1 Samuel 22:3-4

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Samuel 22:1-5

Here, I. David shelters himself in the cave of Adullam, 1 Sam. 22:1. Whether it was a natural or artificial fastness does not appear; it is probable that the access to it was so difficult that David thought himself able, with Goliath's sword, to keep it against all the forces of Saul, and therefore buried himself alive in it, while he was waiting to see (and he says here, 1 Sam. 22:3) what God would do with him. The promise of the kingdom implied a promise of preservation to it, and yet David... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 22:3

And David went thence to Mizpeh of Moab ,.... So called to distinguish it from a place of the same name in the land of Israel; which Junius says is the same with Malle, and signifies a fortified place, and refers to the Apocrypha:"And how that many of them were shut up in Bosora, and Bosor, and Alema, Casphor, Maked, and Carnaim; all these cities are strong and great:' (1 Maccabees 5:26)here he might think himself safer, though in an enemy's country, than in the land of Israel: and he... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 22:4

And he brought them before the king of Moab ,.... Having leave from him for it, and left them with him; so the Targum,"caused them to remain before him:" and they dwelt with him all the whole time that David was in the hold ; either in the cave of Adullam, as some think; or rather at Mizpeh in Moab, which might be a fortified place; or the sense may be, while he was in any hold in those parts, as he might go from one to another; what became of David's parents afterwards, we nowhere else... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Samuel 22:3

He said unto the king of Moab - David could not trust his parents within the reach of Saul, and he found it very inconvenient to them to be obliged to go through all the fatigues of a military life, and therefore begs the king of Moab to give them shelter. The king of Moab, being one of Saul's enemies, would be the more ready to oblige a person from whom he might at least expect friendship, if not considerable services. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Samuel 22:1-5

Difficult circumstances. The facts are— 1 . David, escaping from Garb, takes refuge in the cave of Adullam. 2 . Here he is joined by his kindred and a miscellaneous band of men, over whom he exercises authority as captain. 3 . Anxious for the comfort of his father and mother, he desires and obtains of the king of Moab permission for them to dwell at Mizpeh. 4 . On being advised by the prophet Gad, he returns to Judah. This section covers the conduct of David up to the point... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Samuel 22:3-4

David went thence to Mizpeh of Moab . The position of this place is unknown, but as the word means a watch tower, it was no doubt some beacon hill in the highlands of Moab on the east of the Dead Sea, and probably in the mountains of Abarim or Pisgah. Here David placed his father and mother under the care of the king of Moab. They had fled from Bethlehem under the combined fear of Saul and the Philistines, but were too old to bear the fatigues of David's life. He therefore asks for a... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - 1 Samuel 22:3

Mizpeh of Moab - A good conjecture connects it with “Zophim” (a word of the same root as Mizpeh) on the top of Pisgah Numbers 23:14. It is probable that David’s descent from Ruth the Moabitess may have had something to do with his seeking an asylum for Jesse, Ruth’s grandson, in the land of her birth. It would be very easy to get to the Jordan from the neighborhood of Bethlehem, and cross over near its embouchure into the Dead Sea.Come forth, and be with you - The construction of the Hebrew is... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - 1 Samuel 22:4

He brought them before ... - The Septuagint renders it “he persuaded (the face of) the king.”In the hold - Where David was after he left the cave of Adullam, probably in the land of Moab.The phrase “all the while,” would indicate that David sojourned a considerable time in Moab. read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - 1 Samuel 22:3

1 Samuel 22:3. David went from thence to Mizpeh For the Moabites were at difference with Saul, 1 Samuel 14:47. Let my father and my mother be with you David, perhaps, the rather hoped for this kindness to be shown to his aged parents, who were not able to travel up and down, as he was likely to be obliged to do, because he was descended from Ruth, a Moabitess. The filial tenderness of David here deserves our admiration, who makes it his first care to fix his parents in a place of safety... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - 1 Samuel 22:4

1 Samuel 22:4 . All the while David was in the hold In holds; the singular number being put for the plural, as is frequent; that is, as long as David was forced to go from place to place, and from hold to hold, to secure himself; for it concerned David especially to secure his father, and he did doubtless secure him for all that time; and not only while he was in the hold of Mizpeh, or of Adullam, which was but a little while. read more

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