God’s Word Translation
1 Samuel 24:9
9David asked Saul, “Why do you listen to rumors that I am trying to harm you?
1 Samuel 24:9 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And David said to Saul, Wherefore hearest thou men’s words, saying, Behold, David seeketh thy hurt?
- New International Version (NIV)He said to Saul, “Why do you listen when men say, ‘David is bent on harming you’?
- English Standard Version (ESV)And David said to Saul, "Why do you listen to the words of men who say, 'Behold, David seeks your harm'?
- New King James Version (NKJV)And David said to Saul: “Why do you listen to the words of men who say, ‘Indeed David seeks your harm’?
Context of 1 Samuel 24:9
7So David stopped his men by saying this to them and didn’t let them attack Saul. Saul left the cave and went out onto the road. 8Later, David got up, left the cave, and called to Saul, “Your Majesty!” When Saul looked back, David knelt down with his face touching the ground. David asked Saul, “Why do you listen to rumors that I am trying to harm you? 10Today you saw how the Lord handed you over to me in the cave. Although I was told to kill you, I spared you, saying, ‘I will not raise my hand against Your Majesty because you are the Lord’s anointed.’ 11My master, look at this! The border of your robe is in my hand! Since I cut off the border of your robe and didn’t kill you, you should know and be able to see I mean no harm or rebellion. I haven’t sinned against you, but you are trying to ambush me in order to take my life.
Read all of 1 Samuel 241 Samuel 24:9 word by word
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר דָּוִד֙ לְשָׁא֔וּל לָ֧מָּה תִשְׁמַ֛ע אֶת־דִּבְרֵ֥י אָדָ֖ם לֵאמֹ֑ר הִנֵּ֣ה דָוִ֔ד מְבַקֵּ֖שׁ רָעָתֶֽךָ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for 1 Samuel 24:9
- 1 Samuel 26:19Your Majesty, please listen to my words. If the Lord has turned you against me, let him be satisfied with an offering. But if mere mortals ⌞have turned you against me⌟, let them be cursed by the Lord. They have prevented me from having a share of the Lord’s inheritance. ‘Go and serve other gods,’ they tell me.
- Leviticus 19:16Never gossip. Never endanger your neighbor’s life. I am the Lord.
- Psalms 101:5I will destroy anyone who secretly slanders his neighbor. I will not tolerate anyone with a conceited look or arrogant heart.
- Psalms 141:6When their judges are thrown off a cliff, they will listen to what I have to say. It will sound pleasant ⌞to them⌟.
- Proverbs 16:28A devious person spreads quarrels. A gossip separates the closest of friends.
- Proverbs 17:4An evildoer pays attention to wicked lips. A liar opens his ears to a slanderous tongue.
- Proverbs 18:8The words of a gossip are swallowed greedily, and they go down into a person’s innermost being.
- Proverbs 25:23⌞As⌟ the north wind brings rain, so a whispering tongue brings angry looks.
- Proverbs 26:20Without wood a fire goes out, and without gossip a quarrel dies down.
- Proverbs 29:12If a ruler pays attention to lies, all his servants become wicked.
- Ecclesiastes 7:21Don’t take everything that people say to heart, or you may hear your own servant cursing you.
- James 3:6The tongue is that kind of flame. It is a world of evil among the parts of our bodies, and it completely contaminates our bodies. The tongue sets our lives on fire, and is itself set on fire from hell.
Commentaries on 1 Samuel 24:9
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 9David was quite aware that there were flatterers at Saul‘s court who were continually inflaming the King‘s mind by their false accusations against him. This explains the language of many of the Psalms, e. g. Psalm 11:1-7; Psalm 12:1-8; 35; and many more.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 8-15Verses 8-15 David was falsely charged with seeking Saul's hurt; he shows Saul that God's providence had given him opportunity to do it. And it was upon a good principle that he refused to do it. He declares his fixed resolution never to be his own avenger. If men wrong us, God will right us, at farthest, in the judgment of the great day.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 8-158-15. David also arose ... and went out of the cave, and cried after Saul--The closeness of the precipitous cliffs, though divided by deep wadies, and the transparent purity of the air enable a person standing on one rock to hear distinctly the words uttered by a speaker standing on another (Jud 9:7). The expostulation of David, followed by the visible tokens he furnished of his cherishing no evil design against either the person or the government of the…Read the comment
Topics related to 1 Samuel 24:9
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on 1 Samuel 24
- 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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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