The Meaning of 1 Samuel 26:6 Explained

1 Samuel 26:6

KJV: Then answered David and said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Abishai the son of Zeruiah, brother to Joab, saying, Who will go down with me to Saul to the camp? And Abishai said, I will go down with thee.

YLT: And David answereth and saith unto Ahimelech the Hittite, and unto Abishai son of Zeruiah, brother of Joab, saying, 'Who doth go down with me unto Saul, unto the camp?' and Abishai saith, 'I -- I go down with thee.'

Darby: And David spake and said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, saying, Who will go down with me to Saul to the camp? And Abishai said, I will go down with thee.

ASV: Then answered David and said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Abishai the son of Zeruiah, brother to Joab, saying, Who will go down with me to Saul to the camp? And Abishai said, I will go down with thee.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Then answered  David  and said  to Ahimelech  the Hittite,  and to Abishai  the son  of Zeruiah,  brother  to Joab,  saying,  Who will go down  with me to Saul  to the camp?  And Abishai  said,  I will go down  with thee. 

What does 1 Samuel 26:6 Mean?

Context Summary

1 Samuel 26:1-12 - Sparing His Enemy's Life
The Ziphites' treachery served as a foil to the intrinsic nobility of David's character. God made the wrath of man to praise Him, and restrained the remainder, Psalms 76:10, so that His servant escaped as a bird out of the fowler's snare. Read here, Psalms 54:1-7.
It was a bold act for David and Abishai to thread their way between watch-fires and sentries, and talk in whispers over the prostrate body of the sleeping monarch. As David says in one of the Psalms, "By thee I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall." The special share attributed here to God is the deep sleep which had fallen on the camp, 1 Samuel 26:12. The Lord who put the resolve into David's mind, cooperated in its execution. We are sometimes led by a divine impulse, and God will set His seal on our act; but we should not throw ourselves into peril unless the occasion plainly requires it. We are not at liberty to cast ourselves down from the mountain, unless it is clearly God's will. In David's case, there was sufficient reason for this adventure; first, that Saul might be warned once more; and second, that the integrity of the young outlaw might be established. [source]

Chapter Summary: 1 Samuel 26

1  Saul, by the discovery of the Ziphites, comes to Hachilah against David
4  David coming into the trench keeps Abishai from killing Saul,
11  but takes his spear and jug
13  David reproves Abner
17  and exhorts Saul
21  Saul acknowledges his sin

What do the individual words in 1 Samuel 26:6 mean?

And answered David and said to Ahimelech the Hittite and to Abishai son of Zeruiah brother of Joab saying who will go down with me Saul in the camp and said Abishai I will go down with you
וַיַּ֨עַן דָּוִ֜ד וַיֹּ֣אמֶר ׀ אֶל־ אֲחִימֶ֣לֶךְ הַחִתִּ֗י וְאֶל־ אֲבִישַׁ֨י בֶּן־ צְרוּיָ֜ה אֲחִ֤י יוֹאָב֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר מִֽי־ יֵרֵ֥ד אִתִּ֛י שָׁא֖וּל אֶל־ ؟ הַֽמַּחֲנֶ֑ה וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֲבִישַׁ֔י אֲנִ֖י אֵרֵ֥ד עִמָּֽךְ

וַיַּ֨עַן  And  answered 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: לְעַנּׄות 
Sense: to answer, respond, testify, speak, shout.
דָּוִ֜ד  David 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּוִד  
Sense: youngest son of Jesse and second king of Israel.
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר ׀  and  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
אֲחִימֶ֣לֶךְ  Ahimelech 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֲחִימֶלֶךְ  
Sense: a priest murdered by Doeg at Saul’s command, for supposedly assisting David.
הַחִתִּ֗י  the  Hittite 
Parse: Article, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: חִתִּי  
Sense: the nation descended from Heth, the 2nd son of Canaan; once inhabitants of central Anatolia (modern Turkey), later in north Lebanon.
וְאֶל־  and  to 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
אֲבִישַׁ֨י  Abishai 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֲבִישַׁי 
Sense: grandson of Jesse, nephew of David via his sister Zeruiah, brother of Joab.
בֶּן־  son 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
צְרוּיָ֜ה  of  Zeruiah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: צְרוּיָה  
Sense: sister of David and mother of the 3 leading heroes of David’s army—Abishai, Joab, and Asahel.
אֲחִ֤י  brother 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: אָח  
Sense: brother.
יוֹאָב֙  of  Joab 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יׄואָב  
Sense: son of David’s sister Zeruiah and general of David’s army.
לֵאמֹ֔ר  saying 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
יֵרֵ֥ד  will  go  down 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יָרַד  
Sense: to go down, descend, decline, march down, sink down.
אִתִּ֛י  with  me 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
Root: אֵת 
Sense: with, near, together with.
שָׁא֖וּל  Saul 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: שָׁאוּל  
Sense: a Benjamite, son of Kish, and the st king of Israel.
؟ הַֽמַּחֲנֶ֑ה  the  camp 
Parse: Article, Noun, common singular
Root: מַחֲנֶה  
Sense: encampment, camp.
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר  and  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
אֲבִישַׁ֔י  Abishai 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֲבִישַׁי 
Sense: grandson of Jesse, nephew of David via his sister Zeruiah, brother of Joab.
אֵרֵ֥ד  will  go  down 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, first person common singular
Root: יָרַד  
Sense: to go down, descend, decline, march down, sink down.
עִמָּֽךְ  with  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person feminine singular
Root: עִם  
Sense: with.