1 Samuel 23:11
New International Version
Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me to him? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? LORD, God of Israel, tell your servant.” And the LORD said, “He will.”

New Living Translation
Will the leaders of Keilah betray me to him? And will Saul actually come as I have heard? O LORD, God of Israel, please tell me.” And the LORD said, “He will come.”

English Standard Version
Will the men of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? O LORD, the God of Israel, please tell your servant.” And the LORD said, “He will come down.”

Berean Standard Bible
Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as Your servant has heard? O LORD, God of Israel, please tell Your servant.” “He will,” said the LORD.

King James Bible
Will the men of Keilah deliver me up into his hand? will Saul come down, as thy servant hath heard? O LORD God of Israel, I beseech thee, tell thy servant. And the LORD said, He will come down.

New King James Version
Will the men of Keilah deliver me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as Your servant has heard? O LORD God of Israel, I pray, tell Your servant.” And the LORD said, “He will come down.”

New American Standard Bible
Will the citizens of Keilah hand me over to him? Will Saul come down just as Your servant has heard? LORD God of Israel, please, tell Your servant.” And the LORD said, “He will come down.”

NASB 1995
“Will the men of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down just as Your servant has heard? O LORD God of Israel, I pray, tell Your servant.” And the LORD said, “He will come down.”

NASB 1977
“Will the men of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down just as Thy servant has heard? O LORD God of Israel, I pray, tell Thy servant.” And the LORD said, “He will come down.”

Legacy Standard Bible
Will the men of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down just as Your slave has heard? O Yahweh, the God of Israel, I pray, tell Your slave.” And Yahweh said, “He will come down.”

Amplified Bible
Will the men of Keilah hand me over to him? Will Saul come down just as Your servant has heard? O LORD, God of Israel, I pray, tell Your servant.” And the LORD said, “He will come down.”

Christian Standard Bible
Will the citizens of Keilah hand me over to him? Will Saul come down as your servant has heard? LORD God of Israel, please tell your servant.” The LORD answered, “He will come down.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Will the citizens of Keilah hand me over to him? Will Saul come down as Your servant has heard? LORD God of Israel, please tell Your servant.” The LORD answered, “He will come down.”

American Standard Version
Will the men of Keilah deliver me up into his hand? will Saul come down, as thy servant hath heard? O Jehovah, the God of Israel, I beseech thee, tell thy servant. And Jehovah said, He will come down.

Contemporary English Version
Would the leaders of Keilah turn me over to Saul? Or is he really coming? Please tell me, LORD." "Yes, he will come," the LORD answered.

English Revised Version
Will the men of Keilah deliver me up into his hand? will Saul come down, as thy servant hath heard? O LORD, the God of Israel, I beseech thee, tell thy servant. And the LORD said, He will come down.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Will the citizens of Keilah hand me over to him? Will Saul come here as I have heard? LORD God of Israel, please tell me." "He will come," the LORD answered.

Good News Translation
Will the citizens of Keilah hand me over to Saul? Will Saul really come, as I have heard? LORD, God of Israel, I beg you to answer me!" The LORD answered, "Saul will come."

International Standard Version
Will the people of Keilah hand me over to him? Will Saul come down just as your servant has heard? LORD God of Israel, please inform your servant." The LORD said, "He will come down."

Majority Standard Bible
Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as Your servant has heard? O LORD, God of Israel, please tell Your servant.” “He will,” said the LORD.

NET Bible
Will the leaders of Keilah deliver me into his hand? Will Saul come down as your servant has heard? O LORD God of Israel, please inform your servant!" Then the LORD said, "He will come down."

New Heart English Bible
And now, will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? LORD, God of Israel, tell your servant." And the LORD said, "He will come down."

Webster's Bible Translation
Will the men of Keilah deliver me up into his hand? will Saul come down as thy servant hath heard? O LORD God of Israel, I beseech thee, tell thy servant. And the LORD said, He will come down.

World English Bible
Will the men of Keilah deliver me up into his hand? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? Yahweh, the God of Israel, I beg you, tell your servant.” Yahweh said, “He will come down.”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Do the possessors of Keilah shut me up into his hand? Does Saul come down as Your servant has heard? YHWH, God of Israel, please declare [it] to Your servant.” And YHWH says, “He comes down.”

Young's Literal Translation
Do the possessors of Keilah shut me up into his hand? doth Saul come down as Thy servant hath heard? Jehovah, God of Israel, declare, I pray Thee, to Thy servant.' And Jehovah saith, 'He doth come down.'

