Charles Ellicott Commentary 1 Samuel 24

When Saul returned. —It is clear how intent Saul was on his bloody purpose concerning his supposed rival, for as soon as the Philistine raid was repulsed, with sleepless animosity he at once set out with a force of considerable magnitude, as the next verse relates, to hunt down his enemy. Saul was encouraged in this fresh enterprise by the offer of the Ziphites (see 1 Samuel 24:19–22).

These bitter enemies of David, in the interval of the Philistine war—accustomed to the passes and mountains of the barren region of the south of Canaan—complying with the king’s request (1 Samuel 23:23), had taken careful note of the hiding places where David was concealed, and were now prepared to act as guides to the well-equipped and disciplined forces under Saul in their marches and counter-marches in the deserts bordering on the south of Judah.

En-gedi. —David and his band were now wandering along a lofty plateau, upon the tops of cliffs some 2,000 feet above the Dead Sea. En-gedi—still known as Ain-jedy, the Fountain of the Kid—is a beautiful oasis in the barren wilderness to the south of Judah. Its original name was Hazazon Tamar—“The Palm Wood” (see 2 Chronicles 20:2)—and it was once an ancient settlement of the Amorites . It has in every age been a favorite spot with the possessors of the land.

King Solomon appears to have paid special attention to this garden of the wilderness. He planted the hills around it with vines; from the fountain flows a warm, clear stream, delicious to the taste. The remains of ancient gardens tell us that in the golden days of the kings, En-gedi was probably a favorite resort of the wealthy citizens of Jerusalem. Solomon, in his “Song of Songs,” writes of it in a way that shows how he loved it, when he compares his beloved to a cluster of camphire in the vineyards of En-gedi (Song of Solomon 1:14).

Its present condition, as described by modern travelers, more closely resembles the En-gedi of the time when Saul hunted David among the rocks and caverns than the En-gedi that was the resort of Jerusalem's citizens, beautiful with Solomon's gardens and vines.—Conder: Tent Life.

Dean Stanley and others have described the spot with great care and left us a vivid picture of the scene. They tell us of the long and weary journey across the desolate valleys and precipitous barren heights, and of the enchanting scene that lay before them once Ain-jedy was reached. They describe in flowing language the plentiful and rich vegetation, the trees and fruits, the ruins of the ancient gardens, and the remains of the beautiful groves, still inhabited by a multitude of singing birds.

In the limestone cliffs are numerous caves, some of them very large and deep, well suited to be the temporary shelter for large groups of men.

Three thousand chosen men. — This large and carefully selected force is an indication of how thoroughly impressed Saul was with David's power at this point. Indeed, he evidently looked on him as a rival king, who had to be met by a numerous and disciplined force.

Upon the rocks of the wild goats. — “Ibex rocks,” so called because probably only these ibexes, the chamois of Syria, could find grazing on them. Some have suggested that this was a proper name. The ibex is still found among the precipitous cliffs in the vicinity of En-gedi.

The sheepcotes. —Thomson (The Land and the Book) says he saw hundreds of these sheepcotes around the mouth of the caves, of which there are so many in Palestine. In that land and among these Eastern peoples, whose customs change so little, they are as common now as they were then. "These sheepcotes are generally made by piling up loose stones in front of the cave’s entrance in a circular wall, which is covered with thorns as a further protection against thieves and wild animals who would prey on the sheep."

"During cold storms and in the night the flocks retreat into the cave, but at other times they remain in the enclosed cote... These caverns are as dark as midnight, and the keenest eye cannot see four paces inward; but one who has been long within, and looking outward toward the entrance, can observe with perfect distinctness all that takes place in that direction. David, therefore, could watch Saul as he came in... but Saul could see nothing but impenetrable darkness."

From this thorny fence, so universal in the countless sheepcotes of Palestine, a quaint simile in the strange passage on "Death" in the Talmud was very possibly derived:—

"The hardest of all deaths is by a disease (some suppose quinsey), which is like the forcible extraction of prickly thorns from wool... The easiest of all deaths is the Divine kiss, which is like the extracting of hair from milk. Moses, Aaron, and Miriam died by this Divine kiss." —Treatise Berachoth, fol. 8,Colossians 1:0.

Where was a cave. —The well-known traveller Van de Velde wishes to identify the cave in question with an immense cavern in a rock with many side vaults, near the ruins of Chareitum; the difficulty is, however, that this vast cavern is fifteen or twenty miles from Ain-jedy. In this cave all David’s band could well have been gathered: not only his 600 fighting men, but the camp followers and women also. In Pocock we read that the Arabs call this cavern Elmaama (hiding-place), and relate how on one occasion thirty thousand people hid themselves in it to escape an evil wind (the simoom).

It is, however, quite possible that the incident about to be related, connected with Saul and David, took place in one of the much smaller caves close to En-gedi. It is not necessary to assume that all David’s band were with him in one cave. A hundred or so of his more special companions were probably with him on this occasion, the remainder of the little army being dispersed in other similar refuges in the immediate neighbourhood.

And Saul went in to cover his feet. —The meaning of this disputed passage is quite simple. Saul, fatigued with the morning’s march, sometime about midday withdrew—probably with a very few attendants composing his personal staff—to take a short siesta, or sleep, in one of those dark, silent caves on the hillside. These caves offered a cool resting-place after the glare and heat of a long and fatiguing march along the precipitous paths of the region.

