1 Samuel 30:7-31

7 Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelek, “Bring me the ephod.” Abiathar brought it to him,

8 and David inquired of the LORD, “Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?” “Pursue them,” he answered. “You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue.”

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

10 Two hundred of them were too exhausted to cross the valley, but David and the other four hundred continued the pursuit.

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

12 part of a cake of pressed figs and two cakes of raisins. He ate and was revived, for he had not eaten any food or drunk any water for three days and three nights.

13 David asked him, “Who do you belong to? Where do you come from?” He said, “I am an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite. My master abandoned me when I became ill three days ago.

14 We raided the Negev of the Kerethites, some territory belonging to Judah and the Negev of Caleb. And we burned Ziklag.”

15 David asked him, “Can you lead me down to this raiding party?” He answered, “Swear to me before God that you will not kill me or hand me over to my master, and I will take you down to them.”

16 He led David down, and there they were, scattered over the countryside, eating, drinking and reveling because of the great amount of plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from Judah.

17 David fought them from dusk until the evening of the next day, and none of them got away, except four hundred young men who rode off on camels and fled.

18 David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives.

19 Nothing was missing: young or old, boy or girl, plunder or anything else they had taken. David brought everything back.

20 He took all the flocks and herds, and his men drove them ahead of the other livestock, saying, “This is David’s plunder.”

21 Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow him and who were left behind at the Besor Valley. They came out to meet David and the men with him. As David and his men approached, he asked them how they were.

22 But all the evil men and troublemakers among David’s followers said, “Because they did not go out with us, we will not share with them the plunder we recovered. However, each man may take his wife and children and go.”

23 David replied, “No, my brothers, you must not do that with what the LORD has given us. He has protected us and delivered into our hands the raiding party that came against us.

24 Who will listen to what you say? The share of the man who stayed with the supplies is to be the same as that of him who went down to the battle. All will share alike.”

25 David made this a statute and ordinance for Israel from that day to this.

26 When David reached Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to the elders of Judah, who were his friends, saying, “Here is a gift for you from the plunder of the LORD’s enemies.”

27 David sent it to those who were in Bethel, Ramoth Negev and Jattir;

28 to those in Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa

29 and Rakal; to those in the towns of the Jerahmeelites and the Kenites;

30 to those in Hormah, Bor Ashan, Athak

31 and Hebron; and to those in all the other places where he and his men had roamed.

1 Samuel 30:7-31 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. S 1 Samuel 22:20
• 2. S 1 Samuel 2:28; 1 Samuel 23:9
• 3. S 1 Samuel 23:2
• 4. S Genesis 14:16; ver 18
• 5. S Exodus 2:17
• 6. S 1 Samuel 27:2
• 7. ver 21; ver 9,21
• 8. S Judges 15:19
• 9. S 1 Samuel 14:48
• 10. 2 Samuel 8:18; 2 Samuel 15:18; 2 Samuel 20:7,23; 1 Kings 1:38,44; 1 Chronicles 18:17; Ezekiel 25:16; Zephaniah 2:5
• 11. ver 16; S Joshua 14:13; S Joshua 15:13
• 12. ver 1
• 13. Deuteronomy 23:15
• 14. Luke 12:19
• 15. S ver 17; S Joshua 22:8; ver 14
• 16. ver 16; 1 Samuel 11:11; 2 Samuel 1:1
• 17. 2 Samuel 1:8; 1 Samuel 15:3
• 18. S Genesis 14:16
• 19. ver 10
• 20. S Numbers 31:27; Joshua 22:8; S Judges 5:30
• 21. S Genesis 33:11
• 22. S Joshua 7:2
• 23. S Joshua 10:40; Joshua 19:8
• 24. S Joshua 15:48
• 25. S Numbers 32:34; S Joshua 13:16
• 26. 1 Chronicles 27:27
• 27. S Joshua 15:50
• 28. 1 Samuel 27:10
• 29. Judges 1:16; S 1 Samuel 15:6
• 30. S Numbers 14:45; S Numbers 21:3; Judges 1:17
• 31. S Joshua 15:42
• 32. Numbers 13:22; S Joshua 10:36; Joshua 14:13; 2 Samuel 2:1,4