{"id":7854,"date":"2022-09-24T02:18:26","date_gmt":"2022-09-24T07:18:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/exegetical-and-hermeneutical-commentary-of-1-samuel-243\/"},"modified":"2022-09-24T02:18:26","modified_gmt":"2022-09-24T07:18:26","slug":"exegetical-and-hermeneutical-commentary-of-1-samuel-243","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/exegetical-and-hermeneutical-commentary-of-1-samuel-243\/","title":{"rendered":"Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Samuel 24:3"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3 align='center'><b><i> And he came to the sheepcotes by the way, where [was] a cave; and Saul went in to cover his feet: and David and his men remained in the sides of the cave. <\/i><\/b><\/h3>\n<p> <strong> 3<\/strong>. <em> the sheepcotes by the way<\/em> ] Sheepfolds are still formed in the East by building a wall of loose stones round the mouth of a cave, which serves for shelter in case of bad weather. See <em> The Land and the Book<\/em>, p. 603.<\/p>\n<p><em> to cover his feet<\/em> ] An euphemism for performing the necessities of nature.<\/p>\n<p><em> remained<\/em>, &amp;c.] <strong> Were abiding in the recesses of the cave.<\/strong> Large caves with numerous side passages are found in the district. &ldquo;They are as dark as midnight, and the keenest eye cannot see five paces <em> inward<\/em>: but one who has been long within, and is looking <em> outward<\/em> toward the entrance, can observe with perfect distinctness all that takes place in that direction.&rdquo; Hence David and his men could watch Saul without being seen.<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p><P STYLE=\"text-indent: 0.75em\"><B>Remained in the sides &#8211; <\/B>Rather, were in the sides of the cave dwelling or abiding there. Some of these caverns are very deep and spacious. Any one near the mouth of the cave would be visible, but those in the recesses would be quite in the dark and invisible, especially if the incident occurred at night. <span class='bible'>Psa 67:1-7<\/span>, according to the title, was composed on this occasion.<\/P> <\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Albert Barnes&#8217; Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p><span class='bible'>1Sa 24:3-22<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em>Where was a cave and Saul went in <\/em> . . . <em> and David and his men remained in the sides of the cave.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Saul and David in the cave<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Sauls animosity is a fire that finds constant fuel. No sooner are the Philistines repulsed than he resumes his hunt for his prey. That Saul should know so well where to look for David seems to imply that traitors were among the wanderers followers. Misinterpreted providence refused in wisdom. Sauls unexpected appearance thus unguarded would appear to Davids men as decidedly a providence. Calling to mind the meaning of the Divine anointing and the promise that David should come to the throne of Israel, they whisper, Behold the day of which the Lord said unto thee (<span class='bible'>1Sa 24:4<\/span>). If <span class='bible'>Psa 7:1-17<\/span> belongs to this period, we see how great the conflict with self before this temptation. The history furnishes us with much light concerning David.<\/p>\n<p><strong>1. <\/strong>His tenderness of conscience is noticeable. His heart smote him for thus doubting God and stooping to dishonour His anointed king (verse 5).<\/p>\n<p><strong>2. <\/strong>His conscious integrity adds force to his words. How tenderly he pleads with Saul (verse 9). How tremulous with righteousness are his words (verse 11).<\/p>\n<p><strong>3. <\/strong>What dignity there is in truth l and withal his humility must be noticed. (verse 14). It was as if he had said, I shall not antedate the promise. God has said He will bring me to the throne. I shall wait. (verse 15). Such a time was filled with tests&#8211;a sudden opportunity to reach the desire of the heart, and an appeal to passion in the name of religion. He stood the strain. He lost not his self-command. Nearly all our falls come from trying to go before God! (<em>H. E. Stone.<\/em>)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>David sparing his enemy<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This scene is an episode in the life of David, whom God had chosen to succeed Saul as the king of Israel.