Bible Strands
1 Samuel 23:21
“May you be blessed by the LORD,” replied Saul, “for you have had compassion on me.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Saul speaks to the Ziphite officials after they promise to deliver David into his hands, replying to their offer with a formal greeting. (1 Samuel 23:20-22)
The words — בְּרוּכִ֥ים (be.ru.Khim) means "blessed," and חֲמַלְתֶּ֖ם (cha.mal.Tem) means "you have had compassion," marking Saul’s reply as a direct acknowledgment of their reported mercy.
The thread — This pattern of spoken blessings in politically charged moments appears in 1 Samuel 22:8, Judges 17:2, and Psalms 10:3, where blessings function within narratives of conspiracy, familial devotion, and wicked boasting respectively.
Why it lands — The text records a ruler’s diplomatic courtesy without validating his hostile pursuit, requiring the reader to separate polite speech from the actual moral reality of the speaker’s actions.
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 Saul said, Blessed be ye of the Lord; for ye have compassion on me.
Cross-references
- 1 Samuel 22:8 Is that why all of you have conspired against me? Not one of you told me that my own son had made a covenant with the son of Jesse. Not one of you has shown concern for me or revealed to me that my son has stirred up my own servant to lie in wait against me, as is the case today.”
- Judges 17:2 said to his mother, “The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from you and about which I heard you utter a curse—I have the silver here with me; I took it.” Then his mother said, “Blessed be my son by the LORD!”
- Psalms 10:3 For the wicked man boasts in the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the LORD.
- Isaiah 66:5 You who tremble at His word, hear the word of the LORD: “Your brothers who hate you and exclude you because of My name have said, ‘Let the LORD be glorified that we may see your joy!’ But they will be put to shame.”
- Micah 3:11 Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets practice divination for money. Yet they lean upon the LORD, saying, “Is not the LORD among us? No disaster can come upon us.”