1 Kings 1:29 - Exposition

And the king sware [see on 1 Kings 1:51 ] and said, As the Lord liveth [or "by the life of Jehovah." Cf. "by the life of Pharaoh" ( Genesis 42:15 ). This was the common form of oath. See, e.g; 1 Kings 2:24 ; 8:19 ; Ruth 3:13 ; 1 Samuel 14:39 ; 1 Samuel 19:6 ; 1 Samuel 20:24 ; 1 Samuel 29:6 ; and especially Jeremiah 4:2 ; Jeremiah 5:2 ; Hosea 4:15 . It is characteristic of David to introduce into the formula some such clause as the following], that hath redeemed my soul [ i.e; life] out of all distress. Same expression as in 2 Samuel 4:9 . Similar expressions are found in Psalms 25:22 , and Psalms 34:22 . The repeated deliverance out of straits and danger—"out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul"—was one of the most remarkable features of David's life, and it is no wonder that he repeatedly commemorates it, converting every adjuration into an act of thanksgiving. Similarly, Jacob ( Genesis 48:16 .)