1 Samuel 26:22
in 1 Samuel 26“Here is the king’s spear,” David answered. “Let one of the young men come over and get it.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And David answered and said, Behold the spear, O king! let then one of the young men come over and fetch it.
KJV
And David answered and said, Behold the king’s spear! and let one of the young men come over and fetch it.
⋯
This verse in 1 Samuel 26
Commentary
4 notes on this verseSaul gets information of David's movements and acts offensively. The Ziphites came to him and told him where David now was, in the same place where he was when they formerly betrayed him, ch. xxiii. Perhaps (though it is not mentioned) Saul had given them intimation, under-hand, that he continued his design against David, and would be glad of their assistance.
This site's exposition
I have sinned: return, my son David
on 1 Samuel 26:21-22
Saul's confession here goes further than the one he gave at the cave in chapter 24, naming himself a fool and owning that he has erred exceedingly, but Henry notes it is not the first such word from him and asks what a confession is worth without a change in the life behind it. David does not answer with trust; he keeps his distance still, telling one of Saul's own young men to come and fetch the spear rather than approach the king himself. The spear handed back is also a message: David could have kept the very weapon that names a king's rule, and chooses instead to return it whole.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
And David answered and said: Behold, one of the king's servants shall pass over and take it, etc. The Lord, responding through His teachers to the repentant Jews and those who have turned from the crime of persecution, said: Behold, the power of your kingdom …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
And David answered and said, behold the king's spear!....
The words behind it
10 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיַּ֤עַן | vaiyaan | and he answered | H6030 → | 331 times |
| דָּוִד֙ | david | David | H1732 → | 999 times |
| וַיֹּ֔אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| הִנֵּ֖ה | hineh | here! | H2009 → | 843 times |
| חֲנִ֣ית | hachanit | [the] spear of | H2595 → | 47 times |
| הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ | hamelekh | the king | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| וְיַעֲבֹ֛ר | veyaavor | and let him pass over | H5674 → | 556 times |
| אֶחָ֥ד | ʾechad | one | H259 → | 971 times |
| מֵֽהַנְּעָרִ֖ים | mehanearim | from the young men | H5288 → | 239 times |
| וְיִקָּחֶֽהָ׃ | veyikacheha | and let him take it | H3947 → | 966 times |
וַיַּ֤עַןand he answered
vaiyaanH6030 →331 times
דָּוִד֙David
davidH1732 →999 times
וַיֹּ֔אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
הִנֵּ֖הhere!
hinehH2009 →843 times
חֲנִ֣ית[the] spear of
hachanitH2595 →47 times
הַמֶּ֑לֶךְthe king
hamelekhH4428 →2525 times
וְיַעֲבֹ֛רand let him pass over
veyaavorH5674 →556 times
אֶחָ֥דone
ʾechadH259 →971 times
מֵֽהַנְּעָרִ֖יםfrom the young men
mehanearimH5288 →239 times
וְיִקָּחֶֽהָ׃and let him take it
veyikachehaH3947 →966 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
About 1 Samuel

Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Bede, Commentary on Samuel; 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.
