Therefore Saul returned from pursuing David, and went against the Philistines; so they called that place the Rock of Escape.
Parallel translations
- WEB So Saul returned from pursuing David, and went against the Philistines. Therefore they called that place Sela Hammahlekoth.
- KJV Wherefore Saul returned from pursuing after David, and went against the Philistines: therefore they called that place Selahammahlekoth.
- BSB So Saul broke off his pursuit of David and went to meet the Philistines. That is why that place is called Sela-hammahlekoth.
- NASB So Saul returned from pursuing David and went to confront the Philistines; therefore they called that place the Rock of Division.
- NLT So Saul quit chasing David and returned to fight the Philistines. Ever since that time, the place where David was camped has been called the Rock of Escape.
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 abandons the chase to fight the Philistines, and the place is named the Rock of Escape.
Overview
Saul turns away from David to confront the Philistine threat, and the site is memorialized as Sela Hammahlekoth, the Rock of Parting or Escape. The name commemorates David's God-given deliverance at the brink of disaster. This rescue testifies that the LORD is a refuge and rock for those who trust Him.
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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 23:28 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
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