But David pursued, he and four hundred men: for two hundred abode behind, which were so faint that they could not go over the brook Besor.
Parallel translations
- WEB But David pursued, he and four hundred men; for two hundred stayed behind, who were so faint that they couldn’t go over the brook Besor.
- BSB because two hundred men were too exhausted to cross the brook. But David and four hundred men continued in pursuit.
- NKJV But David pursued, he and four hundred men; for two hundred stayed behind, who were so weary that they could not cross the Brook Besor.
- NASB But David pursued, he and four hundred men, for two hundred who were too exhausted to cross the brook Besor stayed behind.
- NLT But 200 of the men were too exhausted to cross the brook, so David continued the pursuit with 400 men.
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
Two hundred of David's men are too exhausted to cross the brook, so only four hundred continue. Human weakness is woven into the story of God's deliverance.
Overview
The reduction from six hundred to four hundred underscores the real cost of the chase and sets the stage for the dispute over spoils. It echoes how God often grants victory through a diminished, weak force, so that the glory belongs to him rather than human strength. The faint two hundred are not despised but will be cared for in David's later ruling.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- 1 Sam 30:21And David came to the two hundred men, which were so faint that they could not follow David, whom they had made also to abide at the brook Besor: and they went forth to meet David, and to meet the people that were with him: and when David came near to the people, he saluted them.
- 1 Sam 30:9So David went, he and the six hundred men that were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those that were left behind stayed.
- Judg 8:4–5And Gideon came to Jordan, and passed over, he, and the three hundred men that were with him, faint, yet pursuing them.
- 1 Sam 14:20And Saul and all the people that were with him assembled themselves, and they came to the battle: and, behold, every man’s sword was against his fellow, and there was a very great discomfiture.
- 1 Sam 14:31And they smote the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon: and the people were very faint.
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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 30:10 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
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