Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of 1 Samuel
Chapter 26: Who Can Stretch Forth His Hand Against the LORD's Anointed?
A second time Saul hunts David, and a second time God delivers the sleeping king into David's power. Urged again to strike, David again refuses: 'who can stretch forth his hand against the LORD'S anointed, and be guiltless?' He takes only the spear and the cruse, and leaves both vengeance and reward with the God who judges righteously.
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of 1 Samuel chapter 26. For each section you will find the KJV text, the Hebrew words that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. Chapter 26 echoes chapter 24: once more David has Saul at his mercy and once more will not touch the LORD's anointed, leaving all to God. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
David Spares Saul Again (1 Samuel 26:1-12)
David and Abishai slip into Saul's sleeping camp by night, and David refuses to let his enemy be slain, taking only the spear and the cruse.
Destroy Him Not
"And the Ziphites came unto Saul to Gibeah, saying, Doth not David hide himself in the hill of Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon? Then Saul arose, and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, having three thousand chosen men of Israel with him, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul pitched in the hill of Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon, by the way. But David abode in the wilderness, and he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness. David therefore sent out spies, and understood that Saul was come in very deed. And David arose, and came to the place where Saul had pitched: and David beheld the place where Saul lay, and Abner the son of Ner, the captain of his host: and Saul lay in the trench, and the people pitched round about him. Then answered David and said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Abishai the son of Zeruiah, brother to Joab, saying, Who will go down with me to Saul to the camp? And Abishai said, I will go down with thee. So David and Abishai came to the people by night: and, behold, Saul lay sleeping within the trench, and his spear stuck in the ground at his bolster: but Abner and the people lay round about him. Then said Abishai to David, God hath delivered thine enemy into thine hand this day: now therefore let me smite him, I pray thee, with the spear even to the earth at once, and I will not smite him the second time. And David said to Abishai, Destroy him not: for who can stretch forth his hand against the LORD'S anointed, and be guiltless? David said furthermore, As the LORD liveth, the LORD shall smite him; or his day shall come to die; or he shall descend into battle, and perish. The LORD forbid that I should stretch forth mine hand against the LORD'S anointed: but, I pray thee, take thou now the spear that is at his bolster, and the cruse of water, and let us go. So David took the spear and the cruse of water from Saul's bolster; and they gat them away, and no man saw it, nor knew it, neither awaked: for they were all asleep; because a deep sleep from the LORD was fallen upon them."
Word Study
"a deep sleep from the LORD," Hebrew tardemah (תַּרְדֵּמָה), "a deep sleep, trance, stupor." The whole camp lay defenseless because "a deep sleep (tardemah) from the LORD was fallen upon them." It is the same word used when God caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep (Genesis 2:21) and when the horror of great darkness fell on Abram (Genesis 15:12), a God-sent, supernatural slumber. This one word shows that David's opportunity was no lucky accident but the doing of the LORD, who was again testing David's heart and again proving His own power to deliver His anointed. God could hand Saul over, yet David would not strike; and the same God who put the army to sleep would, in His own time and way, remove Saul without David's sword. The sovereignty of God over the affairs of men, even over sleep and waking, undergirds the believer's patience: the One who arranged this moment can be trusted to arrange the outcome. We need not seize; He can deliver.
Explanation
The Ziphites betray David a second time, and Saul, forgetting his tearful vows of chapter 24, comes hunting again with three thousand men. But now the tables turn. David boldly proposes a night raid into the very heart of Saul's camp, and Abishai, his fierce nephew, volunteers. They find Saul asleep in the trench, his spear planted at his head, the whole army sunk in a God-sent stupor. Abishai sees his chance: one thrust and it is over, "God hath delivered thine enemy into thine hand." But David repeats the great principle of his life: "Destroy him not: for who can stretch forth his hand against the LORD'S anointed, and be guiltless?" He entrusts Saul's end to God, whether by natural death or in battle, and takes only the spear and water jar as proof of how close he came. They slip away unseen. Twice now David has held Saul's life and twice refused it.
Gospel Focus
David's restraint is not passivity but faith. He names three ways God might remove Saul, "the LORD shall smite him; or his day shall come to die; or he shall descend into battle, and perish", and, remarkably, the last of these is exactly how Saul will die (chapter 31). David could see the throne within reach and still would not grasp it by blood, because he trusted the God of the deep sleep to work in His own way. Here is the pattern of Christ and of every believer under provocation: "Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord" (Romans 12:19). When God delivers an enemy into your hand, the test is not whether you can strike but whether you will trust Him to judge. The Lord Jesus, who could have summoned angels, endured the cross rather than seize deliverance, committing all to the Father. The kingdom that is worth having comes by God's gift in God's hour, never by our own hand in our own anger.
