2 Samuel 1:4

2 Samuel 1:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And David said unto him, How went the matter? I pray thee, tell me. And he answered, That the people are fled from the battle, and many of the people also are fallen and dead; and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also.
• New International Version (NIV)“What happened?” David asked. “Tell me.” “The men fled from the battle,” he replied. “Many of them fell and died. And Saul and his son Jonathan are dead.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)And David said to him, "How did it go? Tell me." And he answered, "The people fled from the battle, and also many of the people have fallen and are dead, and Saul and his son Jonathan are also dead."
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then David said to him, “How did the matter go? Please tell me.” And he answered, “The people have fled from the battle, many of the people are fallen and dead, and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also.”

Context of 2 Samuel 1:4

2The next day, a man arrived from the camp of Saul's army. He had dirt on his head and he had torn his clothes. When the man met David, he threw himself down on the ground to give honour to David. 3David asked him, ‘Where have you come from?’ The man replied, ‘I have run from the Israelite army's camp.’ David said, ‘Tell me what happened in the battle.’ The man replied, ‘The Israelites ran away and the enemy killed many of them. Even Saul and his son Jonathan are dead.’ 5When the young man told this to David, David asked him, ‘How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?’ 6The young man said, ‘I was on Gilboa mountain. I saw Saul there. He had to use his spear like a stick to help him to stand. The enemy army with its horses and chariots were getting very near to him.

2 Samuel 1:4 word by word

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר אֵלָ֥יו דָּוִ֛ד מֶה־הָיָ֥ה הַדָּבָ֖ר הַגֶּד־נָ֣א לִ֑י וַ֠יֹּאמֶר אֲשֶׁר־נָ֨ס הָעָ֜ם מִן־הַמִּלְחָמָ֗ה וְגַם־הַרְבֵּ֞ה נָפַ֤ל מִן־הָעָם֙ וַיָּמֻ֔תוּ וְגַ֗ם שָׁא֛וּל וִיהוֹנָתָ֥ן בְּנ֖וֹ מֵֽתוּ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And Davidדָּוִדdâvid dâvîyd · DavidH1732
• saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• unto him, Howמָהmâh mah mâ ma meh · what?H4100
• went the matterדָּבָרdâbâr · word: thingH1697
• I pray thee, tellנָגַדnâgad · to tellH5046
• That the peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
• are fledנוּסnûs · to fleeH5127
• from the battleמִלְחָמָהmilchâmâh · battleH4421
• and manyרָבָהrâbâh · to multiplyH7235
• also are fallenנָפַלnâphal · to fall: fallH5307
• and deadמוּתmûth · to dieH4191
• and Saulשָׁאוּלshâ'ûl · SaulH7586
• and Jonathanיְהוֹנָתָןyehônâthân · JonathanH3083
• his sonבֵּןbên · son: childH1121

Cross-references for 2 Samuel 1:4

• 1 Samuel 4:16The soldier said to Eli, ‘I am the man who ran here today from the battle.’ Eli asked him, ‘What happened, my son?’
• 1 Samuel 31:1The Philistines fought against the Israelites. The Israelites ran away, and the Philistines killed many of them on Gilboa mountain.
• 1 Chronicles 10:1The Philistines fought against the Israelites. The Israelites ran away, and the Philistines killed many of them on Gilboa mountain.

Commentaries on 2 Samuel 1:4

• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4What was the outcome?: David did not know about Saul's death because he was not involved in it. Saul and … Jonathan are also dead: Two other sons of Saul, Abinadab and Malkishua, were killed as well (1 Samuel 31:2). The Amalekite may not have known that Saul’s other sons had died. Or he mentioned only the son who could prevent David from ruling as king of Israel.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2-122-12. a man came out of the camp from Saul--As the narrative of Saul's death, given in the last chapter, is inspired, it must be considered the true account, and the Amalekite's story a fiction of his own, invented to ingratiate himself with David, the presumptive successor to the throne. David's question, "How went the matter?" evinces the deep interest he took in the war, an interest that sprang from feelings of high and generous patriotism, not from…Read the comment

Topics related to 2 Samuel 1:4

• David

In the dictionaries

• David
• Jonathan
• Saul
• Paul, Saul
• Beauty
• Empty
• Lovely
• Tell
• Vilely
• Whole

Commentaries on 2 Samuel 1

• 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