Bible Strands
1 Samuel 30:23
But David said, “My brothers, you must not do this with what the LORD has given us. He has protected us and delivered into our hands the raiders who came against us.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — David speaks to his entire company immediately after the battle with the Amalekites, directly countering the proposal of the worthless men who wanted to withhold plunder from the supply keepers. He addresses all his followers to establish a binding rule for dividing the recovered spoils.
The words — The Hebrew phrase לֹא־תַעֲשׂוּ כֵן (lo'- ta.'a.Su khen) literally means "you must not do thus," functioning as David's immediate veto of the proposed division. The text explicitly grounds the plunder in what "the LORD has given us," framing the spoils as divine provision rather than human conquest.
The thread — The acknowledgment of God as the source of provision aligns with Deuteronomy 8:18, which commands remembering that the LORD gives the power to gain wealth. The emphasis on divine protection and deliverance from raiders parallels the themes in Psalms 44:2 and 121:7.
Why it lands — The text requires readers to attribute success and material gain to God's protection rather than personal effort or combat status. It demands a practical commitment to equal distribution within a group, rejecting merit-based exclusion in favor of shared provision.
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
Then said David, Ye shall not do so, my brethren, with that which the Lord hath given us, who hath preserved us, and delivered the company that came against us into our hand.
Cross-references
- Deuteronomy 8:18 But remember that it is the LORD your God who gives you the power to gain wealth, in order to confirm His covenant that He swore to your fathers even to this day.
- Psalms 44:2 With Your hand You drove out the nations and planted our fathers there; You crushed the peoples and cast them out.
- Psalms 121:7 The LORD will guard you from all evil; He will preserve your soul.
- Genesis 19:7 “Please, my brothers,” he pleaded, “don’t do such a wicked thing!
- Numbers 31:49 and said, “Your servants have counted the soldiers under our command, and not one of us is missing.
- Deuteronomy 8:10 When you eat and are satisfied, you are to bless the LORD your God for the good land that He has given you.
- Judges 19:23 The owner of the house went out and said to them, “No, my brothers, do not do this wicked thing! After all, this man is a guest in my house. Do not commit this outrage.
- 1 Samuel 2:7 The LORD sends poverty and wealth; He humbles and He exalts.
- Acts 7:2 And Stephen declared: “Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran,
- Acts 22:1 “Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defense before you.”