1 Samuel 26:23
in 1 Samuel 26May the LORD repay every man for his righteousness and faithfulness. For the LORD delivered you into my hand today, but I would not stretch out my hand against the LORD’s anointed.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Jehovah will render to every man his righteousness and his faithfulness; forasmuch as Jehovah delivered thee into my hand to-day, and I would not put forth my hand against Jehovah’s anointed.
KJV
The Lord render to every man his righteousness and his faithfulness: for the Lord delivered thee into my hand to day, but I would not stretch forth mine hand against the Lord’s anointed.
⋯
This verse in 1 Samuel 26
Commentary
5 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
The Lord render to every man his righteousness
on 1 Samuel 26:23-24
David's closing appeal moves from the human court he has argued before Abner and Saul to the divine one, the Lord render to every man his righteousness and his faithfulness, the same court he trusts to settle what Saul's own promises have already failed to settle once. Verse 24 turns the appeal personal, asking that his own life be held as precious in the eyes of the Lord as Saul's life was just now held in his hand and spared. The prayer closes the chapter's whole argument in one line: the anointed does not defend himself by force because he has already appealed to a higher bench.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
A commentator
Augustine of HippoAGAINST FAUSTUS, A MANICHAEAN 22.66 · Written in the 5th century.
proposed
In the case of David also, we read of both good and bad actions. But where David's strength lay, and what the secret of his success was, is sufficiently plain, not to the blind malevolence with which Faustus assails holy writings and holy men, but to pious discernment, which bows to the divine authority and at the same time judges human conduct correctly. The Manichaeans will find, if they read the Scriptures, that God rebukes David more than Faustus does. But they will read also of the sacrifice of his penitence, of his surpassing gentleness to his merciless and bloodthirsty enemy, whom David, pious as he was brave, dismissed unhurt when now and again he fell into his hands. They will read of his memorable humility under divine chastisement, when the kingly neck was so bowed under the Master's yoke, that he bore with perfect patience bitter taunts from his enemy, though he was armed and had armed men with him. And when his companion was enraged at such things being said to the king and was on the point of requiting the insult on the head of the scoffer, he mildly restrained him, appealing to the fear of God in support of his own royal order and saying that this bad happened to him as a punishment from God, who had sent the man to curse him.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
He appeals to God as judge of the controversy: The Lord render to every man his righteousness. David, by faith, is sure that he will do it because he infallibly knows the true characters of all persons and actions and is inflexibly just to render to every man according to his work, and, by prayer, he desires he would do it.
The Lord render to every man his righteousness, and his faithfulness,....
The words behind it
18 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַֽיהוָה֙ | vayahweh | and Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| יָשִׁ֣יב | yashiv | he will return | H7725 → | 1056 times |
| לָאִ֔ישׁ | laish | to <the> everyone | H376 → | 1663 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| צִדְקָת֖וֹ | tzidkato | righteousness his | H6666 → | |
| וְאֶת־ | veet | and <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| אֱמֻנָת֑וֹ | ʾemunato | faithfulness his | H530 → | |
| אֲשֶׁר֩ | ʾasher | that | H834 → | 5497 times |
| נְתָנְךָ֨ | netanekha | he gave you | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| יְהוָ֤ה׀ | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| הַיּוֹם֙ | haiyom | this day | H3117 → | 2304 times |
| בְּיָ֔ד | beyad | in a hand | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| וְלֹ֣א | velo' | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| אָבִ֔יתִי | ʾaviti | I was willing | H14 → | 54 times |
| לִשְׁלֹ֥חַ | lishloach | to stretch out | H7971 → | 845 times |
| יָדִ֖י | yadi | hand my | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| בִּמְשִׁ֥יחַ | bimshiach | on [the] [one] anointed of | H4899 → | 39 times |
| יְהוָֽה׃ | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
וַֽיהוָה֙and Yahweh
vayahwehH3068 →6520 times
יָשִׁ֣יבhe will return
yashivH7725 →1056 times
לָאִ֔ישׁto <the> everyone
laishH376 →1663 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
צִדְקָת֖וֹrighteousness his
tzidkatoH6666 →
וְאֶת־and <obj.>
veetH853 →10935 times
אֱמֻנָת֑וֹfaithfulness his
ʾemunatoH530 →
אֲשֶׁר֩that
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
נְתָנְךָ֨he gave you
netanekhaH5414 →2011 times
יְהוָ֤ה׀Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
הַיּוֹם֙this day
haiyomH3117 →2304 times
בְּיָ֔דin a hand
beyadH3027 →1618 times
וְלֹ֣אand not
velo'H3808 →5168 times
אָבִ֔יתִיI was willing
ʾavitiH14 →54 times
לִשְׁלֹ֥חַto stretch out
lishloachH7971 →845 times
יָדִ֖יhand my
yadiH3027 →1618 times
בִּמְשִׁ֥יחַon [the] [one] anointed of
bimshiachH4899 →39 times
יְהוָֽה׃Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 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
Psalms 62:12and loving devotion to You, O Lord. For You will repay each man according to his deeds.
it leads to
- Matthew 16:27
For the Son of Man will come in His Father’s glory with His angels, and then He will repay each one according to what he has done.
- Job 34:11
For according to a man’s deeds He repays him; according to a man’s ways He brings consequences.
- 2 Corinthians 5:10
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive his due for the things done in the body, whether good or bad.
- Romans 2:6
God “will repay each one according to his deeds.”
- Psalms 103:8
The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion.
- Matthew 16:27
Through
1 Samuel 26:9But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him, for who can lift a hand against the LORD’s anointed and be guiltless?”
it leads to
- 2 Samuel 1:14
So David asked him, “Why were you not afraid to lift your hand to destroy the LORD’s anointed?”
- Psalms 105:15
“Do not touch My anointed ones! Do no harm to My prophets!”
- 2 Samuel 1:16
For David had said to the Amalekite, “Your blood be on your own head because your own mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I killed the LORD’s anointed.’”
- 2 Samuel 1:14
About 1 Samuel
This page draws on Augustine of Hippo, AGAINST FAUSTUS, A MANICHAEAN 22.66; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.