New English Translation
1 Samuel 26:19
19So let my lord the king now listen to the words of his servant. If the Lord has incited you against me, may he take delight in an offering. But if men have instigated this, may they be cursed before the Lord! For they have driven me away this day from being united with the Lord’s inheritance, saying, ‘Go on, serve other gods!’
1 Samuel 26:19 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Now therefore, I pray thee, let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If the Lord have stirred thee up against me, let him accept an offering: but if they be the children of men, cursed be they before the Lord; for they have driven me out this day from abiding in the inheritance of the Lord, saying, Go, serve other gods.
- New International Version (NIV)Now let my lord the king listen to his servant’s words. If the Lord has incited you against me, then may he accept an offering. If, however, people have done it, may they be cursed before the Lord! They have driven me today from my share in the Lord’s inheritance and have said, ‘Go, serve other gods.’
- English Standard Version (ESV)Now therefore let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If it is the Lord who has stirred you up against me, may he accept an offering, but if it is men, may they be cursed before the Lord, for they have driven me out this day that I should have no share in the heritage of the Lord, saying, 'Go, serve other gods.'
- New King James Version (NKJV)Now therefore, please, let my lord the king hear the words of his servant: If the Lord has stirred you up against me, let Him accept an offering. But if it is the children of men, may they be cursed before the Lord, for they have driven me out this day from sharing in the inheritance of the Lord, saying, ‘Go, serve other gods.’
Context of 1 Samuel 26:19
17When Saul recognized David’s voice, he said, “Is that your voice, my son David?” David replied, “Yes, it’s my voice, my lord the king.” 18He went on to say, “Why is my lord chasing his servant? What have I done? What wrong have I done? So let my lord the king now listen to the words of his servant. If the Lord has incited you against me, may he take delight in an offering. But if men have instigated this, may they be cursed before the Lord! For they have driven me away this day from being united with the Lord’s inheritance, saying, ‘Go on, serve other gods!’ 20Now don’t let my blood fall to the ground away from the Lord’s presence, for the king of Israel has gone out to look for a flea the way one looks for a partridge in the hill country.” 21Saul replied, “I have sinned. Come back, my son David. I won’t harm you, for you treated my life with value this day. I have behaved foolishly and have made a very terrible mistake!”
Read all of 1 Samuel 261 Samuel 26:19 word by word
וְעַתָּ֗ה יִֽשְׁמַֽע־נָא֙ אֲדֹנִ֣י הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ אֵ֖ת דִּבְרֵ֣י עַבְדּ֑וֹ אִם־יְהוָ֞ה הֱסִֽיתְךָ֥ בִי֙ יָרַ֣ח מִנְחָ֔ה וְאִ֣ם׀ בְּנֵ֣י הָאָדָ֗ם אֲרוּרִ֥ים הֵם֙ לִפְנֵ֣י יְהוָ֔ה כִּֽי־גֵרְשׁ֣וּנִי הַיּ֗וֹם מֵהִסְתַּפֵּ֜חַ בְּנַחֲלַ֤ת יְהוָה֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר לֵ֥ךְ עֲבֹ֖ד אֱלֹהִ֥ים אֲחֵרִֽים׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Now therefore, I pray thee, let my lordאָדוֹן'âdôn 'âdôn · lordH113
- the kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
- hearשָׁמַעshâma‛ · to hear: hearH8085
- the wordsדָּבָרdâbâr · wordH1697
- of his servantעֶ֫בֶד‛ebed · servant/slaveH5650
- If the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- have stirred thee upסוּתsûth · to inciteH5496
- against me, let him acceptרִיחַrûach · to smellH7306
- an offeringמִנְחָהminchâh · offeringH4503
- the childrenבֵּןbên · son: descendant/peopleH1121
- of menאָדָם'âdâm · manH120
- cursedאָרַר'ârar · to curseH779
- they beforeפָּנֶהpânîym · face: beforeH6440
- for they have drivenגָּרַשׁgârash · to drive out: drive outH1644
- me out this dayיוֹםyôm · day: todayH3117
- from abidingסָפַחsâphach ώâphach · to attachH5596
- in the inheritanceנַחֲלָהnachălâh · inheritanceH5159
- sayingאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- Goיָלַךְyâlak · to walkH3212
- serveעָבַד‛âbad · to serveH5647
- otherאַחֵר'achêr · anotherH312
- godsאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
Cross-references for 1 Samuel 26:19
- 1 Samuel 25:24Falling at his feet, she said, “My lord, I accept all the guilt! But please let your female servant speak with my lord! Please listen to the words of your servant!
- Genesis 44:18Then Judah approached him and said, “My lord, please allow your servant to speak a word with you. Please do not get angry with your servant, for you are just like Pharaoh.
- 1 Samuel 16:14Now the Spirit of the Lord had turned away from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him.
- 1 Samuel 18:10The next day an evil spirit from God rushed upon Saul and he prophesied within his house. Now David was playing the lyre that day. There was a spear in Saul’s hand,
- 2 Samuel 16:11Then David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “My own son, my very own flesh and blood, is trying to take my life. So also now this Benjaminite! Leave him alone so that he can curse, for the Lord has spoken to him.
- 2 Samuel 24:1The Lord’s anger again raged against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go count Israel and Judah.”
- 1 Kings 22:22He replied, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ The Lord said, ‘Deceive and overpower him. Go out and do as you have proposed.’
- 1 Chronicles 21:1An adversary opposed Israel, inciting David to count how many warriors Israel had.
- Genesis 8:21And the Lord smelled the soothing aroma and said to himself, “I will never again curse the ground because of humankind, even though the inclination of their minds is evil from childhood on. I will never again destroy everything that lives, as I have just done.
- Leviticus 26:31I will lay your cities waste and make your sanctuaries desolate, and I will refuse to smell your soothing aromas.
- Psalms 119:1How blessed are those whose actions are blameless, who obey the law of the Lord.
- Proverbs 6:16There are six things that the Lord hates, even seven things that are an abomination to him:
- Proverbs 30:10Do not slander a servant to his master, lest he curse you, and you are found guilty.
- Galatians 1:8But even if we (or an angel from heaven) should preach a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be condemned to hell!
- Galatians 5:12I wish those agitators would go so far as to castrate themselves!
- 2 Timothy 4:14Alexander the coppersmith did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him in keeping with his deeds.
Commentaries on 1 Samuel 26:19
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 19Let him accept an offering - If God have stirred thee up against me, why, then, let him deliver my life into thy hand, and accept it as a sacrifice. But as the word is מנחה minchah, a gratitude-offering, perhaps the sense may be this: Let God accept a gratitude-offering from thee, for having purged the land of a worker of iniquity; for, were I not such, God would never stir thee up against me. But if they be the children of men - If men have, by false…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 19If the Lord have stirred thee up - The meaning is clear from the preceding history. “An evil spirit from God troubling him” was the beginning of the persecution. And this evil spirit was sent in punishment of Saul‘s sin 1 Samuel 16:1, 1 Samuel 16:14. If the continued persecution was merely the consequence of this evil spirit continuing to vex Saul, David advises Saul to seek God‘s pardon, and, as a consequence, the removal of the evil spirit, by offering…Read the comment
- 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. 19If the LORD has stirred you up against me: David was confused by Saul’s actions and worried he might have sinned without knowing. if men have done it: This might refer to Doeg (1 Samuel 22:9–10). serve other gods: This idea is similar to Psalm 137:4. People exiled from the holy land could not worship the Lord through sacrifices at the main sanctuary.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 26:19
In the dictionaries
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
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