1 Samuel 19:13

1 Samuel 19:13 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)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.
• New International Version (NIV)Then Michal took an idol and laid it on the bed, covering it with a garment and putting some goats’ hair at the head.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Michal took an image and laid it on the bed and put a pillow of goats' hair at its head and covered it with the clothes.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And Michal took an image and laid it in the bed, put a cover of goats’ hair for his head, and covered it with clothes.

Context of 1 Samuel 19:13

11Saul sent some of his servants to watch David's house. Saul told them to kill David when he came out in the morning. But David's wife Michal warned him. She said, ‘You must run away tonight. If you do not escape, tomorrow you will die!’ 12So Michal helped David to leave the house through a window. He ran away and he escaped. Then Michal took an idol and she put it on the bed. She covered the idol with a blanket and she put a pillow of goat's hair at its head. 14Saul sent some of his men to take hold of David. Michal told them that David was ill. 15Saul then told the men to go back to David's house. He said to them, ‘Bring David to me on his bed. Then I will kill him.’

1 Samuel 19:13 word by word

וַתִּקַּ֨ח מִיכַ֜ל אֶת־הַתְּרָפִ֗ים וַתָּ֙שֶׂם֙ אֶל־הַמִּטָּ֔ה וְאֵת֙ כְּבִ֣יר הָֽעִזִּ֔ים שָׂ֖מָה מְרַֽאֲשֹׁתָ֑יו וַתְּכַ֖ס בַּבָּֽגֶד׃ סRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And Michalמִיכַלmîykâl · MichalH4324
• tookלָקַחlâqach · to take: takeH3947
• an imageתְּרָפִיםterâphîym · teraphimH8655
• and laidשׂוּםώûm ώîym · to set: putH7760
• in the bedמִטָּהmiţţâh · bedH4296
• a pillowכָּבִירkebîyr · quiltH3523
• of goats’עֵז‛êz · goatH5795
• for his bolsterמְרַאֲשָׁוֹתmera'ăshâh · headH4763
• and coveredכָּסָהkâsâh · to coverH3680
• with a clothבֶּ֫גֶדbeged · garmentH899

Cross-references for 1 Samuel 19:13

• Genesis 31:19Before they left, Laban had gone to cut the wool from his sheep. While he was away from the house, Rachel took the idols that Laban worshipped in his house.
• Judges 17:5Micah had a special room to worship his gods. He made an ephod and some more idols for it. He chose one of his sons to be a priest to serve his gods.
• Judges 18:14The five men who had explored the land of Laish said to their relatives, ‘Do you know that in one of these houses there is an ephod, some small idols, an image and a metal idol. Think carefully and decide what to do.’
• Hosea 3:4In the same way, the Israelites will have to live for many days without a king or any other leader. They will not be able to make sacrifices. They will not have their pillars, their ephods or their idols to help them.
• 1 Samuel 13:9So Saul said, ‘Bring the burnt offering and the peace offerings to me.’ Then Saul offered the burnt offering to God.

Commentaries on 1 Samuel 19:13

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 13Michal took an image - התרפים את eth hatteraphim, the teraphim. The Hebrew word appears to mean any kind of image, in any kind of form, as a representative of some reality. Here it must have been something in the human form; because it was intended to represent a man lying in bed indisposed. A pillow of goats' hair - Perhaps she formed the appearance of a sick man's head muffled up by this pillow or bag of goats' hair. So I think the original might be…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 13An image - “Teraphim” (see the margin), an image, or bust in human form, and as large as life, of a kind of household god, to the worship of which the Israelites, and especially women, were much addicted. A pillow - It was probably a quilt or blanket of goats‘ hair and of common use as a bed-covering. Whether Michal drew it over the head of the teraphim, as if for warmth, and so covered it, or whether she disposed it about the head so as to look like…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 11-24Verses 11-24 Michal's stratagem to gain time till David got to a distance was allowable, but her falsehood had not even the plea of necessity to excuse it, and manifests that she was not influenced by the same spirit of piety which had dictated Jonathan's language to Saul. In flying to Samuel, David made God his refuge. Samuel, as a prophet, was best able to advise him what to do in this day of distress. He met with little rest or satisfaction in Saul's…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 13A household idol: The Hebrew word teraphim refers to household idols (small images used in homes, often for worship or protection). These idols appear in several Old Testament passages, such as Genesis 31:30; Judges 17:5; and 2 Kings 23:24. Having an idol in David and Michal's home might show how common pagan idol worship was among the Israelites. The idol might have belonged to Michal. David did not seem to object to Michal having it. (Compare to Rachel…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 13-1413-14. And Michal took an image, and laid it in the bed--"an image," literally, "the teraphim," and laid, not in the bed, but literally on the "divan"; and "the pillows," that is, the cushion, which usually lay at the back of the divan and was stuffed with "goat's hair," she took from its bolster or heading at the upper part of the divan. This she placed lower down, and covered with a mantle, as if to foster a proper warmth in a patient; at the same time…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Samuel 19:13

• David
• Falsehood
• Goat
• Jealousy
• Michal
• Pillow

In the dictionaries

• Goats' Hair
• Bed
• Bolster
• Cattle
• David
• Idol
• Michal
• Secret
• Teraphim
• Watch

Commentaries on 1 Samuel 19

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings