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1 Samuel 23

KJV · Chapter 23/31

1Then they told David, saying, Behold, the Philistines fight against Keilah, and they rob the threshingfloors.

2Therefore David enquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I go and smite these Philistines? And the Lord said unto David, Go, and smite the Philistines, and save Keilah.

3And David’s men said unto him, Behold, we be afraid here in Judah: how much more then if we come to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?

4Then David enquired of the Lord yet again. And the Lord answered him and said, Arise, go down to Keilah; for I will deliver the Philistines into thine hand.

5So David and his men went to Keilah, and fought with the Philistines, and brought away their cattle, and smote them with a great slaughter. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.

6And it came to pass, when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David to Keilah, that he came down with an ephod in his hand.

7And it was told Saul that David was come to Keilah. And Saul said, God hath delivered him into mine hand; for he is shut in, by entering into a town that hath gates and bars.

8And Saul called all the people together to war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men.

9And David knew that Saul secretly practised mischief against him; and he said to Abiathar the priest, Bring hither the ephod.

10Then said David, O Lord God of Israel, thy servant hath certainly heard that Saul seeketh to come to Keilah, to destroy the city for my sake.

11Will the men of Keilah deliver me up into his hand? will Saul come down, as thy servant hath heard? O Lord God of Israel, I beseech thee, tell thy servant. And the Lord said, He will come down.

12Then said David, Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul? And the Lord said, They will deliver thee up.

13Then David and his men, which were about six hundred, arose and departed out of Keilah, and went whithersoever they could go. And it was told Saul that David was escaped from Keilah; and he forbare to go forth.

14And David abode in the wilderness in strong holds, and remained in a mountain in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God delivered him not into his hand.

15And David saw that Saul was come out to seek his life: and David was in the wilderness of Ziph in a wood.

16And Jonathan Saul’s son arose, and went to David into the wood, and strengthened his hand in God.

17And he said unto him, Fear not: for the hand of Saul my father shall not find thee; and thou shalt be king over Israel, and I shall be next unto thee; and that also Saul my father knoweth.

18And they two made a covenant before the Lord: and David abode in the wood, and Jonathan went to his house.

19Then came up the Ziphites to Saul to Gibeah, saying, Doth not David hide himself with us in strong holds in the wood, in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of Jeshimon?

20Now therefore, O king, come down according to all the desire of thy soul to come down; and our part shall be to deliver him into the king’s hand.

21And Saul said, Blessed be ye of the Lord; for ye have compassion on me.

22Go, I pray you, prepare yet, and know and see his place where his haunt is, and who hath seen him there: for it is told me that he dealeth very subtilly.

23See therefore, and take knowledge of all the lurking places where he hideth himself, and come ye again to me with the certainty, and I will go with you: and it shall come to pass, if he be in the land, that I will search him out throughout all the thousands of Judah.

24And they arose, and went to Ziph before Saul: but David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the plain on the south of Jeshimon.

25Saul also and his men went to seek him. And they told David: wherefore he came down into a rock, and abode in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he pursued after David in the wilderness of Maon.

26And Saul went on this side of the mountain, and David and his men on that side of the mountain: and David made haste to get away for fear of Saul; for Saul and his men compassed David and his men round about to take them.

27But there came a messenger unto Saul, saying, Haste thee, and come; for the Philistines have invaded the land.

28Wherefore Saul returned from pursuing after David, and went against the Philistines: therefore they called that place Sela–hammahlekoth.

29And David went up from thence, and dwelt in strong holds at En–gedi.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

David delivers the city of Keilah from the Philistines, but must flee when Saul plans to besiege him there. Jonathan visits him and encourages him one last time. Saul nearly captures David in the wilderness of Maon, but is interrupted by a Philistine raid.

Explanation

Even as a hunted fugitive, David continues to act for Israel's good, delivering Keilah from the Philistine attack before learning that this same city might betray him into Saul's hands — showing a character that prioritizes the collective good even amid his own personal suffering. The repeated use of the ephod to inquire of God directly about strategic decisions (whether to attack, whether he would be betrayed) demonstrates how David, unlike Saul who had already lost access to divine guidance, kept an open line of communication with God for every critical decision. The almost comic last-minute intervention of a Philistine raid, which forces Saul to abandon the pursuit at the exact moment he was about to capture David, is seen — through the very name given to the place ('Sela-hammahlekoth,' or 'the rock of divisions') — as literal divine providence separating the two adversaries at just the right moment.

