Bible Strands
1 Samuel 23:3
But David’s men said to him, “Look, we are afraid here in Judah; how much more if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?”
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — David’s men speak to him while he remains in Judah, responding to the divine command to advance on Keilah.
The words — The Hebrew הִנֵּה (hi.Neh) and פֹּה (foh) both translate literally as “here,” anchoring the men’s fear to their current location in Judah rather than the distant battlefield.
The thread — This reported fear parallels later encounters where Saul hunts David through the wilderness and mountain passes, triggering repeated divine consultations about hiding locations. (1 Samuel 23:15, 1 Samuel 23:23, 1 Samuel 23:26)
Why it lands — The text records the men’s explicit hesitation before any divine response, requiring the reader to observe human fear as a factual condition that precedes obedience.
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’s men said unto him, Behold, we be afraid here in Judah: how much more then if we come to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?
Cross-references
- 1 Samuel 23:15 While David was in Horesh in the Wilderness of Ziph, he saw that Saul had come out to take his life.
- 1 Samuel 23:23 Observe and find out all the places where he hides. Then come back to me with certainty, and I will go with you. If he is in the land, I will search him out among all the clans of Judah.”
- 1 Samuel 23:26 Saul was proceeding along one side of the mountain, and David and his men along the other side. Even though David was hurrying to get away, Saul and his men were closing in on David and his men to capture them.
- Psalms 11:1 For the choirmaster. Of David. In the LORD I take refuge. How then can you say to me: “Flee like a bird to your mountain!
- Jeremiah 12:5 “If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in a peaceful land, how will you do in the thickets of the Jordan?