5 and David riseth, and cometh in unto the place where Saul hath encamped, and David seeth the place where Saul hath lain, and Abner son of Ner, head of his host, and Saul is lying in the path, and the people are encamping round about him.
6 And David answereth and saith unto Ahimelech the Hittite, and unto Abishai son of Zeruiah, brother of Joab, saying, 'Who doth go down with me unto Saul, unto the camp?' and Abishai saith, 'I—I go down with thee.' 7 And David cometh—and Abishai—unto the people by night, and lo, Saul is lying sleeping in the path, and his spear struck into the earth at his pillow, and abner and the people are lying round about him. 8 And Abishai saith unto David, 'God hath shut up to-day thine enemy into thy hand; and, now, let me smite him, I pray thee, with a spear, even into the earth at once—and I do repeat 'it' to him.' 9 And David saith unto Abishai, 'Destroy him not; for who hath put forth his hand against the anointed of Jehovah, and been acquitted?' 10 And David saith, 'Jehovah liveth; except Jehovah doth smite him, or his day come that he hath died, or into battle he go down, and hath been consumed— 11 far be it from me, by Jehovah, from putting forth my hand against the anointed of Jehovah; and, now, take, I pray thee, the spear which 'is' at his pillow, and the cruse of water, and we go away.' 12 And David taketh the spear, and the cruse of water at the pillow of Saul, and they go away, and there is none seeing, and there is none knowing, and there is none awaking, for all of them are sleeping, for a deep sleep 'from' Jehovah hath fallen upon them.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on 1 Samuel 26:5-12
Commentary on 1 Samuel 26:1-12
(Read 1 Samuel 26:1-12)
How soon do unholy hearts lose the good impressions convictions have made upon them! How helpless were Saul and all his men! All as though disarmed and chained, yet nothing is done to them; they are only asleep. How easily can God weaken the strongest, befool the wisest, and baffle the most watchful! David still resolved to wait till God thought fit to avenge him on Saul. He will by no means force his way to the promised crown by any wrong methods. The temptation was very strong; but if he yielded, he would sin against God, therefore he resisted the temptation, and trusted God with the event.