1 And Saul spake to Jonathan his son, and to all his servants, that they should kill David.
2 But Jonathan Saul's son delighted much in David: and Jonathan told David, saying, Saul my father seeketh to kill thee: now therefore, I pray thee, take heed to thyself until the morning, and abide in a secret place, and hide thyself:
3 And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where thou art, and I will commune with my father of thee; and what I see, that I will tell thee.
4 And Jonathan spake good of David unto Saul his father, and said unto him, Let not the king sin against his servant, against David; because he hath not sinned against thee, and because his works have been to thee-ward very good:
5 For he did put his life in his hand, and slew the Philistine, and the LORD wrought a great salvation for all Israel: thou sawest it, and didst rejoice: wherefore then wilt thou sin against innocent blood, to slay David without a cause?
6 And Saul hearkened unto the voice of Jonathan: and Saul sware, As the LORD liveth, he shall not be slain.
7 And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan showed him all those things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence, as in times past.
8 And there was war again: and David went out, and fought with the Philistines, and slew them with a great slaughter; and they fled from him.
9 And the evil spirit from the LORD was upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his javelin in his hand: and David played with his hand.
10 And Saul sought to smite David even to the wall with the javelin: but he slipped away out of Saul's presence, and he smote the javelin into the wall: and David fled, and escaped that night.
11 Saul also sent messengers unto David's house, to watch him, and to slay him in the morning: and Michal David's wife told him, saying, If thou save not thy life to night, to morrow thou shalt be slain.
12 So Michal let David down through a window: and he went, and fled, and escaped.
13 And Michal took an image, and laid it in the bed, and put a pillow of goats' hair for his bolster, and covered it with a cloth.
14 And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, He is sick.
15 And Saul sent the messengers again to see David, saying, Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may slay him.
16 And when the messengers were come in, behold, there was an image in the bed, with a pillow of goats' hair for his bolster.
17 And Saul said unto Michal, Why hast thou deceived me so, and sent away mine enemy, that he is escaped? And Michal answered Saul, He said unto me, Let me go; why should I kill thee?
18 So David fled, and escaped, and came to Samuel to Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and dwelt in Naioth.
19 And it was told Saul, saying, Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah.
20 And Saul sent messengers to take David: and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as appointed over them, the Spirit of God was upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied.
21 And when it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they prophesied likewise. And Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they prophesied also.
22 Then went he also to Ramah, and came to a great well that is in Sechu: and he asked and said, Where are Samuel and David? And one said, Behold, they be at Naioth in Ramah.
23 And he went thither to Naioth in Ramah: and the Spirit of God was upon him also, and he went on, and prophesied, until he came to Naioth in Ramah.
24 And he stripped off his clothes also, and prophesied before Samuel in like manner, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Wherefore they say, Is Saul also among the prophets?
1 And Saul H7586 spake H1696 to Jonathan H3129 his son, H1121 and to all his servants, H5650 that they should kill H4191 David. H1732
2 But Jonathan H3083 Saul's H7586 son H1121 delighted H2654 much H3966 in David: H1732 and Jonathan H3083 told H5046 David, H1732 saying, H559 Saul H7586 my father H1 seeketh H1245 to kill H4191 thee: now therefore, I pray thee, take heed H8104 to thyself until the morning, H1242 and abide H3427 in a secret H5643 place, and hide H2244 thyself:
3 And I will go out H3318 and stand H5975 beside H3027 my father H1 in the field H7704 where thou art, and I will commune H1696 with my father H1 of thee; and what H4100 I see, H7200 that I will tell H5046 thee.
4 And Jonathan H3083 spake H1696 good H2896 of David H1732 unto Saul H7586 his father, H1 and said H559 unto him, Let not the king H4428 sin H2398 against his servant, H5650 against David; H1732 because he hath not sinned H2398 against thee, and because his works H4639 have been to thee-ward very H3966 good: H2896
5 For he did put H7760 his life H5315 in his hand, H3709 and slew H5221 the Philistine, H6430 and the LORD H3068 wrought H6213 a great H1419 salvation H8668 for all Israel: H3478 thou sawest H7200 it, and didst rejoice: H8055 wherefore then wilt thou sin H2398 against innocent H5355 blood, H1818 to slay H4191 David H1732 without a cause? H2600
6 And Saul H7586 hearkened H8085 unto the voice H6963 of Jonathan: H3083 and Saul H7586 sware, H7650 As the LORD H3068 liveth, H2416 he shall not H518 be slain. H4191
7 And Jonathan H3083 called H7121 David, H1732 and Jonathan H3083 shewed H5046 him all those things. H1697 And Jonathan H3083 brought H935 David H1732 to Saul, H7586 and he was in his presence, H6440 as in times past. H865 H8032
8 And there was war H4421 again: H3254 and David H1732 went out, H3318 and fought H3898 with the Philistines, H6430 and slew H5221 them with a great H1419 slaughter; H4347 and they fled H5127 from H6440 him.
9 And the evil H7451 spirit H7307 from the LORD H3068 was upon Saul, H7586 as he sat H3427 in his house H1004 with his javelin H2595 in his hand: H3027 and David H1732 played H5059 with his hand. H3027
10 And Saul H7586 sought H1245 to smite H5221 David H1732 even to the wall H7023 with the javelin; H2595 but he slipped away H6362 out of Saul's H7586 presence, H6440 and he smote H5221 the javelin H2595 into the wall: H7023 and David H1732 fled, H5127 and escaped H4422 that night. H3915
11 Saul H7586 also sent H7971 messengers H4397 unto David's H1732 house, H1004 to watch H8104 him, and to slay H4191 him in the morning: H1242 and Michal H4324 David's H1732 wife H802 told H5046 him, saying, H559 If thou save H4422 not thy life H5315 to night, H3915 to morrow H4279 thou shalt be slain. H4191
12 So Michal H4324 let H3381 David H1732 down H3381 through a window: H2474 and he went, H3212 and fled, H1272 and escaped. H4422
13 And Michal H4324 took H3947 an image, H8655 and laid H7760 it in the bed, H4296 and put H7760 a pillow H3523 of goats' H5795 hair for his bolster, H4763 and covered H3680 it with a cloth. H899
14 And when Saul H7586 sent H7971 messengers H4397 to take H3947 David, H1732 she said, H559 He is sick. H2470
15 And Saul H7586 sent H7971 the messengers H4397 again to see H7200 David, H1732 saying, H559 Bring him up H5927 to me in the bed, H4296 that I may slay H4191 him.
16 And when the messengers H4397 were come in, H935 behold, there was an image H8655 in the bed, H4296 with a pillow H3523 of goats' H5795 hair for his bolster. H4763
17 And Saul H7586 said H559 unto Michal, H4324 Why hast thou deceived me so, H7411 and sent away H7971 mine enemy, H341 that he is escaped? H4422 And Michal H4324 answered H559 Saul, H7586 He said H559 unto me, Let me go; H7971 why should I kill H4191 thee?
18 So David H1732 fled, H1272 and escaped, H4422 and came H935 to Samuel H8050 to Ramah, H7414 and told H5046 him all that Saul H7586 had done H6213 to him. And he and Samuel H8050 went H3212 and dwelt H3427 in Naioth. H5121
19 And it was told H5046 Saul, H7586 saying, H559 Behold, David H1732 is at Naioth H5121 in Ramah. H7414
20 And Saul H7586 sent H7971 messengers H4397 to take H3947 David: H1732 and when they saw H7200 the company H3862 of the prophets H5030 prophesying, H5012 and Samuel H8050 standing H5975 as appointed H5324 over them, the Spirit H7307 of God H430 was upon the messengers H4397 of Saul, H7586 and they also prophesied. H5012
21 And when it was told H5046 Saul, H7586 he sent H7971 other H312 messengers, H4397 and they prophesied H5012 likewise. And Saul H7586 sent H7971 messengers H4397 again H3254 the third H7992 time, and they prophesied H5012 also.
22 Then went H3212 he also to Ramah, H7414 and came H935 to a great H1419 well H953 that is in Sechu: H7906 and he asked H7592 and said, H559 Where H375 are Samuel H8050 and David? H1732 And one said, H559 Behold, they be at Naioth H5121 in Ramah. H7414
23 And he went H3212 thither to Naioth H5121 in Ramah: H7414 and the Spirit H7307 of God H430 was upon him also, and he went H3212 on, H1980 and prophesied, H5012 until he came H935 to Naioth H5121 in Ramah. H7414
24 And he stripped off H6584 his clothes H899 also, H1571 and prophesied H5012 before H6440 Samuel H8050 in like manner, and lay down H5307 naked H6174 all that day H3117 and all that night. H3915 Wherefore they say, H559 Is Saul H7586 also among the prophets? H5030
1 And Saul spake to Jonathan his son, and to all his servants, that they should slay David. But Jonathan, Saul's son, delighted much in David.
2 And Jonathan told David, saying, Saul my father seeketh to slay thee: now therefore, I pray thee, take heed to thyself in the morning, and abide in a secret place, and hide thyself:
3 and I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where thou art, and I will commune with my father of thee; and if I see aught, I will tell thee.
4 And Jonathan spake good of David unto Saul his father, and said unto him, Let not the king sin against his servant, against David; because he hath not sinned against thee, and because his works have been to thee-ward very good:
5 for he put his life in his hand, and smote the Philistine, and Jehovah wrought a great victory for all Israel: thou sawest it, and didst rejoice; wherefore then wilt thou sin against innocent blood, to slay David without a cause?
6 And Saul hearkened unto the voice of Jonathan: and Saul sware, As Jehovah liveth, he shall not be put to death.
7 And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan showed him all those things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence, as beforetime.
8 And there was war again: and David went out, and fought with the Philistines, and slew them with a great slaughter; and they fled before him.
9 And an evil spirit from Jehovah was upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand; and David was playing with his hand.
10 And Saul sought to smite David even to the wall with the spear; but he slipped away out of Saul's presence, and he smote the spear into the wall: and David fled, and escaped that night.
11 And Saul sent messengers unto David's house, to watch him, and to slay him in the morning: and Michal, David's wife, told him, saying, If thou save not thy life to-night, to-morrow thou wilt be slain.
12 So Michal let David down through the window: and he went, and fled, and escaped.
13 And Michal took the teraphim, and laid it in the bed, and put a pillow of goats' `hair' at the head thereof, and covered it with the clothes.
14 And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, He is sick.
15 And Saul sent the messengers to see David, saying, Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may slay him.
16 And when the messengers came in, behold, the teraphim was in the bed, with the pillow of goats' `hair' at the head thereof.
17 And Saul said unto Michal, Why hast thou deceived me thus, and let mine enemy go, so that he is escaped? And Michal answered Saul, He said unto me, Let me go; why should I kill thee?
18 Now David fled, and escaped, and came to Samuel to Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and dwelt in Naioth.
19 And it was told Saul, saying, Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah.
20 And Saul sent messengers to take David: and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as head over them, the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied.
21 And when it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied. And Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they also prophesied.
22 Then went he also to Ramah, and came to the great well that is in Secu: and he asked and said, Where are Samuel and David? And one said, Behold, they are at Naioth in Ramah.
23 And he went thither to Naioth in Ramah: and the Spirit of God came upon him also, and he went on, and prophesied, until he came to Naioth in Ramah.
24 And he also stripped off his clothes, and he also prophesied before Samuel, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Wherefore they say, Is Saul also among the prophets?
1 And Saul speaketh unto Jonathan his son, and unto all his servants, to put David to death,
2 and Jonathan son of Saul delighted exceedingly in David, and Jonathan declareth to David, saying, `Saul my father is seeking to put thee to death, and, now, take heed, I pray thee, in the morning, and thou hast abode in a secret place, and been hidden,
3 and I -- I go out, and have stood by the side of my father in the field where thou `art', and I speak of thee unto my father, and have seen what `is coming', and have declared to thee.'
4 And Jonathan speaketh good of David unto Saul his father, and saith unto him, `Let not the king sin against his servant, against David, because he hath not sinned against thee, and because his works for thee `are' very good;
5 yea, he putteth his life in his hand, and smiteth the Philistine, and Jehovah worketh a great salvation for all Israel; thou hast seen, and dost rejoice, and why dost thou sin against innocent blood, to put David to death for nought?'
6 And Saul hearkeneth to the voice of Jonathan, and Saul sweareth, `Jehovah liveth -- he doth not die.'
7 And Jonathan calleth for David, and Jonathan declareth to him all these words, and Jonathan bringeth in David unto Saul, and he is before him as heretofore.
8 And there addeth to be war, and David goeth out and fighteth against the Philistines, and smiteth among them -- a great smiting, and they flee from his face.
9 And a spirit of sadness `from' Jehovah is unto Saul, and he is sitting in his house, and his javelin in his hand, and David is playing with the hand,
10 and Saul seeketh to smite with the javelin through David, and through the wall, and he freeth himself from the presence of Saul, and he smiteth the javelin through the wall; and David hath fled and escapeth during that night.
11 And Saul sendeth messengers unto the house of David to watch him, and to put him to death in the morning; and Michal his wife declareth to David, saying, `If thou art not delivering thy life to-night -- tomorrow thou art put to death.'
12 And Michal causeth David to go down through the window, and he goeth on, and fleeth, and escapeth;
13 and Michal taketh the teraphim, and layeth on the bed, and the mattress of goats' `hair' she hath put `for' his pillows, and covereth with a garment.
14 And Saul sendeth messengers to take David, and she saith, `He `is' sick.'
15 And Saul sendeth the messengers to see David, saying, `Bring him up in the bed unto me,' -- to put him to death.
16 And the messengers come in, and lo, the teraphim `are' on the bed, and the mattress of goats' `hair', `for' his pillows.
17 And Saul saith unto Michal, `Why thus hast thou deceived me -- that thou dost send away mine enemy, and he is escaped?' and Michal saith unto Saul, `He said unto me, Send me away: why do I put thee to death?'
18 And David hath fled, and is escaped, and cometh in unto Samuel to Ramath, and declareth to him all that Saul hath done to him, and he goeth, he and Samuel, and they dwell in Naioth.
19 And it is declared to Saul, saying, `Lo, David `is' in Naioth in Ramah.'
20 And Saul sendeth messengers to take David, and they see the assembly of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing, set over them, and the Spirit of God is on Saul's messengers, and they prophesy -- they also.
21 And they declare `it' to Saul, and he sendeth other messengers, and they prophesy -- they also; and Saul addeth and sendeth messengers a third time, and they prophesy -- they also.
22 And he goeth -- he also -- to Ramath, and cometh in unto the great well which `is' in Sechu, and asketh, and saith, `Where `are' Samuel and David?' and `one' saith, `Lo, in Naioth in Ramah.'
23 And he goeth thither -- unto Naioth in Ramah, and the Spirit of God is upon him -- him also; and he goeth, going on, and he prophesyeth till his coming in to Naioth in Ramah,
24 and he strippeth off -- he also -- his garments, and prophesieth -- he also -- before Samuel, and falleth down naked all that day and all the night; therefore they say, `Is Saul also among the prophets?'
1 And Saul spoke to Jonathan his son, and to all his servants, that they should slay David.
2 But Jonathan Saul's son delighted much in David. And Jonathan told David, saying, Saul my father seeks to kill thee; and now, I pray thee, take heed to thyself in the morning, and abide in a secret place and hide thyself;
3 and I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where thou art, and will speak of thee with my father: and see what it is, and tell thee.
4 And Jonathan spoke good of David to Saul his father, and said to him, Let not the king sin against his servant, against David, because he has not sinned against thee; for also what he did was very advantageous to thee;
5 for he put his life in hand, and smote the Philistine, and Jehovah wrought a great salvation for all Israel: thou didst see [it], and didst rejoice; why then wilt thou sin against innocent blood, in slaying David without cause?
6 And Saul hearkened to the voice of Jonathan, and Saul swore, [As] Jehovah liveth, he shall not be put to death!
7 Then Jonathan called David, and Jonathan declared to him all those things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as previously.
8 And there was war again; and David went forth and fought with the Philistines, and smote them with a great slaughter; and they fled before him.
9 And an evil spirit from Jehovah was upon Saul. And he sat in his house with his spear in his hand; and David played with his hand.
10 And Saul sought to smite David and the wall with the spear; but he slipped away out of Saul's presence, and he smote the spear into the wall. And David fled, and escaped that night.
11 And Saul sent messengers to David's house, to watch him, and to slay him in the morning; and Michal David's wife told him, saying, If thou save not thy life to-night, to-morrow thou wilt be put to death.
12 And Michal let David down through a window; and he went, and fled and escaped.
13 And Michal took the image, and laid it in the bed, and put the net of goats' [hair] at its head, and covered it with the coverlet.
14 And Saul sent messengers to take David, and she said, He is sick.
15 And Saul sent the messengers to see David, saying, Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may put him to death.
16 And the messengers came in, and behold, the image was in the bed, and the net of goats' [hair] at its head.
17 Then Saul said to Michal, Why hast thou deceived me so, and sent away mine enemy, that he is escaped? And Michal said to Saul, He said to me, Let me go; why should I slay thee?
18 And David fled, and escaped, and came to Samuel to Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and dwelt in Naioth.
19 And it was told Saul, saying, Behold, David is at Naioth by Ramah.
20 Then Saul sent messengers to take David; and they saw a company of prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as president over them; and the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied.
21 And it was told Saul, and he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied. And Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they also prophesied.
22 Then went he also to Ramah, and came to the great well that is in Sechu; and he asked and said, Where are Samuel and David? And one said, Behold, at Naioth by Ramah.
