1 Samuel 29:5
in 1 Samuel 29Is this not the David about whom they sing in their dances: ‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands’?”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Is not this David, of whom they sang one to another in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands?
KJV
Is not this David, of whom they sang one to another in dances, saying, Saul slew his thousands, and David his ten thousands?
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This verse in 1 Samuel 29
Commentary
2 notes on this verseIs not this David, of whom they sang one to another in dances,.... Long ago: saying, Saul slew his thousands, and David his ten thousands; so that he is an old sworn enemy of ours; and the more valiant and victorious he has been, the less is he to be trusted, see 1Sa 18:7.
This site's exposition
Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands
The song first sung by Israel's women at 18:7 returns here from Philistine mouths. It does the opposite work now, praise that once cost David Saul's jealousy costs him a place in the Philistine line. His own reputation becomes the means that keeps him off the field at Gilboa.
The words behind it
13 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| הֲלוֹא־ | halo'- | ¿ not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| זֶ֣ה | zeh | [is] this | H2088 → | 1180 times |
| דָוִ֔ד | david | David | H1732 → | 999 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֧ר | ʾasher | whom | H834 → | 5497 times |
| יַעֲנוּ־ | yaanu- | people sing | H6030 → | 331 times |
| ל֛וֹ | lo | of <the> him | ||
| בַּמְּחֹל֖וֹת | bamecholot | in <the> dances | H4246 → | 8 times |
| לֵאמֹ֑ר | lemor | <to> saying | H559 → | 5305 times |
| הִכָּ֤ה | hikah | he has struck down | H5221 → | 499 times |
| שָׁאוּל֙ | shaul | Saul | H7586 → | 402 times |
| בַּֽאֲלָפָ֔יו | baalafav | <on> thousands his | H505 → | 505 times |
| וְדָוִ֖ד | vedavid | and David | H1732 → | 999 times |
| בְּרִבְבֹתָֽיו׃ ס | berivotov | <on> ten thousands his | H7233 → | 16 times |
הֲלוֹא־¿ not
halo'-H3808 →5168 times
זֶ֣ה[is] this
zehH2088 →1180 times
דָוִ֔דDavid
davidH1732 →999 times
אֲשֶׁ֧רwhom
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
יַעֲנוּ־people sing
yaanu-H6030 →331 times
ל֛וֹof <the> him
lo
בַּמְּחֹל֖וֹתin <the> dances
bamecholotH4246 →8 times
לֵאמֹ֑ר<to> saying
lemorH559 →5305 times
הִכָּ֤הhe has struck down
hikahH5221 →499 times
שָׁאוּל֙Saul
shaulH7586 →402 times
בַּֽאֲלָפָ֔יו<on> thousands his
baalafavH505 →505 times
וְדָוִ֖דand David
vedavidH1732 →999 times
בְּרִבְבֹתָֽיו׃ ס<on> ten thousands his
berivotovH7233 →16 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Proverbs 27:14If one blesses his neighbor with a loud voice early in the morning, it will be counted to him as a curse.
it leads to
- 2 Samuel 16:16–19
And David’s friend Hushai the Archite went to Absalom and said to him, “Long live the king! Long live the king!”
- Acts 12:22–23
And they began to shout, “This is the voice of a god, not a man!”
- Jeremiah 28:2–4
“This is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘I have broken the yoke of the king of Babylon.
- 2 Samuel 15:2–7
He would get up early and stand beside the road leading to the city gate. Whenever anyone had a grievance to bring before the king for a decision, Absalom would call out and ask,…
- 1 Kings 22:13
Then the messenger who had gone to call Micaiah instructed him, “Behold now, with one accord the words of the prophets are favorable to the king. So please let your words be like theirs,…
- 2 Samuel 16:16–19
Through
1 Samuel 21:11But the servants of Achish said to him, “Is this not David, the king of the land? Did they not sing about him in their dances, saying: ‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David…
it leads to
- Psalms 56:1–13
Be merciful to me, O God, for men are hounding me; all day they press their attack.
- 1 Samuel 16:1
Now the LORD said to Samuel, “How long are you going to mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I am sending…
- 1 Samuel 18:7–8
And as the women danced, they sang out: “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.”
- Psalms 56:1–13
About 1 Samuel

Who and where
2 names in this verse with a page on the site.
- PersonUnited MonarchyDavidSecond king of united Israel, shepherd-turned-monarch, ancestor of the Messiah, and traditional author of many Psalms.
- PersonUnited monarchySaulIsrael's first king, head and shoulders above the people; began in humility, ended in rejection — sparing what God devoted, consul…
This page draws on John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.
