1 Samuel 30:16

16 He led David to them. They were scattered all over the place, eating and drinking, gorging themselves on all the loot they had plundered from Philistia and Judah.

1 Samuel 30:16 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 30:16

And when he had brought him down
To the place where the company of the Amalekites were, or near it:

behold, [they were] spread abroad upon all the earth;
they were not in any regular order, and much less in any military form, but lay about in the fields, scattered here and there, were in detached parties:

some eating and drinking;
in one place:

and dancing;
others, in another place, expressing their joy, and perhaps their thankfulness to their idols

because of the great spoil they had taken out of the land of the
Philistines, and out of the land of Judah;
from Ziklag, and from the south of the Cherethites, and the south of Judah, they had invaded, ( 1 Samuel 30:14 ) ; and here they were in the greatest security; knowing: that the armies of the Philistines were gone into the land of Israel, and were about to engage in battle with the Israelites, and David they supposed was with the Philistines, so that they had nothing to fear from any quarter; and thus it is often, that when men cry peace, peace, sudden destruction comes upon them.

1 Samuel 30:16 In-Context

14 We had raided the Negev of the Kerethites, of Judah, and of Caleb. Ziklag we burned."

15 David asked him, "Can you take us to the raiders?" "Promise me by God," he said, "that you won't kill me or turn me over to my old master, and I'll take you straight to the raiders."

16 He led David to them. They were scattered all over the place, eating and drinking, gorging themselves on all the loot they had plundered from Philistia and Judah.

17 David pounced. He fought them from before sunrise until evening of the next day. None got away except for four hundred of the younger men who escaped by riding off on camels.

18 David rescued everything the Amalekites had taken. And he rescued his two wives!