The Meaning of 1 Samuel 23:17 Explained

1 Samuel 23:17

KJV: And he said unto him, Fear not: for the hand of Saul my father shall not find thee; and thou shalt be king over Israel, and I shall be next unto thee; and that also Saul my father knoweth.

YLT: and saith unto him, 'Fear not, for the hand of Saul my father doth not find thee, and thou dost reign over Israel, and I am to thee for second, and also so knoweth Saul my father.'

Darby: And he said to him, Fear not; for the hand of Saul my father will not find thee; and thou shalt be king over Israel, and I shall be next to thee; and that also Saul my father knows.

ASV: And he said unto him, Fear not; for the hand of Saul my father shall not find thee; and thou shalt be king over Israel, and I shall be next unto thee; and that also Saul my father knoweth.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And he said  unto him, Fear  not: for the hand  of Saul  my father  shall not find  thee; and thou shalt be king  over Israel,  and I shall be next  unto thee; and that also Saul  my father  knoweth. 

What does 1 Samuel 23:17 Mean?

Context Summary

1 Samuel 23:15-29 - A Relentless Pursuit Foiled
Amid outward strife, God is sure to provide some rill of human love-a tender friendship, a Jonathan. See Psalms 106:46. This is the mission of a friend-to strengthen our hands in God, whisper words of hope, and enter into renewed covenants with us. Is not this what our best Friend does? He finds us out in the deepest woods, and whispers His Fear not. There is no hunted soul to whom Jesus will not come to pour in the oil and wine of His presence.
Let us always strengthen our friends' hands in God. We sometimes weaken their good resolutions by our timid entreaties, as Peter did when he urged the Lord to spare Himself, Matthew 16:22. No, you must always help your friend to be his noblest and strongest. The angel strengthened the Redeemer in the garden. The one word for us to pass on is, "O man, greatly beloved, fear not; peace be unto thee; be strong, yea, be strong," Daniel 10:19.
The Ziphites made a direct bid for Saul's favor, but their plot miscarried. When a man puts his life into God's hands, he has no need to fear "the arrow by day nor the terror by night." Whatever difficulties threaten him, there is ever a way of escape. [source]

Chapter Summary: 1 Samuel 23

1  David, enquiring of the Lord by Abiathar, rescues Keilah
7  God showing him the coming of Saul, and the treachery of the Keilites,
13  he escapes from Keilah
14  In Ziph Jonathan comes and comforts him
19  The Ziphites discover him to Saul
25  At Maon he is rescued from Saul by the invasion of the Philistines
29  He dwells at En Gedi

What do the individual words in 1 Samuel 23:17 mean?

And he said to him not do fear for not shall find you the hand of Saul my father and You shall be king over Israel and I shall be to you next and Even Saul my father knows that
וַיֹּ֨אמֶר אֵלָ֜יו אַל־ תִּירָ֗א כִּ֠י לֹ֤א תִֽמְצָאֲךָ֙ יַ֚ד שָׁא֣וּל אָבִ֔י וְאַתָּה֙ תִּמְלֹ֣ךְ עַל־ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְאָנֹכִ֖י אֶֽהְיֶה־ לְּךָ֣ לְמִשְׁנֶ֑ה וְגַם־ שָׁא֥וּל אָבִ֖י יֹדֵ֥עַ כֵּֽן

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר  And  he  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
אֵלָ֜יו  to  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
תִּירָ֗א  do  fear 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: יָרֵא 
Sense: to fear, revere, be afraid.
תִֽמְצָאֲךָ֙  shall  find  you 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person feminine singular, second person masculine singular
Root: מָצָא  
Sense: to find, attain to.
יַ֚ד  the  hand 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
שָׁא֣וּל  of  Saul 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: שָׁאוּל  
Sense: a Benjamite, son of Kish, and the st king of Israel.
אָבִ֔י  my  father 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: אָב  
Sense: father of an individual.
וְאַתָּה֙  and  You 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, second person masculine singular
Root: אַתְּ 
Sense: you (second pers.
תִּמְלֹ֣ךְ  shall  be  king 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: מָלַךְ 
Sense: to be or become king or queen, reign.
עַל־  over 
Parse: Preposition
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.
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
וְאָנֹכִ֖י  and  I 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, first person common singular
Root: אָנׄכִי  
Sense: I (first pers.
אֶֽהְיֶה־  shall  be 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, first person common singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
לְּךָ֣  to  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine singular
לְמִשְׁנֶ֑ה  next 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִשְׁנֶה  
Sense: double, copy, second, repetition.
וְגַם־  and  Even 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Conjunction
Root: גַּם  
Sense: also, even, indeed, moreover, yea.
שָׁא֥וּל  Saul 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: שָׁאוּל  
Sense: a Benjamite, son of Kish, and the st king of Israel.
אָבִ֖י  my  father 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: אָב  
Sense: father of an individual.
יֹדֵ֥עַ  knows 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: דָּעָה 
Sense: to know.
כֵּֽן  that 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: כֵּן 
Sense: so, therefore, thus.