1 Samuel 26:18

1 Samuel 26:18 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And he said, Wherefore doth my lord thus pursue after his servant? for what have I done? or what evil is in mine hand?
• New International Version (NIV)And he added, “Why is my lord pursuing his servant? What have I done, and what wrong am I guilty of?
• English Standard Version (ESV)And he said, "Why does my lord pursue after his servant? For what have I done? What evil is on my hands?
• New King James Version (NKJV)And he said, “Why does my lord thus pursue his servant? For what have I done, or what evil is in my hand?

Context of 1 Samuel 26:18

16You have not done your job well. You and your men have not protected your master, who is the Lord's chosen king. As surely as the Lord lives, you all deserve to die. The king's spear and his water pot were beside his head. Look where they are now!’ 17Saul recognized David's voice. He said, ‘Is that you David, my son?’ David answered, ‘Yes, my master and my king, it is my voice that you can hear.’ David also said, ‘Why are you chasing after me, my master? What have I done that is wrong? Why am I guilty? 19My master and my king, please listen to me. Has the Lord made you angry with me? If that is true, a sacrifice to him may change his thoughts. But if men have made you turn against me, I ask the Lord to curse them. They have chased me out of the land that belongs to the Lord's people. They have said to me, “Go away and worship other gods!” 20Do not let me die a long way away from the Lord's home. You are the king of Israel and I am like a small fly. But you are trying to catch me! You are like someone who is looking for a wild bird in the mountains!’

1 Samuel 26:18 word by word

וַיֹּ֕אמֶר לָ֥מָּה זֶּ֛ה אֲדֹנִ֥י רֹדֵ֖ף אַחֲרֵ֣י עַבְדּ֑וֹ כִּ֚י מֶ֣ה עָשִׂ֔יתִי וּמַה־בְּיָדִ֖י רָעָֽה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And he saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• Wherefore doth my lordאָדוֹן'âdôn 'âdôn · lordH113
• thus pursueרָדַףrâdaph · to pursueH7291
• afterאַחַר'achar · afterH310
• his servantעֶ֫בֶד‛ebed · servant/slaveH5650
• for what have I doneעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
• or what evilרָעָהra‛ râ‛âh · distress: evilH7451
• in mine handיָדyâd · handH3027

Cross-references for 1 Samuel 26:18

• 1 Samuel 24:9David said to Saul, ‘You should not listen to the people who say, “David wants to hurt you.”
• Psalms 7:3Lord, my God, if I have done a wrong thing, then let my enemies chase me and catch me. If I have done a bad thing against a friend, let my enemies catch me. If I have helped a friend's enemy to attack him, let my enemies catch me! If I am guilty of any of these things, let my enemies knock me down to the ground. They should leave me there, so that I lie as a dead person in the dirt. Selah.
• Psalms 35:7They hid a trap to catch me. There was no reason for them to do that. They even dug a deep hole for me to fall into.
• Psalms 69:4Very many people hate me with no good reason. They are more than the number of hairs on my head! My enemies are too strong for me. They want to destroy me with their lies. They make me give back to them things that I did not take from them!
• 1 Samuel 17:29David said, ‘Have I done anything wrong? I only asked a question.’
• John 8:46None of you can show that I have done anything wrong. You should believe me, because I am telling you God's true message.
• John 10:32Jesus said to them, ‘I have done many good things. The Father sent me to do them, and I have shown them to you. Which of those good things make you want to kill me with stones?’
• John 18:23Jesus replied, ‘If I said something wrong, tell us what it is. But if I said something that is true, you should not have hit me.’

Commentaries on 1 Samuel 26:18

• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 13-20Verses 13-20 David reasoned seriously and affectionately with Saul. Those who forbid our attendance on God's ordinances, do what they can to estrange us from God, and to make us heathens. We are to reckon that which exposes us to sin the greatest injury that can be done us. If the Lord stirred thee up against me, either in displeasure to me, taking this way to punish me for my sins against him, or in displeasure to thee, if it be the effect of that evil…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-25This was the last time Saul and David were together. The Ziphites informed Saul again about David's hiding place (see 1 Samuel 23:19–20). David spared Saul's life again, just like he did in the cave at En-gedi (see 1 Samuel 24).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 13-2013-20. Then David ... stood on the top of an hill afar off ... and cried to the people--(See on Jud 9:7). The extraordinary purity and elasticity of the air in Palestine enable words to be distinctly heard that are addressed by a speaker from the top of one hill to people on that of another, from which it is separated by a deep intervening ravine. Hostile parties can thus speak to each other, while completely beyond the reach of each other's attack. It…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Samuel 26:18

• Malice
• Self-Control

In the dictionaries

• David
• Hachilah
• Samuel, Books of
• Saul

Commentaries on 1 Samuel 26

• 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