1 Samuel 30:4

THE MESSAGE

David and his men burst out in loud wails—wept and wept until they were exhausted with weeping. David's two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail widow of Nabal of Carmel, had been taken prisoner along with the rest. And suddenly David was in even worse trouble. There was talk among the men, bitter over the loss of their families, of stoning him. David strengthened himself with trust in his God . He ordered Abiathar the priest, son of Ahimelech, "Bring me the Ephod so I can consult God." Abiathar brought it to David. Then David prayed to God , "Shall I go after these raiders? Can I catch them?" The answer came, "Go after them! Yes, you'll catch them! Yes, you'll make the rescue!" David went, he and the six hundred men with him. They arrived at the Brook Besor, where some of them dropped out. David and four hundred men kept up the pursuit, but two hundred of them were too fatigued to cross the Brook Besor, and stayed there. Some who went on came across an Egyptian in a field and took him to David. They gave him bread and he ate. And he drank some water. They gave him a piece of fig cake and a couple of raisin muffins. Life began to revive in him. He hadn't eaten or drunk a thing for three days and nights! David said to him, "Who do you belong to? Where are you from?" "I'm an Egyptian slave of an Amalekite," he said. "My master walked off and left me when I got sick—that was three days ago. We had raided the Negev of the Kerethites, of Judah, and of Caleb. Ziklag we burned." David asked him, "Can you take us to the raiders?" "Promise me by God," he said, "that you won't kill me or turn me over to my old master, and I'll take you straight to the raiders." He led David to them. They were scattered all over the place, eating and drinking, gorging themselves on all the loot they had plundered from Philistia and Judah. David pounced. He fought them from before sunrise until evening of the next day. None got away except for four hundred of the younger men who escaped by riding off on camels. David rescued everything the Amalekites had taken. And he rescued his two wives! Nothing and no one was missing—young or old, son or daughter, plunder or whatever. David recovered the whole lot. He herded the sheep and cattle before them, and they all shouted, "David's plunder!" Then David came to the two hundred who had been too tired to continue with him and had dropped out at the Brook Besor. They came out to welcome David and his band. As he came near he called out, "Success!" But all the mean-spirited men who had marched with David, the rabble element, objected: "They didn't help in the rescue, they don't get any of the plunder we recovered. Each man can have his wife and children, but that's it. Take them and go!" "Families don't do this sort of thing! Oh no, my brothers!" said David as he broke up the argument. "You can't act this way with what God gave us! God kept us safe. He handed over the raiders who attacked us. Who would ever listen to this kind of talk? The share of the one who stays with the gear is the share of the one who fights—equal shares. Share and share alike!" From that day on, David made that the rule in Israel—and it still is. On returning to Ziklag, David sent portions of the plunder to the elders of Judah, his neighbors, with a note saying, "A gift from the plunder of God 's enemies!" He sent them to the elders in Bethel, Ramoth Negev, Jattir, Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa, Racal, Jerahmeelite cities, Kenite cities, Hormah, Bor Ashan, Athach, and Hebron, along with a number of other places David and his men went to from time to time.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
David and the troops with him wept loudly until they had no strength left to weep.

Hebrew Names Version
Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.

King James Version
Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.

Lexham English Bible
Then David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept until there was not enough strength in them to weep.

English Standard Version
Then David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept until they had no more strength to weep.

New Century Version
Then David and his army cried loudly until they were too weak to cry anymore.

New English Translation
Then David and the men who were with him wept loudly until they could weep no more.

Amplified Bible
Then David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept until they were too exhausted to weep [any longer].

New American Standard Bible
Then David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept until there was no strength in them to weep.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Then Dauid and the people that was with him, lift vp their voyces and wept, vntill they could weepe no more.

Legacy Standard Bible
So David and the people who were with him lifted their voices and wept until there was no strength in them to weep.

Contemporary English Version
They started crying and kept it up until they were too weak to cry any more.

Complete Jewish Bible
Then David and the people with him cried aloud until they had no more power to cry.

Darby Translation
Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.

Easy-to-Read Version
David and the other men in his army cried loudly until they were too weak to cry anymore.

George Lamsa Translation
Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept until they had no more strength to weep.

Good News Translation
David and his men started crying and did not stop until they were completely exhausted.

Literal Translation
And David and the people with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no power in them to weep.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Dauid and the people that was with him lefte vp their voyce, and wepte so longe tyll they coulde wepe nomore.

American Standard Version
Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.

Bible in Basic English
Then David and the people who were with him gave themselves up to weeping till they were able to go on weeping no longer.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then Dauid & the people that were with him, lift vp their voyces and wept, vntill they could weepe no more.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.

King James Version (1611)
Then Dauid and the people that were with him, lift vp their voice, and wept, vntill they had no more power to weepe.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And David and his men lifted up their voice, and wept till there was no longer any power within them to weep.

English Revised Version
Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.

Berean Standard Bible
So David and the troops with him lifted up their voices and wept until they had no strength left to weep.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Dauid and the puple that was with hym reisiden her voices, and weiliden, til teeris failiden in hem.

Young's Literal Translation
And David lifteth up -- and the people who [are] with him -- their voice and weep, till that they have no power to weep.

Update Bible Version
Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.

