1 Samuel 21:4

Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread or whatever you can find.'

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

וְעַתָּ֗ה מַה־יֵּ֧שׁ תַּֽחַת־יָדְךָ֛ חֲמִשָּׁה־לֶ֖חֶם תְּנָ֣ה בְיָדִ֑י א֖וֹ הַנִּמְצָֽא׃

Transliteration

And weʿattâ what-yēš under-your yādekā five-leḥem tenâ in my beyādî or the hannimṣāʾ

Grammar Details

• *weʿattâ*: waw conjunction + adverb - and now
• *yēš*: particle of existence - there is/are
• *yādekā*: noun, feminine singular + 2nd masculine singular suffix - your hand
• *leḥem*: noun, masculine singular, absolute - bread
• *tenâ*: qal imperative, masculine singular - give
• *beyādî*: preposition + noun, feminine singular + 1st person singular suffix - in my hand
• *hannimṣāʾ*: definite article + niphal participle, masculine singular, absolute - the found/available

Word Meanings

• *yēš*: there is/exists/is available
• *leḥem*: bread/food
• *tenâ*: give/place/put
• *hannimṣāʾ*: the [thing] found/whatever is available/what can be found

Other Translations

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  And the priest answered David, and said, There is no common bread under mine hand, but there is hallowed bread; if the young men have kept themselves at least from women.

• KJV1611 – Modern English

  And the priest answered David and said, There is no common bread on hand, but there is holy bread, if the young men have kept themselves at least from women.

• King James Version 1611 (Original)

  And the priest answered David, and said, There is no common bread under mine hand, but there is hallowed bread; if the young men have kept themselves at least from women.

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  And the priest answered David, and said, There is no common bread under my hand, but there is holy bread; if only the young men have kept themselves from women.

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  And the priest answered David, and said, There is no common bread under mine hand, but there is hallowed bread; if the young men have kept themselves at least from women.

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  The prest answered Dauid, and sayde: I haue no comen bred vnder my hande, but the holy bred, yf the yonge men haue onely refrained them selues from wemen.

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  And the Priest answered Dauid, and saide, There is no common bread vnder mine hande, but here is halowed bread, if the yong men haue kept themselues, at least from women.

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  And the priest aunswered Dauid, and sayd: There is no common bread vnder myne hand, but here is halowed bread: if the young me haue kept them selues, specially from women.

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  And the priest answered David, and said, [There is] no common bread under mine hand, but there is hallowed bread; if the young men have kept themselves at least from women.

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  The priest answered David, and said, There is no common bread under my hand, but there is holy bread; if only the young men have kept themselves from women.

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  And the priest answereth David, and saith, `There is no common bread under my hand, but there is holy bread; if the youths have been kept only from women.'

• American Standard Version (1901)

  And the priest answered David, and said, There is no common bread under my hand, but there is holy bread; if only the young men have kept themselves from women.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  And the priest answered David, and said, There is no common bread under my hand, but there is holy bread; if only the young men have kept themselves from women.

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  And the priest, answering David, said, I have no common bread here but there is holy bread; if only the young men have kept themselves from women.

• World English Bible (2000)

  The priest answered David, and said, "There is no common bread under my hand, but there is holy bread; if only the young men have kept themselves from women."

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  The priest replied to David,“I don’t have any ordinary bread at my disposal. Only holy bread is available, and then only if your soldiers have abstained from relations with women.”

Referenced Verses

• Exod 19:15 : 15 He said to the people, 'Be ready by the third day; do not go near a woman.'
• Exod 25:30 : 30 Place the bread of the Presence on the table before Me continually.
• Matt 12:3-4 : 3 He said to them, 'Have you not read what David did when he and those with him were hungry? 4 How he entered the house of God and ate the bread of the Presence, which was not lawful for him or those with him to eat, but only for the priests?
• Lev 24:5-9 : 5 You shall take fine flour and bake it into twelve loaves. Each loaf will be made with two tenths of an ephah. 6 Arrange them in two rows, six loaves per row, on the pure table before the LORD. 7 Place pure frankincense on each row, as a memorial portion for the bread. It is an offering made by fire to the LORD. 8 Every Sabbath day, this arrangement must be set in order before the LORD continually, as a perpetual covenant from the Israelites. 9 It shall belong to Aaron and his sons, and they shall eat it in a holy place, for it is most holy to him from the fire offerings of the LORD, a perpetual statute.
• 1 Sam 21:6 : 6 David replied to the priest, 'Indeed women have been kept away from us, as usual whenever I set out. The bodies of the young men are holy even on ordinary missions, and all the more today.'
• Zech 7:3 : 3 They asked the priests of the house of the LORD of Hosts and the prophets, 'Should I weep in the fifth month and abstain, as I have done for so many years?'
• 1 Cor 7:5 : 5 Do not deprive one another, except by mutual agreement for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.