David Rebukes Abner and Pleads (1 Samuel 26:13-20)
From a safe distance David shames Abner for failing to guard the king, then pours out his grief at being driven from the LORD's inheritance.
Driven Out From the Inheritance of the LORD
"Then David went over to the other side, and stood on the top of an hill afar off; a great space being between them: And David cried to the people, and to Abner the son of Ner, saying, Answerest thou not, Abner? Then Abner answered and said, Who art thou that criest to the king? And David said to Abner, Art not thou a valiant man? and who is like to thee in Israel? wherefore then hast thou not kept thy lord the king? for there came one of the people in to destroy the king thy lord. This thing is not good that thou hast done. As the LORD liveth, ye are worthy to die, because ye have not kept your master, the LORD'S anointed. And now see where the king's spear is, and the cruse of water that was at his bolster. And Saul knew David's voice, and said, Is this thy voice, my son David? And David said, It is my voice, my lord, O king. And he said, Wherefore doth my lord thus pursue after his servant? for what have I done? or what evil is in mine hand? Now therefore, I pray thee, let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If the LORD have stirred thee up against me, let him accept an offering: but if they be the children of men, cursed be they before the LORD; for they have driven me out this day from abiding in the inheritance of the LORD, saying, Go, serve other gods. Now therefore, let not my blood fall to the earth before the face of the LORD: for the king of Israel is come out to seek a flea, as when one doth hunt a partridge in the mountains."
Word Study
"the inheritance of the LORD," Hebrew nachalath YHWH (נַחֲלַת יְהוָה), "the possession, heritage of the LORD." David's deepest grief is not the danger to his life but exile from "the inheritance of the LORD" (nachalath YHWH), the land of Israel where God was worshipped, driven out as if told, "Go, serve other gods." To be cut off from the place of God's presence and worship was, to David, worse than death. This is the heart of a true saint: he mourns separation from God more than any earthly loss. The same longing breathes through the psalms of this period, "As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God" (Psalm 42:1). For the believer under the new covenant, no man can drive us from the true inheritance, for it is "incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven" (1 Peter 1:4), and Christ Himself is our portion, "the LORD is my portion, saith my soul" (Lamentations 3:24). Yet David's grief teaches us to prize the presence and worship of God above safety, comfort, or life.
Explanation
Safely across the valley, David calls out and mocks Abner, the mighty captain, for so poorly guarding the king that an enemy walked in and could have killed him, "ye are worthy to die." The proof is unanswerable: the king's own spear and water jar are in David's hands. Saul, recognizing David's voice, again asks, "Is this thy voice, my son David?" David makes his plea directly to Saul: what have I done? why this hunt? If God has some controversy with me, let a sacrifice make it right; but if wicked men have poisoned the king against me, they are cursed, for they have driven me from the land of the LORD's worship into exile among idolaters. He begs that his blood not be spilled far from God's presence, over so small a thing, a king chasing "a flea" or hunting "a partridge in the mountains." It is at once a rebuke, a lament, and an appeal.
Gospel Focus
David's lament that he is driven "from abiding in the inheritance of the LORD" reveals where his heart truly lived. His sorrow was not chiefly for his safety but for nearness to God and His worship. This is the mark of the regenerate heart, which counts the presence of God its treasure and separation from it the true exile. "One thing have I desired of the LORD... that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life" (Psalm 27:4). The world dreads loss of comfort and life; the child of God dreads loss of communion. And here is the gospel comfort: in Christ we are brought near, "made nigh by the blood of Christ" (Ephesians 2:13), and our inheritance is kept for us where no Saul and no Ziphite can reach it. What do you dread losing most? If it is God's presence, you have David's heart; and if it is God's presence you seek, in Christ you shall never be driven from it.
I Have Played the Fool (1 Samuel 26:21-25)
Saul confesses his sin and folly one last time, David returns the spear and leaves the reward with God, and the two part forever.
The LORD Render to Every Man His Righteousness
"Then said Saul, I have sinned: return, my son David: for I will no more do thee harm, because my soul was precious in thine eyes this day: behold, I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly. And David answered and said, Behold the king's spear! and let one of the young men come over and fetch it. The LORD render to every man his righteousness and his faithfulness: for the LORD delivered thee into my hand to day, but I would not stretch forth mine hand against the LORD'S anointed. And, behold, as thy life was much set by this day in mine eyes, so let my life be much set by in the eyes of the LORD, and let him deliver me out of all tribulation. Then Saul said to David, Blessed be thou, my son David: thou shalt both do great things, and also shalt still prevail. So David went on his way, and Saul returned to his place."
