John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 8. And there was war again , etc.] Between Israel and the Philistines; it does not appear that either of them sent out their whole force, only some parties or detachments, between which there were skirmishes: and David went out and fought with the Philistines ; he went out with his thousand men, over which he was made captain, ( 1 Samuel 18:13); for he had not the command of the whole army; that belonged to Abner: and slew them with a great slaughter, and they fled from him ; he killed many of them in his engagements with them, and the rest fled, and he returned victorious; which stirred up the envy and increased the jealousy of Saul, to observe which this is related.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-10 - How forcible are right words! Saul was, for a time, convinced of the unreasonableness of his enmity to David; but he continued his malic against David. So incurable is the hatred of the seed of the serpen against that of the woman; so deceitful and desperately wicked is the heart of man without the grace of God, Jer 17:9.
Original Hebrew ותוסף3254 המלחמה4421 להיות1961 ויצא3318 דוד1732 וילחם3898 בפלשׁתים6430 ויך5221 בהם מכה4347 גדולה1419 וינסו5127 מפניו׃6440
