1 Samuel 23:9

And. David knew that Saul secretly practised mischief against him,.... That is, plotted and contrived it, formed schemes in order to do him mischief, giving out one thing, and designing another; so

And David knew that Saul secretly practised mischief against him; and he said to Abiathar the priest, Bring hither the ephod. David ... said to Abiathar ... Bring hither the ephod.

Saul secretly practised mischief against him; whereby it may seem he pretended that he raised his army to defend Keilah and his country from the Philistines, and kept his intention against David in his own breast. Or, designed or devised; for so the word signifies; and so it is here translated by many; and it seems both from , and from his publicly avowed jealousy of and rage against David, that he declared his design to be against him, as a traitor to his crown and dignity. Bring hither the ephod, and put it upon thee, that thou mayst ask counsel of God for me.

1 Samuel 23:9 And David knew that Saul secretly practised mischief against him; and he said to Abiathar the priest, Bring hither the ephod.Ver. 9. Secretly practised mischief.] Plotted and ploughed mischief: pretending to raise an army against the Philistines, but intending the same against David.

(9) Secretly practised mischief.—The idea of secrecy suggested in the English translation does not appear in the Hebrew; the accurate rendering would be, “was forging, or devising.” It is likely enough that Jonathan contrived to keep his friend informed of these Court plots against him. Bring hither the ephod.—It is quite clear that a different method of enquiry was used by David on this occasion. In 1 Samuel 23:3-4 it is merely stated that he enquired of the Lord; here at Keilah his enquiry was prefaced, in 1 Samuel 23:6, by a definite statement that Abiathar the priest, with the ephod, had arrived here before he asked the question of God. The history tells us he directed Abiathar the priest to “bring hither the ephod,” thus pointedly connecting the enquiry in some way with the ephod. In this ephod were set twelve precious stones, one for each of the twelve tribes. The names of the tribes were engraved on these gems, the Rabbis tell us, along with some other sacred words. On important solemn occasions—it seems perfectly certain during a considerable time—that these stones were allowed by the providence of God, who worked so many marvels for His people, to be used as oracles. It has been already stated that according to a most ancient tradition the use of the sacred gems was restricted to the high priest, who could only call out the supernatural power at the bidding of the king or the head of the State for the time being (such an one as Joshua, for instance). The Divine response given by the sacred gems seems to have been the visible response to earnest, faithful prayer. The common belief is that the ephod stones gave their answer to the royal and high priestly questions by some peculiar shining. But a passage (quoted at length in the Excursus M on the Urim and Thummim at the end of this Book) from the Babylonian Talmud (Treatise Yoma)—apparently little known—tells us that the Rabbis had two other explanations traditionally handed down from the days when the ephod and its holy gemmed breastplate was questioned on solemn occasions by the high priest.

Verse 9. Bring hither the ephod.] It seems as if David himself, clothed with the ephod, had consulted the Lord; and 1 Samuel 23:10-12 contain the words of the consultation, and the Lord's answer. But see on 1 Samuel 23:2.

9. secretly practised] Lit. was forging. Omit “secretly.” Bring hither the ephod] For the high-priest did not always wear it. See note on 1 Samuel 14:18, and cp. 1 Samuel 30:7.