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Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.
1 Samuel 30:4 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voice and wept until they had no more power to weep.
  • BSB So David and the troops with him lifted up their voices and wept until they had no strength left to weep.
  • NKJV Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept, until they had no more power to weep.
  • NASB Then David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept until there was no strength in them to weep.
  • NLT they wept until they could weep no more.

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 and his men weep aloud until they have no strength left to weep. Their grief over the captives is overwhelming.

Overview

Overcome by loss, David and his company weep until exhausted, their sorrow utterly spent. The raw lament honestly portrays the anguish of God's servants under crushing trial. From this lowest point David will turn to encourage himself in the LORD, showing the path of faith that ultimately rests in God's deliverance through Christ.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 8

  • 1 Sam 11:4Then came the messengers to Gibeah of Saul, and told the tidings in the ears of the people: and all the people lifted up their voices, and wept.
  • Num 14:1And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night.
  • Judg 2:4And it came to pass, when the angel of the LORD spake these words unto all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice, and wept.
  • Judg 21:2And the people came to the house of God, and abode there till even before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept sore;
  • 1 Sam 4:13And when he came, lo, Eli sat upon a seat by the wayside watching: for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city, and told it, all the city cried out.
  • Gen 37:33–35And he knew it, and said, It is my son’s coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces.
  • Num 14:39And Moses told these sayings unto all the children of Israel: and the people mourned greatly.
  • Ezra 10:1Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there assembled unto him out of Israel a very great congregation of men and women and children: for the people wept very sore.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (3)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — 1 Samuel videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on 1 Samuel 30:4YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on 1 SamuelMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    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 30:4 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.