13 Then David and his men, who were about six hundred, arose and departed out of Keilah, and went wherever they could go. It was told Saul that David was escaped from Keilah; and he gave up going there.
*Minor differences ignored. Grouped by changes, with first version listed as example.
Then David and his men, which were about six hundred,.... Having had an increase of two hundred since he was at the cave of Adullam, 1-Samuel 22:1, and upon his relief of Keilah, 1-Samuel 23:5; so that he sustained no loss of men by fighting with the Philistines, but had an addition to his small forces:
arose and departed out of Keilah, and went whithersoever they could go; not knowing whither they should go, having no particular place in view; but went where they thought they could be safest, or that appeared the most proper place for them; so the Targum,"they went to a place which was fit to go unto;''which was fittest for their purpose, and most for their safety and security, be it where it would:
and it was told Saul that David was escaped from Keilah; very likely some of the inhabitants informed him of it, since they were disposed to deliver David to him, had he stayed among them, and Saul had come down:
and he forbore to go forth: from the place where he was, in order to come to Keilah,
"They went whithersoever they could go" (lit. "they wandered about where they wandered about"), i.e., wherever they could go without danger.
*More commentary available at chapter level.