Charles Ellicott Commentary 1 Samuel 26:12

"So David took the spear and the cruse of water from Saul`s head; and they gat them away: and no man saw it, nor knew it, neither did any awake; for they were all asleep, because a deep sleep from Jehovah was fallen upon them." — 1 Samuel 26:12 (ASV)

No man saw it, nor knew it, neither awaked. —The Hebrew is more graphic: “And none saw, and none knew, and none awaked.”

A deep sleep from the Lord. —The inference here, at first sight, certainly is that an unnatural, or rather, a supernatural drowsiness had fallen on the camp of Saul.

Still, it is not absolutely necessary to suppose that a special miracle was performed on this occasion.

The memory of great carelessness and lack of vigilance in the royal army was evidently in David’s mind when he sarcastically reproves the royal general Abner, in 1 Samuel 26:14–16.

They were in a friendly district, and never dreamed of a surprise, and possibly the rough soldiers on duty had been carousing.

David and Abishai, too, owing to their long experience in camp life, often fleeing before their enemies, were experienced scouts and, in the dark night, did their perilous work speedily and noiselessly.