1 Samuel 26:20

Contextual Overview

¹³David crossed to the other side and stood on top of the mountain at a distance; there was a considerable space between them. ¹³ Then David went over to the other side, and stood on the top of the mountain afar off; a great space being between them; ¹³ Then David went over to the other side, and stood on the top of an hill afar off; a great space being between them: ¹³ Then David went to the other side and stood on the top of the hill at a distance; the distance was great between them. ¹³ Then David went over to the other side and stood far off on the top of the hill, with a great space between them. ¹³ David crossed over to the other side of the hill and stood on top of the mountain far from Saul's camp. They were a long way away from each other. ¹³ Then David crossed to the other side and stood on the top of the hill some distance away; there was a considerable distance between them. ¹³Then David crossed over to the other side and stood on the top of the mountain at a distance, with a large area between them. ¹³ Then David crossed over to the other side and stood on top of the mountain at a distance with a large area between them. ¹³ Then Dauid went vnto the other side, and stoode on the toppe of an hill a farre off, a great space being betweene them.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

let not my: 1 Samuel 2:9, 1 Samuel 25:29

the king: 1 Samuel 24:14, Matthew 26:47, Matthew 26:55

a flea: Parosh, (in Arabic borghooth, Syriac, poorthano,) the well known little contemptible and troublesome insect, the flea, seems to be so called from its agility in leaping and skipping, from para, "free," and raash, "to leap, bound." David, by comparing himself to this insect, seems to import, that while it would cost Saul much pains to catch him, he would obtain but very little advantage from it.

a partridge: Korai certainly denotes the partridge, which is called in Arabic, kiraa. It seems to be so called from the cry or cur which it utters when calling its young.

Reciprocal: 1 Samuel 24:11 - thou huntest 2 Samuel 9:8 - a dead dog Psalms 49:5 - heels Psalms 124:6 - who hath not Jeremiah 16:16 - hunters Micah 7:2 - hunt

Cross-References

Genesis 21:25
Avraham complained to Avimelekh because of a water well, which Avimelekh's servants had violently taken away.

Genesis 21:25
And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of a well of water, which Abimelech's servants had violently taken away.

Genesis 21:25
Then Abraham complained to Abimelech on account of the well of water that servants of Abimelech had seized.

Genesis 21:25
Then Abraham complained to Abimelech about Abimelech's servants who had seized a well of water.

Genesis 21:25
But Abraham lodged a complaint against Abimelech concerning a well that Abimelech's servants had seized.

Genesis 21:25
Then Abraham complained to Abimelech about a well of water which the servants of Abimelech had [violently] seized [from him],

Genesis 21:25
But Abraham complained to Abimelech because of the well of water which the servants of Abimelech had seized.

Genesis 21:25
And Abraham rebuked Abimelech for a well of water, which Abimelechs seruants had violently taken away.

Genesis 21:25
But Abraham reproved Abimelech about the well of water which the servants of Abimelech had seized.

Genesis 21:25
One day, Abraham told Abimelech, "Some of your servants have taken over one of my wells."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Now therefore let not my blood fall to the earth before the face of the Lord,.... For should it be spilled, God, who is omniscient, will see it, and take notice of it; and being righteous, and to whom vengeance belongs, he will avenge it: some render it, "my blood shall not fall to the earth before the face of the Lord" r; I am continually under his eye and care, and he will protect and defend me; and in vain is it for thee to pursue after me; I shall never fall into thine hands, though I may be obliged to quit my country, and go into an idolatrous nation, against my will:

for the king of Israel is come out to seek a flea; which leaps from place to place and is not easily taken: or this may denote what a mean, poor, weak, insignificant person David was; and how much it was below Saul to come out with an army of chosen men in pursuit of him; so the Targum,

"the king of Israel is come out to seek one that is weak or feeble:''

as when one doth hunt a partridge in the mountains; as kings for their delight used to do, as Abarbinel observes; but this being a business of pleasure, and this a bird of worth, some other is thought to be here intended. Indeed the is represented as worth no more than an "obolus", or five farthings, though fifty drachmas or drachms were ordered to be paid for one s; the Septuagint renders the word an "owl": the word is "kore", and from the etymology of it one would think it was the raven or crow. Jarchi on Jeremiah 17:11 takes it to be the cuckoo, though here the partridge as others; Bochart t will have it to be the woodcock, snipe, or snite u. Some choose to read the words,

"as the kore or partridge on the mountains hunts;''

which, it is said, hunts and seeks after the nests of other birds, and sits on their eggs v: see Jeremiah 17:11; so Saul hunted after David, though he could not take him; several naturalists w observe, that the partridge is very difficult to be taken by the hunter.

r אל יפל דמו "non effundetur", Martyr. and to this sense are Syr. Ar. vers. s Laert. l. 2. in Vita Aristippi. t Hierozoic. par. 2. l. 1. c. 12. col. 81. u (A snite is like a snipe, yet a different species of lark-like bird. Oxford English Dictionary. Editor) v T. Bab. Cholin, fol. 140. 2. Jarchi & Abarbinel in loc. w Aristot. Hist. Animal. l. 9. c. 8. Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 10. c. 33. Aelian. Hist. Animal. l. 3. c. 16.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Samuel 26:20. As when one doth hunt a partridge — It is worthy of remark that the Arabs, observing that partridges, being put up several times, soon become so weary as not to be able to fly; they in this manner hunt them upon the mountains, till at last they can knock them down with their clubs.

It was in this manner that Saul hunted David, coming hastily upon him, and putting him up from time to time, in hopes that he should at length, by frequent repetitions of it, be able to destroy him. See Harmer.