Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Samuel 23:19
Then came up the Ziphites to Saul to Gibeah, saying, Doth not David hide himself with us in strongholds in the wood, in the hill of Hachilah, which [is] on the south of Jeshimon?
19 28. The treachery of the Ziphites
19. Then came up the Ziphites ] The title of Psalms 54. refers it to this occasion, or that recorded in 1Sa 26:1, and the contents agree with the situation. See especially 1Sa 23:3.
On the relation between this narrative and that in ch. 26. see Note VII. p. 243.
in the hill of Hachilah, &c] This hill was situated on the south of, or according to 1Sa 26:3, “in front of” or “facing” the Waste. Jeshimon is not a proper name, but means the Waste, and denotes the district on which the plateau of Ziph looks down, “with white peaks and cones of chalk and deep narrow watercourses, terminated by the great pointed cliff of Ziz above Engedi, and by the precipices over the Dead Sea, two thousand feet high.” Hachilah is not identified with any certainty. Lieut. Conder proposes to recognise it in the long ridge of El Klah, running out of the Ziph plateau eastwards. From Tell Zf the Ziphites could observe the movements of David’s men over this region.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
(Hachilah is thought by Conder to be the long ridge called El Kolah). For Jeshimon, see the margin and Num 21:20.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
The Ziphites were of Davids own tribe, though for this their unnatural and strange carriage to him he calls them strangers, Psa 44:3.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
19-23. Then came up the Ziphites toSaul to Gibeah, saying, Doth not David hide himself with us?Fromthe tell of Ziph a panorama of the whole surrounding district is tobe seen. No wonder, then, that the Ziphites saw David and his menpassing to and fro in the mountains of the wilderness. Spying him ata distance when he ventured to show himself on the hill of Hachilah,”on the right hand of the wilderness,” that is, the southside of Ziph, they sent in haste to Saul, to tell him of the lurkingplace of his enemy [VAN DEVELDE].
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Then came up the Ziphites to Saul to Gibeah,…. Who though he had been out in quest of David, yet was now returned to Gibeah, the place of his residence, and where he kept his court; and hither came the Ziphites, the inhabitants of Ziph, in the wilderness of which David hid himself, with a proposal to deliver him to Saul; for though they were of the same tribe with David, yet being terrified with what Saul had done to Nob, they thought it best for their own security to inform Saul where he was, and make an offer to deliver him to him. Some interpreters, as Kimchi, think that this was done before Jonathan was with Saul, and should be rendered, “the Ziphites had come up to Saul”; and hence it is before said, and David saw, c. for he had heard that the Ziphites should say to Saul, that David had hid himself there and at this time it was that David wrote the fifty ninth psalm, Ps 54:1:
saying, doth not David hide himself with us in the strong holds in the wood; which is in the wilderness of Ziph, in their neighbourhood; they were informed he had hid himself there, and they thought it their duty to let the king know of it: and particularly
in the hill of Hachilah, which [is] on the south of Jeshimon? Hachilah is by Jerom q called Echela; and he speaks of a village of that name seven miles from Eleutheropolis, and of Jeshimon as ten miles from Jericho to the south, near the dead sea; on the top of this hill, which was an ascent of thirty furlongs or about four miles, Jonathan the high priest built a castle, and called it Masada, often spoken of by Josephus; who says r, that Herod built a wall around it of seven furlongs or about a mile, twelve cubits high, and eight broad, and thirty seven towers of fifty cubits stood in it.
q De loc. Heb. fol. 91. C. r De Bello Jud. l. 7. c. 8. sect. 3. Vid. Adrichom. Theatrum T. S. p. 38. 2. & 39. 1.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
19 Then came up the Ziphites to Saul to Gibeah, saying, Doth not David hide himself with us in strong holds in the wood, in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of Jeshimon? 20 Now therefore, O king, come down according to all the desire of thy soul to come down; and our part shall be to deliver him into the king’s hand. 21 And Saul said, Blessed be ye of the LORD; for ye have compassion on me. 22 Go, I pray you, prepare yet, and know and see his place where his haunt is, and who hath seen him there: for it is told me that he dealeth very subtilly. 23 See therefore, and take knowledge of all the lurking places where he hideth himself, and come ye again to me with the certainty, and I will go with you: and it shall come to pass, if he be in the land, that I will search him out throughout all the thousands of Judah. 24 And they arose, and went to Ziph before Saul: but David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the plain on the south of Jeshimon. 25 Saul also and his men went to seek him. And they told David: wherefore he came down into a rock, and abode in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he pursued after David in the wilderness of Maon. 26 And Saul went on this side of the mountain, and David and his men on that side of the mountain: and David made haste to get away for fear of Saul; for Saul and his men compassed David and his men round about to take them. 27 But there came a messenger unto Saul, saying, Haste thee, and come; for the Philistines have invaded the land. 28 Wherefore Saul returned from pursuing after David, and went against the Philistines: therefore they called that place Sela-hammahlekoth. 29 And David went up from thence, and dwelt in strong holds at En-gedi.
