1 Samuel 23 26

1 Samuel 23:26 kjv

And Saul went on this side of the mountain, and David and his men on that side of the mountain: and David made haste to get away for fear of Saul; for Saul and his men compassed David and his men round about to take them.

1 Samuel 23:26 nkjv

Then Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain. So David made haste to get away from Saul, for Saul and his men were encircling David and his men to take them.

1 Samuel 23:26 niv

Saul was going along one side of the mountain, and David and his men were on the other side, hurrying to get away from Saul. As Saul and his forces were closing in on David and his men to capture them,

1 Samuel 23:26 esv

Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain. And David was hurrying to get away from Saul. As Saul and his men were closing in on David and his men to capture them,

1 Samuel 23:26 nlt

Saul and David were now on opposite sides of a mountain. Just as Saul and his men began to close in on David and his men,

1 Samuel 23 verses

1 Samuel 23 26 Meaning

The verse vividly portrays the perilous situation of David and his men, caught in a desperate cat-and-mouse chase with King Saul. Saul's relentless pursuit had cornered them geographically, with both parties occupying different flanks of the same mountain, creating a direct encirclement. David's urgent and desperate attempt to flee underscores the extreme danger they faced, as Saul and his forces were on the verge of completing their strategic entrapment and seizing them.

1 Samuel 23 26 Context

This verse is set in the rugged wilderness of Maon, within the broader narrative of King Saul's increasingly frantic and obsessive hunt for David, whom he perceived as a threat to his throne. Chapters 21-26 of 1 Samuel describe David's life as a fugitive, constantly fleeing Saul's deadly pursuit. Prior to this, David had been in Keilah, where God warned him of betrayal, and then among the Ziphites, who also betrayed his location to Saul. The wilderness of Maon represented one of David's closest calls. The verse vividly captures the precise moment of extreme danger, just before Saul's forces could close their trap, highlighting David's complete vulnerability and reliance on divine intervention, which remarkably follows in the very next verse (1 Sam 23:27), where a messenger distracts Saul due to a Philistine raid.

1 Samuel 23 26 Word analysis

• Saul: Refers to King Saul, Israel's first king, who at this point is acting out of profound spiritual decline, driven by paranoia, jealousy, and a direct rejection of God's will for David to succeed him. He is the determined persecutor.
• went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain:
  • Side (צֵלַע - tsela'): Lit. "rib," "flank," or "side." Implies distinct parts or sections of the mountain. This signifies the tactical positioning: Saul had encircled the mountain, placing his forces on one "side" while David and his men were on the opposite "side." It depicts a geographical pincer movement, illustrating how effectively David had been trapped.
• and David was hurrying (בָּחַץ - bā·ḥaṣ) to get away from (לְהִמָּלֵט - lə·himmālēṭ) Saul:
  • Hurrying (bā·ḥaṣ): Indicates a frantic, urgent haste. It is not a leisurely pace but a desperate dash for escape, reflecting the sheer terror and intensity of their situation. This desperation underlines the imminence of capture.
  • Get away from (lə·himmālēṭ): Means to slip away, escape, or be delivered. It implies a narrow evasion or rescue from impending danger, signifying that their survival depended on rapid movement.
• for Saul and his men were surrounding (עוֹטֵר - ‘ō·ṭēr) David and his men to capture (לָכַד - lā·ḵaḏ) them:
  • Surrounding (‘ō·ṭēr): Means encircling, enclosing, or besieging. This portrays the comprehensive nature of Saul's military tactic, effectively cutting off all escape routes. It indicates a full encirclement, a complete blockade, rather than just a chase.
  • To capture (lā·ḵaḏ): Means to seize, grasp, take captive, or ensnare. This reveals Saul's explicit intent – not merely to corner them, but to apprehend them, likely leading to David's death as he considered him a traitor. The goal was to terminate the threat.

1 Samuel 23 26 Bonus section

This extreme predicament and David's subsequent escape are immortalized in the place name "Sela Hammahlekoth" (סֶלַע הַמַּחְלְקֹות), meaning "Rock of Escapes" or "Rock of Divisions," which David used to commemorate the location in 1 Sam 23:28. This naming underscores not just the physical narrowness of the escape but the divine hand that created the "division" in Saul's pursuit. It highlights how God can provide deliverance even when surrounded by the most determined and powerful adversaries, transforming a moment of dire peril into a lasting memorial of His faithfulness.

1 Samuel 23 26 Commentary

1 Samuel 23:26 vividly captures the climax of Saul's obsessive pursuit, presenting a scene of desperate peril where David and his small band were at the point of certain capture. The geographical description highlights Saul's strategic advantage, effectively encircling David within the rugged terrain. David's frantic attempt to escape underscores the dire straits they faced, a situation humanly impossible to resolve. This moment serves as a powerful testament to God's precise timing and sovereign control over events, as it sets the stage for the dramatic, immediate intervention that follows (1 Sam 23:27), demonstrating that divine providence operates even, and especially, when all human avenues are exhausted. It is a striking illustration of trusting in God's deliverance amidst overwhelming odds, revealing that the true King protects His anointed.