1Sa 24:1 And it came to pass, when Saul was returned from following the Philistines, that it was told him, saying, Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi.
Saul was returned - It is very probable that it was only a small marauding party that had made an excursion in the Israelitish borders, and this invasion was soon suppressed.
1Sa 24:2 Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men upon the rocks of the wild goats.
The rocks of the wild goats - To signify the craggy precipitous character of the country. Those rocks were exceeding high and terrible to look at, full of precipices, and so prominent, that they seemed as if they would fall into the adjacent valleys, that it even struck terror into them to look at them; called the rocks of wild goats, because these creatures, called from hence rock goats, Job_39:1; delighted to be there; and are of such prodigious swiftness, that they will leap from mountain to mountain, and back again at pleasure; these mountains David and his men chose for safety, and the height and craggedness of them did not deter Saul and his men from seeking him there. Saul was so transported with rage, as to venture himself and his army here, that he might take David, who, as he thought, would judge himself safe, and therefore be secure in such inaccessible places. The large force he took with him seemed to give him every prospect of success. But the overruling providence of God frustrated all his vigilance.
1Sa 24:3 And he came to the sheepcotes by the way, where was a cave; and Saul went in to cover his feet: and David and his men remained in the sides of the cave.
Remained in the sides - Rather, “were in the sides of the cave dwelling or abiding there.” Some of these caverns are very deep and spacious. Any one near the mouth of the cave would be visible, but those in the recesses would be quite in the dark and invisible, especially if the incident occurred at night.
The sheepcotes - Caves in the rocks, in which it is common for shepherds and their flocks to lodge. For the sheep to be led into at noon , to shelter them from the heat:
Saul went in to cover his feet – A euphemism for relieving himself as in a toilet. It is likely that, when he had performed this act of necessity, he lay down to repose himself, and it was while he was asleep that David cut off the skirt of his robe.
Saul went in to cover his feet - Jewish commentators generally understand it to be relieving himself; and as the eastern people used to wear long and loose garments, these, when they performed such an action, they used in modesty to gather them close about them, that no part of the body, their feet, and especially the parts of nature which should be concealed, might be seen; The only place besides this in which the phrase is used is Jdg 3:24 And when he had gone out, his servants came. And they looked, and, behold, the doors of the roof room were locked, they said, Surely he is covering his feet in his cool roof room.
To sleep there - Saul being a military man, used to sleep with his soldiers upon the ground. And it is not improbable, that being weary with his eager and almost incessant pursuit, first of David, then of the Philistines, and now of David again, he both needed and desired some sleep, God also disposing him thereto, that David might have this eminent occasion to demonstrate his integrity to Saul, and to all Israel .
1Sa 24:4 And the men of David said unto him, Behold the day of which the LORD said unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand, that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good unto thee. Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul's robe privily.
Then David arose - the circumstances of the case seem to indicate that he arose to take away the life of Saul, and that it was in reference to this that his heart smote him. It appears that he rose up immediately at the desire of his men to slay his inveterate enemy, and one whom he knew the Lord had rejected; but when about to do it he was prevented by the remonstrance of God in his conscience, and instead of cutting off his head, as he might have done, an act which the laws and usages of war would have justified, he contented himself with cutting off the skirt of his robe; and he did this only to show Saul how much he had been in his power.
behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand - such was Saul, as appeared by his seeking to take away his life; and now he was in the hand of David to take away his life, if he pleased: Although these words might refer to some divine oracle which David had received through a prophet, Gad for example, what follows clearly shows that David had received no such oracle;
1Sa 24:5 And it came to pass afterward, that David's heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul's skirt.
David’s heart smote him - He thought the action inconsistent with the respect which he owed to the king. His conscience accused him because he regarded this as an injury done to the king himself, and he repented of what he had done:
1Sa 24:6 And he said unto his men, The LORD forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the LORD'S anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD.
