1 Samuel 18:18

Contemporary English Version

David answered, "How could I possibly marry your daughter? I'm not very important, and neither is my family."

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then David responded, “Who am I, and what is my family or my father’s clan in Israel that I should become the king’s son-in-law?”

Hebrew Names Version
David said to Sha'ul, Who am I, and what is my life, [or] my father's family in Yisra'el, that I should be son-in-law to the king?

King James Version
And David said unto Saul, Who am I? and what is my life, or my father's family in Israel, that I should be son in law to the king?

Lexham English Bible
But David said to Saul, "Who am I, and who are my relatives, the clan of my father in Israel, that I should be a son-in-law to the king?"

English Standard Version
And David said to Saul, "Who am I, and who are my relatives, my father's clan in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?"

New Century Version
But David answered Saul, saying, "Who am I? My family is not important enough for me to become the king's son-in-law."

New English Translation
David said to Saul, "Who am I? Who are my relatives or the clan of my father in Israel that I should become the king's son-in-law?"

Amplified Bible
David said to Saul, "Who am I, and what is my life or my father's family in Israel, that I should be the king's son-in-law?"

New American Standard Bible
But David said to Saul, "Who am I, and who is my family, or my father's family in Israel, that I should be the king's son-in-law?"

Geneva Bible (1587)
And Dauid answered Saul, What am I? and what is my life, or the family of my father in Israel, that I should be sonne in law to the King?

Legacy Standard Bible
But David said to Saul, "Who am I, and what is my life or my father's family in Israel, that I should be the king's son-in-law?"

Complete Jewish Bible
David's response to Sha'ul was, "Who am I, that I should become the king's son-in-law? I don't have any kind of a life, and my father's family has no rank in Isra'el."

Darby Translation
And David said to Saul, Who am I? and what is my life, [or] my father's family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?

Easy-to-Read Version
But David said, "I am not an important man from an important family. I can't marry the king's daughter."

George Lamsa Translation
And David said to Saul, Who am I? And what have I done, or what is my life or my fathers family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?

Good News Translation
David answered, "Who am I and what is my family that I should become the king's son-in-law?"

Literal Translation
And David said to Saul, Who am I, and what is my life, and the family of my father in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Neuertheles Dauid answered Saul: Who am I? & what is my life & the kynred of my father in Israel, that I shulde mary the kinges doughter?

American Standard Version
And David said unto Saul, Who am I, and what is my life, or my father's family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?

Bible in Basic English
And David said to Saul, Who am I, and what is my father's family in Israel, that I am to be son-in-law to the king?

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And Dauid aunswered Saul: What am I? and what is my lyfe or the kynred of my father in Israel, that I should be sonne in lawe to the king?

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And David said unto Saul: 'Who am I, and what is my life, or my father's family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?'

King James Version (1611)
And Dauid said vnto Saul, Who am I? and what is my life, or my fathers family in Israel, that I should be sonne in law to the king?

English Revised Version
And David said unto Saul, Who am I, and what is my life, [or] my father’s family in Israel, that I should be son in law to the king?

Berean Standard Bible
And David said to Saul, "Who am I, and what is my family or my father's clan in Israel, that I should become the son-in-law of the king?"

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Sotheli Dauid seide to Saul, Who am Y, ether what is my lijf, ether the meynee of my fadir in Israel, that Y be maad the `sone in lawe of the kyng?

Young's Literal Translation
And David saith unto Saul, `Who [am] I? and what my life -- the family of my father in Israel -- that I am son-in-law to the king?'

Update Bible Version
And David said to Saul, Who am I, and what is my life, [or] my father's family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?

Webster's Bible Translation
And David said to Saul, Who [am] I? and what [is] my life, [or] my father's family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?

World English Bible
David said to Saul, Who am I, and what is my life, [or] my father's family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?

New King James Version
So David said to Saul, "Who am I, and what is my life or my father's family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?"

New Living Translation
"Who am I, and what is my family in Israel that I should be the king's son-in-law?" David exclaimed. "My father's family is nothing!"

New Life Bible
David said to Saul, "Who am I? What is my life or my father's family in Israel, that I should be the king's son-in-law?"

New Revised Standard
David said to Saul, "Who am I and who are my kinsfolk, my father's family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?"