Here, 1. The Ziphites offer their service to Saul, to betray David to him, 1Sa 23:19; 1Sa 23:20. He was sheltering himself in the wilderness of Ziph (1Sa 23:14; 1Sa 23:15), putting the more confidence in the people of that country because they were of his own tribe. They had reason to think themselves happy that they had an opportunity of serving one who was the ornament of their tribe and was likely to be much more so, who was so far from plundering the country, or giving it any disturbance with his troops, that he was ready to protect it and to them all the good offices that there was occasion for. But, to ingratiate themselves with Saul, they went to him, and not only informed him very particularly where David quartered (v. 19), but invited him to come with his forces into their country in pursuit of him, and promised to deliver him into his hand, v. 20. Saul had not sent to examine or threaten them, but of their own accord, and even without asking a reward (as Judas did–What will you give me?), they offered to betray David to him who, they knew, thirsted after his blood. 2. Saul thankfully receives their information, and gladly lays hold of the opportunity of hunting David in their wilderness, in hopes to make a prey of him at length. He intimates to them how kindly he took it (v. 21): Blessed be you of the Lord (so near is God to his mouth, though far from his heart), for you have compassion on me. It seems he looked upon himself as a miserable man and an object of pity; his own envy and ill-nature made him so, otherwise he might have been easy and have needed no man’s compassion. He likewise insinuates the little concern that the generality of his people showed for him. “You have compassion on me, which others have not.” Saul gives them instructions to search more particularly for his haunts (v. 22), “for” (says he) “I hear he deals very subtilely,” representing him as a man crafty to do mischief, whereas all his subtlety was to secure himself. It was strange that Saul did not go down with them immediately, but he hoped by their means to set his game with the more certainty, and thus divine Providence gave David time to shift for himself. But the Ziphites had laid their spies upon all the places where he was likely to be discovered, and therefore Saul might come and seize him if he was in the land, v. 23. New he thought himself sure of his prey and pleased himself with the thoughts of devouring it. 3. The imminent peril that David was now brought into. Upon intelligence that the Ziphites had betrayed him, he retired from the hill of Hachilah to the wilderness of Maon (v. 24), and at this time he penned the 54th Psalm, as appears by the title, wherein he calls the Ziphites strangers, though they were Israelites, because they used him barbarously; but he puts himself under the divine protection: “Behold, God is my helper, and then all shall be well” Saul, having got intelligence of him, pursued him closely (v. 25), till he came so near him that there was but a mountain between them (v. 26), David and his men on one side of the mountain flying and Saul and his men on the other side pursuing, David in fear and Saul in hope. But this mountain was an emblem of the divine Providence coming between David and the destroyer, like the pillar of cloud between the Israelites and the Egyptians. David was concealed by this mountain and Saul confounded by it. David now flees as a bird to his mountain (Ps. xi. 1) and finds God to him as the shadow of a great rock. Saul hoped with his numerous forces to enclose David, and compass him in and his men; but the ground did not prove convenient for his design, and so it failed. A new name was given to the place in remembrance of this (v. 28): Selah-hammah-lekoth–the rock of division, because it divided between Saul and David. 4. The deliverance of David out of this danger. Providence gave Saul a diversion, when he was just ready to lay hold of David; notice was brought him that the Philistines were invading the land (v. 27), probably that part of the land where his own estate lay, which would be seized, or at least spoiled, by the invaders; for the little notice he took of Keilah’s distress and David’s relief of it, in the beginning of this chapter, gives us cause to suspect that he would not now have left pursuing David, and gone to oppose the Philistines, if some private interests of his own had not been at stake. However it was, he found himself under a necessity of going against the Philistines (v. 28), and by this means David was delivered when he was on the brink of destruction. Saul was disappointed of his prey, and God was glorified as David’s wonderful protector. When the Philistines invaded the land they were far from intending any kindness to David by it, yet the overruling providence of God, which orders all events and the times of them, made it very serviceable to him. The wisdom of God is never at a loss for ways and means to preserve his people. As this Saul was diverted, so another Saul was converted, just then when he was breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the saints of the Lord, Acts ix. 1. 5. David, having thus escaped, took shelter in some natural fortresses, which he found in the wilderness of En-gedi, v. 29. And this Dr. Lightfoot thinks was the wilderness of Judah, in which David was when he penned Psalm 63, which breathes as much pious and devout affection as almost any of his psalms; for in all places and in all conditions he still kept up his communion with God.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
Tattling Ziphites, vs. 19-29
Human fear led the Ziphites to report the whereabouts of David to Saul. Apart from divine protection they knew that Saul could well take revenge on their town if he should learn that they had known of David’s presence and not told him. thus they gave the king precise information as to the hiding place of David, the hill of Hachilah on the side of Jeshimon. Hachilah is thought to have been a high ridge on the western side of the wilderness of Jeshimon next to Ziph. Jeshimon is the Old Testament name of the wilderness of Judah.
