1 Samuel 20:26

KJV

Nevertheless Saul spake not any thing that day: for he thought, Something hath befallen him, he [is] not clean; surely he [is] not clean.

KJV (with Strong's)

Nevertheless Saul {H7586} spake {H1696} not any thing {H3972} that day {H3117}: for he thought {H559}, Something hath befallen {H4745} him, he is not {H1115} clean {H2889}; surely he is not clean {H2889}.

Complete Jewish Bible

However, Sha'ul didn't say anything that day; because he thought, "Something has happened to him, he is unclean. Yes, that's it, he isn't clean."

Berean Standard Bible

Saul said nothing that day because he thought, “Something has happened to David to make him ceremonially unclean—surely he is unclean.”

American Standard Version

Nevertheless Saul spake not anything that day: for he thought, Something hath befallen him, he is not clean; surely he is not clean.

Commentary

### SUMMARY
1 Samuel 20:26 captures King Saul's initial reaction to David's conspicuous absence from the New Moon feast. Rather than confronting the truth of David's fear and deliberate evasion, Saul rationalizes his empty seat by assuming David is ritually unclean. This verse reveals Saul's self-deception and the escalating tension between him and David, foreshadowing the king's violent outburst that would follow.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** This verse is a crucial moment in the unfolding drama of Saul's escalating paranoia and David's flight. It immediately follows the profound covenant between David and Jonathan, where Jonathan warns David of Saul's murderous intent and orchestrates David's absence from the feast as a test of Saul's true disposition ([1 Samuel 20:1-23](/1_samuel/20-1 "1 Samuel 20:1-23 - Jonathan's Covenant with David")). David's absence is not accidental but a pre-arranged signal. Saul's initial silence on the first day of the feast, despite David's empty seat, sets the stage for his explosive rage on the second day when Jonathan attempts to explain David's absence ([1 Samuel 20:27-34](/1_samuel/20-27 "1 Samuel 20:27-34 - Saul's Rage Against Jonathan")). This scene is pivotal in confirming Saul's irreversible hostility towards David and solidifying David's need to flee.
* **Historical & Cultural Context:** The Feast of the New Moon was a significant monthly observance in ancient Israel, often involving communal feasting and religious sacrifices, as indicated in passages like [Numbers 28:11-15](/numbers/28-11 "Numbers 28:11-15 - Offerings for the New Moon"). Attendance at such royal and religious gatherings was expected, especially for a prominent figure like David, the king's son-in-law and military commander. The concept of ritual purity, or `tahorah` (cleanliness), was central to Israelite life under the Mosaic Law. Various circumstances, such as contact with a dead body, certain bodily discharges, or other events detailed in [Leviticus 15](/leviticus/15 "Leviticus 15 - Laws Concerning Discharges"), could render a person `tame` (unclean), temporarily excluding them from communal meals, temple worship, or other sacred activities. Saul's immediate thought reflects this cultural understanding, offering a socially acceptable, albeit false, explanation for David's absence.
* **Key Themes:** This verse powerfully illustrates several key themes. Firstly, it highlights **Saul's deteriorating spiritual and mental state**, marked by increasing paranoia, self-deception, and a hardening of his heart against God's anointed. His rationalization of David's absence with a religious pretext reveals his inability or unwillingness to confront the true source of his animosity. Secondly, it underscores the **misuse of religious law and concepts** for personal rationalization or justification. Saul's quick assumption about ritual impurity serves as a convenient shield for his underlying murderous intent, a theme echoed in later biblical critiques of outward religiosity without inward righteousness. Finally, the verse subtly points to the **divine providence** at work, as David's absence, though born of human fear and strategy, ultimately serves to further expose Saul's true character and propel David towards his destiny as king, even amidst the king's treachery.

