The Meaning of 1 Samuel 18:14 Explained

1 Samuel 18:14

KJV: And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the LORD was with him.

YLT: And David is in all his ways acting wisely, and Jehovah is with him,

Darby: And David prospered in all his ways; and Jehovah was with him.

ASV: And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and Jehovah was with him.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And David  behaved himself wisely  in all his ways;  and the LORD  [was] with him. 

What does 1 Samuel 18:14 Mean?

Context Summary

1 Samuel 18:10-21 - Protected From Dastardly Assaults
The Lord was evidently with David. Mark how the sacred chronicle keeps this fact in view, 1 Samuel 18:12; 1 Samuel 18:14; 1 Samuel 18:28. And David behaved himself wisely, 1 Samuel 18:5; 1 Samuel 18:14-15; 1 Samuel 18:30. How judicious it would have been for Saul to bind David to himself! Instead of this he cherished his mad passion until it broke out in irresistible fury. Oh, beware of jealousy! It opens the soul's door to the devil. The best way of meeting it, apart from prayer, is to compel yourself to take an interest in your rival, and to put yourself loyally in his place. Overcome your mean and wicked soul, in the power of the Lord Jesus. "Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh," Romans 13:14.
The evil spirit that possessed Saul is said to have come from God; that is, God permitted it to come. It came according to the ordered rule of the universe. "God," says one, "must be something to us; what He shall be depends on ourselves and on what we are to Him." See Psalms 18:25-26. The king, having failed to murder David, encouraged him in dangerous undertakings. But if David had fallen in battle, his death would still have been justly laid at Saul's door. [source]

Chapter Summary: 1 Samuel 18

1  Jonathan befriends David
5  Saul envies his praise
10  seeks to kill him in his fury
12  fears him for his good success
17  offers him his daughters for snare
23  David persuaded to be the king's son-in-law,
25  gives two hundred foreskins of the Philistines for Michal's dowry
28  Saul's hatred and David's glory increase

What do the individual words in 1 Samuel 18:14 mean?

And David in all his ways behaved wisely and Yahweh [was] with him
וַיְהִ֥י דָוִ֛ד לְכָל־ דָּרְכָ֖ו‪‬ מַשְׂכִּ֑יל וַֽיהוָ֖ה עִמּֽוֹ

דָוִ֛ד  David 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּוִד  
Sense: youngest son of Jesse and second king of Israel.
לְכָל־  in  all 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
דָּרְכָ֖ו‪‬  his  ways 
Parse: Noun, common singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: דֶּרֶךְ  
Sense: way, road, distance, journey, manner.
מַשְׂכִּ֑יל  behaved  wisely 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Participle, masculine singular
Root: שָׂכַל 
Sense: to be prudent, be circumspect, wisely understand, prosper.
וַֽיהוָ֖ה  and  Yahweh  [was] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
עִמּֽוֹ  with  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
Root: עִם  
Sense: with.