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1 Samuel 24:9

New American Standard Bible (NASB ©1995) [2]
— David said to Saul, “Why do you listen to the words of men, saying, ‘Behold, David seeks to harm you’?
King James Version (KJV 1769) [2]
— And David said to Saul, Wherefore hearest thou men's words, saying, Behold, David seeketh thy hurt?
English Revised Version (ERV 1885)
— And David said to Saul, Wherefore hearkenest thou to men's words, saying, Behold, David seeketh thy hurt?
American Standard Version (ASV 1901) [2]
— And David said to Saul, Wherefore hearkenest thou to men's words, saying, Behold, David seeketh thy hurt?
Webster's Revision of the KJB (WEB 1833)
— And David said to Saul, Why hearest thou men's words, saying, Behold, David seeketh thy hurt?
Darby's Translation (DBY 1890)
— And David said to Saul, Why dost thou listen to words of men, saying, Behold, David seeks thy hurt?
Rotherham's Emphasized Bible (EBR 1902)
— Then said David to Saul, Wherefore shouldst thou hearken unto the words of the sons of earth, saying,—Lo! David is seeking thy hurt?
Young's Literal Translation (YLT 1898)
— And David saith to Saul, 'Why dost thou hear the words of man, saying, Lo, David is seeking thine evil?
Douay-Rheims Challoner Revision (DR 1750)
— And said to Saul: Why dost thou hear the words of men that say: David seeketh thy hurt?
Geneva Bible (GNV 1560)
— And Dauid saide to Saul, Wherefore giuest thou an eare to mens words, that say, Behold, Dauid seeketh euill against thee?
Original King James Bible (AV 1611) [2]
— And Dauid said to Saul, Wherfore hearest thou mens words, saying, Behold, Dauid seeketh thy hurt?
Lamsa Bible (1957)
— And David said to Saul, You must not listen to the words of the men who say, Behold, David seeks your hurt.
Brenton Greek Septuagint (LXX, Restored Names)
— And David said to Saul, Why dost thou hearken to the words of the people, saying, Behold, David seeks thy life?
Full Hebrew Names / Holy Name KJV (2008) [2] [3]
— And Dawid said to Shaul, Wherefore hearest thou men's words, saying, Behold, Dawid seeketh thy hurt?

Strong's Numbers & Hebrew NamesHebrew Old TestamentColor-Code/Key Word Studies
And Däwiđ דָּוִד 1732
{1732} Prime
דָּוִד
David
{daw-veed'}
From the same as H1730; loving; David, the youngest son of Jesse.
said 559
{0559} Prime
אָמַר
'amar
{aw-mar'}
A primitive root; to say (used with great latitude).
z8799
<8799> Grammar
Stem - Qal (See H8851)
Mood - Imperfect (See H8811)
Count - 19885
to Šä´ûl שָׁאוּל, 7586
{7586} Prime
שָׁאוּל
Sha'uwl
{shaw-ool'}
Passive participle of H7592; asked; Shaul, the name of an Edomite and two Israelites.
Wherefore x4100
(4100) Complement
מָּה
mah
{maw}
A primitive particle; properly interrogitive what? (including how?, why? and when?); but also exclamations like what! (including how!), or indefinitely what (including whatever, and even relatively that which); often used with prefixes in various adverbial or conjugational senses.
hearest 8085
{8085} Prime
שָׁמַע
shama`
{shaw-mah'}
A primitive root; to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively to tell, etc.).
z8799
<8799> Grammar
Stem - Qal (See H8851)
Mood - Imperfect (See H8811)
Count - 19885
thou x853
(0853) Complement
אֵת
'eth
{ayth}
Apparently contracted from H0226 in the demonstrative sense of entity; properly self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely).
men's 120
{0120} Prime
אָדָם
'adam
{aw-dawm'}
From H0119; ruddy, that is, a human being (an individual or the species, mankind, etc.).
words, 1697
{1697} Prime
דָּבָר
dabar
{daw-baw'}
From H1696; a word; by implication a matter (as spoken of) or thing; adverbially a cause.
saying, 559
{0559} Prime
אָמַר
'amar
{aw-mar'}
A primitive root; to say (used with great latitude).
z8800
<8800> Grammar
Stem - Qal (See H8851)
Mood - Infinitive (See H8812)
Count - 4888
Behold, x2009
(2009) Complement
הִנֵּה
hinneh
{hin-nay'}
Prolonged for H2005; lo!.
Däwiđ דָּוִד 1732
{1732} Prime
דָּוִד
David
{daw-veed'}
From the same as H1730; loving; David, the youngest son of Jesse.
seeketh 1245
{1245} Prime
בּקשׁ
baqash
{baw-kash'}
A primitive root; to search out (by any method; specifically in worship or prayer); by implication to strive after.
z8764
<8764> Grammar
Stem - Piel (See H8840)
Mood - Participle (See H8813)
Count - 685
thy hurt? 7451
{7451} Prime
רָע
ra`
{rah}
From H7489; bad or (as noun) evil (naturally or morally). This includes the second (feminine) form; as adjective or noun.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary

See commentary on 1 Samuel 24:8-15.