<\/p>\n<p><strong>1. <\/strong>The cave. In all limestone countries such caves are common, and many of them are large enough to conceal armies. The Mammoth Cave in Kentucky and Weyers Cave in Virginia are large enough to shelter a hundred thousand men. Bruces Cave in Scotland is still shown to tourists, and history tells how Mohammed once saved his life by running into one of these mountain caves. But in this cave at Engedi we have the marvellous escape of Saul as an act of gracious forbearance on the part of David.<\/p>\n<p><strong>2. <\/strong>The meeting. In the solitude, of that cave, by the mysterious providence of God, are these two men, Saul and David. Saul hated David as Haman hated Mordecai, or as Herod hated Jesus when the wise men told him that a King was born in Bethlehem.<\/p>\n<p><strong>3. <\/strong>David restrained. It must have been a great provocation to stand there and see his inveterate enemy ungird his mantle and compose himself to sleep. But David was a man of war, brave as the lion. He was made of nobler stuff than assassins are made of. He was too much of a man to kill a king when asleep, as Richard hired men to kill the princes of England that he might ascend the throne.<\/p>\n<p><strong>4. <\/strong>The final appeal. But I say unto you, love your enemies. We would hardly expect to find a fulfilment of such a sentiment in that rude age of the world.<\/p>\n<p>Lessons:&#8211;<\/p>\n<p><strong>1. <\/strong>Sin hardens. Sin puts a man in antagonism to God, makes him hate the rule of God, and makes him ignore and despise the mercy of God, and at last brings him to confront the unmitigated vengeance of God.<\/p>\n<p><strong>2. <\/strong>The subduing and restraining power of Gods grace. (<em>T. W. Hooper, D. D.<\/em>)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>David sparing his enemy<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>David illustrates the peacemaker.<\/p>\n<p><strong><br \/>I. <\/strong>In his forbearance. Those were times of quick and savage deed. Human life was cheap. Tender sensibilities had slight leave among a people, every one of whom wore his sword on thigh, ready, on occasion, to pierce with it the heart of an offender. The spirit of the age demanded speedy redress of injury or insult. And here was one who, above all others, had, signalized himself as gifted with courage and strength in conflict. The wrongs we have suffered do rankle mightily, till an unearthly nature has been created within us. To forgive, but not forget, is the veriest empty form of words. Philip of Burgundy, being entreated to punish a prelate who had injured him, may seem to have given a holy rule in his reply, It is a fine thing to have revenge in ones power, but it is a finer thing not to use it. And a finer yet, is it not, to have no spirit of resentment burning within, however it may be reprised? Another characteristic of the peacemaker which gave David a right to the title was:<\/p>\n<p><strong><br \/>II. <\/strong>His conscientiousness. Though he would not harm his foe in the least, yet he did think best to obtain proof that he could have slain him if he would. We commend his prudence. But no sooner had the rent been made in the royal mantle than his heart smote him. He had lifted his hand against his fellow; if not to cut off his head, at least somewhat his dignity. The Rabbis declare that he expiated this sin in his old age, by finding no warmth in the clothes wherewith he wrapped himself. He opened his inmost heart to his murmuring associates, and we are surprised that this bronzed soldier betrays the finer sentiments of humanity. The beating of a reverent, loving heart, seeking over to he cleansed from secret faults, is felt through all this story of trial. As the string of the piano vibrates when its kindred note is sounded by other instrument or voice, so does this brief protest of a conscience, ages since, stir the readers in quick unison, as we learn that the standards of right and wrong are eternal. The peacemaker like David is&#8211;<\/p>\n<p><strong><br \/>III. <\/strong>Loyal to rulers. Saul had been sought out by the aged prophet, and the vial of oil had been poured upon his head. Henceforth he was a representative of Jehovah. Affront, disobedience, disrespect shown to him, was dishonour to God as well. Let him betray his trust; let him, like the stork in the fable, eat up his subjects; let him be a Herod, a Nero, a Charles, an Ashantee chief, an Alexander IV; still, the authority of his office, when once he holds it, is sacred, and must be maintained. So David reasoned, and would not for a moment think of retaliation. What a lesson of self-control and chivalrous devotion was that to the impatient, hating victims of oppression in every age! Gods time and Gods way may best be waited for. The chief attribute at the peacemaker David was&#8211;<\/p>\n<p><strong><br \/>IV. <\/strong>Simple trust in God. In this instance, as before and afterwards, we find him, in full view of danger, committing his ease to the Lord, whom he prayed to judge between me and thee, and plead my cause and deliver me out of thine hand. Such confidence is a sublime reality. (<em>Monday Club Sermons.