and said to Saul, “Why do you listen to the words of men who say, ‘Look, David intends to harm you’?
Parallel translations
- WEB David said to Saul, “Why do you listen to men’s words, saying, ‘Behold, David seeks to harm you?’
- KJV And David said to Saul, Wherefore hearest thou men’s words, saying, Behold, David seeketh thy hurt?
- NKJV And David said to Saul: “Why do you listen to the words of men who say, ‘Indeed David seeks your harm’?
- NASB And David said to Saul, “Why do you listen to the words of men who say, ‘Behold, David is seeking to harm you’?
- NLT Then he shouted to Saul, “Why do you listen to the people who say I am trying to harm you?
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 asks why Saul listens to slanderers who claim David seeks his harm. He confronts the lies that have fueled the persecution.
Overview
David identifies false counselors and rumor-mongers as a root of Saul's hostility, appealing to Saul to weigh the truth for himself. He distinguishes between the gossip Saul has believed and his own actual conduct. The verse exposes how slander poisons relationships and how the righteous must sometimes answer accusations plainly, trusting God to vindicate the truth.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Prov 29:12If a ruler listens to lies, all his officials will be wicked.
- Eccl 7:21–22Do not pay attention to every word that is spoken, or you may hear your servant cursing you.
- Prov 17:4A wicked man listens to evil lips; a liar gives ear to a destructive tongue.
- Prov 26:28A lying tongue hates those it crushes, and a flattering mouth causes ruin.
- 1 Sam 26:19Now please, may my lord the king hear the words of his servant: If the LORD has stirred you up against me, then may He accept an offering. But if men have done it, may they be cursed in the presence of the LORD! For today they have driven me away from sharing in the inheritance of the LORD, saying, ‘Go, serve other gods.’
- Prov 16:28A perverse man spreads dissension, and a gossip divides close friends.
- Prov 26:20–22Without wood, a fire goes out; without gossip, a conflict ceases.
- Prov 25:23As the north wind brings forth rain, so a backbiting tongue brings angry looks.
- Lev 19:16You must not go about spreading slander among your people. You must not endanger the life of your neighbor. I am the LORD.
- Ps 141:6When their rulers are thrown down from the cliffs, the people will listen to my words, for they are pleasant.
- Jas 3:6The tongue also is a fire, a world of wickedness among the parts of the body. It pollutes the whole person, sets the course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
- Ps 101:5Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret, I will put to silence; the one with haughty eyes and a proud heart, I will not endure.
- Prov 18:8The words of a gossip are like choice morsels that go down into the inmost being.
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 24:9 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.