1 Samuel 19
> 1 Samuel, Chapter 19
>
> 19:1 And Saul spake to Jonathan his son, and to all his servants,
> that they should kill David.
>
> [That they should kill David.] Nothing less than the special
> interposition of God could have saved David's life, when every officer
> about the king's person, and every soldier, had gotten positive orders
> to do away with him.
>
> 2 But Jonathan Saul's son delighted much in David: and Jonathan
> told David, saying, Saul my father seeketh to kill thee: now
> therefore, I pray thee, take heed to thyself until the morning, and
> abide in a secret place, and hide thyself:
>
> [Take heed to thyself until the morning] Perhaps the order was given
> to kill him the next day; and therefore Jonathan warned him to be
> particularly on his guard at that time, and to hide himself.
>
> 3 And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where
> thou art, and I will commune with my father of thee; and what I see,
> that I will tell thee.
>
> 4 And Jonathan spake good of David unto Saul his father, and said
> unto him, Let not the king sin against his servant, against David;
> because he hath not sinned against thee, and because his works
> have been to thee-ward very good:
>
> [Jonathan spake good of David] It is evident that Jonathan was
> satisfied that David was an innocent man; and that his father was
> most unjustly incensed by him.
>
> 5 For he did put his life in his hand, and slew the Philistine, and
> the LORD wrought a great salvation for all Israel: thou sawest it,
> and didst rejoice: wherefore then wilt thou sin against innocent
> blood, to slay David without a cause?
>
> [For he did put his life in his hand] The pleadings in this verse, though
> short, are exceedingly cogent; and the argument is such as could not
> be resisted by Saul.
>
> 6 And Saul hearkened unto the voice of Jonathan: and Saul sware,
> As the LORD liveth, he shall not be slain.
>
> [He shall not be slain.] In consequence of this oath, we may suppose
> he issued orders contrary to those which he had given the preceding
> day.
>
> 7 And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan shewed him all those
> things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his
> presence, as in times past.
>
> [He was in his presence, as in times past.] By Jonathan's advice, he
> had hidden himself on that day on which he was to have been
> assassinated: the king having sworn that he should not be slain, David
> resumes his place in the palace of Saul.
>
> 8 And there was war again: and David went out, and fought with
> the Philistines, and slew them with a great slaughter; and they
> fled from him.
>
> 9 And the evil spirit* from the LORD was upon Saul, as he sat in
> his house with his javelin in his hand: and David played with his
> hand.
>10 And Saul sought to smite David even to the wall with the javelin;
> but he slipped away out of Saul's presence, and he smote the
> javelin into the wall: and David fled, and escaped that night.
>
> [But he slipped away] He found he could not trust Saul; and therefore
> was continually on his watch. His agility of body was the means of his
> preservation at this time.
>
> 11 Saul also sent messengers unto David's house, to watch him,
> and to slay him in the morning: and Michal David's wife told him,
> saying, If thou save not thy life to night, to morrow thou shalt be
> slain.
>
> [To slay him in the morning] When they might be able to distinguish
> between him and Michal his wife; for, had they attempted his life in the
> night season, there would have been some danger to Michal's life.
> Besides, Saul wished to represent him as a traitor; and consequently
> an attack upon him was justifiable at any time, even in the fullest
> daylight.
>
> 12 So Michal let David down through a window: and he went, and
> fled, and escaped.
>
> [Let David down through a window] As Saul's messengers were sent
> to David's house to watch him, they would naturally guard the gate, or
> lie in wait in that place by which David would come out. Michal, seeing
> this, let him down to the ground through a window, probably at the
> back part of the house; and there being no entrance nor issue that
> way, the liers in wait were easily eluded.
>
> 13 And Michal took an image, and laid it in the bed, and put a
> pillow of goats' hair for his bolster, and covered it with a cloth.
>
> [Michal took an image] 'Eth hatªraapiym, the teraphim. The Hebrew
> word appears to mean any kind of image, in any kind of form, as a
> representative of some reality. Here it must have been something in
> the human form; because it was intended to represent a man lying in
> bed indisposed.
>
> [A pillow of goats' hair] Perhaps she formed the appearance of a sick
> man's head muffled up by this pillow or bag of goats' hair. So I think
> the original might be understood. The goats' hair was merely
> accidental; unless we could suppose that it was designed to represent
> the hair of David's head, which is not improbable.
>
> 14 And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, He
> is sick.
>
> 15 And Saul sent the messengers again to see David, saying,
> Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may slay him.
>
> 16 And when the messengers were come in, behold, there was
> an image in the bed, with a pillow of goats' hair for his bolster.
