The Meaning of 1 Samuel 27:11 Explained

1 Samuel 27:11

KJV: And David saved neither man nor woman alive, to bring tidings to Gath, saying, Lest they should tell on us, saying, So did David, and so will be his manner all the while he dwelleth in the country of the Philistines.

YLT: Neither man nor woman doth David keep alive, to bring in word to Gath, saying, 'Lest they declare it against us, saying, Thus hath David done, and thus is his custom all the days that he hath dwelt in the fields of the Philistines.'

Darby: And David left neither man nor woman alive, to bring them to Gath, for he said, Lest they should tell of us, saying, So did David. And such was his custom as long as he abode in the country of the Philistines.

ASV: And David saved neither man nor woman alive, to bring them to Gath, saying, Lest they should tell of us, saying, So did David, and so hath been his manner all the while he hath dwelt in the country of the Philistines.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And David  saved  neither man  nor woman  alive,  to bring  [tidings] to Gath,  saying,  Lest they should tell  on us, saying,  So did  David,  and so [will be] his manner  all the while  he dwelleth  in the country  of the Philistines. 

What does 1 Samuel 27:11 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 27:11 mean?

And neither man nor woman neither would save alive David to bring [news] to Gath saying lest they should inform on us saying thus did David and thus [was] his behavior all the time which he dwelt in the country of the Philistines
וְאִ֨ישׁ וְאִשָּׁ֜ה לֹֽא־ יְחַיֶּ֣ה דָוִ֗ד לְהָבִ֥יא גַת֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר פֶּן־ יַגִּ֥דוּ עָלֵ֖ינוּ לֵאמֹ֑ר כֹּֽה־ עָשָׂ֤ה דָוִד֙ וְכֹ֣ה מִשְׁפָּט֔וֹ כָּל־ הַ֨יָּמִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר יָשַׁ֖ב בִּשְׂדֵ֥ה פְלִשְׁתִּֽים

וְאִ֨ישׁ  And  neither  man 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
וְאִשָּׁ֜ה  nor  woman 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אִשָּׁה  
Sense: woman, wife, female.
לֹֽא־  neither 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
יְחַיֶּ֣ה  would  save  alive 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: חָיָה  
Sense: to live, have life, remain alive, sustain life, live prosperously, live for ever, be quickened, be alive, be restored to life or health.
דָוִ֗ד  David 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּוִד  
Sense: youngest son of Jesse and second king of Israel.
לְהָבִ֥יא  to  bring  [news] 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
גַת֙  to  Gath 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: גַּת  
Sense: one of the five royal or chief cities of the Philistines and the native city of Goliath.
לֵאמֹ֔ר  saying 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
פֶּן־  lest 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: פֶּן  
Sense: lest, not, beware lest adv.
יַגִּ֥דוּ  they  should  inform 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: נָגַד  
Sense: to be conspicuous, tell, make known.
עָלֵ֖ינוּ  on  us 
Parse: Preposition, first person common 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.
לֵאמֹ֑ר  saying 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
כֹּֽה־  thus 
Parse: Adverb
Root: כֹּה  
Sense: thus, here, in this manner.
דָוִד֙  David 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּוִד  
Sense: youngest son of Jesse and second king of Israel.
וְכֹ֣ה  and  thus 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb
Root: כֹּה  
Sense: thus, here, in this manner.
מִשְׁפָּט֔וֹ  [was]  his  behavior 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: מִשְׁפָּט  
Sense: judgment, justice, ordinance.
הַ֨יָּמִ֔ים  the  time 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
יָשַׁ֖ב  he  dwelt 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יָשַׁב 
Sense: to dwell, remain, sit, abide.
בִּשְׂדֵ֥ה  in  the  country 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: שָׂדֶה 
Sense: field, land.
פְלִשְׁתִּֽים  of  the  Philistines 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine plural
Root: פְּלִשְׁתִּי  
Sense: an inhabitant of Philistia; descendants of Mizraim who immigrated from Caphtor (Crete?) to the western seacoast of Canaan.

What are the major concepts related to 1 Samuel 27:11?

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