1 Samuelchapter 30
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A.Ziklag burned; David strengthens himself in Jehovahvv. 1-6
1 On the third day David and his men arrived in Ziklag, and the Amalekites had raided the Negev, attacked Ziklag, and burned it down. 2 They had taken captive the women and all who were there, both young and old. They had not killed anyone, but had carried them off as they went on their way. 3 When David and his men came to the city, they found it burned down and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. 4 So David and the troops with him lifted up their voices and wept until they had no strength left to weep. 5 David’s two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel, had been taken captive. 6 And David was greatly distressed because the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of every man grieved for his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the LORD his God.
B.An Egyptian slave found fainting in the fieldvv. 7-15
7 Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought it to him, 8 and David inquired of the LORD: “Should I pursue these raiders? Will I overtake them?” “Pursue them,” the LORD replied, “for you will surely overtake them and rescue the captives.” 9 So David and his six hundred men went to the Brook of Besor, where some stayed behind 10 because two hundred men were too exhausted to cross the brook. But David and four hundred men continued in pursuit. 11 Now his men found an Egyptian in the field and brought him to David. They gave the man water to drink and food to eat— 12 a piece of a fig cake and two clusters of raisins. So he ate and was revived, for he had not had any food or water for three days and three nights. 13 Then David asked him, “To whom do you belong, and where are you from?” “I am an Egyptian,” he replied, “the slave of an Amalekite. My master abandoned me three days ago when I fell ill. 14 We raided the Negev of the Cherethites, the territory of Judah, and the Negev of Caleb, and we burned down Ziklag.” 15 “Will you lead me to these raiders?” David asked. And the man replied, “Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or deliver me into the hand of my master, and I will lead you to them.”
C.Nothing lacking, small or great — all recoveredvv. 16-20
16 So he led David down, and there were the Amalekites spread out over all the land, eating, drinking, and celebrating the great amount of plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and the land of Judah. 17 And David struck them down from twilight until the evening of the next day. Not a man escaped, except four hundred young men who fled, riding off on camels. 18 So David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives. 19 Nothing was missing, young or old, son or daughter, or any of the plunder the Amalekites had taken. David brought everything back. 20 And he recovered all the flocks and herds, which his men drove ahead of the other livestock, calling out, “This is David’s plunder!”
D.Alike shall be the share; spoil sent to the elders of Judahvv. 21-31
21 When David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow him from the Brook of Besor, they came out to meet him and the troops with him. As David approached the men, he greeted them, 22 but all the wicked and worthless men among those who had gone with David said, “Because they did not go with us, we will not share with them the plunder we recovered, except for each man’s wife and children. They may take them and go.” 23 But David said, “My brothers, you must not do this with what the LORD has given us. He has protected us and delivered into our hands the raiders who came against us. 24 Who will listen to your proposal? The share of the one who went to battle will match the share of the one who stayed with the supplies. They will share alike.” 25 And so it has been from that day forward. David established this statute as an ordinance for Israel to this very day. 26 When David arrived in Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to his friends, the elders of Judah, saying, “Here is a gift for you from the plunder of the LORD’s enemies.” 27 He sent gifts to those in Bethel, Ramoth Negev, and Jattir; 28 to those in Aroer, Siphmoth, and Eshtemoa; 29 to those in Racal and in the cities of the Jerahmeelites and Kenites; 30 to those in Hormah, Bor-ashan, and Athach; 31 and to those in Hebron and in all the places where David and his men had roamed.
Chapter summary
David reaches Ziklag on the third day to find it burned and every wife, son, and daughter carried off by Amalekite raiders.
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Chapter summary
David reaches Ziklag on the third day to find it burned and every wife, son, and daughter carried off by Amalekite raiders.
Read the rest, the context and the outline ▾Show less ▴
David reaches Ziklag on the third day to find it burned and every wife, son, and daughter carried off by Amalekite raiders. The men weep till they have no more power to weep, and speak of stoning him; 'but David strengthened himself in Jehovah his God' (30:6). He calls for the ephod and asks whether to pursue: pursue, for thou shalt surely overtake, and without fail recover all. Two hundred are too faint to cross the brook Besor; four hundred go on, guided by a half-dead Egyptian slave revived with figs and raisins. They recover everything, nothing lacking, and David makes the share of him who tarries by the baggage equal to the share of him who goes down to the battle.
