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So Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel and went to look for David and his men in the region of the Rocks of the Wild Goats.
1 Samuel 24:2 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men on the rocks of the wild goats.
  • KJV Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men upon the rocks of the wild goats.
  • NKJV Then Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel, and went to seek David and his men on the Rocks of the Wild Goats.
  • NASB Then Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel and went to search for David and his men in front of the Rocks of the Mountain Goats.
  • NLT So Saul chose 3,000 elite troops from all Israel and went to search for David and his men near the rocks of the wild goats.

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 takes three thousand chosen men to seek David among the rocks of the wild goats.

Overview

Saul gathers an elite force of three thousand to hunt David in the rugged crags of En Gedi. The vast disparity between Saul's army and David's small band heightens the danger. Yet this overwhelming pursuit will soon place Saul, unknowingly, at David's mercy.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 6

  • 1 Sam 26:2So Saul, accompanied by three thousand chosen men of Israel, went down to the Wilderness of Ziph to search for David there.
  • Ps 38:12Those who seek my life lay snares; those who wish me harm speak destruction, plotting deceit all day long.
  • 1 Sam 13:2He chose for himself three thousand men of Israel: Two thousand were with Saul at Michmash and in the hill country of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. And the rest of the troops he sent away, each to his own home.
  • Ps 104:18The high mountains are for the wild goats, the cliffs a refuge for the rock badgers.
  • Ps 37:32Though the wicked lie in wait for the righteous, and seek to slay them,
  • Ps 141:6When their rulers are thrown down from the cliffs, the people will listen to my words, for they are pleasant.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (3)

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 24:2YouTube · 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 24:2 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.