to pitch over or reel · conjunction + verb, hiphil sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
javelin
הַחֲנִ֔יתha.cha.Nit
H2595
a lance (for thrusting · definite article + noun, common feminine singular absolute
said
וַיֹּ֕אמֶרvai.Yo.mer
H559
to say (used with great latitude) · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
smite
אַכֶּ֥ה'a.Keh
H5221
to strike (lightly or severely · verb, hiphil imperfect, 1st person common singular
David
בְדָוִ֖דve.da.Vid
H1732
David · preposition + proper noun, a man's name
wall
וּבַקִּ֑ירu.va.Kir
H7023
a wall (as built in a trench) · conjunction + preposition with the article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
David
דָּוִ֛דda.Vid
H1732
David · proper noun, a man's name
out
וַיִּסֹּ֥בvai.yi.So
H5437
to revolve · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
presence
מִפָּנָ֖יוmi.pa.Nav
H6440
the face (as the part that turns) · preposition + noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
twice
פַּעֲמָֽיִםpa.'a.Ma.yim
H6471
a stroke · noun, common feminine dual absolute
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
1 Samuel 20:33 And Saul cast a javelin at him to smite him: whereby Jonathan knew that it was determined of his father to slay David.
Isaiah 54:17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is t…
Psalms 37:32-33 The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him.
Luke 4:30 But he passing through the midst of them went his way,
John 8:59 Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed b…
John 10:39 Therefore they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their hand,
Proverbs 27:4 Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy?
1 Samuel 19:9-10 And the evil spirit from the LORD was upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his javelin in his hand: and David played with his hand.
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on 1 Samuel 18:6-11
Now begin David's troubles, and they not only tread on the heels of his triumphs, but take rise from them, such is the vanity of that in this world which seems greatest.
I. He was too much magnified by the common people. Some time after the victory Saul went a triumphant progress through the cities of Israel that lay next him, to receive the congratulations of the country. And, when he made his public entry into any place, the women were most forward to show him respect, as was usual then in public triumphs (Sa1 18:6), and they had got a song, it seems, which they sang in their dances (made by some poet or other, that was a great admirer of David's bravery, and was more just than wise, in gi…
SEEKS TO KILL HIM. (Sa1 18:10-12)
on the morrow, that the evil spirit from God came upon Saul--This rankling thought brought on a sudden paroxysm of his mental malady.
he prophesied--The term denotes one under the influence either of a good or a bad spirit. In the present it is used to express that Saul was in a frenzy. David, perceiving the symptoms, hastened, by the soothing strains of his harp, to allay the stormy agitation of the royal mind. But before its mollifying influence could be felt, Saul hurled a javelin at the head of the young musician.
there was a javelin in Saul's hand--Had it been followed by a fatal result, the deed would have been considered the act of an irresponsib…
Saul cast the javelin - The javelin or spear was the emblem of regal authority; kings always had it at hand, and in ancient monuments they are always represented with it.
In ancient times, says Justin, kings used a spear instead of a diadem: Per ea tempora reges hastas pro diademate habebant, Hist. lib. xliii. And as spears were the emblems of supreme power, hence they were reputed as attributes of the Divinity, and were worshipped as representatives of the gods. Ab origne verum, pro Diis immortalibus veteres Hastas coluerent, ob cujus religionis memoriam, adhuc deorum simulachris Hastae adduntur. - Ibid.
The Church Fathers
And David turned away from his face a second time. And Christ fled from the hearts of the impious, who never deserts pious hearts without resting in them. But it is not added in vain a second time. For at first David went away and returned to Saul, coming into battle against the Philistines, where afterwards, arriving, he alone quickly struck down the enemy whom all had long failed to subdue; and now he turned away from his face a second time, attempting to kill him. This corresponds to the mystical sense. For at first, as also explained above, to all mortals struggling against vices, the Lord appearing in the flesh conducted life free from this conflict in the world; but also, he miraculously helped those mortals laboring long in vain by the visitation of his grace. However, what must be remembered not without sorrow, not without groaning, many repel their vivifier and protector, by spurning his words and transgressing; and what we blame the Jews for not believing, we believers do not fear to do by living badly. David turns away from his face unwillingly a second time, so as not to save him with his harp from the enemy, from whom he previously returned willingly, so as not to fight with him against the enemy; for, owing to our merits, the Almighty Savior hides the light of his knowledge from us, removes the grace of his defense, so as not to protect us daily from the snares of enemies by the help of his cross, who deigned to take on flesh for our salvation, so that he might struggle for us who are frail, so that he might win for us who are holy. Therefore, when God dwelt with men, at first he withdrew from their company, so as not to struggle with them against the law of sin, which in no way opposed him. Secondly, and in this not from the company of all, but from that of the proud, he turned away, so as not to trust them with his gifts; for he resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble (I Peter 5).
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
David — Beloved, the eighth and youngest son of Jesse, a citizen of Bethlehem. His father seems to have been a man in humble life. His mother’s name is not recorded. Some think she was the Nahash of 2 Sam.…
Javelin — (1.) Heb. hanith, a lance, from its flexibility (1 Sam. 18:10, 11; 19:9, 10; 20:33). (2.) Heb. romah, a lance for heavy-armed troops, so called from its piercing (Num. 25:7). (See ARMS.)
Arms, Military · Offensive: Dart or javelin — Offensive: Dart or javelin
David · .Saul’s jealousy of — .Saul’s jealousy of
Demons · .Saul — .Saul
Javelin · Used by Saul — Used by Saul
Jealousy · .Saul, of David — .Saul, of David
Malice · Exemplified: Saul — Exemplified: Saul
Prudence · .David, in his conduct toward Saul — .David, in his conduct toward Saul
Spear · Saul’ s — Saul’ s
Walls · Mentioned in scripture: Of houses — Mentioned in scripture: Of houses
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
John Gill on 1 Samuel 18:11
And Saul cast the javelin,.... Out of his hand at David:
for he said; in his heart, determining in his mind:
I will smite David even to the wall with it; he determined to cast it with such force and violence, that it should pierce through David, and enter into the very wall, by the side of which David was:
and David avoided out of his presence twice; to escape the javelin cast at him; either he went out at the first time of its being thrown, and then came in again, when he threw it a second time at him, upon which he also withdrew; or this was one of the times, and the other some time after, of which see 1 Samuel 19:9. Abarbinel thinks, that David, while he was playing, his eyes were so f…
Saul's jealousy towards David.
(Note: The section Sa1 18:6-14 is supposed by Thenius and others to have been taken by the compiler from a different source from the previous one, and not to have been written by the same author: (1) because the same thing is mentioned in Sa1 18:13, Sa1 18:14, as in Sa1 18:5, though in a somewhat altered form, and Sa1 18:10, Sa1 18:11 occur again in Sa1 19:9-10, with a few different words, and in a more appropriate connection; (2) because the contents of Sa1 19:9, and the word ממּחרת in Sa1 19:10, are most directly opposed to Sa1 18:2 and Sa1 18:5. On these grounds, no doubt, the lxx have not only omitted the beginning of Sa1 18:6 from their version, but also S…
In his jealousy and fear, Saul would have been happier with one dead David than with thousands of dead Philistines (18:7).
Rashi on 1 Samuel 18:11
I will strike Dovid and the wall. I will strike one blow so, that the spear will pierce Dovid and the wall.2Shaul wanted to strike Dovid in a manner that it would appear that it was unintentional.
