Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version So he pretended to be insane in their presence; and while he was in their hands he acted like a madman, making marks on the doors of the gate and letting saliva run down his beard. New Living Translation So he pretended to be insane, scratching on doors and drooling down his beard. English Standard Version So he changed his behavior before them and pretended to be insane in their hands and made marks on the doors of the gate and let his spittle run down his beard. Berean Standard Bible So he changed his behavior before them and feigned madness in their hands; he scratched on the doors of the gate and let his saliva run down his beard. King James Bible And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard. New King James Version So he changed his behavior before them, pretended madness in their hands, scratched on the doors of the gate, and let his saliva fall down on his beard. New American Standard Bible So he disguised his sanity while in their sight and acted insanely in their custody, and he scribbled on the doors of the gate, and drooled on his beard. NASB 1995 So he disguised his sanity before them, and acted insanely in their hands, and scribbled on the doors of the gate, and let his saliva run down into his beard. NASB 1977 So he disguised his sanity before them, and acted insanely in their hands, and scribbled on the doors of the gate, and let his saliva run down into his beard. Legacy Standard Bible So he disguised his sanity in their sight and acted insanely in their hands and scribbled on the doors of the gate and let his saliva run down into his beard. Amplified Bible So [fearing for his life] he changed his behavior in their sight, and acted insanely in their hands, and he scribbled on the doors of the gate, and drooled on his beard. Christian Standard Bible so he pretended to be insane in their presence. He acted like a madman around them, scribbling on the doors of the city gate and letting saliva run down his beard. Holman Christian Standard Bible so he pretended to be insane in their presence. He acted like a madman around them, scribbling on the doors of the gate and letting saliva run down his beard. American Standard Version And he changed his behavior before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard. Contemporary English Version So right there in front of everyone, he pretended to be insane. He acted confused and started making scratches on the doors of the town gate, while drooling in his beard. English Revised Version And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard. GOD'S WORD® Translation So he changed his behavior [when he was] in their presence and acted insane [as long as he was] under their authority. He scribbled on the doors of the city gate and let his spit run down his beard. Good News Translation So whenever David was around them, he pretended to be insane and acted like a madman when they tried to restrain him; he would scribble on the city gates and let spit drool down his beard. International Standard Version So David changed his behavior before them and acted like he was crazy in their presence. He scribbled on the doors of the gate, and let his saliva run down his beard. Majority Standard Bible So he changed his behavior before them and feigned madness in their hands; he scratched on the doors of the gate and let his saliva run down his beard. NET Bible He altered his behavior in their presence. Since he was in their power, he pretended to be insane, making marks on the doors of the gate and letting his saliva run down his beard. New Heart English Bible He changed his behavior before them, and pretended to be mad in their hands, and drummed on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle run down his beard. Webster's Bible Translation And he changed his behavior before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard. World English Bible He changed his behavior before them and pretended to be insane in their hands, and scribbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down on his beard. Literal Translations Literal Standard Versionand changes his behavior before their eyes, and feigns himself mad in their hand, and scribbles on the doors of the gate, and lets down his spittle to his beard. Young's Literal Translation and changeth his behaviour before their eyes, and feigneth himself mad in their hand, and scribbleth on the doors of the gate, and letteth down his spittle unto his beard. Smith's Literal Translation Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleAnd he changed his countenance before them, and slipt down between their hands: and he stumbled against the doors of the gate, and his spittle ran down upon his beard. Catholic Public Domain Version And he altered his mouth before them, and he slipped down between their hands. And he stumbled against the doors of the gate. And his spit flowed down his beard. New American Bible So, he feigned insanity in front of them and acted like a madman in their custody, drumming on the doors of the gate and drooling onto his beard. New Revised Standard Version So he changed his behavior before them; he pretended to be mad when in their presence. He scratched marks on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle run down his beard. Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleSo he changed his behavior in his presence, and disguised himself in their sight, and he sat at the doorpost and let his spittle fall down upon his beard. Peshitta Holy Bible Translated And David put these words in his heart and was very afraid before Akish King of Gath OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917And he changed his demeanour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard. Brenton Septuagint Translation And he changed his appearance before him, and feigned himself a false character in that day; and drummed upon the doors of the city, and used extravagant gestures with his hands, and fell against the doors of the gate, and his spittle ran down upon his beard. Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context David Flees to Gath…12Now David took these words to heart and was very much afraid of Achish the king of Gath. 13So he changed his behavior before them and feigned madness in their hands; he scratched on the doors of the gate and let his saliva run down his beard. 14Then Achish said to his servants, “Look, you can see that the man is insane! Why have you brought him to me?… Cross References Psalm 34:1 Of David, when he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, so that the king drove him away. I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise will always be on my lips. Psalm 56:3-4 When I am afraid, I put my trust in You. / In God, whose word I praise—in God I trust. I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? Psalm 56:8 You have taken account of my wanderings. Put my tears in Your bottle—are they not in Your book? Psalm 56:13 For You have delivered my soul from death, and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life. Genesis 20:2 Abraham said of his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.” So Abimelech king of Gerar had Sarah brought to him. Genesis 26:7 But when the men of that place asked about his wife, he said, “She is my sister.” For he was afraid to say, “She is my wife,” since he thought to himself, “The men of this place will kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is so beautiful.” 1 Kings 2:26 Then the king said to Abiathar the priest, “Go back to your fields in Anathoth. Even though you deserve to die, I will not put you to death at this time, since you carried the ark of the Lord GOD before my father David, and you suffered through all that my father suffered.” 1 Kings 19:3 And Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 2 Kings 8:12 “Why is my lord weeping?” asked Hazael. “Because I know the evil you will do to the Israelites,” Elisha replied. “You will set fire to their fortresses, kill their young men with the sword, dash their little ones to pieces, and rip open their pregnant women.” Jeremiah 9:4 “Let everyone guard against his neighbor; do not trust any brother, for every brother deals craftily, and every friend spreads slander. Matthew 10:16 Behold, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. Matthew 26:70-74 But he denied it before them all: “I do not know what you are talking about.” / When Peter had gone out to the gateway, another servant girl saw him and said to the people there, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” / And again he denied it with an oath: “I do not know the man!” ... Mark 14:66-72 While Peter was in the courtyard below, one of the servant girls of the high priest came down / and saw him warming himself there. She looked at Peter and said, “You also were with Jesus the Nazarene.” / But he denied it. “I do not know or even understand what you are talking about,” he said. Then he went out to the gateway, and the rooster crowed. ... Luke 22:55-62 When those present had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down among them. / A servant girl saw him seated in the firelight and looked intently at him. “This man also was with Him,” she said. / But Peter denied it. “Woman, I do not know Him,” he said. ... John 18:25-27 Simon Peter was still standing and warming himself. So they asked him, “Aren’t you also one of His disciples?” He denied it and said, “I am not.” / One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Didn’t I see you with Him in the garden?” / Peter denied it once more, and immediately a rooster crowed. Treasury of Scripture And he changed his behavior before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down on his beard. changed Psalm 34:1 A Psalm of David, when he changed his behaviour before Abimelech; who drove him away, and he departed. I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. Proverbs 29:25 The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe. Ecclesiastes 7:7 Surely oppression maketh a wise man mad; and a gift destroyeth the heart. scrabbled. Jump to Previous Acted Beard Behavior Changed Changeth Changing Chin Demeanour Disguised Doors Eyes Hammering Hand Hands Head Insane Mad Madman Making Marks Mouth Presence Pretended Run Saliva Sanity Seem Spittle WaterJump to Next Acted Beard Behavior Changed Changeth Changing Chin Demeanour Disguised Doors Eyes Hammering