<\/em>)<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p><P> Verse <span class='bible'>3<\/span>. <I><B>The sheep-cotes<\/B><\/I>] Caves in the rocks, in which it is common, even to the present time, for shepherds and their flocks to lodge. According to <I>Strabo<\/I> there are caverns in Syria, one of which is capable of containing <I>four thousand men<\/I>:       ; lib. xvi. p. 1096. Edit. 1707.<\/P> <P> <\/P> <P> <I><B>Saul went in to cover his feet<\/B><\/I>] Perhaps this phrase signifies exactly what the <I>Vulgate<\/I> has rendered it, <I>ut purparet ventrem<\/I>. The <I>Septuagint<\/I>, the <I>Targum<\/I>, and the <I>Arabic<\/I> understand it in the same way. It is likely that, when he had performed this <I>act of<\/I> <I>necessity<\/I>, he lay down to repose himself, and it was while he was asleep that David cut off the skirt of his robe. It is strange that Saul was not aware that there might be men lying in wait in such a place; and the rabbins have invented a most curious conceit to account for Saul&#8217;s security: &#8220;God, foreseeing that Saul would come to this cave, <I>caused a spider to weave her web over the mouth<\/I> <I>of it<\/I>, which, when Saul perceived, he took for granted that no person had lately been there, and consequently he entered it without suspicion.&#8221; This may be <I>literally<\/I> true; and we know that even a <I>spider<\/I> in the hand of God may be the instrument of a great salvation. This is a Jewish tradition, and one of the most elegant and instructive in their whole collection.<\/P> <P> <\/P> <P> <I><B>David and his men remained in the sides of the cave.<\/B><\/I>] This is no hyperbole; we have not only the authority of <I>Strabo<\/I> as above mentioned, but we have the authority of the most accurate travellers, to attest the fact of the vast capacity of caves in the East.<\/P> <P> <\/P> <P> Dr. <I>Pococke<\/I> observes: &#8220;Beyond the valley (of Tekoa) there is a very large grotto, which the Arabs call <I>El Maamah<\/I>, a hiding place; the high rocks on each side of the valley are almost perpendicular, and the way to the grotto is by a terrace formed in the rock, which is very narrow. There are two entrances into it; we went by the farthest, which leads by a narrow passage into a large grotto, the rock being supported by great natural pillars; the top of it rises in several parts like domes; the grotto is perfectly dry. There is a tradition that the people of the country, to the number of <I>thirty thousand<\/I>, retired into this grotto to avoid a bad air. This place is so strong that one would imagine it to be one of the strong holds of <I>En-gedi<\/I>, to which David and his men fled from Saul; and possibly it may be that very cave in which he cut off Saul&#8217;s skirt, for David and his men might with great ease lie hid there and not be seen by him.&#8221; &#8211; <I>Pococke&#8217;s<\/I> <I>Travels<\/I>, vol. ii., part 1, p. 41.<\/P> <\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Adam Clarke&#8217;s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p><P> Some think <\/P> <P><B>the sheep cotes<\/B> to have been caves into which they used to drive their sheep for shelter in tempestuous weather. <\/P> <P><B>To cover his feet,<\/B> i.e. to ease his belly, as this phrase is thought to be used, <span class='bible'>Jdg 3:24<\/span>. The reason whereof is, because the eastern and some other nations of old wore no breeches, but loose and long coats or gowns, like those which women with us wear; but shorter, whence their feet and legs were in a great part uncovered; and sometimes other parts, which also in Scripture are designed by the name of the feet, (of which See Poole &#8220;<span class='bible'>Gen 49:10<\/span>&#8220;; See Poole &#8220;<span class='bible'>Deu 28:57<\/span>&#8220;; See Poole &#8220;<span