Bible Strands
1 Samuel 23:12
So David asked, “Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me and my men into the hand of Saul?” “They will,” said the LORD.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — David poses a direct question to the LORD about whether the citizens of Keilah will hand him and his men over to Saul. The LORD answers with a definitive affirmation that they will.
The words — The Hebrew verb הֲ/יַסְגִּ֜רוּ (ha./yas.Gi.ru) carries the literal sense of "will they deliver up," denoting the formal act of surrendering a fugitive. This term anchors David's inquiry regarding the city's potential betrayal.
The thread — The verse's theme of promised surrender aligns with 1 Samuel 23:20, where Saul's agents pledge to hand David over, and stands in contrast to Psalms 31:8, which records God's refusal to deliver the psalmist to an enemy.
Why it lands — The text states that divine forewarning directly precedes David's departure from Keilah, establishing a cause-and-effect relationship between revelation and tactical retreat. It requires the reader to accept that prophetic clarity functions as practical instruction for immediate physical survival.
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
Then said David, Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul? And the Lord said, They will deliver thee up.
Cross-references
- 1 Samuel 23:20 Now, O king, come down whenever your soul desires, and we will be responsible for delivering him into your hand.”
- Psalms 31:8 You have not delivered me to the enemy; You have set my feet in the open.
- Psalms 62:1 For the choirmaster. According to Jeduthun. A Psalm of David. In God alone my soul finds rest; my salvation comes from Him.
- 1 Samuel 23:7 When Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah, he said, “God has delivered him into my hand, for he has trapped himself by entering a town with gates and bars.”
- Psalms 118:8 It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.
- Ecclesiastes 9:14 There was a small city with few men. A mighty king came against it, surrounded it, and built large siege ramps against it.
- Isaiah 29:15 Woe to those who dig deep to hide their plans from the LORD. In darkness they do their works and say, “Who sees us, and who will know?”
- Hebrews 4:13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight; everything is uncovered and exposed before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.