Cornelius a Lapide
Table of Contents
Synopsis of the Chapter
David flees to the wilderness of En-gedi. Saul pursues him, and when he enters a cave to relieve himself, David, hiding in it, cuts off the edge of his cloak. Then, at verse 9, showing it to Saul, he remonstrates with him that he unjustly persecutes an innocent man: for if he had wished to harm him, he would have killed him in the cave. Therefore, at verse 17, Saul, struck with remorse and weeping, says: You are more righteous than I; and he declares that David will reign after him. He therefore requires an oath from David that he will not destroy his line, and thus dismisses him free.
Vulgate Text: 1 Kings 24:1-23
1. So David went up from there and dwelt in the strongholds of En-gedi. 2. And when Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, they told him, saying: Behold, David is in the wilderness of En-gedi. 3. Then Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel, and went to search for David and his men, even on the most precipitous rocks that are accessible only to mountain goats. 4. And he came to the sheepfolds by the road, where there was a cave; and Saul went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were sitting in the innermost parts of the cave. 5. And David's men said to him: Behold, this is the day of which the Lord said to you: I will deliver your enemy into your hand, that you may do to him as it shall seem good in your eyes. Then David arose and silently cut off the edge of Saul's robe. 6. But afterward David's heart struck him because he had cut off the edge of Saul's robe. 7. And he said to his men: The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord's anointed, to put forth my hand against him, for he is the Lord's anointed. 8. And David restrained his men with these words, and did not allow them to rise against Saul. Saul then rose from the cave and went on his way. 9. David also arose after him, and going out of the cave, called after Saul, saying: My lord the king! And Saul looked behind him; and David, bowing himself with his face to the earth, prostrated himself. 10. And he said to Saul: Why do you listen to the words of men who say: David seeks your harm? 11. Behold, this day your eyes have seen that the Lord delivered you today into my hand in the cave; and I considered killing you, but my eye spared you; for I said: I will not stretch out my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord's anointed. 12. Moreover, my father, see -- indeed, see the edge of your robe in my hand! For in that I cut off the edge of your robe and did not kill you, know and see that there is neither evil nor treason in my hand, and I have not sinned against you; yet you hunt my life to take it. 13. Let the Lord judge between me and you, and let the Lord avenge me on you; but my hand shall not be against you. 14. As the ancient proverb says: From the wicked, wickedness proceeds; but my hand shall not be against you. 15. Whom do you pursue, O king of Israel? Whom do you pursue? A dead dog? A single flea? 16. Let the Lord be judge and decide between me and you; let Him see and plead my cause, and deliver me out of your hand. 17. When David had finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said: Is this your voice, my son David? And Saul lifted up his voice and wept. 18. And he said to David: You are more righteous than I; for you have repaid me good, while I have repaid you evil. 19. And you have shown today how you have dealt well with me, for when the Lord delivered me into your hand, you did not kill me. 20. For who, having found his enemy, would let him go on a good way? But may the Lord reward you with good for what you have done for me this day. 21. And now I know indeed that you shall surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand. 22. Swear to me by the Lord that you will not cut off my descendants after me, and that you will not destroy my name from my father's house. 23. And David swore to Saul. So Saul went home, and David and his men went up to the stronghold.
Verse 3: The Rocks of the Mountain Goats
3. ON THE MOST PRECIPITOUS ROCKS THAT ARE ACCESSIBLE ONLY TO MOUNTAIN GOATS. -- The ibex is a species of wild goat that flees to steep crags. Hence, Maximilian I, the Emperor, hunting and pursuing them, was led to inaccessible cliffs from which he could not descend; but, as is believed, by the guidance of an Angel he found a way down, and therefore ordered a cross to be erected in that spot as a permanent monument. This cross exists near Innsbruck, where, when I was traveling to Rome, it was shown to me.
Verse 4: The Sheepfolds and the Cave
4. AND HE CAME TO THE SHEEPFOLDS WHICH OFFERED THEMSELVES TO THE TRAVELER -- that is, to one making a journey, traveling, going along the road. Hence the Hebrew, Chaldean, and Septuagint have: "which were on the way."
