1st Samuel Chapter 22 verse 15 Holy Bible
Have I to-day begun to inquire of God for him? be it far from me: let not the king impute anything unto his servant, nor to all the house of my father; for thy servant knoweth nothing of all this, less or more.
read chapter 22 in ASV
Is this the first time I have got directions from God for him? Far be the thought! let the king make no such statement against his servant or my father's family, for your servant has no knowledge, great or small, of this thing.
read chapter 22 in BBE
Was it to-day that I began to inquire of God for him? be it far from me: let not the king charge anything to his servant, [nor] to all the house of my father; for thy servant knew nothing of all this, less or more.
read chapter 22 in DARBY
Did I then begin to inquire of God for him? be it far from me: let not the king impute any thing unto his servant, nor to all the house of my father: for thy servant knew nothing of all this, less or more.
read chapter 22 in KJV
Did I then begin to inquire of God for him? be it far from me. Let not the king impute any thing to his servant, nor to all the house of my father: for thy servant knew nothing of all this, less or more.
read chapter 22 in WBT
Have I today begun to inquire of God for him? be it far from me: don't let the king impute anything to his servant, nor to all the house of my father; for your servant knows nothing of all this, less or more.
read chapter 22 in WEB
To-day have I begun to ask for him at God? far be it from me! let not the king lay anything against his servant, against any of the house of my father, for thy servant hath known nothing of all this, less or more.'
read chapter 22 in YLT
Ellicott's Commentary
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(15) Did I then begin to enquire?--The English translation of the Hebrew here would imply that David had on many previous occasions received through him (the high priest) Divine directions from the Urim and Thummim. "Did I that day begin to enquire?" Abarbanel gives an alternative rendering: "That was the first day that I enquired of God for him, and I did not know that it was displeasing to thee." Another rendering is: "Did I enquire?" in a negative sense, suggesting the reply "No, I did not." On the whole, the alternative rendering suggested by Abarbanel, quoted in Lange, is the best: "That was the first day, &c." And the reason why Ahimelech allowed the sacred Urim to be consulted was that he supposed David was come (as he represented) on a mission direct from King Saul. Surely, thought the blameless high priest, I never supposed my king would have been wroth with me for that.If we render as in the English Version, which has the support of many scholars and versions, the only possible explanation of the words, "Did I that day begin to enquire?" is to suppose that David had been in the habit of consulting the Urim on special occasions for the king. The king, when there was a king in Israel, it is nearly certain, alone had this right. The Talmud teaching here is most definite; and it is a point in which the Talmud tradition may be looked on as authoritative. "The Rabbis have taught--How were the Urim and Thummim oracularly consulted? The king or the chief of the legislative administration, who alone had the privilege of consulting the Urim, stood facing the priest, and the priest was facing the Shekinah and the 'Shem-hammephorash,' the ineffable name deposited with the Urim within the breastplate."--Treatise Yoma, fol. 73, cols. 1, 2.Parallel Commentaries ...HebrewWas that dayהַיּ֧וֹם (hay·yō·wm)Article | Noun - masculine singularStrong's 3117: A daythe firstהַחִלֹּ֛תִי (ha·ḥil·lō·ṯî)Verb - Hifil - Perfect - first person common singularStrong's 2490: To bore, to wound, to dissolve, to profane, to break, to begin, to playtime I inquiredלִשְׁאָל־ (liš·’āl-)Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive constructStrong's 7592: To inquire, to request, to demandof Godבֵאלֹהִ֖ים (ḇê·lō·hîm)Preposition-b | Noun - masculine pluralStrong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlativefor him?ל֥וֹ (lōw)Preposition | third person masculine singularStrong's 7592: To inquire, to request, to demandFar be itחָלִ֣ילָה (ḥā·lî·lāh)Interjection | third person feminine singularStrong's 2486: For, a profaned thing, far be it!from me!לִּ֑י (lî)Preposition | first person common singularStrong's Hebrew Let notאַל־ (’al-)AdverbStrong's 408: Notthe kingהַמֶּ֨לֶךְ (ham·me·leḵ)Article | Noun - masculine singularStrong's 4428: A kingaccuseיָשֵׂם֩ (yā·śêm)Verb - Qal - Imperfect Jussive - third person masculine singularStrong's 7760: Put -- to put, place, setyour servantבְּעַבְדּ֤וֹ (bə·‘aḇ·dōw)Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singularStrong's 5650: Slave, servantor anyבְּכָל־ (bə·ḵāl)Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular constructStrong's 3605: The whole, all, any, everyof my father’sאָבִ֔י (’ā·ḇî)Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singularStrong's 1: Fatherhousehold,בֵּ֣ית (bêṯ)Noun - masculine singular constructStrong's 1004: A houseforכִּ֠י (kî)ConjunctionStrong's 3588: A relative conjunctionyour servantעַבְדְּךָ֙ (‘aḇ·də·ḵā)Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singularStrong's 5650: Slave, servantknewיָדַ֤ע (yā·ḏa‘)Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singularStrong's 3045: To knownothingלֹֽא־ (lō-)Adverb - Negative particleStrong's 3808: Not, noof thisזֹ֔את (zōṯ)Pronoun - feminine singularStrong's 2063: Hereby in it, likewise, the one other, same, she, so much, such deed, that, wholeבְּכָל־ (bə·ḵāl)Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular constructStrong's 3605: The whole, all, any, everyaffair?דָּבָ֥ר (dā·ḇār)Noun - masculine singularStrong's 1697: A word, a matter, thing, a causenot in partקָטֹ֖ן (qā·ṭōn)Adjective - masculine singularStrong's 6996: Small, young, unimportantorא֥וֹ (’ōw)ConjunctionStrong's 176: Desire, ifin whole.?גָדֽוֹל׃ (ḡā·ḏō·wl)Adjective - masculine singularStrong's 1419: Great, older, insolentJump to PreviousBegin Begun House Household Impute Inquire Less Servant Today To-Day