The Ziphites agreed to deliver David into the hand of Saul if he would come down to them. Saul uttered his blessing on the Ziphites for their concern for him, but he knew how easily David could slip out of one’s clutches. He asked the Ziphites to get absolute and complete information about David’s place of concealment. Then he would go down and take the fugitive though he had to search through all the towns of Judah.
Saul gathered his men and did proceed to Ziph. But in the meantime David had removed to the south side of Jeshimon, the wilderness of Maon. This place was seven miles south of Hebron and only about three miles from Ziph. This was rocky and difficult terrain, where David hoped to secure from Saul. Saul learned that David was removed to Maon and came on relentlessly.
It seemed that Saul would overtake David this time, and that David’s men would be captured or forced to fight Saul. Surely if David’s men were able to defeat the Philistines they could have overcome Saul’s army as well. But David seems to have been aware that he should take no steps to end the pursuit of Saul until the Lord was ready to end the matter, so he feared to enter conflict with the king. While David and his men passed around the far side of the mountain Saul and the army of Israel was coming around the other. David’s men were surrounded, but the Lord rescued them. A messenger came to hasten Saul back to the north, reporting that the Philistines had invaded. Saul was compelled to leave off his pursuit of David. Thus the Lord protected him.
The place was called Sela-hammahlekoth because of this, meaning “the rock of divisions.” David moved on to the cliffs and caves of En-gedi, known for its wild goats, on the west shore of the dead Sea. Psalms 54 is David’s poetic account of his feelings on this occasion.
Some lessons: 1) one may not receive good in turn from those he helps, but 2) it is still right to befriend those in need; 3) true friendships never fail one another; 4) craven fear will cause one to go against the will of God; 5) when one leaves answers to his problems with the Lord the Lord will take care of them in the proper way.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
CRITICAL AND EXPOSITORY NOTES
1Sa. 23:19. Then came up the Ziphites. There is no spot from which you can obtain a better view of Davids wandering backwards and forwards in the desert than from the hill of Ziph, which affords a true panorama. The Ziphites could see David and his men moving to and fro in the mountains of the desert of Ziph, and could also perceive how he showed himself in the distance upon the hill Hachilah, on the south side of Ziph (which lies to the right by the desert), whereupon they sent as quickly as possible to Saul, and betrayed to him the hiding-place of his enemy. (Van de Velde.)
1Sa. 23:24. Desert of Maon, in the plain, on the south of Jeshimon. Rather, On the south or right hand of the desert. This lay farther south. The name still existsMain, eight miles south-east of Hebron. (Erdmann.) The mountain plateau seems here to end. It is true the summit ridge of the southern hills runs out a long way farther towards the south-west, but towards the south-east the ground sinks more and more down to a table-land of a lower level, which is called the plain to the right hand of the wilderness. (Van de Velde.) On descending the hills, south-east of Maon, a wide prospect opened up before us over the country towards the Dead Sea, and on the south. The extensive tract we now overlooked had much of the general character of that around Beersheba, with which, indeed, it is connected, stretching off in that direction around the south-western termination of the long ridge which we were now crossing. This tract has apparently a lower level than the enclosed plain behind us around Carmel. (Dr. Robinson.)
1Sa. 23:25. Into a rock. Rather He descended the rock. Probably the conical mountain of Main, or Maon, the top of which is now surrounded with ruins. (Robinson.) It is evidently the same as that mentioned in the next verse, along which David was escaping on one side, while Saul was seeking him on the other.
1Sa. 23:28. Selah-hammahlekoth. Keil, Gesenius, and others explain this name to signify rock of smoothnessfrom chalak, to be smooth, and hence to slip away, to escape. But the word also means to divide, and many expositors attach this meaning to it here because it separated Saul and David from each other.
1Sa. 23:29. Engedi. The present Ainjiddy, or goat-fountain, from the number of chamois which are found in the district. It is on the western shore of the Dead Sea, about thirteen miles north-west of Maon. The steep mountains are intersected by wadys running down in deep ravines to the sea. (Keil.) On all sides, says Robinson, the country is full of caverns, which now serve as lurking-places for outlaws,
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.1Sa. 23:19-29
THE TREACHERY OF THE ZIPHITES
I. The calamity of one man an occasion of revealing the baseness of others. There is much latent baseness in the world which only lacks a favourable opportunity to manifest itself. Fear of punishment or defeat is at the root of the outwardly virtuous conduct of many men, and they only need to have these restraints removed to show what they really are. Occasion is to men what the barometer is to the weather. This instrument only registers the state of the atmosphere, but has no part in generating either the calm or the stormthey would be the same if the indicator had no existence. These men of Ziph were not worse men when they betrayed David than they had been before, but his defenceless and straitened condition was the occasion which tested their character and revealed their baseness. If he had simply come to them as a man in distress through no fault of his own it would have been a pitiful meanness on their part to betray him. But they could not be ignorant of the debt of gratitude they, in common with the rest of their countrymen, owed to him. Since the day when he slew the Philistine whose name spread terror through all the hosts of Israel, he had again and again defeated their much-dreaded foes, and at this moment had just returned from delivering Keilah. His life since his early youth had been spent in the service of his country, and if the Ziphites had possessed a spark of gratitude they would have striven to lighten his hardships. But, far from doing this, they went out of their way to betray, not only an innocent man, but one to whom they were deeply indebted. This one act is an infallible and a sufficient revelation of their character as a community.
