1 Samuel 23
Bob Utley · You Can Understand the Bible
1 Samuel 23
NJB (MT versing) David Delivers Keilah David Saves the City of Keilah David's Relief of Keilah David Saves the Town of Keilah David at Keilah 23:1-5 23:1-5 23:1-5 23:1-2a 23:1-6 23:2b 23:3-5 23:6-14 23:6-8 23:6-14 23:6 23:7-8 23:7-13 23:9-13 23:9-11 23:12 23:13 David in Wilderness Strongholds David in the Hill Country 23:14-18 23:14-15a 23:14 Saul Pursues David David Spares Saul's Life (23:15-24:22) David at Horesh: Visit from Jonathan (23:15-24:22) 23:15-18 23:15-18 23:15b-18 23:15-18 David Has a Narrow Escape from Saul 23:19-23 23:19-23 23:19-24a 23:19-20 23:19-23 23:21-23 23:24-29 23:24-26 23:24b-29 23:24-29 23:24-29 23:27-29 Etc.
1 Samuel 23:1-5
23:1 "Keilah" This was a walled city on the coastal plain, northwest of Hebron, on a north-south road. The people of this city were loyal to Saul (cf. v. 11). ▣ "threshing floors" These were places, usually on top of hills, where the wind blew freely. The grain was placed on the ground, then some type of heavy sled was dragged over it which loosened the grain from the husk. It was then tossed into the air with some type of fork so that the heavier grain fell straight back, but the husk blew away. See NIDOTTE, vol. 1, pp. 893-894. 23:2,4 "David inquired of the Lord" David wanted his life to be in accordance to YHWH's will. Apparently this inquiry involved Gad the prophet (1 Sam. 22:5) Abiathar by the ephod in which the Urim and Thummim were kept (vv. 6,9) Saul was cut off now from revelations from YHWH Samuel the prophet Abiathar the priest He had no way to consult YHWH. This is probably why he later contacted the witch of Endor. SPECIAL TOPIC: URIM AND THUMMIM 23:3-4 David's men were afraid but David consulted YHWH and acted on this revelation of victory (i.e., "into your hand"). SPECIAL TOPIC: HAND 23:7 Saul believed he was serving YHWH by pursuing David (cf. v. 21). The Hebrew text of this verse is unusual (i.e., "God has alienated him" or "made him a stranger," BDB 649, KB 699, Piel PERFECT). Several suggested emendations have been made. has shut up (i.e., delivered, JPSOA, Peshitta) has sold (LXX) has put him in my power (TEV) has given him (NRSV)
1 Samuel 23:6-14
23:10-12 This is another occurrence of David consulting YHWH (cf. vv. 2,4,6). 23:10 "has heard for certain" This is an intensified grammatical structure of an INFINITIVE ABSOLUTE and a PERFECT VERB of the same root (BDB 1033, KB 1570). 23:11 David saved this city from the Philistines. Why would they now surrender him to Saul? Apparently David and his now 600 men (only 400 in 1 Sam. 22:2) began to live there and had to be supported by the community! Josephus, Antiq. 6.13.1, still lists the number of David's men as 400 here. 23:13 "they went wherever they could go" This idiom also appears in 2 Sam. 15:20. It apparently means they moved from place to place hiding (cf. v. 23) from Saul and his spies. 23:14 "but God did not deliver him into his hand" This is the Israelites' worldview. They believed there was only one God and that He was the direct cause of all things (i.e., no secondary causes, cf. 2 Chr. 20:6; Eccl. 7:14; Isa. 14:24-27; 43:13; 45:7; 54:16; Jer. 18:11; Lam. 3:33-38; Amos 3:6). YHWH is surely sovereign over His creation. He knows all things. Time is in His hands. However, the concept of covenant clearly addresses the issue of "the two ways" (Deut. 20:1,15,19; Psalm 1) covenant blessings and cursings (Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28) the place of judgment in God's plans SPECIAL TOPIC: PREDESTINATION (CALVINISM) VS. HUMAN FREE WILL (ARMINIANISM) SPECIAL TOPIC: ELECTION/PREDESTINATION AND THE NEED FOR A THEOLOGICAL BALANCE 23:15-18 Jonathan is still David's friend and encourager. They reinforce their covenant of friendship (cf. 1 Sam. 18:3; 20:12-17). Jonathan was expecting David to be king and him his second in command (v. 17). SPECIAL TOPIC: COVENANT
1 Samuel 23:15-18
23:15 NASB, NJB "became aware" NKJV, NRSV margin, TEV, LXX, Peshitta "saw" NRSV, REB, JPSOA "learned that" "was afraid" The MT has ירא, which can represent two different verbal roots. ראה ‒ BDB 906, KB 1157, Qal IMPERFECT waw (MT), "see" ירא ‒ BDB 431, KB 433, "fear" or "awe" The UBS Text Project, p. 196, gives the MT ("saw") an "A" rating (high probability). ▣ "Horesh" This Hebrew word means "forest" (BDB 361). It can be a place name close to Ziph or "a wooded land."
1 Samuel 23:19-23
23:19-23 Psalm 54's Introduction mentions this event. These introductions are in the MT and LXX but not in DSS. 23:22-23 Saul's message to the Ziphites has six imperatives. go ‒ BDB 229, KB 246, Qal, v. 22 make more sure ‒ BDB 465, KB 464, Hiphil, v. 22 investigate (lit. "know") ‒ BDB 393, KB 390, Qal, v. 22 see ‒ BDB 906, KB 1157, Qal, v. 22 look ‒ same as #4 learn (lit. "know") ‒ same as #3 23:22 "he is very cunning" This is an intensified grammatical form, an INFINITIVE ABSOLUTE and an IMPERFECT VERB of the same root (BDB 791, KB 886).
1 Samuel 23:24-29
23:24 "Arabah" This is the large land depression of the Rift Valley, below the Dead Sea. 23:26 "David was hurrying to get away" This VERB (BDB 342, KB 339, Niphal ACTIVE PARTICIPLE) denotes fear despair panic YHWH delivered David again, as He had before. David's life was in YHWH's hands, not Saul's. But notice, David was still afraid! Faith does not always remove fear. 23:28 "they called that place the Rock of Escape" Often places were named by what occurred there. There are several suggestions of the name because the root is uncertain (חלק, BDB 323-324, KB 322). the Rock of Escaping ‒ NKJV Rock of Division (NRSV margin) Separation Hill (TEV) Gorge of Separations (NJB) Rock of Separation (JPSOA) the land division of Sinar (Peshitta) the divided rock (LXX) Slippery Rock (NET footnote)