TRV
Translation
King James Version
So David and Abishai came to the people by night: and, behold, Saul lay sleeping within the trench, and his spear stuck in the ground at his bolster: but Abner and the people lay round about him.
KJV (with Strong's)
Complete Jewish Bible
So David and Avishai went to the soldiers by night. Sha'ul was lying there asleep inside the barricade. His spear was stuck in the ground next to his head, with Avner and the troops asleep all around him.
Berean Standard Bible
That night David and Abishai came to the troops, and Saul was lying there asleep in the inner circle of the camp, with his spear stuck in the ground by his head. And Abner and the troops were lying around him.
American Standard Version
So David and Abishai came to the people by night: and, behold, Saul lay sleeping within the place of the wagons, with his spear stuck in the ground at his head; and Abner and the people lay round about him.
World English Bible Messianic
So David and Abishai came to the people by night: and, behold, Saul lay sleeping within the place of the wagons, with his spear stuck in the ground at his head; and Abner and the people lay around him.
Geneva Bible (1599)
So Dauid and Abishai came downe to the people by night: and beholde, Saul lay sleeping within the fort, and his speare did sticke in the ground at his head: and Abner and the people lay round about him.
Young's Literal Translation
And David cometh--and Abishai--unto the people by night, and lo, Saul is lying sleeping in the path, and his spear struck into the earth at his pillow, and abner and the people are lying round about him.
Study This Verse
Commentary on 1 Samuel 26 verses 6–12
6 ¶ Then answered David and said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Abishai the son of Zeruiah, brother to Joab, saying, Who will go down with me to Saul to the camp? And Abishai said, I will go down with thee.
7 So David and Abishai came to the people by night: and, behold, Saul lay sleeping within the trench, and his spear stuck in the ground at his bolster: but Abner and the people lay round about him.
8 Then said Abishai to David, God hath delivered thine enemy into thine hand this day: now therefore let me smite him, I pray thee, with the spear even to the earth at once, and I will not smite him the second time.
9 And David said to Abishai, Destroy him not: for who can stretch forth his hand against the LORD'S anointed, and be guiltless?
10 David said furthermore, As the LORD liveth, the LORD shall smite him; or his day shall come to die; or he shall descend into battle, and perish.
11 The LORD forbid that I should stretch forth mine hand against the LORD'S anointed: but, I pray thee, take thou now the spear that is at his bolster, and the cruse of water, and let us go.
12 So David took the spear and the cruse of water from Saul's bolster; and they gat them away, and no man saw it, nor knew it, neither awaked: for they were all asleep; because a deep sleep from the LORD was fallen upon them.
Here is, I. David's bold adventure into Saul's camp in the night, accompanied only by his kinsman Abishai, the son of Zeruiah. He proposed it to him and to another of his confidants (Sa1 26:6), but the other either declined it as too dangerous an enterprise, or at least was content that Abishai, who was forward to it, should run the risk of it rather than himself. Whether David was prompted to do this by his own courage, or by an extraordinary impression upon his spirits, or by the oracle, does not appear; but, like Gideon, he ventured through the guards, with a special assurance of the divine protection.
II. The posture he found the camp in Saul lay sleeping in the trench, or, as some read it, in his chariot, and in the midst of his carriages, with his spear stuck in the ground by him, to be ready if his quarters should by beaten up (Sa1 26:7); and all the soldiers, even those that were appointed to stand sentinel, were fast asleep, Sa1 26:12. Thus were their eyes closed and their hands bound, for a deep sleep from the Lord had fallen upon them; something extraordinary there was in it that they should all be asleep together, and so fast asleep that David and Abishai walked and talked among them, and yet none of them stirred. Sleep, when God gives it to his beloved, is their rest and refreshment; but he can, when he pleases, make it to his enemies their imprisonment. Thus are the stout-hearted spoiled; they have slept their sleep, and none of the men of might have found their hands, at thy rebuke, O God of Jacob! Psa 76:5, Psa 76:6. It was a deep sleep from the Lord, who has the command of the powers of nature, and makes them to serve his purposes as he pleases. Whom God will disable, or destroy, he binds up with a spirit of slumber, Rom 11:8. How helpless do Saul and all his forces lie, all, in effect, disarmed and chained! and yet nothing is done to them; they are only rocked asleep. How easily can God weaken the strongest, befool the wisest, and baffle the most watchful! Let all his friends therefore trust him and all his enemies fear him.
