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Saul tried to pin him to the wall with his spear. But the spear struck the wall and David eluded him, ran away, and escaped that night.
1 Samuel 19:10 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear; but he slipped away out of Saul’s presence, and he stuck the spear into the wall. David fled, and escaped that night.
  • KJV And Saul sought to smite David even to the wall with the javelin, but he slipped away out of Saul’s presence, and he smote the javelin into the wall: and David fled, and escaped that night.
  • NKJV Then Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he slipped away from Saul’s presence; and he drove the spear into the wall. So David fled and escaped that night.
  • NASB And Saul tried to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he escaped from Saul’s presence, so that he stuck the spear into the wall. And David fled and escaped that night.
  • NLT Saul hurled his spear at David. But David dodged out of the way, and leaving the spear stuck in the wall, he fled and escaped into the night.

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 tries to pin David to the wall with his spear, but David escapes and flees that night.

Overview

Saul's hidden malice erupts into open violence, yet the Lord delivers David, who slips away as the spear strikes the wall. This marks the decisive break, after which David lives as a fugitive. God's protection of his anointed in the face of deadly threat displays his faithfulness to preserve those through whom he will accomplish his redemptive purpose.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 16

  • 1 Sam 20:33Then Saul hurled his spear at Jonathan to kill him; so Jonathan knew that his father was determined to kill David.
  • 1 Sam 18:11and he hurled it, thinking, “I will pin David to the wall.” But David eluded him twice.
  • Prov 21:30There is no wisdom, no understanding, no counsel that can prevail against the LORD.
  • Ps 34:19Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him from them all.
  • John 10:39At this, they tried again to seize Him, but He escaped their grasp.
  • Ps 124:7We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowler; the net is torn, and we have slipped away.
  • 1 Sam 19:6Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan and swore an oath: “As surely as the LORD lives, David will not be put to death.”
  • Luke 4:30But Jesus passed through the crowd and went on His way.
  • Matt 12:43–45When an unclean spirit comes out of a man, it passes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it.
  • Isa 54:17No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their vindication is from Me,” declares the LORD.
  • Matt 10:23When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next. Truly I tell you, you will not reach all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
  • 2 Pet 2:20–22If indeed they have escaped the corruption of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, only to be entangled and overcome by it again, their final condition is worse than it was at first.
  • Job 5:14–15They encounter darkness by day and grope at noon as in the night.
  • Luke 11:24–26When an unclean spirit comes out of a man, it passes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’
  • Hos 6:4What shall I do with you, O Ephraim? What shall I do with you, O Judah? For your loyalty is like a morning mist, like the early dew that vanishes.
  • Ps 18:17He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from foes too mighty for me.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (6)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — 1 Samuel videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on 1 Samuel 19:10YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on 1 SamuelMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    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 19:10 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.