1 Samuel 30:10 Meaning and Explanation
“But David pursued, he and four hundred men: for two hundred abode behind, which were so faint that they could not go over the brook Besor.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Two hundred men are too exhausted to cross the brook, so David presses on with four hundred.
What Does 1 Samuel 30:10 Mean?
A third of the force drops out at Besor. Two hundred men are so faint they cannot even cross the stream, while David and the remaining four hundred push on. The narrator does not scold the weary; he simply records that they could not go on. The pursuit continues with diminished numbers.
Here the chapter sets up a question it will answer later: what is owed to those who could not keep up? For now, the text honors a plain truth — strength is not evenly distributed, and faithfulness is not measured only by who reaches the front. The God who promised to recover all will see to the weak left at the brook as surely as to the swift, and David will be made to remember them.
1 Samuel 30:10 in the Original Language
faint (פָּגַר) suggests being utterly worn out, too spent to move further.
Frequently Asked Questions About 1 Samuel 30:10
What does 1 Samuel 30:10 mean?
Two hundred men are too exhausted to cross the brook, so David presses on with four hundred.