II. The evil purposes of evil men defeated by others of a like character. Doubtless the Ziphites thought the success of their plan was certain; and Saul must have felt assured that this time his prey would not escape. And as his enemies closed around him, David himself must have well nigh given up all hope of escape. But at this critical moment his deliverance was wrought by men who had every reason to desire his downfall, and who would have gladly taken his life if they had found an opportunity to do so. The Philistines certainly hated David as much as the Ziphites did, but at this moment they unconsciously delivered him from the danger to which the treachery of the latter had exposed him. The incident affords an example of the way in which bad men often unconsciously fulfil the purposes of God, and frustrate the plans of those who are one with them in their opposition to righteousness. Saul suddenly found himself in the hands of circumstances which compelled him to forego for this time the satisfaction of his private jealousy, and thus this bad monarch, and his equally bad subjects, were prevented from taking the blood of an innocent man by other men as bad as themselves. But behind all these human wills and purposes a Divine will and a Divine purpose were in operation, and God was using His enemies to save His servant.
OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS
At the time when David received tidings that the Ziphites had betrayed him, his soul poured itself forth in the fifty-fourth Psalm. Here he first directs his eye from the earth, where faithlessness and wickedness so much surrounded him, upwards to heaven, and prays to God that He would save and judge him (i.e. justify him), since the people of his own tribe had risen up against him as enemies, yea, like the heathen. But not less does he give utterance to his confidence, that the Lord would be his helper and would uphold his soul, and that the wickedness of his enemies would recoil upon themselves. Cut them off in Thy truth, he cries out; adding, I will freely sacrifice unto Thee; I will praise Thy name, O Lord, for it is good; and concludes with the words of joyful confidence, For He hath delivered me out of all trouble; and mine eye hath seen His desire upon mine enemies.Krummacher.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Sauls Pursuit of David. 1Sa. 23:19-29
19 Then came up the Ziphites to Saul to Gibeah, saying, Doth not David hide himself with us in strongholds in the wood, in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of Jeshimon?
20 Now therefore, O king, come down according to all the desire of thy soul to come down; and our part shall be to deliver him into the kings hand.
21 And Saul said, Blessed be ye of the Lord; for ye have compassion on me.
22 Go, I pray you, prepare yet, and know and see his place where his haunt is, and who hath seen him there: for it is told me that he dealeth very subtilely.
23 See therefore, and take knowledge of all the lurking places where he hideth himself, and come ye again to me with the certainty, and I will go with you: and it shall come to pass, if he be in the land, that I will search him out throughout all the thousands of Judah.
24 And they arose, and went to Ziph before Saul: but David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the plain on the south of Jeshimon.
25 Saul also and his men went to seek him. And they told David: wherefore he came down into a rock, and abode in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he pursued after David in the wilderness of Maon.
26 And Saul went on this side of the mountain, and David and his men on that side of the mountain: and David made haste to get away for fear of Saul; for Saul and his men compassed David and his men round about to take them.
27 But there came a messenger unto Saul, saying, Haste thee, and come; for the Philistines have invaded the land.
28 Wherefore Saul returned from pursuing after David, and went against the Philistines: therefore they called that place Sela-hammahlekoth.
29 And David went up from thence, and dwelt in strongholds at En-gedi.
11.
Why did the Zipbites aid Saul? 1Sa. 23:19
Saul had repeatedly scolded his courtiers and every other member of his kingdom. He charged them with being in league with David and aiding and abetting him in an attempt to usurp the throne. He charged them with failing to understand his position and to sympathize with him in his plight. He had slain the priests under the false charge of their being on Davids side. Such activities on the part of the king would strike terror in the hearts of the weak and vacillating members of the kingdom of Israel. Some of these may have been rewarded for information which they brought to Saul. Others, who had knowledge of Davids whereabouts, may have been afraid to conceal it lest they be charged with failing to support Saul. These people are especially despicable because of their repeated spying on David and reporting to Saul. Tell Zif itself is a conical hill. It stands above rich and beautiful valleys which surround it on every side. The base is terraced, and its light, rich soil produces a full harvest of grain. The summit is leveled and circular, being about one hundred yards in diameter. Nothing is left of the town, however, except a few cisterns, sepulchres, and pieces of pottery that are thickly intermixed with the soil. The view to the southeast is extensive and reaches out over a rich and beautiful country. Barren hills of the desert span the horizon (J. W. McGarvey, Lands of the Bible, p. 255).
12.
Where was Hachilah? 1Sa. 23:19 b
Hachilah appears to be the long ridge now known as El Koleh. On this high hill is a ruin called Yukin. Davids hiding here is apparently the only significant event which transpired at this place throughout the Bible history. The Ziphites betrayed him again when he was here later (1Sa. 26:1).
13.