The Lord’s anointed - However unworthily Saul was now acting, he had been appointed to his high office by God himself, and he could only be removed by the authority which placed him on the throne. Even David, who knew he was appointed to reign in his stead, and whose life Saul had often sought to destroy, did not conceive that he had any right to take away his life; and he grounds the reasons of his forbearance on this - He is my master, I am his subject. He is the Lord’s anointed, and therefore sacred as to his person in the Lord’s sight. It is an awful thing to kill a king, even the most untoward, when he has once been constitutionally appointed to the throne. Had David taken away the life of Saul at this time, he would, in the sight of God, have been a murderer. Romans 13:1-5 Let every soul be subject to the higher authorities. For there is no authority but of God; the authorities that exist are ordained by God. So that the one resisting the authority resists the ordinance of God; and the ones who resist will receive judgment to themselves. For the rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the bad. And do you desire to be not afraid of the authority? Do the good, and you shall have praise from it. For it is a servant of God to you for good. For if you practice evil, be afraid, for it does not bear the sword in vain; for it is a servant of God, a revenger for wrath on him who does evil. Therefore you must be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience' sake.
1Sa 24:7 So David stayed his servants with these words, and suffered them not to rise against Saul. But Saul rose up out of the cave, and went on his way.
David stayed his servants with these words - Or pacified them, and reconciled their minds to his conduct, and restrained them from laying hands on him, by observing to them, that he was the anointed of the Lord:
suffered them not to rise against Saul - he not only argued with them, but laid his commands on them that they should not slay him:
1Sa 24:8 David also arose afterward, and went out of the cave, and cried after Saul, saying, My lord the king. And when Saul looked behind him, David stooped with his face to the earth, and bowed himself.
David also arose afterward - After Saul was gone:
David bowed himself - giving reverence and honor to him as a king;
1Sa 24:9 And David said to Saul, Wherefore hearest thou men's words, saying, Behold, David seeketh thy hurt?
wherefore hearest thou men's words - David was quite aware that there were flatterers at Saul’s court who were continually inflaming the King’s mind by their false accusations against him. This explains the language of many of the Psalms, e. g. Ps. 10; Psa_11:1-7; Psa_12:1-8; 35; and many more.
wherefore hearest thou men's words - The false charges and accusations, that some of Saul's courtiers brought against David, as Doeg the Edomite, and such like sycophants and flatterers, to whom Saul hearkened, and believed what they said, and acted upon it. David chose rather to lay the blame on Saul's courtiers than on himself; and he began with him in this way, the rather to reconcile him to him, and cause him to listen to what he had to say:
1Sa 24:10 Behold, this day thine eyes have seen how that the LORD had delivered thee to day into mine hand in the cave: and some bade me kill thee: but mine eye spared thee; and I said, I will not put forth mine hand against my lord; for he is the LORD'S anointed.
Behold, this day thine eyes have seen - there is full proof and evidence of it, and which will be presently shown:
mine eye spared thee - had pity on him, and notwithstanding the suggestions of friends yet he had mercy on him, and forbore slaying him: The eye is said to spare, because it affects the heart with pity, and moves a man to spare.
1Sa 24:11 Moreover, my father, see, yea, see the skirt of thy robe in my hand: for in that I cut off the skirt of thy robe, and killed thee not, know thou and see that there is neither evil nor transgression in mine hand, and I have not sinned against thee; yet thou huntest my soul to take it.
My father - The respectful address of a junior and an inferior; he was in a natural sense, as having married his daughter; and in a civil sense, as he was a king, and was, or ought to have been, the father of his country, and to treat his subjects as his children, and David among the rest:
1Sa 24:12 The LORD judge between me and thee, and the LORD avenge me of thee: but mine hand shall not be upon thee.
The Lord judge between me and thee - Appeals of this kind to God are the common refuge of the poor and oppressed people.
1Sa 24:13 As saith the proverb of the ancients, Wickedness proceedeth from the wicked: but mine hand shall not be upon thee.
Wickedness proceeded from the wicked - The meaning is this: Only a wicked man could wish to avenge himself; I do not. He that does a wicked act, gives proof thereby that he is a wicked man. From him who is wicked, wickedness will proceed; he who is wicked will add one iniquity to another. Mat 12:34-35 Offspring of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart brings out good things; and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings out evil things.
1Sa 24:14 After whom is the king of Israel come out? after whom dost thou pursue? after a dead dog, after a flea.
After whom is the king of Israel come out - was it consistent with the dignity of the king of Israel to lead armies in pursuit of a weak and helpless individual like David?
