1 Samuel 26 · Verse 8

1 Samuel 26:8

Then said Abishai to David, God hath delivered thine enemy into thine hand this day: now therefore let me smite him, I pray thee, with the spear even to the earth at once, and I will not smite him the second time.
1 Samuel 26:8, King James Version

1 Samuel 26:8 in other translations

BSBAbishai said to David, “Today God has delivered your enemy into your hand. Now, therefore, please let me thrust the spear through him into the ground with one stroke. I will not need to strike him twice!”
WEBThen Abishai said to David, “God has delivered up your enemy into your hand today. Now therefore please let me strike him with the spear to the earth at one stroke, and I will not strike him the second time.”
ASVThen said Abishai to David, God hath delivered up thine enemy into thy hand this day: now therefore let me smite him, I pray thee, with the spear to the earth at one stroke, and I will not smite him the second time.
YLTAnd Abishai saith unto David, ‘God hath shut up to-day thine enemy into thy hand; and, now, let me smite him, I pray thee, with a spear, even into the earth at once--and I do repeat it to him.'
DARBYAnd Abishai said to David,God has delivered thine enemy into thy hand this day; and now let me smite him, I pray thee, with the spear, even to the ground once, and I will not do it the second time.
BBEThen Abishai said to David, God has given up your hater into your hands today; now let me give him one blow through to the earth with his spear, and there will be no need to give him a second.
WebsterThen said Abishai to David, God hath delivered thy enemy into thy hand this day; now therefore let me smite him, I pray thee, with the spear, even to the earth at once, and I will not smite him the second time.

What does 1 Samuel 26:8 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Samuel 26:8-12
8-12. Then said Abishai to David, God hath delivered thine enemy into thine hand--This midnight stratagem shows the activity and heroic enterprise of David's mind, and it was in unison with the style of warfare in ancient times. let me smite him ... even to the earth at once--The ferocious vehemence of the speaker is sufficiently apparent from his language, but David's magnanimity soared far above the notions of his followers. Though Saul's cruelty and perfidy and general want of right principle had sunk him to a low pitch of degradation, yet that was no reason for David's imitating him in doing wrong. Besides, he was the sovereign; David was a subject. Though God had rejected him from the kingdom, it was in every way the best and most dutiful course, instead of precipitating his fall by imbruing their hands in his blood and thereby contracting the guilt of a great crime, to wait the awards of that retributive providence which sooner or later would take him off by some sudden and mortal blow. He who, with impetuous haste was going to exterminate Nabal, meekly spared Saul. But Nabal refused to give a tribute to which justice and gratitude, no less than custom, entitled David. Saul was under the judicial infatuation of heaven. Thus David withheld the hand of Abishai; but, at the same time, he directed him to carry off some things which would show where they had been, and what they had done. Thus he obtained the best of victories over him, by heaping coals of fire on his head.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 8 God hath delivered thine enemy into thine hand - Here Abishai uses the same language as did David's men, when Saul came into the cave at En-gedi, (see 1Sam 24:4, etc.), and David uses the same language in reply.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 1 Samuel 26:1-12

How soon do unholy hearts lose the good impressions convictions have made upon them! How helpless were Saul and all his men! All as though disarmed and chained, yet nothing is done to them; they are only asleep. How easily can God weaken the strongest, befool the wisest, and baffle the most watchful! David still resolved to wait till God thought fit to avenge him on Saul. He will by no means force his way to the…