What was the meaning of Sauls benediction? 1Sa. 23:21
Saul was very appreciative of the fact that the Ziphites had brought him information about Davids hiding place. In his nearly ecstatic condition he pronounced a benediction upon these people. He was grateful that they had compassion on him and helped him. He prayed that they might be blessed of the Lord for what they had done. The benediction would be a lot of empty words to anybody who knew Sauls real character. Since Saul had turned his back on God and was forsaken of God, one could hardly expect that God would hear his prayer for a blessing to be upon anybody. Here is an instance of a pitiable reference to God by one who had essentially abandoned God and thereby had been left desolate by God.
14.
What is the meaning of the thousands of Judah? 1Sa. 23:23
Judah had always been the most numerous of all the Israelite tribes. At the first numbering, while they were still at Sinai, Judah numbered 74,600 (Num. 1:27). At the second numbering, just before the Israelites entered Canaan, Judah was still the largest and at that time she numbered 76,500 (Num. 26:22). Those who were numbered were men twenty years of age and older. No doubt there were as many women of this same age as men. In addition there would be an equal number of boys as well as an equal number of girls under these ages. Judah may have had as many as 300,000 inhabitants. Saul faced an enormous task as he boasted that he would search David out throughout all the thousands of Judah.
15.
Where was Maon? 1Sa. 23:24
Maon was a town on a high hill in the tribe of Judah, and located some seven miles to the south of Hebron. David hid himself here and later found many of Nabals possessions nearby (1Sa. 25:2). Tell Main, a rather small mound of ruins, has been taken to be the modern-day remnants of the location. The Scripture located Maon south of Jeshimon. Jeshimon is a word signifying a waste or desolation. This is a title given to the area north of the Dead Sea (Num. 21:20; Num. 23:28). At times this title is given to the desert area of Judea. The American Standard Version gives it the title of Arabah. This title is usually applied to the deep valley running between the Dead Sea and the Gulf of Akabah. Davids wandering must have taken him into an area that was sparsely inhabited and where little vegetation marked the landscape. It is little wonder that he referred to himself as a flea (1Sa. 24:13).
16.
What was the rock? 1Sa. 23:25
The rock is undoubtedly the cone-shaped height of Maon. The top of the height is covered with ruins, and there are some indications that these may be the remains of a tower. No reason is given for Davids descending from the height of the mound, and he chose to remain in the desert of Maon. Perhaps this mound was more visible to an approaching army and David decided that he would be safer hiding behind it than staying on top of it. He did escape from Saul by going around one side of the hill while Saul was on the other.
17.
Was Davids escape providential? 1Sa. 23:27
The fact that a messenger came to Saul just at the time when he was about to take David and his men appears to be an act of providence. Certainly David could hardly have sent word to the Philistines and urged them to attack Saul while he was in the south part of his country. Probably the Philistines did keep an eye on Saul and knew where he was. They did, no doubt, take advantage of the opportunity to spread themselves over the land (marginal reading A.V.). Their attack must have been more than a skirmish or a small raid. Such a light attack would hardly have caused Saul to give up on his pursuit of David just at the time when he had him in his clutches.
18.
What is Sela-Hammablekoth? 1Sa. 23:28
The spot cannot be identified definitely, but the word is a compound indicating the rock of divisions. This was the scene of one of Davids most remarkable escapes from Saul. David must have given the spot this name in commemoration of his providential deliverance from the armies of Saul, just as Jacob gave the name House of God, to Luz when God revealed Himself there (Gen. 28:19) and Abraham gave the name Jehovah-jireh to Mount Moriah when God provided a ram to take the place of Isaac as a sacrifice (Gen. 22:14).
19.
Where was En-gedi? 1Sa. 23:29
En-gedi is along the west shore of the Dead Sea. The Arabs call it Ain Jiddy. Travelers in this area say that nothing can surpass the gloomy grandeur of the mountain walls of this vicinity. The mountain-sides have turned brown and, in places, almost black by their long exposure to the elements. They are rendered still more gloomy by contrast with the rich green and the sparkling water of the oasis in the wilderness. The spot is frequently mentioned in the Old Testament, but not enough is said to give a very definite concept of it as it then existed. At En-gedi one is about halfway down the west side of the Dead Sea and at a point to look out over the Dead Sea to the eastern shore.
20.
What reference did David make to these events in the Psalms? Psa. 54:1-7
Many of the Psalms seem to arise out of particular instances in the life of David. The Shepherd Psalm, the Twenty-third Psalm, for example, must have been written in recollection of Davids early life as a shepherd. No doubt Gods spirit guided him to leave this treasure of devotion as a testimony of the way in which David had known God through his experiences as a humble shepherd boy. Many of the other Psalms carry headings which indicate the particular event in Davids life out of which the Holy Spirit through David gave to us lasting testimony of Gods providence. The Fifty-fourth Psalm is attributed to David and was written when the Ziphim, or the Ziphites, came and said to Saul, Doth not David hide himself with us? Certainly the sentiments are appropriate as David says, For he hath delivered me out of all trouble, and mine eyes have seen his desire upon my enemies (Psa. 54:7).
