1 Samuel 21:4

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.

📖 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

• 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.'

• 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.

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  And the priest{H3548} answered{H6030} David,{H1732} and said,{H559} There is no common{H2455} bread{H3899} under my hand,{H3027} but there is{H3426} holy{H6944} bread;{H3899} if only the young men{H5288} have kept{H8104} themselves from{H389} women.{H802}

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  And the priest{H3548} answered{H6030}{(H8799)} David{H1732}, and said{H559}{(H8799)}, There is no common{H2455} bread{H3899} under mine hand{H3027}, but there is{H3426} hallowed{H6944} bread{H3899}; if the young men{H5288} have kept{H8104}{(H8738)} themselves at least{H389} from women{H802}.

• 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 And he said to the people, Be ready for the third day; do not come near your wives.
• Exod 25:30 : 30 And you shall set the showbread on the table before me always.
• Matt 12:3-4 : 3 But he said to them, Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him; 4 how he entered into the house of God, and ate the showbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests?
• Lev 24:5-9 : 5 And you shall take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes from it: two tenths of an ephah shall be in each cake. 6 And you shall set them in two rows, six on a row, upon the pure table before the LORD. 7 And you shall put pure frankincense on each row, that it may be on the bread for a memorial, an offering made by fire to the LORD. 8 Every Sabbath he shall set it in order before the LORD continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant. 9 And it shall be Aaron's and his sons', and they shall eat it in the holy place: for it is most holy to him of the offerings of the LORD made by fire by a perpetual statute.
• 1 Sam 21:6 : 6 So the priest gave him holy bread, for there was no bread there but the showbread, which was taken from before the LORD, to put hot bread in the day it was taken away.
• Zech 7:3 : 3 And to speak to the priests who were in the house of the LORD of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, Should I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these many years?
• 1 Cor 7:5 : 5 Do not deprive one another, except with consent for a time, to give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.