1 Samuel 19 · Verse 17

1 Samuel 19:17

And Saul said unto Michal, Why hast thou deceived me so, and sent away mine enemy, that he is escaped? And Michal answered Saul, He said unto me, Let me go; why should I kill thee?
1 Samuel 19:17, King James Version

1 Samuel 19:17 in other translations

BSBAnd Saul said to Michal, “Why did you deceive me like this? You sent my enemy away and he has escaped!” Michal replied, “He said to me, ‘Help me get away, or I will kill you!’”
WEBSaul said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me like this and let my enemy go, so that he has escaped?” Michal answered Saul, “He said to me, ‘Let me go! Why should I kill you?’”
ASVAnd Saul said unto Michal, Why hast thou deceived me thus, and let mine enemy go, so that he is escaped? And Michal answered Saul, He said unto me, Let me go; why should I kill thee?
YLTAnd Saul saith unto Michal, ‘Why thus hast thou deceived me--that thou dost send away mine enemy, and he is escaped?' and Michal saith unto Saul, ‘He said unto me, Send me away: why do I put thee to death?'
DARBYThen Saul said to Michal, Why hast thou deceived me so, and sent away mine enemy, that he is escaped? And Michal said to Saul, He said to me, Let me go; why should I slay thee?
BBEAnd Saul said to Michal, why have you been false to me, letting my hater go and get safely away? And in answer Michal said to Saul, He said to me, Let me go, or I will put you to death.
WebsterAnd Saul said to Michal, Why hast thou deceived me so, and sent away my enemy, that he has escaped? And Michal answered Saul, He said to me, Let me go; why should I kill thee?

What does 1 Samuel 19:17 mean?

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 17 Let me go; why should I kill thee? - That is, If thou do not let me go, I will kill thee. This she said to excuse herself to her father: as a wife she could do not less than favor the escape of her husband, being perfectly satisfied that there was no guilt in him. It is supposed that it was on this occasion that David wrote the fifty-ninth Psalm, Deliver me from mine enemies, etc.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 1 Samuel 19:11-24

Michal's stratagem to gain time till David got to a distance was allowable, but her falsehood had not even the plea of necessity to excuse it, and manifests that she was not influenced by the same spirit of piety which had dictated Jonathan's language to Saul. In flying to Samuel, David made God his refuge. Samuel, as a prophet, was best able to advise him what to do in this day of distress. He met with little rest…

Read the full comment on 1 Samuel 19:11-24 →

1 Samuel 19:17 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיֹּ֨אמֶרvai.Yo.merand he saidH559
שָׁא֜וּלsha.'UlSaulH7586
אֶל\־'el-toH413
מִיכַ֗לmi.KhalMichalH4324
לָ֤מָּהLa.mah<to> why?H4100
כָּ֙כָה֙ka.khahthusH3602
רִמִּיתִ֔נִיri.mi.Ti.nihave you deceived meH7411
וַתְּשַׁלְּחִ֥יva.te.sha.le.Chiand you have let goH7971
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
אֹיְבִ֖י'o.ye.Vienemy myH341
וַיִּמָּלֵ֑טvai.yi.ma.Letand he has escapedH4422
וַתֹּ֤אמֶרva.To.merand she saidH559
מִיכַל֙mi.KhalMichalH4324
אֶל\־'el-toH413
שָׁא֔וּלsha.'UlSaulH7586
הוּא\־hu'-heH1931
אָמַ֥ר'a.Marhe saidH559
אֵלַ֛י'e.Laito meH413
שַׁלְּחִ֖נִיsha.le.Chi.nilet go meH7971
לָמָ֥הla.Mah<to> why?H4100
אֲמִיתֵֽךְ\׃'a.mi.Tekhwill I kill youH4191

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 1 Samuel 19:17

  • 2 Samuel 2:22

    And Abner said again to Asahel, Turn thee aside from following me: wherefore should I smite thee to the ground? how then should I hold up my face to Joab thy brother?

  • Exodus 1:17-19

    But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive. And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men children alive? And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwives come in unto them.

  • 1 Samuel 22:17

    And the king said unto the footmen that stood about him, Turn, and slay the priests of the Lord; because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled, and did not shew it to me. But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of the Lord.

  • 1 Samuel 28:12

    And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul.

  • 1 Samuel 19:14

    And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, He is sick.

  • Galatians 4:16

    Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?

  • Matthew 2:16

    Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men.

  • 1 Kings 21:20

    And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy? And he answered, I have found thee: because thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the Lord.

  • 2 Samuel 17:20

    And when Absalom’s servants came to the woman to the house, they said, Where is Ahimaaz and Jonathan? And the woman said unto them, They be gone over the brook of water. And when they had sought and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Why hast.
22:17; 28:12; Mt 2:16
mine enemy.
1Ki 21:20; Ga 4:16
And Michal.
2Sa 17:20
He said.
14; Ex 1:17-19
why should.
2Sa 2:22

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • 1 Samuel 19:16

    And when the messengers were come in, behold, there was an image in the bed, with a pillow of goats’ hair for his bolster.

  • 1 Samuel 19:17

    And Saul said unto Michal, Why hast thou deceived me so, and sent away mine enemy, that he is escaped? And Michal answered Saul, He said unto me, Let me go; why should I kill thee?

  • 1 Samuel 19:18

    So David fled, and escaped, and came to Samuel to Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and dwelt in Naioth.

Read all of 1 Samuel 19

1 Samuel 19:17 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Entonces Saúl dijo á Michâl: ¿Por qué me has así engañado, y has dejado escapar á mi enemigo? Y Michâl respondió á Saúl: Porque él me dijo: Déjame ir; si no, yo te mataré.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Et Saül dit à Mical: Pourquoi m’as-tu ainsi trompé et as-tu laissé aller mon ennemi, de sorte qu’il s’est échappé? Et Mical dit à Saül: Il m’a dit: Laisse-moi aller, pourquoi te tuerais-je?
German
Elberfelder 1871
Da sprach Saul zu Michal: Warum hast du mich also betrogen und hast meinen Feind gehen lassen, daß er entronnen ist? Und Michal sprach zu Saul: Er sagte zu mir: Laß mich gehen! warum sollte ich dich töten?
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Dixitque Saul ad Michol: Quare sic illusisti mihi, et dimisisti inimicum meum ut fugeret? Et respondit Michol ad Saul: Quia ipse locutus est mihi: Dimitte me, alioquin interficiam te.