1 Samuel 19:17

1Sa 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?

Ver. 17. He said unto me, Let me go; why should I kill thee?] This was a second lie, as it is usual with liars to lay one lie upon another, and a worse than that former. {1Sa 19:14} If that were an officious lie, this was surely a pernicious one: slandering her husband to save herself. How much better the wife of Polixenus, who was sister to Dionysius, the tyrant: and when her husband, being accused of treason, was fled into Italy, she being asked by her brother, why she did not give notice unto him of her husband’s fleeing, confidently answered, An ita me degenerem putas, &c., Thinkest thou that I am so undutiful a wife, that if I had known my husband would have fled away, I would not have fled away with him? And here I cannot but insert what I have read of that brave Bohemian woman in the late bloody persecution there. The Major of Litomeritia had apprehended twenty-four godly citizens, of whom his own son-in-law was one, and after he had almost pined them in prison, he judged them to be drowned in the river Albis: whereupon his daughter, wringing her hands and falling at her father’s feet, besought him to spare her husband. But he, harder than a rock, bade her hold her peace, saying, What! can you not have a worthier husband than this? to which she answered, You shall never espouse me to any: and so beating her breasts and tearing her hair she followed her husband to the river. And when he was cast into the midst of the river bound, she leaped in and caught him about the middle; but being unable to draw him forth, they were both drowned together, and the next day were found embracing one another. {a}

{a} Mr Clark’s Mirror, 305.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

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 favour 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 frown mine enemies, &c.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

And Saul said unto Michal,.... After the messengers returned and reported what they had seen, when Saul either came to her at her house, or sent for her to his palace:

why hast thou deceived me so; for deceiving his messengers was deceiving him, by pretending David was sick and in bed, when she had placed an image there, and had let him down through a window, and he was gone:

and sent away mine enemy, that he is escaped? as if she was more obliged to gratify the wicked passion of a father, than to provide for the safety of her husband:

and Michal answered Saul, he said unto me, let me go, why should I kill thee? though she was concerned for the preservation of her husband, yet not for his honour and credit, nor for her own veracity; she attempted not to vindicate her husband from the charge of being an enemy to Saul, as she might; but suggested that he was so desperate a man, that if she had offered to have detained him, he would have murdered her, and threatened, if she did, he would do when both were false; that he should say to her let me go, when it was she that advised him to go, and that if she refused he would kill her; which lies were framed by her to excuse herself, at the expense of her husband's reputation.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Why should I kill thee? - To avert Saul’s anger from herself, she pretended that David had threatened her life unless she facilitated his escape.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

If thou dost not permit me to escape without discovery, I shall be forced for my own defence to kill thee. Though it is most likely this was a lie and a fiction of her own.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

17. Why should I kill thee — This was falsehood on the part of Michal, by which she sought to deceive her father. Whatever apology be made for it, it is still a lie. There may be times when we should withhold the truth, but never when we should utter falsehood.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

He said to me… You delivered me into the hands of a bandit. He drew his sword at me until I let him leave.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.