1 Samuel 30:1-11

1 On the third day, when David and his men arrived at Ziklag, he found that the Amalekites had raided southern Judah and Ziklag, attacking Ziklag and burning it.

2 They captured the women and everyone, young and old, but they had not killed anyone. They had only taken them away.

3 When David and his men came to Ziklag, they found the town had been burned and their wives, sons, and daughters had been taken as prisoners.

4 Then David and his army cried loudly until they were too weak to cry anymore.

5 David's two wives had also been taken -- Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal from Carmel.

6 The men in the army were threatening to kill David with stones, which greatly upset David. Each man was sad and angry because his sons and daughters had been captured, but David found strength in the Lord his God.

7 David said to Abiathar the priest, "Bring me the holy vest."

8 Then David asked the Lord, "Should I chase the people who took our families? Will I catch them?" The Lord answered, "Chase them. You will catch them, and you will succeed in saving your families."

9 David and the six hundred men with him came to the Besor Ravine, where some of the men stayed.

10 David and four hundred men kept up the chase. The other two hundred men stayed behind because they were too tired to cross the ravine.

11 They found an Egyptian in a field and brought him to David. They gave the Egyptian some water to drink and some food to eat.

1 Samuel 30:1-11 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.