The Meaning of 1 Samuel 23:26 Explained

1 Samuel 23:26

KJV: 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.

YLT: And Saul goeth on this side of the mountain, and David and his men on that side of the mountain, and David is hastened to go from the face of Saul, and Saul and his men are compassing David and his men, to catch them.

Darby: 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 from Saul; and Saul and his men sought to surround David and his men to take them.

ASV: 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.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does 1 Samuel 23:26 Mean?

Context Summary

1 Samuel 23:15-29 - A Relentless Pursuit Foiled
Amid outward strife, God is sure to provide some rill of human love-a tender friendship, a Jonathan. See Psalms 106:46. This is the mission of a friend-to strengthen our hands in God, whisper words of hope, and enter into renewed covenants with us. Is not this what our best Friend does? He finds us out in the deepest woods, and whispers His Fear not. There is no hunted soul to whom Jesus will not come to pour in the oil and wine of His presence.
Let us always strengthen our friends' hands in God. We sometimes weaken their good resolutions by our timid entreaties, as Peter did when he urged the Lord to spare Himself, Matthew 16:22. No, you must always help your friend to be his noblest and strongest. The angel strengthened the Redeemer in the garden. The one word for us to pass on is, "O man, greatly beloved, fear not; peace be unto thee; be strong, yea, be strong," Daniel 10:19.
The Ziphites made a direct bid for Saul's favor, but their plot miscarried. When a man puts his life into God's hands, he has no need to fear "the arrow by day nor the terror by night." Whatever difficulties threaten him, there is ever a way of escape. [source]

Chapter Summary: 1 Samuel 23

1  David, enquiring of the Lord by Abiathar, rescues Keilah
7  God showing him the coming of Saul, and the treachery of the Keilites,
13  he escapes from Keilah
14  In Ziph Jonathan comes and comforts him
19  The Ziphites discover him to Saul
25  At Maon he is rescued from Saul by the invasion of the Philistines
29  He dwells at En Gedi

What do the individual words in 1 Samuel 23:26 mean?

And went Saul on one side of mountain this and David and his men on the side of the mountain from this [one] so made David haste to get away from Saul for Saul and his men were encircling unto David and his men to take them
וַיֵּ֨לֶךְ שָׁא֜וּל מִצַּ֤ד הָהָר֙ מִזֶּ֔ה וְדָוִ֧ד וַאֲנָשָׁ֛יו מִצַּ֥ד הָהָ֖ר מִזֶּ֑ה וַיְהִ֨י דָוִ֜ד נֶחְפָּ֤ז לָלֶ֙כֶת֙ מִפְּנֵ֣י שָׁא֔וּל וְשָׁא֣וּל וַאֲנָשָׁ֗יו עֹֽטְרִ֛ים אֶל־ דָּוִ֥ד וְאֶל־ אֲנָשָׁ֖יו לְתָפְשָֽׂם

וַיֵּ֨לֶךְ  And  went 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
שָׁא֜וּל  Saul 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: שָׁאוּל  
Sense: a Benjamite, son of Kish, and the st king of Israel.
מִצַּ֤ד  on  one  side 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: צַד 
Sense: side.
הָהָר֙  of  mountain 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: הַר  
Sense: hill, mountain, hill country, mount.
מִזֶּ֔ה  this 
Parse: Preposition-m, Pronoun, masculine singular
Root: זֶה  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, another, such.
וְדָוִ֧ד  and  David 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּוִד  
Sense: youngest son of Jesse and second king of Israel.
וַאֲנָשָׁ֛יו  and  his  men 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
מִצַּ֥ד  on  the  side 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: צַד 
Sense: side.
הָהָ֖ר  of  the  mountain 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: הַר  
Sense: hill, mountain, hill country, mount.
מִזֶּ֑ה  from  this  [one] 
Parse: Preposition-m, Pronoun, masculine singular
Root: זֶה  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, another, such.
וַיְהִ֨י  so  made 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
דָוִ֜ד  David 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּוִד  
Sense: youngest son of Jesse and second king of Israel.
נֶחְפָּ֤ז  haste 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: חָפַז  
Sense: to hurry, flee, hasten, fear, be terrified.
לָלֶ֙כֶת֙  to  get  away 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
שָׁא֔וּל  Saul 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: שָׁאוּל  
Sense: a Benjamite, son of Kish, and the st king of Israel.
וְשָׁא֣וּל  for  Saul 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: שָׁאוּל  
Sense: a Benjamite, son of Kish, and the st king of Israel.
וַאֲנָשָׁ֗יו  and  his  men 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
עֹֽטְרִ֛ים  were  encircling 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: עָטַר 
Sense: to surround.
אֶל־  unto 
Parse: Preposition
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
דָּוִ֥ד  David 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּוִד  
Sense: youngest son of Jesse and second king of Israel.
אֲנָשָׁ֖יו  his  men 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
לְתָפְשָֽׂם  to  take  them 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct, third person masculine plural
Root: תָּפַשׂ  
Sense: to catch, handle, lay hold, take hold of, seize, wield.