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And Saul sent the messengers again to see David, saying, Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may slay him.
1 Samuel 19:15 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB Saul sent the messengers to see David, saying, “Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may kill him.”
  • BSB But Saul sent the messengers back to see David and told them, “Bring him up to me in his bed so I can kill him.”
  • NKJV Then Saul sent the messengers back to see David, saying, “Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may kill him.”
  • NASB Then Saul sent messengers to see David, saying, “Bring him up to me on his bed, so that I may put him to death.”
  • NLT But Saul sent the troops back to get David. He ordered, “Bring him to me in his bed so I can kill him!”

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 orders the messengers to bring David up to him in the bed so that he can kill him.

Overview

Saul's murderous resolve is laid bare: he will have David carried sick-bed and all to be slain. The king is wholly consumed by his determination to destroy the man God has chosen. His relentless rage against the innocent shows a heart in rebellion against the Lord's revealed will.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 5

  • Prov 27:3–4A stone is heavy, and the sand weighty; but a fool’s wrath is heavier than them both.
  • 1 Sam 19:6And Saul hearkened unto the voice of Jonathan: and Saul sware, As the LORD liveth, he shall not be slain.
  • Ps 37:12The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.
  • Rom 3:15Their feet are swift to shed blood:
  • Job 31:31If the men of my tabernacle said not, Oh that we had of his flesh! we cannot be satisfied.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (4)

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 19:15YouTube · 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 19:15 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.