EasyEnglish Bible 2018
1 Samuel 23:17
17Jonathan said to David, ‘Do not be afraid. My father will never be able to hurt you. You will be the next king to rule over Israel. I will be your most important officer. My father Saul also knows that is true.’
1 Samuel 23:17 in other versions
- King James Version (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.
- New International Version (NIV)“Don’t be afraid,” he said. “My father Saul will not lay a hand on you. You will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you. Even my father Saul knows this.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)And he said to him, "Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you. Saul my father also knows this."
- New King James Version (NKJV)And he said to him, “Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you. Even my father Saul knows that.”
Context of 1 Samuel 23:17
15David was at Horesh in the Ziph Desert. He heard news that Saul was coming there to kill him. 16Saul's son, Jonathan, went to visit David at Horesh. He told David to be brave, because God would keep him safe. Jonathan said to David, ‘Do not be afraid. My father will never be able to hurt you. You will be the next king to rule over Israel. I will be your most important officer. My father Saul also knows that is true.’ 18Jonathan and David promised again in the Lord's name that they would be faithful friends of one another. Then Jonathan went to his home. David stayed at Horesh. 19Some people from Ziph went to visit Saul at Gibeah. They said to Saul, ‘David is hiding among our people. He is on Hakilah hill, south of Jeshimon. He is hiding in the Horesh hills.
Read all of 1 Samuel 231 Samuel 23:17 word by word
וַיֹּ֨אמֶר אֵלָ֜יו אַל־תִּירָ֗א כִּ֠י לֹ֤א תִֽמְצָאֲךָ֙ יַ֚ד שָׁא֣וּל אָבִ֔י וְאַתָּה֙ תִּמְלֹ֣ךְ עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וְאָנֹכִ֖י אֶֽהְיֶה־לְּךָ֣ לְמִשְׁנֶ֑ה וְגַם־שָׁא֥וּל אָבִ֖י יֹדֵ֥עַ כֵּֽן׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And he saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- unto him, Fearיָרֵאyârê' · to fearH3372
- not: for the handיָדyâd · hand: themselvesH3027
- of Saulשָׁאוּלshâ'ûl · SaulH7586
- my fatherאָב'âb · fatherH1
- shall not findמָצָאmâtsâ' · to findH4672
- thee; and thou shalt be kingמָלַךְmâlak · to reignH4427
- over Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
- and I shall be nextמִשְׁנֶהmishneh · secondH4932
- knowethיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
Cross-references for 1 Samuel 23:17
- Isaiah 41:10I am with you, so do not be afraid. I am your God, so do not be upset. I will make you strong and I will help you. My powerful right hand will keep you safe.”
- Hebrews 13:6Because of that, we can bravely say this: ‘The Lord is the one who helps me, so I will not be afraid. I will not be afraid of anything that people can do to me.’
- Job 5:11He gives honour to humble people. When people are suffering, he puts them in a safe place.
- Psalms 27:1The Lord gives me light in my life and he makes me safe. So I am not afraid of anyone! The Lord takes care of my life. Nobody can make me afraid!
- Psalms 46:1God is a strong place for us, where he will keep us safe. He will always help us when troubles come.
- Psalms 91:1If anyone lives in Almighty God's safe place, the Most High God protects that person.
- Proverbs 14:26Someone who respects and obeys the Lord knows that he will be safe. His family also will be in a safe place.
- Isaiah 54:17But nobody can make a weapon that will beat you, when your enemies attack you. If people accuse you of bad things, you will show that they are wrong. That is what the Lord will do as a gift for his servants. Yes, I will show that they are right.’ That is what the Lord says.
- Luke 12:32You are only a small group of people, but do not be afraid. Your Father God has given his kingdom to you. He is happy to do that.
- Proverbs 19:21You may have lots of ideas about what you want to do. But it is the Lord's plans that are important.
- Acts 28:16When we arrived in Rome, the Roman officer said to Paul, ‘You may live in a house by yourself, but a soldier will guard you there.’
- Romans 15:24So I hope to visit you while I am travelling to Spain. I will stay with you in Rome for a short time. I will really enjoy having some time together with you there. Then you can help me to continue my journey.
- 1 Samuel 20:31You will never rule as king while that son of Jesse is still alive. Send men to go and bring him to me now. He must die!’
- 1 Samuel 24:20I know that you will be the king of Israel one day. The kingdom will be strong when you rule.
- Acts 5:39But perhaps what they are doing really does come from God himself. If that is true, then you cannot stop them. You might even find that you are fighting against God!’
Commentaries on 1 Samuel 23:17
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 14-18Verses 14-18 David made no attempt against Saul; he kept God's way, waited God's time, and was content to secure himself in woods and wildernesses. Let it make us think the worse of this world, which often gives such bad treatment to its best men: let it make us long for that kingdom where goodness shall for ever be in glory, and holiness in honour. We find Jonathan comforting David. As a pious friend, he directed him to God, the Foundation of his…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 17you will be king … I will be your second-in-command (literally second to you): Jonathan accepted that God chose David as king and gave up his own ambitions to be king. Jonathan never held an official role in David’s court and died in battle with his father (1 Samuel 31:2).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 16-1716-17. Jonathan went to David into the wood, and strengthened his hand in God--by the recollection of their mutual covenant. What a victory over natural feelings and lower considerations must the faith of Jonathan have won, before he could seek such an interview and give utterance to such sentiments! To talk with calm and assured confidence of himself and family being superseded by the man who was his friend by the bonds of a holy and solemn covenant…Read the comment
Topics related to 1 Samuel 23:17
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on 1 Samuel 23
- 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
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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