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1 Samuel 26:10

Old Testament Historical ASV (1901)

What does 1 Samuel 26:10 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And David said, As Jehovah liveth, Jehovah will smite him; or his day shall come to die; or he shall go down into battle and perish.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And David said, As Jehovah liveth, Jehovah will smite him; or his day shall come to die; or he shall go down into battle and perish.
1 Samuel 26:10 — American Standard Version

Context — 1 Samuel 26

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
7So David and Abishai came to the people by night: and, behold, Saul lay sleeping within the place of the wagons, with his spear stuck in the ground at his head; and Abner and the people lay round about him.
8Then said Abishai to David, God hath delivered up thine enemy into thy hand this day: now therefore let me smite him, I pray thee, with the spear to the earth at one stroke, and I will not smite him the second time.
9And David said to Abishai, Destroy him not; for who can put forth his hand against Jehovah`s anointed, and be guiltless?
10And David said, As Jehovah liveth, Jehovah will smite him; or his day shall come to die; or he shall go down into battle and perish.
11Jehovah forbid that I should put forth my hand against Jehovah`s anointed: but now take, I pray thee, the spear that is at his head, and the cruse of water, and let us go.
12So David took the spear and the cruse of water from Saul`s head; and they gat them away: and no man saw it, nor knew it, neither did any awake; for they were all asleep, because a deep sleep from Jehovah was fallen upon them.
13Then David went over to the other side, and stood on the top of the mountain afar off; a great space being between them;
← 1 Samuel 26:91 Samuel 26:11 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And David said furthermore, etc.] In order to make Abishai easy, and prevent his doing what he proposed: [as] the Lord liveth; which was the form of an oath, made to assure Abishai of the truth of what follows, and therefore he need not be hasty to put Saul to death, since it would not be long before he should die, in one or other of the three following ways: either the Lord shall smite him; suddenly, which the Jews call cutting off, or death by the hand of heaven, by the immediate hand of God: or his day shall come to die; the time appointed for him to die a natural death, of some disease common to men: or he shall descend into battle, and perish; which was commonly reckoned death, casual…”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“26:10 David was confident that God would judge between him and Saul just as he had done between him and Nabal (see 25:38). Saul did die . . . in battle against the Philistines (31:6).”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“the Lord liveth: Sa1 24:15, Sa1 25:26, Sa1 25:38; Psa 94:1, Psa 94:2, Psa 94:23; Luk 18:7; Rom 12:19; Rev 18:8 his day: Gen 47:29; Deu 31:14; Job 7:1, Job 14:5, Job 14:14; Psa 37:10, Psa 37:13; Ecc 3:2; Heb 9:27 he shall descend: Sa1 31:6; Deu 32:35 1 Kings (1 Samuel) 26:11”
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Related study paths

Read 1 Samuel 26 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification