1 Samuel 18:18

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?

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?

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?"

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

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 And Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with him, and was departed from Saul. ¹³ Therefore Saul removed him from him, and made him his captain over a thousand; and he went out and came in before the people. ¹⁴ And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the Lord was with him. ¹⁵ Wherefore when Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he was afraid of him. ¹⁶ But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he went out and came in before them. ¹⁷ And Saul said to David, Behold my elder daughter Merab, her will I give thee to wife: only be thou valiant for me, and fight the Lord 's battles. For Saul said, Let not mine hand be upon him, but let the hand of the Philistines be upon him. ¹⁸ 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? ¹⁹ But it came to pass at the time when Merab Saul's daughter should have been given to David, that she was given unto Adriel the Meholathite to wife. ²⁰ And Michal Saul's daughter loved David: and they told Saul, and the thing pleased him. ²¹ And Saul said, I will give him her, that she may be a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him. Wherefore Saul said to David, Thou shalt this day be my son in law in the one of the twain.

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
And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,

Genesis 18:3
And said, My Lord , if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:

Genesis 18:17
And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;

Genesis 18:18
Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?

Genesis 18:25
That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?

Genesis 18:26
And the Lord said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.

Genesis 26:4
And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;

Psalms 72:17
His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed.

Galatians 3:8
And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.

Galatians 3:14
That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

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).