1 Samuel 23:12 kjv
Then said David, Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul? And the LORD said, They will deliver thee up.
1 Samuel 23:12 nkjv
Then 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."
1 Samuel 23:12 niv
Again David asked, "Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me and my men to Saul?" And the LORD said, "They will."
1 Samuel 23:12 esv
Then David said, "Will the men of Keilah surrender me and my men into the hand of Saul?" And the LORD said, "They will surrender you."
1 Samuel 23:12 nlt
Again David asked, "Will the leaders of Keilah betray me and my men to Saul?" And the LORD replied, "Yes, they will betray you."
1 Samuel 23 12 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| God's Guidance and Protection | ||
| Num 27:21 | He shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall ask counsel for him... according to the judgment of Urim. | Consulting God via Urim and Thummim |
| Judg 1:1 | The children of Israel asked the Lord, saying, Who shall go up... | Israelites seeking divine direction |
| 1 Sam 30:8 | David enquired at the Lord, saying, Shall I pursue...? | David consistently seeking God's will |
| Ps 32:8 | I will instruct thee and teach thee... I will guide thee with mine eye. | God's personal guidance |
| Prov 3:5-6 | Trust in the Lord with all thine heart... he shall direct thy paths. | General principle of seeking God |
| Isa 30:21 | Thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way. | Divine direction for daily walk |
| John 16:13 | When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth. | Holy Spirit's comprehensive guidance |
| Ps 18:2-3 | The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer... | God as ultimate protector & deliverer |
| Ps 121:7-8 | The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil... Thy going out and thy coming in. | God's constant preservation |
| Ps 59:1 | Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God... | David's ongoing need for deliverance |
| Rom 8:31 | If God be for us, who can be against us? | God's unassailable support |
| Heb 13:6 | The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. | Confidence in divine help |
| Human Treachery and Ungratitude | ||
| Ps 55:12-14 | For it was not an enemy that reproached me... but it was thou, a man mine equal. | Betrayal by a trusted intimate |
| Prov 27:6 | Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. | Contrast of genuine friendship vs. hidden enmity |
| Ps 41:9 | Yea, mine own familiar friend... hath lifted up his heel against me. | Betrayal from an intimate, prefigures Christ |
| Luke 17:17-18 | Where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God... | Ungratitude after receiving help |
| John 13:18 | He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his heel against me. | Judas' ultimate betrayal |
| God's Omniscience | ||
| Ps 139:4 | For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether. | God's knowledge of thoughts and future speech |
| Isa 46:10 | Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done. | God's perfect foreknowledge |
| Acts 15:18 | Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world. | God's comprehensive and eternal knowledge |
| Negative Examples (Not Seeking God's Counsel) | ||
| Josh 9:14 | And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the Lord. | Danger of relying on human judgment alone |
| 1 Sam 28:6 | And when Saul enquired of the Lord, the Lord answered him not... | God's silence to a disobedient king |
1 Samuel 23 verses
1 Samuel 23 12 Meaning
David, having recently delivered the inhabitants of Keilah from the Philistines, consults the Lord through the high priest Abiathar, asking if the men of Keilah, out of self-preservation or fear of Saul, would betray him and his men to King Saul. The Lord directly confirms their treacherous intent, revealing their readiness to surrender David and his company if he remained within the city walls.
1 Samuel 23 12 Context
The context of 1 Samuel 23 opens with David, still a fugitive from King Saul, receiving news that the Philistines are attacking Keilah, a city in Judah, and looting their threshing floors. Despite his perilous situation, David's immediate concern is for the people of Judah. He consults the Lord through the Ephod worn by Abiathar the priest (who had recently joined David), and receives divine approval to go and rescue Keilah. David and his men bravely defeat the Philistines and save the city. However, Saul learns that David is in Keilah, a fortified city, and plans to lay siege to it, hoping to trap David. David, aware of Saul's malicious intentions, again seeks the Lord's counsel in verse 12, asking if the people he had just delivered would betray him into Saul's hands. The broader narrative of 1 Samuel focuses on Saul's decline due to disobedience and jealousy, contrasted with David's developing character, marked by consistent reliance on God even in desperate circumstances.
1 Samuel 23 12 Word analysis
- And David said,: Signifies David's act of directly addressing God with a crucial question concerning his safety. David is actively seeking divine revelation for strategic decisions.
- Will the men of Keilah: "Keilah" (קעילה - qeiʿlāh) was a walled city in the Shephelah of Judah. The phrase refers to the male inhabitants and leaders of the city whom David had recently saved. This highlights the unexpected source of potential treachery. David is questioning their loyalty despite his benevolent act.
- deliver me and my men: The Hebrew verb is yisgīrû (יַסְגִּיר֣וּ), meaning "they will deliver," "they will hand over," or "they will surrender." It implies an act of betrayal. David is asking about a specific, grave act of treachery—being handed over to an enemy seeking his life. "My men" refers to the approximately 600 followers who had joined him, whose lives were also at risk.
- into the hand of Saul?: This is a common Hebrew idiom for falling into someone's power or control. "Saul" (שאול - ša’ûl) here represents not just the king, but the authority and malevolent intent of a king determined to eliminate David.
- And the LORD said,: The Hebrew name "LORD" (יהוה - YHWH) here emphasizes God's personal revelation, His covenant faithfulness, and His immediate and direct answer. This is not mere speculation or a dream, but a divine prophetic utterance. God is actively intervening and revealing a hidden future intent.
- They will deliver you.: The divine affirmation (or "them up" in some translations, the Hebrew means "you") confirms Keilah's readiness to betray David. This highlights God's omniscience—His ability to know future human actions and intentions, even before they fully materialize, and His benevolent purpose in forewarning David to save his life.
1 Samuel 23 12 Bonus section
The passage implicitly reveals the conditional nature of God's foreknowledge concerning future human actions. God knew what the Keilahites would do if David remained, but their action was contingent on David's choice. By revealing this, God gave David the information necessary to make a choice that avoided the treacherous outcome. This is a pattern throughout scripture where divine knowledge doesn't negate human responsibility or choice. The men of Keilah, left to their own devices in fear of Saul, would have acted in self-preservation to betray David. God, through His omniscience, acts with preventative grace, not just reactionary protection. This event also serves as a refining test for David's faith, pushing him to trust God fully rather than any human institution or city, even one he had just benefited. David's willingness to depart despite his valiant service to Keilah further exemplifies his dependence on divine command rather than relying on his own understanding of a "just reward" for his actions.
1 Samuel 23 12 Commentary
1 Samuel 23:12 is a powerful demonstration of God's active, personal, and preventative intervention in the life of His chosen servant. David, fresh from delivering Keilah, reasonably sought refuge among those he had saved. However, sensing danger and in his habitual reliance on divine counsel, he consults the Lord again through the sacred Ephod. The question posed to God reveals David's prudent caution and recognition that even those he had blessed could act treacherously. God's direct, unequivocal answer, "They will deliver you," underscores His perfect foreknowledge of human hearts and future actions. This isn't a pre-determined, inescapable fate, but a revealed intention; it's what would have happened if David had stayed. This divine warning saved David and his men from being trapped by Saul's siege and Keilah's betrayal. The verse showcases human ingratitude and the precariousness of trusting solely in human loyalty, while simultaneously exalting God's absolute faithfulness in protecting His anointed and providing precise guidance to avert disaster. This passage practically teaches believers the vital importance of seeking God's will continually, not just once, and trusting His revealed word over human wisdom or even perceived alliances.