23 And he went thither to Naioth by Ramah; and the Spirit of God came upon him also, and he went on, and prophesied, until he came to Naioth by Ramah.
24 And he himself also stripped off his clothes, and prophesied, himself also, before Samuel, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Wherefore they say, Is Saul also among the prophets?
1 Saul spoke to Jonathan his son, and to all his servants, that they should kill David. But Jonathan, Saul's son, delighted much in David.
2 Jonathan told David, saying, Saul my father seeks to kill you: now therefore, please take care of yourself in the morning, and live in a secret place, and hide yourself:
3 and I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will commune with my father of you; and if I see anything, I will tell you.
4 Jonathan spoke good of David to Saul his father, and said to him, Don't let the king sin against his servant, against David; because he has not sinned against you, and because his works have been very good toward you:
5 for he put his life in his hand, and struck the Philistine, and Yahweh worked a great victory for all Israel: you saw it, and did rejoice; why then will you sin against innocent blood, to kill David without a cause?
6 Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan: and Saul swore, As Yahweh lives, he shall not be put to death.
7 Jonathan called David, and Jonathan showed him all those things. Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence, as before.
8 There was war again: and David went out, and fought with the Philistines, and killed them with a great slaughter; and they fled before him.
9 An evil spirit from Yahweh was on Saul, as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand; and David was playing with his hand.
10 Saul sought to strike David even to the wall with the spear; but he slipped away out of Saul's presence, and he struck the spear into the wall: and David fled, and escaped that night.
11 Saul sent messengers to David's house, to watch him, and to kill him in the morning: and Michal, David's wife, told him, saying, If you don't save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be slain.
12 So Michal let David down through the window: and he went, and fled, and escaped.
13 Michal took the teraphim, and laid it in the bed, and put a pillow of goats' [hair] at the head of it, and covered it with the clothes.
14 When Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, He is sick.
15 Saul sent the messengers to see David, saying, Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may kill him.
16 When the messengers came in, behold, the teraphim was in the bed, with the pillow of goats' [hair] at the head of it.
17 Saul said to Michal, Why have you deceived me thus, and let my enemy go, so that he is escaped? Michal answered Saul, He said to me, Let me go; why should I kill you?
18 Now David fled, and escaped, and came to Samuel to Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. He and Samuel went and lived in Naioth.
19 It was told Saul, saying, Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah.
20 Saul sent messengers to take David: and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as head over them, the Spirit of God came on the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied.
21 When it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied. Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they also prophesied.
22 Then went he also to Ramah, and came to the great well that is in Secu: and he asked and said, Where are Samuel and David? One said, Behold, they are at Naioth in Ramah.
23 He went there to Naioth in Ramah: and the Spirit of God came on him also, and he went on, and prophesied, until he came to Naioth in Ramah.
24 He also stripped off his clothes, and he also prophesied before Samuel, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Therefore they say, "Is Saul also among the prophets?"
1 And Saul gave orders to his son Jonathan and to all his servants to put David to death. But Saul's son Jonathan had great delight in David.
2 And Jonathan said to David, Saul, my father, is purposing your death: so now, take care in the morning, and keep yourself safe in a secret place:
3 And I will go out and take my place by my father's side in the field near where you are; and I will get into talk with my father about you, and when I see how things are, I will give you word.
4 And Jonathan gave his father Saul a good account of David, and said to him, Let not the king do wrong against his servant, against David; because he has done you no wrong, and all his acts have had a good outcome for you:
5 For he put his life in danger and overcame the Philistine, and the Lord gave all Israel salvation: you saw it and were glad: why then are you sinning against him who has done no wrong, desiring the death of David without cause?
6 And Saul gave ear to the voice of Jonathan, and said with an oath, By the living Lord, he is not to be put to death.
7 Then Jonathan sent for David and gave him word of all these things. And Jonathan took David to Saul, who kept him by his side as in the past.
8 And there was war again: and David went out fighting the Philistines, causing great destruction among them; and they went in flight before him.
9 And an evil spirit from the Lord came on Saul, when he was seated in his house with his spear in his hand; and David made music for him.
10 And Saul would have sent his spear through him, pinning him to the wall, but he got away and the spear went into the wall: and that night David went in flight and got away.
11 Then in that night Saul sent men to David's house to keep watch on him so as to put him to death in the morning: and David's wife Michal said to him, If you do not go away to a safe place tonight you will be put to death in the morning.
12 So Michal let David down through the window, and he went in flight and got away.
13 Then Michal took the image and put it in the bed, with a cushion of goat's hair at its head, and she put clothing over it.
14 And when Saul sent men to take David, she said, He is ill.
15 And Saul sent his men to see David, saying, Do not come back without him, take him in his bed, so that I may put him to death.
16 And when the men came in, there was the image in the bed, with the cushion of goat's hair at its head
17 And Saul said to Michal, why have you been false to me, letting my hater go and get safely away? And in answer Michal said to Saul, He said to me, Let me go, or I will put you to death.
18 So David went in flight and got away and came to Ramah, to Samuel, and gave him an account of all Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and were living in Naioth.
19 And word was given to Saul that David was at Naioth in Ramah.
20 And Saul sent men to take David; and when they saw the band of prophets at work, with Samuel in his place at their head, the spirit of God came on Saul's men, and they became like prophets.
21 And Saul, having news of this, sent other men, who in the same way became like prophets. And a third time Saul sent men, and they like the others became like prophets.
22 Then he himself went to Ramah, and came to the great water-spring in Secu; and questioning the people he said, Where are Samuel and David? And one said, They are at Naioth in Ramah.
23 And he went on from there to Naioth in Ramah: and the spirit of God came on him, and he went on, acting like a prophet, till he came to Naioth in Ramah.
24 And he took off his clothing, acting like a prophet before Samuel, and falling down he was stretched out, without his clothing, all that day and all that night. This is the reason for the saying, Is even Saul among the prophets?
