What Does 1 Samuel 23:26 Mean?
And Saul went on this side of the mountain, and David and his men on that side of the mountain; and David hurried to get away from the face of Saul, for Saul and his men circled David and his men to take them.
Key words are shown with the Hebrew or Greek and what each word meant.
Selah Decoded Version The Selah Decoded Version renders what the Hebrew and Greek words meant to the people who first heard them.
King James wording
King James Version
And Saul went on this side of the mountain, and David and his men on that side of the mountain: and David made haste to get away for fear of Saul; for Saul and his men compassed David and his men round about to take them.THE KEY
The Hebrew word for the men closing around David also grows into “crown”: an encircling presence can imprison or protect, depending on what surrounds you.
THE MEANING
You can feel life narrow as danger closes in, and the urgency of getting away is real. This verse holds both sides of the mountain in view while a ring of force gathers around David and his men. Being surrounded names the pressure; by itself, it does not tell you whether the circle is a trap or a shelter.
THE ROOT
עֹטְרִים
ʿōṭərîm
GROWS FROM
עטר
ʿāṭar
To encircle; also to crown.
“circled” in this verse is ʿōṭərîm. The word pictures Saul’s men closing in around David and his men. This root also gives Hebrew its word for a crown: the same enclosing shape can threaten or protect, though the hostile context here is unmistakable.
ALSO GROWS
ʿāṭar: To encircle or crown.
עָטַר
It holds the basic action behind the men closing around David.
ʿăṭārāh: Crown, wreath.
עֲטָרָה
It shows that the root’s image of encircling can also describe an honored covering.
THE PATTERN
Being encircled can mean danger or protection; the force doing the surrounding changes the meaning.
And when the servant of the man of God rose early and went out, look, a host circled the city with horses and chariots. And his servant said to him, Ah, my master! What shall we do?For you, LORD, bless the aligned one; with favor you encircle him as with a shield.Therefore, since we also have so great a cloud of witnesses lying around us, setting down every weight and falling short that so easily wraps around us, let us run the race lying before us, remaining under it.THE THREAD
For you, LORD, bless the aligned one; with favor you encircle him as with a shield.The Hebrew root עטר (ʿāṭar, encircle or crown) appears in both verses: Saul’s men encircle David to seize him, while favor encircles the person in the psalm. The shared root makes the distinction vivid: an enclosing circle can be a trap or a shield.
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