Bible Strands
1 Samuel 27:4
And when Saul learned that David had fled to Gath, he no longer searched for him.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The narrative reports Saul’s change of action after David successfully establishes his household with Achish in Gath. The text places this moment immediately after David’s family has settled and immediately before David requests a permanent outlying town.
The words — The Hebrew יָסַף (yo.saf) literally means "he repeated" or "he continued," combined with the negative לֹא (lo) to form "he no longer repeated/searched." This grammatical construction marks a definitive termination of Saul’s pursuit.
The thread — The cessation of pursuit directly follows 1 Samuel 26:21, where Saul previously acknowledged his wrongdoing and promised to cease hostilities. The pattern of divine restraint operating through foreign refuge recurs throughout the David narrative.
Why it lands — The verse requires the reader to observe how political exile and foreign patronage function as mechanisms of divine protection. It demands recognition that human flight and sovereign restraint operate simultaneously without contradiction.
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 it was told Saul that David was fled to Gath: and he sought no more again for him.
Cross-references
- 1 Samuel 26:21 Then Saul replied, “I have sinned. Come back, David my son. I will never harm you again, because today you considered my life precious. I have played the fool and have committed a grave error!”