1 Samuel 23:9
in 1 Samuel 23When David learned that Saul was plotting evil against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And David knew that Saul was devising mischief against him; and he said to Abiathar the priest, Bring hither the ephod.
KJV
And David knew that Saul secretly practised mischief against him; and he said to Abiathar the priest, Bring hither the ephod.
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This verse in 1 Samuel 23
Commentary
7 notes on this verseAnd. David knew that Saul secretly practised mischief against him,.... That is, plotted and contrived it, formed schemes in order to do him mischief, giving out one thing, and designing another; so he pretended war against the Philistines, but his intention was to come against Keilah, and take David there: and he said to Abiathar the priest, bring hither the ephod; not for David to put on, but for the priest himself, that being clothed with it, and the Urim and Thummim in it, he might inquire for him of the Lord.
This site's exposition
Bring hither the ephod
on 1 Samuel 23:9-11
David's habit of enquiry, already shown twice in this chapter, now stands under direct mortal threat, and Abiathar's ephod becomes his warning system while Saul mobilizes an army against him. Adam Clarke reads the conditional answers, whether Saul will come down and whether Keilah will hand him over, as real contingency, God's foreknowledge poising outcomes on the choices of men rather than overriding them. John Wesley notes the answer came as a voice or suggestion to the high priest, not by any change in the stones of the breastplate.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
When David learned that Saul was secretly planning evil against him, etc. After bringing the ephod with Abiathar, David consulted the Lord, asking whether Saul would come to destroy Keilah, and whether the citizens would hand him over. Hence it can be inferred by what …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
) that he secretly practised mischief against him. Miserable is that people whose prince is a tyrant, for, while some are sufferers by his tyranny, others (which is worse) are made servants to it and instruments of it.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
No sooner is the ephod brought to him than he makes use of it: Bring hither the ephod. We have the scriptures, those lively oracles, in our hands; let us take advice from them in doubtful cases. "Bring hither the Bible." 1.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
Bring hither the ephod - It seems as if David himself, clothed with the ephod, had consulted the Lord; and 1Sa 23:10-12 contain the words of the consultation, and the Lord’s answer. But see on 1Sa 23:2 (note).
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
he said to Abiathar the priest, Bring hither the ephod--The consultation was made, and the prayer uttered, by means of the priest. The alternative conditions here described have often been referred to as illustrating the doctrine of God's foreknowledge and preordination of events.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
The words behind it
13 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֵּ֣דַע | vaiyeda' | and he knew | H3045 → | 945 times |
| דָּוִ֔ד | david | David | H1732 → | 999 times |
| כִּ֣י | ki | that | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| עָלָ֔יו | ʾalav | on him | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| שָׁא֖וּל | shaul | Saul | H7586 → | 402 times |
| מַחֲרִ֣ישׁ | macharish | [was] plotting | H2790 → | 74 times |
| הָרָעָ֑ה | haraah | <the> evil | H7451 → | 662 times |
| וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| אֶבְיָתָ֣ר | ʾevyatar | Abiathar | H54 → | 30 times |
| הַכֹּהֵ֔ן | hakohen | the priest | H3548 → | 750 times |
| הַגִּ֖ישָׁה | hagishah | bring near ! | H5066 → | 125 times |
| הָאֵפֽוֹד׃ ס | haefod | the ephod | H646 → | 49 times |
וַיֵּ֣דַעand he knew
vaiyeda'H3045 →945 times
דָּוִ֔דDavid
davidH1732 →999 times
כִּ֣יthat
kiH3588 →4482 times
עָלָ֔יוon him
ʾalavH5921 →5755 times
שָׁא֖וּלSaul
shaulH7586 →402 times
מַחֲרִ֣ישׁ[was] plotting
macharishH2790 →74 times
הָרָעָ֑ה<the> evil
haraahH7451 →662 times
וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙and he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
אֶבְיָתָ֣רAbiathar
ʾevyatarH54 →30 times
הַכֹּהֵ֔ןthe priest
hakohenH3548 →750 times
הַגִּ֖ישָׁהbring near !
hagishahH5066 →125 times
הָאֵפֽוֹד׃ סthe ephod
haefodH646 →49 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
Jeremiah 33:3Call to Me, and I will answer and show you great and unsearchable things you do not know.
it leads to
- Jeremiah 29:12
Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.
- Isaiah 65:24
Even before they call, I will answer, and while they are still speaking, I will hear.
- Ephesians 3:20
Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us,
- Isaiah 48:6
You have heard these things; look at them all. Will you not acknowledge them? From now on I will tell you of new things, hidden things unknown to you.
- Psalms 91:15
When he calls out to Me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him and honor him.
- Jeremiah 29:12
Through
1 Samuel 23:6(Now Abiathar son of Ahimelech had brought the ephod with him when he fled to David at Keilah.)
it leads to
- 1 Samuel 22:20
But one of the sons of Ahimelech son of Ahitub escaped. His name was Abiathar, and he fled to David.
- 1 Samuel 22:20
Through
Numbers 27:21He shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who will seek counsel for him before the LORD by the judgment of the Urim. At his command, he and all the Israelites with him—the entire congregation—will…
it leads to
- 1 Samuel 28:6
He inquired of the LORD, but the LORD did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets.
- Joshua 9:14
Then the men of Israel sampled their provisions, but did not seek the counsel of the LORD.
- 1 Samuel 28:6
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; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.