1 Samuel 22:8

1Sa 22:8 That all of you have conspired against me, and [there is] none that sheweth me that my son hath made a league with the son of Jesse, and [there is] none of you that is sorry for me, or sheweth unto me that my son hath stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?

Ver. 8. That all of you have conspired against me.] And why? but because they were no more eager in pursuing of David, who yet were indeed too much estranged from him, and addicted to Saul. So we read of letters sent from King Philip and Queen Mary to bloody Bonner, complaining that heretics were not so reformed as they should be, and exhorting him to more diligence, &c.

And there is none of you that is sorry for me.] It may be there were some of them that were sorry for his malice and madness against innocent David, but durst not show it, lest Saul should have used them, as afterwards Cambyses, king of Persia, did some of his servants, whom in his rage he commanded to kill Croesus, who was left as a counseller to him by his father Cyrus, and had now by reproving him for his cruelty, fallen under his displeasure. His servants thinking that he would afterwards repent it, hid Croesus, and slew him not; and when Cambyses shortly after wanted Croesus for his faithful counsel, and wished for him again, his servants expecting a great reward, brought him forth. Cambyses was glad that Croesus was alive: but yet he put his servants to death, for sparing him contrary to his command. {a}

That my son hath stirred up my servant.] It was neither so nor so: but only his jealous mind made him to think so, because David was come into the land with forces; and Jonathan absented himself from court ever since Saul cast a javelin at him. {1Sa 20:33}

{a} Pezel, Mell. Hist.

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.

Hereby he would persuade them that this conspiracy was most horrible, where the son conspired against the father, and the servant against his master.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Verse 8. There is none that showeth me] He conjectured that Jonathan had made a league with David to dethrone him, and he accuses them of disloyalty for not making the discovery of this unnatural treason. Now it was impossible for any of them to show what did not exist, no such league having ever been made between David and Jonathan.

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

(8) That all of you have conspired.—The unhappy, jealous spirit had obtained such complete mastery over the unhappy king that now he suspected even the chosen men of his own tribe. All his tried favourites, the men of his own house, even his gallant son, he charged with leaning towards David the traitor, his supplanter in the hearts of Israel.

My son hath made a league.—It would seem as though Saul had learned something of what passed between Jonathan and David when they met for that farewell interview at the memorable New Moon feast; the words respecting the covenant between the two being too pointed and marked to refer only to the well-known ancient friendship between the prince and the son of Jesse.

There is none of you that is sorry for me.—These words of the sad king—tormented as he was by an evil spirit, ever whispering doubt and jealous thoughts into the poor diseased mind—are here strangely real and pathetic.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

8. hath made a league] Hath made a covenant, as in 1Sa_20:16. Saul seems to have heard what happened upon that occasion.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

That all of you have conspired against me,.... For though they had not revolted from him, and been guilty of overt acts of treason, yet since they did not discover to him what he supposed they knew, and showed no concern for the circumstances in which he was, he interpreted this a conspiracy against him:

and there is none that showeth me that my son hath made a league with the son of Jesse; Saul did not know this certainly, he only suspected it from the strict and close friendship between them, and imagined that some of his servants were acquainted with it, though they kept it from him; whereas none knew of it but Jonathan and David themselves:

and there is none of you that is sorry for me; concerned, troubled, and grieved, that he should be in such circumstances, his own son and his son-in-law in league against him: or, as De Dieu renders it, were not "solicitous" for him, cared not how things went with him, or, against him:

or showeth unto me that my son hath stirred up my servant against me to lie in wait, as at this day? which he concluded was the case, from Jonathan's not appearing at court since Saul cast the javelin at him, Sa1 19:10; or, however, if he did, his countenance showed he was uneasy and discontented, and displeased with Saul; and, besides, he could not think that David, with such a handful of men he had with him, would ever attempt to invade his kingdom, and seize his crown and throne, unless he was privately encouraged by his own son; and David's being either in the cave of Adullam, or forest of Hareth, whichever of them Saul heard of, he interpreted as lying in wait for him, whereas it was only for the security of himself; and what Saul took ill of his servants was, that none of them apprized him of his son's concern in this matter.

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

My son hath made a league with the son of Jesse: this he suspected, partly from Jonathan’s passionate love for David, which he had formerly and constantly declared; and from his late discontent and departure from his father, mentioned 1Sa 20:34; and partly from David’s confidence, in invading the land with four hundred men, which he thought he would never presume to do, without some encouragement or promise of assistance from Jonathan.

To lie in wait, i.e. to design against my crown and life (which will appear to be a most groundless suspicion and false accusation).

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

8. All of you have conspired against me — The monarch’s suspicions carry him very far beyond the actual facts.

My son hath stirred up my servant against me — Perhaps he had learned something of Jonathan’s last interview with David, (chap. 20,) and surmised that even his son was in conspiracy against him.

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

That all, &c. - See the nature of jealousy, and its arts of wheedling to extort discoveries of things that are not.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

"That you have all of you conspired against me, and no one informs me of it, since my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse." בּכרת, lit. at the making of a covenant. Saul may possibly have heard something of the facts related in Sa1 20:12-17; at the same time, his words may merely refer to Jonathan's friendship with David, which was well known to him. ואין־חלה, "and no one of you is grieved on my account ... that my son has set my servant (David) as a lier in wait against me," i.e., to plot against my life, and wrest the throne to himself. We may see from this, that Saul was carried by his suspicions very far beyond the actual facts. "As at this day:" cf. Deu 8:18, etc.

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)