Read the full comment on 1 Samuel 26:1-12 →

1 Samuel 26:8 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.

וַיֹּ֤אמֶרvai.Yo.merand he saidH559
אֲבִישַׁי֙'a.vi.ShaiAbishaiH52
אֶל\־'el-toH413
דָּוִ֔דda.VidDavidH1732
סִגַּ֨רsi.Garhe has delivered upH5462
אֱלֹהִ֥ים'E.lo.HimGodH430
הַיּ֛וֹםhai.Yomthis dayH3117
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
אוֹיִבְךָ֖'o.yiv.Khaenemy yourH341
בְּיָדֶ֑ךָbe.ya.De.khain hand yourH3027
וְעַתָּה֩ve.'a.Tahand thereforeH6258
אַכֶּ֨נּוּ'ak.Ke.nulet me strike himH5221
נָ֜אna'pleaseH4994
בַּחֲנִ֤יתba.cha.Nitwith the spearH2595
וּבָאָ֙רֶץ֙u.va.'A.retzand in the groundH776
פַּ֣עַםPa.'ama timeH6471
אַחַ֔ת'a.ChatoneH259
וְלֹ֥אve.Lo'and notH3808
אֶשְׁנֶ֖ה'esh.NehI will repeatH8138
לֽוֹ\׃loto <the> him

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

Cross references for 1 Samuel 26:8

  • 1 Samuel 24:4

    And the men of David said unto him, Behold the day of which the Lord said unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand, that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good unto thee. Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul’s robe privily.

  • 1 Samuel 26:23

    The Lord render to every man his righteousness and his faithfulness: for the Lord delivered thee into my hand to day, but I would not stretch forth mine hand against the Lord’s anointed.

  • Joshua 21:44

    And the Lord gave them rest round about, according to all that he sware unto their fathers: and there stood not a man of all their enemies before them; the Lord delivered all their enemies into their hand.

  • 1 Samuel 23:14

    And David abode in the wilderness in strong holds, and remained in a mountain in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God delivered him not into his hand.

  • Deuteronomy 32:30

    How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock had sold them, and the Lord had shut them up?

  • 1 Samuel 24:18-19

    And thou hast shewed this day how that thou hast dealt well with me: forasmuch as when the Lord had delivered me into thine hand, thou killedst me not. For if a man find his enemy, will he let him go well away? wherefore the Lord reward thee good for that thou hast done unto me this day.

  • Judges 1:4

    And Judah went up; and the Lord delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand: and they slew of them in Bezek ten thousand men.

  • Galatians 3:22-23

    But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.

  • Psalms 31:8

    And hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy: thou hast set my feet in a large room.

  • Romans 11:32

    For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.

  • Nahum 1:9

    What do ye imagine against the Lord? he will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
God.
23; 23:14; 24:4,18,19; Jos 21:44; Jud 1:4
delivered. Heb. shut up.
24:18; De 32:30; Ps 31:8; Ro 11:32; *marg:
Ga 3:22,23
the second time.
Na 1:9

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

Context

  • 1 Samuel 26:7

    So David and Abishai came to the people by night: and, behold, Saul lay sleeping within the trench, and his spear stuck in the ground at his bolster: but Abner and the people lay round about him.

  • 1 Samuel 26:8

    Then said Abishai to David, God hath delivered thine enemy into thine hand this day: now therefore let me smite him, I pray thee, with the spear even to the earth at once, and I will not smite him the second time.

  • 1 Samuel 26:9

    And David said to Abishai, Destroy him not: for who can stretch forth his hand against the Lord’s anointed, and be guiltless?

Read all of 1 Samuel 26

1 Samuel 26:8 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Entonces dijo Abisai á David: Hoy ha Dios entregado á tu enemigo en tus manos: ahora pues, herirélo luego con la lanza, cosiéndole con la tierra de un golpe, y no segundaré.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et Abishaï dit à David: Dieu a livré aujourd’hui ton ennemi en ta main; et maintenant, je te prie, que je le frappe de la lance jusqu’en terre, une seule fois, et je ne le referai pas.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und Abisai sprach zu David: Heute hat Gott deinen Feind in deine Hand geliefert; und nun laß mich ihn doch mit dem Speere an die Erde spießen, ein einziges Mal, und ich werde es nicht zweimal tun.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Dixitque Abisai ad David: Conclusit Deus inimicum tuum hodie in manus tuas: nunc ergo perfodiam eum lancea in terra semel, et secundo opus non erit.