New Living Translation
1 Samuel 23:14
14David 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.
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
12Again David asked, “Will the leaders of Keilah betray me and my men to Saul?” And the Lord replied, “Yes, they will betray you.” 13So David and his men—about 600 of them now—left Keilah and began roaming the countryside. Word soon reached Saul that David had escaped, so he didn’t go to Keilah after all. 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. 15One day near Horesh, David received the news that Saul was on the way to Ziph to search for him and kill him. 16Jonathan went to find David and encouraged him to stay strong in his faith 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 11:1I trust in the Lord for protection. So why do you say to me, “Fly like a bird to the mountains for safety!
- Joshua 15:24Ziph, Telem, Bealoth,
- 1 Samuel 27:1But David kept thinking to himself, “Someday Saul is going to get me. The best thing I can do is escape to the Philistines. Then Saul will stop hunting for me in Israelite territory, and I will finally be safe.”
- Psalms 54:3For strangers are attacking me; violent people are trying to kill me. They care nothing for God. Interlude
- Proverbs 1:16They rush to commit evil deeds. They hurry to commit murder.
- Proverbs 4:16For evil people can’t sleep until they’ve done their evil deed for the day. They can’t rest until they’ve caused someone to stumble.
- 1 Samuel 23:7Saul soon learned that David was at Keilah. “Good!” he exclaimed. “We’ve got him now! God has handed him over to me, for he has trapped himself in a walled town!”
- Psalms 32:7For you are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of victory. Interlude
- Psalms 37:32The wicked wait in ambush for the godly, looking for an excuse to kill them.
- Proverbs 21:30No human wisdom or understanding or plan can stand against the Lord.
- Jeremiah 36:26Then the king commanded his son Jerahmeel, Seraiah son of Azriel, and Shelemiah son of Abdeel to arrest Baruch and Jeremiah. But the Lord had hidden them.
- Romans 8:31What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?
- 2 Timothy 3:11You know how much persecution and suffering I have endured. You know all about how I was persecuted in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra—but the Lord rescued me from all of it.
- 2 Timothy 4:17But the Lord stood with me and gave me strength so that I might preach the Good News in its entirety for all the Gentiles to hear. And he rescued me from certain death.
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
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