What Does 1 Samuel 24:4 Mean?
And the men of David said to him, Behold the day of which the LORD said to you, Behold, I will give your enemy into your hand, that you may do to him as is good in your eyes. Then David arose and cut off the wing of Saul's robe in secret.
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 the men of David said unto him, Behold the day of which the LORD said unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand, that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good unto thee. Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul’s robe privily.THE KEY
The men frame Saul’s placement within David’s reach as permission, yet David’s cut stops at the robe’s “wing”, its outer edge, not Saul himself.
THE MEANING
Your adversary may come within reach, and others may call that access a license. David’s hand reaches Saul’s robe, cutting only its wing, the garment’s outer edge; Saul remains untouched. The verse holds available power alongside a chosen limit.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
Being given access to someone means I am entitled to do whatever seems good to me.
THE ROOT
נֹתֵן
nōtēn
GROWS FROM
נתן
n-t-n
to give, set, or place
“give” in this verse is nōtēn. The Hebrew verb carries the sense of giving or placing. The root establishes that Saul is put within David’s reach; the permission the men attach to that placement comes in the words around it. The verse lets opportunity and action remain distinct.
ALSO GROWS
mattānāh: A thing given.
מַתָּנָה
This noun makes the root’s sense of giving visible: what is given can be received, but the word itself does not dictate what the recipient does next.
nittan: A passive form of the root, describing something as given or placed.
נִתַּן
It highlights the position Saul occupies in the men’s claim: placed within David’s reach, without making the next action automatic.
כְּנַף
kənaf
GROWS FROM
כנף
k-n-f
wing, outer edge, or extremity
The KJV’s “skirt” gives only a garment detail. The Hebrew word also means wing and outer edge, so the cut lands on the robe’s projecting edge, its “wing.”
ALSO GROWS
kānāf: A wing, including a bird’s wing.
כָּנָף
The same word names the robe’s edge here, allowing the fabric to be heard as a wing rather than just a hem.
kanfē: The plural form used for wings or outer edges.
כַּנְפֵי
The word can describe the outermost reach of something; David’s cut takes only that edge of Saul’s covering.
וַיִּכְרֹת
wayyikrot
GROWS FROM
כרת
k-r-t
to cut or sever
“cut off” in this verse is wayyikrot. The verb for David’s cut also appears in the Hebrew idiom for making a covenant: literally, “cut a covenant.” The root holds both severing and covenant-making, giving this small cut a word with the weight of a marked bond, though this verse itself names no covenant.
ALSO GROWS
kārat berit: The Hebrew expression for making a covenant, literally “cut a covenant.”
כָּרַת בְּרִית
The same cutting verb can mark a consequential bond, revealing a wider force behind the word used for David’s action.
kārēt: A form expressing severance or being cut off.
כָּרֵת
This branch keeps the root’s force of separation in view as David cuts a piece away from Saul’s robe.
THE PATTERN
Power becomes visible in the limits a person places on what is within reach.
There is none greater in this house than I, and he has held back nothing from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great evil, and miss the mark against God?And David said to Abishai, Do not destroy him, for who can stretch out his hand against the LORD's anointed one and remain clean?Then Jesus said to Peter, Throw your sword into its sheath. Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?THE THREAD
The LORD will repay each man his alignment and his steadiness; for the LORD gave you into my hand today, but I would not stretch out my hand against the LORD's anointed one.The verb translated “delivered” comes from נתן (natan, “give” or “place”), the same root as the placement described in this verse. David states the tension plainly: Saul is placed in his hand, yet he does not strike him.
Read the SDV Bible.
Every verse has a Deep Dive in the app.
The iPhone Bible app with the Selah Decoded Version.
Does something in this reading look wrong? Tell us