1 samuel 19:15 - Saul sent the messengers to see David, saying, “Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may kill him.”

Generated Verse: 1 samuel 19:15

What does "1 samuel 19:15" mean?


This verse from 1 Samuel 19:15 reveals King Saul's increasingly desperate and malevolent intent to kill David. Let's break it down:

"Saul sent the messengers to see David...": Saul, the king, orders his messengers to go and find David.
"...saying, 'Bring him up to me in the bed...'": Saul instructs the messengers to bring David to him, but with a specific condition: that David be brought "in the bed." This is unusual and indicates a deceptive plan. Why in the bed? The implication is that David is sick or incapacitated.
"...that I may kill him.'": This is the crux of the verse. Saul's intention is to murder David. By bringing David to him ostensibly sick in bed, Saul hopes to create a situation where he can kill David with less suspicion. It could appear as if David succumbed to illness, or that Saul acted in self-defense against a weakened, deranged man.

In essence, the verse means:

King Saul, consumed by jealousy and fear of David, orders his messengers to bring David to him under the pretense that David is sick in bed. However, Saul's true motive is to take advantage of David's apparent vulnerability and kill him. The request to bring him in bed is a calculated way to mask his murderous intentions and make the act appear less blatant or premeditated.

This verse is part of a larger narrative where Saul's animosity towards David grows into a dangerous obsession. It highlights Saul's declining mental state and his willingness to resort to deceit and violence to eliminate what he perceives as a threat to his throne.

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