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1 Samuel 23:26

in 1 Samuel 23

Saul 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.

This verse in 1 Samuel 23

Commentary

7 notes on this verse

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

It 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

A commentator

Ephrem the Syrian

Homily - On Our Lord, 32 · Written before 373.

proposed

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

A commentator

Bede

Commentary on Samuel · Written before 735.

proposed

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

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

), 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

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

proposed

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 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.

  • וַיֵּ֨לֶךְand he went

    vaiyelekhH19801546 times

  • שָׁא֜וּלSaul

    shaulH7586402 times

  • מִצַּ֤דfrom [the] side of

    mitzadH665433 times

  • הָהָר֙the mountain

    haharH2022546 times

  • מִזֶּ֔הfrom this

    mizehH20881180 times

  • וְדָוִ֧דand David

    vedavidH1732999 times

  • וַאֲנָשָׁ֛יוand men his

    vaanashavH582566 times

  • מִצַּ֥ד[were] from [the] side of

    mitzadH665433 times

  • הָהָ֖רthe mountain

    haharH2022546 times

  • מִזֶּ֑הfrom this

    mizehH20881180 times

  • וַיְהִ֨יand he was

    vayhiH19613559 times

  • דָוִ֜דDavid

    davidH1732999 times

  • נֶחְפָּ֤זhurrying away

    nechpazH2648

  • לָלֶ֙כֶת֙to go

    lalekhetH19801546 times

  • מִפְּנֵ֣יfrom before

    mipeneiH64402123 times

  • שָׁא֔וּלSaul

    shaulH7586402 times

  • וְשָׁא֣וּלand Saul

    veshaulH7586402 times

  • וַאֲנָשָׁ֗יוand men his

    vaanashavH582566 times

  • עֹֽטְרִ֛ים[were] surrounding

    ʾoterimH5849

  • אֶל־<to>

    ʾel-H4135510 times

  • דָּוִ֥דDavid

    davidH1732999 times

  • וְאֶל־and <to>

    veel-H4135510 times

  • אֲנָשָׁ֖יוmen his

    ʾanashavH582566 times

  • לְתָפְשָֽׂם׃to catch them

    letafesamH8610

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

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

    2 Chronicles 20:12

    Our 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.

  • Through

    1 Samuel 19:12

    So 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.

  • Through

    Psalms 17:11

    They 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.

Where this verse is studied

About 1 Samuel

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.