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1 Samuel 24:3

in 1 Samuel 24

Soon Saul came to the sheepfolds along the road, where there was a cave, and he went in to relieve himself. And David and his men were hiding in the recesses of the cave.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

And he came to the sheepcotes by the way, where was a cave; and Saul went in to cover his feet. Now David and his men were abiding in the innermost parts of the cave.

KJV

And he came to the sheepcotes by the way, where was a cave; and Saul went in to cover his feet: and David and his men remained in the sides of the cave.

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This verse in 1 Samuel 24

Commentary

4 notes on this verse
Remained in the sides - Rather, “were in the sides of the cave dwelling or abiding there.” Some of these caverns are very deep and spacious. Any one near the mouth of the cave would be visible, but those in the recesses would be quite in the dark and invisible, especially if the incident occurred at night. Psa 67:1-7, according to the title, was composed on this occasion.

This site's exposition

went in to cover his feet

Saul stops in a cave to cover his feet, a common way of naming a private need, while David's men are already waiting unseen in its recesses. Henry allows two readings, easing nature or simply resting from the heat, and either way providence has walked the hunter into the hunted man's own hiding place. Barnes describes these En-gedi caverns as deep enough that a man near the mouth stays visible while men further in remain hidden even by daylight.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

A commentator

John Wesley

1703–1791

Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)

And it is not improbable, that being weary with his eager and almost incessant pursuit, first of David, then of the Philistines, and now of David again, he both needed and desired some sleep, God also disposing him thereto, that David might have this eminent occasion to demonstrate his integrity to Saul, and to all Israel.

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

Some by the covering of the feet understand the easing of nature, and think that this was Saul's errand into the cave: but the former interpretation is more probable.

The words behind it

18 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.

  • וַ֠יָּבֹאand he came

    vaiyavo'H935 →2568 times

  • אֶל־to

    ʾel-H413 →5510 times

  • גִּדְר֨וֹת[the] folds of

    gidrotH1448 →

  • הַצֹּ֤אןthe sheep

    hatzonH6629 →274 times

  • עַל־on

    ʾal-H5921 →5755 times

  • הַדֶּ֙רֶךְ֙the way

    haderekhH1870 →707 times

  • וְשָׁ֣םand [was] there

    veshamH8033 →834 times

  • מְעָרָ֔הa cave

    mearahH4631 →37 times

  • וַיָּבֹ֥אand he went

    vaiyavo'H935 →2568 times

  • שָׁא֖וּלSaul

    shaulH7586 →402 times

  • לְהָסֵ֣ךְto cover

    lehasekhH5526 →

  • אֶת־<obj.>

    ʾet-H853 →10935 times

  • רַגְלָ֑יוfeet his

    raglavH7272 →247 times

  • וְדָוִד֙and David

    vedavidH1732 →999 times

  • וַאֲנָשָׁ֔יוand men his

    vaanashavH582 →566 times

  • בְּיַרְכְּתֵ֥יin [the] innermost parts of

    beyarketeiH3411 →

  • הַמְּעָרָ֖הthe cave

    hamearahH4631 →37 times

  • יֹשְׁבִֽים׃[were] sitting

    yoshevimH3427 →1079 times

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

Related verses

10 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.

Psalms 142:1I cry aloud to the LORD; I lift my voice to the LORD for mercy.7 worksJudges 3:24After Ehud was gone, Eglon’s servants came in and found the doors of the upper room locked. “He must be relieving himself in the cool room,” they said.5 worksPsalms 57:1Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy, for in You my soul takes refuge. In the shadow of Your wings I will take shelter until the danger has passed.4 worksPsalms 141:6When their rulers are thrown down from the cliffs, the people will listen to my words, for they are pleasant.2 works1 Samuel 13:6Seeing that they were in danger because their troops were hard-pressed, the men of Israel hid in caves and thickets, among the rocks, and in cellars and cisterns.2 worksJonah 1:5The sailors were afraid, and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the ship’s cargo into the sea to lighten the load. But Jonah had gone down to the lowest part of the vessel, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep.2 works
The other 4 cross-references, with their words ▾
Joshua 10:16Now the five kings had fled and hidden in the cave at Makkedah.2 worksJeremiah 41:9Now the cistern into which Ishmael had thrown all the bodies of the men he had struck down along with Gedaliah was a large one that King Asa had made for fear of Baasha king of Israel. Ishmael son of Nethaniah filled it with the slain.2 works2 Samuel 17:9Surely by now he is hiding in a cave or some other location. If some of your troops fall first, whoever hears of it will say, ‘There has been a slaughter among the troops who follow Absalom.’2 worksEzekiel 33:27Tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘As surely as I live, those in the ruins will fall by the sword, those in the open field I will give to be devoured by wild animals, and those in the strongholds and caves will die by plague.2 works

The walk

5 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

    Psalms 141:6

    When their rulers are thrown down from the cliffs, the people will listen to my words, for they are pleasant.

    it leads to

    • 2 Chronicles 25:12

      and the army of Judah also captured 10,000 men alive. They took them to the top of a cliff and threw them down so that all were dashed to pieces.

    • 1 Chronicles 10:1–7

      Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before them, and many fell slain on Mount Gilboa.

    • 2 Samuel 23:1

      These are the last words of David: “The oracle of David son of Jesse, the oracle of the man raised on high, the one anointed by the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist…

    • 2 Samuel 5:1–3

      Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “Here we are, your own flesh and blood.

    • Luke 4:22

      All spoke well of Him and marveled at the gracious words that came from His lips. “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?” they asked.

About 1 Samuel

David Shows Saul How He Spared His Life — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain
David Shows Saul How He Spared His Life — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain
1 Samuel: the study guide →Read 1 Samuel 24 →

This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.

Read on in 1 Samuel 24 →