Darby Bible
1 Samuel 22:17
17And the king said to the couriers that stood about him, Turn and put the priests of Jehovah to death; because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled, and did not inform me. But the servants of the king were not willing to put forth their hand to fall on the priests of Jehovah.
1 Samuel 22:17 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And the king said unto the footmen that stood about him, Turn, and slay the priests of the Lord; because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled, and did not shew it to me. But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of the Lord.
- New International Version (NIV)Then the king ordered the guards at his side: “Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, because they too have sided with David. They knew he was fleeing, yet they did not tell me.” But the king’s officials were unwilling to raise a hand to strike the priests of the Lord.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And the king said to the guard who stood about him, "Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, because their hand also is with David, and they knew that he fled and did not disclose it to me." But the servants of the king would not put out their hand to strike the priests of the Lord.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then the king said to the guards who stood about him, “Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled and did not tell it to me.” But the servants of the king would not lift their hands to strike the priests of the Lord.
Context of 1 Samuel 22:17
15Was it to-day that I began to inquire of God for him? be it far from me: let not the king charge anything to his servant, [nor] to all the house of my father; for thy servant knew nothing of all this, less or more. 16And the king said, Thou shalt certainly die, Ahimelech, thou, and all thy father's house. And the king said to the couriers that stood about him, Turn and put the priests of Jehovah to death; because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled, and did not inform me. But the servants of the king were not willing to put forth their hand to fall on the priests of Jehovah. 18And the king said to Doeg, Turn thou, and fall on the priests. And Doeg the Edomite turned, and fell on the priests, and put to death that day eighty-five persons who wore the linen ephod. 19And Nob, the city of the priests, he smote with the edge of the sword, both men and women, infants and sucklings, and oxen, and asses, and sheep, with the edge of the sword.
Read all of 1 Samuel 221 Samuel 22:17 word by word
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר הַמֶּ֡לֶךְ לָרָצִים֩ הַנִּצָּבִ֨ים עָלָ֜יו סֹ֥בּוּ וְהָמִ֣יתוּ׀ כֹּהֲנֵ֣י יְהוָ֗ה כִּ֤י גַם־יָדָם֙ עִם־דָּוִ֔ד וְכִ֤י יָֽדְעוּ֙ כִּֽי־בֹרֵ֣חַ ה֔וּא וְלֹ֥א גָל֖וּ אֶת־אָזְנִ֑י וְלֹֽא־אָב֞וּ עַבְדֵ֤י הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ לִשְׁלֹ֣חַ אֶת־יָדָ֔ם לִפְגֹ֖עַ בְּכֹהֲנֵ֥י יְהוָֽה׃ סRead the interlinear
- kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
- saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- couriersרוּץrûts · to run: runH7323
- stoodנָצַבnâtsab · to standH5324
- Turnסָבַבsâbab · to turn: turnH5437
- putמוּתmûth · to dieH4191
- priestsכֹּהֵןkôhên · priestH3548
- handיָדyâd · handH3027
- alsoגַּםgam · alsoH1571
- Davidדָּוִדdâvid dâvîyd · DavidH1732
- knewיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
- fledבָּרַחbârach · to fleeH1272
- servantsעֶ֫בֶד‛ebed · servant/slaveH5650
- willingאָבָה'âbâh · be willingH14
- forthשָׁלַחshâlach · to send: departH7971
- fallפָּגַעpâga‛ · to fall onH6293
Cross-references for 1 Samuel 22:17
- 1 Samuel 8:11And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: he will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, on his chariot and among his horsemen, and they shall run before his chariots;
- 2 Samuel 15:1And it came to pass after this, that Absalom prepared for himself chariots and horses, and fifty men to run before him.
- 1 Kings 1:5And Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, I will be king; and he provided himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him.
- 1 Samuel 22:13And Saul said to him, Why have ye conspired against me, thou and the son of Jesse, in that thou hast given him bread, and a sword, and hast inquired of God for him, that he should rise against me as a lier-in-wait, as at this day?
- 1 Samuel 20:33Then Saul cast the spear at him to smite him; and Jonathan knew that it was determined by his father to put David to death.
- 1 Samuel 25:17And now know and consider what thou wilt do, for evil is determined against our master, and against all his household; and he is such a son of Belial, that one cannot speak to him.
- 1 Kings 18:4and it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of Jehovah, that Obadiah took a hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and maintained them with bread and water);
- 1 Samuel 14:45And the people said to Saul, Shall Jonathan die, who has wrought this great salvation in Israel? Far be it! [as] Jehovah liveth, there shall not a hair of his head fall to the ground; for he has wrought with God this day. So the people delivered Jonathan, that he died not.
- Exodus 1:17But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt had said to them, but saved the male children alive.
- 2 Kings 1:13And again he sent the captain of a third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and besought him and said to him, Man of God, I pray thee, let my life, and the life of these fifty thy servants, be precious in thy sight.
- Acts 4:19But Peter and John answering said to them, If it be righteous before God to listen to you rather than to God, judge ye;
Commentaries on 1 Samuel 22:17
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 17But the servants of the king would not - They dared to disobey the commands of the king in a case of such injustice, inhumanity, and irreligion.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 6-19Verses 6-19 See the nature of jealous malice and its pitiful arts. Saul looks upon all about him as his enemies, because they do not just say as he says. In Ahimelech's answer to Saul we have the language of conscious innocence. But what wickedness will not the evil spirit hurry men to when he gets the dominion! Saul alleges that which was utterly false and unproved. But the most bloody tyrants have found instruments of their cruelty as barbarous as…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-23Saul’s character is clear here. He could not take revenge on David himself. Instead, Saul killed those he believed had helped David.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 17-1817-18. the footmen that stood about him--his bodyguard, or his runners (1Sa 8:11; 2Sa 15:1; 1Ki 1:5; 1Ki 14:28), who held an important place at court (2Ch 12:10). But they chose rather to disobey the king than to offend God by imbruing their hands in the blood of his ministering servants. A foreigner alone (Psa 52:1-3) could be found willing to be the executioner of this bloody and sacrilegious sentence. Thus was the doom of the house of Eli fulfilled…Read the comment
Topics related to 1 Samuel 22:17
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on 1 Samuel 22
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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