Fun facts

  • Jonathan's visit to David 'in the wood' (v.16) is the last recorded meeting between the two friends before Jonathan's death, making his final words of encouragement especially meaningful in hindsight.
  • The place name 'Sela-hammahlekoth' (rock of divisions, or of escapes) preserves within Israel's own geography the memory of this dramatic, almost miraculous moment of escape.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. 1 Samuel 23:1Threshing floors, where freshly harvested grain was processed, were valuable raiding targets — the Philistines struck right at harvest time, when there was the most to steal.
  2. 1 Samuel 23:2Unlike the constant flight of the previous chapters, here David acts like a liberator who consults God before moving — a pattern of leadership that foreshadows his future role as king.
  3. 1 Samuel 23:3David’s own followers hesitate, worried about the risk of attacking an organized army while they are still fugitives being hunted by Saul.
  4. 1 Samuel 23:4David seeks a second confirmation from God before acting, respecting his men’s reasonable hesitation instead of simply forcing the decision on them.
  5. 1 Samuel 23:5The concrete victory confirms God’s promise and vindicates David’s confidence in the face of his own men’s initial reluctance.
  6. 1 Samuel 23:6The ephod brought by Abiathar becomes, from here on, the tool David repeatedly uses to consult God — a practical continuation of the priesthood that survived the massacre at Nob.
  7. 1 Samuel 23:7Saul wrongly reads David’s presence in a walled city as a trap working in his own favor, not knowing that God will reveal to David the townspeople’s true intentions.
  8. 1 Samuel 23:8Mobilizing the whole army to capture a single man shows Saul’s growing obsession — he now treated hunting David as a national military priority.
  9. 1 Samuel 23:9Consulting the ephod was a way of asking God a yes-or-no question, probably using the Urim and Thummim kept inside it — David uses this method repeatedly to decide whether to stay in or flee Keilah.
  10. 1 Samuel 23:10David recognizes the danger his own presence poses to the people of Keilah, whom he had just saved from the Philistines — the liberated city now risks destruction for sheltering him.
  11. 1 Samuel 23:11David asks two specific questions and gets direct answers — a rare biblical example of such a clear, straightforward dialogue with God through the ephod.
  12. 1 Samuel 23:12God’s answer reveals a painful ingratitude: the very people David had just freed from the Philistines would hand him over without hesitation to save themselves from Saul.
  13. 1 Samuel 23:13David’s following has already grown from four hundred men in chapter 22 to six hundred — his band, fugitive as it was, kept drawing more men willing to follow him.
  14. 1 Samuel 23:14The line “but God delivered him not into his hand” sums up the whole chase: Saul searches tirelessly, but every attempt is thwarted by circumstances beyond anyone’s control.
  15. 1 Samuel 23:15The constant change of hiding places, from region to region, shows how David’s fugitive life had already become an exhausting routine of permanent vigilance.
  16. 1 Samuel 23:16This is the last recorded meeting between the two friends before Jonathan’s death — a gesture of emotional and spiritual support at the hardest hour of David’s flight.
  17. 1 Samuel 23:17Jonathan openly reaffirms, once more, that he accepts David’s future kingship without jealousy — and reveals that even Saul, on some level, already knew the same thing.
  18. 1 Samuel 23:18This is the last formal covenant renewed between the two — after this meeting, Jonathan’s and David’s paths do not cross again before the prince’s death.
  19. 1 Samuel 23:19The Ziphites, from David’s own tribe of Judah, hand his location over to Saul — proof that not everyone from David’s homeland was on his side; shelter among fellow tribesmen was no guarantee of loyalty.
  20. 1 Samuel 23:20The Ziphites actively offer to hand David over, going beyond simply reporting his location — a betrayal likely driven by fear or by the desire to please the king.
  21. 1 Samuel 23:21Saul’s gratitude to the Ziphites, even invoking God’s blessing on their betrayal, shows how much he had already fused his personal vendetta against David with a supposed cause of God’s.
  22. 1 Samuel 23:22Saul openly acknowledges David’s cunning at repeatedly escaping — an involuntary respect for the very enemy he is trying to capture.
  23. 1 Samuel 23:23Saul’s willingness to search out “all the thousands of Judah” shows the obsessive scale of the hunt — he was ready to mobilize enormous resources just to capture one man.
  24. 1 Samuel 23:24The specific mention of David’s location in Maon sets up the nearly successful chase that unfolds through the rest of the chapter.
  25. 1 Samuel 23:25With every move David makes to hide better, word reaches Saul fast — the informant network against David kept working even while he was among allies.
  26. 1 Samuel 23:26This is the most dangerous moment of the entire chase: David is literally surrounded, and only an outside interruption, described in the next verse, prevents his capture.
  27. 1 Samuel 23:27The Philistine invasion arrives at the exact moment Saul was about to capture David — a dramatic relief the narrative credits to providence, not luck.
  28. 1 Samuel 23:28The place name, meaning “rock of escape” or “rock of parting,” was permanently recorded as a reminder of just how close David came to being captured there.
  29. 1 Samuel 23:29En-gedi, a fertile oasis near the Dead Sea full of natural caves, offered both water and ideal hiding places — the perfect setting for the next chapter’s confrontation.

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