1 Samuel 26:20

So do not let my blood fall to the ground far from the presence of the LORD. For the king of Israel has come out to look for a flea, like one who hunts a partridge in the mountains.”

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — David addresses King Saul during a direct confrontation, immediately after pleading for divine judgment if human agents provoked the pursuit (1 Samuel 26:19). The moment captures a final appeal before Saul's military response concludes.

The words — וְ/עַתָּ֗ה (ve./'a.Tah) and אַל\־ ('al-) frame the plea as "and now, may not," while יִפֹּ֤ל דָּֽמִ/י (yi.Pol da.M/i) literally means "let my blood fall." These terms anchor the request in immediate physical danger and divine oversight.

The thread — The blood-falling plea echoes the covenant concern in 1 Samuel 25:29 that a pursued life will be bound securely by the LORD. The flea and partridge imagery recalls the earlier dismissal of Saul's threat in 1 Samuel 24:14.

Why it lands — The text demands recognition that human hostility operates under divine boundary, not absolute power. It asks the reader to trust that God monitors the outcome of unjust pursuit and that apparent threats are often disproportionate to reality.

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

Now therefore, let not my blood fall to the earth before the face of the Lord: for the king of Israel is come out to seek a flea, as when one doth hunt a partridge in the mountains.

Cross-references

1 Samuel 24:14 Against whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom are you pursuing? A dead dog? A flea?
1 Samuel 2:9 He guards the steps of His faithful ones, but the wicked perish in darkness; for by his own strength shall no man prevail.
1 Samuel 25:29 And should someone pursue you and seek your life, then the life of my lord will be bound securely by the LORD your God in the bundle of the living. But He shall fling away the lives of your enemies like stones from a sling.
Matthew 26:47 While Jesus was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived, accompanied by a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and elders of the people.
Matthew 26:55 At that time Jesus said to the crowd, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me as you would an outlaw? Every day I sat teaching in the temple courts, and you did not arrest Me.