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Keil & Delitzsch Commentary » Commentary on 1 Samuel 19
Commentary on 1 Samuel 19 Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
Jonathan warded off the first outbreak of deadly enmity on the part of Saul towards David. When Saul spoke to his son Jonathan and all his servants about his intention to kill David ( את־דּוד להמית , i.e., not that they should kill David, but “ that he intended to kill him ”), Jonathan reported this to David, because he was greatly attached to him, and gave him this advice: “ Take heed to thyself in the morning; keep thyself in a secret place, and hide thyself. I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where thou art, and I will talk to my father about thee ( בּ דּבּר , as in Deuteronomy 6:7; Psalms 87:3, etc., to talk of or about a person), and see what (sc., he will say), and show it to thee .” David was to conceal himself in the field near to where Jonathan would converse with his father about him; not that he might hear the conversation in his hiding-place, but that Jonathan might immediately report to him the result of his conversation, without there being any necessity for going far away from his father, so as to excite suspicion that he was in league with David.
Jonathan then endeavoured with all the modesty of a son to point out most earnestly to his father the grievous wickedness involved in his conduct towards David. “ Let not the king sin against his servant, against David; for he hath not sinned against thee, and his works are very good (i.e., very useful) to thee. He hath risked his life (see at Judges 12:3), and smitten the Philistines, and Jehovah hath wrought a great salvation of all Israel. Thou hast seen it, and rejoiced; and wherefore wilt thou sin against innocent blood, to slay David without a cause? ”
These words made an impression upon Saul. He swore, “ As Jehovah liveth, he (David) shall not be put to death ;” whereupon Jonathan reported these words to David, and brought him to Saul, so that he was with him again as before. But this reconciliation, unfortunately, did not last long.
Another great defeat which David had inflicted upon the Philistines excited Saul to such an extent, that in a fit of insanity he endeavoured to pierce David with his javelin as he was playing before him. The words Ruach Jehovah describe the attack of madness in which Saul threw the javelin at David according to its higher cause, and that, as implied in the words Ruach Jehovah in contrast with Ruach Elohim (1 Samuel 18:10; 1 Samuel 16:15), as inflicted upon him by Jehovah. The thought expressed is, that the growth of Saul's melancholy was a sign of the hardness of heart to which Jehovah had given him up on account of his impenitence. David happily escaped this javelin also. He slipped away from Saul, so that he hurled the javelin into the wall; whereupon David fled and escaped the same night, i.e., the night after this occurrence. This remark somewhat anticipates the course of the events, as the author, according to the custom of Hebrew historians, gives the result at once, and then proceeds to describe in detail the more exact order of the events.
“ Saul sent messengers to David's house ,” to which David had first fled, “ to watch him (that he might not get away again), and to put him to death in the (next) morning .” Michal made him acquainted with this danger, and then let him down through the window, so that he escaped. The danger in which David was at that time is described by him in Ps 59, from which we may see how Saul was surrounded by a number of cowardly courtiers, who stirred up his hatred against David, and were busily engaged in getting the dreaded rival out of the way.
Michal then took the teraphim , - i.e., in all probability an image of the household gods of the size of life, and, judging from what follows, in human form, - laid it in the bed, and put a piece of woven goats' hair at his head , i.e., either round or over the head of the image, and covered it with the garment ( beged , the upper garment, which was generally only a square piece of cloth for wrapping round), and told the messengers whom Saul had sent to fetch him that he was ill. Michal probably kept teraphim in secret, like Rachel, because of her barrenness (see at Genesis 31:19). The meaning of העזּים כּביר is doubtful. The earlier translators took it to mean goat-skin, with the exception of the Seventy, who confounded כּביר with כּבד , liver , upon which Josephus founds his account of Michal having placed a still moving goat's liver in the bed, to make the messengers believe that there was a breathing invalid beneath. כּביר , from כּבר , signifies something woven, and עזּים goats' hair, as in Exodus 25:4. But it is impossible to decide with certainty what purpose the cloth of goats' hair was to serve; whether it was merely to cover the head of the teraphim with hair, and so make it like a human head, or to cover the head and face as if of a person sleeping. The definite article not only before תּרפים and בּגד , but also with העזּים כּביר , suggests the idea that all these things belonged to Michal's house furniture, and that עזּים כּביר was probably a counterpane made of goats' hair, with which persons in the East are in the habit of covering the head and face when sleeping.
But when Saul sent the messengers again to see David, and that with the command, “ Bring him up to me in the bed ,” and when they only found the teraphim in the bed, and Saul charged Michal with this act of deceit, she replied, “ He (David) said to me, Let me go; why should I kill thee? ” - “ Behold, teraphim were (laid) in the bed .” The verb can be naturally supplied from 1 Samuel 19:13. In the words “ Why should I kill thee? ” Michael intimates that she did not mean to let David escape, but was obliged to yield to his threat that he would kill her if she continued to refuse. This prevarication she seems to have considered perfectly justifiable.
David fled to Samuel at Ramah, and reported to him all that Saul had done, partly to seek for further advice from the prophet who had anointed him, as to his further course, and partly to strengthen himself, by intercourse with him, for the troubles that still awaited him. He therefore went along with Samuel, and dwelt with him in Naioth . נוית (to be read נוית according to the Chethibh , for which the Masoretes have substituted the form ניות , 1 Samuel 19:19, 1 Samuel 19:23, and 1 Samuel 20:1), from נוה or נוה , signifies dwellings; but here it is in a certain sense a proper name, applied to the coenobium of the pupils of the prophets, who had assembled round Samuel in the neighbourhood of Ramah. The plural נוית points to the fact, that this coenobium consisted of a considerable number of dwelling-places or houses, connected together by a hedge or wall.
1 Samuel 19:19-20
When Saul was told where this place was, he sent messengers to fetch David. But as soon as the messengers saw the company of prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing there as their leader, the Spirit of God came upon them, so that they also prophesied. The singular ויּרא is certainly very striking here; but it is hardly to be regarded as merely a copyist's error for the plural ויּראוּ , because it is extremely improbable that such an error as this should have found universal admission into the MSS; so that it is in all probability to be taken as the original and correct reading, and understood either as relating to the leader of the messengers, or as used because the whole company of messengers were regarded as one body. The ἁπ. λεγ. להקה signifies, according to the ancient versions, an assembly, equivalent to קהלה , from which it arose according to Kimchi and other Rabbins by simple inversion.
1 Samuel 19:21
The same thing happened to a second and third company of messengers, whom Saul sent one after another when the thing was reported to him.
1 Samuel 19:22-24
Saul then set out to Ramah himself, and inquired, as soon as he had arrived at the great pit at Sechu (a place near Ramah with which we are not acquainted), where Samuel and David were, and went, according to the answer he received, to the Naioth at Ramah. There the Spirit of God came upon him also, so that he went along prophesying, until he came to the Naioth at Ramah; and there he even took off his clothes, and prophesied before Samuel, and lay there naked all that day, and the whole night as well. ערום , γυμνός , does not always signify complete nudity, but is also applied to a person with his upper garment off (cf. Isaiah 20:2; Micah 1:8; John 21:7). From the repeated expression “ he also ,” in 1 Samuel 19:23, 1 Samuel 19:24, it is not only evident that Saul came into an ecstatic condition of prophesying as well as his servants, but that the prophets themselves, and not merely the servants, took off their clothes like Saul when they prophesied. It is only in the case of ערם ויּפּל that the expression “he also” is not repeated; from which we must infer, that Saul alone lay there the whole day and night with his clothes off, and in an ecstatic state of external unconsciousness; whereas the ecstasy of his servants and the prophets lasted only a short time, and the clear self-consciousness returned earlier than with Saul. This different is not without significance in relation to the true explanation of the whole affair. Saul had experienced a similar influence of the Spirit of God before, namely, immediately after his anointing by Samuel, when he met a company of prophets who were prophesying at Gibeah, and he had been thereby changed into another man (1 Samuel 10:6.). This miraculous seizure by the Spirit of God was repeated again here, when he came near to the seat of the prophets; and it also affected the servants whom he had sent to apprehend David, so that Saul was obliged to relinquish the attempt to seize him. This result, however, we cannot regard as the principal object of the whole occurrence, as Vatablus does when he says, “The spirit of prophecy came into Saul, that David might the more easily escape from his power.” Calvin's remarks go much deeper into the meaning: “God,” he says, “changed their (the messengers') thoughts and purpose, not only so that they failed to apprehend David according to the royal command, but so that they actually became the companions of the prophets. And God effected this, that the fact itself might show how He holds the hearts of men in His hand and power, and turns and moves them according to His will.” Even this, however, does not bring out the full meaning of the miracle, and more especially fails to explain why the same thing should have happened to Saul in an intensified degree. Upon this point Calvin simply observes, that “Saul ought indeed to have been strongly moved by these things, and to have discerned the impossibility of his accomplishing anything by fighting against the Lord; but he was so hardened that he did not perceive the hand of God: for he hastened to Naioth himself, when he found that his servants mocked him;” and in this proceeding on Saul's part he discovers a sign of his increasing hardness of heart. Saul and his messengers, the zealous performers of his will, ought no doubt to have learned, from what happened to them in the presence of the prophets, that God had the hearts of men in His power, and guided them at His will; but they were also to be seized by the might of the Spirit of God, which worked in the prophets, and thus brought to the consciousness, that Saul's raging against David was fighting against Jehovah and His Spirit, and so to be led to give up the evil thoughts of their heart. Saul was seized by this mighty influence of the Spirit of God in a more powerful manner than his servants were, both because he had most obstinately resisted the leadings of divine grace, and also in order that, if it were possible, his hard heart might be broken and subdued by the power of grace. If, however, he should nevertheless continue obstinately in his rebellion against God, he would then fall under the judgment of hardening, which would be speedily followed by his destruction. This new occurrence in Saul's life occasioned a renewal of the proverb: “ Is Saul also among the prophets? ” The words “ wherefore they say ” do not imply that the proverb was first used at this time, but only that it received a new exemplification and basis in the new event in Saul's experience. The origin of it has been already mentioned in 1 Samuel 10:12, and the meaning of it was there explained.
