· Translation: KJV

1 Samuel 23:8Saul summoned all the people to war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men.

The setting

Ancient Israel, ~1020 BC. A paranoid king transforms a personal vendetta into a national military campaign, summoning citizens to hunt one man...

The emotion here: horror at watching nation mobilize for civil war

The original word

milchamah (מִלְחָמָה) — formal war declaration, not just a manhunt

Why it matters

This was Israel's first civil war, citizen against citizen

Read with care

What most readers miss in 1 Samuel 23:8

Saul called this a holy war - regular people thought they were serving God

Common misconceptionPeople think this was just Saul's army hunting David. Actually, he convinced ordinary Israelites this was God's will - showing how authority can manipulate masses.

Bible Genome reading

1 Samuel 23:8 — Bible Genome reading

SpeakerNarrator
EraUnited Kingdom
Primary emotionangry
Literary typenarrative

Emotional genome

Comfort power20%
Quotability30%
Memorability50%
Crisis relevance80%
Standalone60%
Themes:persecutionconflict

In context

No verse stands alone.

Read the conversation around it.

Open 1 Samuel 23

1 Samuel 23:8 comes from the book of 1 Samuel, written during the United Kingdom period. These words are attributed to Narrator. The dominant emotion in this verse is angry, with a comfort power of 20% and a tone that is urgent. It belongs to the narrative genre of biblical literature. Key themes include persecution, conflict. Notable phrases: Saul summoned all the people; to besiege David.

Your reflection

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