NOW DAVID AND HIS MEN WERE HIDING IN THE INNERMOST PART OF THE CAVE. -- "I will cry to God Most High," David says, "to God who has shown me favor," Psalm 56:3. The Chaldean translates: "to God who summoned a spider to weave a web at the mouth of the cave for my sake" -- as if interpreting it thus: David, fleeing from Saul, hid himself in a cave whose entrance God covered with suddenly-woven spider webs, so that Saul, suspecting no hiding place there, passed by in vain. Just as also once under the law of grace, the martyr Felix, in a narrow place, was concealed from pursuing enemies by spider webs divinely spread over him: "And the iron force yielded to the airy thread," says St. Paulinus. He aptly concludes: "Thus where Christ is present with us, even a spider's web is a wall. But where Christ is absent, even a wall becomes a spider's web."
Verse 5: The Day the Lord Spoke Of
5. BEHOLD, THIS IS THE DAY OF WHICH THE LORD SAID TO YOU: I WILL DELIVER YOUR ENEMY INTO YOUR HAND. -- Where and when God said this, Scripture nowhere specifies. Some think God said this to David through Gad the prophet, others through Nathan, others through Samuel, others think it was revealed by God directly to David on account of his patience, to encourage him for greater struggles.
THEN DAVID AROSE AND SILENTLY CUT OFF THE EDGE OF SAUL'S ROBE. -- This was the order of what happened: When his companions urged David to kill Saul, whom he had in his power, he felt indeed the first movements and inclination of the irascible appetite to kill him; but with his rational appetite and deliberate will he did not consent to them. He therefore arose and went to Saul, not with the determined intention of killing him or of cutting the edge of his robe, but uncertain in mind. When he arrived, seeing the edge of the robe, he cut it off as a trifling and readily available thing. But immediately his conscience stung him for having cut the edge of his king's robe. Therefore, opening the eyes of his mind with God's illumination and seeing how shameful it would be to kill the king, he firmly resolved neither to kill him nor to harm him in any other way; whence he firmly resisted his companions who wanted to kill Saul, and completely restrained them from any killing or wounding.
Verse 6: David's Heart Struck Him
6. AFTERWARD DAVID'S HEART STRUCK HIM, BECAUSE HE HAD CUT OFF THE EDGE OF SAUL'S ROBE -- as if to say: David's conscience stung him for having dared to tear the garment of his king and lord Saul, and thus to violate royal majesty. For "heart" here means the same as conscience.
Allegorically, Eucherius says: "David, cutting off the edge of Saul's robe, signifies that Christ did not kill the Jews, but took from them the glory of the kingdom; for the cutting of the robe is the amputation of the kingdom."
Verse 7: The Lord Forbid
7. THE LORD FORBID THAT I SHOULD DO THIS THING. -- See here and admire the clemency and reverence of David toward Saul the king, whom, though having his most hostile persecutor in his hands, he does not wish to harm. Hence this victory of David over Saul was more glorious than the one he won over Goliath.
Hear St. Chrysostom, in his homily On David and Saul: "Saul came out of the cave, and David also came out after him, gazing at the sky with free eyes, and at that moment exulting more than when he had brought down Goliath and cut off the barbarian's head. For this was a more generous victory, these were more magnificent spoils, this was a more illustrious prize, this a more glorious trophy." He gives the reason that the former victory was won by arms, this one by virtues.
Verse 8: David Restrains His Men
8. AND DAVID RESTRAINED HIS MEN WITH WORDS, AND DID NOT ALLOW THEM TO RISE AGAINST SAUL. -- Note the word "restrained" (literally, "broke"), which signifies that David's companions were fully determined and resolved to kill Saul, so that David had to use force to break their resolve. Learn from this how mild and pious David was toward Saul, that he fought with such force and virtue for the life of the one who was continually attacking him; this was indeed a sign of a placid, exalted, and kingly spirit.
Seneca says elegantly, Book 1, On Clemency, chapter 5: "It is the characteristic of a great soul to be calm, tranquil, and always to disdain injuries and offenses. It is womanish to rage in anger. A savage and inexorable anger does not befit a king; for he does not stand much above the one to whom he makes himself equal by being angry. But if he grants life to one who deserves to lose it, he does what is permitted to none but the one who holds power. To save is the prerogative of exalted fortune, which should never be more admired than when it has the same power as God."