III. Abishai's request to David for a commission to dispatch Saul with the spear that stuck at his bolster, which (now that he lay so fair) he undertook to do at one blow, Sa1 26:8. He would not urge David to kill him himself, because he had declined doing this before when he had a similar opportunity; but he begged earnestly that David would give him leave to do it, pleading that he was his enemy, not only cruel and implacable, but false and perfidious, whom no reason would rule nor kindness work upon, and that God had now delivered him into his hand, and did in effect bid him strike. The last advantage he had of this kind was indeed but accidental, when Saul happened to be in the cave with him at the same time. But in this there was something extraordinary; the deep sleep that had fallen on Saul and all his guards was manifestly from the Lord, so that it was a special providence which gave him this opportunity; he ought not therefore to let it slip.
IV. David's generous refusal to suffer any harm to be done to Saul, and in it a resolute adherence to his principles of loyalty, Sa1 26:9. David charged Abishai not to destroy him, would not only not do it himself, but not permit another to do it. And he gave two reasons for it: - 1. It would be a sinful affront to God's ordinance. Saul was the Lord's anointed, king of Israel by the special appointment and nomination of the God of Israel, the power that was, and to resist him was to resist the ordinance of God, Rom 13:2. No man could do it and be guiltless. The thing he feared was guilt and his concern respected his innocence more than his safety. 2. It would be a sinful anticipation of God's providence. God had sufficiently shown him, in Nabal's case, that, if he left it to him to avenge him, he would do it in due time. Encouraged therefore by his experience in that instance, he resolves to wait till God shall think fit to avenge him on Saul, and he will by no means avenge himself (Sa1 26:10): "The Lord shall smite him, as he did Nabal, with some sudden stroke, or he shall die in battle (as it proved he did soon after), or, if not, his day shall come to die a natural death, and I will contentedly wait till then, rather than force my way to the promised crown by any indirect methods." The temptation indeed was very strong; but, if he should yield, he would sin against God, and therefore he will resist the temptation with the utmost resolution (Sa1 26:11): "The Lord forbid that I should stretch forth my hand against the Lord's anointed; no, I will never do it, nor suffer it to be done." Thus bravely does he prefer his conscience to his interest and trusts God with the issue.
V. The improvement he made of this opportunity for the further evidence of his own integrity. He and Abishai carried away the spear and cruse of water which Saul had by his bed-side (Sa1 26:12), and, which was very strange, none of all the guards were aware of it. If a physician had given them the strongest opiate or stupifying dose, they could not have been faster locked up with sleep. Saul's spear which he had by him for defence, and his cup of water which he had for his refreshment, were both stolen from him while he slept. Thus do we lose our strength and our comfort when we are careless, and secure, and off our watch.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 6–12. Public domain.
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Basil of CaesareaAD 379
CONCERNING ENVY
If Saul had been asked the reason for his hostility, he would have been compelled to admit that it was the favors received from David’s hand. Moreover, even though Saul had been found asleep by David during the very time that the latter was being pursued, and although Saul lay, an easy victim, before his enemy, his life was again spared by that just man, for he refrained from doing him violence.
BedeAD 735
Commentary on Samuel
Therefore, David and Abisai came to the people by night, etc. The Lord and his disciples came to visit the people, who were sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death, and found his kingdom entirely depressed in kinship, and torpid with blind stupor, all the defenses of virtues, with which they ought to have been armed against spiritual enemies, lived in earthly desires, but also all the teachers and listeners languishing with the same pestilence of sloth as the princes.