Word Study
"I have played the fool," Hebrew sakal (סָכַל), "to act foolishly, be a fool." Saul's confession, "I have played the fool (sakal), and have erred exceedingly," is the honest self-verdict of a ruined man. It is a striking word to fall from the king's lips, coming right after the story of Nabal the fool: Saul, for all his crown, has behaved as great a fool as Nabal, spurning the mercy of God and hunting a faithful servant. Yet, tragically, this confession, like his tears in chapter 24, changes nothing. He says "I have sinned" and "return, my son David," but David does not return, and Saul does not stop being Saul. "I have played the fool" is true, but it is remorse, not repentance; feeling, not turning. How many say the right words in a moment of conviction and go back unchanged. The proof of repentance is not the confession but the changed life; "bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance" (Matthew 3:8). Saul's fine words are the epitaph of a wasted life.
Explanation
Saul's response is his final recorded word to David, and it is pitiable: "I have sinned... I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly." He invites David to return and promises no more harm, but David knows better than to trust him. David does not accept the invitation; he only sends for the spear and commits the whole matter to God: "The LORD render to every man his righteousness and his faithfulness." He will not take his own reward or his own vengeance; he leaves both with the LORD, and asks only that God, valuing his life as he valued Saul's, would deliver him "out of all tribulation." Saul pronounces a blessing and a true prophecy, "thou shalt both do great things, and also shalt still prevail", and then the two part. They never meet again. David goes on his way into further exile; Saul returns to his place, and to his doom.
Gospel Focus
David's words, "The LORD render to every man his righteousness and his faithfulness," lift the whole matter out of his own hands into God's. He will not reward himself with Saul's death, nor collect his own vindication; he trusts the God who "will render to every man according to his deeds" (Romans 2:6). This is the freedom of the man who leaves judgment to God: he can spare his enemy, refuse revenge, and rest, because he knows a righteous Judge holds the scales. Set against this faith stands Saul's hollow confession, a solemn warning that words of repentance without a turned heart save no one. "I have played the fool" was gospel truth on the lips of a man who would not be made wise. The chapter leaves two men parting forever: one who trusts God for his righteousness and will inherit the kingdom, and one who confesses his folly but keeps it, and will lose everything. Which parting is yours?
Chapter 26 in Review
1 Samuel 26 retells, with fresh detail, the lesson of chapter 24. Betrayed again by the Ziphites, Saul hunts David with three thousand men, and God again delivers the king, asleep under a divine stupor, into David's power. Abishai begs to strike, but David refuses: "who can stretch forth his hand against the LORD'S anointed, and be guiltless?" He takes only Saul's spear and water jar, then from a safe hilltop shames Abner and pleads with Saul, grieving most of all that he has been driven "from abiding in the inheritance of the LORD." Saul confesses, "I have played the fool," but David does not trust the confession; he leaves reward and vengeance with God, and the two part for the last time.
For the Apostolic reader, David's second sparing of Saul deepens the portrait of the man who trusts the righteous Judge, refusing to seize by force what God has promised to give, foreshadowing Christ who committed Himself to Him that judgeth righteously. David's grief at exile from the LORD's inheritance reveals the heart that treasures God's presence above life itself. And Saul's fine but fruitless words, "I have played the fool," stand as a lasting warning that confession without repentance is the epitaph of a wasted life.
- A "deep sleep from the LORD" gave David the chance; God's sovereignty arranges our tests and our deliverance.
- David again refused to touch the LORD's anointed, trusting God to remove Saul in His own way and time.
- David grieved most at exile "from the inheritance of the LORD"; the saint treasures God's presence above life.
- "I have played the fool" was true but fruitless; confession without a changed heart saves no one.
Questions for Reflection
- When God delivers an enemy into your hand, do you trust Him to judge, or take matters into your own?
- What do you dread losing most? Is the presence of God among your treasures, as it was David's?
- Have you ever said "I have sinned" without truly turning? What is the difference in your life?
References & Sources
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV). The Hebrew terms are standard and can be checked in any Hebrew lexicon. Supporting passages are listed so every claim can be verified in its own setting. If anything here does not look right, a verse, a reference, or a wording, please tell us at info@FruitBearers.net. Thank you for helping us keep Bible Learning error free.
- The deep sleep from the LORD; sparing the anointed; leaving vengeance to God: 1 Samuel 26:1-12; Genesis 2:21; Genesis 15:12; Romans 12:19.
- Grief at exile from the inheritance of the LORD; treasuring God's presence: 1 Samuel 26:13-20; Psalm 42:1; Psalm 27:4; 1 Peter 1:4; Lamentations 3:24; Ephesians 2:13.
- Saul's fruitless confession; leaving reward with the righteous Judge: 1 Samuel 26:21-25; Matthew 3:8; Romans 2:6.