:11They have tracked us down, and now surround us; their eyes are set to cast us to the ground,
it leads to
- Psalms 37:14
The wicked have drawn the sword and bent the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright.
- Psalms 37:14
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 Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Bede, Commentary on Samuel; Ephrem the Syrian, Homily - On Our Lord, 32; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.
