The Meaning of 1 Samuel 22:2 Explained

1 Samuel 22:2

KJV: And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men.

YLT: and gather themselves unto him do every man in distress, and every man who hath an exactor, and every man bitter in soul, and he is over them for head, and there are with him about four hundred men.

Darby: And every one in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one of embittered spirit collected round him; and he became a captain over them; and there were with him about four hundred men.

ASV: And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And every one  [that was] in distress,  and every one  that [was] in debt,  and every one  [that was] discontented,  gathered  themselves unto him; and he became a captain  over them: and there were with him about four  hundred  men. 

What does 1 Samuel 22:2 Mean?

Context Summary

1 Samuel 22:1-10 - Captain Of An Outlawed Band
What a striking analogy there is between the gathering of these outlawed men to David, and the attraction of publicans and sinners, in all ages, to Christ! He also is outlawed by "the prince of this world." To find Christ, we must go outside the camp, where He has set up the standard of His cross. How many of those who were in distress or in debt, or who were "bitter of soul," 1 Samuel 22:2, r.v. margin, have gathered to Him and have been received! Rejected by all others, they have found an asylum in his heart of love, and out of such refugees He is founding a kingdom that can never be moved, and forming an army that will break forever the power of evil.
Notice David's care for his parents. Our love to God should make us not less but more attentive to those to whom we are bound by nature's ties. It is probable that David's descent from Ruth, the Moabitess, may have suggested Moab as a suitable asylum; but in any case it was a wise precaution to shield the aged pair in the land of a neutral nation. In our experience, the warning of the prophet Gad has its counterpart in the gracious impressions of the Holy Spirit. [source]

Chapter Summary: 1 Samuel 22

1  Companies resort unto David at Adullam
3  At Mizpeh he commends his parents unto the king of Moab
5  Admonished by Gad, he comes to Hareth,
6  Saul going to pursue him, complains of his servants' unfaithfulness
9  Doeg accuses Ahimelech
11  Saul commands to kill the priests
17  The footmen refusing, Doeg executes it
20  Abiathar escaping, brings David the news

What do the individual words in 1 Samuel 22:2 mean?

And gathered to him every everyone [who was] in distress and who [was] to in debt discontented [who was] discontented so he became over them captain and there were with him about four hundred men
וַיִּֽתְקַבְּצ֣וּ אֵ֠לָיו כָּל־ אִ֨ישׁ מָצ֜וֹק וְכָל־ אֲשֶׁר־ ל֤וֹ נֹשֶׁא֙ מַר־ נֶ֔פֶשׁ וַיְהִ֥י עֲלֵיהֶ֖ם לְשָׂ֑ר וַיִּהְי֣וּ עִמּ֔וֹ כְּאַרְבַּ֥ע מֵא֖וֹת אִֽישׁ

וַיִּֽתְקַבְּצ֣וּ  And  gathered 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hitpael, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: קָבַץ  
Sense: to gather, assemble.
אֵ֠לָיו  to  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
כָּל־  every 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
אִ֨ישׁ  everyone 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
מָצ֜וֹק  [who  was]  in  distress 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: מָצֹוק  
Sense: straitness, straits, distress, stress, anguish.
אֲשֶׁר־  who  [was] 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
נֹשֶׁא֙  in  debt 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: נָשָׁא 
Sense: to lend on interest or usury, be a creditor.
מַר־  discontented 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular construct
Root: מַר 
Sense: bitter, bitterness.
נֶ֔פֶשׁ  [who  was]  discontented 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: נֶפֶשׁ  
Sense: soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion.
וַיְהִ֥י  so  he  became 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
עֲלֵיהֶ֖ם  over  them 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine plural
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
לְשָׂ֑ר  captain 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular
Root: סָרַר 
Sense: prince, ruler, leader, chief, chieftain, official, captain.
וַיִּהְי֣וּ  and  there  were 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
עִמּ֔וֹ  with  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
Root: עִם  
Sense: with.
כְּאַרְבַּ֥ע  about  four 
Parse: Preposition-k, Number, feminine singular
Root: אַרְבַּע  
Sense: four.
מֵא֖וֹת  hundred 
Parse: Number, feminine plural
Root: מֵאָה 
Sense: hundred.
אִֽישׁ  men 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.