1 Samuel 18:18

Bible in Basic English

And David said to Saul, Who am I, and what is my father's family in Israel, that I am to be son-in-law to the king?

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then David responded, “Who am I, and what is my family or my father’s clan in Israel that I should become the king’s son-in-law?”

Hebrew Names Version
David said to Sha'ul, Who am I, and what is my life, [or] my father's family in Yisra'el, that I should be son-in-law to the king?

King James Version
And David said unto Saul, Who am I? and what is my life, or my father's family in Israel, that I should be son in law to the king?

Lexham English Bible
But David said to Saul, "Who am I, and who are my relatives, the clan of my father in Israel, that I should be a son-in-law to the king?"

English Standard Version
And David said to Saul, "Who am I, and who are my relatives, my father's clan in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?"

New Century Version
But David answered Saul, saying, "Who am I? My family is not important enough for me to become the king's son-in-law."

New English Translation
David said to Saul, "Who am I? Who are my relatives or the clan of my father in Israel that I should become the king's son-in-law?"

Amplified Bible
David said to Saul, "Who am I, and what is my life or my father's family in Israel, that I should be the king's son-in-law?"

New American Standard Bible
But David said to Saul, "Who am I, and who is my family, or my father's family in Israel, that I should be the king's son-in-law?"

Geneva Bible (1587)
And Dauid answered Saul, What am I? and what is my life, or the family of my father in Israel, that I should be sonne in law to the King?

Legacy Standard Bible
But David said to Saul, "Who am I, and what is my life or my father's family in Israel, that I should be the king's son-in-law?"

Contemporary English Version
David answered, "How could I possibly marry your daughter? I'm not very important, and neither is my family."

Complete Jewish Bible
David's response to Sha'ul was, "Who am I, that I should become the king's son-in-law? I don't have any kind of a life, and my father's family has no rank in Isra'el."

Darby Translation
And David said to Saul, Who am I? and what is my life, [or] my father's family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?

Easy-to-Read Version
But David said, "I am not an important man from an important family. I can't marry the king's daughter."

George Lamsa Translation
And David said to Saul, Who am I? And what have I done, or what is my life or my fathers family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?

Good News Translation
David answered, "Who am I and what is my family that I should become the king's son-in-law?"

Literal Translation
And David said to Saul, Who am I, and what is my life, and the family of my father in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Neuertheles Dauid answered Saul: Who am I? & what is my life & the kynred of my father in Israel, that I shulde mary the kinges doughter?

American Standard Version
And David said unto Saul, Who am I, and what is my life, or my father's family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And Dauid aunswered Saul: What am I? and what is my lyfe or the kynred of my father in Israel, that I should be sonne in lawe to the king?

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And David said unto Saul: 'Who am I, and what is my life, or my father's family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?'

King James Version (1611)
And Dauid said vnto Saul, Who am I? and what is my life, or my fathers family in Israel, that I should be sonne in law to the king?

English Revised Version
And David said unto Saul, Who am I, and what is my life, [or] my father’s family in Israel, that I should be son in law to the king?

Berean Standard Bible
And David said to Saul, "Who am I, and what is my family or my father's clan in Israel, that I should become the son-in-law of the king?"

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Sotheli Dauid seide to Saul, Who am Y, ether what is my lijf, ether the meynee of my fadir in Israel, that Y be maad the `sone in lawe of the kyng?

Young's Literal Translation
And David saith unto Saul, `Who [am] I? and what my life -- the family of my father in Israel -- that I am son-in-law to the king?'

Update Bible Version
And David said to Saul, Who am I, and what is my life, [or] my father's family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?

Webster's Bible Translation
And David said to Saul, Who [am] I? and what [is] my life, [or] my father's family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?

World English Bible
David said to Saul, Who am I, and what is my life, [or] my father's family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?

New King James Version
So David said to Saul, "Who am I, and what is my life or my father's family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?"

New Living Translation
"Who am I, and what is my family in Israel that I should be the king's son-in-law?" David exclaimed. "My father's family is nothing!"

New Life Bible
David said to Saul, "Who am I? What is my life or my father's family in Israel, that I should be the king's son-in-law?"

New Revised Standard
David said to Saul, "Who am I and who are my kinsfolk, my father's family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?"

