So he said to his men, “The LORD forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the LORD’s anointed. May I never lift my hand against him, since he is the LORD’s anointed.”
Parallel translations
- WEB He said to his men, “Yahweh forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, Yahweh’s anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, since he is Yahweh’s anointed.”
- KJV And he said unto his men, The LORD forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the LORD’s anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD.
- NKJV And he said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord.”
- NASB So he said to his men, “Far be it from me because of the Lord that I would do this thing to my lord, the Lord’s anointed, to reach out with my hand against him, since he is the Lord’s anointed.”
- NLT He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this to my lord the king. I shouldn’t attack the Lord’s anointed one, for the Lord himself has chosen 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 refuses to harm Saul because he is the Lord's anointed. Respect for God's appointed authority restrains David's hand.
Overview
David grounds his restraint not in Saul's worthiness but in Saul's anointing, the sacred status God had conferred on him as king. To strike Saul would be to usurp God's prerogative over the kings He raises up and removes. This reverence anticipates the New Testament call to honor governing authorities, and it magnifies Christ, the true Anointed One, who entrusted Himself to the Father rather than retaliating against those who wronged Him.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- 2 Sam 1:14So David asked him, “Why were you not afraid to lift your hand to destroy the LORD’s anointed?”
- Rom 12:14Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse.
- Job 31:29–30If I have rejoiced in my enemy’s ruin, or exulted when evil befell him—
- 1 Sam 26:9–11But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him, for who can lift a hand against the LORD’s anointed and be guiltless?”
- 1 Th 5:15Make sure that no one repays evil for evil. Always pursue what is good for one another and for all people.
- 1 Kgs 21:3But Naboth replied, “The LORD forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.”
- Matt 5:44But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
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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 24:6 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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