1 Samuel 24:3

La Biblia Reina-Valera

Samuel 24:3"> 3 (H24-4) Y como llegó á una majada de ovejas en el camino, donde había una cueva, entró Saúl en ella á cubrir sus pies: y David y los suyos estaban á los lados de la cueva.

Parallel Translations

La Biblia de las Americas
Llegó a unos rediles de ovejas en el camino, donde había una cueva, y Saúl entró en ella para hacer sus necesidades. Y David y sus hombres estaban sentados en los rincones de la cueva.

La Biblia Reina-Valera Gomez
Y lleg� a un redil de ovejas en el camino, donde hab�a una cueva, y entr� Sa�l en ella para cubrir sus pies; y David y sus hombres estaban en los rincones de la cueva.

Sagradas Escrituras (1569)
Y cuando lleg� a una majada de ovejas en el camino, donde hab�a una cueva, entr� Sa�l en ella a hacer sus necesidades; y David y los suyos estaban sentados a los lados de la cueva.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the sheepcotes: Caves in the rocks, in which it is still common for shepherds and their flocks to lodge. Dr. Pococke observes, "Beyond the valley - of Tekoa there is a very large grotto, which the Arabs call El-Maamah, a hiding place: the high rocks on each side of the valley are almost perpendicular; and the way to the grotto is by a terrace formed in the rock, which is very narrow. There are two entrances into it; we went by the farthest, which leads by a narrow passage into a very large grotto, the rock being supported by natural pillars; the top of it rises in several places like domes; the grotto is perfectly dry. There is a tradition, that the people of the country, to the number of 30,000, retired into this grotto, to avoid a bad air. This place is so strong, that one would imagine it to be one of the strong holds of En-gedi, to which David and his men fled from Saul, and possibly it may be that very cave in which he cut off Saul's skirt; for David and his men might, with good ease, lie hid there and not be seen by him." Travels, vol. ii. P. 1. p. 41.

and Saul: Psalms 141:6

to cover: Judges 3:24

David: Psalms 57:1, Psalms 142:1,*titles

Reciprocal: Joshua 10:16 - in a cave 1 Samuel 13:6 - in caves 2 Samuel 17:9 - he is hid Psalms 17:11 - compassed Jeremiah 41:9 - because of Gedaliah Ezekiel 33:27 - in the caves Jonah 1:5 - the sides

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And he came to the sheepcotes by the way, where [was] a cave,.... For the sheep to be led into at noon, to shelter them from the heat: such was the cave of Polyphemus, observed by Bochart z, in which sheep and goats lay down and slept; :-;

and Saul went in to cover his feet; the Targum is, to do his necessaries; and so Josephus a; and the Jewish commentators generally understand it of easing nature; and as the eastern people used to wear long and loose garments, these, when they performed such an action, they used in modesty to gather them close about them, that no part of the body, their feet, and especially the parts of nature which should be concealed, might be seen; but the Syriac and Arabic versions render it, "and there he lay" or "slept"; which suggest, that his going into the cave was in order to take some sleep and rest, when it was usual to cover the feet, both to prevent taking cold, and the private parts of the body being exposed to view; and this accounts better for Saul not hearing David's men in the cave, and for his being insensible of David's cuttings off the skirt of his garment, and best agrees with the use of the phrase in Judges 3:24; the only place besides this in which it is used; Judges 3:24- :;

and David and his men remained in the sides of the cave; unseen and unobserved by Saul, even six hundred of them; nor need this seem strange, since in those parts of the world there were caves exceeding large, made so either by nature or art. Vansleb b speaks of a cave in Egypt so extraordinary large, that, without hyperbole, a thousand horses might there draw up in battle array, and of another larger than that; and Strabo says c, that towards Arabia and Iturea are mountains difficult to be passed, and in which are deep caves, one of which would hold four thousand men: and as the mouths of these caves were generally narrow, and the further parts of them large, and also dark, persons at the entrance of them could be seen, when those in the more remote parts could not; and this cave is said to be extremely dark d; which accounts for Saul's being seen when he came into the cave, whereas David and his men could not be seen by him.

z Hierozoic. par. 1. l. 2. c. 45. col. 467, 468. a Antiqu. l. 6. c. 13. sect. 4. b Relation of a Voyage, p. 227. c Geograph. l. 16. p. 520. d Le Bruyn's Voyage to the Levant, ch. 51. p. 199.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Remained in the sides - Rather, “were in the sides of the cave dwelling or abiding there.” Some of these caverns are very deep and spacious. Any one near the mouth of the cave would be visible, but those in the recesses would be quite in the dark and invisible, especially if the incident occurred at night. Psalms 67:1-7, according to the title, was composed on this occasion.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Samuel 24:3. The sheep-cotes — Caves in the rocks, in which it is common, even to the present time, for shepherds and their flocks to lodge. According to Strabo there are caverns in Syria, one of which is capable of containing four thousand men: Ὡν ἑν και τετρακισχιλιους ανθρωπους δεξασθαι δυναμενον; lib. xvi. p. 1096. Edit. 1707.

Saul went in to cover his feet — Perhaps this phrase signifies exactly what the Vulgate has rendered it, ut purparet ventrem. The Septuagint, the Targum, and the Arabic understand it in the same way. It is likely that, when he had performed this act of necessity, he lay down to repose himself, and it was while he was asleep that David cut off the skirt of his robe. It is strange that Saul was not aware that there might be men lying in wait in such a place; and the rabbins have invented a most curious conceit to account for Saul's security: "God, foreseeing that Saul would come to this cave, caused a spider to weave her web over the mouth of it, which, when Saul perceived, he took for granted that no person had lately been there, and consequently he entered it without suspicion." This may be literally true; and we know that even a spider in the hand of God may be the instrument of a great salvation. This is a Jewish tradition, and one of the most elegant and instructive in their whole collection.

David and his men remained in the sides of the cave. — This is no hyperbole; we have not only the authority of Strabo as above mentioned, but we have the authority of the most accurate travellers, to attest the fact of the vast capacity of caves in the East.

Dr. Pococke observes: "Beyond the valley (of Tekoa) there is a very large grotto, which the Arabs call El Maamah, a hiding place; the high rocks on each side of the valley are almost perpendicular, and the way to the grotto is by a terrace formed in the rock, which is very narrow. There are two entrances into it; we went by the farthest, which leads by a narrow passage into a large grotto, the rock being supported by great natural pillars; the top of it rises in several parts like domes; the grotto is perfectly dry. There is a tradition that the people of the country, to the number of thirty thousand, retired into this grotto to avoid a bad air. This place is so strong that one would imagine it to be one of the strong holds of En-gedi, to which David and his men fled from Saul; and possibly it may be that very cave in which he cut off Saul's skirt, for David and his men might with great ease lie hid there and not be seen by him." - Pococke's Travels, vol. ii., part 1, p. 41.