I Samuel 30:10
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because two hundred men were too exhausted to cross the brook. But David and four hundred men continued in pursuit.
Commentaries
Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.
When David was dismissed from the army of the Philistines he did not go over to the camp of Israel, but, being expelled by Saul, observed an exact neutrality, and silently retired to his own city Ziklag, leaving the armies ready to engage. Now here we are told, I. What a melancholy posture he found the city in, all laid waste by the Amalekites, and what distress it occasioned him and his men (Sa1 30:1-6). II. What course he took to recover what he had lost. He enquired of God, and took out a commission from him (Sa1 30:7, Sa1 30:8), pursued the enemy (Sa1 30:9, Sa1 30:10), gained intelligence from a straggler (Sa1 30:11-15), attacked and routed the plunderers (Sa1 30:16, Sa1 30:17), and recovered all that they had carried off (Sa1 30:18-20). III. What method he observed in the distribution of the spoil (Sa1 30:21-31).
Open source ↗30:10 too exhausted: David’s men had traveled for three days (30:1) and were now in hot pursuit of the Amalekites without having rested. David did not upbraid them or drive them on mercilessly. See 30:23-25.
Open source ↗Original language
The Hebrew and Greek words behind this passage, with Strong's numbers — from openscriptures (CC BY-SA).
Cross-references
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So David and his six hundred men went to the Brook of Besor, where some stayed behind
When David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow him from the Brook of Besor, they came out to meet him and the troops with him. As David approached the men, he greeted them,
Then Saul and all his troops assembled and marched to the battle, and they found the Philistines in total confusion, with each man wielding the sword against his neighbor.
That day, after the Israelites had struck down the Philistines from Michmash to Aijalon, the people were very faint.