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(19) The Ziphites.The words of these Ziphites, and the kings grateful reply, show that they were very warm adherents of Saul, entirely devoted to his fortunes, and well aware of his passionate desire to be rid of David.
On the south of Jeshimon.Jeshimon is not the name of a place, but it signifies a desert or solitude (see Isa. 43:19). It is used here for the dreary desert which extends between the Dead Sea and the Hebron Mountains. . . . It is a plateau of white chalk, terminated on the east by cliffs, which rise vertically from the Dead Sea shore to a height of above 3,000 feet. The scenery is barren and wild beyond all description.Conder: Tent Life in Palestine. This is the wilderness of Judea spoken of in Mat. 3:1. David was just then encamped with some of his followers in some thickets bordering on this trackless desert. The Ziphites evidently knew the country well, not only the hills, but the solitary wastes stretching out at its base. They were willing and ready, if Sauls trained soldiers marched into their neighbourhood, to act as their guides in the pursuit or the famous outlaw and his men. They kept their promise faithfully, and in the pursuit which followed the arrival of Saul and his forces, David was in extreme danger of capture. The news that the Philistines had invaded the territories of Saul in great force hastily summoned the king from the district, and David was thus saved from a destruction which appeared to be imminent.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
19. Came up the Ziphites to Saul to Gibeah From which it appears that Saul had now for a season given up his search for David. The treachery of the Ziphites is mentioned in marked contrast with the constancy of Jonathan. Encouraged by his interview with Jonathan, and strong in hope and faith, David composes on this occasion Psalms 54.
The hill of Hachilah Perhaps the same eminence mentioned in 1Sa 23:14, for no hill of this name has been discovered in the neighbourhood of Ziph. The word Hachilah means dark, and may be regarded as an adjective descriptive of the hill in question, which was then covered with dark forest shades.
On the south of Jeshimon Rather, as in the margin, on the right hand of the wilderness; that is, as we see at 1Sa 26:1, before, or in front of the wilderness. Uncertainty as to the particular hill in question leads to like uncertainty as to the desert mentioned here and 1Sa 23:24, but the reference is most probably to the desert wastes lying between the wilderness of Ziph and the Dead Sea. A person at Gibeah would naturally speak of the wildernesses of Ziph and of Maon as lying to the right of the desert, on the west of the Dead Sea.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
The Ziphites Inform Saul Of David’s Whereabouts ( 1Sa 23:19-24 ).
Because we favour David we can tend to be harsh with anyone who supported Saul, but in fact we do have to remember that Saul was the rightful king in Israel’s eyes, and that many therefore felt that they owed their duty to him. The people who lived in this area would be a remote, probably tight knit, people, suspicious of strangers, and to such people loyalty to the king (who was too far off for them to know what he was really like) was often paramount.
Furthermore in the case of the Ziphites who sought to survive in that lonely wilderness there was also probably more to it than that, for the presence of David’s men would not only make them feel uneasy (however disciplined his men were) but would also be taking up valuable provisions of water and food in an area where such were in short supply. They may well have found themselves suffering because of it and they would therefore have seen it as being to their advantage to get rid of David and his men as soon as possible. Thus they approached Saul and informed him of David’s whereabouts. Let him come and rid them of this unwelcome intrusion.
Analysis.
a
b Now therefore, O king, come down, according to all the desire of your soul to come down, and our part will be to deliver him up into the king’s hand” (1Sa 23:20).
c And Saul said, “Blessed be you of YHWH, for you have had compassion on me. Go, I pray you, make yet more sure, and know and see his place where his haunt is, and who has seen him there, for it is told me that he deals very subtly (is very cunning)” (1Sa 23:21-22)
b “Watch therefore, and take knowledge of all the lurking-places where he hides himself, and come you again to me of a certainty (i.e. with sure knowledge), and I will go with you, and it will come about that, if he be in the land, I will search him out among all the thousands (small family clans) of Judah” (1Sa 23:23).
a And they arose, and went to Ziph before Saul, but David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah on the south of the Waste (1Sa 23:24).
Note that in ‘a’ Saul learns that David is in the Hill of Hachilah which is on the south of the Waste (Jeshimon), and in the parallel he is in the wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah on the south of the Waste. In ‘b’ the Ziphites call on Saul come down to where they are so that they might deliver David into Saul’s hands, and in the parallel Saul declares that he will go with them once they have brought more certain news, and will ensure that he finds him. Centrally in ‘c’ he blesses them before YHWH for their love for their king.
1Sa 23:19
‘ Then the Ziphites came up to Saul to Gibeah, saying, “Does not David hide himself with us in the strong points in the brushwood, in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of the Waste?”
As we have seen above the Ziphites had good reason for wanting to be rid of David and his men. They were intruding on their quiet tribal life, in an area which they saw as their own, and where therefore intruders were not welcome, and on top of that they were using up scarce supplies of food and water which they themselves needed for their livelihood.
