Bible Strands
1 Samuel 21:10
That day David fled from Saul and went to Achish king of Gath.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The narrator records David’s immediate departure from Nob after taking Goliath’s sword, describing his flight from Saul to Achish, king of Gath, on that same day.
The words — The Hebrew וַ/יִּבְרַ֥ח (va/i.yiv.Rach) translates as “and he fled,” paired with מִ/פְּנֵ֣י (mi./pe.Nei) meaning “from before,” emphasizing the urgent, directional nature of his escape from Saul.
The thread — This flight pattern echoes later accounts of prophets and kings fleeing royal pursuit, including Elijah’s flight in 1 Kings 19:3 and David’s own later reflections on Saul’s relentless pursuit in 1 Samuel 27:1.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition that divine provision and human danger operate simultaneously, requiring the reader to track how physical flight precedes the theological resolution of God’s protection.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.
Cross-references
- 1 Samuel 27:1 David, however, said to himself, “One of these days now I will be swept away by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will stop searching for me all over Israel, and I will slip out of his hand.”
- 1 Kings 19:3 And Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there,
- Psalms 34:1 Of David, when he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, so that the king drove him away. I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise will always be on my lips.
- Jeremiah 26:21 King Jehoiakim and all his mighty men and officials heard his words, and the king sought to put him to death. But when Uriah found out about it, he fled in fear and went to Egypt.