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Read›1 Samuel›Chapter 21

David Flees to Gath

1 Samuel 21:11

In 11 translations

BSB
But the servants of Achish said to him, “Is this not David, the king of the land? Did they not sing about him in their dances, saying: ‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands’?”
KJV
And the servants of Achish said unto him, Is not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?
WEB
The servants of Achish said to him, “Isn’t this David the king of the land? Didn’t they sing to one another about him in dances, saying, ‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands’?”
ASV
And the servants of Achish said unto him, Is not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands?
LSV
and the servants of Achish say to him, “Is this not David, the king of the land? Is it not of this one [that] they sing in dances, saying, Saul struck among his thousands, and David among his myriads?”
YLT
and the servants of Achish say unto him, 'Is not this David king of the land? is it not of this one they sing in dances, saying, 'Saul smote among his thousands, and David among his myriads?'
DBY
And the servants of Achish said to him, Is not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul has smitten his thousands, and David his ten thousands?
DRC
And the servants of Achis, when they saw David, said to him: Is not this David the king of the land? Did they not sing to him in their dances, saying: Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?
GNV
And the seruants of Achish said vnto him, Is not this Dauid the King of the land? did they not sing vnto him in daunces, saying, Saul hath slayne his thousand, and Dauid his ten thousande?
JPS21:12
And the servants of Achish said unto him: 'Is not this David the king of the land? Did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying: Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?'
LXXE21:12
And the servants of Anchus said to him, Is not this David the king of the land? Did not the dancing women begin the song to him, saying, Saul has smitten his thousands, and David his ten thousands?

Word by word Hebrew · tap a word

Words in brackets are English the glossers added; the Hebrew has no word for them, and they can carry a choice of tense or meaning.

Where the editions differ

Editions are published forms of the Hebrew and Greek texts. Meet the editions and sources →

  • Written (Ketiv): בְּאַלְפּוֹ (“on thousand his”). Read aloud (Qere): בַּאֲלָפָ֔יו (“on thousands his”) — the form shown in the word-by-word reader.
  • Written (Ketiv): בְּרִבְבֹתוֹ׃ (“on ten thousand his”). Read aloud (Qere): בְּרִבְבֹתָֽיו׃ (“on ten thousands his”) — the form shown in the word-by-word reader.
Spelling, punctuation and minor wording (2)
  • Leningrad Codex reads בַּאֲלָפָ֔ו; read aloud (Qere) reads בַּאֲלָפָ֔יו (“on thousands his”).
  • Leningrad Codex reads בְּרִבְבֹתָֽו׃; read aloud (Qere) reads בְּרִבְבֹתָֽיו׃ (“on ten thousands his”).

Edition differences: STEP Bible, based on work at Tyndale House Cambridge (CC BY 4.0). Names and codes expanded; consecutive words grouped. Comparisons follow the editions used by the source; see version details.

Original-language editions

WLC21:12
וַיֹּ֨אמְר֜וּ עַבְדֵ֤י אָכִישׁ֙ אֵלָ֔יו הֲלוֹא־זֶ֥ה דָוִ֖ד מֶ֣לֶךְ הָאָ֑רֶץ הֲל֣וֹא לָזֶ֗ה יַעֲנ֤וּ בַמְּחֹלוֹת֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר הִכָּ֤ה שָׁאוּל֙ באלפו וְדָוִ֖ד ברבבתו׃KJV:1Sam.21.11Read aloud as (qere): בַּאֲלָפָ֔יוRead aloud as (qere): בְּרִבְבֹתָֽיו
LXX-Br21:12
Καὶ εἶπον οἱ παῖδες Ἀγχοῦς πρὸς αὐτὸν, οὐχὶ οὗτος Δαυὶδ ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς γῆς; οὐχὶ τούτῳ ἐξῆρχον αἱ χορεύουσαι, λέγουσαι, ἐπάταξε Σαοὺλ ἐν χιλιάσιν αὐτοῦ, καὶ Δαυὶδ ἐν μυριάσιν αὐτοῦ;

Who and where

People, places and events the Theographic dataset links to this verse.

In the reference works topics that cite this verse

From public-domain Bible dictionaries and topical indexes (1884–1915).

Cross-references most cited first

  • 1 Samuel 29:5Is this not the David about whom they sing in their dances: ‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands’?”
  • Psalms 56:1–13Be merciful to me, O God, for men are hounding me; all day they press their attack. My enemies pursue me all day long, for many proudly assail me. When I am afraid, I put my trust in You. In God, whose word I praise—…
  • 1 Samuel 16:1Now the LORD said to Samuel, “How long are you going to mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I have selected from…
  • 1 Samuel 18:7–8And as the women danced, they sang out: “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.” And Saul was furious and resented this song. “They have ascribed tens of thousands to David,” he said, “but only…

From the OpenBible.info cross-reference set (votes from readers; not every link is a quotation or allusion).

Verse numbering differs between Bibles
  • 21:12 in some Bibles
  • 21:11 in most Bibles

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