Verse 9: David Prostrates Before Saul
9. AND DAVID, BOWING WITH HIS FACE TO THE GROUND, PROSTRATED HIMSELF -- before Saul. David, by prostrating himself on the ground, showed the utmost humility, honor, and reverence to Saul as king. Learn here how Prelates and Superiors, even when impious and hostile, ought to be honored and revered. For thus they will be bent toward piety and justice, as here Saul was bent by David so that he wept and turned hatred into love.
Verse 11: I Considered Killing You
11. BEHOLD, THIS DAY YOUR EYES HAVE SEEN THAT THE LORD DELIVERED YOU INTO MY HAND IN THE CAVE, AND I CONSIDERED KILLING YOU -- that is, this thought crept in, or rather was suggested to me by my companions, about killing you. Hence the Chaldean translates: "and others said to kill you." For David himself with deliberate will firmly resisted this thought and the suggestion of his companions.
FOR I SAID: I WILL NOT STRETCH OUT MY HAND AGAINST MY LORD, FOR HE IS THE LORD'S ANOINTED. -- David gives two reasons why he did not harm Saul: first, that Saul is his "lord"; second, that he is the "anointed" of the Lord, as if to say: It was a matter of religious scruple for me to touch one whom the anointing of God had consecrated to Himself. Rightly St. Augustine, Book 2, Against the Letters of Petilian, chapter 48: "David," he says, "on account of the most sacred anointing, both honored Saul while alive and avenged him when killed. And because he merely cut a scrap from his garment, his heart was struck with fear."
Verse 12: Yet You Hunt My Life
12. YET YOU HUNT MY LIFE TO TAKE IT. -- Each of David's words carries great emphasis and increases the sense of his clemency and virtue. For he shows that he matches his beneficence against the plots and malice of Saul, and that he is as much a benefactor to Saul as Saul is cruel and malicious to him.
St. Chrysostom, besides the homily On David and Saul, wrote a distinguished homily entitled: That David raised a more magnificent trophy by sparing Saul than by killing Goliath. There, repeating what I cited at verse 7, he adds that David here inflicted a notable wound on the devil, who thirsts for and stirs up nothing but murder: "He ascended," he says, "with his enemy wounded by innumerable blows; for although he had spared Saul, he nevertheless truly struck the real enemy, the devil, with many blows. David therefore came out of the cave bearing that right hand, equal in value to the whole world, crowned together with his head with the crown of justice and meekness," etc.
The same Chrysostom, in the very next homily, teaches that David here merited not a single but a multiple laurel of martyrdom: "Consider," he says, "that from Saul's plots he was crowned with a triple and quadruple crown of martyrdom. For he who spared his enemy -- the one who once and again, indeed frequently, had hurled a spear at his head -- even though he had obtained the power to kill him, still spared him. And this, knowing that after this act of clemency, he would again be attacked by him. It is clear that he merited the crown a thousand times by his intention of soul, and having died a thousand times for God, he won many crowns of martyrdom. For, as Paul also says, he died daily for God. For since he could have removed from the scene the enemy who plotted against him, he refused for God's sake; he preferred to be in danger daily rather than to be freed from so many deaths by a justified killing."
Verse 13: Let the Lord Judge
13. LET THE LORD JUDGE BETWEEN ME AND YOU. -- David appeals to God's judgment because he had no human judge. For Saul, who should have been the judge, was his enemy and persecutor. He does this to remonstrate sharply with Saul, showing the supreme injustice of the persecution; and to frighten him and deter him from pursuing, by threatening God's judgment and vengeance.
Verse 14: The Ancient Proverb
14. AS THE ANCIENT PROVERB SAYS: FROM THE WICKED, WICKEDNESS PROCEEDS. -- If taken for punishment, the meaning is: The wicked are followed by the punishment of their wickedness; for punishment accompanies guilt, as the executioner accompanies the condemned. There is no need, then, for me to stretch out my hand against you, O Saul, and kill you; because your own wickedness, with God's avenging, will kill you. For the wicked Saul killed himself with his own impious hand, and was the avenger and executioner of his own wickedness, as will be clear in chapter 31.
Verse 15: A Dead Dog and a Flea
15. WHOM DO YOU PURSUE, O KING OF ISRAEL? YOU PURSUE A DEAD DOG AND A SINGLE FLEA -- as if to say: You pursue a most worthless, most abject, most feeble man, like a dog and a flea, such as I am. Why then do you pursue me? It is beneath a king to fight with a flea, just as it was beneath Domitian to hunt flies.
