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1 Samuel 24

KJV · Chapter 24/31

1And 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 En–gedi.

2Then 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.

3And 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.

4And 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.

5And it came to pass afterward, that David’s heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul’s skirt.

6And 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.

7So 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.

8David 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.

9And David said to Saul, Wherefore hearest thou men’s words, saying, Behold, David seeketh thy hurt?

10Behold, 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.

11Moreover, 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.

12The Lord judge between me and thee, and the Lord avenge me of thee: but mine hand shall not be upon thee.

13As saith the proverb of the ancients, Wickedness proceedeth from the wicked: but mine hand shall not be upon thee.

14After whom is the king of Israel come out? after whom dost thou pursue? after a dead dog, after a flea.

15The Lord therefore be judge, and judge between me and thee, and see, and plead my cause, and deliver me out of thine hand.

16And 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.

17And he said to David, Thou art more righteous than I: for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil.

18And 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.

19For 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.

20And now, behold, I know well that thou shalt surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in thine hand.

21Swear 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.

22And David sware unto Saul. And Saul went home; but David and his men gat them up unto the hold.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Saul unknowingly enters a cave where David is hiding. David secretly cuts off the edge of Saul's robe but refuses to kill him, sparing 'the Lord's anointed.' Saul briefly acknowledges David's righteousness and weeps.

Explanation

The perfect opportunity to kill Saul, presented by David's own men as a clear sign of God delivering the enemy into his hands, is refused by David on the basis of a profound theological principle: even a rejected and unjust king remained 'the Lord's anointed,' and taking his life would be usurping a judgment that belonged to God alone. The symbolic act of showing only the cut edge of the robe, without physically harming Saul, proves undeniably and visibly that David had a real chance to kill him but deliberately chose not to, disarming any future accusation of treason. Saul's emotional reaction, weeping and momentarily acknowledging 'thou art more righteous than I,' shows a flash of moral conscience that, unfortunately, would not be enough to permanently change his behavior toward David.

Fun facts

  • The custom of 'covering his feet' mentioned in the text (v.3) is a common Hebrew euphemism for relieving oneself, explaining why Saul entered alone and vulnerable into the very cave where David was hiding.
  • The proverb quoted by David, 'wickedness proceedeth from the wicked' (v.13), is presented as an already old and familiar saying of the time, showing that popular wisdom sayings circulated and were cited as shared moral authority.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. 1 Samuel 24:1As soon as the Philistine threat that had interrupted the chase in the previous chapter is dealt with, Saul immediately resumes hunting David — his personal priority is still his former armor-bearer, not the kingdom’s safety.
  2. 1 Samuel 24:2Mobilizing three thousand elite soldiers against a band of hidden fugitives shows, once again, how much of the kingdom’s resources were being poured into this personal vendetta.
  3. 1 Samuel 24:3To “cover his feet” is a polite expression for relieving himself — Saul walks into the cave with no idea that the very man he is hunting is hidden right there, deep in its shadows.
  4. 1 Samuel 24:4David’s men read the coincidence as an obvious divine sign that the time has come to kill Saul — but David chooses a minimal symbolic gesture instead of seizing the lethal opportunity.
  5. 1 Samuel 24:5Cutting off the corner of Saul’s robe, the act of the previous verse, already troubles David’s conscience, because the royal robe functioned as a symbol of the office itself — touching it, even without harming Saul, symbolically tampered with the authority God had given him.
  6. 1 Samuel 24:6Even after years of being unjustly hunted, David treats Saul’s anointing as sacred and untouchable — a principle he will hold to firmly even when he has both motive and opportunity for revenge.
  7. 1 Samuel 24:7Restraining his own men, who were already primed to kill Saul on the spot, demanded from David both real leadership authority and genuine moral conviction.
  8. 1 Samuel 24:8Revealing himself only after Saul was already safe and far from the cave was the safest way to prove good faith without risking immediate retaliation during the encounter.
  9. 1 Samuel 24:9David directly confronts the source of Saul’s distrust: rumors and ill-intentioned advisers, not any real act of betrayal on his part.
  10. 1 Samuel 24:10David reveals that he was explicitly urged to kill Saul and refused — turning the act of cutting only the corner of the robe into an even stronger proof of his deliberate loyalty.
  11. 1 Samuel 24:11David uses the scrap of cloth itself as irrefutable physical evidence — there is no denying that he had the perfect chance and chose not to take it.
  12. 1 Samuel 24:12David hands over judgment, and even any possible vengeance, into God’s hands, refusing to take that responsibility into his own, even after suffering so much injustice.
  13. 1 Samuel 24:13Quoting an already-known proverb reinforces David’s argument: wicked acts only prove who is truly wicked — and he is deliberately refusing that path.
  14. 1 Samuel 24:14Calling himself “a dead dog” and “a flea” in front of Saul is a deliberate rhetorical exaggeration: David lowers himself as far as possible to show that chasing someone this insignificant is a waste of a king’s effort.
  15. 1 Samuel 24:15David closes his speech by repeating the same conviction: he would rather wait for God’s justice than act on his own against the anointed king.
  16. 1 Samuel 24:16Saul’s public weeping, recognizing David’s voice before he has even fully processed what happened, suggests a rare moment of genuine emotion breaking through his usual paranoia.
  17. 1 Samuel 24:17This is one of the rare direct admissions of guilt from Saul in the whole book — a momentary, though not lasting, recognition of the injustice he had been committing.
  18. 1 Samuel 24:18Saul publicly admits, in front of his own soldiers, that his life depended entirely on David’s moral choice not to use the advantage he had.
  19. 1 Samuel 24:19Saul expresses genuine surprise at behavior he himself admits is unusual — few people, in his own words, would show the same generosity with total advantage in hand.
  20. 1 Samuel 24:20This is the first time Saul himself openly and unreservedly admits that David will be the next king — a confession that contradicts the whole chase so far, yet does not change his behavior afterward.
  21. 1 Samuel 24:21Saul asks for the same future protection for his descendants that Jonathan had already requested earlier — in effect admitting that the end of his own dynasty is near.
  22. 1 Samuel 24:22Despite the emotional reconciliation of this scene, David still does not trust it enough to return to court — he goes back to hiding, knowing, rightly, that Saul’s peace might not last.

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