Hand Hands Head Insane Mad Madman Making Marks Mouth Presence Pretended Run Saliva Sanity Seem Spittle Water1 Samuel 21 1. David at Nob obtains Ahimelech's hallowed bread7. Doeg is present 8. David takes Goliath's sword 10. David at Gath feigns himself insane So he changed his behavior before them The phrase "changed his behavior" is significant in understanding David's strategic response to a life-threatening situation. The Hebrew root for "changed" is "shana," which implies a deliberate alteration or transformation. In the context of David's life, this moment reflects his adaptability and wisdom in the face of danger. Historically, David was fleeing from King Saul and found himself in the territory of the Philistines, his enemies. This change in behavior was a tactical move to protect himself, demonstrating his reliance on God-given wisdom to navigate perilous circumstances. and pretended to be insane in their hands scribbling on the doors of the gate and letting saliva run down his beard Feigned himself mad.--Literally, he roamed hither and thither, restless and in terror.--Dean Payne Smith. "In their hands," that is, "in their presence." Some have supposed that the madness was not "simulated," but real. Wrought upon by excitement of fear and terrible anxiety, it has been suggested that the mind for a time lost its balance, and that David became temporarily really insane; but the sense of the narrative plainly indicates that the madness was feigned. Scrabbled on the doors of the gate.--Scratched on them; "scrabble" being probably a diminutive of "scrape" (Richardson, Dictionary). By others it is connected with "scribble." the root in either case being ultimately the same. The LXX. and Vulg. apparently translate from a slightly different word, and instead of "scrabbled," render "drummed" (impingebat) on the wings of the doors. Let his spittle fall.--That is, allowed the foam which comes from the mouth of a madman to hang about his beard. It has been cleverly suggested that David was only too well acquainted with all the signs of madness, from his long and intimate association with King Saul in his darker hours of insanity. There are other well-authenticated examples in history of great heroes, in seasons of sore danger, feigning madness like David, with a view of escaping from their enemies. For instance, according to the Shahnameh, Kai Khosrev feigned idiocy in face of mortal peril. Verse 13. - He changed his behaviour. The same word is used in the title of Psalm 34. Literally it means "his taste," and, like the Latin word sapientia, is derived from the action of the palate, and so from the faculty of discriminating flavours it came to signify the power of discrimination generally. Thus "to change his taste" means to act as if he had lost the power of distinguishing between objects. Feigned himself mad. Literally, "he roamed hither and thither" restlessly and in terror. In their hands. I.e. before them, in their presence. Scrabbled on the doors of the gate. The Vulgate and Septuagint read drummed upon them. Literally the verb means "to make the mark of a Tau," the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and which anciently was in the form of a cross. The gate, on the leaves of which David scrawled, was probably that of the court or waiting room, in which the servants of Achish passed their time when in attendance upon him. Possibly David had witnessed these symptoms of madness in Saul's case during his fits of insanity. The idea of some of the older commentators, that David really for a time went out of his mind, is opposed to the general sense of the narrative.Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew So he changedוַיְשַׁנּ֤וֹ (way·šan·nōw) 0 Strong's 8138: To fold, duplicate, to transmute his behavior טַעְמוֹ֙ (ṭa‘·mōw) 0 Strong's 2940: A taste, perception, intelligence, a mandate before them בְּעֵ֣ינֵיהֶ֔ם (bə·‘ê·nê·hem) 0 Strong's 5869: An eye, a fountain and feigned madness וַיִּתְהֹלֵ֖ל (way·yiṯ·hō·lêl) 0 Strong's 1984: To shine in their hands; בְּיָדָ֑ם (bə·yā·ḏām) 0 Strong's 3027: A hand he scratched וַיְתָיו֙ (way·ṯāw) 0 Strong's 8427: Put -- to make or set a mark on עַל־ (‘al-) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular | third person masculine singular Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against the doors דַּלְת֣וֹת (dal·ṯō·wṯ) Direct object marker Strong's 1817: Something swinging, the valve of a, door of the gate הַשַּׁ֔עַר (haš·ša·‘ar) Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular Strong's 8179: An opening, door, gate and let his saliva run down וַיּ֥וֹרֶד (way·yō·w·reḏ) Preposition-b | Noun - cdc | third person masculine plural Strong's 3381: To come or go down, descend his beard. זְקָנֽוֹ׃ (zə·qā·nōw) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular Strong's 2206: Beard, chin Links 1 Samuel 21:13 NIV1 Samuel 21:13 NLT 1 Samuel 21:13 ESV 1 Samuel 21:13 NASB 1 Samuel 21:13 KJV 1 Samuel 21:13 BibleApps.com 1 Samuel 21:13 Biblia Paralela 1 Samuel 21:13 Chinese Bible 1 Samuel 21:13 French Bible 1 Samuel 21:13 Catholic Bible OT History: 1 Samuel 21:13 He changed his behavior before them (1Sa iSam 1 Sam i sa) |
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