1 Samuel 23:23

23:19-29 In the midst of his wickedness, Saul affected to speak the language of piety. Such expressions, without suitable effects, can only amuse or deceive those who hear, and those who use them. This mountain was an emblem of the Divine Providence coming between David and the destroyer. Let us not be dismayed at the prospect of future difficulties, but stay ourselves upon Him who is wonderful in counsel and excellent in working. Sooner than his promise shall fail, he will commission Philistines to effect our escape, at the very moment when our case appears most desperate. God requires entire dependence on him, If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established, Isa 7:9.

See therefore, and take knowledge of all the lurking places where he hideth himself,.... Which he most frequents, that ye may be able to describe them, and the way to them, and easily find them when necessary: and come ye again to me with the certainty; of time and place, when and where he may be certainly found: and I will go with you; upon such certain intelligence: it is very much he did not seize this opportunity, and go directly with them; for by this delay, David being informed of the Ziphites coming to Saul to betray him, had time to depart elsewhere: and it shall come to pass, if he be in the land; in the land of Israel, or rather in the land that is in the tribe of Judah: that I will search him out throughout all the thousands of Judah; through all the divisions of that tribe, which, as others, were divided into thousands, see Micah 5:2.

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 {h} land, that I will search him out throughout all the thousands of Judah. (h) In your country of Ziph, which is in Judah.

(23) Throughout all the thousands of Judah. —The “thousands” (Heb., alaphim ) , as we learn from Numbers 1:16 ; Numbers 10:4 , were the greater tribal divisions. Judah was especially mentioned by Saul as being “the tribe of David,” and where he found probably the larger number of his adherents. It was too, from its importance, the typical tribe, certainly in the southern part of Canaan.

If Gad was with David at the forest of Hareth 1 Samuel 22:5 , and there inquired for him of the Lord 1 Samuel 23:2 , 1 Samuel 23:4 , but did not accompany him to Keilah, and if Abiathar's flight occurred at the time of David's being at Keilah, we have an additional striking instance of God's watchful providential care of David in thus sending Abiathar to supply the place of Gad at so critical a moment.

i.e. Through all the parts of that tribe. Every tribe was divided into thousands, as counties are now with us into hundreds. See Judges 6:15 . Or, with all the thousands of Judah , i. e. I will raise against him all the forces of that tribe in which he trusteth and hideth himself. This he saith to animate them to the more vigorous prosecution of him.

1Sa 23:19-29. Saul Pursues Him. 19-23. Then came up the Ziphites to Saul to Gibeah, saying, Doth not David hide himself with us?—From the tell of Ziph a panorama of the whole surrounding district is to be seen. No wonder, then, that the Ziphites saw David and his men passing to and fro in the mountains of the wilderness. Spying him at a distance when he ventured to show himself on the hill of Hachilah, "on the right hand of the wilderness," that is, the south side of Ziph, they sent in haste to Saul, to tell him of the lurking place of his enemy [Van De Velde].

They were to search him out in every corner (the object to דּעוּ must be supplied from the context). "And come ye again to me with the certainty (i.e., when you have got some certain intelligence concerning his hiding-place), that I may go with you; and if he is in the land, I will search him out among all the thousands (i.e., families) of Judah."