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1 Samuel 17:55

in 1 Samuel 17

As Saul had watched David going out to confront the Philistine, he said to Abner the commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is this young man?” “As surely as you live, O king,” Abner replied, “I do not know.”

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

And when Saul saw David go forth against the Philistine, he said unto Abner, the captain of the host, Abner, whose son is this youth? And Abner said, As thy soul liveth, O king, I cannot tell.

KJV

And when Saul saw David go forth against the Philistine, he said unto Abner, the captain of the host, Abner, whose son is this youth? And Abner said, As thy soul liveth, O king, I cannot tell.

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This verse in 1 Samuel 17

Commentary

5 notes on this verse

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

Saul . . . said unto Abner . . . whose son is this youth?--A young man is more spoken of in many Eastern countries by his father's name than his own. The growth of the beard, and other changes on a now full-grown youth, prevented the king from recognizing his former favorite minstrel [1Sa 16:23].

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices

A commentator

John Wesley

1703–1791

Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)

Besides the distemper of Saul's mind might make him forgetful; and that David might be now much changed, both in his countenance and in his habit. I cannot tell - Abner's employment was generally in the camp, when David was at the court; and when Abner was there, he took little notice of a person so much inferior to him as David was.

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

4 And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. 5 And he had a helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass.

quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — scripture-overlap:100%@v3-5

And when Saul saw David go forth against the Philistine,....

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

Whose son ... - See the marginal reference note.

The words behind it

24 Hebrew words

Every 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.

  • וְכִרְא֨וֹתand just as saw

    vekhirotH7200 →1300 times

  • שָׁא֜וּלSaul

    shaulH7586 →402 times

  • אֶת־<obj.>

    ʾet-H853 →10935 times

  • דָּוִ֗דDavid

    davidH1732 →999 times

  • יֹצֵא֙going out

    yotze'H3318 →1067 times

  • לִקְרַ֣אתto meet

    likratH7122 →139 times

  • הַפְּלִשְׁתִּ֔יthe Philistine

    hapelishtiH6430 →287 times

  • אָמַ֗רhe said

    ʾamarH559 →5305 times

  • אֶל־to

    ʾel-H413 →5510 times

  • אַבְנֵר֙Abner

    ʾavnerH74 →63 times

  • שַׂ֣ר[the] commander of

    sarH8269 →421 times

  • הַצָּבָ֔אthe army

    hatzava'H6635 →485 times

  • בֶּן־son of

    ben-H1121 →4930 times

  • מִי־whom?

    mi-H4310 →423 times

  • זֶ֥הthis

    zehH2088 →1180 times

  • הַנַּ֖עַר[is] the youth

    hanaarH5288 →239 times

  • אַבְנֵ֑רO Abner

    ʾavnerH74 →63 times

  • וַיֹּ֣אמֶרand he said

    vaiyomerH559 →5305 times

  • אַבְנֵ֔רAbner

    ʾavnerH74 →63 times

  • חֵֽי־[by] [the] life of

    chei-H2416 →498 times

  • נַפְשְׁךָ֥self your

    nafshekhaH5315 →754 times

  • הַמֶּ֖לֶךְO king

    hamelekhH4428 →2525 times

  • אִם־if

    ʾim-H518 →1069 times

  • יָדָֽעְתִּי׃I knew

    yadaetiH3045 →945 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

13 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

1 Samuel 26:5Then David set out and went to the place where Saul had camped. He saw the place where Saul and Abner son of Ner, the general of his army, had lain down. Saul was lying inside the inner circle of the camp, with the troops camped around him.5 works1 Samuel 16:21–22When David came to Saul and entered his service, Saul admired him greatly, and David became his armor-bearer.4 worksGenesis 42:15And this is how you will be tested: As surely as Pharaoh lives, you shall not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here.4 works1 Samuel 1:26“Please, my lord,” said Hannah, “as surely as you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the LORD.3 works1 Samuel 17:58“Whose son are you, young man?” asked Saul. “I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem,” David replied.2 works2 Samuel 11:11Uriah answered, “The ark and Israel and Judah are dwelling in tents, and my master Joab and his soldiers are camped in the open field. How can I go to my house to eat and drink and sleep with my wife? As surely as you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do such a thing!”2 works
The other 7 cross-references, with their words ▾
2 Samuel 14:19So the king asked, “Is the hand of Joab behind all this?” The woman answered, “As surely as you live, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right or to the left from anything that my lord the king says. Yes, your servant Joab is the one who gave me orders; he told your maidservant exactly what to say.2 works2 Samuel 2:8Meanwhile, Abner son of Ner, the commander of Saul’s army, took Saul’s son Ish-bosheth, moved him to Mahanaim,2 worksDaniel 3:24Suddenly King Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in amazement and asked his advisers, “Did we not throw three men, firmly bound, into the fire?” “Certainly, O king,” they replied.2 works1 Chronicles 26:28Everything that had been dedicated by Samuel the seer, Saul son of Kish, Abner son of Ner, and Joab son of Zeruiah, along with everything else that was dedicated, was under the care of Shelomith and his brothers.2 works1 Samuel 14:50His wife’s name was Ahinoam daughter of Ahimaaz. The name of the commander of his army was Abner, the son of Saul’s uncle Ner.2 works1 Samuel 20:3But David again vowed, “Your father knows very well that I have found favor in your eyes, and he has said, ‘Jonathan must not know of this, or he will be grieved.’ As surely as the LORD lives and as you yourself live, there is but a step between me and death.”2 works2 Kings 2:2and Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here, for the LORD has sent me on to Bethel.” But Elisha replied, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel.1 works

The walk

2 stops

Each 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

    1 Samuel 17:58

    “Whose son are you, young man?” asked Saul. “I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem,” David replied.

    it leads to

    • 1 Samuel 17:12

      Now David was the son of a man named Jesse, an Ephrathite from Bethlehem of Judah who had eight sons in the days of Saul. And Jesse was old and well along in years.

    • 1 Samuel 16:18–19

      One of the servants answered, “I have seen a son of Jesse of Bethlehem who knows how to play the harp. He is a mighty man of valor, a warrior, eloquent and handsome, and…

Where this verse is studied

About 1 Samuel

David Slays Goliath — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain
David Slays Goliath — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain
1 Samuel: the study guide →Read 1 Samuel 17 →

This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.

Read on in 1 Samuel 17 →