TRV
Translation
King James Version
¶ 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.
KJV (with Strong's)
Saul H7586 also sent H7971 messengers H4397 unto David's H1732 house H1004, to watch H8104 him, and to slay H4191 him in the morning H1242: and Michal H4324 David's H1732 wife H802 told H5046 him, saying H559, If thou save H4422 not thy life H5315 to night H3915, to morrow H4279 thou shalt be slain H4191.
Complete Jewish Bible
But Sha'ul sent messengers to David's house to watch for him and kill him in the morning. Mikhal David's wife told him, "If you don't save your life tonight, tomorrow you'll be dead."
Berean Standard Bible
Then Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch him and kill him in the morning. But David’s wife Michal warned him, “If you do not run for your life tonight, tomorrow you will be dead!”
American Standard Version
And Saul 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 wilt be slain.
World English Bible Messianic
Saul sent messengers to David’s house, to watch him, and to kill him in the morning. Michal, David’s wife, told him, saying, “If you don’t save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.”
Geneva Bible (1599)
Saul also sent messengers vnto Dauids house, to watch him, and to slay him in the morning: and Michal Dauids wife told it him, saying, If thou saue not thy selfe this night, to morowe thou shalt be slayne.
Young's Literal Translation
And Saul sendeth messengers unto the house of David to watch him, and to put him to death in the morning; and Michal his wife declareth to David, saying, `If thou art not delivering thy life to-night--tomorrow thou art put to death.'
Study This Verse
Commentary on 1 Samuel 19 verses 11–17
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.
12 So Michal let David down through a window: and he went, and fled, and escaped.
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.
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?
Here is, I. Saul's further design of mischief to David. When David had escaped the javelin, supposing he went straight to his own house, as indeed he did, Saul sent some of his guards after him to lay wait at the door of his house, and to assassinate him in the morning as soon as he stirred out, Sa1 19:11. Josephus says the design was to seize him and to hurry him before a court of justice that was ordered to condemn him and put him to death as a traitor; but we are here told it was a shorter way they were to take with him: they were ordered to slay him. Well might David complain that his enemies were bloody men, as he did in the psalm which he penned at this time, and upon this occasion (Ps. 59), when Saul sent, and they watched the house to kill him. See Sa1 19:2, Sa1 19:3, and Sa1 19:7. He complains that swords were in their lips.
II. David's wonderful deliverance out of this danger. Michal was the instrument of it, whom Saul gave him to be a snare to him, but she proved to be his protector and helper. Often is the devil out-shot with his own bow. How Michal came to know the danger her husband was in does not appear; perhaps she had notice sent her from court, or rather was herself aware of the soldiers about the house, when they were going to bed, though they kept so still and silent that they said, Who dost hear? which David takes notice of, Psa 59:7. She, knowing her father's great indignation at David, soon suspected the design, and bestirred herself for her husband's safety. 1. She got David out of the danger. She told him how imminent the peril was (Sa1 19:11): Tomorrow thou wilt be slain. As Josephus paraphrases it, she told him that if the sun saw him there next morning it would never see him more; and then put him in a way of escape. David himself was better versed in the art of fighting than of flying, and had it been lawful it would have been easy for him to have cleared his house, by dint of sword, from those that haunted it; but Michal let him down through a window (Sa1 19:12), all the doors being guarded; and so he fled and escaped. And now it was that, either in his own closet before he went or in the hiding-place to which he fled, he penned that fifty-ninth Psalm, which shows that, in his fright and hurry, his mind was composed, and, in this great danger, his faith was strong and fixed on God; and, whereas the plot was to slay him in the morning, he speaks there with the greatest assurance (Sa1 19:16), I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning. 2. She practised a deception upon Saul and those whom he employed to be the instruments of his cruelty. When the doors of the house were opened in the morning, and David did not appear, the messengers would search the house for him, and did so. But Michal told them he was sick in bed (Sa1 19:14), and, if they would not believe her, they might see, for (Sa1 19:13) she had put a wooden image in the bed, and wrapped it up close and warm as if it had been David asleep, not in a condition to be spoken to; the goats' hair about the image was to resemble David's hair, the better to impose upon them. Michal can by no means be justified in telling a lie, and covering it thus with a cheat. God's truth needed not her lie. But she intended hereby to keep Saul in suspense for a while, that David might have some time to secure himself, not doubting but those messengers would pursue him if they found he had gone. The messengers had so much humanity as not to offer him any disturbance when they heard he was sick; for to those that are in this misery pity should be shown; but Saul, when he heard it, gave positive orders that he should be brought to him sick or well: Bring him to me in the bed, that I may slay him, Sa1 19:15. It was base and barbarous thus to triumph over a sick man; and to vow