Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version As Saul watched David going out to meet the Philistine, he said to Abner, commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is that young man?” Abner replied, “As surely as you live, Your Majesty, I don’t know.” New Living Translation As Saul watched David go out to fight the Philistine, he asked Abner, the commander of his army, “Abner, whose son is this young man?” “I really don’t know,” Abner declared. English Standard Version As soon as Saul saw David go out against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is this youth?” And Abner said, “As your soul lives, O king, I do not know.” Berean Standard Bible As Saul had watched David going out to confront the Philistine, he said to Abner the commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is this young man?” “As surely as you live, O king,” Abner replied, “I do not know.” King James Bible And when Saul saw David go forth against the Philistine, he said unto Abner, the captain of the host, Abner, whose son is this youth? And Abner said, As thy soul liveth, O king, I cannot tell. New King James Version When Saul saw David going out against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is this youth?” And Abner said, “As your soul lives, O king, I do not know.” New American Standard Bible Now when Saul had seen David going out against the Philistine, he said to Abner the commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is this young man?” And Abner said, “By your life, O king, I do not know.” NASB 1995 Now when Saul saw David going out against the Philistine, he said to Abner the commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is this young man?” And Abner said, “By your life, O king, I do not know.” NASB 1977 Now when Saul saw David going out against the Philistine, he said to Abner the commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is this young man?” And Abner said, “By your life, O king, I do not know.” Legacy Standard Bible Now when Saul saw David going out to meet the Philistine, he said to Abner the commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is this young man?” And Abner said, “By your life, O king, I do not know.” Amplified Bible When Saul saw David going out against the Philistine, he said to Abner the captain of the army, “Abner, whose son is this young man?” And Abner answered, “By your life, O king, I do not know.” Christian Standard Bible When Saul had seen David going out to confront the Philistine, he asked Abner the commander of the army, “Whose son is this youth, Abner? ” “Your Majesty, as surely as you live, I don’t know,” Abner replied. Holman Christian Standard Bible When Saul had seen David going out to confront the Philistine, he asked Abner the commander of the army, “Whose son is this youth, Abner?” “My king, as surely as you live, I don’t know,” Abner replied. American Standard Version And when Saul saw David go forth against the Philistine, he said unto Abner, the captain of the host, Abner, whose son is this youth? And Abner said, As thy soul liveth, O king, I cannot tell. Aramaic Bible in Plain English And when Shaul saw David as he went out to the encounter of the Philistine, he had said to Abnir, Commander of his army: “Whose son is this boy?” And Abnir said, “Living is your soul, oh King, for I do not know” Contemporary English Version After King Saul had watched David go out to fight Goliath, Saul turned to the commander of his army and said, "Abner, who is that young man?" "Your Majesty," Abner answered, "I swear by your life that I don't know." Douay-Rheims Bible Now at the time that Saul saw David going out against the Philistines, he said to Abner the captain of the army: Of what family is this young man descended, Abner? And Abner said: As thy soul liveth, O king, I know not. English Revised Version And when Saul saw David go forth against the Philistine, he said unto Abner, the captain of the host, Abner, whose son is this youth? And Abner said, As thy soul liveth, O king, I cannot tell. GOD'S WORD® Translation As Saul watched David going out against the Philistine, he asked Abner, the commander of the army, "Abner, whose son is this young man?" Abner answered, "I solemnly swear, as you live, Your Majesty, I don't know." Good News Translation When Saul saw David going out to fight Goliath, he asked Abner, the commander of his army, "Abner, whose son is he?" "I have no idea, Your Majesty," Abner answered. International Standard Version When Saul saw David going out to meet the Philistine, he asked Abner, the commander of the army, "Whose son is this young man, Abner?" Abner said, "As surely as you live, your majesty, I don't know." JPS Tanakh 1917 And when Saul saw David go forth against the Philistine, he said unto Abner, the captain of the host: 'Abner, whose son is this youth?' And Abner said: 'As thy soul liveth, O king, I cannot tell.' Literal Standard Version And when Saul sees David going out to meet the Philistine, he has said to Abner, head of the host, “Whose son [is] this—the youth, Abner?” And Abner says, “Your soul lives, O king, I have not known.” Majority Standard Bible As Saul had watched David going out to confront the Philistine, he said to Abner the commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is this young man?” “As surely as you live, O king,” Abner replied, “I do not know.” New American Bible As Saul watched David go out to meet the Philistine, he asked his general Abner, “Abner, whose son is that young man?” Abner replied, “On your life, O king, I have no idea.” NET Bible Now as Saul watched David going out to fight the Philistine, he asked Abner, the general in command of the army, "Whose son is this young man, Abner?" Abner replied, "As surely as you live, O king, I don't know." New Revised Standard Version When Saul saw David go out against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is this young man?” Abner said, “As your soul lives, O king, I do not know.” New Heart English Bible When Saul saw David go forth against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the captain of the army, "Abner, whose son is this youth?" Abner said, "As your soul lives, O king, I can't tell." Webster's Bible Translation And when Saul saw David go forth against the Philistine, he said to Abner the captain of the host, Abner, whose son is this youth? And Abner said, As thy soul liveth, O king, I cannot tell. World English Bible When Saul saw David go out against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the captain of the army, “Abner, whose son is this youth?” Abner said, “As your soul lives, O king, I can’t tell.” Young's Literal Translation And when Saul seeth David going out to meet the Philistine, he hath said unto Abner, head of the host, 'Whose son is this -- the youth, Abner?' and Abner saith, 'Thy soul liveth, O king, I have not known.' Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context David Slays Goliath…54David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, and he put Goliath’s weapons in his own tent. 55As Saul had watched David going out to confront the Philistine, he said to Abner the commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is this young man?” “As surely as you live, O king,” Abner replied, “I do not know.” 56“Find out whose son this young man is!” said the king.… Cross References Genesis 42:15 And this is how you will be tested: As surely as Pharaoh lives, you shall not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here. 1 Samuel 16:12 So Jesse sent for his youngest son and brought him in. He was ruddy, with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance. And the LORD said, "Rise and anoint him, for he is the one." 1 Samuel 16:21 When David came to Saul and entered his service, Saul admired him greatly, and David became his armor-bearer. 1 Samuel 17:54 David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, and he put Goliath's weapons in his own tent. 1 Samuel 17:56 "Find out whose son this young man is!" said the king. 1 Samuel 26:5 Then David set out and went to the place where Saul had camped. He saw the place where Saul and Abner son of Ner, the general of his army, had lain down. Saul was lying inside the inner circle of the camp, with the troops camped around him. Treasury of Scripture And when Saul saw David go forth against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the captain of the host, Abner, whose son is this youth? And Abner said, As your soul lives, O king, I cannot tell. whose son 1 Samuel 17:58 And Saul said to him, Whose son art thou, thou young man? And David answered, I am the son of thy servant Jesse the Bethlehemite. 1 Samuel 16:21,22 And David came to Saul, and stood before him: and he loved him greatly; and he became his armourbearer… Jump to Previous Abner Army Captain Commander David Host Philistine Saul Soul YouthJump to Next Abner Army Captain Commander David Host Philistine Saul Soul Youth1 Samuel 17 1. The armies of the Israelites and Philistines being ready to battle4. Goliath challenges a combat 12. David, sent by his father to visit his brothers, takes the challenge 28. Eliab chides him 30. He is brought to Saul 32. shows the reason of his confidence 38. and slays the giant 55. Saul takes notice of David (55) Whose son is this youth?--A grave difficulty, at first sight, indisputably exists here. It is briefly this. In the preceding chapter (1Samuel 17:18-23), David, the son of Jesse, is chosen to play before the mentally sick king; his playing relieved the sufferer, who became attached to the young musician, and in consequence appointed him to a position about his person that certainly would have involved a lengthened, if not a continuous, residence at the court. In this and the following verses we read how this same David, at the time of his great exploit, was apparently unknown to the king and to Abner, the captain of the host. The LXX., fully conscious of the difficulty, determined to solve it by boldly, if not wisely, cutting the knot. They literally expunged from their version all the later passages which they could not easily bring into harmony with the earlier. The Greek Version, then, simply omits these four last verses of 1 Samuel 17, together with the first five verses of 1 Samuel 18, and the whole of the section 1Samuel 17:12-31. Various ingenious explanations have been suggested by scholars. (a) The mental state of Saul when David played before him was such that the king failed to recognise him on the present occasion, and Abner probably had never seen him before. (b) Some length of time had elapsed since his last visit to the court, and as he was then in very early manhood, he had, so to speak, grown, in a comparatively speaking short space of time, out of Saul's memory. (c) The purpose of Saul's inquiry was not to find out who David was--that he knew well already--but to ascertain the position and general circumstances of the young hero's father, as, according to the promise (in 1Samuel 17:25), in the event of his success (which evidently the king confidently looked for), the father of the champion and his family would receive extraordinary honours. The real solution of the difficulty probably lies in the fact that, as has been before stated, this and the other historical books of the Old Testament were made up by the inspired compiler from well-authenticated traditions current in Israel, and most probably preserved in the archives of the great prophetic schools. (See Notes on 1Samuel 17:1; 1Samuel 17:15.) There were, no doubt, many of these traditions connected with the principal events of David's early career. Two here were selected which, to a certain extent, covered the same ground. The first--preserved, no doubt, in some prophetic school where music and poetry were especially cultivated--narrates the influence which David acquired over Saul through his great gift of music. The power of music and poetry in Saul's mental disease was evidently the great point of interest to the original writer of 1Samuel 16:14-23. Now, in the narrative contained in these ten verses no note of time occurs. The events related evidently were spread over a considerable, possibly over a very long, period. The afflicted king might have seen the young musician perhaps in a darkened tent once or twice before the Goliath combat, but the great intimacy described in 1Samuel 16:21-23, we may well assume, belonged to a period subsequent to the memorable combat with the giant. . . . Verses 55-58. - Abner, whose son is this youth? Hebrew, "lad," na'ar. We have seen that the narrative in 1 Samuel 16:21-23 carries the history of David's relations with Saul down to a much later period, and that in ver. 15 of this chapter David is represented as not dwelling continuously at Saul's court, but as having returned to Bethlehem and resumed his pastoral occupations there, whence he would be summoned back in case of the recurrence of Saul's malady. It is plain from what is stated here that David had not thus far spent time enough at Gibeah to be personally well known either to Saul or his officers (see note on ver. 15). Stripling. Not na'ar, but alem, the masculine of the word almah, used in Isaiah 7:14. It means a young man fully grown, and arrived at the age to marry, and so is more definite than na'ar, which Saul uses in ver. 58. As David returned, etc. Abner, as captain of the host, would naturally watch the combat, and as soon as it was possible would bring the young warrior into the king's presence. But what is recorded here could have taken place only after the pursuit of the Philistines was over, and really these five verses should be united with ch. 17, as their object is to introduce the account of the love. of Jonathan for David. Starting then with the inquiry made by the king of Abner, asking for fuller information as to the young man's parentage, the historian then tells how after the chase he was brought before Saul, and then, in 1 Samuel 18:1, that the result of their conversation was the warm love that henceforward knit together these two kindred souls.