Matthew Henry's Commentary

1 Samuel 24:9-15

_ _ We have here David's warm and pathetic speech to Saul, wherein he endeavours to convince him that he did him a great deal of wrong in persecuting him thus and to persuade him therefore to be reconciled.

_ _ I. He calls him father (1 Samuel 24:11), for he was not only, as king, the father of his country, but he was, in particular, his father-in-law. From a father one may expect compassion and a favourable opinion. For a prince to seek the ruin of any of his good subjects is as unnatural as for a father to seek the ruin of his own children.

_ _ II. He lays the blame of his rage against him upon his evil counsellors: Wherefore hearest thou men's words? 1 Samuel 24:9. It is a piece of respect due to crowned heads, if they do amiss, to charge it upon those about them, who either advised them to it or should have advised them against it. David had reason enough to think that Saul persecuted him purely from his own envy and malice, yet he courteously supposes that others put him on to do it, and made him believe that David was his enemy and sought his hurt. Satan, the great accuser of the brethren, has his agents in all places, and particularly in the courts of those princes that encourage them and give ear to them, who make it their business to represent the people of God as enemies to Caesar and hurtful to kings and provinces, that, being thus dressed up in bear-skins, they may “be baited.”

_ _ III. He solemnly protests his own innocence, and that he is far from designing any hurt or mischief to Saul: “There is neither evil nor transgression in my hand, 1 Samuel 24:11. I am not chargeable with any crime, nor conscious of any guilt, and, had I a window in my breast, thou mightest through it see the sincerity of my heart in this protestation: I have not sinned against thee (however I have sinned against God), yet thou huntest my soul,” that is, “my life.” Perhaps it was about this time that David penned the seventh psalm, concerning the affair of Cush the Benjamite (that is, Saul, as some think), wherein he thus appeals to God (1 Samuel 24:3-5): If there be iniquity in my hands, then let the enemy persecute my soul and take it, putting in a parenthesis, with reference to the story of this chapter, Yea, I have delivered him that without cause is my enemy.

_ _ IV. He produces undeniable evidence to prove the falsehood of the suggestion upon which Saul's malice against him was grounded. David was charged with seeking Saul's hurt: “See,” says he, “yea, see the skirt of thy robe, 1 Samuel 24:11. Let this be a witness for me, and an unexceptionable witness it is; had that been true of which I am accused, I should now have had thy head in my hand and not the skirt of thy robe, for I could as easily have cut off that as this.” To corroborate this evidence he shows him, 1. That God's providence had given him opportunity to do it: The lord delivered thee, very surprisingly, to day into my hand, whence many a one would have gathered an intimation that it was the will of God he should now give the determining blow to him whose neck lay so fair for it. When Saul had but a very small advantage against David he cried out, God has delivered him into my hand (1 Samuel 23:7), and resolved to make the best of that advantage; but David did not so. 2. That his counsellors and those about him had earnestly besought him to do it: Some bade me kill thee. He had blamed Saul for hearkening to men's words and justly; “for,” says he, “if I had done so, thou wouldest not have been alive now.” 3. That it was upon a good principle that he refused to do it; not because Saul's attendants were at hand, who, it may be, would have avenged his death; no, it was not by the fear of them, but by the fear of God, that he was restrained from it. “He is my lord, and the Lord's anointed, whom I ought to protect, and to whom I owe faith and allegiance, and therefore I said, I will not touch a hair of his head.” Such a happy command he had of himself that his nature, in the midst of the greatest provocation, was not suffered to rebel against his principles.

