How does David escape Saul’s renewed attempts to kill him after Jonathan obtains an oath?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

David slips away from Saul’s spear, escapes his house through the window Michol lowers him through, and goes to Samuel. At Najoth Saul’s three groups of officers and then Saul himself begin to prophesy when the Lord’s Spirit comes upon them.

Chapter breakdown

Saul tells his son Jonathan and all his servants to kill David, but Jonathan loves David exceedingly. He warns David that his father seeks his life, tells him to take care in the morning and stay hidden in a secret place. Jonathan will stand by his father in the field where David is, speak of him and report whatever he sees. He tells Saul not to sin against David: David has not sinned against him and his works toward him are very good. He recalls David risking his life to kill the Philistine and the Lord’s great salvation for all Israel, which Saul saw with joy. He asks why Saul would sin against innocent blood by killing faultless David. Saul is appeased by Jonathan’s words and swears by the living Lord that David will not be slain. Jonathan calls David, tells him all the words and brings him to Saul, where he is as yesterday and the day before.

War begins again. David fights the Philistines, defeats them with great slaughter and they flee. An evil spirit from the Lord comes upon Saul as he sits in his house holding a spear, while David plays with his hand. Saul tries to nail him to the wall. David slips away, the spear misses and fastens in the wall, and David flees and escapes that night. Saul sends guards to watch David’s house so he can be killed in the morning. Michol, David’s wife, says that unless he saves himself that night he will die tomorrow. She lets him down through a window, and he flees and escapes.

Michol lays an image on the bed, places a goat’s skin with hair at its head and covers it with clothes. Saul sends officers to seize David and receives the answer that David is sick. He sends again, ordering David brought in the bed so he may be slain. The messengers enter and find the image on the bed and goat skin at its head. Saul asks Michol why she deceived him and let his enemy escape. She answers that David told her to let him go or he would kill her. That reported threat is Michol’s answer, not a separately narrated act by David.

David comes to Samuel in Ramatha and tells him everything Saul did to him. They go and dwell in Najoth. Challoner separately says Najoth was probably a school or college of prophets in or near Ramath under Samuel’s direction. Saul hears that David is in Najoth in Ramatha and sends officers to take him. They see prophets prophesying with Samuel presiding, and the Lord’s Spirit comes upon them also, so they begin to prophesy. Challoner separately explains prophesying as singing praises to God by a divine impulse. The note says God pleased that both Samuel’s messengers and himself experience the same impulse, to understand from divine power how vain human designs are against one God protects. The admitted note literally names Samuel’s messengers here, while the preceding Scripture names Saul as their sender; that wording difference is preserved.

Hearing the report, Saul sends other messengers and they also prophesy. He sends a third time, with the same result, and is exceedingly angry. He goes himself toward Ramatha and reaches the great cistern in Socho, where he asks where Samuel and David are. He is told Najoth in Ramatha. Going there, the Lord’s Spirit comes upon him also, and he goes on prophesying until he arrives. He strips off his garments, prophesies with the others before Samuel and lies naked all that day and night. This occasions the proverb asking whether Saul too is among the prophets.

The story inside

Jonathan’s warning and plea bring Saul’s oath and David’s return to his presence. New war and flight of the Philistines are followed by Saul’s spear attempt; the account gives no new jealousy explanation for this sequence. David escapes that night, then Michol warns him about the morning plan and lowers him through the window. The bed image and sickness answer precede the renewed order, discovery and Michol’s reported threat explanation. David reports to Samuel and dwells with him at Najoth. Officers sent to seize him instead prophesy, followed by two more groups and finally Saul. Saul’s journey, prophesying and naked day and night end with the proverb. The notes remain separate, including probable school identification and the note’s sender wording.

Lessons worth keeping

1
Jonathan’s plea supplies reasons. He cites David’s good works, risk of life, the Lord’s salvation and Saul’s own earlier joy before asking about innocent blood. Saul’s oath is followed later by actions against David, without a new theory of inner conversion.
2
The house escape keeps the difference between action and reply. Michol lowers David and arranges the image; the messengers find it. Her later claim that David threatened her is presented as what she tells Saul, rather than confirmed narrative fact.
3
The Najoth episode retains both sequence and qualifications. Three groups prophesy before Saul comes himself. Challoner says probably about the school and explains divine impulse separately; neither a legal sanctuary nor a story of weapons being traded for songs is supplied.

