1 Samuel 24:14

1 Samuel 24:14 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)After whom is the king of Israel come out? after whom dost thou pursue? after a dead dog, after a flea.
• New International Version (NIV)“Against whom has the king of Israel come out? Who are you pursuing? A dead dog? A flea?
• English Standard Version (ESV)After whom has the king of Israel come out? After whom do you pursue? After a dead dog! After a flea!
• New King James Version (NKJV)After whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom do you pursue? A dead dog? A flea?

Context of 1 Samuel 24:14

12May Adonai judge between me and you, and may Adonai avenge me of you, but my hand will not be against you. 13As the old proverb goes, ‘Out of the wicked comes forth wickedness’—but my hand will never be on you. Whom has the king of Israel come after? Who are you chasing? A dead dog? A single flea? 15May Adonai be judge and decide between me and you! And may He see and plead my cause and vindicate me against you.” 16Now when David finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, “Is this your voice, my son, David?” Then Saul lifted up his voice and wept aloud.

1 Samuel 24:14 word by word

אַחֲרֵ֨י מִ֤י יָצָא֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אַחֲרֵ֥י מִ֖י אַתָּ֣ה רֹדֵ֑ף אַֽחֲרֵי֙ כֶּ֣לֶב מֵ֔ת אַחֲרֵ֖י פַּרְעֹ֥שׁ אֶחָֽד׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Afterאַחַר'achar · afterH310
• whom is the kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
• of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
• come outיָצָאyâtsâ' · to come out: comeH3318
• whom dost thou pursueרָדַףrâdaph · to pursueH7291
• a deadמוּתmûth · to dieH4191
• dogכֶּ֫לֶבkeleb · dogH3611
• aאֶחָד'echâd · oneH259
• fleaפַּרְעֹשׁpar‛ôsh · fleaH6550

Cross-references for 1 Samuel 24:14

• 2 Samuel 6:20David returned to bless his own household. But Saul’s daughter Michal came out to meet David and said, “How the king of Israel distinguished himself today, when he uncovered himself today in the eyes of the slave girls of his subjects, as any vulgar fellow would shamelessly uncover himself!”
• 1 Kings 21:7Then his wife Jezebel said to him, “Now, do you really govern the kingdom of Israel? Arise, eat some food, and let your heart be merry! I will get you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”
• 1 Samuel 17:43Then the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” Then the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
• 2 Samuel 3:8But Abner became very angry over Ish-bosheth’s words and said, “Am I a dog’s head from Judah? To this day I’ve been loyal to the house of Saul your father, to his kinsmen, and to his friends, and I haven’t handed you over to David—yet today you are accusing me of wrongdoing with this woman.
• 2 Samuel 9:8Then he bowed down and said, “What is your servant, that you should turn to look at such a dead dog like me?”
• 2 Samuel 16:9Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why let this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over now and take off his head!”
• 1 Samuel 26:20So now, let not my blood fall to the ground, away from the presence of Adonai. For the king of Israel has come out to search for but a single flea, just as one hunts for a partridge in the mountains.”
• Judges 8:1Now the men of Ephraim said to him, “What is this thing you have done to us, not calling us when you went to fight against Midian?” So they criticized him sharply.

Commentaries on 1 Samuel 24:14

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 14After a dead dog - A term used among the Hebrews to signify the most sovereign contempt; see 2 Samuel 16:9. One utterly incapable of making the least resistance against Saul, and the troops of Israel. The same idea is expressed in the term flea. The Targum properly expresses both thus: one who is weak, one who is contemptible.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 14After whom … - i. e., was it consistent with the dignity of the king of Israel to lead armies in pursuit of a weak and helpless individual like David?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 24:14

• Dog (Sodomite?)
• Flea
• Humility
• Proverbs
• Self-Control

In the dictionaries

• Israel
• Israel, Israelites
• Jacob, Israel
• David
• Dog
• Flea
• Providence
• Reward
• Dead
• Samuel, Books of

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