And David rebuked his men with these words and did not allow them to rise up against Saul. And Saul got up, left the cave, and went on his way.
Parallel translations
- WEB So David checked his men with these words, and didn’t allow them to rise against Saul. Saul rose up out of the cave, and went on his way.
- KJV So David stayed his servants with these words, and suffered them not to rise against Saul. But Saul rose up out of the cave, and went on his way.
- BSB With these words David restrained his men, and he did not let them rise up against Saul. Then Saul left the cave and went on his way.
- NKJV So David restrained his servants with these words, and did not allow them to rise against Saul. And Saul got up from the cave and went on his way.
- NLT So David restrained his men and did not let them kill Saul. After Saul had left the cave and gone on his way,
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 restrains his men and lets Saul leave unharmed. Godly leadership sometimes means holding others back from sin.
Overview
David not only restrains himself but rebukes and checks his eager followers, refusing to let them rise against the king. He allows Saul to walk out of the cave alive, surrendering an apparent God-given chance for vengeance. The verse displays self-control and the courage to lead others toward righteousness rather than yielding to the crowd, a pattern of trusting God to deal with one's enemies in His own time.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Matt 5:44But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you,
- Ps 7:4if I have rewarded evil to him who was at peace with me (yes, if I have delivered him who without cause was my adversary),
- Rom 12:17–21Repay no one evil for evil. Respect what is honorable in the sight of all men.
- 1 Sam 25:33Blessed is your discretion, and blessed are you, who have kept me today from blood guiltiness, and from avenging myself with my own hand.
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 24:7 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.