Drawn from Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory, Matthew Henry, Complete Commentary and John Wesley, Notes on the Old Testament.
Context
History · Samuel, Nathan, Gad — 1 Samuel overview
- A. 1–6 Ziklag burned; David strengthens himself in Jehovah
- B. 7–15 An Egyptian slave found fainting in the field
- C. 16–20 Nothing lacking, small or great — all recovered
- D. 21–31 Alike shall be the share; spoil sent to the elders of Judah
Top cross-references8 chapters ▾
1 Samuel 307 verses
- 1 Samuel 30:8and David inquired of the LORD: “Should I pursue these raiders? Will I overtake them?” “Pursue them,” the LORD replied, “for you will surely overtake them and rescue the captives.”
- 1 Samuel 30:9So David and his six hundred men went to the Brook of Besor, where some stayed behind
- 1 Samuel 30:10because two hundred men were too exhausted to cross the brook. But David and four hundred men continued in pursuit.
- 1 Samuel 30:13Then David asked him, “To whom do you belong, and where are you from?” “I am an Egyptian,” he replied, “the slave of an Amalekite. My master abandoned me three days ago when I fell ill.
- 1 Samuel 30:18So David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives.
- 1 Samuel 30:21When David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow him from the Brook of Besor, they came out to meet him and the troops with him. As David approached the men, he greeted them,
- Read 1 Samuel 30: 1 more there →
1 Samuel 274 verses
- 1 Samuel 27:2So David set out with his six hundred men and went to Achish son of Maoch, the king of Gath.
- 1 Samuel 27:3David and his men settled in Gath with Achish. Each man had his family with him, and David had his two wives: Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel, the widow of Nabal.
- 1 Samuel 27:10who would ask him, “What have you raided today?” And David would reply, “The Negev of Judah,” or “The Negev of Jerahmeel,” or “The Negev of the Kenites.”
- 1 Samuel 27:11David did not leave a man or woman alive to be brought to Gath, for he said, “Otherwise they will report us, saying, ‘This is what David did.’” And this was David’s custom the whole time he lived in Philistine territory.
- Read 1 Samuel 27 →
Numbers 143 verses
- Numbers 14:1Then the whole congregation lifted up their voices and cried out, and that night the people wept.
- Numbers 14:39And when Moses relayed these words to all the Israelites, the people mourned bitterly.
- Numbers 14:45Then the Amalekites and Canaanites who lived in that part of the hill country came down, attacked them, and routed them all the way to Hormah.
- Read Numbers 14 →
1 Samuel 232 verses
- 1 Samuel 23:2So David inquired of the LORD, “Should I go and attack these Philistines?” And the LORD said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah.”
- 1 Samuel 23:19Then the Ziphites came up to Saul at Gibeah and said, “Is not David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah south of Jeshimon?
- Read 1 Samuel 23 →
4 more chapters this one speaks with
1 Samuel 292 verses
- 1 Samuel 29:6So Achish summoned David and told him, “As surely as the LORD lives, you have been upright in my sight, and it seems right that you should march in and out with me in the army, because I have found no fault in you from the day you came to me until this day. But you have no favor in the sight of the leaders.
- 1 Samuel 29:11So David and his men got up early in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.
- Read 1 Samuel 29 →
1 Samuel 112 verses
- 1 Samuel 11:4When the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and relayed these words in the hearing of the people, they all wept aloud.
- 1 Samuel 11:11The next day Saul organized the troops into three divisions, and during the morning watch they invaded the camp of the Ammonites and slaughtered them, until the hottest part of the day. And the survivors were so scattered that no two of them were left together.
- Read 1 Samuel 11 →
1 Samuel 252 verses
- 1 Samuel 25:27Now let this gift your servant has brought to my lord be given to the young men who follow you.
- 1 Samuel 25:42So Abigail hurried and got on a donkey, and attended by five of her maidens, she followed David’s messengers and became his wife.
- Read 1 Samuel 25 →
2 Samuel 22 verses
- 2 Samuel 2:1Some time later, David inquired of the LORD, “Should I go up to one of the towns of Judah?” “Go up,” the LORD answered. Then David asked, “Where should I go?” “To Hebron,” replied the LORD.
- 2 Samuel 2:2So David went there with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel.
- Read 2 Samuel 2 →
Cross-references from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and OpenBible.info.