New King James Version
1 Samuel 23:14
14And 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.
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 Living Translation (NLT)David now stayed in the strongholds of the wilderness and in the hill country of Ziph. Saul hunted him day after day, but God didn’t let Saul find him.
Context of 1 Samuel 23:14
12Then David said, “Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul?” And the Lord said, “They will deliver you.” 13So David and his men, about six hundred, arose and departed from Keilah and went wherever they could go. Then it was told Saul that David had escaped from Keilah; so he halted the expedition. 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. 15So David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life. And David was in the Wilderness of Ziph in a forest. 16Then Jonathan, Saul’s son, arose and went to David in the woods and strengthened his hand in God.
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 11:1In the Lord I put my trust; How can you say to my soul, “Flee as a bird to your mountain”?
- Joshua 15:24Ziph, Telem, Bealoth,
- 1 Samuel 27:1And David said in his heart, “Now I shall perish someday by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape to the land of the Philistines; and Saul will despair of me, to seek me anymore in any part of Israel. So I shall escape out of his hand.”
- Psalms 54:3For strangers have risen up against me, And oppressors have sought after my life; They have not set God before them. Selah
- Proverbs 1:16For their feet run to evil, And they make haste to shed blood.
- Proverbs 4:16For they do not sleep unless they have done evil; And their sleep is taken away unless they make someone fall.
- 1 Samuel 23:7And Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah. So Saul said, “God has delivered him into my hand, for he has shut himself in by entering a town that has gates and bars.”
- Psalms 32:7You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah
- Psalms 37:32The wicked watches the righteous, And seeks to slay him.
- Proverbs 21:30There is no wisdom or understanding Or counsel against the Lord.
- Jeremiah 36:26And the king commanded Jerahmeel the king’s son, Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel, to seize Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet, but the Lord hid them.
- Romans 8:31What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
- 2 Timothy 3:11persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra—what persecutions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me.
- 2 Timothy 4:17But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear. Also I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.
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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries