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Christian Standard Bible ®

1 Samuel 24:4

so they said to him, “Look, this is the day the Lord told you about: ‘I will hand your enemy over to you so you can do to him whatever you desire.’” Then David got up and secretly cut off the corner of Saul’s robe.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Cave;   Magnanimity;   Saul;   Self-Control;   Thompson Chain Reference - Saul, King of Israel;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Hyke or Upper Garment;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Right-Hand;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - David;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Prayer;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Dress;   Mantle;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Dress;   Engedi;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Samuel, Books of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Dress;   Priests and Levites;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Old Testament (I. Christ as Fulfilment of);   King James Dictionary - Robe;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Caves;   Garments;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Da'vid;   En'-Gedi;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Rock;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Hebrew Monarchy, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Skirt;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Essenes;   Euphemism;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
The men of David said to him, Behold, the day of which the LORD said to you, Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you. Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Sha'ul's robe secretly.
King James Version
And the men of David said unto him, Behold the day of which the Lord said unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand, that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good unto thee. Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul's robe privily.
Lexham English Bible
And David's men said to him, "Look, today is the day about which Yahweh said to you, ‘See, I am giving your enemy into your hand, and you can do to him whatever seems good to you.'" So David got up and secretly cut the hem of Saul's robe.
English Standard Version
And the men of David said to him, "Here is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold, I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you.'" Then David arose and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul's robe.
New Century Version
The men said to David, "Today is the day the Lord spoke of when he said, ‘I will give your enemy over to you. Do anything you want with him.'" Then David crept up to Saul and quietly cut off a corner of Saul's robe.
New English Translation
David's men said to him, "This is the day about which the Lord said to you, ‘I will give your enemy into your hand, and you can do to him whatever seems appropriate to you.'" So David got up and quietly cut off an edge of Saul's robe.
Amplified Bible
David's men said to him, "Behold, this is the day of which the LORD said to you, 'Behold, I will hand over your enemy to you, and you shall do to him as seems good to you.'" Then David arose [in the darkness] and stealthily cut off the hem (edge) of Saul's robe.
New American Standard Bible
Then David's men said to him, "Behold, this is the day of which the LORD said to you, 'Behold; I am about to hand your enemy over to you, and you shall do to him as it seems good to you.'" Then David got up and cut off the edge of Saul's robe secretly.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And the men of Dauid said vnto him, See, the day is come, whereof the Lorde sayde vnto thee, Beholde, I will deliuer thine enemie into thine hande, and thou shalt doe to him as it shall seeme good to thee. Then Dauid arose and cut off the lap of Sauls garment priuily.
Legacy Standard Bible
Then the men of David said to him, "Behold, this is the day of which Yahweh said to you, ‘Behold, I am about to give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it seems good in your eyes.'" Then David arose and cut off the edge of Saul's robe secretly.
Contemporary English Version
They whispered to David, "The Lord told you he was going to let you defeat your enemies and do whatever you want with them. This must be the day the Lord was talking about." David sneaked over and cut off a small piece of Saul's robe, but Saul didn't notice a thing.
Complete Jewish Bible
Near some sheep pens along the way was a cave, and Sha'ul went inside to relieve himself. It happened that David and his men were sitting in the recesses at the back of the cave;
Darby Translation
And David's men said to him, Behold the day of which Jehovah said to thee, Behold, I will give thine enemy into thy hand, that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good to thee. And David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul's robe secretly.
Easy-to-Read Version
David's men told him, "This is day the Lord told you about when he said, ‘I will give your enemy to you, and you can do whatever you want to him.'" So David crawled closer and closer to Saul and cut off a corner of Saul's robe. Saul didn't notice what happened.
George Lamsa Translation
And the men of David said to him, Behold, this is the day of which the LORD said to you, Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hands, that you may do to him as shall seem good in your sight. Then David arose and cut off the skirt of Sauls robe stealthily.
Good News Translation
They said to him, "This is your chance! The Lord has told you that he would put your enemy in your power and you could do to him whatever you wanted to." David crept over and cut off a piece of Saul's robe without Saul's knowing it.
Literal Translation
