1 Samuel 21:11

And the servants of Achish said to him, when they had seen David, Whether this is not David, [the] king of the land? Whether they sang not to him by quires/by carols, and said, Saul smote a thousand, and David smote ten thousand? (or Did they not sing about him as they danced, saying, Saul struck down thousands, but David struck down tens of thousands?)

Wycliffe Modern Spelling

In The King James Version

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?

In Context

10And so David rose up, and fled in that day from the face of Saul, and came to Achish, the king of Gath.

12And David took these words in his heart, and he dreaded greatly of the face of Achish, king of Gath. (And David took these words to heart, and so he greatly feared King Achish of Gath.)

Read all of 1 Samuel 21

Cross References

1 Samuel 18:7And the women sang, playing, and saying, Saul hath slain a thousand, and David ten thousand. (And the women sang to one another as they danced, saying, Saul hath killed thousands, but David hath killed tens of thousands.)

1 Samuel 27:1And David said in his heart, Sometime I shall fall in one day in the hand of Saul (or One day I shall fall by Saul’s hand); whether it is not better, that I flee, and be saved in the land of (the) Philistines, (so) that Saul despair, and cease to seek me in all the ends of Israel; therefore flee we his hands.

1 Samuel 29:5Whether this is not David, to whom they sang in dances, and said, Saul smote in [his] thousands, and David smote in his ten thousands? (Is this not David, whom they sang about as they danced, and said, Saul struck down thousands, but David struck down tens of thousands?)

Psalms 56:1To the overcoming, on the dumb culver of far drawing away, the comely song of David, when the Philistines held him in Gath. God, have mercy on me, for a man hath defouled me; all day he impugned, and troubled me. ( For the choirmaster, to the tune of ‘The silent dove, for it went far away’, a comely song by David, when the Philistines held him in Gath. God, have mercy on me, for men have persecuted me; all day long they impugned, and troubled, me.)

Matthew Henry on 1 Samuel 21:11-15

David Driven from Achish. ( b. c. 1057.) 10 And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath. 11 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? 12 And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath. 13 And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands,… Read the whole commentary →

This Verse In Other Editions

Study 1 Samuel 21:11