Smith's Literal Translation
Will the lords of Keilah shut me up in his hand? will Saul come down as thy servant heard? Jehovah God of Israel, announce now to thy servant Jehovah will say, He will come down.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Will the men of Ceila deliver me into his hands? and will Saul come down, as thy servant hath heard? O Lord God of Israel, tell thy servant. And the Lord said: He will come down.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Will the men of Keilah deliver me into his hands? And will Saul descend, just as your servant has heard? O Lord God of Israel, reveal to your servant.” And the Lord said, “He will descend.”

New American Bible
Will they hand me over? Will Saul come down as your servant has heard? LORD God of Israel, tell your servant.” The LORD answered: He will come down.

New Revised Standard Version
And now, will Saul come down as your servant has heard? O LORD, the God of Israel, I beseech you, tell your servant.” The LORD said, “He will come down.”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Will the men of the city deliver me and the men who are with me into the hand of Saul?
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Will the men of Keilah deliver me up into his hand? will Saul come down, as Thy servant hath heard?' O LORD, the God of Israel, I beseech Thee, tell Thy servant.' And the LORD said: 'He will come down.'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Will the place be shut up? And now will Saul come down, as thy servant has heard? Lord God of Israel, tell thy servant. And the Lord said, It will be shut up.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Saul Pursues David
10And David said, “O LORD, God of Israel, Your servant has heard that Saul intends to come to Keilah and destroy the city on my account. 11Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as Your servant has heard? O LORD, God of Israel, please tell Your servant.” “He will,” said the LORD. 12So David asked, “Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me and my men into the hand of Saul?” “They will,” said the LORD.…

Cross References
Psalm 31:4
You free me from the net laid out for me, for You are my refuge.

Psalm 54:3
For strangers rise up against me, and ruthless men seek my life—men with no regard for God. Selah

Psalm 142:3
Although my spirit grows faint within me, You know my way. Along the path I travel they have hidden a snare for me.

Psalm 56:5-6
All day long they twist my words; all their thoughts are on my demise. / They conspire, they lurk, they watch my steps while they wait to take my life.

Psalm 59:3
See how they lie in wait for me. Fierce men conspire against me for no transgression or sin of my own, O LORD.

Psalm 140:1-2
For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. Rescue me, O LORD, from evil men. Protect me from men of violence, / who devise evil in their hearts and stir up war all day long.

Jeremiah 11:18-19
And the LORD informed me, so I knew. Then You showed me their deeds. / For I was like a gentle lamb led to slaughter; I did not know that they had plotted against me: “Let us destroy the tree with its fruit; let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name may be remembered no more.”

Jeremiah 18:18
Then some said, “Come, let us make plans against Jeremiah, for the law will never be lost to the priest, nor counsel to the wise, nor an oracle to the prophet. Come, let us denounce him and pay no heed to any of his words.”

Matthew 2:13
When the Magi had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up!” he said. “Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the Child to kill Him.”

Matthew 10:23
When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next. Truly I tell you, you will not reach all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

Matthew 26:4
and they conspired to arrest Jesus covertly and kill Him.

John 7:1
After this, Jesus traveled throughout Galilee. He did not want to travel in Judea, because the Jews there were trying to kill Him.

John 11:53-54
So from that day on they plotted to kill Him. / As a result, Jesus no longer went about publicly among the Jews, but He withdrew to a town called Ephraim in an area near the wilderness. And He stayed there with the disciples.

Acts 9:24
but Saul learned of their plot. Day and night they watched the city gates in order to kill him.

Acts 23:12-16
When daylight came, the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. / More than forty of them were involved in this plot. / They went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have bound ourselves with a solemn oath not to eat anything until we have killed Paul. ...


Treasury of Scripture

Will the men of Keilah deliver me up into his hand? will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? O LORD God of Israel, I beseech you, tell your servant. And the LORD said, He will come down.

And the Lord

Psalm 50:15
And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.

Jeremiah 33:3
Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.

Matthew 7:7,8
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: …

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Beg Beseech Deliver Ear Hand Heard Israel Keilah Kei'lah Saul Servant Surrender True. Will
1 Samuel 23
1. David, enquiring of the Lord by Abiathar, rescues Keilah
7. God showing him the coming of Saul, and the treachery of the Keilites,
13. he escapes from Keilah
14. In Ziph Jonathan comes and comforts him
19. The Ziphites discover him to Saul
25. At Maon he is rescued from Saul by the invasion of the Philistines
29. He dwells at En Gedi














Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me into his hand?
This phrase reflects David's concern about the loyalty of the people of Keilah. The Hebrew root for "surrender" is "סגר" (sagar), which means to shut up or deliver. Historically, Keilah was a fortified city in Judah, and David had just saved it from the Philistines. Despite his recent heroics, David is aware of the political pressures and fears betrayal. This highlights the precariousness of David's situation and the fickle nature of human alliances, reminding us of the need to place our trust in God rather than in man.