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
#### Key Word Analysis
* **Spake not (Hebrew, _lo' dibber'_):** This phrase emphasizes Saul's initial silence, which is not merely an absence of words but a deliberate withholding of reaction. It suggests an internal processing, a moment of calculation or perhaps even a fleeting struggle before his true murderous intentions surface. This silence is pregnant with unspoken tension and foreshadows the violent outburst to come.
* **Clean (Hebrew, _tahor'_):** The word `tahor` signifies ritual purity, the opposite of `tame` (unclean). In ancient Israel, being `tahor` was essential for participating in sacred activities, including communal meals. Saul's assumption that David was "not clean" (i.e., `tame`) implies a state of ritual defilement, which would legitimately prevent him from attending the feast. This highlights Saul's attempt to frame David's absence within a religiously acceptable framework, rather than acknowledging the true reason: David's fear for his life due to Saul's own murderous threats.
* **Befallen him (Hebrew, _miqreh hu'_):** This phrase suggests that "something has happened to him" or "it is an accident." Saul's thought implies that David's impurity is an unfortunate circumstance, not a deliberate act of defiance or evasion. This further underscores Saul's self-deception, as he chooses to believe in an accidental cause for David's absence rather than the reality that David is actively avoiding him due to his own threats.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"Nevertheless Saul spake not any thing that day:"** On the first day of the New Moon feast, despite David's conspicuous absence, King Saul maintains an unusual silence. This restraint is significant, indicating that he is observing and processing the situation internally, perhaps weighing his options or suppressing his immediate rage. It's a moment of deceptive calm before the storm.
* **"for he thought, Something hath befallen him,"** Saul's internal monologue reveals his attempt to rationalize David's absence. Instead of suspecting David's deliberate evasion, he attributes it to an unforeseen event or circumstance. This thought process allows him to avoid confronting the uncomfortable truth of his own tyrannical behavior and David's justified fear.
* **"he [is] not clean; surely he [is] not clean."** This repeated phrase serves as Saul's chosen explanation for David's "misfortune." He concludes that David must be in a state of ritual impurity (`tame`), which would prevent him from participating in the communal feast. The repetition ("surely he is not clean") emphasizes Saul's conviction in this false assumption, highlighting his self-deception and his preference for a convenient religious explanation over the painful reality of his own sin and David's flight.

#### Literary Devices
The passage masterfully employs several literary devices to convey its meaning. **Dramatic Irony** is prominent, as the audience is fully aware of David's deliberate absence and the true reason behind it (Jonathan's warning and Saul's murderous intent), while Saul remains oblivious or willfully ignorant, rationalizing the situation with a false premise. The **Repetition** of "he is not clean; surely he is not clean" serves to emphasize Saul's internal conviction and his firm, albeit mistaken, grasp on this rationalization. This repetition underscores his self-deception and the psychological process by which he avoids the truth. Furthermore, Saul's initial silence and misinterpretation act as **Foreshadowing**, building tension and hinting at the explosive confrontation that will inevitably erupt on the following day, revealing the full extent of his irrational rage.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Saul's self-deception and his use of ritual purity as a convenient explanation for David's absence resonate with broader biblical themes concerning the human heart's capacity for rationalization and spiritual blindness. His focus on external, ritualistic explanations, while harboring murderous intent, foreshadows the hypocrisy that Jesus would later condemn in the religious leaders of His day. This passage reminds us that true purity is not merely external adherence to laws but an internal state of the heart. Saul's inability to confront his own sin and his chosen path of self-justification ultimately led to his downfall, illustrating the danger of an unregenerate heart that prefers comforting lies to uncomfortable truths.

* [Proverbs 16:25](/proverbs/16-25 "Proverbs 16:25 - There is a way that seems right to a man")
* [Matthew 23:27-28](/matthew/23-27 "Matthew 23:27-28 - Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!")
* [Jeremiah 17:9](/jeremiah/17-9 "Jeremiah 17:9 - The heart is deceitful above all things")

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Saul's behavior in this verse serves as a potent mirror for our own human tendencies. How often do we, like Saul, jump to assumptions about others, especially when their actions are inconvenient or challenging to our own narratives? His rationalization of David's absence with a seemingly legitimate religious reason, while harboring deep-seated jealousy and hatred, warns us against the danger of using outward circumstances or even spiritual pretexts to mask deeper, less noble motives. This passage calls us to honest introspection: Do we confront uncomfortable truths about ourselves and our relationships, or do we rationalize and deceive ourselves, allowing resentment and unaddressed issues to fester? Saul's initial silence, a brewing storm before the outburst, also reminds us to be attuned to the unspoken tensions in our lives and relationships, recognizing that unaddressed issues often lead to greater conflict.

