God’s Word Translation
1 Samuel 23:14
14David lived in fortified camps in the desert, and he lived in fortified camps in the mountains of the desert of Ziph. Saul was always searching for him, but God didn’t let him capture David.
1 Samuel 23:14 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And David abode in the wilderness in strong holds, and remained in a mountain in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God delivered him not into his hand.
- New International Version (NIV)David stayed in the wilderness strongholds and in the hills of the Desert of Ziph. Day after day Saul searched for him, but God did not give David into his hands.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And David remained in the strongholds in the wilderness, in the hill country of the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God did not give him into his hand.
- New King James Version (NKJV)And David stayed in strongholds in the wilderness, and remained in the mountains in the Wilderness of Ziph. Saul sought him every day, but God did not deliver him into his hand.
Context of 1 Samuel 23:14
12“Will the citizens of Keilah hand me and my men over to Saul?” David asked. “They will hand you over,” the Lord answered. 13So David and his men, about six hundred in all, left Keilah. They went wherever they could go. Then Saul was told, “David has escaped from Keilah!” So he gave up the campaign. David lived in fortified camps in the desert, and he lived in fortified camps in the mountains of the desert of Ziph. Saul was always searching for him, but God didn’t let him capture David. 15David was afraid because Saul had come to kill him at Horesh in the desert of Ziph. 16Saul’s son Jonathan came to David at Horesh. He strengthened David’s ⌞faith⌟ in the Lord.
Read all of 1 Samuel 231 Samuel 23:14 word by word
וַיֵּ֨שֶׁב דָּוִ֤ד בַּמִּדְבָּר֙ בַּמְּצָד֔וֹת וַיֵּ֥שֶׁב בָּהָ֖ר בְּמִדְבַּר־זִ֑יף וַיְבַקְשֵׁ֤הוּ שָׁאוּל֙ כָּל־הַיָּמִ֔ים וְלֹֽא־נְתָנ֥וֹ אֱלֹהִ֖ים בְּיָדֽוֹ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And Davidדָּוִדdâvid dâvîyd · DavidH1732
- abodeיָשַׁבyâshab · to dwellH3427
- in the wildernessמִדְבָּרmidbâr · wildernessH4057
- in strong holdsמְצָדmetsad metsâd metsâdâh · strongholdH4679
- in a mountainהַרhar · mountain: hill countryH2022
- of Ziphזִיףzîyph · ZiphH2128
- And Saulשָׁאוּלshâ'ûl · SaulH7586
- soughtבָּקַשׁbâqash · to seekH1245
- him every dayיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
- but Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- deliveredנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414
- him not into his handיָדyâd · hand: powerH3027
Cross-references for 1 Samuel 23:14
- Psalms 11:1I have taken refuge in the Lord. How can you say to me: “Flee to your mountain like a bird?
- Joshua 15:24Ziph, Telem, Bealoth,
- 1 Samuel 27:1David said to himself, “One of these days Saul will sweep me away. The best thing for me to do is to make sure that I escape to Philistine territory. Then Saul will give up looking all over Israel for me, and I’ll escape from him.”
- Psalms 54:3Strangers have attacked me. Ruthless people seek my life. They do not think about God. Selah
- Proverbs 1:16because they rush to do evil and hurry to shed blood.
- Proverbs 4:16Wicked people cannot sleep unless they do wrong, and they are robbed of their sleep unless they make someone stumble.
- 1 Samuel 23:7When Saul was told that David went to Keilah, Saul said, “God has delivered him into my hands. He has trapped himself by going into a city which has ⌞a gate with⌟ a double door ⌞held shut by⌟ a bar.”
- Psalms 32:7You are my hiding place. You protect me from trouble. You surround me with joyous songs of salvation. Selah
- Psalms 37:32The wicked person watches the righteous person and seeks to kill him.
- Proverbs 21:30No wisdom, no understanding, and no advice ⌞can stand up⌟ against the Lord.
- Jeremiah 36:26The king commanded Jerahmeel (the king’s son), Seraiah (son of Azriel), and Shelemiah (son of Abdeel) to arrest the scribe Baruch and the prophet Jeremiah. But the Lord had hidden Baruch and Jeremiah.
- Romans 8:31What can we say about all of this? If God is for us, who can be against us?
- 2 Timothy 3:11You also know about the kind of persecutions and sufferings which happened to me in the cities of Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. I endured those persecutions, and the Lord rescued me from all of them.
- 2 Timothy 4:17However, the Lord stood by me and gave me strength so that I could finish spreading the Good News for all the nations to hear. I was snatched out of a lion’s mouth.
Commentaries on 1 Samuel 23:14
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 14Wilderness of Ziph - Ziph was a city in the southern part of Judea, not far from Carmel.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 14Ziph is placed between Hebron and En-gedi (marginal references). (The “wood” 1 Samuel 23:15 is by Conder taken as a proper name, “Cheresh,” and identified with Khoreisa.)Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 14-18Verses 14-18 David made no attempt against Saul; he kept God's way, waited God's time, and was content to secure himself in woods and wildernesses. Let it make us think the worse of this world, which often gives such bad treatment to its best men: let it make us long for that kingdom where goodness shall for ever be in glory, and holiness in honour. We find Jonathan comforting David. As a pious friend, he directed him to God, the Foundation of his…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 14The wilderness strongholds were natural rock formations that offered shelter. Ziph was about 16 kilometers (10 miles) southeast of Keilah (1 Samuel 23:1).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 14-1514-15. David abode in the wilderness ... of Ziph--A mountainous and sequestered region was generally called a wilderness, and took its name from some large town in the district. Two miles southeast of Hebron, and in the midst of a level plain, is Tell-ziph, an isolated and conical hillock, about a hundred feet high, probably the acropolis [Van De Velde], or the ruins [Robinson] of the ancient city of Ziph, from which the surrounding wilderness was called…Read the comment
Topics related to 1 Samuel 23:14
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on 1 Samuel 23
- 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
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
Commentaries