1 Samuel 30:16-31

David Defeats the Amalekites

16 And when he had taken him down, behold, they were spread abroad over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah.

17 And David struck them down from twilight until the evening of the next day, and not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men, who mounted camels and fled.

18 ¹David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken, and David rescued his two wives.

19 Nothing was missing, whether small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything that had been taken. ²David brought back all.

20 David also captured all the flocks and herds, and the people drove the livestock before him,^[a] and said, "This is David's spoil."

21 Then David came to ³the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow David, and who had been left ⁴at the brook Besor. And they went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him. And when David came near to the people he greeted them.

22 Then all the wicked and worthless fellows among the men who had gone with David said, "Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered, except that each man may lead away his wife and children, and depart."

23 But David said, "You shall not do so, my brothers, with what the LORD has given us. He has preserved us and given into our hand the band that came against us.

24 Who would listen to you in this matter? ⁵For as his share is who goes down into the battle, so shall his share be who stays by the baggage. They shall share alike."

25 And he made it a statute and a rule for Israel from that day forward to this day.

26 When David came to Ziklag, he sent part of the spoil to his friends, the elders of Judah, saying, "Here is a present for you from the spoil of the enemies of the LORD."

27 It was for those in ⁶Bethel, in Ramoth of the Negeb, in ⁷Jattir,

28 in ⁸Aroer, in Siphmoth, in ⁹Eshtemoa,

29 in Racal, in the cities of ¹⁰the Jerahmeelites, in the cities of ¹¹the Kenites,

30 in ¹²Hormah, in Bor-ashan, in Athach,

31 in ¹³Hebron, for all the places where David and his men had roamed.

1 Samuel 30:16-31 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 30

This chapter relates the condition Ziklag was in when David and his men came to it, the city burnt, and their families carried captive by the Amalekites, which occasioned not only a general lamentation, but mutiny and murmuring in David's men, 1Sa 30:1-6; the inquiry David made of the Lord what he should do, who is bid to pursue the enemy; and being directed by a lad where they were, fell upon them, and routed them, and brought back the captives with a great spoil, 1Sa 30:7-20; the distribution of the spoil, both to those that went with him, and to those who through faintness were left behind, 1Sa 30:21-25; and the presents of it he sent to several places in the tribe of Judah, who had been kind to him when he dwelt among them, 1Sa 30:26-31.

Cross References

• 1. ver. 8
• 2. [See ver. 18 above]
• 3. ver. 10
• 4. ver. 10
• 5. [Numbers 31:27; Joshua 22:8]
• 6. Genesis 28:19; See Judges 1:22-26
• 7. Joshua 15:48
• 8. Deuteronomy 2:36; Joshua 13:16
• 9. Joshua 15:50
• 10. 1 Samuel 27:10
• 11. See Judges 1:16
• 12. Judges 1:17
• 13. Joshua 14:13-15; Judges 1:10; 2 Samuel 2:1-4

Footnotes

• [a]. The meaning of the Hebrew clause is uncertain