the death of one who for aught that he knew was dying by the hand of nature. So earnestly did he thirst after his blood, and so greedy was his revenge, that he could not be pleased to see him dead, unless he himself was the death of him; though awhile ago he had said, Let not my hand be upon him. Thus when men lay the reins on the neck of their passions they grow more and more outrageous. When the messengers were sent again, the cheat was discovered, Sa1 19:16. But by this time it was to be hoped that David was safe, and therefore Michal was not then much concerned at the discovery. Saul chid her for helping David to escape (Sa1 19:17): Why hast thou deceived me so? What a base spirit was Saul of, to expect that, because Michal was his daughter, she must therefore betray her own husband to him unjustly. Ought she not to forsake and forget her father and her father's house, to cleave to her husband? Those that themselves will be held by no bonds of reason or religion are ready to think that others should as easily break those bonds. In answer to Saul's chiding, Michal is not so careful of her husband's reputation as she had been of his person, when she makes this her excuse: He said, Let me go, why should I kill thee? As her insinuating that she would have hindered his flight was false (it was she that put him upon it and furthered it), so it was an unjust unworthy reflection upon him to suggest that he threatened to kill her if she would not let him go, and might confirm Saul in his rage against him. David was far from being so barbarous a man and so imperious a husband, so brutish in his resolves and so haughty in his menaces, as she here represented him. But David suffered both from friends and foes, and so did the son of David.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 11–17. Public domain.
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Gregory of NyssaAD 395
ON THE INSCRIPTIONS OF THE PSALMS 2.16.264
The story relates how, when the vehement emotion of the demonic spirit had settled on Saul and the holy David quieted the disturbance of the passion by means of his psaltery, Saul found the spear that was standing by him, aimed it straight at David and hurled it against his benefactor. David, however, avoided the attack on himself by means of the divine alliance, and the assault of the spear fixed itself deeply in the wall. He fled the royal dwellings and was in his own house, in the hope that repentance would alter the king’s anger. But Saul placed his spearmen around David’s house and ordered the executioners to kill him. He barely escaped the dangers by letting himself down into the open through a window and avoiding detection by the guard.
CassiodorusAD 585
EXPOSITION OF THE PSALMS 58.1
“Then Saul sent and watched his house to kill him.” This too is fittingly associated with the Lord’s passion, for house indicates the tomb where he rested in a three-day death. The Jews’ leaders sent men to guard it, to destroy so to say the fame of his name, so that by some trick it should not be claimed that he rose again, an eventuality which Christ had been heard earlier proclaiming. It was better that his enemies should of their own accord desire to condemn this, for it allowed the whole world to acknowledge the fact more certainly. The evidence which the unwilling witness offers is beyond doubt; it cannot be called partisan when confirmed by the guilty person.
BedeAD 735
Commentary on Samuel
Therefore Saul sent his messengers to David's house, etc. The chief priests and Pharisees sent their messengers to the Lord's tomb to guard it, hoping that by denying the truth of the resurrection, the memory of His name would be erased in the future. The frequent laments of the Church announced this to Him (for the Lord hears the desire of the poor [Psalm IX]), and trembling from the conspiracy of the faithless, it somehow said: Unless you rise from the dead, the faith and confession of the believers in you cannot firmly persist; unless you invalidate the watchfulness of the guards by overcoming death, the whole faith in the future resurrection will be taken away from the world; at last, it learned that He had left the tomb's location to His guards. He went away and escaped from His executioners and the lying guards; and by appearing to His dear ones after the resurrection, He completely restored their hope and faith. David's harp can specifically and figuratively represent the cross of the Lord; Saul's spear on the wall can represent the nails of the cross, or the very soldier's lance which opened His side. As we have said, David's house is the tomb of the Lord. The leap through the window is the concealed and sudden speed of the resurrection. The wife from whom he escaped through a plan is the Church of believing Jews, who both desired the Lord Savior to rise and taught that He had risen.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
This verse captures a pivotal moment in the escalating conflict between King Saul and David, revealing Saul's calculated and murderous intent. After previous impulsive attempts, Saul dispatches messengers to David's home with orders to surveil him through the night and assassinate him at dawn. This dire plot is thwarted by Michal, David's wife and Saul's daughter, who courageously warns David of the imminent danger, urging him to flee immediately to preserve his life. The verse underscores the profound betrayal of Saul, the critical role of loyal allies, and God's providential hand in protecting His anointed.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