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
1 Samuel 26:7 presents a pivotal moment in David's life, depicting his second profound opportunity to eliminate King Saul, his relentless persecutor. This scene unfolds under the cover of night in the wilderness of Ziph, where David and his loyal nephew Abishai stealthily infiltrate Saul's sleeping encampment. The verse vividly portrays Saul's extreme vulnerability, lying in a deep slumber with his spear, a potent symbol of his royal authority, stuck in the ground at his head, while his elite guard, including the formidable Abner, also lie fast asleep around him. This dramatic tableau underscores the divine orchestration that delivered Saul into David's hands, setting the stage for David's remarkable demonstration of integrity, unwavering respect for God's anointed, and profound trust in divine justice over personal vengeance.
CONTEXT
Literary Context: This verse is strategically placed within a larger, unfolding narrative arc that meticulously chronicles King Saul's escalating irrationality and violent obsession with hunting down David, whom he perceives as a threat to his precarious throne. It functions as a powerful parallel to an earlier, equally dramatic encounter in 1 Samuel 24, where David similarly found Saul completely at his mercy within a cave but resolutely refused to harm him. The deliberate repetition of this profound ethical dilemma in 1 Samuel 26 serves to underscore David's consistent character, his deep-seated conviction, and his unwavering commitment to honoring God's anointed, even when that anointed one acts as his bitterest enemy. The narrative immediately preceding this verse, specifically 1 Samuel 26:1-6, details the Ziphites' second betrayal of David's hiding place to Saul, which prompts Saul's renewed and relentless pursuit. The verses immediately following 1 Samuel 26:7 vividly recount Abishai's eager proposal to kill Saul and David's firm, principled refusal, culminating in David taking Saul's spear and water jug as irrefutable proof of his unimpeded access and remarkable self-restraint.
Historical & Cultural Context: The setting for this intense encounter is the wilderness of Ziph, a rugged, desolate, and often unforgiving region within the territory of Judah. This terrain, characterized by its numerous caves and wadis, offered natural hiding places for fugitives like David but also made him vulnerable to betrayal, as evidenced by the Ziphites' actions. The "trench" (Hebrew: ma'gal) mentioned in the verse likely refers to a circular encampment or a defensive perimeter formed by the sleeping soldiers, a common and effective military arrangement designed for protection in ancient warfare. The presence of Saul's spear "at his bolster" (Hebrew: mera'ashotav, literally meaning "at his head") carries profound cultural significance. In ancient Near Eastern cultures, a king's spear was far more than a mere weapon; it was a potent symbol of his authority, his power, and even his very presence. Its placement near his head indicated his readiness for battle and served as a visible and unmistakable marker of his royal tent or sleeping place within the camp. The deep, pervasive sleep that had fallen upon Saul and his entire retinue, including the formidable and typically vigilant Abner, is consistently interpreted by scholars as a divinely orchestrated slumber. This highlights God's direct and miraculous intervention in delivering Saul, in his most vulnerable state, directly into David's hands. This critical context powerfully underscores the immense gravity of David's decision not to harm "the Lord's anointed," a sacred principle deeply embedded in the Israelite understanding of kingship, divine election, and the inviolability of God's chosen instruments.
Key Themes: 1 Samuel 26:7 contributes powerfully to several overarching and profound themes woven throughout the book of 1 Samuel and the broader biblical narrative. Firstly, it unmistakably showcases Divine Sovereignty and Providence, demonstrating how God actively orchestrates circumstances, even seemingly impossible ones, to fulfill His divine purposes. The ease with which David and Abishai penetrate the heavily guarded camp and find Saul and his entire army in a profound sleep points not merely to human stealth but to a supernatural intervention, a direct act of God. Secondly, it highlights David's Integrity and Righteous Character, presenting a stark and compelling contrast with Saul's increasingly erratic, paranoid, and ungodly behavior. David's unwavering refusal to "stretch out his hand against the Lord's anointed" (1 Samuel 26:9) is a profound testament to his deep reverence for God's chosen instruments and his absolute trust in God's perfect timing for justice and vengeance. This principled decision solidifies David's moral authority and legitimacy as the future king, proving him to be a "man after God's own heart," unlike Saul, who repeatedly disobeys God's explicit commands, as vividly detailed in 1 Samuel 15. Finally, the verse powerfully reinforces the crucial theme of Waiting on the Lord versus Taking Matters into One's Own Hands, a timeless and vital lesson for all believers facing injustice or adversity. David's remarkable patience and unwavering faith in God's ultimate vindication serve as an exemplary model for righteous conduct under duress and a profound demonstration of spiritual maturity.
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
The narrative in 1 Samuel 26:7 is rich with literary devices that significantly enhance its meaning, dramatic tension, and theological impact. Irony is profoundly evident: Saul, the powerful, reigning king, surrounded by his entire armed force, is rendered utterly helpless and vulnerable to the very man he relentlessly pursues. His supposed security, symbolized by the "trench" and the immediate presence of his spear, proves entirely ineffectual due to the divinely induced sleep that has fallen upon his guards, including the formidable Abner. This starkly contrasts with David, the hunted fugitive, who is remarkably alert, courageous, and in complete control of the perilous situation. Symbolism is also powerfully at play, most notably with Saul's spear. It represents his kingship, his authority, and his military might. Its placement "at his bolster" signifies that the very essence of Saul's rule, his life and power, is literally within David's grasp. David's subsequent decision to take the spear but spare Saul's life is a profound symbolic act of disarming Saul's power and demonstrating David's own moral superiority and legitimate claim to rule, achieved without resorting to regicide. Furthermore, the scene employs Foreshadowing, echoing the earlier incident in 1 Samuel 24. This deliberate repetition reinforces David's consistent character of integrity and patience, and subtly foreshadows his eventual, divinely appointed rise to kingship, not through violent usurpation, but through patient waiting and God's sovereign timing. Finally, the deep, pervasive sleep of the entire camp can be seen as a clear instance of Divine Intervention, highlighting God's active and direct role in the narrative, supernaturally removing human obstacles to demonstrate His absolute sovereignty and to provide David with the critical opportunity to display his unwavering integrity and trust.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
1 Samuel 26:7 stands as a profound theological statement on divine sovereignty, the nature of true human integrity, and the characteristics of righteous leadership. It vividly illustrates God's active and meticulous involvement in the lives of His chosen ones, orchestrating circumstances, even miraculous ones, to test character, refine faith, and ultimately reveal His overarching plan. David's resolute refusal to harm Saul, despite possessing every human justification and a clear, unimpeded opportunity, is not merely an act of mercy but a deeply theological decision rooted in his profound reverence for God's anointing. He understands that Saul's kingship, though currently flawed and tragically misdirected, was divinely instituted, and therefore, vengeance and the removal of God's anointed belong solely to the Lord. This remarkable act of restraint powerfully underscores David's unwavering faith that God would ultimately bring about justice and establish His chosen king in His own perfect timing, without David having to defile himself with the blood of God's anointed. This patient trust in divine justice and providence, even in the face of relentless and unjust persecution, sets David apart as a true "man after God's own heart" and provides a powerful, enduring model for believers facing injustice and adversity in any era.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
The profound narrative of 1 Samuel 26:7 offers timeless and deeply relevant lessons for contemporary believers navigating complex relationships, challenging circumstances, and the pervasive temptation to take matters into one's own hands. David's steadfast refusal to act on a clear opportunity to eliminate his persecutor serves as a powerful testament to the transformative power of faith, patience, and unwavering trust in God's sovereignty. In a world that often champions immediate gratification, swift retaliation, and the pursuit of personal advantage at any cost, David's example calls us to a higher, more counter-cultural standard: to trust implicitly in God's perfect timing and His sovereign justice, rather than seeking personal vengeance or resorting to unrighteous means to achieve our desired outcomes. It reminds us that our integrity, demonstrated through patient endurance and trust in the face of injustice, is a more potent and enduring witness than any act of retribution. Furthermore, David's profound respect for the office of the king, despite the king's personal failings and malicious intent, challenges us to critically examine our own attitudes towards authority, whether in government, church, or family. It compels us to recognize that God often places individuals in positions of power for His own inscrutable purposes, and our respect for the office itself can reflect our respect for God's divine order, even when we deeply disagree with or suffer under the person holding it. Ultimately, this passage profoundly encourages us to cultivate a heart that waits patiently on the Lord, believing with unwavering conviction that He is our ultimate vindicator and that His ways are always infinitely higher and more perfect than our own.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why didn't David kill Saul, especially since Abishai offered to do it?
Answer: David refused to kill Saul primarily because Saul was "the Lord's anointed" (Hebrew: mashiach Yahweh). In ancient Israel, the king was chosen and consecrated by God through a prophet, making him sacred in a unique way. David, being a man after God's own heart, deeply respected this divine appointment and the sanctity of the office. He believed that only God had the right to remove His anointed one, and he trusted God to do so in His own perfect time and way. David's words in 1 Samuel 26:10 explicitly state his conviction that "the Lord will strike him, or his day will come to die, or he will go down into battle and perish." This demonstrates David's profound faith in divine justice and his steadfast refusal to usurp God's prerogative. His actions set a powerful precedent for righteous leadership and unwavering trust in God's sovereignty, even when facing severe and unjust persecution.
How were David and Abishai able to get into Saul's camp undetected when Abner and the army were guarding him?
Answer: The biblical text strongly implies, and indeed explicitly states, divine intervention as the primary reason for David and Abishai's unimpeded access. 1 Samuel 26:12 explicitly states that "a deep sleep from the Lord had fallen upon them." This was not merely natural exhaustion or human oversight but a supernatural phenomenon orchestrated by God to ensure Saul's complete vulnerability and David's unimpeded access. The fact that Abner, a highly capable and vigilant commander, and the entire army were all in such a profound slumber that they did not see or hear David and Abishai, allowed them to walk directly into the heart of the encampment, take Saul's spear and water jug, and leave without detection. This miraculous element underscores God's active hand in delivering Saul into David's power, providing David with the ultimate test of his character and faith in divine justice.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
The narrative of David sparing Saul in 1 Samuel 26:7, and indeed throughout the book of Samuel, profoundly foreshadows the character and redemptive mission of Jesus Christ, the ultimate and eternal King. David, as God's anointed (though not yet enthroned), consistently refuses to take up the sword against God's current, albeit flawed and rebellious, anointed king. He trusts implicitly in God's timing and justice, demonstrating a righteousness that transcends human vengeance and self-preservation. This remarkable ethical stance finds its ultimate and perfect fulfillment in Jesus, the true "Anointed One" (Christ), who, when faced with betrayal, injustice, and the opportunity to wield divine power for His own protection, did not retaliate. Instead, He perfectly submitted to the will of His Father. He rebuked Peter for drawing his sword (Matthew 26:52), declaring that His kingdom was not of this world, and if it were, His servants would indeed fight (John 18:36). Like David, who could have seized power by force but chose restraint and trust in God, Jesus, possessing all power and authority in heaven and on earth, willingly laid down His life, trusting His vindication and ultimate exaltation to God alone (1 Peter 2:23). He endured the cross, despising its shame, knowing that God would ultimately exalt Him to the highest place (Hebrews 12:2). David's act of mercy, his profound trust in divine timing, and his refusal to defile himself with the blood of God's anointed, all point prophetically to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, not by conquering through earthly force, but by a willing, sacrificial death, thereby perfectly fulfilling God's eternal plan for redemption and ultimately leading to His glorious resurrection and eternal reign as King of kings and Lord of lords.