This account is also worthy of note, as having an important bearing upon the so-called Schools of the Prophets in the time of Samuel, to which, however, we have only casual allusions. From the passage before us we learn that there was a company of prophets at Ramah, under the superintendence of Samuel, whose members lived in a common building ( נוית ), and that Samuel had his own house at Ramah (1 Samuel 7:17), though he sometimes lived in the Naioth (cf. 1 Samuel 19:18.). The origin and history of these schools are involved in obscurity. If we bear in mind, that, according to 1 Samuel 3:1, before the call of Samuel as prophet, the prophetic word was very rare in Israel, and prophecy was not widely spread, there can be no doubt that these unions of prophets arose in the time of Samuel, and were called into existence by him. The only uncertainty is whether there were other such unions in different parts of the land beside the one at Ramah. In 1 Samuel 10:5, 1 Samuel 10:10, we find a band of prophesying prophets at Gibeah, coming down from the sacrificial height there, and going to meet Saul; but it is not stated there that this company had its seat at Gibeah, although it may be inferred as probable, from the name “ Gibeah of God ” (see the commentary on 1 Samuel 10:5-6). No further mention is made of these in the time of Samuel; nor do we meet with them again till the times of Elijah and Elisha, when we find them, under the name of sons of the prophets (1 Kings 20:35), living in considerable numbers at Gilgal, Bethel, and Jericho (vid., 2 Kings 4:38; 2 Kings 2:3, 2 Kings 2:5,2 Kings 2:7, 2 Kings 2:15; 2 Kings 4:1; 2 Kings 6:1; 2 Kings 9:1). According to 2 Kings 4:38, 2 Kings 4:42-43, about a hundred sons of the prophets sat before Elisha at Gilgal, and took their meals together. The number at Jericho may have been quite as great; for fifty men of the sons of the prophets went with Elijah and Elisha to the Jordan (comp. 2 Kings 2:7 with 2 Kings 2:16, 2 Kings 2:17). These passages render it very probable that the sons of the prophets also lived in a common house. And this conjecture is raised into a certainty by 2 Kings 6:1. In this passage, for example, they are represented as saying to Elisha: “The place where we sit before thee is too strait for us; let us go to the Jordan, and let each one fetch thence a beam, and build ourselves a place to dwell in there.” It is true that we might, if necessary, supply לפניך from 2 Kings 6:1, after שׁם לשׁבת , “to sit before thee,” and so understand the words as merely referring to the erection of a more commodious place of meeting. But if they built it by the Jordan, we can hardly imagine that it was merely to serve as a place of meeting, to which they would have to make pilgrimages from a distance, but can only assume that they intended to live there, and assemble together under the superintendence of a prophet. In all probability, however, only such as were unmarried lived in a common building. Many of them were married, and therefore most likely lived in houses of their own (2 Kings 4:1.). We may also certainly assume the same with reference to the unions of prophets in the time of Samuel, even if it is impossible to prove that these unions continued uninterruptedly from the time of Samuel down to the times of Elijah and Elisha. Oehler argues in support of this, “that the historical connection, which can be traced in the influence of prophecy from the time of Samuel forwards, may be most easily explained from the uninterrupted continuance of these supports; and also that the large number of prophets, who must have been already there according to 1 Kings 18:13 when Elijah first appeared, points to the existence of such unions as these.” But the historical connection in the influence of prophecy, or, in other words, the uninterrupted succession of prophets, was also to be found in the kingdom of Judah both before and after the times of Elijah and Elisha, and down to the Babylonian captivity, without our discovering the slightest trace of any schools of the prophets in that kingdom.
All that can be inferred from 1 Kings 18 is, that the large number of prophets mentioned there (1 Kings 18:4 and 1 Kings 18:13) were living in the time of Elijah, but not that they were there when he first appeared. The first mission of Elijah to king Ahab (1 Kings 17) took place about three years before the events described in 1 Kings 18, and even this first appearance of the prophet in the presence of the king is not to be regarded as the commencement of his prophetic labours. How long Elijah had laboured before he announced to Ahab the judgment of three years' drought, cannot indeed be decided; but if we consider that he received instructions to call Elisha to be his assistant and successor not very long after this period of judgment had expired ( 1 Kings 19:16.), we may certainly assume that he had laboured in Israel for many years, and may therefore have founded unions of the prophets. In addition, however, to the absence of any allusion to the continuance of these schools of the prophets, there is another thing which seems to preclude the idea that they were perpetuated from the time of Samuel to that of Elijah, viz., the fact that the schools which existed under Elijah and Elisha were only to be found in the kingdom of the ten tribes, and never in that of Judah, where we should certainly expect to find them if they had been handed down from Samuel's time. Moreover, Oehler also acknowledges that “the design of the schools of the prophets, and apparently their constitution, were not the same under Samuel as in the time of Elijah.” This is confirmed by the fact, that the members of the prophets' unions which arose under Samuel are never called “sons of the prophets,” as those who were under the superintendence of Elijah and Elisha invariably are (see the passages quoted above). Does not this peculiar epithet seem to indicate, that the “sons of the prophets” stood in a much more intimate relation to Elijah and Elisha, as their spiritual fathers, than the הנּביאים חבל or הנּביאים להקת did to Samuel as their president? (1 Samuel 19:20.) הנּביאים בּני does not mean filii prophetae , i.e., sons who are prophets, as some maintain, though without being able to show that בּני is ever used in this sense, but filii prophetarum , disciples or scholars of the prophets, from which it is very evident that these sons of the prophets stood in a relation of dependence to the prophets (Elijah and Elisha), i.e., of subordination to them, and followed their instructions and admonitions. They received commissions from them, and carried them out (vid., 2 Kings 9:1). On the other hand, the expressions חבל and להקה simply point to combinations for common working under the presidency of Samuel, although the words עליהם נצּב certainly show that the direction of these unions, and probably the first impulse to form them, proceeded from Samuel, so that we might also call these societies schools of the prophets.
The opinions entertained with regard to the nature of these unions, and their importance in relation to the development of the kingdom of God in Israel, differ very widely from one another. Whilst some of the fathers ( Jerome for example) looked upon them as an Old Testament order of monks; others, such as Tennemann, Meiners, and Winer, compare them to the Pythagorean societies. Kranichfeld supposes that they were free associations, and chose a distinguished prophet like Samuel as their president, in order that they might be able to cement their union the more firmly through his influence, and carry out their vocation with the greater success.
(Note: Compare Jerome ( Epist . iv. ad Rustic. Monach. c. 7): “The sons of the prophets, whom we call the monks of the Old Testament, built themselves cells near the streams of the Jordan, and, forsaking the crowded cities, lived on meal and wild herbs.” Compare with this his Epist . xiii. ad Paulin , c. 5.)
The truth lies between these two extremes. The latter view, which precludes almost every relation of dependence and community, is not reconcilable with the name “sons of the prophets,” or with 1 Samuel 19:20, where Samuel is said to have stood at the head of the prophesying prophets as עליהם נצּב , and has no support whatever in the Scriptures, but is simply founded upon the views of modern times and our ideas of liberty and equality. The prophets' unions had indeed so far a certain resemblance to the monastic orders of the early church, that the members lived together in the same buildings, and performed certain sacred duties in common; but if we look into the aim and purpose of monasticism, they were the very opposite of those of the prophetic life. The prophets did not wish to withdraw from the tumult of the world into solitude, for the purpose of carrying on a contemplative life of holiness in this retirement from the earthly life and its affairs; but their unions were associations formed for the purpose of mental and spiritual training, that they might exert a more powerful influence upon their contemporaries. They were called into existence by chosen instruments of the Lord, such as Samuel, Elijah, and Elisha, whom the Lord had called to be His prophets, and endowed with a peculiar measure of His Spirit for this particular calling, that they might check the decline of religious life in the nation, and bring back the rebellious “to the law and the testimony.” Societies which follow this as their purpose in life, so long as they do not lose sight of it, will only separate and cut themselves off from the external world, so far as the world itself opposes them, and pursues them with hostility and persecution. The name “schools of the prophets” is the one which expresses most fully the character of these associations; only we must not think of them as merely educational institutions, in which the pupils of the prophets received instruction in prophesying or in theological studies.
