The Meaning of 1 Samuel 22:4 Explained

1 Samuel 22:4

KJV: And he brought them before the king of Moab: and they dwelt with him all the while that David was in the hold.

YLT: and he leadeth them before the king of Moab, and they dwell with him all the days of David's being in the fortress.

Darby: And he brought them before the king of Moab; and they abode with him all the while that David was in the stronghold.

ASV: And he brought them before the king of Moab: and they dwelt with him all the while that David was in the stronghold.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And he brought  them before  the king  of Moab:  and they dwelt  with him all the while  that David  was in the hold. 

What does 1 Samuel 22:4 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 22:4 mean?

So he brought them with before the king of Moab and they dwelt with him all the time that was David in the stronghold -
וַיַּנְחֵ֕ם אֶת־ פְּנֵ֖י מֶ֣לֶךְ מוֹאָ֑ב וַיֵּשְׁב֣וּ עִמּ֔וֹ כָּל־ יְמֵ֥י הֱיוֹת־ דָּוִ֖ד בַּמְּצוּדָֽה ס

וַיַּנְחֵ֕ם  So  he  brought  them 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular, third person masculine plural
Root: נָחָה  
Sense: to lead, guide.
פְּנֵ֖י  before 
Parse: Noun, common plural construct
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
מֶ֣לֶךְ  the  king 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
מוֹאָ֑ב  of  Moab 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: מֹואָב 
Sense: a son of Lot by his eldest daughter.
וַיֵּשְׁב֣וּ  and  they  dwelt 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: יָשַׁב 
Sense: to dwell, remain, sit, abide.
עִמּ֔וֹ  with  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
Root: עִם  
Sense: with.
יְמֵ֥י  the  time 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
הֱיוֹת־  that  was 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
דָּוִ֖ד  David 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּוִד  
Sense: youngest son of Jesse and second king of Israel.
בַּמְּצוּדָֽה  in  the  stronghold 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: מְצוּדָה 
Sense: net, prey, net prey.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation