And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled.
Parallel translations
- WEB When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly.
- BSB When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid and trembled violently.
- NKJV When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly.
- NASB When Saul saw the camp of the Philistines, he was afraid and his heart trembled greatly.
- NLT When Saul saw the vast Philistine army, he became frantic with fear.
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
Seeing the Philistine host, Saul is gripped by fear and trembling. His dread exposes a heart without God's assurance.
Overview
The sight of the enemy army fills Saul with deep terror, his heart trembling greatly. The fear reveals a man cut off from the LORD's peace, lacking the confidence that David found in God. Saul's panic drives him toward desperate, unlawful measures rather than humble repentance.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Isa 7:2And it was told the house of David, saying, Syria is confederate with Ephraim. And his heart was moved, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind.
- Isa 21:3–4Therefore are my loins filled with pain: pangs have taken hold upon me, as the pangs of a woman that travaileth: I was bowed down at the hearing of it; I was dismayed at the seeing of it.
- Ps 48:5–6They saw it, and so they marvelled; they were troubled, and hasted away.
- Prov 10:24The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him: but the desire of the righteous shall be granted.
- Ps 73:19How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors.
- Isa 57:20–21But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.
- Dan 5:6Then the king’s countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another.
- Job 18:11Terrors shall make him afraid on every side, and shall drive him to his feet.
- Job 15:21A dreadful sound is in his ears: in prosperity the destroyer shall come upon him.
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 28:5 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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