_ _ V. He declares it to be his fixed resolution never to be his own avenger: “The Lord avenge me of thee, that is, deliver me out of thy hand; but, whatever comes of it, my hand shall not be upon thee” (1 Samuel 24:12), and again (1 Samuel 24:13), for saith the proverb of the ancients, Wickedness proceedeth from the wicked. The wisdom of the ancients is transmitted to posterity by their proverbial sayings. Many such we receive by tradition from our fathers; and the counsels of common persons are very much directed by this, “As the old saying is.” Here is one that was in use in David's time: Wickedness proceedeth from the wicked, that is, 1. Men's own iniquity will ruin them at last, so some understand it. Forward furious men will cut their own throats with their own knives. Give them rope enough, and they will hang themselves. In this sense it comes in very fitly as a reason why his hand should not be upon him. 2. Bad men will do bad things; according as men's principles and dispositions are, so will their actions be. This also agrees very well with the connexion. If David had been a wicked man, as he was represented, he would have done this wicked thing; but he durst not, because of the fear of God. Or thus: Whatever injuries bad men do us (which we are not to wonder at; he that lies among thorns must expect to be scratched), yet we must not return them; never render railing for railing. Though wickedness proceed from the wicked, yet let it not therefore proceed from us by way of retaliation. Though the dog bark at the sheep, the sheep does not bark at the dog. See Isaiah 32:6-8.

_ _ VI. He endeavours to convince Saul that as it was a bad thing, so it was a mean thing, for him to give chase to such an inconsiderable person as he was (1 Samuel 24:14): Whom does the king of Israel pursue with all this care and force? A dead dog; a flea; one flea, so it is in the Hebrew. It is below so great a king to enter the lists with one that is so unequal a match for him, one of his own servants, bred a poor shepherd, now an exile, neither able nor willing to make any resistance. To conquer him would not be to his honour, to attempt it was his disparagement. If Saul would consult his own reputation, he would slight such an enemy (supposing he were really his enemy) and would think himself in no danger from him. David was so far from aspiring that he was, in his own account, as a dead dog. Mephibosheth thus calls himself, 2 Samuel 9:8. This humble language would have wrought upon Saul if he had had any spark of generosity in him. Satis est prostrâsse leoniEnough for the lion that he has laid his victim low. What credit would it be to Saul to trample upon a dead dog? What pleasure could it be to him to hunt a flea, a single flea, which (as some have observed), if it be sought, is not easily found, if it be found, is not easily caught, and, if it be caught, is a poor prize, especially for a prince. Aquila non captat muscasThe eagle does not dart upon flies. David thinks Saul had no more reason to fear him than to fear a flea-bite.

_ _ VII. He once and again appeals to God as the righteous Judge (1 Samuel 24:12 and 1 Samuel 24:15): The Lord judge between me and thee. Note, The justice of God is the refuge and comfort of oppressed innocence. If men wrong us, God will right us, at furthest, in the judgment of the great day. With him David leaves his cause, and so rests satisfied, waiting his time to appear for him.

John Wesley's Explanatory Notes

[[no comment]]

Geneva Bible Translation Notes

1 Samuel 24:9

And David said to Saul, (e) Wherefore hearest thou men's words, saying, Behold, David seeketh thy hurt?

(e) Contrary to the report of those who said David was Saul's enemy, he proves himself to be his friend.

Cross-Reference Topical ResearchStrong's Concordance

1 Samuel 26:19 Now therefore, I pray thee, let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If the LORD have stirred thee up against me, let him accept an offering: but if [they be] the children of men, cursed [be] they before the LORD; for they have driven me out this day from abiding in the inheritance of the LORD, saying, Go, serve other gods.
Leviticus 19:16 Thou shalt not go up and down [as] a talebearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbour: I [am] the LORD.
Psalms 101:5 Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off: him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer.
Psalms 141:6 When their judges are overthrown in stony places, they shall hear my words; for they are sweet.
Proverbs 16:28 A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends.
Proverbs 17:4 A wicked doer giveth heed to false lips; [and] a liar giveth ear to a naughty tongue.
Proverbs 18:8 The words of a talebearer [are] as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.
Proverbs 25:23 The north wind driveth away rain: so [doth] an angry countenance a backbiting tongue.
Proverbs 26:20-22 Where no wood is, [there] the fire goeth out: so where [there is] no talebearer, the strife ceaseth. ... The words of a talebearer [are] as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.
Proverbs 26:28 A lying tongue hateth [those that are] afflicted by it; and a flattering mouth worketh ruin.
Proverbs 29:12 If a ruler hearken to lies, all his servants [are] wicked.
Ecclesiastes 7:21-22 Also take no heed unto all words that are spoken; lest thou hear thy servant curse thee: ... For oftentimes also thine own heart knoweth that thou thyself likewise hast cursed others.
James 3:6 And the tongue [is] a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.
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Chain-Reference Bible SearchCross References with Concordance

Lv 19:16. 1S 26:19. Ps 101:5; 141:6. Pv 16:28; 17:4; 18:8; 25:23; 26:20, 28; 29:12. Ec 7:21. Jm 3:6.

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