The Meaning of 1 Samuel 26:3 Explained

1 Samuel 26:3

KJV: And Saul pitched in the hill of Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon, by the way. But David abode in the wilderness, and he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness.

YLT: And Saul encampeth in the height of Hachilah, which is on the front of the desert, by the way, and David is abiding in the wilderness, and he seeth that Saul hath come after him in to the wilderness;

Darby: And Saul encamped in the hill of Hachilah, which faces the waste, by the way side. And David abode in the wilderness; and when he saw that Saul had come after him into the wilderness,

ASV: And Saul encamped in the hill of Hachilah, which is before the desert, by the way. But David abode in the wilderness, and he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And Saul  pitched  in the hill  of Hachilah,  which [is] before  Jeshimon,  by the way.  But David  abode  in the wilderness,  and he saw  that Saul  came  after  him into the wilderness. 

What does 1 Samuel 26:3 Mean?

Context Summary

1 Samuel 26:1-12 - Sparing His Enemy's Life
The Ziphites' treachery served as a foil to the intrinsic nobility of David's character. God made the wrath of man to praise Him, and restrained the remainder, Psalms 76:10, so that His servant escaped as a bird out of the fowler's snare. Read here, Psalms 54:1-7.
It was a bold act for David and Abishai to thread their way between watch-fires and sentries, and talk in whispers over the prostrate body of the sleeping monarch. As David says in one of the Psalms, "By thee I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall." The special share attributed here to God is the deep sleep which had fallen on the camp, 1 Samuel 26:12. The Lord who put the resolve into David's mind, cooperated in its execution. We are sometimes led by a divine impulse, and God will set His seal on our act; but we should not throw ourselves into peril unless the occasion plainly requires it. We are not at liberty to cast ourselves down from the mountain, unless it is clearly God's will. In David's case, there was sufficient reason for this adventure; first, that Saul might be warned once more; and second, that the integrity of the young outlaw might be established. [source]

Chapter Summary: 1 Samuel 26

1  Saul, by the discovery of the Ziphites, comes to Hachilah against David
4  David coming into the trench keeps Abishai from killing Saul,
11  but takes his spear and jug
13  David reproves Abner
17  and exhorts Saul
21  Saul acknowledges his sin

What do the individual words in 1 Samuel 26:3 mean?

And encamped Saul in the hill of Hachilah which [is] upon opposite Jeshimon by the road But David stayed in the wilderness and he saw that came after him into the wilderness
וַיִּ֨חַן שָׁא֜וּל בְּגִבְעַ֣ת הַחֲכִילָ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֛ר עַל־ פְּנֵ֥י הַיְשִׁימֹ֖ן עַל־ הַדָּ֑רֶךְ וְדָוִד֙ יֹשֵׁ֣ב בַּמִּדְבָּ֔ר וַיַּ֕רְא כִּ֣י בָ֥א אַחֲרָ֖יו הַמִּדְבָּֽרָה

וַיִּ֨חַן  And  encamped 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: חָנָה  
Sense: to decline, incline, encamp, bend down, lay siege against.
שָׁא֜וּל  Saul 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: שָׁאוּל  
Sense: a Benjamite, son of Kish, and the st king of Israel.
בְּגִבְעַ֣ת  in  the  hill 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: גִּבְעָה  
Sense: hill.
הַחֲכִילָ֗ה  of  Hachilah 
Parse: Article, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: חֲכִילָה  
Sense: a hill is southern Judah, on the edge of the wilderness of Ziph.
אֲשֶׁ֛ר  which  [is] 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
עַל־  upon 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
פְּנֵ֥י  opposite 
Parse: Noun, common plural construct
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
הַיְשִׁימֹ֖ן  Jeshimon 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְשִׁימֹון  
Sense: waste, wilderness, desert, desolate place.
הַדָּ֑רֶךְ  the  road 
Parse: Article, Noun, common singular
Root: דֶּרֶךְ  
Sense: way, road, distance, journey, manner.
וְדָוִד֙  But  David 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּוִד  
Sense: youngest son of Jesse and second king of Israel.
יֹשֵׁ֣ב  stayed 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: יָשַׁב 
Sense: to dwell, remain, sit, abide.
בַּמִּדְבָּ֔ר  in  the  wilderness 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִדְבָּר 
Sense: wilderness.
וַיַּ֕רְא  and  he  saw 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: רָאָה 
Sense: to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider.
כִּ֣י  that 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
בָ֥א  came 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
אַחֲרָ֖יו  after  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
Root: אַחַר 
Sense: after the following part, behind (of place), hinder, afterwards (of time).
הַמִּדְבָּֽרָה  into  the  wilderness 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular, third person feminine singular
Root: מִדְבָּר 
Sense: wilderness.

What are the major concepts related to 1 Samuel 26:3?

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