And David's men said to him, Behold, the day of which Jehovah said to you, Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it is good in your eyes. But David rose up and quietly cut off the skirt of Saul's robe.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then sayde Dauids men vnto him: Lo, this is the daye, wherof the LORDE thy God hath sayde vnto the: Beholde, I wyll delyuer thyne enemye in to thy hande, that thou mayest do wt him what it pleaseth the. And Dauid stode vp, & cut of the typpe of Sauls garment quyetly.
American Standard Version
And the men of David said unto him, Behold, the day of which Jehovah said unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thy hand, and thou shalt do to him as it shall seem good unto thee. Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul's robe privily.
Bible in Basic English
And David's men said to him, Now is the time when the Lord says to you, I will give up your hater into your hands to do with him whatever seems good to you. Then David, getting up, took the skirt of Saul's robe in his hand, cutting off the end of it without his knowledge.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the men of Dauid sayd vnto him: See, the day is come, of which the Lord sayde vnto thee, Behold I will deliuer thyne enemie into thyne hand, and thou shalt do to him as it shall seeme good in thy sight. Then Dauid arose, and cut of the lappe of Sauls garment priuily.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the men of David said unto him: 'Behold the day in which the LORD hath said unto thee: Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thy hand, and thou shalt do to him as it shall seem good unto thee.' Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul's robe privily.
King James Version (1611)
And the men of Dauid sayd vnto him, Beholde the day of which the Lord sayd vnto thee, Behold, I wil deliuer thine enemy into thine hand, that thou mayest doe to him as it shall seeme good vnto thee. Then Dauid arose, and cut off the skirt of Sauls robe priuily.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And he came to the flocks of sheep that were by the way, and there was a cave there; and Saul went in to make preparation, and David and his men were sitting in the inner part of the cave.
English Revised Version
And the men of David said unto him, Behold, the day of which the LORD said unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand, and thou shalt do to him as it shall seem good unto thee. Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul’s robe privily.
Berean Standard Bible
The men of David said to him, "This is the day about which the LORD said to you, 'Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hands to do with him as you wish.'" Then David crept up secretly and cut off a corner of Saul's robe.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And the seruauntis of Dauid seiden to hym, Lo! the dai of which the Lord spak to the, Y schal bitake to thee thin enemy, that thou do to hym as it plesith in thin iyen. Therfor Dauid roos, and kittide the hemme of the mentil of Saul priuely.
Young's Literal Translation
And the men of David say unto him, `Lo, the day of which Jehovah said unto thee, Lo, I am giving thine enemy into thy hand, and thou hast done to him as it is good in thine eyes;' and David riseth and cutteth off the skirt of the upper robe which [is] on Saul -- gently.
Update Bible Version
And the men of David said to him, Look, the day of which Yahweh said to you, Look, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you. Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul's robe secretly.
Webster's Bible Translation
And the men of David said to him, Behold the day of which the LORD said to thee, Behold, I will deliver thy enemy into thy hand, that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good to thee. Then David arose, and privately cut off the skirt of Saul's robe.
World English Bible
The men of David said to him, Behold, the day of which Yahweh said to you, Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you. Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul's robe secretly.
New King James Version
Then the men of David said to him, "This is the day of which the LORD said to you, "Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, that you may do to him as it seems good to you."' And David arose and secretly cut off a corner of Saul's robe.
New Living Translation
"Now's your opportunity!" David's men whispered to him. "Today the Lord is telling you, ‘I will certainly put your enemy into your power, to do with as you wish.'" So David crept forward and cut off a piece of the hem of Saul's robe.
New Life Bible
David's men said to David, "See, this is the day the Lord told you, ‘See, I am about to give the one who hates you into your hand. You will do to him what you think is best.'" Then David got up and cut off a piece of Saul's clothing in secret.
New Revised Standard
The men of David said to him, "Here is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it seems good to you.'" Then David went and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul's cloak.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So David's men said unto him - Lo! the day of which Yahweh said unto thee - Lo! I am about to deliver up thine enemy, into thy hand: therefore shall thou do unto him, as shall be good in thine eyes. And David arose, and cut off the corner of the robe which belonged to Saul, by stealth.
Douay-Rheims Bible
(24-5) And the servants of David said to him: Behold the day, of which the Lord said to thee: I will deliver thy enemy unto thee, that thou mayst do to him as it shall seem good in thy eyes. Then David arose, and secretly cut off the hem of Saul’s robe.
Revised Standard Version
And the men of David said to him, "Here is the day of which the LORD said to you, 'Behold, I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you.'" Then David arose and stealthily cut off the skirt of Saul's robe.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
The men of David said to him, "Behold, this is the day of which the LORD said to you, 'Behold; I am about to give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it seems good to you.'" Then David arose and cut off the edge of Saul's robe secretly.