(Note: Thus the Rabbins regarded them as מדרשׁ בּתּי ; and the earlier theologians as colleges, in which, as Vitringa expresses it, “philosophers, or if you please theologians, and candidates or students of theology, assembled for the purpose of devoting themselves assiduously to the study of divinity under the guidance of some one who was well skilled as a teacher;” whilst others regarded them as schools for the training of teachers for the people, and leaders in the worship of God. The English Deists - Morgan for example - regarded them as seats of scientific learning, in which the study of history, rhetoric, poetry, natural science, and moral philosophy was carried on.)
We are not in possession indeed of any minute information concerning their constitution. Prophesying could neither be taught nor communicated by instruction, but was a gift of God which He communicated according to His free will to whomsoever He would. But the communication of this divine gift was by no means an arbitrary thing, but presupposed such a mental and spiritual disposition on the part of the recipient as fitted him to receive it; whilst the exercise of the gift required a thorough acquaintance with the law and the earlier revelations of God, which the schools of the prophets were well adapted to promote. It is therefore justly and generally assumed, that the study of the law and of the history of the divine guidance of Israel formed a leading feature in the occupations of the pupils of the prophets, which also included the cultivation of sacred poetry and music, and united exercises for the promotion of the prophetic inspiration. That the study of the earlier revelations of God was carried on, may be very safely inferred from the fact that from the time of Samuel downwards the writing of sacred history formed an essential part of the prophet's labours, as has been already observed at pp. 8, 9 (translation). The cultivation of sacred music and poetry may be inferred partly from the fact that, according to 1 Samuel 10:5, musicians walked in front of the prophesying prophets, playing as they went along, and partly also from the fact that sacred music not only received a fresh impulse from David, who stood in a close relation to the association of prophets at Ramah, but was also raised by him into an integral part of public worship. At the same time, music was by no means cultivated merely that the sons of the prophets might employ it in connection with their discourses, but also as means of awakening holy susceptibilities and emotions in the soul, and of lifting up the spirit of God, and so preparing it for the reception of divine revelations (see at 2 Kings 3:15). And lastly, we must include among the spiritual exercises prophesying in companies, as at Gibeah (1 Samuel 10:5) and Ramah (1 Samuel 19:20).
The outward occasion for the formation of these communities we have to seek for partly in the creative spirit of the prophets Samuel and Elijah, and partly in the circumstances of the times in which they lived. The time of Samuel forms a turning-point in the development of the Old Testament kingdom of God. Shortly after the call of Samuel the judgment fell upon the sanctuary, which had been profaned by the shameful conduct of the priests: the tabernacle lost the ark of the covenant, and ceased in consequence to be the scene of the gracious presence of God in Israel. Thus the task fell upon Samuel, as prophet of the Lord, to found a new house for that religious life which he had kindled, by collecting together into closer communities, those who had been awakened by his word, not only for the promotion of their own faith under his direction, but also for joining with him in the spread of the fear of God and obedience to the law of the Lord among their contemporaries. But just as, in the time of Samuel, it was the fall of the legal sanctuary and priesthood which created the necessity for the founding of schools of the prophets; so in the times of Elijah and Elisha, and in the kingdom of the ten tribes, it was the utter absence of any sanctuary of Jehovah which led these prophets to found societies of prophets, and so furnish the worshippers of Jehovah, who would not bend their knees to Baal, with places and means of edification, as a substitute for what the righteous in the kingdom of Judah possessed in the temple and the Levitical priesthood. But the reasons for the establishment of prophets' schools were not to be found merely in the circumstances of the times. There was a higher reason still, which must not be overlooked in our examination of these unions, and their importance in relation to the theocracy. We may learn from the fact that the disciples of the prophets who were associated together under Samuel are found prophesying (1 Samuel 10:10; 1 Samuel 19:20), that they were also seized by the Spirit of God, and that the Divine Spirit which moved them exerted a powerful influence upon all who came into contact with them. Consequently the founding of associations of prophets is to be regarded as an operation of divine grace, which is generally manifested with all the greater might where sin most mightily abounds. As the Lord raised up prophets for His people at the times when apostasy had become great and strong, that they might resist idolatry with almighty power; so did He also create for himself organs of His Spirit in the schools of the prophets, who united with their spiritual fathers in fighting for His honour. It was by no means an accidental circumstance, therefore, that these unions are only met with in the times of Samuel and of the prophets Elijah and Elisha. These times resembled one another in the fact, that in both of them idolatry had gained the upper hand; though, at the same time, there were some respects in which they differed essentially from one another. In the time of Samuel the people did not manifest the same hostility to the prophets as in the time of Elijah. Samuel stood at the head of the nation as judge even during the reign of Saul; and after the rejection of the latter, he still stood so high in authority and esteem, that Saul never ventured to attack the prophets even in his madness. Elijah and Elisha, on the other hand, stood opposed to a royal house which was bent upon making the worship of Baal the leading religion of the kingdom; and they had to contend against priest of calves and prophets of Baal, who could only be compelled by hard strokes to acknowledge the Lord of Sabaoth and His prophets. In the case of the former, what had to be done was to bring the nation to a recognition of its apostasy, to foster the new life which was just awakening, and to remove whatever hindrances might be placed in its way by the monarchy. In the time of the latter, on the contrary, what was needed was “a compact phalanx to stand against the corruption which had penetrated so deeply into the nation.” These differences in the times would certainly not be without their influence upon the constitution and operations of the schools of the prophets.