Verse 17: Saul Weeps
17. SAUL SAID: IS THIS YOUR VOICE, MY SON DAVID? AND SAUL LIFTED UP HIS VOICE AND WEPT. -- See here how effective David's voice was; see likewise how powerful was his profound humility and burning charity, by which he broke Saul's adamantine heart and made it mild and placid, so that it dissolved into tears of love.
18. YOU ARE MORE RIGHTEOUS THAN I. -- St. Chrysostom continues: "You see how he condemns his own malice and proclaims the virtue of the just man, and purges himself without anyone forcing him. Do the same when your enemy falls into your hands: do not accuse him, but purge yourself, that you may drive him to condemn himself."
Verse 20: Who Lets His Enemy Go?
20. FOR WHO, HAVING FOUND HIS ENEMY, WOULD LET HIM GO ON A GOOD WAY? -- Saul speaks from the mentality of himself and similar worldly men, who kill their enemy when the opportunity is given. For the saints do the opposite and overcome evil with good, as David did here.
David was imitated above all by St. John Gualbert, who, meeting his unarmed enemy while armed, when the enemy begged for his life for the love of Christ crucified for His enemies, spared him. Then entering a church and praying before the image of the Crucifix, he saw the Crucifix incline its head toward him, as if to applaud and give thanks that he had spared his enemy out of love. Moved by this vision, John renounced the world and founded the Order of Vallombrosa around the year 1020.
Therefore David here, though a subject, was greater than Saul the king. For nothing makes a person so great and magnanimous as the love of enemies and the forgiveness of injuries.
Hear Martin, Abbot of Dumium and later Bishop of Braga in the year of the Lord 572, in his book On the Four Virtues, chapter 2: "Nothing is great in human affairs except a soul that despises great things. If you are magnanimous, you will never think that an insult has been done to you. Of an enemy you will say: He did not harm me, but had the intention of harming. And when you see him in your power, you will consider that vengeance was being able to take vengeance; know then that the honorable and great kind of vengeance is to forgive."
Verse 21: You Shall Surely Be King
21. AND NOW I KNOW THAT YOU SHALL SURELY BE KING. -- "I know" -- from that singular care and providence of God toward you, by which He protects you, foils my plots, prospers you in all things, and makes you superior to all enemies, and beloved and admired by all Israelites, on account of your divine patience and meekness, by which you have even granted life to me, your most hostile enemy.
Hear St. Chrysostom in the homily already cited: "Tell me, I ask, how do you know this? You have money, weapons, cities, horses, soldiers -- in short, the entire force of royal equipment. He, on the other hand, is destitute and bare, having neither city, nor home, nor household. From where, then, I ask you, do you speak thus? Surely from David's very character. For naked, unarmed, and deserted as he was, he would not have overcome me, who was armed and surrounded by so much power, unless he had God as his helper. Moreover, whoever has God's favor is more powerful than all. You see to what heights of wisdom Saul was brought after his plots? You see how it is possible for an enemy to spit out all his malice and, changed for the better, to recover himself? Let us not, therefore, devour our own salvation through anger."
Verse 22: Swear to Me
22. SWEAR TO ME BY THE LORD THAT YOU WILL NOT DESTROY MY DESCENDANTS. -- See how Saul the king here submits himself to David and becomes his suppliant. The only way, therefore, to overcome enemies and make them friends is humble and burning charity toward them.
23. AND DAVID SWORE TO SAUL -- and not only swore, but performed more than he had sworn. So St. Chrysostom says: "When Saul was dead, he not only did not kill his posterity, but did more than he had promised; for he brought Saul's son, who was lame and weak in his legs, into his own house and made him a participant at his own table, honoring him with the highest honor."
Morally, David here teaches subjects how modestly, humbly, reverently, and lovingly they should conduct themselves toward their princes and prelates, both secular and ecclesiastical, even those who are rigid, harsh, and troublesome -- indeed, even unjust, cruel, and tyrannical -- that they may honor them as the Lord's anointed, and in them, as in His vicars, worship and revere God Himself. For in them, as in living images, divine power and majesty shine forth.