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And David said unto Saul - Who am, I, or who are my kinsfolk, the family of my father, in Israel, - that I should become son-in-law, to the king?

Douay-Rheims Bible
And David said to Saul: Who am I, or what is my life, or my father’s family in Israel, that I should be son in law of the king?

Revised Standard Version
And David said to Saul, "Who am I, and who are my kinsfolk, my father's family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?"

THE MESSAGE
David, embarrassed, answered, "Do you really mean that? I'm from a family of nobodies! I can't be son-in-law to the king."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
But David said to Saul, "Who am I, and what is my life or my father's family in Israel, that I should be the king's son-in-law?"

Contextual Overview

¹² And Saul went in fear of David, because the Lord was with David and had gone away from Saul. ¹³ So Saul sent him away, and made him a captain over a thousand; and he went about his business before the people. ¹⁴ And in all his undertakings David did wisely; and the Lord was with him. ¹⁵ And when Saul saw how wisely he did, he was in fear of him. ¹⁶ But David was loved by all Israel and Judah, for he went out and came in before them. ¹⁷ And Saul said to David, Here is my oldest daughter Merab, whom I will give you for your wife: only be strong for me, fighting in the Lord's wars. For Saul said, Let it not be through me that his fate comes to him, but through the Philistines. ¹⁸ And David said to Saul, Who am I, and what is my father's family in Israel, that I am to be son-in-law to the king? ¹⁹ But when the time came to give Merab, Saul's daughter, to David, she was given to Adriel of Meholath. ²⁰ And Saul's daughter Michal was in love with David: and Saul had word of it and was pleased. ²¹ And Saul said, I will give her to him, so that she may be a cause of danger to him, and so that the hands of the Philistines may be against him. So Saul said to David, Today you are to become my son-in-law for the second time.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Who am I: 1 Samuel 18:23, 1 Samuel 9:21, Exodus 3:11, Ruth 2:10, 2 Samuel 7:18, Proverbs 15:33, Proverbs 18:12, Jeremiah 1:6

Reciprocal: 1 Kings 4:15 - the daughter Psalms 12:8 - when Proverbs 25:6 - in the presence

Cross-References

Genesis 18:2
And lifting up his eyes, he saw three men before him; and seeing them, he went quickly to them from the door of the tent, and went down on his face to the earth;

Genesis 18:3
And said, My Lord, if now I have grace in your eyes, do not go away from your servant:

Genesis 18:17
And the Lord said, Am I to keep back from Abraham the knowledge of what I do;

Genesis 18:18
Seeing that Abraham will certainly become a great and strong nation, and his name will be used by all the nations of the earth as a blessing?

Genesis 18:25
Let such a thing be far from you, to put the upright to death with the sinner: will not the judge of all the earth do right?

Genesis 18:26
And the Lord said, If there are fifty upright men in the town, I will have mercy on it because of them.

Genesis 26:4
I will make your seed like the stars of heaven in number, and will give them all these lands, and your seed will be a blessing to all the nations of the earth;

Psalms 72:17
May his name go on for ever, as long as the sun: may men be blessing themselves by him; may all nations be blessing his name.

Galatians 3:8
And the holy Writings, seeing before the event that God would give the Gentiles righteousness by faith, gave the good news before to Abraham, saying, In you will all the nations have a blessing.

Galatians 3:14
So that on the Gentiles might come the blessing of Abraham in Christ Jesus; in order that we through faith might have the Spirit which God had undertaken to give.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And David said unto Saul,.... Surprised at the offer Saul made him, yet not refusing it, but expressing himself with great modesty and humility:

who [am] I? as to his person, parentage, and employment, mean and despicable, at least in his own eyes, a type of the lowly Jesus, Matthew 11:29;

and what [is] my life? keeping sheep, for from thence was he taken and advanced; though some think his meaning is, that to hazard his life, as Saul proposed, was not equivalent to such an honour he meant to confer upon him, and that he was ready to do it at all times:

[or] my father's family in Israel; though in an honourable tribe, and was an honourable family, yet it seems not to be very great, at least was not in David's esteem worthy of such high advancement, as that one of it should be so nearly related to the king; Ben Gersom thinks David has reference to the original of his family, Ruth the Moabitess:

that I should be son in law to the king? as he would be by marrying his daughter.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

What is my life - i. e., condition, or means of living (Proverbs 27:27 margin).