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David laid up these words in his heart, and was very afraid of Achish the king of Gath.
1 Samuel 21:12 · World English Bible
Parallel translations
  • KJV And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath.
  • BSB Now David took these words to heart and was very much afraid of Achish the king of Gath.
  • NKJV Now David took these words to heart, and was very much afraid of Achish the king of Gath.
  • NASB David took these words to heart and greatly feared Achish king of Gath.
  • NLT David heard these comments and was very afraid of what King Achish of Gath might do to 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

David takes their words to heart and becomes deeply afraid of Achish.

Overview

Realizing he has been recognized, David is gripped by fear of the Philistine king. This honest portrayal shows David, the slayer of Goliath, now trembling in danger of his life. Some psalms (notably Psalm 34 and Psalm 56) are traditionally connected to this episode, where David's fear drives him to cry out to God for deliverance.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 8

  • Luke 2:19But Mary kept all these sayings, pondering them in her heart.
  • Ps 56:3When I am afraid, I will put my trust in you.
  • Ps 34:4I sought Yahweh, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears.
  • Gen 26:7The men of the place asked him about his wife. He said, “She is my sister,” for he was afraid to say, “My wife”, lest, he thought, “the men of the place might kill me for Rebekah, because she is beautiful to look at.”
  • Gen 12:11–13When he had come near to enter Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, “See now, I know that you are a beautiful woman to look at.
  • Luke 2:51And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth. He was subject to them, and his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.
  • 1 Sam 21:10David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.
  • Ps 119:11I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (5)

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 21:12YouTube · 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 21:12 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.