Shmuel I Chapter 24 | And David Cut off

In narrative storytelling, timing is a key factor. Writers can control when information is revealed, building anticipation before delivering a surprising twist.

This technique is employed in the story of David in the cave. David’s men encourage him to strike Sha’ul: "Now is the very moment that the Lord spoke of to you: ‘Now, I am handing your enemies over to you.’ Do to him as you see fit! And David got up and stealthily cut off ..." At this point, we might expect the continuation to be "Sha’ul’s head." Instead, the text reveals: "the corner of Sha’ul’s robe."

This surprise is repeated in the following verse: "Later on, though, David's heart ached for having cut off Sha’ul’s hem." Again, we might anticipate that David regrets harming Sha’ul physically, but instead, his remorse is for cutting Sha’ul’s garment.

Only after describing the action itself does the text return to David's response and explain the reasoning behind his actions: "And he said to his men, 'Far be it from me, by the Lord, to do this thing to my master, the Lord's anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, for he is the Lord's anointed.'"

The structure of the verses in this manner surprises us with David's response and helps us understand that his actions were not self-evident, causing us to appreciate him even more.