1 Samuel 30:13

13 And David said to him, “To whom do you belong? And where are you from? ” He said, “I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite, and my master left me behind because I fell sick three days ago.

1 Samuel 30:13 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 30:13

And David said unto him, to whom [belongest] thou?
&c.] To what country or people? and to whom among them?

and whence [art] thou?
of what nation? where wast thou born? what countryman art thou? for his being called an Egyptian before seems to be by anticipation, unless it was guessed at by his habit; for until he had eaten and drank he could not speak, and so could not be known by his speech:

for he said, I [am] a young man of Egypt;
that was the country he belonged to, and came from; he was an Egyptian by birth:

servant to an Amalekite;
one of those that had invaded the country, and burnt Ziklag, as it follows:

and my master left me, because three days agone I fell sick;
which was very barbarous and cruel to leave him at all, when they had camels with them, ( 1 Samuel 30:17 ) ; and no doubt carriages for their arms, provision, and spoil, and men; and more so to leave him without anybody with him to take care of him, and without any food, when he capable of eating any; but so it was ordered by the providence of God, that should be left to be the instrument of the just ruin of his master, and of the whole troop.

1 Samuel 30:13 In-Context

11 They found an Egyptian in the open country and brought him to David. And they gave him bread and he ate. They gave him water to drink,

12 and they gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. And when he had eaten, his spirit revived, for he had not eaten bread or drunk water for three days and three nights.

13 And David said to him, “To whom do you belong? And where are you from? ” He said, “I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite, and my master left me behind because I fell sick three days ago.

14 We had made a raid against the Negeb of the Cherethites and against that which belongs to Judah and against the Negeb of Caleb, and we burned Ziklag with fire. ”

15 And David said to him, “Will you take me down to this band? ” And he said, “Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will take you down to this band. ”