1 Samuel 24:16 - Printer Friendly

ESV: As soon as David had finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, "Is this your voice, my son David?" And Saul lifted up his voice and wept.

NIV: When David finished saying this, Saul asked, "Is that your voice, David my son?" And he wept aloud.

NASB: When David had finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, 'Is this your voice, my son David?' Then Saul raised his voice and wept.

CSB: When David finished saying these things to him, Saul replied, "Is that your voice, David my son?" Then Saul wept aloud

NLT: When David had finished speaking, Saul called back, 'Is that really you, my son David?' Then he began to cry.

KJV: And 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.

NKJV: So it was, when David had finished speaking these words to Saul, that Saul said, “ Is this your voice, my son David?” And Saul lifted up his voice and wept.

First Samuel 24:16–22 relates King Saul's momentary change of heart. He's been hunting David and at least twice has almost captured him (1 Samuel 23). At one point, Saul took a break to relieve himself in a cave. Walking back toward his army, David calls out to him. David was in the cave and could have killed him (1 Samuel 24:1–15). He shows the piece of cloth David cut from Saul's own robe—absolute proof that he could have slaughtered Saul easily. Saul is shamed by David's honor and righteousness and agrees to go home. Shortly after, Samuel, the last of the judges and mentor to both Saul and David, will die. All of Israel will mourn (1 Samuel 25:1).

David is faced with a moment of decision. As he and his men hide in a cave, Saul comes in alone to relieve himself. David refuses to kill Saul, as his men want him to, insisting that it would be a crime against the Lord to harm His anointed one. David does confront Saul outside the cave, holding up a corner of his robe to show he could have killed Saul but did not. Saul agrees David has been righteous and he has been evil. He admits that David will become king over Israel.

God again protects David from fighting his earthly King. David has fled a city that would have betrayed him to Saul. He has run from the wilderness where the locals did, in fact, do so (1 Samuel 23). Yet again, nearby people warn Saul where David is. David has the chance to kill Saul, but refuses, and Saul admits David is more righteous than he. Next, Nabal the fool dishonors David, and David marches for revenge. Nabal's wife, Abigail, saves David from murdering her innocent servants, and Nabal dies of natural—or godly—causes. In return, David marries Abigail (1 Samuel 25). During these events, the prophet Samuel dies.

First Samuel introduces the key figures who led Israel after the era of the judges. The books of 1 and 2 Samuel were originally part of a single text, split in certain translations shortly before the birth of Christ. Some of the Bible’s most famous characters are depicted in this book. These including the prophet Samuel, Israel’s first king, Saul, her greatest king, David, and other famous names such as Goliath and Jonathan. By the end of this book, Saul has fallen; the book of 2 Samuel begins with David’s ascension to the throne.

Accessed 12/7/2025 4:12:10 AM