Bible Strands
1 Samuel 26:4
David sent out spies to verify that Saul had arrived.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrative places David in the wilderness opposite the hill of Hachilah at the exact moment he learns King Saul has tracked him to that location.
The words — The Hebrew verbs וַיִּשְׁלַח (va-yishlach, "and he sent") and מְרַגְּלִים (meraggelim, "spies") record David dispatching scouts to physically confirm Saul's arrival.
The thread — The text describes a tactical reconnaissance mission that parallels Joshua sending two men to inspect Jericho (Joshua 2:1) and is later cited as a model for shrewd conduct (Matthew 10:16).
Why it lands — The passage commands a reader to prioritize verified intelligence over reactive violence when facing a pursuer, treating caution as a practical discipline rather than a spiritual posture.
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
David therefore sent out spies, and understood that Saul was come in very deed.
Cross-references
- Matthew 10:16 Behold, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.
- Joshua 2:1 Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim, saying, “Go, inspect the land, especially Jericho.” So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there.