class='bible'>2Ki 18:27<\/span>&#8220;; See Poole &#8220;<span class='bible'>Isa 7:20<\/span>&#8220;,) were exposed to view. But when they went to perform this office of nature, which obliged them first to lift up their garments, they afterwards disposed them so decently, that all those parts might be covered and kept out of the sight of others. But possibly the words may have another meaning, and it is not to be despised that those ancient and venerable interpreters, the Syriac and Arabic, interpret this place and phrase quite otherwise, that <I>Saul went in to sleep there<\/I>; which was no uncouth thing to Saul, who being a military man, used to sleep with his soldiers upon the bare ground, as he did <span class='bible'>1Sa 26:7<\/span>. And it is not improbable that Saul, being exceeding weary with his eager and almost incessant pursuit, first of David, then of the Philistines, and now of David again, both needed and desired some sleep God also disposing him thereunto, that David might have this eminent occasion to demonstrate his integrity to Saul, and to all Israel; and, the season possibly being hot, he might choose to sleep in the cave, for the benefit of the shade. But all the question is, how it may appear that this is the meaning of this phrase, and what is the reason and ground of it? To which many things may be said. First, That this phrase is but twice used in Scripture, as far as I remember, here, and <span class='bible'>Jdg 3:24<\/span>, and this sense may conveniently enough agree to both of them; nay, this sense may seem better to agree with that place, <span class='bible'>Jdg 3<\/span>, for that summer parlour or summer chamber (for both seem to be the same place, and were apparently for the same use, <span class='bible'>Jdg 3:24<\/span>,<span class='bible'>25<\/span>) seems to be a place far more convenient for sleeping than for easing of nature. And the servants long stay and waiting for their lord seems to imply that they judged him gone to sleep, (which might take up a considerable time,) rather than to that other work, which requires but a little time. See Poole &#8220;<span class='bible'>Jdg 3:24<\/span>&#8220;. Secondly, That there are many Hebrew phrases which do confessedly signify several things, albeit the reason of such significations be now utterly unknown to us, though it was doubtless known to the ancient Hebrews. Nor need I instance in particulars, seeing it is so in all languages, and particularly in the English tongue at this day, in which the use of many proverbs and phrases is well understood, though the reason of them be now lost; which if our modern infidels, who scoff at some passages of Scripture, which they either do not or will not understand, would consider, they would lose much of their sport. Thirdly, Although there be not that clear and full proof of this sense which some may require, (though indeed it cannot be reasonably expected in a thing so ancient, and in a phrase of so concise and narrow a language as the Hebrew is, and in an expression so rarely used in Scripture,) yet there are some intimations in Scripture which may seem to favour this interpretation. For persons composing themselves to sleep in this manner, are not only noted in the general to have been <I>covered with a mantle<\/I>, as is said of Sisera, <span class='bible'>Jdg 4:18<\/span>,<span class='bible'>19<\/span>; but particularly they are said to have their <I>feet covered<\/I>, as is expressly observed concerning Boaz, when he lay down to sleep in the threshing-floor, <span class='bible'>Rth 3:4<\/span>,<span class='bible'>7<\/span>. The reason whereof may possibly be this, that when they lay down to sleep in their garments, they were secured as to the other parts of their body, only their feet were open and visible; and therefore it was convenient to cover their feet, partly to prevent the inconveniences of cold, (for which reason we here take special care to cover our feet in such cases,) and partly for decency sake, lest their garments being loose and large below, should be disordered, and so their nakedness should appear, as it happened to Noah, <span class='bible'>Gen 9:21<\/span>. Compare <span class='bible'>Exo 20:26<\/span>. And therefore it cannot seem strange or forced, if in this place Sauls covering of his feet design his composing himself to his rest. And if this be so, then the following difficulties of this history will appear to be plain and easy. For if Saul were fast asleep, which might easily be perceived