Test your recall

What reasons obtain Saul’s oath, how do the spear and morning guards lead to David’s window escape, and what happens to the three groups sent to Najoth and to Saul afterward?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 30276–30307
1 Kings Chapter 19 Other attempts of Saul upon David’s life. He cometh to Samuel. Saul’s messengers, and Saul himself prophesy. 19:1. And Saul spoke to Jonathan, his son, and to all his servants, that they should kill David. But Jonathan, the son of Saul, loved David exceedingly. 19:2. And Jonathan told David, saying: Saul, my father, seeketh to kill thee: wherefore look to thyself, I beseech thee, in the morning and thou shalt abide in a secret place, and shalt be hid. 19:3. And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where thou art: and I will speak of thee to my father, and whatsoever I shall see, I will tell thee. 19:4. And Jonathan spoke good things of David to Saul, his father: and said to him: Sin not, O king, against thy servant, David, because he hath not sinned against thee, and his works are very good towards thee. 19:5. And he put his life in his hand, and slew the Philistine, and the Lord wrought great salvation for all Israel. Thou sawest it and didst rejoice. Why therefore wilt thou sin against innocent blood, by killing David, who is without fault? 19:6. And when Saul heard this, he was appeased with the words of Jonathan, and swore: As the Lord liveth, he shall not be slain. 19:7. Then Jonathan called David, and told him all these words: and Jonathan brought in David to Saul, and he was before him, as he had been yesterday and the day before.
Lines 30309–30328
19:8. And the war began again, and David went out, and fought against the Philistines, and defeated them with a great slaughter, and they fled from his face. 19:9. And the evil spirit from the Lord came upon Saul; and he sat in his house, and held a spear in his hand: and David played with his hand. 19:10. And Saul endeavoured to nail David to the wall with his spear. And David slipt away out of the presence of Saul: and the spear missed him, and was fastened in the wall, and David fled, and escaped that night. 19:11. Saul therefore sent his guards to David’s house to watch him, that he might be killed in the morning. And when Michol, David’s wife, had told him this, saying: Unless thou save thyself this night, to morrow thou wilt die: 19:12. She let him down through a window. And he went and fled away, and escaped.
Lines 30330–30345
19:13. And Michol took an image, and laid it on the bed, and put a goat’s skin, with the hair at the head of it, and covered it with clothes. 19:14. And Saul sent officers to seize David; and it was answered that he was sick. 19:15. And again Saul sent to see David, saying: Bring him to me in the bed, that he may be slain. 19:16. And when the messengers were come in, they found an image upon the bed, and a goat skin at his head. 19:17. And Saul said to Michol: Why hast thou deceived me so, and let my enemy go and flee away? And Michol answered Saul: Because he said to me: Let me go, or else I will kill thee.
Lines 30347–30365
19:18. But David fled and escaped, and came to Samuel in Ramatha, and told him all that Saul had done to him: and he and Samuel went and dwelt in Najoth. Najoth.... It was probably a school or college of prophets, in or near Ramath under the direction of Samuel. 19:19. And it was told Saul by some, saying: Behold David is in Najoth, in Ramatha. 19:20. So Saul sent officers to take David: and when they saw a company of prophets prophesying, and Samuel presiding over them, the Spirit of the Lord came also upon them, and they likewise began to prophesy. Prophesying.... That is, singing praises to God by a divine impulse. God was pleased on this occasion that both Samuel’s messengers and himself should experience the like impulse, that he might understand, by this instance of the divine power, how vain are the designs of man against him whom God protects.
Lines 30367–30384
19:21. And when this was told Saul, he sent other messengers: but they also prophesied. And again Saul sent messengers the third time: and they prophesied also. And Saul being exceeding angry, 19:22. Went also himself to Ramatha, and came as far as the great cistern, which is in Socho, and he asked, and said: In what place are Samuel and David? And it was told him: Behold they are in Najoth, in Ramatha. 19:23. And he went to Najoth, in Ramatha, and the Spirit of the Lord came upon him also, and he went on, and prophesied till he came to Najoth, in Ramatha. 19:24. And he stripped himself also of his garments, and prophesied with the rest before Samuel, and lay down naked all that day and night. This gave occasion to a proverb: What! is Saul too among the prophets?