1 Samuel 30:11
in 1 Samuel 30Now his men found an Egyptian in the field and brought him to David. They gave the man water to drink and food to eat—
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he did eat; and they gave him water to drink;
KJV
And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he did eat; and they made him drink water;
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This verse in 1 Samuel 30
Commentary
5 notes on this verseThe poor and the feeble, the blind and the lame, are called and come because the weak and the despised in this world are often quicker to hear the voice of God, as in this world they have nothing to delight them.The Egyptian servant of the Amalekites is a good example of this. When the Amalekites were plundering and moving about, he was left behind on the road sick and fainting from hunger and thirst.
This site's exposition
an Egyptian in the field
on 1 Samuel 30:11-13
An Amalekite master leaves a sick servant to die in the open, three days without bread or water, and David's men feed him before they question him. The contrast is plain without being stated: Amalek abandons what it no longer needs, and David's camp gives bread first and asks its questions after. The Egyptian's own account at verse fourteen supplies the geography no other verse gives for this raid.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
And they found an Egyptian man in the field, etc. The Catholic teachers hastening to engage in the battle with the heretics often find men abandoned by them, notable for the dark stain of their sins, unable to follow the teachers of error to devastate …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
And they found an Egyptian in the field,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David--Old and homeborn slaves are usually treated with great kindness. But a purchased or captured slave must look to himself; for, if feeble or sick, his master will leave him to perish rather than encumber himself with any additional burden.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
The words behind it
14 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַֽיִּמְצְא֤וּ | vaiyimtzeu | and they found | H4672 → | 455 times |
| אִישׁ־ | ʾish- | a man | H376 → | 1663 times |
| מִצְרִי֙ | mitzri | Egyptian | H4713 → | 70 times |
| בַּשָּׂדֶ֔ה | basadeh | in the open country | H7704 → | 334 times |
| וַיִּקְח֥וּ | vaiyikchu | and they took | H3947 → | 966 times |
| אֹת֖וֹ | ʾoto | <obj.> him | H853 → | 10935 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| דָּוִ֑ד | david | David | H1732 → | 999 times |
| וַיִּתְּנוּ־ | vaiyitenu- | and they gave | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| ל֥וֹ | lo | to <the> him | ||
| לֶ֙חֶם֙ | lechem | bread | H3899 → | 298 times |
| וַיֹּ֔אכַל | vaiyokhal | and he ate | H398 → | 810 times |
| וַיַּשְׁקֻ֖הוּ | vaiyashkuhu | and they gave to drink him | H8248 → | |
| מָֽיִם׃ | mayim | water | H4325 → | 581 times |
וַֽיִּמְצְא֤וּand they found
vaiyimtzeuH4672 →455 times
אִישׁ־a man
ʾish-H376 →1663 times
מִצְרִי֙Egyptian
mitzriH4713 →70 times
בַּשָּׂדֶ֔הin the open country
basadehH7704 →334 times
וַיִּקְח֥וּand they took
vaiyikchuH3947 →966 times
אֹת֖וֹ<obj.> him
ʾotoH853 →10935 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
דָּוִ֑דDavid
davidH1732 →999 times
וַיִּתְּנוּ־and they gave
vaiyitenu-H5414 →2011 times
ל֥וֹto <the> him
lo
לֶ֙חֶם֙bread
lechemH3899 →298 times
וַיֹּ֔אכַלand he ate
vaiyokhalH398 →810 times
וַיַּשְׁקֻ֖הוּand they gave to drink him
vaiyashkuhuH8248 →
מָֽיִם׃water
mayimH4325 →581 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
Matthew 25:35For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you took Me in,
it leads to
- 1 John 3:16–19
By this we know what love is: Jesus laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.
- James 2:15–16
Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.
- Deuteronomy 15:7–11
If there is a poor man among your brothers within any of the gates in the land that the LORD your God is giving you, then you are not to harden your heart or…
- Ezekiel 18:16
He does not oppress another, or retain a pledge, or commit robbery. He gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with clothing.
- 1 John 3:16–19
Through
Proverbs 25:21If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.
it leads to
- Romans 12:20–21
On the contrary, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink. For in so doing, you will heap burning coals on his head.”
- Matthew 5:44
But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
- Exodus 23:4–5
If you encounter your enemy’s stray ox or donkey, you must return it to him.
- Proverbs 24:17
Do not gloat when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart rejoice when he stumbles,
- Romans 12:20–21
About 1 Samuel
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Bede, Commentary on Samuel; Gregory the Dialogist, Forty Gospel Homilies, Homily 36; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament and John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763).