1 Samuel 26:11, 1 Samuel 26:16, 1 Samuel 26:9 NLT

Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures: Critical, Doctrinal and Homiletical - 1 Samuel 26:1-25

VIII. David, betrayed again by the Ziphites, spares Saul the second time1 Samuel 26:1-251And the Ziphites came unto Saul to Gibeah, saying, Doth not David hide himself 2in the hill of Hachilah1 which Isaiah 2:0 before Jeshimon. Then [And] Saul arose and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, having three thousand chosen men of 3Israel with him, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul pitched in the hill of Hachilah which is before Jeshimon in the way, but [and] David abode 4in the... read more

Alexander MacLaren

Alexander MacLaren's Expositions of Holy Scripture - 1 Samuel 26:5-12

1 Samuel LOVE AND REMORSE 1Sa_26:5 - 1Sa_26:12 ; 1Sa_26:21 - 1Sa_26:25 . It is fashionable at present to regard this incident and the other instance of David’s sparing Saul, when in his power, as two versions of one event. But it if not improbable that the hunted outlaw should twice have taken refuge in the same place, or that his hiding-place should have been twice betrayed. He had but a small choice of safe retreats, and the Ziphites had motive for a second betrayal in the fact of the... read more

Frederick Brotherton Meyer

F.B. Meyer's 'Through the Bible' Commentary - 1 Samuel 26:1-12

Sparing His Enemy’s Life 1 Samuel 26:1-12 The Ziphites’ treachery served as a foil to the intrinsic nobility of David’s character. God made the wrath of man to praise Him, and restrained the remainder, Psalms 76:10 , so that His servant escaped as a bird out of the fowler’s snare. Read here, Psalms 54:1-7 . It was a bold act for David and Abishai to thread their way between watch-fires and sentries, and talk in whispers over the prostrate body of the sleeping monarch. As David says in one of... read more

G. Campbell Morgan

G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible - 1 Samuel 26:1-25

Once again we have the account of how David spared the life of Saul. There is no reason at all for the view that this is a repetition of the previous story. A quiet comparison of the two will show many points of difference between them. After dramatically rebuking Abner for his lack of care of the king, David protested Saul's persecution of himself. Varying interpretations of the meaning of the words of David as recorded in the nineteenth verse have been given. The most natural solution is... read more

James Nisbet

James Nisbet's Church Pulpit Commentary - 1 Samuel 26:11

KINGLY BEHAVIOUR‘The Lord forbid that I should stretch forth mine hand against the Lord’s anointed.’ 1 Samuel 26:11 I. Here we have another instance of David acting on high principles (cf. 24).—Make this the chief point in the sermon. When feeling, and even policy, urged him to the wrong, principle kept him right. Compare Joseph’s temptation. However bewildered we may be we can always ask, What is right? And once apprehending the right we must do it, whatever we have to suffer. The... read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Samuel 26:8-11

David Restrains Abishai From Smiting The Sleeping Saul Because Saul Is YHWH’s Own, And Instead Commands The Appropriation Of His Ceremonial Spear And Water Jar (1 Samuel 26:8-11 ). Having arrived at dead of night by the sleeping Saul Abishai wished to take the opportunity to slay Saul, but David forbade him because Saul was the anointed of YHWH. Instead he commanded him to take his spear, the symbol of his kingship, and his water jar, the symbol of his life, as trophies which would... read more

Arthur Peake

Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Samuel 26:1-25

1 Samuel 26. David Spares Saul in the Wilderness of Ziph (J).— From one of the oldest sources ( cf. on ch. 24). 1 Samuel 26:1 to 1 Samuel 12:1 f. repeats briefly the substance and part of the wording of 1 Samuel 23:19-Lamentations :: David is in the wilderness of Ziph, and Saul pursues him. But instead of the sequel given in 1 Samuel 23, we have another version of the story in 1 Samuel 24 of David’ s generous treatment of Saul.David learns that Saul is again pursuing him and is in his... read more

Matthew Poole

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible - 1 Samuel 26:11

Take thou now the spear, which will show where we have been, and what we could have done. The cruse of water might be put there, either to wash himself, in case of any accidental pollution, which oft happened in the night; or to refresh him, and quench his thirst in that hot climate and season; or for divers other uses. read more

Joseph Exell

Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary - 1 Samuel 26:1-25

CRITICAL AND EXPOSITORY NOTES—The fact that the incidents related in this chapter agree in some points with those narrated in chapters 23; 24 has led Ewald, Thenius, and others to conclude that the historian has given two accounts of the same event. But a writer who could thus repeat himself in the general, while professing to give an account of events in their proper order, and at the same time could vary so much in detail, would be quite unworthy of confidence. And, as Keil shows, the... read more

Chuck Smith

Chuck Smith Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 26:1-25

Let's turn in our Bibles to first Samuel, twenty-six, and let's begin our study of these final five chapters, six chapters.The wilderness of Ziph actually lies between Hebron and the area of the Dead Sea, a very vast, barren area.And the Ziphites came to Saul to Gibeah, and they said, David is hiding himself there in the wilderness of Ziph. So Saul went down with three thousand of his men seeking David. And Saul pitched there his tents, or his camp. David was staying in the wilderness, and he... read more