They had taken captive the women and all who were there, both young and old. They had not killed anyone, but had carried them off as they went on their way.
Parallel translations
- WEB and had taken captive the women and all who were in it, both small and great. They didn’t kill any, but carried them off, and went their way.
- KJV And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way.
- NKJV and had taken captive the women and those who were there, from small to great; they did not kill anyone, but carried them away and went their way.
- NASB and they took captive the women and all who were in it, from the small to the great, without killing anyone, and drove them off and went their way.
- NLT They had carried off the women and children and everyone else but without killing anyone.
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
The Amalekites carried off the women and others as captives without killing them. The raiders took prisoners rather than lives.
Overview
The narrator notes that the Amalekites spared their captives, taking them away alive. This detail offers a thread of hope, for the loved ones may yet be recovered. The mercy of the raiders, perhaps for ransom or slavery, becomes the occasion for David's God-directed rescue mission.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- 1 Sam 27:11David did not leave a man or woman alive to be brought to Gath, for he said, “Otherwise they will report us, saying, ‘This is what David did.’” And this was David’s custom the whole time he lived in Philistine territory.
- 1 Sam 30:19Nothing was missing, young or old, son or daughter, or any of the plunder the Amalekites had taken. David brought everything back.
- Isa 27:8–9By warfare and exile You contended with her and removed her with a fierce wind, as on the day the east wind blows.
- Job 38:11and I declared: ‘You may come this far, but no farther; here your proud waves must stop’?
- Ps 76:10Even the wrath of man shall praise You; with the survivors of wrath You will clothe Yourself.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Commentaries & study tools
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 30:2 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.