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 messengers to watch David’s house and kill him in the morning. But Michal, David’s wife, advised him, “If you don’t save yourself tonight, you’ll be dead tomorrow!” 12So Michal lowered David through a window, and he ran away to escape. Then Michal took some idols, laid them in the bed, put a goat-hair blanket at its head, and covered the idols with a garment. 14When Saul sent messengers to get David, Michal said, “He’s sick.” 15Then Saul sent the messengers back to see David themselves. Saul told them, “Bring him here to me in his bed so that I can 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 31:19When Laban went to shear his sheep, Rachel stole her father’s idols.
• Judges 17:5Micah owned a shrine. He also made an ephod and household idols. He ordained one of his sons to be his priest.
• Judges 18:14Then the five men who had gone to spy throughout the land around Laish spoke up. They said to the other men of Dan, “Do you know that there’s an ephod, a carved idol, a metal idol, and household idols in these houses? What do you think we should do?”
• Hosea 3:4In the same way, the Israelites will wait a long time without kings or officials, without sacrifices or sacred stones, and without ephods or family idols.
• 1 Samuel 13:9Then Saul said, “Bring me the animals for the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.” So he sacrificed the burnt offering.

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