1 Samuel 23:12 NIV

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Samuel 23:7-13

Here is, I. Saul contriving within himself the destruction of David (1 Sam. 23:7, 8): He heard that he had come to Keilah; and did he not hear what brought him thither? Was it not told him that he had bravely relieved Keilah and delivered it out of the hands of the Philistines? This, one would think, should have put Saul upon considering what honour and dignity should be done to David for this. But, instead of that, he catches at it as an opportunity of doing David a mischief. An ungrateful... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 23:12

Then said David, will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul ?.... That is, the lords and great men of the place, the governor of the city, and the heads of it, the chief magistrates in it: and the Lord said, they will deliver thee up : that is, provided he stayed there; for the Lord knew the dispositions and affections of their minds, that they were inclined to do it, and would do it, if he continues among them till Saul came down; which showed the great... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Samuel 23:11-12

In these verses we find the following questions and answers: - David said, Will Saul come down to Keilah? And the Lord said, He will come down. Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul? And the Lord said, They will deliver thee up. In this short history we find an ample proof that there is such a thing as contingency in human affairs; that is, God has poised many things between a possibility of being and not being, leaving it to the will of the creature to turn the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Samuel 23:6-12

Misinterpretation and miscalculation. The facts are— 1 . The moral position of David at Keilah is strengthened by the presence of Abiathar with the ephod. 2 . Saul, believing David to be shut up in the city, prepares a force to lay siege to Keilah. 3 . David, aware of this, has recourse to the ephod, and asks through Abiathar whether Saul was really coming, and whether, in case he came, the men of Keilah would give him up to Saul. 4 . He receives an affirmative reply to... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Samuel 23:9-13

Saul secretly practised mischief. This phrase is correctly translated "devised evil" in Proverbs 3:29 ; Proverbs 14:22 . There is no idea of secrecy in the Hebrew verb, which literally means "to work in metals," "to forge." Saul's purpose was open enough, and when David heard of it he tells Abiathar to bring the ephod, and then offers earnest prayer to God for counsel and advice. In his prayer his two questions are put inversely to the logical order, but in accordance with their relative... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - 1 Samuel 23:12

The conduct of the men of Keilah would be like that of the men of Judah to Samson their deliverer Judges 15:10-13. read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - 1 Samuel 23:12

1 Samuel 23:12. The Lord said, They will deliver thee up God saw the base and cowardly disposition of the inhabitants of Keilah, who, though they had been so lately delivered by David, yet would have given him up, had he stayed among them, at the first appearance of Saul’s army coming against them. “And here, methinks,” says Delaney, “is an event that will easily solve that hard question, about the consistency of the divine prescience with human free-will. A good politician, who was let... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 23:1-29

Saul’s fierce hunt (23:1-24:22)Since Abiathar had brought with him the high priest’s ephod (containing the Urim and Thummim), David was able to ask and receive God’s direct guidance. God’s first direction was to rescue the Israelite town of Keilah from the raiding Philistines (23:1-6). As soon as he had defeated the Philistines, David withdrew from Keilah. He knew that Saul’s army was larger and better equipped than his. He knew also that he could not trust the people of Keilah to stand with... read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - 1 Samuel 23:12

1 Samuel 23:12. And the Lord said, They will deliver thee up— One would imagine, that this extraordinary success, in the deliverance of so great a city, might have secured David a safe retreat among the men of Keilah; but it was not so: such is the nature of man; present dangers quickly obliterate past obligations. Gratitude is without question a most lovely virtue, but too seldom lives in the extremes either of adversity or success. It is like those fine colours which storms and sun-shine... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - 1 Samuel 23:1-14

David at Keilah 23:1-14David went to rescue the people of Keilah from the Philistines, but then he had to flee from that town because the citizens were going to hand him over to Saul. read more