What Does 1 Samuel 22:23 Mean in the King James?
Abide thou with me, fear not: for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life: but with me thou shalt be in safeguard.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
Here, “safeguard” is a watch kept in someone’s presence: your life is held beside the very person whose life is also pursued.
THE MEANING
The threat reaches your living self and mine, and safety takes shape in a presence that keeps watch beside you. Danger remains visible while your life is held in company.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
The belief that safety means danger can never reach you dissolves here: the verse names the threat and still names a place of keeping.
THE ROOT
מִשְׁמֶרֶת
mishmeret
GROWS FROM
שמר
sh-m-r
To keep, watch over, guard.
“Safeguard” comes from the language of keeping watch. The verse places safety in a watchful presence beside the threatened life.
ALSO GROWS
shamar: To keep, watch, guard.
שָׁמַר
The verb makes the protection an act of keeping watch.
mishmar: A guard, watch, or custody.
מִשְׁמָר
This branch likewise presents safety as a guarded state or watch.
נַפְשִׁי
nafshi
GROWS FROM
נפשׁ
n-p-sh
The living self: a person, living soul, or life.
“My life” and “thy life” are forms of the same word, nefesh, repeated in parallel. The shared word keeps both threatened people fully present in the sentence.
ALSO GROWS
nefesh: A living soul, person, or life.
נֶפֶשׁ
This is the word repeated for both lives under threat.
naphash: To be refreshed or rested.
נָפַשׁ
This branch joins the living self with refreshment and rest.
שְׁבָה
shevah
GROWS FROM
ישב
y-sh-b
To sit, dwell, or remain in a place.
The invitation to abide carries the sense of dwelling or staying. The words “with me” make that nearness concrete: the place of keeping is shared presence.
ALSO GROWS
yashav: To sit, dwell, or remain.
יָשַׁב
This verb shows the staying contained in “abide.”
moshav: A dwelling, settlement, or seat.
מוֹשָׁב
This noun from the same root connects abiding with a place to dwell.
THE PATTERN
Safety takes shape as a guarding presence beside life in danger.
To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, A Song upon Alamoth. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.THE THREAD
The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.This verse uses mishmeret, from shamar, for keeping, and repeats nefesh for “my life” and “thy life.” Psalm 121:7 brings those same roots together: the LORD keeps the reader and the reader’s living self.
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