1 Samuel 30:31
in 1 Samuel 30and to those in Hebron and in all the places where David and his men had roamed.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
and to them that were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were wont to haunt.
KJV
And to them which were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were wont to haunt.
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This verse in 1 Samuel 30
Commentary
8 notes on this verseAnd to them which were in Hebron,.... A noted city in the tribe of Judah, in the mountainous part of it, and a city of refuge, and where David was afterwards anointed, first king over Judah, and then over Israel, 2Sa 2:4, and to all the places where David himself and his men were wont to haunt; where they had their walks, and went to and fro when persecuted by Saul; all such places, and the inhabitants of them, David had a grateful remembrance of, who sheltered and relieved him in the times of his distress.
This site's exposition
he sent some of the plunder to his friends, the elders of Judah
on 1 Samuel 30:26-31
David sends a gift “from the plunder of the LORD’s enemies” to town after town in Judah, from Bethel to Hebron. Clarke calls it plain gratitude to those who protected him. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown read the gifts as the seed of the support that brought Judah to anoint him.
This site's exposition
and to those in Hebron
Matthew Henry notes that Keilah and Ziph receive nothing. Both had been ready to hand David over, and Henry thinks the largest share went to Hebron, the place David had in view. Albert Barnes adds that Hebron was a city of refuge, twenty miles south of Jerusalem.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
He was fit to be a king who thus showed the bounty and liberality of a king. Munificence recommends a man more than magnificence. The Ziphites had none of his presents, nor the men of Keilah; and thus he showed that, though he was such a saint as not to revenge affronts, yet he was not such a fool as not to take notice of them.
5 And David's two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. 6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the L ORD his God.
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — scripture-overlap:97%@v5-6
), probably because thither he sent the residuum, which was the largest share, having an eye upon that place as fittest for his head-quarters, 2 Sam. ii.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Hebron - Now El-Khulil (see Gen 23:2). Hebron was a city of refuge Jos 20:7, and one of the cities of the Kohathites Jos 21:11. It lies twenty miles south of Jerusalem.
To them which were in Hebron - This was a place strongly attached to David, and David to it, and the place where he was proclaimed king, and where he reigned more than seven years previously to the death of Ishbosheth, Saul’s son, who was, for that time, his competitor in the kingdom. David’s having sent presents to all these places, not only shows his sense of gratitude, but that the booty which he took from the Amalekites must have been exceedingly great. And we learn from this also that David sojourned in many places which are not mentioned in the preceding history; for these are all said to be places where David and his men were wont to haunt. We are not to suppose that the transactions mentioned here and in the preceding chapter took place after Saul’s interview with the woman of En-dor, they were considerably antecedent to this, but how long we do not know. What is recorded in the following chapter must have taken place the next day after Saul left En-dor.
The words behind it
10 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְלַאֲשֶׁ֖ר | velaasher | and for [those] who | H834 → | 5497 times |
| בְּחֶבְר֑וֹן | bechevron | [were] in Hebron | H2275 → | |
| וּֽלְכָל־ | ulekhol- | and for all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| הַמְּקֹמ֛וֹת | hamekomot | the places | H4725 → | 401 times |
| אֲשֶֽׁר־ | ʾasher- | where | H834 → | 5497 times |
| הִתְהַלֶּךְ־ | hithalekh- | he had gone about | H1980 → | 1546 times |
| שָׁ֥ם | sham | there | H8033 → | 834 times |
| דָּוִ֖ד | david | David | H1732 → | 999 times |
| ה֥וּא | hu' | he | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| וַאֲנָשָֽׁיו׃ פ | vaanashav | and men his | H582 → | 566 times |
וְלַאֲשֶׁ֖רand for [those] who
velaasherH834 →5497 times
בְּחֶבְר֑וֹן[were] in Hebron
bechevronH2275 →
וּֽלְכָל־and for all
ulekhol-H3605 →5413 times
הַמְּקֹמ֛וֹתthe places
hamekomotH4725 →401 times
אֲשֶֽׁר־where
ʾasher-H834 →5497 times
הִתְהַלֶּךְ־he had gone about
hithalekh-H1980 →1546 times
שָׁ֥םthere
shamH8033 →834 times
דָּוִ֖דDavid
davidH1732 →999 times
ה֥וּאhe
hu'H1931 →1879 times
וַאֲנָשָֽׁיו׃ פand men his
vaanashavH582 →566 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
2 Samuel 2:4Then the men of Judah came to Hebron, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. And they told David, “It was the men of Jabesh-gilead who buried Saul.”
it leads to
- 2 Samuel 5:5
In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah.
- 1 Samuel 31:11–13
When the people of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,
- 2 Samuel 5:3
So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, where King David made with them a covenant before the LORD. And they anointed him king over Israel.
- 2 Samuel 5:5
Through
2 Samuel 4:1Now when Ish-bosheth son of Saul heard that Abner had died in Hebron, he lost courage, and all Israel was dismayed.
it leads to
- Ezra 4:4
Then the people of the land set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to build.
- Ezra 4:4
Through
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…
it leads to
- Psalms 143:8
Let me hear Your loving devotion in the morning, for I have put my trust in You. Teach me the way I should walk, for to You I lift up my soul.
- Proverbs 3:5–6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;
- 1 Samuel 23:2
So 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.”
- Genesis 32:2
When Jacob saw them, he said, “This is the camp of God.” So he named that place Mahanaim.
- Psalms 143:8
Where this verse is studied
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.
- PlaceJudean hill countryHebronThe city of the patriarchs, where Abraham bought the cave of Machpelah, Caleb took his inheritance, and David reigned seven years…
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.