1 Samuel 24:17

1Sa 24:17 And he said to David, Thou [art] more righteous than I: for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil.

Ver. 17. Thou art more righteows than I.] This is a great mercy of God, and a great comfort to the godly, that their persecutors, convinced in their own consciences, are eftsoons forced to attest their innocency, and their own unrighteousness in acting against them. Thus - besides Maximinus and other of the ancient persecutors - the Papists could not but think and speak well of Luther, Bucer, Bradford, and others whom they persecuted, for their piety in life and patience at death. Si Luthero faverem ut viro bono, quod fatentur et hostes, &c., saith Erasmus. {a} At the digging up of Bucer’s bones in Cambridge, Dr Perne, vice-chancellor, made a sermon against him. Howbeit the same Perne, either immediately after his sermon, or before he went to it, striking himself on the breast, and in a manner weeping, wished at home at his house with all his heart that God would grant he might even then presently depart, and remain with Bucer; for he thought if any man’s soul were worthy of heaven, his in special to be most worthy. This was testified by Perne’s own familiar friends. {b}

{a} Tom. viii. epist.

{b} Act. and Mon., fol. 1780.

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.

1Sa 24:17-19. Thou art more righteous than I — He ingenuously acknowledges David’s integrity and his own iniquity. If a man find his enemy, will he let him go? — That is, he will certainly destroy him to save himself. Thy behaviour, therefore, shows that thou hast no enmity to me. Wherefore the Lord reward thee good — Because he thought himself not able to recompense so great a favour, he prays God to recompense it.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Though he was a most cruel enemy to David, yet by his great gentleness his conscience compelled him to yield.

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

And he said to David, thou art more righteous than I,.... By which it appears he thought himself righteous, though David was more so; the righteousness of David was so glaring, that his enemy himself being judge acknowledges it, but will not confess his own wickedness, having no true sense of sin, nor real sorrow for it:

for thou hast rewarded me good; in times past, and now; heretofore in killing Goliath, fighting his battles for him against the Philistines, driving the evil spirit from him, by playing on the harp before him, and now by sparing his life, only cutting off the skirt of his garment, when he could with equal ease have cut off his head:

whereas I have rewarded thee evil: in seeking to take away his life at various times, by casting a javelin at him more than once, sending messengers to kill him, and hunting after him from place to place, to take him and slay him.

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

Voice. He was at such a distance, as not to be able to distinguish his features. --- Wept. The greatest reprobates may sometimes feel sentiments of compunction, so that we need not here doubt of Saul’s sincerity. (Calmet) --- He might otherwise have turned upon David with his 3,000, and easily have seized his prey. (Haydock)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Thou hast rewarded me good for the evil that I have designed and done to thee.

I have rewarded thee evil for thy good will to me.

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

More righteous than I - He ingenuously acknowledges David's integrity, and his own iniquity.

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

you have done good to me

Saul acknowledges that David did show that he supported King Saul and was loyal to him by not killing him.

for you did not kill me when Yahweh had put me at your mercy

Saul acknowledges that David chose to show mercy and demonstrated his loyalty to King Saul as Yahweh's anointed.

translationWords

David

righteous

good

evil

declare

Yahweh

mercy

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.