New King James Version
1 Samuel 23:17
17And 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.”
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 Living Translation (NLT)“Don’t be afraid,” Jonathan reassured him. “My father will never find you! You are going to be the king of Israel, and I will be next to you, as my father, Saul, is well aware.”
Context of 1 Samuel 23:17
15So David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life. And David was in the Wilderness of Ziph in a forest. 16Then Jonathan, Saul’s son, arose and went to David in the woods and strengthened his hand in God. 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.” 18So the two of them made a covenant before the Lord. And David stayed in the woods, and Jonathan went to his own house. 19Then the Ziphites came up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is David not hiding with us in strongholds in the woods, in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of Jeshimon?
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 41:10Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
- Hebrews 13:6So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”
- Job 5:11He sets on high those who are lowly, And those who mourn are lifted to safety.
- Psalms 27:1The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?
- Psalms 46:1God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.
- Psalms 91:1He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
- Proverbs 14:26In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, And His children will have a place of refuge.
- Isaiah 54:17No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, And their righteousness is from Me,” Says the Lord.
- Luke 12:32“Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
- Proverbs 19:21There are many plans in a man’s heart, Nevertheless the Lord’s counsel—that will stand.
- Acts 28:16Now when we came to Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard; but Paul was permitted to dwell by himself with the soldier who guarded him.
- Romans 15:24whenever I journey to Spain, I shall come to you. For I hope to see you on my journey, and to be helped on my way there by you, if first I may enjoy your company for a while.
- 1 Samuel 20:31For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, you shall not be established, nor your kingdom. Now therefore, send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die.”
- 1 Samuel 24:20And now I know indeed that you shall surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand.
- Acts 5:39but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it—lest you even be found to fight 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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries