1 Samuel 24:3 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And he came to the sheepfolds by the way, where there was a cave, and Saul went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were sitting in the innermost parts of the cave.

NIV: He came to the sheep pens along the way; a cave was there, and Saul went in to relieve himself. David and his men were far back in the cave.

NASB: And he came to the sheepfolds on the way, where there was a cave; and Saul went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were sitting in the inner recesses of the cave.

CSB: When Saul came to the sheep pens along the road, a cave was there, and he went in to relieve himself. David and his men were staying in the recesses of the cave,

NLT: At the place where the road passes some sheepfolds, Saul went into a cave to relieve himself. But as it happened, David and his men were hiding farther back in that very cave!

KJV: And 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.

NKJV: So he came to the sheepfolds by the road, where there was a cave; and Saul went in to attend to his needs. ( David and his men were staying in the recesses of the cave.)

First Samuel 24:1–4 describes how David "harms" King Saul for the first and only time. Twice, David and his men have barely escaped Saul and his army (1 Samuel 23). Saul unknowingly enters the cave where David and his men are hiding. David's men want him to kill the king. David uses stealth to cut a piece from Saul's robe, instead. Even this, he immediately regrets as harm to God's anointed. After Saul leaves, David will confront him from a distance, reminding Saul of his loyalty. Saul will agree David is more righteous and return home (1 Samuel 24:5–22).

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.