1 Samuel 30:11-15

1 Samuel 30:11-15

[11] And they found  an Egyptian  in the field,  and brought  him to David,  and gave  him bread,  and he did eat;  and they made him drink  water;  [12] And they gave  him a piece  of a cake  of figs, and two  clusters of raisins:  and when he had eaten,  his spirit  came again  to him: for he had eaten  no bread,  nor drunk  any water,  three  days  and three  nights.  [13] And David  said  I am a young man  of Egypt,  servant  to an Amalekite;  and my master  left  me, because three  days  agone I fell sick.  [14] We made an invasion  upon the south  of the Cherethites,  and upon the coast which belongeth to Judah,  and upon the south  of Caleb;  and we burned  Ziklag  with fire.  [15] And David  said  to him, Canst thou bring me down  to this company?  And he said,  Swear  unto me by God,  that thou wilt neither kill  me, nor  deliver  me into the hands  of my master,  and I will bring thee down  to this company. 

What does 1 Samuel 30:11-15 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

David and his men were undoubtedly very angry and ready to kill anyone who proved to have had a hand in kidnapping their family members. To his credit David did not kill this Egyptian, as he planned to kill Nabal earlier. Instead he treated him kindly, in contrast to the man"s Amalekite master"s treatment of him, and won his favor and cooperation. Contrast Nabal"s disdain for David, whom Nabal regarded as a runaway servant ( 1 Samuel 25:10-11). The Egyptian wanted a guarantee of safety from David, as had Saul (cf. 1 Samuel 24:2). Receiving this he agreed to lead David and his men to the Amalekites" camp.