“What have I done now?” said David. “Was it not just a question?”
Parallel translations
- WEB David said, “What have I now done? Is there not a cause?”
- KJV And David said, What have I now done? Is there not a cause?
- NKJV And David said, “What have I done now? Is there not a cause?”
- NASB But David said, “What have I done now? Was it not just a question?”
- NLT “What have I done now?” David replied. “I was only asking a question!”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
David answers Eliab mildly, asking what he has done wrong and noting there is a legitimate cause. He refuses to be provoked and keeps his focus on the real issue.
Overview
David's gentle reply, Is there not a cause, deflects his brother's unjust anger without retaliation. He does not abandon his concern for God's honor despite family opposition. His self-control under provocation reflects godly wisdom and foreshadows the meekness of Christ, who when reviled did not revile in return.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- 1 Pet 3:9Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.
- 1 Cor 2:15The spiritual man judges all things, but he himself is not subject to anyone’s judgment.
- Prov 15:1A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
- Acts 11:2–4So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers took issue with him
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The rise of the anointed king after Israel's failed first choice points to the true Anointed One (Messiah means 'anointed'), the shepherd-king after God's own heart from Bethlehem.
How 1 Samuel 17:29 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.