1 Samuel 26:21
Then said Saul, I have sinned: return, my son David: for I will no more do thee harm, because my soul was precious in thine eyes this day: behold, I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly.
Cross-reference
First Samuel 26:24 contains David's reply, echoing Saul's own words about his life being precious, showing mutual recognition.
In 1 Samuel 15:24, Saul also confesses 'I have sinned' to Samuel — the same admission he makes to David here after being spared.
In 1 Samuel 15:30, Saul confesses sin and then asks for honor — similar to his plea for David to return after his confession here.
In 1 Samuel 24:17, Saul admits David is more righteous after being spared — the same dynamic as his confession here after the second sparing.
First Samuel 27:4 narrates the outcome: Saul stops pursuing David after this confession, showing its immediate effect.
Matthew 27:4 records Judas saying 'I have sinned' in betraying innocent blood, echoing Saul's confession of sin against innocent David.
In 2 Samuel 24:10, David uses the same language: 'I have sinned... I have done very foolishly'—echoing Saul's confession of folly.
In 1 Chronicles 21:8, David confesses 'I have sinned greatly... I have done very foolishly'—a direct parallel to Saul's admission of folly.
In Romans 12:20, Paul instructs to feed an enemy—David's sparing of Saul here exemplifies that loving response.
In Psalm 7:4, David claims he has not repaid evil for good—precisely what he demonstrated by sparing Saul here.
In 2 Samuel 19:19, Shimei similarly confesses his sin to David and pleads for mercy—mirroring Saul's acknowledgment of wrongdoing here.
In 2 Kings 1:14, Elijah pleads 'let my life be precious in thy sight'—the same phrase Saul used to acknowledge David sparing him.
Proverbs 19:19 warns that a wrathful man must be rescued repeatedly—Saul's anger led him to sin, and David spared him, yet Saul later pursued again.
In Exodus 9:27, Pharaoh also confesses 'I have sinned' after judgment, paralleling Saul's admission of sin here.
Exodus 10:16 records Pharaoh's confession 'I have sinned' after a plague, another ruler admitting sin under pressure.
Numbers 22:34 shows Balaam confessing 'I have sinned' after being confronted, similar to Saul's confession after David spares him.