And David knew that Saul secretly practised mischief against him; and he said to Abiathar the priest, Bring hither the ephod.
Parallel translations
- WEB David knew that Saul was devising mischief against him; and he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod here.”
- BSB When David learned that Saul was plotting evil against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod.”
- NKJV When David knew that Saul plotted evil against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod here.”
- NASB But David knew that Saul was plotting evil against him; so he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod here.”
- NLT But David learned of Saul’s plan and told Abiathar the priest to bring the ephod and ask the Lord what he should do.
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
Aware of Saul's plot, David calls for the ephod to inquire of the LORD.
Overview
Discerning Saul's evil intent, David turns at once to Abiathar and the ephod to seek God's guidance. His instinct to inquire of the LORD in danger reveals a heart trained to trust divine wisdom. This dependence on God marks the contrast between David's faith and Saul's self-reliant scheming.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- 1 Sam 30:7And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David.
- 1 Sam 23:6And it came to pass, when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David to Keilah, that he came down with an ephod in his hand.
- Num 27:21And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall ask counsel for him after the judgment of Urim before the LORD: at his word shall they go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he, and all the children of Israel with him, even all the congregation.
- 1 Sam 22:20And one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped, and fled after David.
- Jer 33:3Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.
- Acts 14:6They were ware of it, and fled unto Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and unto the region that lieth round about:
- Acts 23:16–18And when Paul’s sister’s son heard of their lying in wait, he went and entered into the castle, and told Paul.
- Acts 9:24But their laying await was known of Saul. And they watched the gates day and night to kill him.
- Jer 11:18–19And the LORD hath given me knowledge of it, and I know it: then thou shewedst me their doings.
- 1 Sam 14:18And Saul said unto Ahiah, Bring hither the ark of God. For the ark of God was at that time with the children of Israel.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 23:9 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.