And from that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return to his father’s house.
Parallel translations
- WEB Saul took him that day, and would let him go no more home to his father’s house.
- KJV And Saul took him that day, and would let him go no more home to his father’s house.
- NKJV Saul took him that day, and would not let him go home to his father’s house anymore.
- NASB And Saul took him that day and did not let him return to his father’s house.
- NLT From that day on Saul kept David with him and wouldn’t let him return home.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Saul keeps David at court and no longer lets him return home. David's public service in Israel now begins in earnest.
Overview
From this day Saul retains David in his household, ending his shepherding life at Bethlehem. David's elevation to permanent court service marks the start of his public career. God's providence advances the anointed one step by step, drawing him from obscurity toward the throne to which he was called.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 2
- 1 Sam 17:15but David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father’s sheep in Bethlehem.
- 1 Sam 16:21–23When David came to Saul and entered his service, Saul admired him greatly, and David became his armor-bearer.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
The rise of the anointed king after Israel's failed first choice points to the true Anointed One (Messiah means 'anointed'), the shepherd-king after God's own heart from Bethlehem.
How 1 Samuel 18:2 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.