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And David said unto Saul - Who am, I, or who are my kinsfolk, the family of my father, in Israel, - that I should become son-in-law, to the king?

Douay-Rheims Bible
And David said to Saul: Who am I, or what is my life, or my father’s family in Israel, that I should be son in law of the king?

Revised Standard Version
And David said to Saul, "Who am I, and who are my kinsfolk, my father's family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?"

THE MESSAGE
David, embarrassed, answered, "Do you really mean that? I'm from a family of nobodies! I can't be son-in-law to the king."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
But David said to Saul, "Who am I, and what is my life or my father's family in Israel, that I should be the king's son-in-law?"

Contextual Overview

¹² Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was helping David and was no longer helping him. ¹³ Saul put David in charge of a thousand soldiers and sent him out to fight. ¹⁴ The Lord helped David, and he and his soldiers always won their battles. ¹⁵ This made Saul even more afraid of David. ¹⁶ But everyone else in Judah and Israel was loyal to David, because he led the army in battle. ¹⁷ One day, Saul told David, "If you'll be brave and fight the Lord 's battles for me, I'll let you marry my oldest daughter Merab." But Saul was really thinking, "I don't want to kill David myself, so I'll let the Philistines do it for me." ¹⁸ David answered, "How could I possibly marry your daughter? I'm not very important, and neither is my family." ¹⁹ But when the time came for David to marry Saul's daughter Merab, Saul told her to marry Adriel from the town of Meholah. ²⁰ Saul had another daughter. Her name was Michal, and Saul found out that she was in love with David. This made Saul happy, ²¹ and he thought, "I'll tell David he can marry Michal, but I'll set it up so that the Philistines will kill him." He told David, "I'm going to give you a second chance to marry one of my daughters."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Who am I: 1 Samuel 18:23, 1 Samuel 9:21, Exodus 3:11, Ruth 2:10, 2 Samuel 7:18, Proverbs 15:33, Proverbs 18:12, Jeremiah 1:6

Reciprocal: 1 Kings 4:15 - the daughter Psalms 12:8 - when Proverbs 25:6 - in the presence

Cross-References

Genesis 18:2
Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. He quickly ran to meet them, bowed with his face to the ground,

Genesis 18:3
and said, "Please come to my home where I can serve you.

Genesis 18:17
The Lord said to himself, "I should tell Abraham what I am going to do,

Genesis 18:18
since his family will become a great and powerful nation that will be a blessing to all other nations on earth.

Genesis 18:25
You surely wouldn't let them be killed when you destroy the evil ones. You are the judge of all the earth, and you do what is right."

Genesis 18:26
The Lord replied, "If I find fifty good people in Sodom, I will save the city to keep them from being killed."

Genesis 26:4
I will give you as many descendants as there are stars in the sky, and I will give your descendants all of this land. They will be a blessing to every nation on earth,

Psalms 72:17
May the glory of the king shine brightly forever like the sun in the sky. Let him make nations prosper and learn to praise him.

Galatians 3:8
Long ago the Scriptures said that God would accept the Gentiles because of their faith. That's why God told Abraham the good news that all nations would be blessed because of him.

Galatians 3:14
And because of what Jesus Christ has done, the blessing that was promised to Abraham was taken to the Gentiles. This happened so that by faith we would be given the promised Holy Spirit.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And David said unto Saul,.... Surprised at the offer Saul made him, yet not refusing it, but expressing himself with great modesty and humility:

who [am] I? as to his person, parentage, and employment, mean and despicable, at least in his own eyes, a type of the lowly Jesus, Matthew 11:29;

and what [is] my life? keeping sheep, for from thence was he taken and advanced; though some think his meaning is, that to hazard his life, as Saul proposed, was not equivalent to such an honour he meant to confer upon him, and that he was ready to do it at all times:

[or] my father's family in Israel; though in an honourable tribe, and was an honourable family, yet it seems not to be very great, at least was not in David's esteem worthy of such high advancement, as that one of it should be so nearly related to the king; Ben Gersom thinks David has reference to the original of his family, Ruth the Moabitess:

that I should be son in law to the king? as he would be by marrying his daughter.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

What is my life - i. e., condition, or means of living (Proverbs 27:27 margin).