Hebrew As Saulשָׁא֜וּל (šā·’ūl) Noun - proper - masculine singular Strong's 7586: Saul -- first king of Israel, also an Edomite and two Israelites had watched וְכִרְא֨וֹת (wə·ḵir·’ō·wṯ) Conjunctive waw, Preposition-k | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct Strong's 7200: To see David דָּוִ֗ד (dā·wiḏ) Noun - proper - masculine singular Strong's 1732: David -- perhaps 'beloved one', a son of Jesse going out יֹצֵא֙ (yō·ṣê) Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular Strong's 3318: To go, bring, out, direct and proxim to confront לִקְרַ֣את (liq·raṯ) Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct Strong's 7122: To encounter, befall the Philistine, הַפְּלִשְׁתִּ֔י (hap·pə·liš·tî) Article | Noun - proper - masculine singular Strong's 6430: Philistines -- inhabitants of Philistia he said אָמַ֗ר (’ā·mar) Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular Strong's 559: To utter, say to אֶל־ (’el-) Preposition Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to Abner אַבְנֵר֙ (’aḇ·nêr) Noun - proper - masculine singular Strong's 74: Abner -- 'my father is a lamp', an Israelite name the commander שַׂ֣ר (śar) Noun - masculine singular construct Strong's 8269: Chieftain, chief, ruler, official, captain, prince of the army, הַצָּבָ֔א (haṣ·ṣā·ḇā) Article | Noun - common singular Strong's 6635: A mass of persons, reg, organized for, war, a campaign “Abner, אַבְנֵ֑ר (’aḇ·nêr) Noun - proper - masculine singular Strong's 74: Abner -- 'my father is a lamp', an Israelite name whose מִי־ (mî-) Interrogative Strong's 4310: Who?, whoever, in oblique construction with prefix, suffix son בֶּן־ (ben-) Noun - masculine singular construct Strong's 1121: A son is this זֶ֥ה (zeh) Pronoun - masculine singular Strong's 2088: This, that young man?” הַנַּ֖עַר (han·na·‘ar) Article | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 5288: A boy, lad, youth, retainer “As surely as you נַפְשְׁךָ֥ (nap̄·šə·ḵā) Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine singular Strong's 5315: A soul, living being, life, self, person, desire, passion, appetite, emotion live, חֵֽי־ (ḥê-) Noun - masculine singular construct Strong's 2416: Alive, raw, fresh, strong, life O king,” הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ (ham·me·leḵ) Article | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 4428: A king Abner אַבְנֵ֔ר (’aḇ·nêr) Noun - proper - masculine singular Strong's 74: Abner -- 'my father is a lamp', an Israelite name replied, וַיֹּ֣אמֶר (way·yō·mer) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular Strong's 559: To utter, say “I do not אִם־ (’im-) Conjunction Strong's 518: Lo!, whether?, if, although, Oh that!, when, not know.” יָדָֽעְתִּי׃ (yā·ḏā·‘ə·tî) Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular Strong's 3045: To know Links 1 Samuel 17:55 NIV1 Samuel 17:55 NLT 1 Samuel 17:55 ESV 1 Samuel 17:55 NASB 1 Samuel 17:55 KJV 1 Samuel 17:55 BibleApps.com 1 Samuel 17:55 Biblia Paralela 1 Samuel 17:55 Chinese Bible 1 Samuel 17:55 French Bible 1 Samuel 17:55 Catholic Bible OT History: 1 Samuel 17:55 When Saul saw David go forth against (1Sa iSam 1 Sam i sa) |
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