Webster's Bible Translation
Then David and the people that [were] with him, lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.

World English Bible
Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.

New King James Version
Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept, until they had no more power to weep.

New Living Translation
they wept until they could weep no more.

New Life Bible
Then David and the people with him cried out in a loud voice until they had no more strength to cry.

New Revised Standard
Then David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept, until they had no more strength to weep.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice, and wept, - until they had no more strength to weep.

Douay-Rheims Bible
David and the people that were with him, lifted up their voices, and wept till they had no more tears.

Revised Standard Version
Then David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept, until they had no more strength to weep.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then David and the people who were with him lifted their voices and wept until there was no strength in them to weep.

Contextual Overview

¹Three days later, David and his men arrived back in Ziklag. Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They tore Ziklag to pieces and then burned it down. They captured all the women, young and old. They didn't kill anyone, but drove them like a herd of cattle. By the time David and his men entered the village, it had been burned to the ground, and their wives, sons, and daughters all taken prisoner. ⁴David and his men burst out in loud wails—wept and wept until they were exhausted with weeping. David's two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail widow of Nabal of Carmel, had been taken prisoner along with the rest. And suddenly David was in even worse trouble. There was talk among the men, bitter over the loss of their families, of stoning him. David strengthened himself with trust in his God . He ordered Abiathar the priest, son of Ahimelech, "Bring me the Ephod so I can consult God." Abiathar brought it to David. Then David prayed to God , "Shall I go after these raiders? Can I catch them?" The answer came, "Go after them! Yes, you'll catch them! Yes, you'll make the rescue!" David went, he and the six hundred men with him. They arrived at the Brook Besor, where some of them dropped out. David and four hundred men kept up the pursuit, but two hundred of them were too fatigued to cross the Brook Besor, and stayed there. Some who went on came across an Egyptian in a field and took him to David. They gave him bread and he ate. And he drank some water. They gave him a piece of fig cake and a couple of raisin muffins. Life began to revive in him. He hadn't eaten or drunk a thing for three days and nights! David said to him, "Who do you belong to? Where are you from?" "I'm an Egyptian slave of an Amalekite," he said. "My master walked off and left me when I got sick—that was three days ago. We had raided the Negev of the Kerethites, of Judah, and of Caleb. Ziklag we burned." David asked him, "Can you take us to the raiders?" "Promise me by God," he said, "that you won't kill me or turn me over to my old master, and I'll take you straight to the raiders." He led David to them. They were scattered all over the place, eating and drinking, gorging themselves on all the loot they had plundered from Philistia and Judah. David pounced. He fought them from before sunrise until evening of the next day. None got away except for four hundred of the younger men who escaped by riding off on camels. David rescued everything the Amalekites had taken. And he rescued his two wives! Nothing and no one was missing—young or old, son or daughter, plunder or whatever. David recovered the whole lot. He herded the sheep and cattle before them, and they all shouted, "David's plunder!" Then David came to the two hundred who had been too tired to continue with him and had dropped out at the Brook Besor. They came out to welcome David and his band. As he came near he called out, "Success!" But all the mean-spirited men who had marched with David, the rabble element, objected: "They didn't help in the rescue, they don't get any of the plunder we recovered. Each man can have his wife and children, but that's it. Take them and go!" "Families don't do this sort of thing! Oh no, my brothers!" said David as he broke up the argument. "You can't act this way with what God gave us! God kept us safe. He handed over the raiders who attacked us. Who would ever listen to this kind of talk? The share of the one who stays with the gear is the share of the one who fights—equal shares. Share and share alike!" From that day on, David made that the rule in Israel—and it still is. On returning to Ziklag, David sent portions of the plunder to the elders of Judah, his neighbors, with a note saying, "A gift from the plunder of God 's enemies!" He sent them to the elders in Bethel, Ramoth Negev, Jattir, Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa, Racal, Jerahmeelite cities, Kenite cities, Hormah, Bor Ashan, Athach, and Hebron, along with a number of other places David and his men went to from time to time.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

lifted up: 1 Samuel 4:13, 1 Samuel 11:4, Genesis 37:33-35, Numbers 14:1, Numbers 14:39, Judges 2:4, Judges 21:2, Ezra 10:1

Reciprocal: Genesis 21:16 - lift Genesis 27:34 - he cried Numbers 31:27 - two parts 2 Samuel 3:32 - lifted Job 2:12 - their voice Lamentations 2:11 - eyes Lamentations 3:51 - eye

Cross-References

Genesis 22:24
His concubine, Reumah, gave him four more children: Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.

Genesis 25:1
Abraham married a second time; his new wife was named Keturah. She gave birth to Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.

Genesis 30:3
Rachel said, "Here's my maid Bilhah. Sleep with her. Let her substitute for me so I can have a child through her and build a family." So she gave him her maid Bilhah for a wife and Jacob slept with her. Bilhah became pregnant and gave Jacob a son.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then David and the people that [were] with him lifted up their voice,.... In doleful shrieks, and loud lamentations:

and wept, until they had no more power to weep; till nature was quite exhausted, and no moisture left; so the Vulgate Latin version, "till tears failed in them"; they could shed no more.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Samuel 30:4. Wept, until they had no more power to weep. — This marks great distress; they wept, as says the Vulgate, till their tears failed them.