After a dead dog - A term used among the Hebrews to signify the utmost contempt; 2Sa 16:9 And Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Please let me go over and take off his head. One utterly incapable of making the least resistance against Saul, and the troops of Israel . The same idea is expressed in the term flea. The Targum properly expresses both thus: one who is weak, one who is contemptible. One whose name was made to stink through the calumnies cast upon him; and if a dead dog, then as he was an useless person, and could do no good, so neither could he do any hurt, not so much as bark, much less bite; and therefore it was unworthy of so great a prince, a lessening, a degrading of himself, as well as a vain and impertinent thing, to pursue after such an one, that was not worthy of his notice, and could do him neither good nor harm:
After a dead dog - By these similes David meant to describe himself as a perfectly harmless and insignificant man, of whom Saul had no occasion to be afraid, and whom the king of Israel ought to think it beneath his dignity to pursue. A dead dog cannot bite or hurt, and is an object about which a king ought not to trouble himself. The point of comparison with a flea is the insignificance of such an animal.
1Sa 24:15 The LORD therefore be judge, and judge between me and thee, and see, and plead my cause, and deliver me out of thine hand.
The Lord therefore be judge - Let God determine who is guilty.
1Sa 24:16 And it came to pass, when David had made an end of speaking these words unto Saul, that Saul said, Is this thy voice, my son David? And Saul lifted up his voice, and wept.
My son David - David had called Saul his master, lord, and king. Saul accosts him here as his son, to show that he felt perfectly reconciled to him, and wished to receive him as formerly into his family.
Saul lifted up his voice and wept - From the sense of his sin against God, and his base carriage to David. He speaks as one quite overcome with David's kindness, and as one that relents at the sight of his own folly and ingratitude. Many mourn for their sins, who do not truly repent of them; weep bitterly for them, yet continue in love and in league with them.
1Sa 24:17 And he said to David, Thou art more righteous than I: for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil.
And he said to David, thou art more righteous than I - By which it appears he thought himself righteous, though David was more so; the righteousness of David was so glaring, that his enemy himself being judge acknowledges it, but will not confess his own wickedness, having no true sense of sin, nor real sorrow for it:
1Sa 24:18 And thou hast shewed this day how that thou hast dealt well with me: forasmuch as when the LORD had delivered me into thine hand, thou killedst me not.
thou hast showed this day how that thou hast dealt well with me - The cutting off of the skirt of his robe only, when his life was in his hand, was a clear proof and full demonstration of his dealing well with him, and might sufficiently convince him he had no ill design upon him:
1Sa 24:19 For if a man find his enemy, will he let him go well away? wherefore the LORD reward thee good for that thou hast done unto me this day.
If a man find his enemy, will he let him go well away - Or "in a good way", in peace and safety, without doing him any hurt; this is not usual among men, and yet this was the present case; David had found his enemy Saul, which Saul tacitly owns, and yet had let him go well away from him, without hurting him:
1Sa 24:20 And now, behold, I know well that thou shalt surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in thine hand.
I know well that thou shalt surely be king - He knew this before; and yet he continued to pursue him with the most deadly hatred.
1Sa 24:21 Swear now therefore unto me by the LORD, that thou wilt not cut off my seed after me, and that thou wilt not destroy my name out of my father's house.
Swear now - The same request which Jonathan made 1Sa_20:15. The deep, genealogical feeling of the Israelites breaks out here as so often elsewhere. Saul knew that an oath would bind David, though it was insufficient to bind himself.
1Sa 24:22 And David sware unto Saul. And Saul went home; but David and his men gat them up unto the hold.
David and his men gat them up unto the hold - Saul does not appear to have invited David to return to Gibeah, or to have given him any security of doing so with safety. David, with his intuitive sagacity, perceived that the softening of Saul’s feelings was only momentary, and that the situation remained unchanged. David could not trust Saul with his life; the utmost he could expect from him was that he should cease from persecuting him; but even this was too much to expect from a man of such a character as Saul. He was no longer under the Divine guidance; an evil spirit had full dominion over his soul.
And David sware unto Saul - That he would not cut, off his posterity; which oath he religiously observed, in sparing Mephibosheth, 2Sa 21:7 But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, because of Jehovah's oath that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul. and in punishing the murderers of Ishbosheth, 2Sa_4:12; and as for the seven sons of Saul, delivered up to the Gibeonites, 2Sa_21:6, it may be questioned whether they were his genuine legitimate offspring; and if they were, it was by the appointment and command of God, and according to his will and pleasure they were executed, who is not bound by the oaths of men, and to whom they must be submitted, 2Sa_21:1,
