God’s Word Translation
1 Samuel 20:27
27But on the second day of the month, David’s place was still empty. Saul asked his son Jonathan, “Why hasn’t Jesse’s son come to the meal either yesterday or today?”
1 Samuel 20:27 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And it came to pass on the morrow, which was the second day of the month, that David’s place was empty: and Saul said unto Jonathan his son, Wherefore cometh not the son of Jesse to meat, neither yesterday, nor to day?
- New International Version (NIV)But the next day, the second day of the month, David’s place was empty again. Then Saul said to his son Jonathan, “Why hasn’t the son of Jesse come to the meal, either yesterday or today?”
- English Standard Version (ESV)But on the second day, the day after the new moon, David's place was empty. And Saul said to Jonathan his son, "Why has not the son of Jesse come to the meal, either yesterday or today?"
- New King James Version (NKJV)And it happened the next day, the second day of the month, that David’s place was empty. And Saul said to Jonathan his son, “Why has the son of Jesse not come to eat, either yesterday or today?”
Context of 1 Samuel 20:27
25He sat in his usual seat by the wall, while Jonathan stood. Abner sat beside Saul, but David’s place was empty. 26Saul didn’t say anything that day, thinking, “Something has happened to him so that he’s unclean. He must be unclean.” But on the second day of the month, David’s place was still empty. Saul asked his son Jonathan, “Why hasn’t Jesse’s son come to the meal either yesterday or today?” 28Jonathan answered Saul, “David repeatedly begged me ⌞to let him go⌟ to Bethlehem. 29David said to me ‘Please let me go. Our relatives will offer a sacrifice in the city, and my brother ordered me to be there. If you will permit it, please let me go to see my brothers.’ This is why he hasn’t come to your banquet.”
Read all of 1 Samuel 201 Samuel 20:27 word by word
וַיְהִ֗י מִֽמָּחֳרַ֤ת הַחֹ֙דֶשׁ֙ הַשֵּׁנִ֔י וַיִּפָּקֵ֖ד מְק֣וֹם דָּוִ֑ד ס וַיֹּ֤אמֶר שָׁאוּל֙ אֶל־יְהוֹנָתָ֣ן בְּנ֔וֹ מַדּ֜וּעַ לֹא־בָ֧א בֶן־יִשַׁ֛י גַּם־תְּמ֥וֹל גַּם־הַיּ֖וֹם אֶל־הַלָּֽחֶם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And it came to pass on the morrowמׇחֳרָתmochŏrâth mochŏrâthâm · morrowH4283
- the secondשֵׁנִיshênîy · secondH8145
- of the monthחֹ֫דֶשׁchôdesh · month: new moonH2320
- that David’sדָּוִדdâvid dâvîyd · DavidH1732
- placeמָקוֹםmâqôm mâqôm meqômâh meqômâh · placeH4725
- was emptyפָּקַדpâqad · to reckon: missingH6485
- and Saulשָׁאוּלshâ'ûl · SaulH7586
- saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- unto Jonathanיְהוֹנָתָןyehônâthân · JonathanH3083
- his sonבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
- Wherefore comethבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
- of Jesseיִשַׁיyishay 'îyshay · JesseH3448
- to meatלֶ֫חֶםlechem · foodH3899
- neither yesterdayתְּמוֹלtemôl temôl · yesterdayH8543
- nor to dayיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
Cross-references for 1 Samuel 20:27
- 1 Samuel 18:11He raised the spear and thought, “I’ll nail David to the wall.” But David got away from him twice.
- 1 Samuel 19:9Then an evil spirit from the Lord came over Saul while he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand. David was strumming a tune.
- 1 Samuel 22:7He said to his officials, “Listen here, men of Benjamin! Will Jesse’s son give every one of you fields and vineyards? Will he make you all officers over a regiment or a battalion of soldiers?
- 1 Samuel 25:10“Who is David?” Nabal answered David’s servants. “Who is Jesse’s son? So many servants nowadays are leaving their masters.
- Isaiah 11:1Then a shoot will come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from its roots will bear fruit.
- Matthew 13:55Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary? Aren’t his brothers’ names James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?
- 1 Peter 2:4You are coming to Christ, the living stone who was rejected by humans but was chosen as precious by God.
Commentaries on 1 Samuel 20:27
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 24-34Verses 24-34 None were more constant than David in attending holy duties; nor had he been absent, but self-preservation obliged him to withdraw. In great peril present opportunities for Divine ordinances may be waved. But it is bad for us, except in case of necessity, to omit any opportunity of statedly attending on them. Jonathan did wisely and well for himself and family, to secure an interest in David, yet for this he is blamed. It is good to take…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 26-27A number of circumstances could render a person ceremonially unclean and thus unfit for attending a sacred festival (see Leviticus 7:2–21). Often, an unclean person was required to be excluded from such functions only until the evening of the same day (Leviticus 15). This explains why Saul became suspicious after David did not arrive the next day. Saul referred to David as the son of Jesse (also in 1 Samuel 20:31; 22:7), a description that functioned as…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2727. on the morrow, which was the second day of the month--The time of the moon's appearance being uncertain--whether at midday, in the evening, or at midnight, the festival was extended over two days. Custom, not the law, had introduced this. Saul said unto Jonathan his son, Wherefore cometh not the son of Jesse--The question was asked, as it were, casually, and with as great an air of indifference as he could assume. And Jonathan having replied that…Read the comment
Topics related to 1 Samuel 20:27
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on 1 Samuel 20
- 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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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