>
> 17 And Saul said unto Michal, Why hast thou deceived me so,
> and sent away mine enemy, that he is escaped? And Michal
> answered Saul, He said unto me, Let me go; why should I kill
> thee?
>
> [Let me go; why should I kill thee?] That is, If thou do not let me go, I
> will kill thee. This she said to excuse herself to her father: as a wife
> she could do not less than aid the escape of her husband, being
> perfectly satisfied that there was no guilt in him. It is supposed that it
> was on this occasion that David wrote the Psalms 59, Deliver me from
> mine enemies, etc.
>
> 18 So David fled, and escaped, and came to Samuel to Ramah,
> and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel
> went and dwelt in Naioth.
>
> [David fled, and excaped, and came to Samuel] He, no doubt, came to
> this holy man to ask advice; and Samuel thought it best to retain him
> for the present, with himself at Naioth, where it is thought that he had
> a school of prophets.
>
> 19 And it was told Saul, saying, Behold, David is at Naioth in
> Ramah.
>
> 20 And Saul sent messengers to take David: and when they saw
> the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing
> as appointed over them, the Spirit of God was upon the messengers
> of Saul, and they also prophesied.
> 21 And when it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they
> prophesied likewise. And Saul sent messengers again the third
> time, and they prophesied also.
>
> 22 Then went he also to Ramah, and came to a great well that is
> in Sechu: and he asked and said, Where are Samuel and David?
> And one said, Behold, they be at Naioth in Ramah.
>
> 23 And he went thither to Naioth in Ramah: and the Spirit of God
> was upon him also, and he went on, and prophesied, until he
> came to Naioth in Ramah.
>
> [He went on, and prophesied] The divine Spirit seemed to have seized
> him at the well of Sechu; and he went on from that prophesying-
> praying, singing praises, etc.-until he came to Naioth.
>
> 24 And he stripped off his clothes also, and prophesied before
> Samuel in like manner, and lay down naked all that day and all
> that night. Wherefore they say, Is Saul also among the prophets?
>
> [He stripped off his clothes] Threw off his royal robes or military dress
> retaining only his tunic; and continued so all that day and all that
> night, uniting with the sons of the prophets in prayers, singing praises,
> and other religious exercises, which were unusual to kings and
> warriors; and this gave rise to the saying, Is Saul also among the
> prophets? By bringing both him and his men thus under a divine
> influence, God prevented them from injuring David.
> 19:1 And Saul spake to Jonathan his son, and to all his servants,
> that they should kill David.
>
> [That they should kill David.] Nothing less than the special
> interposition of God could have saved David's life, when every officer
> about the king's person, and every soldier, had gotten positive orders
> to do away with him.
>
> 2 But Jonathan Saul's son delighted much in David: and Jonathan
> told David, saying, Saul my father seeketh to kill thee: now
> therefore, I pray thee, take heed to thyself until the morning, and
> abide in a secret place, and hide thyself:
>
> [Take heed to thyself until the morning] Perhaps the order was given
> to kill him the next day; and therefore Jonathan warned him to be
> particularly on his guard at that time, and to hide himself.
>
> 3 And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where
> thou art, and I will commune with my father of thee; and what I see,
> that I will tell thee.
>
> 4 And Jonathan spake good of David unto Saul his father, and said
> unto him, Let not the king sin against his servant, against David;
> because he hath not sinned against thee, and because his works
> have been to thee-ward very good:
>
> [Jonathan spake good of David] It is evident that Jonathan was
> satisfied that David was an innocent man; and that his father was
> most unjustly incensed by him.
>
> 5 For he did put his life in his hand, and slew the Philistine, and
> the LORD wrought a great salvation for all Israel: thou sawest it,
> and didst rejoice: wherefore then wilt thou sin against innocent
> blood, to slay David without a cause?
>
> [For he did put his life in his hand] The pleadings in this verse, though
> short, are exceedingly cogent; and the argument is such as could not
> be resisted by Saul.
>
> 6 And Saul hearkened unto the voice of Jonathan: and Saul sware,
> As the LORD liveth, he shall not be slain.
>
> [He shall not be slain.] In consequence of this oath, we may suppose
> he issued orders contrary to those which he had given the preceding
> day.
>
> 7 And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan shewed him all those
> things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his
> presence, as in times past.
>
> [He was in his presence, as in times past.] By Jonathan's advice, he
> had hidden himself on that day on which he was to have been
> assassinated: the king having sworn that he should not be slain, David
> resumes his place in the palace of Saul.
>
> 8 And there was war again: and David went out, and fought with
> the Philistines, and slew them with a great slaughter; and they
> fled from him.
>
> 9 And the evil spirit* from the LORD was upon Saul, as he sat in
> his house with his javelin in his hand: and David played with his
> hand.
>10 And Saul sought to smite David even to the wall with the javelin;
> but he slipped away out of Saul's presence, and he smote the
> javelin into the wall: and David fled, and escaped that night.
>
> [But he slipped away] He found he could not trust Saul; and therefore
> was continually on his watch. His agility of body was the means of his
> preservation at this time.
>
> 11 Saul also sent messengers unto David's house, to watch him,
> and to slay him in the morning: and Michal David's wife told him,
> saying, If thou save not thy life to night, to morrow thou shalt be
> slain.
>
> [To slay him in the morning] When they might be able to distinguish
> between him and Michal his wife; for, had they attempted his life in the
> night season, there would have been some danger to Michal's life.
> Besides, Saul wished to represent him as a traitor; and consequently
> an attack upon him was justifiable at any time, even in the fullest
> daylight.
>
> 12 So Michal let David down through a window: and he went, and
> fled, and escaped.
>
> [Let David down through a window] As Saul's messengers were sent
> to David's house to watch him, they would naturally guard the gate, or
> lie in wait in that place by which David would come out. Michal, seeing
> this, let him down to the ground through a window, probably at the
> back part of the house; and there being no entrance nor issue that
> way, the liers in wait were easily eluded.
>
> 13 And Michal took an image, and laid it in the bed, and put a
> pillow of goats' hair for his bolster, and covered it with a cloth.
>
> [Michal took an image] 'Eth hatªraapiym, the teraphim. The Hebrew
> word appears to mean any kind of image, in any kind of form, as a
> representative of some reality. Here it must have been something in
> the human form; because it was intended to represent a man lying in
> bed indisposed.
>
> [A pillow of goats' hair] Perhaps she formed the appearance of a sick
> man's head muffled up by this pillow or bag of goats' hair. So I think
> the original might be understood. The goats' hair was merely
> accidental; unless we could suppose that it was designed to represent
> the hair of David's head, which is not improbable.
>
> 14 And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, He
> is sick.
>
> 15 And Saul sent the messengers again to see David, saying,
> Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may slay him.
>
> 16 And when the messengers were come in, behold, there was
> an image in the bed, with a pillow of goats' hair for his bolster.
>
> 17 And Saul said unto Michal, Why hast thou deceived me so,
> and sent away mine enemy, that he is escaped? And Michal
> answered Saul, He said unto me, Let me go; why should I kill
> thee?
>
> [Let me go; why should I kill thee?] That is, If thou do not let me go, I
> will kill thee. This she said to excuse herself to her father: as a wife
> she could do not less than aid the escape of her husband, being
> perfectly satisfied that there was no guilt in him. It is supposed that it
> was on this occasion that David wrote the Psalms 59, Deliver me from
> mine enemies, etc.
>
> 18 So David fled, and escaped, and came to Samuel to Ramah,
> and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel
> went and dwelt in Naioth.
>
> [David fled, and excaped, and came to Samuel] He, no doubt, came to
> this holy man to ask advice; and Samuel thought it best to retain him
> for the present, with himself at Naioth, where it is thought that he had
> a school of prophets.
>
> 19 And it was told Saul, saying, Behold, David is at Naioth in
> Ramah.
>
> 20 And Saul sent messengers to take David: and when they saw
> the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing
> as appointed over them, the Spirit of God was upon the messengers
> of Saul, and they also prophesied.
> 21 And when it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they
> prophesied likewise. And Saul sent messengers again the third
> time, and they prophesied also.
>
> 22 Then went he also to Ramah, and came to a great well that is
> in Sechu: and he asked and said, Where are Samuel and David?
> And one said, Behold, they be at Naioth in Ramah.
>
> 23 And he went thither to Naioth in Ramah: and the Spirit of God
> was upon him also, and he went on, and prophesied, until he
> came to Naioth in Ramah.
>
> [He went on, and prophesied] The divine Spirit seemed to have seized
> him at the well of Sechu; and he went on from that prophesying-
> praying, singing praises, etc.-until he came to Naioth.
>
> 24 And he stripped off his clothes also, and prophesied before
> Samuel in like manner, and lay down naked all that day and all
> that night. Wherefore they say, Is Saul also among the prophets?
>
> [He stripped off his clothes] Threw off his royal robes or military dress
> retaining only his tunic; and continued so all that day and all that
> night, uniting with the sons of the prophets in prayers, singing praises,
> and other religious exercises, which were unusual to kings and
> warriors; and this gave rise to the saying, Is Saul also among the
> prophets? By bringing both him and his men thus under a divine
> influence, God prevented them from injuring David.
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