The Meaning of 1 Samuel 27:10 Explained

1 Samuel 27:10

KJV: And Achish said, Whither have ye made a road to day? And David said, Against the south of Judah, and against the south of the Jerahmeelites, and against the south of the Kenites.

YLT: And Achish saith, 'Whither have ye pushed to-day?' and David saith, 'Against the south of Judah, and against the south of the Jerahmeelite, and unto the south of the Kenite.'

Darby: So Achish said, Have ye not made a raid to-day? And David said, Against the south of Judah, and against the south of the Jerahmeelites, and against the south of the Kenites.

ASV: And Achish said, Against whom have ye made a raid to-day? And David said, Against the South of Judah, and against the South of the Jerahmeelites, and against the South of the Kenites.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And Achish  said,  Whither  have ye made a road  to day?  And David  said,  Against the south  of Judah,  and against the south  of the Jerahmeelites,  and against the south  of the Kenites. 

What does 1 Samuel 27:10 Mean?

Context Summary

1 Samuel 27:1-12 - Substituting Policy For Trust
David had every assurance that he would be king. From Samuel, Jonathan and Saul he had heard predictions of his coming exaltation; yet suddenly he seems to have had a fainting-fit and to have concluded that he would after all perish by the hand of Saul. It was thus with Elijah under the juniper bush, when he asked God to take away his life; and thus with the Baptist, when from prison he sent to ask whether Jesus was the Christ. Let us not sink into despair when the shadow of discouragement falls across our path. Let us believe that God's word shall stand though the heavens fall. Let us especially beware of taking our own measures of self-defense. The caves of Adullam are safer for the child of God than the land of the Philistines. David was driven to ruthless cruelty; he went about under the constant fear of discovery, and lived a perpetual lie. It was a life of deceit that was wholly unworthy of a servant of the Most High, and must have had a fatal effect on David's followers. And, in the end, Ziklag was destroyed, and the exile's heart was well-nigh broken. See 1 Samuel 30:1-4. "The way of the transgressor is hard!" No psalms can be traced to this period. [source]

Chapter Summary: 1 Samuel 27

1  Saul, hearing David to be in Gath, seeks no more for him
5  David begs Ziklag of Achish
8  He, invading other countries, persuades Achish he fought against Judah

What do the individual words in 1 Samuel 27:10 mean?

And would say Achish where have you made a raid today David Against the southern [area] of Judah or against of the Jerahmeelites or against of the Kenite
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אָכִ֔ישׁ אַל־ פְּשַׁטְתֶּ֖ם ؟ הַיּ֑וֹם דָּוִ֗ד עַל־ נֶ֤גֶב יְהוּדָה֙ וְעַל־ הַיַּרְחְמְאֵלִ֔י וְאֶל־ הַקֵּינִֽי

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר  And  would  say 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
אָכִ֔ישׁ  Achish 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אָכִישׁ  
Sense: Philistine king of Gath.
אַל־  where 
Parse: Adverb
Root: אַל  
Sense: not, no, nor, neither, nothing (as wish or preference).
פְּשַׁטְתֶּ֖ם  have  you  made  a  raid 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person masculine plural
Root: פָּשַׁט  
Sense: to strip, invade, strip off, make a dash, raid, spread out.
؟ הַיּ֑וֹם  today 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
דָּוִ֗ד  David 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּוִד  
Sense: youngest son of Jesse and second king of Israel.
עַל־  Against 
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.
נֶ֤גֶב  the  southern  [area] 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: נֶגֶב  
Sense: south-country, Nekeb, south.
יְהוּדָה֙  of  Judah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְהוּדָה  
Sense: the son of Jacob by Leah.
וְעַל־  or  against 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, 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.
הַיַּרְחְמְאֵלִ֔י  of  the  Jerahmeelites 
Parse: Article, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְרַחְמְאֵלִי  
Sense: the descendants of Jerahmeel, the great grandson of Judah.
וְאֶל־  or  against 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
הַקֵּינִֽי  of  the  Kenite 
Parse: Article, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: קֵינִי  
Sense: the tribe from which the father-in-law of Moses was a member and which lived in the area between southern Palestine and the mountains of Sinai.