Contextual Overview

1When Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, “David is in the wilderness near En-gedi.” 2So Saul took three thousand of Israel’s fit young men and went to look for David and his men in front of the Rocks of the Wild Goats. 3When Saul came to the sheep pens along the road, a cave was there, and he went in to relieve himself. David and his men were staying in the recesses of the cave, 4so they said to him, “Look, this is the day the Lord told you about: ‘I will hand your enemy over to you so you can do to him whatever you desire.’” Then David got up and secretly cut off the corner of Saul’s robe.5Afterward, David’s conscience bothered him because he had cut off the corner of Saul’s robe. 6He said to his men, “I swear before the Lord: I would never do such a thing to my lord, the Lord’s anointed. I will never lift my hand against him, since he is the Lord’s anointed.” 7With these words David persuaded his men, and he did not let them rise up against Saul. 8After that, David got up, went out of the cave, and called to Saul, “My lord the king!” When Saul looked behind him, David knelt low with his face to the ground and paid homage.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the men: 1 Samuel 26:8-11, 2 Samuel 4:8, Job 31:31

I will deliver: 1 Samuel 24:10, 1 Samuel 24:18, 1 Samuel 23:7, 1 Samuel 26:23

Saul's robe: Heb. the robe which was Saul's

Reciprocal: Exodus 21:13 - God 1 Samuel 26:12 - So David 1 Kings 11:30 - rent it 2 Kings 6:21 - shall 2 Kings 8:15 - And it came Isaiah 33:15 - stoppeth Jeremiah 40:15 - Let Luke 9:55 - and rebuked

Cross-References

Genesis 12:7
The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the Lord who had appeared to him.
Genesis 24:20
She quickly emptied her jug into the trough and hurried to the well again to draw water. She drew water for all his camels
Genesis 24:23
“Whose daughter are you?” he asked. “Please tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?”
Genesis 28:2
Go at once to Paddan-aram, to the house of Bethuel, your mother’s father. Marry one of the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the men of David said unto him,.... Some of his principal men, who were about him, and near him, such as Joab and Abishai:

behold the day of which the Lord said unto thee: now the time was come that he spoke of to him by Samuel, or Gad, or to himself directly:

behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand; and such was Saul, as appeared by his seeking to take away his life; and now he was in the hand of David to take away his life, if he pleased:

that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good unto thee; an opportunity of this kind now offered:

then David arose; from that part of the cave in which he was, the further part of it:

and cut off the skirt of Saul's robe privily; unawares to him, and unobserved by him, which might be easily done, if Saul was asleep, and it is probable he was; and by the same way it may be accounted for that he did not hear the discourse that passed between David and his men.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The day of which the Lord said ... - This was the version by David’s men of such divine predictions as 1 Samuel 15:28; 1 Samuel 16:1, 1 Samuel 16:12. Jonathan’s words 1 Samuel 20:15; 1 Samuel 23:17 show clearly that these predictions were known.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Samuel 24:4. And the men of David said — We know not to what promise of God the men of David refer; they perhaps meant no more than to say, "Behold, the Lord hath delivered thine enemy into thy land, now do to him as he wishes to do to thee."

Then David arose — Though I have a high opinion of the character of David, yet the circumstances of the case seem to indicate that he arose to take away the life of Saul, and that it was in reference to this that his heart smote him. It appears that he rose up immediately at the desire of his men to slay his inveterate enemy, and one whom he knew the Lord had rejected; but when about to do it he was prevented by the remonstrance of God in his conscience, and instead of cutting off his head, as he might have done, an act which the laws and usages of war would have justified, he contented himself with cutting off the skirt of his robe; and he did this only to show Saul how much he had been in his power.


 
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