1 Samuel 26:19

Now please, may my lord the king hear the words of his servant: If the LORD has stirred you up against me, then may He accept an offering. But if men have done it, may they be cursed in the presence of the LORD! For today they have driven me away from sharing in the inheritance of the LORD, saying, ‘Go, serve other gods.’

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — David addresses King Saul from the wilderness camp, speaking directly to the monarch who has just been disarmed by David’s men while pursuing him.

The words — The text foregrounds עַתָּה ('a.Tah), meaning "now," and יִשְׁמַע (yish.ma'), meaning "let him hear," to mark the immediate shift from David’s plea for royal attention to his theological distinction between divine and human hostility.

The thread — David’s appeal for the king to listen parallels the plea in 2 Samuel 14:16, while his defense against forced displacement aligns with his later confrontation in 2 Samuel 16:11.

Why it lands — The verse requires readers to distinguish between trials that originate from God and those engineered by people, and it demands rejection of any command that severs them from their covenant inheritance to worship foreign gods.

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

וְעַתָּ֗הve./'a.Tahand/ now יִֽשְׁמַֽע־yish.ma'-let him hear נָא֙na'please אֲדֹנִ֣י'a.do.N/ilord/ my הַמֶּ֔לֶךְha./Me.lekhthe/ king אֵ֖ת'et<obj.>דִּבְרֵ֣יdiv.Rei[the] words of עַבְדּ֑וֹav.D/oservant/ his אִם־'im-if יְהוָ֞הYah.wehYahweh הֱסִֽיתְךָ֥he.si.te./Khahe has incited/ youבִי֙v/iagainst <the>/ meיָרַ֣חya.Rachmay he smell מִנְחָ֔הmin.Chahan offering וְאִ֣ם׀ve./'Imand/ if בְּנֵ֣יbe.Nei[the] sons of הָאָדָ֗םha./'a.Dam<the>/ humankind אֲרוּרִ֥ים'a.ru.Rim[be] cursed הֵם֙hemthey לִפְנֵ֣יli/f.Nei<to>/ before יְהוָ֔הYah.wehYahweh כִּֽי־ki-for גֵרְשׁ֣וּנִיge.re.Shu./nithey have driven out/ me הַיּ֗וֹםhai./Yomthis/ day מֵהִסְתַּפֵּ֜חַme./his.ta.Pe.achfrom/ having a share בְּנַחֲלַ֤תbe./na.cha.Latin/ [the] inheritance of יְהוָה֙Yah.wehYahweh לֵאמֹ֔רle./Mor<to>/ saying לֵ֥ךְlekhgo עֲבֹ֖ד'a.Vodserve אֱלֹהִ֥ים'E.lo.Himgods אֲחֵרִֽים׃'a.che.Rimother

King James Version

Now therefore, I pray thee, let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If the Lord have stirred thee up against me, let him accept an offering: but if they be the children of men, cursed be they before the Lord; for they have driven me out this day from abiding in the inheritance of the Lord, saying, Go, serve other gods.

Cross-references

2 Samuel 14:16 For the king will hear and deliver his maidservant from the hand of the man who would cut off both me and my son from God’s inheritance.’
2 Samuel 16:11 Then David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “Behold, my own son, my own flesh and blood, seeks my life. How much more, then, this Benjamite! Leave him alone and let him curse me, for the LORD has told him so.
2 Samuel 20:19 I am among the peaceable and faithful in Israel, but you are trying to destroy a city that is a mother in Israel. Why would you swallow up the LORD’s inheritance?”
Genesis 8:21 When the LORD smelled the pleasing aroma, He said in His heart, “Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from his youth. And never again will I destroy all living creatures as I have done.
Joshua 22:25 For the LORD has made the Jordan a border between us and you Reubenites and Gadites. You have no share in the LORD!’ So your descendants could cause ours to stop fearing the LORD.
1 Samuel 18:10 The next day a spirit of distress sent from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied inside the house while David played the harp as usual. Now Saul was holding a spear,
1 Chronicles 21:1 Then Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel.
Psalms 120:5 Woe to me that I dwell in Meshech, that I live among the tents of Kedar!
Galatians 1:8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be under a curse!
Genesis 44:18 Then Judah approached Joseph and said, “Sir, please let your servant speak personally to my lord. Do not be angry with your servant, for you are equal to Pharaoh himself.