Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Samuel 30:11

And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he did eat; and they made him drink water;

11. bread ] Food: what it was is specified in the next verse: a piece of fig-cake and two lumps of raisins. See on 1Sa 25:18. The Sept. (B) omits the raisins.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

1Sa 30:11-13

And they found an Egyptian in the field.

Christian beneficence

The debasing influence of prosperity and success, and the humanising tendency of disaster and distress, were never more strikingly contrasted than in the portion of sacred history to which the words that have now been read turn our attention. It exhibits to us, on the one hand, a most painful instance of savage cruelty and neglect, in the midst of triumph and gladness; and presents, on the other, a pleasing example of tenderness and sympathy in the season of sorrow and depression. With the exception of one circumstance, the case of this Egyptian youth is one which is daily presented to us, and makes constant appeals to our sympathy and beneficence. The exception to which I allude, is one for which we can never be sufficiently grateful to Him who appoints the bounds of our habitation. In this land of freemen, slavery is never added to the miseries of the wretched, and, in the gloomiest hour of poverty and distress, the consciousness of freedom is left to console the sufferer. But in this single, though invaluable, exception, the sufferings of this young Egyptian have many parallel in this vale of tears. The union of poverty and disease is one of the most common forms of human wretchedness; its bitterness may be estimated without any effort of fancy, and its anguish painted without the aid of the imagination. Poverty and sickness are presented to us so often in melancholy union, that, to describe them, is not to draw upon the fancy, but to copy the sad original.

1. The first and most obvious consideration that calls us to the exercise of humanity and mercy, is our own liability to those very ills which claim our sympathy and relief. Poverty and sickness are not exclusively incident to any particular individuals, among the children of men. They imply the absence of the frailest and most perishable blessings of our lot.

2. In the next place, you are aware that compassion to the afflicted poor is enjoined by the authority of the Gospel. The Divine author of Christianity was anointed to proclaim glad tidings to the poor, and the poor and the sorrowful were his constant care His whole life was one grand act of benevolence; and whether we think of the purity of His motives, or the extent of His designs of good, or His indefatigable labours or His painful sufferings in the cause of humanity, we have before us a pattern of charity and mercy, the most affecting and instructive. And with His conduct, His doctrine most beautifully coincides. It breathes peace and good will to man; and it enforces on all His followers the same love which He Himself manifested to the sons of men.

3. I entreat you to remember, that our neglect of exercises of mercy to the afflicted will be the ground of that sentence which in the day of our last account will be pronounced upon us all. In terms which the simplest understanding may comprehend, but which no heart can hear without the deepest awe, the Judge of all has assured us that in that hour when we shall stand before Him, the most searching inquiries will be made concerning our conduct to the child of want. (John Johnston.)

The outcast servant

You have here a lively picture of Satans cast off servant, And they found an Egyptian in the field. Unable any longer go be actively employed for his master, he is left go linger out a miserable existence. Never shall one of Christs happy servants say, My master left me. David now finds that he had been feeding a former enemy, that this man was one of the company who had pillaged and destroyed Ziklag: but never was any David a loser by ministering to an enemy. This Egyptian is now become his guide, and leads him to the spot where the Amalekites were feasting upon what they had carried off from Ziklag. And when he had brought him down, behold, they were spread abroad upon all the earth. Having been three days without any pursuers, they conclude that all is now safe, and as if the world were their own, they are spread abroad upon all the earth. Do you know the set time when sinners are to be destroyed? It is just when they say, Peace and safety (1Th 5:3), when they feel most secure, and in an hour when they think not. So was it with these miserable revellers. Oh! when Davids Lord comes upon His enemies like a mighty man–when He comes to recover all the spoil, when He brings the solemn charge, Ye have robbed God–when all is restored to its rightful owner, then shall judgment return to righteousness, and all the upright in heart shall follow it (Psa 94:15). Do you think David could forget his two hundred faint soldiers? Not if David had any of the mind which is in Christ. No, the first act is to return to them, and salute them, or ask them how they did. But all who follow David are not like David: they would thrust the weak with side and shoulder, and fain have all themselves. Oh! when you feel this greedy, covetous spirit, this rising fear, and jealous eye, lest another, whom you do not think so deserving, should get as much as you, remember it is the mark of an unclean animal, it is the feature of the children of Belial. Very different is the language of David and his true followers. Then said David, Ye shall not do so, etc. Lovely law! worthy of King David, and of Davids Lord! Yea, blessed be the God of all grace, it was so from that day forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel unto this day. She that tarrieth at home still divides the spoil–her God reckons it her act, if it is only in her heart; yea, he graciously says, The desire of a man is his kindness (Pro 19:22). They shall part alike! the same Christ, the same Comforter, the same free gift, the same heaven. Neither did David forget any of his former friends. All who had ministered be him in his straits and difficulties shall find that he is not forgetful, nor ungrateful. To all places whither he and his men ware wont to haunt, is a present sent. For God is not unrighteous go forget your work and labour of love, which ye have showed toward His name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister (Heb 6:10). (Helen Plumptre.)

Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell

They found an Egyptian, whom by his habit they guessed to be a soldier that had been engaged in that expedition.

They made him drink water; partly out of humanity and compassion to a perishing creature; and partly in prudence, that by him they might learn the true state of their enemies

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

11-15. they found an Egyptian in thefield, and brought him to DavidOld and homeborn slaves areusually treated with great kindness. But a purchased or capturedslave must look to himself; for, if feeble or sick, his master willleave him to perish rather than encumber himself with any additionalburden. This Egyptian seems to have recently fallen into the hands ofan Amalekite, and his master having belonged to the marauding partythat had made the attack on Ziklag, he could give useful informationas to the course taken by them on their return.

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

And they found an Egyptian in the field,…. As they passed along, lying there, having been sick, and was half starved, almost dead:

and brought him to David; to know what was to be done with him; being in the habit of a soldier, they concluded he might be one of the company they were in pursuit of; but whether they should kill him, or make use of him for intelligence and as a guide, could they bring him to himself, they knew not, and therefore brought him to David:

and gave him bread, and he did eat, and they made him drink water; both which they had with them for their own use; had he been an Amalekite, and not an Egyptian, they might not have relieved or spared him, but must have destroyed him at once; see De 25:19.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

On their further march they found an Egyptian lying exhausted upon the field; and having brought him to David, they gave him food and drink, namely “ a slice of fig-cake (cf. 1Sa 25:18), and raisin-cakes to eat; whereupon his spirit of life returned (i.e., he came to himself again), as he had neither eaten bread nor drunk water for three days.”

Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament

The Abandoned Servant Leads David to Victory, vs. 11-20

In their pursuit David and his men found an abandoned Egyptian from the raiding party wandering in the field, or perhaps lying exhausted. It appears that he was unable to communicate with them in his weakness. So they brought him to David, fed him and gave him water. As he grew stronger they gave him cakes of dried figs and raisins until his spirit was revived. They found that he had had nothing to eat or to drink for three days and nights. When they inquired of him it was found that he had fallen ill, and being too sick to travel, had been abandoned by his master lest he deter them in their flight.

The Egyptian servant informed David of the activities of the marauders. They had struck all along the border area of southern Canaan, against the Cherethites, who were a kindred tribe of the Philistines, but also friends of Judah; against the southern areas of the tribe of Judah; and against the southern lands allotted to Caleb (Jos 15:15 and context). In the course of their pillage they had struck Ziklag and burned it.

David inquired whether the servant could direct him to the encampment of the Amalekites and the man agreed to do so if David swore not to kill him or return him to his master. David must have agreed, for they soon overtook the raiding party and surprised them in celebration of their success. They were scattered over the area, feasting and drinking, dancing and enjoying the spoil they had taken. David began a slaughter of them which continued that night and until the evening of the next day. They were utterly smitten, only four hundred escaping on camels.

David and his men recovered all the things he had lost, including all the wives and children, with the loss of no life. They “recovered all.” In addition to the animals of David’s men which they had taken there were droves of other animals which fell into their hands. These they drove before those recovered, calling it “David’s spoil,” as they returned.

Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary

(11) An Egyptian.The Amalekites, as above stated, were a nomad race; their wanderings would have taken them to the frontiers of Egypt, hence the probability of their having Egyptian slaves in their tribe. The savage nature of these untamed sons of the desert has been already commented upon when the war of extermination with Amalek was discussed. They seem to have been a ruthless, cruel race, the scourge of the desert, and of the people dwelling near its borders. From the narrative, they had evidently many camels in their force (1Sa. 30:17), so the abandonment of the sick slave, left, without food or water, to die of hunger, was a needless act of barbarity on their part.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

David Recovers the Spoil

v. 11. And they, the men with David, found an Egyptian in the field, for the Amalekites could easily obtain Egyptian slaves, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he did eat; and they made him drink water, in order to revive him from his utter exhaustion, for he was almost famished;

v. 12. and they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, a slice of pressed figs, and two clusters, pressed cakes, of raisins; and when he had eaten, his spirit came again to him, he recovered, he was filled with new life; for he had eaten no bread nor drunk any water three days and three nights.

v. 13. And David said unto him, when he was strong enough to talk, To whom belongest thou? And whence are thou? And he said, I am a young man of Egypt, servant, slave, to an Amalekite; and my master left me because three days agone I fell sick. He had simply been abandoned because his master could not bother with him on their hasty flight.

v. 14. We made an invasion upon the south of the Cherethites, a Philistine tribe of the south country, and upon the coast which belongeth to Judah, and upon the south of Caleb, the neighborhood of Hebron; and we burned Ziklag with fire.

v. 15. And David said to him, Canst thou bring me down to this company, to the place where the raiding troop had its permanent camp? And he said, Swear unto me by God that thou wilt neither kill me nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring thee down to this company. The caution of the Egyptian was due to the fact that informers and guides were often put to death by those whom they had served, while the hatred of those whom they had betrayed may well be understood.

v. 16. And when he, the Egyptian, had brought him, David with his men, down, behold, they, the Amalekites, were spread abroad upon all the earth, having abandoned themselves entirely to the enjoyment of their successful raid, not dreaming of the nearness of any enemy, eating, and drinking, and dancing, because of all the great spoil that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines and out of the land of Judah, celebrating the event with rejoicing.

v. 17. And David, finding them so utterly unprepared, smote them from the twilight, from the break of day, even unto the evening of the next day, literally, “of their morrow,” for the Israelites began their day at sundown; it was an all day battle. And there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, which rode upon camels and fled.

v. 18. And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away; and David rescued his two wives. The pursuit was a complete success.

v. 19. And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor anything that they had taken to them; David recovered all, all the booty from the entire raided district.

v. 20. And David took all the flocks and the herds, those captured from the Amalekites in addition to the recovered property of the raided territory, which they drave before those other cattle, at the head of David’s little band, and said, This is David’s spoil. If matters are only begun with the Lord, then He will give His blessing and success in due season.

Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann

1Sa 30:11. And they found an Egyptian, &c. Surely the leaving such a slave, sick with fatigue in his master’s service in an enemy’s country, utterly destitute of all the necessaries of life in the midst of unpurchased plenty, is one of the strongest instances of inhumanity that was ever heard of! This is a true specimen of Amalekite mercy. But this inhumanity cost them dear; for by this means they lost their own lives.

Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke

(11) And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he did eat; and they made him drink water; (12) And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins: and when he had eaten, his spirit came again to him: for he had eaten no bread, nor drunk any water, three days and three nights. (13) And David said unto him, To whom belongest thou? and whence art thou? And he said, I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; and my master left me, because three days agone I fell sick. (14) We made an invasion upon the south of the Cherethites, and upon the coast which belongeth to Judah, and upon the south of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire. (15) And David said to him, Canst thou bring me down to this company? And he said, Swear unto me by God, that thou wilt neither kill me, nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring thee down to this company.

Surely it was not accidental, that this poor Egyptian fell in their way. This cometh forth, saith the prophet upon another occasion, (and which will suit most occasions of his people) from the Lord of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working. Isa 28:29 . Reader! when you have duly pondered the gracious hand of God in making this poor cast away servant, the Egyptian, instrumental in aiding David and his army; next turn your thoughts to the justice of God manifested thereby, in punishing the iniquity of his master the Amalekite, who left him to perish. And when your mind hath fully resolved this lesson also, let your thoughts be directed to another, if possible more important than either, and remark with me, how the Lord worketh sometimes by weak and despised and cast away instruments, to accomplish the purposes of his holy will. Think in what an eminent degree the Lord hath done it, in the publishing salvation and the recovery, of our lost nature, which the great enemy of souls, like those Amalekites, made upon us in the person of our first father, in the garden of Eden. Is not the blessed gospel of the ever – blessed God, even now proclaimed by poor perishing Gentile sinners like this Egyptian; and unless our Almighty David had given us of his figs and his clusters, his bread of life and his water of life, our spirit never would have revived, nor should we have known anything of the salvation we now publish! Oh, precious Jesus! here again let our souls adore the riches of thy clemency, that thou hast condescended to visit us and to remember us in our low estate, for thy mercy endureth forever. Psa 136:23 .

Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

1Sa 30:11 And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he did eat; and they made him drink water;

Ver. 11. And they found an Egyptian in the field. ] Cast off, sick and ready to perish, by his cruel master – much unlike that good centurion in the gospel – but provided by God to be a guide to David, and a means of ruin to his wretched master, and the rest of his company.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

gave him: Deu 15:7-11, Deu 23:7, Pro 25:21, Mat 25:35, Luk 10:36, Luk 10:37, Rom 12:20, Rom 12:21

Reciprocal: Jdg 8:14 – caught Psa 107:5 – General Lam 1:11 – relieve the soul Mat 15:32 – lest

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

30:11 And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him {f} bread, and he did eat; and they made him drink water;

(f) God by his providence both provides for the needs of the poor stranger, and made him a guide to David to accomplish his enterprise.

Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes

David’s kindness to the Egyptian servant 30:11-15

David and his men were undoubtedly very angry and ready to kill anyone who proved to have had a hand in kidnapping their family members. To his credit David did not kill this Egyptian, as he planned to kill Nabal earlier. Instead he treated him kindly, in contrast to the man’s Amalekite master’s treatment of him, and won his favor and cooperation. Contrast Nabal’s disdain for David, whom Nabal regarded as a runaway servant (1Sa 25:10-11). The Egyptian wanted a guarantee of safety from David, as had Saul (cf. 1Sa 24:2). Receiving this he agreed to lead David and his men to the Amalekites’ camp.

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)