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Tuesday, July 22nd, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Read the Bible

Easy-to-Read Version

1 Samuel 30:20

He took all the sheep and cattle. His men led these animals to the front of the group and said, "This is David's prize."

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Amalekites;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Amalekites, the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Besor;   Ziklag;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Amalekites;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Amalekite;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Amalekites;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Ahinoam;   Samuel, Books of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Esdraelon;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Amalek, Amalekites ;   Ziklag ;   Smith Bible Dictionary - It'ta-I;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Hebrew Monarchy, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Besor, the Brook;   Faint;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Ziklag;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
He took all the flocks and herds, which were driven ahead of the other livestock, and the people shouted, “This is David’s plunder!”
Hebrew Names Version
David took all the flocks and the herds, [which] they drove before those [other] cattle, and said, This is David's spoil.
King James Version
And David took all the flocks and the herds, which they drave before those other cattle, and said, This is David's spoil.
Lexham English Bible
And David took all of the sheep, and the cattle they drove along in front of that livestock, and they said, "This is David's plunder."
English Standard Version
David also captured all the flocks and herds, and the people drove the livestock before him, and said, "This is David's spoil."
New Century Version
David took all the sheep and cattle, and his men made these animals go in front, saying, "They are David's prize."
New English Translation
David took all the flocks and herds and drove them in front of the rest of the animals. People were saying, "This is David's plunder!"
Amplified Bible
So David captured all the flocks and herds [which the enemy had], and [the people] drove those animals before him and said, "This is David's spoil."
New American Standard Bible
So David had captured all the sheep and the cattle which the people drove ahead of the other livestock, and they said, "This is David's plunder."
Geneva Bible (1587)
Dauid also tooke all the sheepe, and the oxen, and they draue them before his cattell, and said, This is Dauids pray.
Legacy Standard Bible
And David took all the sheep and the cattle which the people drove ahead of the other livestock, and they said, "This is David's spoil."
Contemporary English Version
including their livestock. David also took the sheep and cattle that the Amalekites had with them, but he kept these separate from the others. Everyone agreed that these would be David's reward.
Complete Jewish Bible
David took all the flocks and herds and drove them ahead of their own livestock, announcing, "This is David's spoil."
Darby Translation
And David took all the flocks and the herds, [which] they drove before the other cattle, and said, This is David's spoil.
George Lamsa Translation
And David took all the flocks and the herds, and an abundance of other things in addition; and they said, This is Davids spoil.
Good News Translation
He also recovered all the flocks and herds; his men drove all the livestock in front of them and said, "This belongs to David!"
Literal Translation
And David took all the flock, and the herd. They drove on before those other cattle. And they said, This is David's prize.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And Dauid toke the shepe and oxe, and droue ye catell before him. And they sayde: This is Dauids spoyle.
American Standard Version
And David took all the flocks and the herds, which they drove before those other cattle, and said, This is David's spoil.
Bible in Basic English
And they took all the flocks and herds, and driving them in front of him, said, These are David's.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And Dauid tooke all the sheepe, and the oxen, and they draue them before his cattaile, and saide: This is Dauids pray.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And David took all the flocks and the herds, which they drove before those other cattle, and said: 'This is David's spoil.'
King James Version (1611)
And Dauid tooke all the flockes, and the herds, which they draue before those other cattell, and said, This is Dauids spoile.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And he took all the flocks, and the herds, and led them away before the spoils: and it was said of these spoils, These are the spoils of David.
English Revised Version
And David took all the flocks and the herds, [which] they drave before those [other] cattle, and said, This is David’s spoil.
Berean Standard Bible
And he recovered all the flocks and herds, which his men drove ahead of the other livestock, calling out, "This is David's plunder!"
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and he took alle flockis and grete beestis, and droof bifor his face. And thei seiden, This is the prey of Dauid.
Young's Literal Translation
and David taketh the whole of the flock, and of the herd, they have led on before these cattle, and they say, `This [is] David's spoil.'
Update Bible Version
And David took all the flocks and the herds, [which] they drove before those [other] cattle, and said, This is David's spoil.
Webster's Bible Translation
And David took all the flocks and the herds, [which] they drove before those [other] cattle, and said, This [is] David's spoil.
World English Bible
David took all the flocks and the herds, [which] they drove before those [other] cattle, and said, This is David's spoil.
New King James Version
Then David took all the flocks and herds they had driven before those other livestock, and said, "This is David's spoil."
New Living Translation
He also recovered all the flocks and herds, and his men drove them ahead of the other livestock. "This plunder belongs to David!" they said.
New Life Bible
And he took all the sheep and cattle. The people drove those animals in front of him, and said, "This is what belongs to David."
New Revised Standard
David also captured all the flocks and herds, which were driven ahead of the other cattle; people said, "This is David's spoil."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And David took all the flocks and the herds, - they drave them before those other cattle, and they said, This, is David's spoil.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And he took all the flocks and the herds, and made them go before him: and they said: This is the prey of David.
Revised Standard Version
David also captured all the flocks and herds; and the people drove those cattle before him, and said, "This is David's spoil."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
So David had captured all the sheep and the cattle which the people drove ahead of the other livestock, and they said, "This is David's spoil."

Contextual Overview

7 David said to Abiathar the priest, "Bring the ephod." So Abiathar brought it. 8 Then David prayed to 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 save your families." 9David took the 600 men with him and went to Besor Ravine. About 200 of his men stayed there because they were too weak and tired to continue. But David and the other 400 men continued to chase the Amalekites. 11 David's men found an Egyptian in a field and took him to David. They gave the Egyptian some water to drink and some food to eat. 12 The Egyptian had not had any food or water for three days and nights, so they gave him a piece of fig cake and two clusters of raisins. He felt better after eating. 13 David asked the Egyptian, "Who is your master? Where do you come from?" The Egyptian answered, "I am an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite. Three days ago I got sick, and my master left me behind. 14 We had attacked the Negev area where the Kerethites live. We also attacked Judah and the Negev area where Caleb's people live. We burned Ziklag." 15 David asked the Egyptian, "Will you lead me to the people who took our families?" The Egyptian answered, "If you make a special promise before God, I will help you find them. But you must promise that you will not kill me or give me back to my master." 16 The Egyptian led David to the Amalekites. They were lying around on the ground, eating and drinking. They were celebrating with the many things they had taken from the Philistines and from Judah. 17 David attacked them and killed them. They fought from sunrise until the evening of the next day. None of the Amalekites escaped, except for 400 young men who jumped onto their camels and rode away.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

This is David's spoil: 1 Samuel 30:26, Numbers 31:9-12, 2 Chronicles 20:25, Isaiah 53:12, Romans 8:37

Reciprocal: 1 Chronicles 18:11 - Amalek 2 Chronicles 14:15 - carried away

Cross-References

Genesis 29:34
Leah became pregnant again and had another son. She named this son Levi. She said, "Now, surely my husband will love me. I have given him three sons."
Genesis 30:15
Leah answered, "You have already taken away my husband. Now you are trying to take away my son's flowers." But Rachel answered, "If you will give me your son's flowers, you can sleep with Jacob tonight."
Genesis 35:23
His firstborn son was Reuben, whose mother was Leah. Jacob's other sons by Leah were Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.
Genesis 46:14
Zebulun's sons were Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.
Genesis 49:13
"Zebulun will live near the sea. His seacoast will be a safe place for ships. His land will continue as far as the city of Sidon.
Judges 4:10
At the city of Kedesh, Barak called the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali together. He gathered 10,000 men to follow him from these tribes, and Deborah also went with him.
Judges 5:14
"The men of Ephraim came from the hill country of Amalek. Benjamin, those men followed you and your people. And there were commanders from the family of Makir. Leaders from the tribe of Zebulun came with their bronze clubs.
Psalms 68:27
There is the smallest tribe, Benjamin, leading them. And there comes a large group of leaders from Judah. Following them are the leaders of Zebulun and Naphtali.
Matthew 4:13
But he did not stay in Nazareth. He went to live in Capernaum, a town near Lake Galilee in the area near Zebulun and Naphtali.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And David took all the flocks, and the herds,.... Which they had taken from the land of the Philistines, or which belonged to the Amalekites properly:

[which] they drave before those [other] cattle; which had been carried from Ziklag; first went the spoil taken from other places, and then those taken from David and his men, or what was found at Ziklag. Abarbinel supposes the meaning to be this, that the herds were driven before the flocks, that the oxen were led out first, and then the sheep followed, as being the weaker sort, and more easily to be driven, and carried off; but the former sense seems best:

and said, this [is] David's spoil; either the whole of it, it being owing to him that it was got or brought back; or this may respect some peculiar part of it made a present of to him; or it may design what the Amalekites had taken from others, which was at the disposal of David, as distinguished from what was taken from Ziklag, and was restored, or to be restored to the proper owners: it may be taken in the first and more general sense, as being the song, or the burden of the song, sung by David's men as they returned with the spoil, giving him all the honour of it, of whom, but a little before, they talked of stoning.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The meaning is, “and David took all the sheep and oxen which the Amalekites drove” (i. e. had in their possession) “before that acquisition of cattle” (namely, before what they took in their raid to the south), “and they” (the people) “said, This is David’s spoil.” This was his share as captain of the band (compare Judges 8:24-26). All the other plunder of the camp - arms, ornaments, jewels, money, clothes, camels, accoutrements, and so on - was divided among the little army. David’s motive in choosing the sheep and oxen for himself was to make presents to his friends in Judah 1 Samuel 30:26-31.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Samuel 30:20. And David took all the flocks — He and his men not only recovered all their own property, but they recovered all the spoil which these Amalekites had taken from the south of Judah, the Cherethites, and the south of Caleb. When this was separated from the rest, it was given to David, and called David's spoil.


 
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