He lay down, no doubt, near the cave’s mouth, and one of his faithful attendants threw lightly over the king’s feet the royal many-coloured mantle (m’il). The king and his attendants little suspected that in the dark recesses of their midday resting-place were concealed the dreaded freebooter and a great company of his devoted armed followers.

As explained in the Note above, in these great rock recesses, when coming from outside, from the glare of daylight, not five paces forward can be seen. However, those already inside, and accustomed to the darkness, can, at a considerable distance within the cave, see distinctly all that takes place in the neighbourhood of the cavern mouth.

The sharp eyes of David’s sentinels, no doubt, far in the cave, quickly saw the little party of intruders. The tall form of the king, his jewelled armour, and perhaps his many-coloured, brightly-tinted cloak, betrayed to the amazed watchmen of David the rank of the wearied sleeper.

This interpretation of the words Saul went in to cover his feet—namely, "to sleep"—is adopted by the Peshito Syriac Version, Michaelis, and of late, very positively, Ewald. The ordinary interpretation of the words, besides being an unusual statement, by no means suits the narrative; for it must be remembered that considerable time was necessary for the sentinel to inform David, and for David to have approached and cut off the hem of the royal garment, and again to have retired into the recesses of the cave.

In the sides of the cave. —That is, in the side vaults and passages which exist in the largest of these natural refuges.

Behold the day of which the Lord said to you.—This was the version by David’s men of such predictions as 1 Samuel 15:28, 1 Samuel 16:1, and 1 Samuel 16:12. Jonathan’s words (1 Samuel 20:15; 1 Samuel 23:17) clearly show that these predictions were known, and the version of them given here was a very natural one from the mouths of David’s men (Speaker’s Commentary). It is, however, quite possible that a prophet such as Gad had publicly predicted, in the hearing of David’s band of followers, that the days would come when their now outlawed captain, the son of Jesse, the “Anointed of Jehovah”—with all his enemies overthrown—would reign in peace and glory over all the land.

Then David arose.—For a moment, the “king to be” listened to the seductive voice of the tempter. We may imagine him, with the sword of Goliath unsheathed in his hand, advancing towards his unconscious adversary, who was sleeping at the mouth of the cave. David was resolved to end the long, cruel war with one good blow. Then, with his great rival gone, he could seat himself at once on the empty throne which he knew the Eternal intended for him one day to occupy. But this lasted only for a moment, for the thought rapidly passed through David’s soul that the helpless, sleeping one was, after all, the “Anointed of Jehovah.” How could he, himself “an anointed king,” touch another of the same order to harm him?

So, with a matchless generosity, unequalled indeed in those rough days, he spared the man who so ruthlessly and so often had sought his life, even though Saul, at that very moment and with all the power of the land, was trying to put him to death. David the outlaw bent over the sleeping king who hated him with such a deep hate, and deftly cut off the skirt of his robe—perhaps some of the golden fringe that edged the royal m’il. As he bent over him and once more saw the face of Saul—from whose brow his minstrelsy had so often chased the dark clouds of madness—we can imagine the son of Jesse again loving the great hero of his boyhood, loving him as he did in the old days when he played for the king during his dark hours.

There is no doubt that one of the most beautiful characteristics of David’s many-sided nature was this enduring loyalty to Saul and to Saul’s house. No jealousy, or even bitter injuries inflicted in later years, could affect the old love, the old feeling of loyal reverence, the more than filial affection; it was even proof against time. Years after Saul was in his grave, David gave the most conspicuous proof of his faithful memory of his old, devoted friendship for Saul and his house when he pardoned Mephibosheth, Saul’s grandson, for his more than suspected treason in the matter of Absalom’s revolt, and restored to him a large portion of his forfeited lands (2 Samuel 19:24–29).

David’s heart struck him. —Not for what he had done to Saul, but his conscience struck him for the momentary thought that had stained his soul of slaying the Lord’s Anointed. This is better than with Clericus to say, “David was afraid that Saul would take this, though a clear sign of his [David’s] magnanimity, amiss, and regard it as a violation of his royal majesty.” There is no sign at all of David’s even regretting he had cut off the fringe of the king’s garment.

It was the far more terrible thought of slaying the God-anointed king which troubled David. The words of the next verse show us clearly what was going through his mind when he gravely rebuked his men, and evidently restrained them, with some little trouble, from rushing upon Saul, even after he had left the sleeping form, with the piece of the mantle in his hand.

The Hebrew word rendered “stayed” is a forceful one, and, literally, would be crushed down. There is a curious Note, however, in the Babylonian Talmud on this passage in the Book of Samuel which tells how David cut off a piece of Saul’s robe, in which the act is evidently very strongly condemned. Rabbi Yosi ben Rabbi chanîna, commenting on the words, “Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul’s robe secretly,” said, “Whoever treats clothes disrespectfully will at last derive no benefit from them, for it is said (1 Kings 1:1), ‘And they covered him [David] with clothes, but he gat no heat.’”—Treatise Berachoth, folio 62,Colossians 2:0.

This is evidently one of the “cryptographs,” of which there are such innumerable instances in the Talmud. The lesson intended to be taught by the famous Rabbi was probably intense reverence for the teachers and guides of Israel, here represented by Saul; any act of disrespect shown to one of these, even by injuring the clothes they wore, would be punished by God sooner or later.