So they despatched messengers to Saul in Gibeah informing him that David and his men were hiding themselves in strong positions in the brushwood on the Hill of Hachilah, to the south of the Waste (Jeshimon). It probably caused quite a sensation when these wild desert dwellers from the wastelands arrived at Saul’s court, and even more so when they explained their reason for coming.
1Sa 23:20
“ Now therefore, O king, come down, according to all the desire of your soul to come down, and our part will be to deliver him up into the king’s hand.”
They called on their king to ‘come down’ to them (they would see Gibeah as the capital city) if that was what he desired, and they promised that they on their part would deliver David into Saul’s hands.
1Sa 23:21
‘ And Saul said, “Blessed be you of YHWH, for you have had compassion on me.” ’
That these wild desert dwellers were more loyal (in his eyes) than most of the country stirred Saul’s heart. It seemed that they were the only ones who cared for him. And he blessed them in the Name of YHWH for their loyal attitude.
1Sa 23:22
“ Go, I pray you, make yet more sure, and know and see his place where his haunt is, and who has seen him there, for it is told me that he deals very subtly (behaves very cunningly).”
But he had sought David many times, only to discover that he had disappeared, and he did not therefore want to enter the wastelands on the mountains near the Dead Sea without being sure of his prey. He knew how inhospitable the conditions were. So he told them to go and make absolutely sure of where he was, and identify his exact haunt, and who had seen it in order to be able so to identify it, because he had learned from the hard experience of his spies how elusive and cunning David was.
1Sa 23:23
“ Watch therefore, and take knowledge of all the lurking-places where he hides himself, and come you again to me of a certainty (i.e. with sure knowledge), and I will go with you, and it will come about that, if he be in the land, I will search him out among all the ‘thousands’ (small family clans) of Judah.”
So he wanted them to watch David’s movements, learn where all his hide-outs were, and then come again to him when they were sure of the facts. Then he would go with them to rid them of this scourge, and once he was there they could be sure that he would root out all David’s followers from among all the small family clans. They would not be able to hide from him. (It would not have been a very comfortable experience for the small family clans of Judah as they were interrogated and possibly tortured, but that would not worry the heartless Saul). But Saul knew that he would be bringing with him a large army of men, and so he would not want them to have to spend too much time hanging around or searching that desolate place.
1Sa 23:24
‘ And they arose, and went to Ziph before Saul, but David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah on the south of the desert.’
So the Ziphite messenger returned home ahead of Saul, only to discover when they got back to Ziph that the elusive David had moved on, and was now in the wilderness of Maon, going as far as the Arabah (the Arabah is the continuation south of the Dead Sea of the rift between two mountain ranges through which further northward the Jordan flowed into the Dead Sea), even further south of the Waste.
In view of the fact that they do not think that the Arabah itself could have been the destination many would translate arabah here as ‘plain’ or ‘steppe’. The exact geographical details are not too certain, although they would have been at the time of writing.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
(19) Then came up the Ziphites to Saul to Gibeah, saying, Doth not David hide himself with us in strong holds in the wood, in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of Jeshimon? (20) Now therefore, O king, come down according to all the desire of thy soul to come down; and our part shall be to deliver him into the king’s hand. (21) And Saul said, Blessed be ye of the LORD; for ye have compassion on me. (22) Go, I pray you, prepare yet, and know and see his place where his haunt is, and who hath seen him there: for it is told me that he dealeth very subtilly. (23) See therefore, and take knowledge of all the lurking places where he hideth himself, and come ye again to me with the certainty, and I will go with you: and it shall come to pass, if he be in the land, that I will search him out throughout all the thousands of Judah. (24) And they arose, and went to Ziph before Saul: but David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the plain on the south of Jeshimon. (25) Saul also and his men went to seek him. And they told David: wherefore he came down into a rock, and abode in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he pursued after David in the wilderness of Maon. (26) And Saul went on this side of the mountain, and David and his men on that side of the mountain: and David made haste to get away for fear of Saul; for Saul and his men compassed David and his men round about to take them.
We have reason to bless God for these continued exercises of David, however painful to him, they prove profitable to us. Those two precious Psalms, Psa 54 and Psa 63 , were written by him upon those occasions as the Reader will perceive by consulting them in the title page. And, Reader, depend upon it, that life in grace will be peculiarly honoured by the Lord, that is, peculiarly marked with situations for the exercise of grace and faith, and the display of God’s faithfulness in carrying the believer through them. If the Lord hath promised his presence to his people in affliction, must they not be brought into trouble, in order to have that precious promise realized?
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
“Doth not David hide himself with us in strong holds?” 1Sa 23:19 .
