1 Samuel 30:8

8 David asked the Lord, "Shall I go after those raiders? And will I catch them?" He answered, "Go after them; you will catch them and rescue the captives."

1 Samuel 30:8 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 30:8

And David inquired of the Lord
That is, by Abiathar, who reported his questions to the Lord in his name:

saying, shall I pursue after this troop?
the large company of the Amalekites, as it appears by what follows they were:

shall I overtake them?
two questions are here put together, and answers returned to them, contrary to a notion of the Jews; (See Gill on 1 Samuel 23:11);

and he answered him, pursue;
which respects the first question:

for thou shall surely overtake [them];
which is an answer to the second question, and a full one, giving full assurance of overtaking; to which is added more than what was inquired about;

and without fail recover [all];
their wives, sons, and daughters, and the spoil that was taken; or "in delivering thou shall deliver" ^F16, out of the hands of the Amalekites, whatsoever they had taken.

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FOOTNOTES:

F16 (lyut luh) "eruendo erues", Pagninus, Montanus; "eripiendo erepturus es", Piscator.

1 Samuel 30:8 In-Context

6 David was now in great trouble, because his men were all very bitter about losing their children, and they were threatening to stone him; but the Lord his God gave him courage.

7 David said to the priest Abiathar son of Ahimelech, "Bring me the ephod," and Abiathar brought it to him.

8 David asked the Lord, "Shall I go after those raiders? And will I catch them?" He answered, "Go after them; you will catch them and rescue the captives."

9 So David and his six hundred men started out, and when they arrived at Besor Brook, some of them stayed there.

10 David continued on his way with four hundred men; the other two hundred men were too tired to cross the brook and so stayed behind.