by David and his men within; then it is not strange that Saul neither heard David and his men talking of him, nor felt David when he came to cut off his lap. <\/P> <P><B>David and his men remained in the sides of the cave;<\/B> for that there were vast caves in those parts is affirmed not only by Josephus, but also by heathen authors; and Strabo, in his 16th book, writes of one which could receive four thousand men. <\/P> <\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p><P><B>3. he came to the sheepcotes<\/B>mostprobably in the upper ridge of Wady Chareitun. There a large caveIam quite disposed to say <I>the<\/I> cavelies hardly five minutesto the east of the village ruin, on the south side of the wady. It ishigh upon the side of the calcareous rock, and it has undergone nochange since David&#8217;s time. The same narrow natural vaulting at theentrance; the same huge natural chamber in the rock, probably theplace where Saul lay down to rest in the heat of the day; the sameside vaults, too, where David and his men were concealed. There,accustomed to the obscurity of the cavern, they saw Saul enter,while, blinded by the glare of the light outside, he saw nothing ofhim whom he so bitterly persecuted.<\/P><\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown&#8217;s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible <\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p><strong>And he came to the sheepcotes by the way, where [was] a cave<\/strong>,&#8230;. For the sheep to be led into at noon, to shelter them from the heat: such was the cave of Polyphemus, observed by Bochart z, in which sheep and goats lay down and slept; <span class='bible'>[See comments on Zep 2:6]<\/span>;<\/p>\n<p><strong>and Saul went in to cover his feet<\/strong>; the Targum is, to do his necessaries; and so Josephus a; and the Jewish commentators generally understand it of easing nature; and as the eastern people used to wear long and loose garments, these, when they performed such an action, they used in modesty to gather them close about them, that no part of the body, their feet, and especially the parts of nature which should be concealed, might be seen; but the Syriac and Arabic versions render it, &#8220;and there he lay&#8221; or &#8220;slept&#8221;; which suggest, that his going into the cave was in order to take some sleep and rest, when it was usual to cover the feet, both to prevent taking cold, and the private parts of the body being exposed to view; and this accounts better for Saul not hearing David&#8217;s men in the cave, and for his being insensible of David&#8217;s cuttings off the skirt of his garment, and best agrees with the use of the phrase in <span class='bible'>Jud 3:24<\/span>; the only place besides this in which it is used; <span class='bible'>[See comments on Jud 3:24]<\/span>;<\/p>\n<p><strong>and David and his men remained in the sides of the cave<\/strong>; unseen and unobserved by Saul, even six hundred of them; nor need this seem strange, since in those parts of the world there were caves exceeding large, made so either by nature or art. Vansleb b speaks of a cave in Egypt so extraordinary large, that, without hyperbole, a thousand horses might there draw up in battle array, and of another larger than that; and Strabo says c, that towards Arabia and Iturea are mountains difficult to be passed, and in which are deep caves, one of which would hold four thousand men: and as the mouths of these caves were generally narrow, and the further parts of them large, and also dark, persons at the entrance of them could be seen, when those in the more remote parts could not; and this cave is said to be extremely dark d; which accounts for Saul&#8217;s being seen when he came into the cave, whereas David and his men could not be seen by him.<\/p>\n<p>z Hierozoic. par. 1. l. 2. c. 45. col. 467, 468. a Antiqu. l. 6. c. 13. sect. 4. b Relation of a Voyage, p. 227. c Geograph. l. 16. p. 520. d Le Bruyn&#8217;s Voyage to the Levant, ch. 51. p. 199.<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: John Gill&#8217;s Exposition of the Entire Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p>(3) <strong>The sheepcotes.