Bible Strands
1 Samuel 30:13
Then David asked him, “To whom do you belong, and where are you from?” “I am an Egyptian,” he replied, “the slave of an Amalekite. My master abandoned me three days ago when I fell ill.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — David questions a revived Egyptian slave found near Ziklag immediately after the Amalekite raid. The exchange occurs at the moment the man recovers from three days and nights without food or water.
The words — לְמִי־אַתָּה (le-mi-at tah) translates to "to whom do you belong?" and אֵי מִזֶּה (ei mi-zzeh) means "where are you from?" David uses these exact phrases to establish the man's origin and allegiance before acting on his information.
The thread — The interrogation of a recovered outsider precedes the battle report in 1 Samuel 30:14. The concern for a sick, abandoned servant aligns with the mercy emphasis in James 2:13 and the servant-protection warning in Job 31:13.
Why it lands — The text records David demanding identity and location before accepting the man's intelligence. A reader must verify sources and assess practical value before making strategic decisions.
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 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.
Cross-references
- Proverbs 12:10 A righteous man regards the life of his animal, but the tender mercies of the wicked are only cruelty.
- James 2:13 For judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
- Job 31:13 If I have rejected the cause of my manservant or maidservant when they made a complaint against me,