“Who will go down with me to Saul to the camp?”
The full verse · 1 Samuel 26:6 · KJV
Then and to the , and to the of , to , , Who will go with me to to the ? And , I will go with thee.
Asked by
Asked to
Ahimelech the Hittite, Abishai
Ahimelech the Hittite: one of David's men, not Ahimelech the priest of Nob (1 Samuel 26:6); Abishai: "the son of Zeruiah, brother to Joab" (1 Samuel 26:6)
The Scene
Having learned from his spies that Saul had come, David went to the place where Saul was camped and saw "the place where Saul lay, and Abner the son of Ner," with "the people pitched round about him" (1 Samuel 26:4-5).
Why It Was Asked
The purpose behind the questionDavid was looking for a companion to go with him into the middle of Saul's camp by night. Gill takes the question as "which of you two?" The text does not say why David wanted to go in. Matthew Henry says it "does not appear" whether David was prompted "by his own courage, or by an extraordinary impression upon his spirits, or by the oracle." Gill is more confident: he says David was moved "no doubt" by the Spirit of God, "that he might have an opportunity a second time to convince Saul of his innocence." Keil & Delitzsch describe David going with these two attendants "to reconnoitre the camp of Saul."
The Response
What Scripture records"And Abishai said, I will go down with thee" (1 Samuel 26:6). "So David and Abishai came to the people by night: and, behold, Saul lay sleeping within the trench, and his spear stuck in the ground at his bolster" (1 Samuel 26:7). Ahimelech's reply is not recorded. Gill suggests he was "timorous" or that Abishai, "being most forward spoke first"; Matthew Henry similarly thinks he either declined or let Abishai take the risk. Keil & Delitzsch note, "Ahimelech the Hittite is never mentioned again."
The Bigger Picture
Where this fits in God's storyGoing down into a sleeping army of three thousand men was a bold venture. What made it possible was not only courage but the LORD's hand: no one woke, "because a deep sleep from the LORD was fallen upon them" (1 Samuel 26:12). Matthew Henry says that, "like Gideon," David "ventured through the guards, with a special assurance of the divine protection."
The venture also became a test of David's restraint. Abishai, the volunteer, was ready to finish Saul with one blow (1 Samuel 26:8). David's answer shows he would not take Saul's life; instead he carried away proof that he could have (1 Samuel 26:11-12, 16).
The Commentaries
Voices from across the centuriesGenerations of believers have studied this verse. See what they noticed.
Look Closer
Whom did David ask, "Who will go down with me"?
Carry the question into prayer and conversation.
Lord, where are You asking me to step forward with courage, and who might You want beside me?
A prayer to carry into the day.
- Abishai answered at once, "I will go down with thee." What makes you quick, or slow, to say yes when someone needs a partner in a hard task?
- Who has stood beside you in a risky or difficult moment, and what did their presence mean?
For you, a small group, a friend, or the dinner table.
David did not go down alone; he asked for someone to go with him, and Abishai said, "I will go down with thee" (1 Samuel 26:6). Hard assignments are easier to face with a companion, and being that companion for someone else is a real gift.
But a willing partner still needs to share the right goal. Abishai's eagerness quickly turned into a plan to kill Saul, and David had to say, "Destroy him not" (1 Samuel 26:8-9). Choose companions who will follow God's limits with you, and be that kind of companion yourself. This doesn't mean every daring plan is God's will; this passage describes what David did, it does not command you to copy it.
Built from the biblical text and checked against trusted commentaries and lexicons. References & Sources
Keep questioning
“For who can stretch forth his hand against the LORD's anointed, and be guiltless?”
“Doth not David hide himself in the hill of Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon?”
“Answerest thou not, Abner? Who art thou that criest to the king?”
“Art not thou a valiant man? And who is like to thee in Israel? Wherefore then hast thou not kept thy lord the king?”