Bible Strands
1 Samuel 25:13
And David said to his men, “Strap on your swords!” So David and all his men strapped on their swords, and about four hundred men followed David, while two hundred stayed with the supplies.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — David issues a combat order to his armed followers immediately after his scouts return with Nabal’s hostile refusal.
The words — The Hebrew verb חִגְר֣וּ (chig.Ru) translates literally as “gird on,” denoting the physical act of fastening weapons to belts for immediate engagement.
The thread — This troop division mirrors the strategic movement of David’s six hundred warriors in 1 Samuel 23:13 and stands in contrast to the unpreparedness of Israel’s men in Joshua 9:14 who engaged without divine counsel.
Why it lands — The passage requires readers to observe how authority figures convert insult into organized action, demanding a clear assessment of human retaliation before moral evaluation.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And David said unto his men, Gird ye on every man his sword. And they girded on every man his sword; and David also girded on his sword: and there went up after David about four hundred men; and two hundred abode by the stuff.
Cross-references
- 1 Samuel 23:13 Then David and his men, about six hundred strong, set out and departed from Keilah, moving from place to place. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he declined to go forth.
- Joshua 9:14 Then the men of Israel sampled their provisions but did not seek the counsel of the LORD.
- 1 Samuel 24:5 Afterward, David’s conscience was stricken because he had cut off the corner of Saul’s robe.
- 1 Samuel 30:9 So David and his six hundred men went to the Brook of Besor, where some stayed behind
- 1 Samuel 30:21 When David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow him and who were left behind at the Brook of Besor, they came out to meet him and the troops with him. As David approached the men, he greeted them,
- Proverbs 14:29 A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man promotes folly.
- Proverbs 19:2 Even zeal is no good without knowledge, and he who hurries his footsteps misses the mark.
- Proverbs 19:11 A man’s insight gives him patience, and his virtue is to overlook an offense.
- Proverbs 25:8 do not bring hastily to court. Otherwise, what will you do in the end when your neighbor puts you to shame?
- Romans 12:19 Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written: “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord.”