#### Questions for Reflection
* **How do our assumptions about others often prevent us from seeing the truth or addressing underlying issues in our relationships?**
* **In what ways might we rationalize our own actions or the actions of others, rather than confronting difficult realities or admitting our own faults?**
* **What role does genuine spiritual purity (of heart and motive, not just ritual observance) play in our relationships with God and with others?**

### FAQ
**Why was David absent from the New Moon feast?**

Answer: David's absence was not accidental or due to ritual impurity, as Saul assumed. It was a deliberate, pre-arranged test with Jonathan to ascertain Saul's true intentions towards David. Jonathan had warned David of Saul's murderous plans, and David was in hiding, using his absence from the feast as a signal to reveal Saul's disposition, as described in [1 Samuel 20:5-7](/1_samuel/20-5 "1 Samuel 20:5-7 - David's Plan with Jonathan").

**What does "not clean" mean in this context?**

Answer: In this context, "not clean" refers to a state of ritual impurity (`tame` in Hebrew) according to the Mosaic Law. Various conditions, such as contact with a dead body, certain bodily discharges, or other specified events, could render a person ritually unclean, temporarily preventing their participation in communal meals, sacrifices, or other sacred activities. Saul's assumption was a convenient, culturally acceptable, but ultimately false, explanation for David's absence, allowing him to avoid the truth of David's fear of him.

**How does this verse show Saul's character?**

Answer: This verse is highly revealing of Saul's deteriorating character. It demonstrates his paranoia, as he immediately suspects David's absence is due to some negative circumstance rather than considering David's deliberate evasion. More significantly, it highlights his self-deception and tendency to rationalize, choosing to believe a convenient lie (ritual impurity) over the painful truth that David is avoiding him because of Saul's own murderous intent. His initial silence also suggests a moment of internal calculation or suppressed rage, foreshadowing his later violent outburst against Jonathan and David in [1 Samuel 20:30-34](/1_samuel/20-30 "1 Samuel 20:30-34 - Saul's Rage Against Jonathan").

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Saul's misjudgment of David, his focus on external ritual purity while harboring inner corruption, and his ultimate rejection of God's anointed king, find profound Christ-centered fulfillment. Saul's assumption about David's ritual impurity foreshadows the legalistic mindset prevalent during Jesus' earthly ministry, where outward adherence to the law often masked inward hypocrisy and a failure to grasp the heart of God's commands. Just as Saul failed to recognize the true character and divine anointing of David, the religious leaders of Jesus' day failed to recognize their Messiah, often accusing Him of being "unclean" or associating with "unclean" people ([Matthew 9:11](/matthew/9-11 "Matthew 9:11 - Jesus Eats with Sinners")). Jesus, however, came not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it, revealing that true defilement comes from within the heart ([Matthew 15:1-20](/matthew/15-1 "Matthew 15:1-20 - What Defiles a Person")). He is the ultimate "clean" sacrifice, the spotless [Lamb of God](/john/1-29 "John 1:29 - Jesus, the Lamb of God"), whose perfect obedience and atoning death make us truly clean, not by ritual observance but by faith in His blood ([Hebrews 9:14](/hebrews/9-14 "Hebrews 9:14 - The Blood of Christ Cleanses Conscience"); [1 John 1:7](/1_john/1-7 "1 John 1:7 - Walking in the Light")). Saul's tragic rejection of David, God's chosen king, ultimately points to the world's rejection of Christ, the true King, who was "in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him" ([John 1:10-11](/john/1-10 "John 1:10-11 - He Was In The World")).

Note: Commentary is generated by AI with a directive for Biblical fidelity. Always rely on the Holy Spirit for discernment. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

Cross-References

Leviticus 15:5

And whosoever toucheth his bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe [himself] in water, and be unclean until the even.

Leviticus 11:24

And for these ye shall be unclean: whosoever toucheth the carcase of them shall be unclean until the even.

Leviticus 11:27

And whatsoever goeth upon his paws, among all manner of beasts that go on [all] four, those [are] unclean unto you: whoso toucheth their carcase shall be unclean until the even.

Leviticus 15:19

¶ And if a woman have an issue, [and] her issue in her flesh be blood, she shall be put apart seven days: and whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean until the even.

Leviticus 15:21

And whosoever toucheth her bed shall wash his clothes, and bathe [himself] in water, and be unclean until the even.

Leviticus 11:40

And he that eateth of the carcase of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: he also that beareth the carcase of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even.

Leviticus 11:31

These [are] unclean to you among all that creep: whosoever doth touch them, when they be dead, shall be unclean until the even.