The Meaning of 1 Samuel 27:8 Explained

1 Samuel 27:8

KJV: And David and his men went up, and invaded the Geshurites, and the Gezrites, and the Amalekites: for those nations were of old the inhabitants of the land, as thou goest to Shur, even unto the land of Egypt.

YLT: and David goeth up and his men, and they push unto the Geshurite, and the Gerizite, and the Amalekite, (for they are inhabitants of the land from of old), as thou comest in to Shur and unto the land of Egypt,

Darby: And David and his men went up and made a raid upon the Geshurites, and the Gerzites, and the Amalekites: for those were of old the inhabitants of the land, as thou goest to Shur, and as far as the land of Egypt.

ASV: And David and his men went up, and made a raid upon the Geshurites, and the Girzites, and the Amalekites; for those nations were the inhabitants of the land, who were of old, as thou goest to Shur, even unto the land of Egypt.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And David  and his men  went up,  and invaded  the Geshurites,  and the Gezrites,  and the Amalekites:  for those  [nations were] of old  the inhabitants  of the land,  as thou goest  to Shur,  even unto the land  of Egypt. 

What does 1 Samuel 27:8 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 27:8 mean?

And went up David and his men and raided unto the Geshurite Girzite the Girzite and the Amalekite for those [nations were] the inhabitants of the land of old from of old as you go to Shur and even as far as the land of Egypt
וַיַּ֤עַל דָּוִד֙ וַֽאֲנָשָׁ֔יו וַֽיִּפְשְׁט֛וּ אֶל־ הַגְּשׁוּרִ֥י [והגרזי] (וְהַגִּזְרִ֖י) וְהָעֲמָלֵקִ֑י כִּ֣י הֵ֜נָּה יֹשְׁב֤וֹת הָאָ֙רֶץ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר מֵֽעוֹלָ֔ם בּוֹאֲךָ֥ שׁ֖וּרָה וְעַד־ אֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם

וַיַּ֤עַל  And  went  up 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: סָלַק 
Sense: to go up, ascend, climb.
דָּוִד֙  David 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּוִד  
Sense: youngest son of Jesse and second king of Israel.
וַֽאֲנָשָׁ֔יו  and  his  men 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: אֱנׄושׁ 
Sense: man, mortal man, person, mankind.
וַֽיִּפְשְׁט֛וּ  and  raided 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: פָּשַׁט  
Sense: to strip, invade, strip off, make a dash, raid, spread out.
אֶל־  unto 
Parse: Preposition
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
הַגְּשׁוּרִ֥י  the  Geshurite 
Parse: Article, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: גְּשׁוּרִי  
Sense: inhabitants of Geshur.
[והגרזי]  Girzite 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Proper Noun, mb
(וְהַגִּזְרִ֖י)  the  Girzite 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: גִּזְרִי 
Sense: inhabitants of Gezer Gerezites = “the cutters off”.
וְהָעֲמָלֵקִ֑י  and  the  Amalekite 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: עֲמָלֵקִי  
Sense: descendants of Amalek, the grandson of Esau.
הֵ֜נָּה  those 
Parse: Pronoun, third person feminine plural
Root: הֵנָּה  
Sense: they, these, the same, who.
יֹשְׁב֤וֹת  [nations  were]  the  inhabitants 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, feminine plural
Root: יָשַׁב 
Sense: to dwell, remain, sit, abide.
הָאָ֙רֶץ֙  of  the  land 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
אֲשֶׁ֣ר  of  old 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
מֵֽעוֹלָ֔ם  from  of  old 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular
Root: עֹולָם  
Sense: long duration, antiquity, futurity, for ever, ever, everlasting, evermore, perpetual, old, ancient, world.
בּוֹאֲךָ֥  as  you  go  to 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct, second person masculine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
שׁ֖וּרָה  Shur 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular, third person feminine singular
Root: שׁוּר  
Sense: a place southwest of Palestine on the eastern border or within the border of Egypt; the Israelites passed through the wilderness of Shur after crossing the Red Sea.
וְעַד־  and  even  as  far  as 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition
Root: עַד  
Sense: as far as, even to, until, up to, while, as far as.
אֶ֥רֶץ  the  land 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
מִצְרָֽיִם  of  Egypt 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: מִצְרַיִם  
Sense: a country at the northeastern section of Africa, adjacent to Palestine, and through which the Nile flows adj Egyptians = “double straits”.