A useful spiritual application of these words instantly suggests itself; still we are simply on the ground of accommodation, and not on the ground of critical exposition. The great spiritual lesson is that the good man is always hidden in a stronghold. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” We are to be hidden in the Rock of Ages. We are not protected merely by the shadow of some perishing substance; we are hidden under the wings of the Almighty. The Lord is our shield and buckler, our sword and our invincible defence. There are strongholds of faith, reason, experience; there are strongholds of history, of general testimony on the part of Christian believers, and above all in our own consciousness of the divine nearness and the divine ministry in our personal life. We know in whom we have believed, and we know that he is able to keep that which we have committed to his charge. It is in no poor hut that the Christian lives, but in the very centre of the pavilion of God. Our citizenship is in heaven: we seek a country out of sight: we have bread to eat that the world knoweth not of. They who take the soul of the Christian captive must first overcome the Almightiness which guards it. Being assured that we are in a stronghold, let us be cautious how we adventure out of it. Imagination may tempt us, speculation may promise us glittering rewards, foolish friends may implore us to come away and to range the larger country and increase our experience of life and nature: all these temptations may be addressed to us without any purpose of mischief: we should therefore so know ourselves as to realise our weakness, and so far be assured of our need of divine help as never to go beyond the limit which God has imposed upon us; Let the soul say morning by morning, “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help: my help cometh even from the Lord, who hath made heaven and earth.” We can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth us. Our sufficiency is of God. All these promises are full of sacred and tender comfort, and were written not to be looked upon with the eye of the body only but to be gazed upon with the vision of the soul, until all that is most beautiful in them passes into the spirit and becomes part of our manhood. Whenever the enemy rises against us may we remember that we are hidden in a stronghold; may we never live so loosely and vainly as to give that enemy the impression that we can be found wandering alone in any place at any hour; may our steadfastness and our zeal be such that we shall be found evermore within the sacred and impregnable enclosure of the divine sovereignty and protection.
Fuente: The People’s Bible by Joseph Parker
1Sa 23:19 Then came up the Ziphites to Saul to Gibeah, saying, Doth not David hide himself with us in strong holds in the wood, in the hill of Hachilah, which [is] on the south of Jeshimon?
Ver. 19. Then came up the Ziphites. ] Who were of David’s own tribe, and of good Caleb’s stock, 1Ch 2:42 but naught and degenerate, as was likewise the churl Nabal, who came of Caleb. 1Sa 25:3
Doth not David hide himself with us?
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
the Ziphites. See Psa 51:1.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
the Ziphites: 1Sa 22:7, 1Sa 22:8, 1Sa 26:1, Psa 54:1, *title Psa 54:3, Psa 54:4, Pro 29:12
Hachilah: Calmet states, that Hachilah was a mountain about ten miles south of Jericho, where Jonathan Maccabeus built the castle of Massada, west of the Dead Sea, and not far from En-gedi. 1Sa 26:1, 1Sa 26:3
on the south: Heb. on the right hand
Jeshimon: or, the wilderness, Eusebius places Jeshimon ten miles south of Jericho, near the Dead Sea; which agrees extremely well with the position of Hachilah, as stated by Calmet.
Reciprocal: Jos 15:24 – Ziph 1Sa 13:6 – in caves 1Sa 19:19 – General 1Sa 23:24 – the south 1Sa 24:1 – it was told 1Sa 30:29 – Rachal 2Ki 24:14 – craftsmen 1Ch 2:42 – Ziph 2Ch 11:8 – Ziph Psa 31:13 – while Psa 62:9 – Surely Psa 64:5 – commune Psa 140:2 – continually Psa 142:4 – refuge Pro 16:29 – General Pro 28:4 – that Act 25:3 – desired 1Co 13:6 – Rejoiceth not Heb 11:38 – wandered
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
1Sa 23:19-22. Then came the Ziphites to Saul They were of Davids own tribe, though for this unnatural carriage to him he calls them strangers. Saul said, Blessed be ye of the Lord Saul, notwithstanding all his injustice and cruelty to David, still supposes himself to be the injured person, and his cause the right one. Thus too often do men let their passions blind them so as to persuade themselves that the most unjust things are equitable. Go, I pray you, prepare yet Or rather, Make yourselves more certain of this, as the words may be translated, and more agreeably to what follows.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
David’s escape from the wilderness of Ziph 23:19-23
Again the writer directed our attention back to Saul. Psalms 54 tells us what David was thinking and praying during this experience. He trusted in God.
Evidently the Ziphites thought that they would be better off if they informed Saul of David’s presence in their area than if the king discovered that he was there. He might have blamed them for sheltering David and taken revenge on them as he had on the people of Nob.
Again Saul spoke piously (cf. 1Sa 23:7) and praised the Ziphites for having compassion on him. Really it was David who was in need of compassion from these people, but he found none. Saul proceeded to seek human help in finding David from his allies ("go," "make more sure," "investigate," "see," "look," "learn;" 1Sa 23:22-23). However there is no mention of his seeking divine help in prayer (cf. 1Sa 23:2; 1Sa 23:4; 1Sa 23:11-12). He attributed cunning to David, but Saul was really the cunning hunter in this story. Herod the Great was another cunning ruler, who also was not worthy to be king, who tried to execute the Lord’s anointed, Jesus Christ (cf. Mat 2:1-12). Saul was projecting his own deceitful behavior onto David. Whereas God promised to go with David and deliver the Philistines into his hands (1Sa 23:2; 1Sa 23:4), Saul promised to go with the Ziphites to destroy David among the Judahites (1Sa 23:23).