Will Saul come down, as Your servant has heard?
David refers to himself as "Your servant," indicating his humility and submission to God's will. The phrase "come down" is from the Hebrew "ירד" (yarad), which often implies descending or moving from a higher place to a lower one. Saul's pursuit of David is relentless, driven by jealousy and fear of losing his throne. This question underscores the tension and danger David faces, as well as his reliance on divine guidance to navigate these threats.

O LORD, God of Israel, please tell Your servant
Here, David addresses God with reverence, using "LORD" (YHWH) and "God of Israel," acknowledging God's sovereignty and covenant relationship with Israel. The plea "please tell" shows David's earnest desire for divine direction. This reflects a deep faith and dependence on God, serving as an example for believers to seek God's wisdom in times of uncertainty and danger.

And the LORD said, 'He will.'
God's response is direct and clear, affirming the impending threat. The certainty of God's word is a reminder of His omniscience and the reliability of His guidance. This assurance, though it confirms danger, also provides David with the knowledge he needs to make informed decisions. It illustrates the importance of seeking and trusting God's counsel, even when it reveals difficult truths.

(11) Will the men of Keilah deliver me up into his hand? will Saul come down, as thy servant hath heard?--There is a curious inversion of David's questions here. In their logical sequence, of course the second, respecting Saul's coming down, should have been put first, for the men of Keilah could not have delivered him into Saul's hands if Saul had not come down. Dean Payne Smith suggests that in David's earnest prayer "his two questions are put inversely to the logical order, but in accordance with the relative importance in his mind." The Dean thinks "that when the ephod was brought forward, the questions were of course put, and replied to in their logical sequence.

"And the Lord said, He will come down."

" And the Lord said, They will deliver thee up."

Thus the answer of the Urim and Thummin was given to the questions in their logical order. The Talmud has an interesting comment here. In consulting the Urim and Thummim, the enquirer is not to ask about two things at a time, for if he does, he will be answered about one only, and only about the one he first uttered, as it is said (1Samuel 23:11-12). David asked first "Will the men of Keilah deliver me into his hands?" and then he asked also "Will Saul come down?" The answer was to the second query. "And the Lord said He will come down." But it has just been asserted that the enquirer will be answered only about the one thing he first uttered. To this it is replied, David framed his enquiry not in good order, but the reply of the Urim and Thummim was as though the enquiry had been in proper order. Hence when David became aware that his question had not been put properly, he repeated it again in better order, as it has been said, "Then said David, Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul? And the Lord said, They will deliver thee up."--Treatise Yoma, fol. 73, Colossians 1.



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Will the citizens
בַעֲלֵי֩ (ḇa·‘ă·lê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 1167: A master, a husband, owner

of Keilah
קְעִילָ֨ה (qə·‘î·lāh)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 7084: Keilah -- a city in Judah

surrender me
הֲיַסְגִּרֻ֣נִי (hă·yas·gi·ru·nî)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine plural | first person common singular
Strong's 5462: To shut up, to surrender

into his hand?
בְיָד֜וֹ (ḇə·yā·ḏōw)
Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 3027: A hand

Will Saul
שָׁא֗וּל (šā·’ūl)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 7586: Saul -- first king of Israel, also an Edomite and two Israelites

come down,
הֲיֵרֵ֣ד (hă·yê·rêḏ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3381: To come or go down, descend

as
כַּֽאֲשֶׁר֙ (ka·’ă·šer)
Preposition-k | Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

Your servant
עַבְדֶּ֔ךָ (‘aḇ·de·ḵā)
Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 5650: Slave, servant

has heard?
שָׁמַ֣ע (šā·ma‘)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 8085: To hear intelligently

O LORD,
יְהוָה֙ (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

God
אֱלֹהֵ֣י (’ĕ·lō·hê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

of Israel,
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל (yiś·rā·’êl)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3478: Israel -- 'God strives', another name of Jacob and his desc

please
נָ֖א (nā)
Interjection
Strong's 4994: I pray', 'now', 'then'

tell
הַגֶּד־ (hag·geḏ-)
Verb - Hifil - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 5046: To be conspicuous

Your servant.”
לְעַבְדֶּ֑ךָ (lə·‘aḇ·de·ḵā)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 5650: Slave, servant

“He will,”
יֵרֵֽד׃ (yê·rêḏ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3381: To come or go down, descend

said
וַיֹּ֥אמֶר (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

the LORD.
יְהוָ֖ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel


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OT History: 1 Samuel 23:11 Will the men of Keilah deliver me (1Sa iSam 1 Sam i sa)
1 Samuel 23:10
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