<\/strong>Thomson (<em>The Land and the Book<\/em>)<em> <\/em>saw, he says, hundreds of these sheepcotes around the mouth of the caves, of which there are so many in Palestine. In that land and among these Eastern peoples, whose customs change so little, they are as common now as they were then. These sheepcotes are generally made by piling up loose stones in front of the caves entrance in a circular wall, which is covered with thorns as a further protection against thieves and wild animals who would prey on the sheep. During cold storms and in the night the flocks retreat into the cave, but at other times they remain in the enclosed cote. . . . These caverns are as dark as midnight, and the keenest eye cannot see four paces <em>inward; <\/em>but one who has been long within, and looking <em>outward <\/em>toward the entrance, can observe with perfect distinctness all that takes place in that direction. David, therefore, could watch Saul as he came in . . . but Saul could see nothing but impenetrable darkness.<\/p>\n<p>From this thorny fence, so universal in the countless sheepcotes of Palestine, was very possibly derived a quaint simile in the strange passage on Death in the Talmud:<br \/>The hardest of all deaths is by a disease (some suppose quinsey), which is like the <em>forcible extraction of prickly thorns from wool. . . .<\/em> The easiest of all deaths is the Divine kiss, which is like the extracting of hair from milk. Moses, Aaron, and Miriam died by this Divine kiss.Treatise <em>Berachoth, <\/em>fol. 8, <span class='bible'>col.1<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Where was a cave.<\/strong>The well-known traveller Van de Velde wishes to identify the cave in question with an immense cavern in a rock with many side vaults, near the ruins of Chareitum; the difficulty is, however, that this vast cavern is fifteen or twenty miles from Ain-jedy. In this cave all Davids band could well have been gathered: not only his 600 fighting men, but the camp followers and women also. In Pocock we read that the Arabs call this cavern Elmaama (hiding-place), and relate how on one occasion thirty thousand people hid themselves in it to escape an evil wind (the simoom). It is, however, quite possible that the incident about to<em> <\/em>be related, connected with Saul and David, took place in one of the much smaller caves close to En-gedi. It is not necessary to assume that <em>all <\/em>Davids band were with him in one cave. A hundred or so of his more special companions were probably with him on this occasion, the remainder of the little army being dispersed in other similar refuges in the immediate neighbourhood.<\/p>\n<p><strong>And Saul went in to cover his feet.<\/strong>The meaning of this disputed passage is quite simple. Saul, fatigued with the mornings march, some time about midday withdrewprobably with a very few attendants composing his personal staffto take a short siesta, or sleep, in one of those dark, silent caves on the hill-side, which offered a cool resting-place after the glare and heat of a long and fatiguing march along the precipitous paths of the region. He lay down, no doubt, near the caves mouth, and one of his faithful attendants threw lightly over the kings feet the royal many coloured mantle (<em>mil<\/em>)<em>. <\/em>The king and his attendants little suspected that in the dark recesses of their midday resting-place were concealed the dreaded freebooter and a great company of his devoted armed followers. As explained in the Note above, in these great rock recesses, coming from <em>outside, <\/em>from the glare of daylight, not five paces forward can be seen, but those already <em>inside, <\/em>and accustomed to the darkness, can, at a considerable distance within the cave, see distinctly all that takes place in the neighbourhood of the cavern mouth. The sharp eyes of Davids sentinels, no doubt, far in the cave, quickly saw the little party of intruders. The tall form of the king, his jewelled armour, and perhaps his many-coloured brightly-tinted cloak, betrayed to the amazed watchmen of David the rank of the wearied sleeper.<\/p>\n<p>This interpretation of the words. <em><\/em>Saul went in to cover his feetnamely, to sleepis adopted by the Peshito Syriac Version, Michaelis, and of late, very positively, Ewald. The ordinary interpretation of the words, besides being an unusual statement, by no means suits the narrative; for it must be remembered that considerable time was necessary for the sentinel to inform David, and for David to have approached and cut off the hem of the royal garment, and again to have retired into the recesses of the cave.<\/p>\n<p><strong>In the sides of the cave.<\/strong>That is, in the side vaults and passages which exist in the largest of these natural refuges.