New English Translation
1 Samuel 26:8
8Abishai said to David, “Today God has delivered your enemy into your hands. Now let me drive the spear right through him into the ground with one swift jab! A second jab won’t be necessary!”
1 Samuel 26:8 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Then said Abishai to David, God hath delivered thine enemy into thine hand this day: now therefore let me smite him, I pray thee, with the spear even to the earth at once, and I will not smite him the second time.
- New International Version (NIV)Abishai said to David, “Today God has delivered your enemy into your hands. Now let me pin him to the ground with one thrust of the spear; I won’t strike him twice.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)Then Abishai said to David, "God has given your enemy into your hand this day. Now please let me pin him to the earth with one stroke of the spear, and I will not strike him twice."
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then Abishai said to David, “God has delivered your enemy into your hand this day. Now therefore, please, let me strike him at once with the spear, right to the earth; and I will not have to strike him a second time!”
Context of 1 Samuel 26:8
6David said to Ahimelech the Hittite and Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, “Who will go down with me to Saul in the camp?” Abishai replied, “I will go down with you.” 7So David and Abishai approached the army at night and found Saul lying asleep in the entrenchment with his spear stuck in the ground by his head. Abner and the army were lying all around him. Abishai said to David, “Today God has delivered your enemy into your hands. Now let me drive the spear right through him into the ground with one swift jab! A second jab won’t be necessary!” 9But David said to Abishai, “Don’t kill him! Who can extend his hand against the Lord’s chosen one and remain guiltless?” 10David went on to say, “As the Lord lives, the Lord himself will strike him down. Either his day will come and he will die, or he will go down into battle and be swept away.
Read all of 1 Samuel 261 Samuel 26:8 word by word
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֲבִישַׁי֙ אֶל־דָּוִ֔ד סִגַּ֨ר אֱלֹהִ֥ים הַיּ֛וֹם אֶת־אוֹיִבְךָ֖ בְּיָדֶ֑ךָ וְעַתָּה֩ אַכֶּ֨נּוּ נָ֜א בַּחֲנִ֤ית וּבָאָ֙רֶץ֙ פַּ֣עַם אַחַ֔ת וְלֹ֥א אֶשְׁנֶ֖ה לֽוֹ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Then saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- Abishaiאֲבִישַׁי'ăbîyshay 'abshay · AbishaiH52
- to Davidדָּוִדdâvid dâvîyd · DavidH1732
- Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- hath deliveredסָגַרsâgar · to shutH5462
- thine enemyאֹיֵב'ôyêb 'ôyêb · enemyH341
- into thine handיָדyâd · hand: powerH3027
- this dayיוֹםyôm · day: todayH3117
- now therefore let me smiteנָכָהnâkâh · to smiteH5221
- him, I pray thee, with the spearחֲנִיתchănîyth · spearH2595
- even to the earthאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: soilH776
- at onceאֶחָד'echâd · oneH259
- at onceפַּ֫עַםpa‛am pa‛ămâh · beatH6471
- him the second timeשָׁנָהshânâh · to repeatH8138
Cross-references for 1 Samuel 26:8
- 1 Samuel 26:23The Lord rewards each man for his integrity and loyalty. Even though today the Lord delivered you into my hand, I was not willing to extend my hand against the Lord’s chosen one.
- 1 Samuel 23:14David stayed in the strongholds that were in the desert and in the hill country of the desert of Ziph. Saul looked for him all the time, but God did not deliver David into his hand.
- 1 Samuel 24:4David’s men said to him, “This is the day about which the Lord said to you, ‘I will give your enemy into your hand, and you can do to him whatever seems appropriate to you.’” So David got up and quietly cut off an edge of Saul’s robe.
- Joshua 21:44The Lord made them secure, in fulfillment of all he had solemnly promised their ancestors. None of their enemies could resist them.
- Judges 1:4The men of Judah attacked, and the Lord handed the Canaanites and Perizzites over to them. They killed ten thousand men at Bezek.
- 1 Samuel 24:18You have explained today how you have treated me well. The Lord delivered me into your hand, but you did not kill me.
- Deuteronomy 32:30How can one man chase a thousand of them, and two pursue ten thousand; unless their Rock had delivered them up, and the Lord had handed them over?
- Psalms 31:8You do not deliver me over to the power of the enemy; you enable me to stand in a wide open place.
- Romans 11:32For God has consigned all people to disobedience so that he may show mercy to them all.
- Galatians 3:22But the scripture imprisoned everything and everyone under sin so that the promise could be given – because of the faithfulness of Jesus Christ – to those who believe.
- Nahum 1:9Whatever you plot against the Lord, he will completely destroy! Distress will not arise a second time.
Commentaries on 1 Samuel 26:8
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 8God hath delivered thine enemy into thine hand - Here Abishai uses the same language as did David's men, when Saul came into the cave at En-gedi, (see 1 Samuel 24:4, etc.), and David uses the same language in reply.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 8God has delivered your enemy into your hand: Compare 1 Samuel 24:4.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 8-128-12. Then said Abishai to David, God hath delivered thine enemy into thine hand--This midnight stratagem shows the activity and heroic enterprise of David's mind, and it was in unison with the style of warfare in ancient times. let me smite him ... even to the earth at once--The ferocious vehemence of the speaker is sufficiently apparent from his language, but David's magnanimity soared far above the notions of his followers. Though Saul's cruelty and…Read the comment
Topics related to 1 Samuel 26:8
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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