9 David said to Saul, Why listen you to men's words, saying, Behold, David seeks your hurt?
"'You shall not go up and down as a slanderer among your people; neither shall you stand against the life{literally, "blood"} of your neighbor. I am Yahweh.
Now therefore, please let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If it be Yahweh that has stirred you up against me, let him accept an offering: but if it be the children of men, cursed be they before Yahweh: for they have driven me out this day that I shouldn't cling to Yahweh's inheritance, saying, Go, serve other gods.
Their judges are thrown down by the sides of the rock. They will hear my words, for they are well spoken.
A perverse man stirs up strife. A whisperer separates close friends.
The words of a gossip are like dainty morsels: They go down into a person's innermost parts.
The north wind brings forth rain: So a backbiting tongue brings an angry face.
A lying tongue hates those it hurts; And a flattering mouth works ruin.
If a ruler listens to lies, All of his officials are wicked.
And the tongue is a fire. The world of iniquity among our members is the tongue, which defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature, and is set on fire by Gehenna.{Gehenna is a name that describes a burning Hell with rotting bodies and unclean things in it}
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on 1 Samuel 24
Commentary on 1 Samuel 24 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 24
We have hitherto had Saul seeking an opportunity to destroy David, and, to his shame, he could never find it. In this chapter David had a fair opportunity to destroy Saul, and, to his honour, he did not make use of it; and his sparing Saul's life was as great an instance of God's grace in him as the preserving of his own life was of God's providence over him. Observe,
1Sa 24:1-8
Here,
1Sa 24:9-15
We have here David's warm and pathetic speech to Saul, wherein he endeavours to convince him that he did him a great deal of wrong in persecuting him thus and to persuade him therefore to be reconciled.
1Sa 24:16-22
Here we have,