But there came a messenger unto Saul, saying, Haste thee, and come; for the Philistines have invaded the land.
Parallel translations
- WEB But a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Hurry and come; for the Philistines have made a raid on the land!”
- BSB Then a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Come quickly, for the Philistines have raided the land!”
- NKJV But a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Hurry and come, for the Philistines have invaded the land!”
- NASB But a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Hurry and come, for the Philistines have launched an attack against the land!”
- NLT an urgent message reached Saul that the Philistines were raiding Israel again.
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
A messenger urgently summons Saul to repel a Philistine raid on the land.
Overview
At the critical moment, news of a Philistine invasion forces Saul to break off his pursuit. This providential interruption rescues David just as capture loomed. The timing reveals the LORD's sovereign hand orchestrating events to protect His anointed without David lifting a finger.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- 2 Kgs 19:9And when he heard say of Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, Behold, he is come out to fight against thee: he sent messengers again unto Hezekiah, saying,
- Ps 116:3The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow.
- Rev 12:16And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.
- 1 Chr 14:13And the Philistines yet again spread themselves abroad in the valley.
- Deut 32:36For the LORD shall judge his people, and repent himself for his servants, when he seeth that their power is gone, and there is none shut up, or left.
- Gen 22:14And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.
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 23:27 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.