<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Ellicott&#8217;s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p> <strong> 3<\/strong>. <strong> <\/strong> <strong> The sheepcotes by the way <\/strong> Not caves in the rocks, but enclosures built by the shepherds in the valley for the purpose of protecting their flocks. These sheep perhaps belonged to Nabal. Compare <span class='bible'>1Sa 25:7<\/span>. <\/p>\n<p><strong> To cover his feet <\/strong> Not to lie down for sleep, for that idea could have been expressed more simply, but a euphemism for performing the necessities of nature, which was done in a sitting posture, the person covering himself with the folds of his garment. Compare <span class='bible'>Jdg 3:24<\/span>. <\/p>\n<p><strong> In the sides of the cave <\/strong> The note on <span class='bible'>1Sa 22:1<\/span>, on the cave of Adullam, shows that these mountain caverns afforded sufficient room for all the facts here mentioned.<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Whedon&#8217;s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p><strong><em><span class='bible'>1Sa 24:3<\/span><\/em><\/strong><strong>. <\/strong><strong><em>Saul went in to cover his feet<\/em><\/strong><strong><\/strong> See <span class=''>Jdg 3:24<\/span> and <span class='bible'>Rth 3:4<\/span>. Several commentators suppose, that this expression imports one of the necessities of nature; but one can hardly believe that in this case there would have been sufficient time either for the conversation between David and his men, or for the cutting off the robe. We are told by Dr. Pococke, that some of the caves in Palestine are exceedingly large; and that he himself visited one in which David and his men might have been hid, and not be seen by Saul; and hence he conjectures, that this is one of the strong-holds of En-gedi, and possibly the same with that mentioned by the sacred writer. See his Description of the East, vol. 2: part 1 and <span class='bible'>Psalms 142<\/span>. <\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p> (3) And he came to the sheepcotes by the way, where was a cave; and Saul went in to cover his feet: and David and his men remained in the sides of the cave.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p> Covering his feet, in these hot countries, most probably means sleep, (though some have thought another relief of nature). No doubt a sleep from the Lord, in order to deliver his servant from his hand. If the Reader, while he reads this chapter, will consult <span class='bible'>Psa 57<\/span> , he will perceive what a very precious moment in the life of David this was. David wrote that Psalm, concerning this very period. I do not say that he in the same moment did it. But what then passed in his mind, at that period, was what he afterwards committed to writing. So that he might be said to have composed it when he had enough to have discomposed his mind, and no doubt but for God&#8217;s presence and grace, would have been discomposed indeed. It was very properly called Michtam of David, meaning golden, precious words of David, for nothing can be more so. But I refer the Reader to it. And he will there discover how a full and an entire confidence in the Lord, bore him up to do as he did. This Engedi was in the wilderness, a barren rocky place. Yet even here, Saul&#8217;s jealousy and rage could not allow David to live peaceably.<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Hawker&#8217;s Poor Man&#8217;s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p> 1Sa 24:3 And he came to the sheepcotes by the way, where [was] a cave; and Saul went in to cover his feet: and David and his men remained in the sides of the cave.<\/p>\n<p> Ver. 3. <strong> And Saul went in to cover his feet.<\/strong> ] To ease nature. See <span class='bible'>Jdg 3:24<\/span> , <em> See Trapp on &#8220;<\/em> Jdg 3:24 <em> &#8220;<\/em> Alexander Medices, duke of Florence, and son-in-law to Charles V, Emperor, was slain by his near kinsman Laurentius, as he was doing his easement. <em> a<\/em> <\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/p>\n<p> And David and his men remained in the sides of the cave.