Albert Barnes Commentary 1 Samuel 24
Albert Barnes Commentary
1 Samuel 24
Albert Barnes Commentary
1 Samuel 24
"Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men upon the rocks of the wild goats." — 1 Samuel 24:2 (ASV)
The rocks of the wild goats signifies the craggy, precipitous character of the country.
"And he came to the sheepcotes by the way, where was a cave; and Saul went in to cover his feet. Now David and his men were abiding in the innermost parts of the cave." — 1 Samuel 24:3 (ASV)
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. Anyone near the mouth of the cave would be visible, but those in the recesses would be completely in the dark and invisible, especially if the incident occurred at night. Psalms 67:1–7, according to its title, was composed on this occasion.
"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." — 1 Samuel 24:4 (ASV)
The day the LORD spoke of... — This was how David's men interpreted divine predictions like 1 Samuel 15:28 and 1 Samuel 16:1, 12. Jonathan’s words in 1 Samuel 20:15 and 1 Samuel 23:17 show clearly that these predictions were known.
"And it came to pass afterward, that David`s heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul`s skirt." — 1 Samuel 24:5 (ASV)
David’s heart smote him—that is, his conscience convicted him because he thought the action was inconsistent with the respect he owed to the king.
"And David said to Saul, Wherefore hearkenest thou to men`s words, saying, Behold, David seeketh thy hurt?" — 1 Samuel 24:9 (ASV)
David was quite aware that there were flatterers at Saul’s court who were continually inflaming the king’s mind with their false accusations against him. This explains the language of many of the Psalms, for example, Psalms 10, Psalms 11:1–7, Psalms 12:1–8, Psalms 35, and many more.
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