The narrative of 1 Samuel 19:11 is rich with literary devices that heighten its dramatic impact and theological significance. Irony is prominent, as Saul's own daughter, Michal, becomes the instrument of David's salvation, directly thwarting her father's murderous plot. This unexpected turn of events underscores the futility of human schemes against God's chosen one. The verse also employs Suspense, building tension through the description of the messengers' surveillance and the impending dawn execution. Michal's urgent warning further amplifies this suspense, creating a critical moment of decision for David. There is also an element of Foreshadowing, as this event marks the beginning of David's life as a fugitive, a period characterized by constant danger and miraculous escapes, which will further refine his character and demonstrate God's unwavering protection. Finally, the stark contrast between Saul's murderous intent and Michal's selfless loyalty creates a powerful Antithesis, highlighting the moral and spiritual chasm between the two figures.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
This verse powerfully illustrates God's sovereign protection over His anointed, even amidst intense human hostility. Despite Saul's calculated evil and the seemingly insurmountable odds, God orchestrates David's deliverance through an unexpected agent—Michal, who is herself a member of the hostile royal family. This demonstrates that God's purposes cannot be thwarted by human malice or political machinations. It reinforces the theological truth that the Lord is the ultimate deliverer, often working through human agency and seemingly coincidental events to preserve His chosen instruments for His divine plan. David's escape is not merely a lucky break but a testament to God's faithfulness to His covenant promises and His commitment to establishing His kingdom through His chosen king.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
The narrative of 1 Samuel 19:11 serves as a profound reminder that even in the face of overwhelming and life-threatening opposition, God remains sovereign and capable of delivering His people. It calls us to cultivate a spirit of vigilance, recognizing that spiritual battles often manifest in tangible threats, and to act decisively when divine warnings are given, whether through direct revelation, the counsel of trusted individuals, or the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Michal's courageous act of loyalty challenges us to consider where our ultimate allegiances lie—to human authority or to divine principles and the well-being of God's people. Furthermore, Saul's unchecked jealousy stands as a stark warning against allowing envy and insecurity to fester, as they can lead to destructive and murderous paths, corrupting even those in positions of power. Ultimately, this passage encourages us to trust in God's providential care, knowing that He can use the most unexpected means and individuals to accomplish His purposes and protect those who are walking in His will.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why was Saul so intent on killing David, despite David's loyalty?
Answer: Saul's intense desire to kill David stemmed primarily from deep-seated jealousy, paranoia, and a loss of God's favor. David's military successes and growing popularity among the people, coupled with the prophetic word that God had rejected Saul and chosen another king (1 Samuel 15:28), fueled Saul's insecurity. He perceived David as a direct threat to his throne and legacy, believing that David would eventually usurp him. This irrational fear was exacerbated by an "evil spirit from the Lord" (1 Samuel 16:14), which tormented him and drove him to increasingly violent and irrational acts against David, despite David's consistent loyalty and service.
How did Michal help David escape, and what does this reveal about her character?
Answer: After warning David of Saul's plot, Michal actively facilitated his escape. According to 1 Samuel 19:12-17, she let David down through a window, allowing him to flee the house unnoticed by Saul's messengers. To buy him more time and deceive the messengers, she then placed an idol (teraphim) in David's bed, covered it with clothes, and put a goat hair pillow at its head to make it appear as if David was sick in bed. When Saul's messengers came to seize David, she claimed he was ill. This deception bought David crucial hours to escape. Michal's actions reveal remarkable courage, quick thinking, and profound loyalty to her husband, even at the risk of incurring her powerful father's wrath. Her devotion to David superseded her familial allegiance to Saul.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
The narrative of David's persecution by Saul and his miraculous deliverance, particularly through Michal's intervention in 1 Samuel 19:11, powerfully foreshadows the life and ultimate triumph of Jesus Christ. David, God's anointed king, is unjustly pursued by a jealous and insecure ruler, much like Herod's attempt to eliminate the infant Jesus (Matthew 2:13-18). Throughout His earthly ministry, Jesus, the true Son of David and the ultimate King, faced relentless opposition and plots against His life from religious and political authorities (John 7:1 and John 11:53). Yet, just as God providentially protected David through unexpected means, so too did He preserve Jesus until His appointed time. The ultimate "escape" for Christ was not from death, but through death, culminating in His resurrection, which defeated the power of sin and death forever (Romans 6:9-10). David's deliverance points to the greater salvation offered by Christ, who, though He willingly laid down His life, ultimately triumphed over all the schemes of evil, securing eternal life for all who believe (John 10:18). Thus, David's flight from Saul anticipates the divine protection of God's true Anointed One and His ultimate victory over all His enemies.