And it was told Saul that David was come to Keilah. And Saul said, God hath delivered him into mine hand; for he is shut in, by entering into a town that hath gates and bars.

1 SAMUEL 23:7KJV
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1 Samuel 23:7 (KJV)

What does 1 Samuel 23:7 mean?

1 Samuel 23:7 describes how Saul learned that David had arrived in the town of Keilah and believed that God had given David into his power, since David was now trapped inside a fortified city with gates and bars. Saul saw this as an opportunity to finally capture David, thinking the situation favored him.

In this verse, Saul is reacting to news about David’s movements during a time when Saul is actively pursuing David to kill him. Keilah was a walled town, and Saul assumed that David’s decision to enter it would leave him with no escape. Saul interprets these circumstances as a sign that God is helping him, though the story later shows this is not the case.

The Hebrew behind 1 Samuel 23:7

  • "delivered" (נָכַר, nâkar): This word is often used for handing someone over or making them recognizable for capture. Saul sees David’s presence in Keilah as God actively putting David into his grasp.
  • "shut in" (סָגַר, sāgar): This word means to enclose or confine. Saul believes David is now physically trapped by the city’s defenses, unable to escape easily.
  • "gates" (שַׁעַר, shaʿar) and "bars" (בְּרִיחַ, bəriyach): These terms emphasize the security of the city, which Saul thinks will work in his favor by keeping David inside rather than protecting him.

Why 1 Samuel 23:7 matters

  • This verse shows Saul’s mindset and how he interprets events as divine approval for his actions, even when his motives are not aligned with God’s will.
  • The detail about the gates and bars highlights the practical danger David faces and sets up the tension for what happens next in the story.
  • It connects to the larger narrative of David’s flight from Saul, showing how even apparent traps or setbacks can become turning points in David’s journey.

Where else these words appear

“Keilah” Hebrew H7084 · used in 16 verses

  • Joshua 15:44 And Keilah, and Achzib, and Mareshah; nine cities with their villages:
  • 1 Samuel 23:5 So David and his men went to Keilah, and fought with the Philistines, and brought away their cattle, and smote them with a great slaughter. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.
  • 1 Samuel 23:12 Then said David, Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul? And the LORD said, They will deliver thee up.

“bars” Hebrew H1280 · used in 37 verses

  • Exodus 26:26 And thou shalt make bars of shittim wood; five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle,
  • Numbers 4:31 And this is the charge of their burden, according to all their service in the tabernacle of the congregation; the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars thereof, and the pillars thereof, and sockets thereof,
  • Psalms 107:16 For he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder.

“delivered” Hebrew H5234 · used in 47 verses

  • Genesis 27:23 And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau's hands: so he blessed him.
  • Ruth 2:19 And her mother in law said unto her, Where hast thou gleaned to day? and where wroughtest thou? blessed be he that did take knowledge of thee. And she shewed her mother in law with whom she had wrought, and said, The man's name with whom I wrought to day is Boaz.
  • Job 24:13 They are of those that rebel against the light; they know not the ways thereof, nor abide in the paths thereof.

“gates” Hebrew H1817 · used in 78 verses

  • Genesis 19:6 And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him,
  • 2 Kings 4:5 So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out.
  • Nehemiah 13:19 And it came to pass, that when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the sabbath, I commanded that the gates should be shut, and charged that they should not be opened till after the sabbath: and some of my servants set I at the gates, that there should no burden be brought in on the sabbath day.