Verse Lens · Concise explanation
1 Samuel 23:20 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 20. 20Now therefore, O king, come down according to all the desire of thy soul to come down; and our part shall be to deliver him into the king’s hand.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Offers to deliver David when Saul comes down according to his desire.
Ziphites offer a location and receive a blessing
This verse is one part of that explanation in 1 Samuel 23:19–23:26. The complete section carries the connected meaning and how it should shape life.
Read It With
- 1 Samuel 23:19–23:26
Verse 23:20 belongs to “Ziphite intelligence narrows Saul's pursuit.” It offers to deliver David when Saul comes down according to his desire; detached from the full unit, that contribution can be mistaken for the unit's whole claim.
Why This Verse Appears Here
At verse 23:20, the scene offers to deliver David when Saul comes down according to his desire. That movement matters to “Ziphite intelligence narrows Saul's pursuit” while the unit's uncertainty and ethical boundary continue to govern application.
What Remains True
Offers to deliver David when Saul comes down according to his desire. Within 1 Samuel 23:19–23:26, this contribution supports the unit's enduring claim: Accountability requires hearing the full movement—Ziphites offer David's location, Saul blesses them and demands verified intelligence, and the hunt closes around opposite sides of a mountain. Local collaboration does not define every Ziphite or justify reprisals, and Saul's pious blessing does not sanctify surveillance for killing.
Continue in Context
Read the complete section for the connected explanation and how it should shape life. This verse is a doorway into that passage, not a saying that stands alone.
Read 1 Samuel 23:19–23:26 — Ziphite intelligence narrows Saul's pursuitSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact displayed KJV words, verse order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete unit coverage.
Exact location: 1 Samuel 23:19–23:26, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: 1 Samuel
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording and morphology, with the two KJV-Hebrew versification shifts stated rather than silently offset.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/1Sam.xml, OSIS 23:19–23:26; KJV 20:42 spans Hebrew 20:42–21:1, KJV 21:1–15 maps to Hebrew 21:2–16, KJV 23:29 maps to Hebrew 24:1, and KJV 24:1–22 maps to Hebrew 24:2–23
Open source ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible First Edition Notes: 1 Samuel
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2006
Supports: Only the translator notes actually printed for these verses, used for lexical, grammatical, textual, historical, and older-English controls.
Exact location: NET Bible First Edition Notes, 1 Samuel PDF, printed pp. 504–543, exact tc/tn/sn entries attached to 23:19–23:26
Open source ↗