<\/strong> ] Here and at this time it was that David said, &#8220;I will cry unto God most High, unto God that performeth all things for me,&#8221; Psa 57:2 where the Chaldee hath, Unto God who sent the spider to make a web in the mouth of the cave for me. It may very well be that Saul, seeing the entrance of the cave overgrown with cobwebs, might think that no David lurked there. The like providence is reported for the preservation of Felix, a martyr, one time from his persecutors, whereupon Paulinus singeth &#8211; <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo; <em> Sic ubi Christus adest, nobis et aranea muro est:<\/p>\n<p> At cui Christus abest, et murus aranea fiet &rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>a<\/em> <em> Gal, Hist. Epit.<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: John Trapp&#8217;s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p>to cover his feet. Figure of speech Euphemism. App-6. Figure of speech Metonymy  (of Adjunct), App-6:. to stoop, and so cause feet to be covered by the robe. <\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p>the sheepcotes: Caves in the rocks, in which it is still common for shepherds and their flocks to lodge. Dr. Pococke observes, &#8220;Beyond the valley &#8211; of Tekoa there is a very large grotto, which the Arabs call El-Maamah, a hiding place: the high rocks on each side of the valley are almost perpendicular; and the way to the grotto is by a terrace formed in the rock, which is very narrow. There are two entrances into it; we went by the farthest, which leads by a narrow passage into a very large grotto, the rock being supported by natural pillars; the top of it rises in several places like domes; the grotto is perfectly dry. There is a tradition, that the people of the country, to the number of 30,000, retired into this grotto, to avoid a bad air. This place is so strong, that one would imagine it to be one of the strong holds of En-gedi, to which David and his men fled from Saul, and possibly it may be that very cave in which he cut off Saul&#8217;s skirt; for David and his men might, with good ease, lie hid there and not be seen by him.&#8221; Travels, vol. ii. P. 1. p. 41. <\/p>\n<p>and Saul: Psa 141:6 <\/p>\n<p>to cover: Jdg 3:24 <\/p>\n<p>David: Psa 57:1, Psa 142:1,*titles <\/p>\n<p>Reciprocal: Jos 10:16 &#8211; in a cave 1Sa 13:6 &#8211; in caves 2Sa 17:9 &#8211; he is hid Psa 17:11 &#8211; compassed Jer 41:9 &#8211; because of Gedaliah Eze 33:27 &#8211; in the caves Jon 1:5 &#8211; the sides<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p>1Sa 24:3. Where was a cave  This cave being near the highway, and in the most frequented place of the wilderness, namely, near the sheep-cotes, to which the shepherds and herdsmen resorted to feed and milk their flocks, it is likely David made choice of it as being a place most unlikely to be suspected. Or, perhaps, he was pressed so near by Saul that he had no other way of escaping. That his distress and danger were very great, may be gathered from the 57th and 142d Psalms, which, it is supposed, he composed in commemoration of his deliverance. Saul went in to cover his feet  To take some rest in sleep. Being a military man, it is probable he used to sleep with his soldiers upon the ground. And it is not improbable that, being weary with his eager and almost incessant pursuit, first of David, then of the Philistines, and now of David again, he both needed and desired some sleep; God also disposing him thereto, that David might have this eminent occasion to demonstrate his integrity to Saul, and to all Israel. In the sides of the cave  For that there were vast caves in those parts is affirmed, not only by Josephus, but also by heathen authors; Strabo writes of one which could receive four thousand men.<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>And he came to the sheepcotes by the way, where [was] a cave; and Saul went in to cover his feet: and David and his men remained in the sides of the cave. 3. the sheepcotes by the way ] Sheepfolds are still formed in the East by building a wall of loose stones round &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/exegetical-and-hermeneutical-commentary-of-1-samuel-243\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Samuel 24:3&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7854","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commentary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7854","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7854"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7854\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7854"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7854"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7854"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}