Soon Saul came to the sheepfolds along the roadThis phrase sets the scene in the wilderness of En Gedi, a rugged area near the Dead Sea known for its caves and rocky terrain. Sheepfolds were enclosures used by shepherds to protect their flocks, indicating this was a common grazing area. Saul, the first king of Israel, was pursuing David, who had been anointed by Samuel as the future king. This pursuit highlights the tension between Saul's declining reign and David's rise. The road suggests a well-traveled path, emphasizing the strategic location of the encounter.
where there was a cave
Caves in this region were often used as shelters or hideouts due to their natural formation. The mention of a cave is significant as it provides a setting for a pivotal moment in David's life. Caves in biblical narratives often symbolize places of refuge or divine encounters, as seen with Elijah at Mount Horeb. This cave becomes a place of testing for David, reflecting the broader biblical theme of God using wilderness experiences to shape His leaders.
and he went in to relieve himself
This detail humanizes Saul, showing his vulnerability and the mundane aspects of life even for a king. It also sets up the dramatic irony of the situation, as Saul is unaware of David's presence. The act of relieving oneself in a cave underscores the privacy Saul sought, contrasting with the public nature of his pursuit of David. This moment of vulnerability is a turning point, offering David an opportunity to harm Saul, which he ultimately refrains from doing, demonstrating his respect for God's anointed.
And David and his men were hiding in the recesses of the cave
David's presence in the cave with his men highlights his status as a fugitive and leader of a loyal band of followers. The "recesses" suggest a deeper part of the cave, indicating strategic positioning and the providential nature of their hiding place. This scenario is a test of David's character and leadership, as his men urge him to seize the opportunity to kill Saul. David's decision to spare Saul's life reflects his faith in God's timing and justice, aligning with the biblical principle of respecting God's anointed and foreshadowing Christ's teaching on loving one's enemies.
Persons / Places / Events
1.
DavidThe future king of Israel, anointed by Samuel, and a man after God's own heart. At this point, he is fleeing from King Saul, who seeks to kill him.
2.
SaulThe first king of Israel, who has fallen out of favor with God due to his disobedience. He is pursuing David out of jealousy and fear of losing his throne.
3.
The CaveA significant location where David and his men are hiding. It becomes a place of testing for David's character and faith.
4.
The SheepfoldsAreas where sheep are kept, indicating a rural setting. This detail sets the scene for the encounter between David and Saul.
5.
David's MenLoyal followers of David who are with him in the cave. They play a role in advising David during this critical moment.
Teaching Points
Restraint and MercyDavid's choice not to harm Saul, despite having the opportunity, teaches us about exercising restraint and showing mercy, even to those who wrong us.
Trust in God's TimingDavid's refusal to take matters into his own hands demonstrates a deep trust in God's timing and sovereignty over his life and future.
Integrity in SecrecyDavid's actions in the cave, away from public view, highlight the importance of maintaining integrity even when no one is watching.
Leadership and InfluenceDavid's decision not to kill Saul influences his men, showing how leaders can impact others through their actions and decisions.
Testing of CharacterThe cave incident serves as a test of David's character, reminding us that our true character is often revealed in moments of pressure and temptation.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1.What is the meaning of 1 Samuel 24:3?
2.How does David's restraint in 1 Samuel 24:3 demonstrate godly character and patience?
3.What can we learn about respecting authority from David's actions in this passage?
4.How does 1 Samuel 24:3 connect to Romans 12:19 about vengeance?
5.In what ways can we apply David's example of mercy in our lives?
6.How does David's choice in the cave reflect trust in God's timing?
7.Why did David spare Saul's life in 1 Samuel 24:3 despite having the opportunity to kill him?
8.What does 1 Samuel 24:3 teach about forgiveness and mercy towards one's enemies?
9.How does the setting of the cave in 1 Samuel 24:3 contribute to the narrative's tension?
10.What are the top 10 Lessons from 1 Samuel 24?
11.How could David and his men remain completely unnoticed by Saul’s large army in the same cave (1 Samuel 24:3)?
12.Psalm 63:1 mentions David in the wilderness of Judah—why is there no confirmed archaeological record of his presence there?
13.If David truly wrote Psalm 57 while hiding in a cave, why is there no direct archaeological evidence confirming this event or location (Psalm 57:1)?
14.Psalm 142:4 shows David claiming no one cares for him—how does this reconcile with 1 Samuel 22:2, where he has loyal followers?What Does 1 Samuel 24:3 Mean
Soon Saul came to the sheepfolds along the road• God’s providence governs the passing details. Saul is pursuing David (1 Samuel 24:1-2), yet the path he chooses leads to a place designed for shepherds and their flocks.
• This location reminds us of David’s own shepherd past (1 Samuel 16:11;Psalm 78:70-71) and hints that the Lord, the ultimate Shepherd (Psalm 23:1-2;John 10:11), is overseeing every step—even the footsteps of an angry king.
• The phrase “along the road” accents the ordinariness of the scene. In what looks like a routine travel pause, the Lord is arranging a crucial spiritual test (Proverbs 16:9).
where there was a cave• Caves in Scripture often become places of refuge and encounter with God (1 Kings 19:9;Psalm 142:1-5, title). Here the cave serves both as sanctuary for David and as stage for God’s lesson in mercy.
• David has just escaped to “the strongholds of En-gedi” (1 Samuel 23:29). This particular cave sits within that rocky region, prepared in advance as a hidden shelter (Psalm 31:3-4).
• The contrast is striking: Saul sees only a dark hollow; David sees a God-provided hiding place (Psalm 32:7).
and he went in to relieve himself• Scripture states the action plainly. The king’s basic need exposes how fragile human power really is (Isaiah 2:22;Acts 12:21-23 for another humbling of a ruler).
• Saul’s moment of vulnerability recalls the downfall of proud Eglon when he withdrew to “the cool roof chamber” (Judges 3:24). Earthly authority cannot shield anyone from dependence on bodily needs.
• By allowing this unguarded moment, the Lord removes Saul’s defenses, proving that He alone “brings princes to nothing” (Isaiah 40:23) and sets the stage for David’s choice.
And David and his men were hiding in the recesses of the cave• David’s band had already entered the cave’s deepest parts. What looks like coincidence is God’s orchestration (1 Samuel 24:4;Romans 8:28).
• The men interpret Saul’s arrival as divine deliverance: “This is the day the Lord spoke of” (1 Samuel 24:4). Yet David must discern between God’s promises and human presumption—mirroring Jesus’ refusal to grasp premature power (Matthew 4:8-10).
• David’s restraint fulfills earlier commitments: he will not stretch out his hand against “the Lord’s anointed” (1 Samuel 24:6;Proverbs 20:22). Self-control here foreshadows Christ’s patient suffering (1 Peter 2:23).
• Psalms birthed from this cave—Psalm 57 andPsalm 142—reveal David’s heart: he hides in God even while hidden in rock (Psalm 57:1).
summary1 Samuel 24:3 shows God quietly directing every detail—route, cave, timing—to humble King Saul and test David. The scene invites us to recognize God’s sovereignty in ordinary moments, acknowledge human frailty, and choose mercy over vengeance when a vulnerable enemy stands within reach.
(3)
The sheepcotes.--Thomson (
The Land and the Book) saw, he says, hundreds of these sheepcotes around the mouth of the caves, of which there are so many in Palestine. In that land and among these Eastern peoples, whose customs change so little, they are as common now as they were then. "These sheepcotes are generally made by piling up loose stones in front of the cave's entrance in a circular wall, which is covered with thorns as a further protection against thieves and wild animals who would prey on the sheep. During cold storms and in the night the flocks retreat into the cave, but at other times they remain in the enclosed cote. . . . These caverns are as dark as midnight, and the keenest eye cannot see four paces
inward;but one who has been long within, and looking
outwardtoward the entrance, can observe with perfect distinctness all that takes place in that direction. David, therefore, could watch Saul as he came in . . . but Saul could see nothing but impenetrable darkness."
From this thorny fence, so universal in the countless sheepcotes of Palestine, was very possibly derived a quaint simile in the strange passage on "Death" in the Talmud:--
"The hardest of all deaths is by a disease (some suppose quinsey), which is like theforcible extraction of prickly thorns from wool. . . . The easiest of all deaths is the Divine kiss, which is like the extracting of hair from milk. Moses, Aaron, and Miriam died by this Divine kiss."--TreatiseBerachoth,fol. 8, col.1.
Where was a cave.--The well-known traveller Van de Velde wishes to identify the cave in question with an immense cavern in a rock with many side vaults, near the ruins of Chareitum; the difficulty is, however, that this vast cavern is fifteen or twenty miles from Ain-jedy. In this cave all David's band could well have been gathered: not only his 600 fighting men, but the camp followers and women also. In Pocock we read that the Arabs call this cavern Elmaama (hiding-place), and relate how on one occasion thirty thousand people hid themselves in it to escape an evil wind (the simoom). It is, however, quite possible that the incident about to be related, connected with Saul and David, took place in one of the much smaller caves close to En-gedi. It is not necessary to assume thatallDavid's band were with him in one cave. A hundred or so of his more special companions were probably with him on this occasion, the remainder of the little army being dispersed in other similar refuges in the immediate neighbourhood.
And Saul went in to cover his feet.--The meaning of this disputed passage is quite simple. Saul, fatigued with the morning's march, some time about midday withdrew--probably with a very few attendants composing his personal staff--to take a short siesta, or sleep, in one of those dark, silent caves on the hill-side, which offered a cool resting-place after the glare and heat of a long and fatiguing march along the precipitous paths of the region. He lay down, no doubt, near the cave's mouth, and one of his faithful attendants threw lightly over the king's feet the royal many coloured mantle (m'il).The king and his attendants little suspected that in the dark recesses of their midday resting-place were concealed the dreaded freebooter and a great company of his devoted armed followers. As explained in the Note above, in these great rock recesses, coming fromoutside,from the glare of daylight, not five paces forward can be seen, but those alreadyinside,and accustomed to the darkness, can, at a considerable distance within the cave, see distinctly all that takes place in the neighbourhood of the cavern mouth. The sharp eyes of David's sentinels, no doubt, far in the cave, quickly saw the little party of intruders. The tall form of the king, his jewelled armour, and perhaps his many-coloured brightly-tinted cloak, betrayed to the amazed watchmen of David the rank of the wearied sleeper.
This interpretation of the words."Saul went in to cover his feet"--namely, "to sleep"--is adopted by the Peshito Syriac Version, Michaelis, and of late, very positively, Ewald. The ordinary interpretation of the words, besides being an unusual statement, by no means suits the narrative; for it must be remembered that considerable time was necessary for the sentinel to inform David, and for David to have approached and cut off the hem of the royal garment, and again to have retired into the recesses of the cave.
In the sides of the cave.--That is, in the side vaults and passages which exist in the largest of these natural refuges.
Verse 3. -
He came to the sheepcotes. Rather, "to sheepcotes," there being no article in the Hebrew. Such sheepcotes were common in Palestine; for Thomson (p. 603) says, "I have seen hundreds of these sheepcotes around the mouth of caverns, and indeed there is scarcely a cave in the land, whose location will admit of being thus occupied (
i.e. by the flocks), but has such a "cote" in front of it, generally made by piling up loose stones into a circular wall, which is covered with thorns, as a further protection against robbers and wild beasts. During cold storms, and in the night, the flocks retreat into the cave, but at other times they remain in this enclosed cote .... These caverns are as dark as midnight, and the keenest eye cannot see five paces
inward; but one who has been long within, and is looking
outward toward the entrance, can observe with perfect distinctness all that takes place in that direction. David, therefore, could watch Saul as he came in, and notice the exact place where he "covered his feet," while Saul could see nothing but "impenetrable darkness."
To cover his feet. The Syriac understands this of sleeping; more correctly the Vulgate and Chaldee take it as in
Judges 3:24, margin.
Parallel Commentaries ...
Hebrew
Soon Saul cameוַ֠יָּבֹא(way·yā·ḇō)Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 935:To come in, come, go in, gotoאֶל־(’el-)Preposition
Strong's 413:Near, with, among, tothe sheepfoldsהַצֹּ֤אן(haṣ·ṣōn)Article | Noun - common singular
Strong's 6629:Small cattle, sheep and goats, flockalongעַל־(‘al-)Preposition
Strong's 5921:Above, over, upon, againstthe road,הַדֶּ֙רֶךְ֙(had·de·reḵ)Article | Noun - common singular
Strong's 1870:A road, a course of life, mode of actionwhere there wasוְשָׁ֣ם(wə·šām)Conjunctive waw | Adverb
Strong's 8033:There, then, thithera cave,מְעָרָ֔ה(mə·‘ā·rāh)Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 4631:A cavernand heשָׁא֖וּל(šā·’ūl)Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 7586:Saul -- first king of Israel, also an Edomite and two Israeliteswent inוַיָּבֹ֥א(way·yā·ḇō)Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 935:To come in, come, go in, goto relieveלְהָסֵ֣ךְ(lə·hā·sêḵ)Preposition-l | Verb - Hifil - Infinitive construct
Strong's 5526:To entwine as a, screen, to fence in, cover over, protecthimself.רַגְלָ֑יו(raḡ·lāw)Noun - fdc | third person masculine singular
Strong's 7272:A foot, a step, the pudendaAnd Davidוְדָוִד֙(wə·ḏā·wiḏ)Conjunctive waw | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 1732:David -- perhaps 'beloved one', a son of Jesseand his menוַאֲנָשָׁ֔יו(wa·’ă·nā·šāw)Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 376:A man as an individual, a male personwere hidingיֹשְׁבִֽים׃(yō·šə·ḇîm)Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 3427:To sit down, to dwell, to remain, to settle, to marryin the recessesבְּיַרְכְּתֵ֥י(bə·yar·kə·ṯê)Preposition-b | Noun - fdc
Strong's 3411:Flank, side, extreme parts, recessesof the cave.הַמְּעָרָ֖ה(ham·mə·‘ā·rāh)Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 4631:A cavern
Links
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OT History: 1 Samuel 24:3 He came to the sheep pens (1Sa iSam 1 Sam i sa) 
