1 Samuel
1 Samuel 21:3–6
3Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever can be found.”
4“There is no common bread on hand,” the priest replied, “but there is some consecrated bread — provided that the young men have kept themselves from women.”
5David answered, “Women have indeed been kept from us, as is usual when I set out. And the bodies of the young men are holy even on common missions. How much more so today!”
6So the priest gave him the consecrated bread, since there was no bread there but the Bread of the Presence, which had been removed from before the LORD and replaced with hot bread on the day it was taken away.
Word by word
Each English word or phrase beside the Hebrew it translates, in the order of the English. Choose a number to open that word’s study.
1 Samuel 21:3
| English | Hebrew | Sounds like | Grammar | Word study |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Now then | וְעַתָּ֗ה | wə·‘at·tāh | Conjunctive waw; Adverb | H6258 now |
| what | מַה־ | mah- | Interrogative | H4100 what? how? aught |
| do you have | יֵּ֧שׁ | yêš | Adverb | H3426 being, substance, existence |
| on | תַּֽחַת־ | ta·ḥaṯ- | Preposition | H8478 the under part |
| hand | יָדְךָ֛ | yā·ḏə·ḵā | Noun - feminine singular construct; second person masculine singular | H3027 hand |
| Give | תְּנָ֣ה | tə·nāh | Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular; third person feminine singular | H5414 give, put, set |
| five | חֲמִשָּׁה־ | ḥă·miš·šāh- | Number - masculine singular | H2568 five |
| bread | לֶ֖חֶם | le·ḥem | Noun - masculine singular | H3899 bread, food |
| or | א֖וֹ | ’ōw | Conjunction | H176 or |
| whatever can be found | הַנִּמְצָֽא׃ | han·nim·ṣā | Article; Verb - Nifal - Participle - masculine singular | H4672 attain to, find |
1 Samuel 21:4
| English | Hebrew | Sounds like | Grammar | Word study |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| no | אֵֽין־ | ’ên- | Adverb | H369 nothing, nought |
| common | חֹ֖ל | ḥōl | Noun - masculine singular | H2455 profaneness, commonness |
| bread | לֶ֥חֶם | le·ḥem | Noun - masculine singular construct | H3899 bread, food |
| on | תַּ֣חַת | ta·ḥaṯ | Preposition | H8478 the under part |
| hand | יָדִ֑י | yā·ḏî | Noun - feminine singular construct; first person common singular | H3027 hand |
| the priest | הַכֹּהֵ֤ן | hak·kō·hên | Article; Noun - masculine singular | H3548 priest |
| replied | וַיַּ֨עַן | way·ya·‘an | Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular | H6030 answer, respond |
| but | אִם־ | ’im- | Conjunction | H518 if |
| there is some | יֵ֔שׁ | yêš | Adverb | H3426 being, substance, existence |
| consecrated | קֹ֙דֶשׁ֙ | qō·ḏeš | Noun - masculine singular | H6944 sacred, sanctity |
| bread | לֶ֤חֶם | le·ḥem | Noun - masculine singular construct | H3899 bread, food |
| provided that | אִם־ | ’im- | Conjunction | H518 if |
| the young men | הַנְּעָרִ֖ים | han·nə·‘ā·rîm | Article; Noun - masculine plural | H5288 a shaking, scattering |
| have kept themselves | נִשְׁמְר֥וּ | niš·mə·rū | Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person common plural | H8104 keep, watch, preserve |
| from women | מֵאִשָּֽׁה׃פ | mê·’iš·šāh | Preposition-m; Noun - feminine singular | H802 woman, wife, female |
1 Samuel 21:5
| English | Hebrew | Sounds like | Grammar | Word study |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| David | דָּוִ֨ד | dā·wiḏ | Noun - proper - masculine singular | H1732 David |
| answered | וַיַּעַן֩ | way·ya·‘an | Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular | H6030 answer, respond |
| Women | אִשָּׁ֤ה | ’iš·šāh | Noun - feminine singular | H802 woman, wife, female |
| indeed | אִם־ | ’im- | Conjunction | H518 if |
| kept | עֲצֻֽרָה־ | ‘ă·ṣu·rāh- | Verb - Qal - QalPassParticiple - feminine singular | H6113 restrain, retain |
| from us | לָ֙נוּ֙ | lā·nū | Preposition; first person common plural | |
| as is usual | שִׁלְשֹׁ֔ם | šil·šōm | Adverb | H8032 three days ago |
| when I set out | בְּצֵאתִ֕י | bə·ṣê·ṯî | Preposition-b; Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct; first person common singular | H3318 go or come out |
| And the bodies | כְלֵֽי־ | ḵə·lê- | Noun - masculine plural construct | H3627 article, utensil, vessel |
| of the young men | הַנְּעָרִ֖ים | han·nə·‘ā·rîm | Article; Noun - masculine plural | H5288 a shaking, scattering |
| are | וַיִּהְי֥וּ | way·yih·yū | Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural | H1961 fall out, come to pass, become, be |
| holy | קֹ֑דֶשׁ | qō·ḏeš | Noun - masculine singular | H6944 sacred, sanctity |
| even | וְהוּא֙ | wə·hū | Conjunctive waw; Pronoun - third person masculine singular | H1931 he, she |
| on common | חֹ֔ל | ḥōl | Noun - masculine singular | H2455 profaneness, commonness |
| missions | דֶּ֣רֶךְ | de·reḵ | Noun - common singular | H1870 way, road, distance, journey, manner |
| How much | וְאַ֕ף | wə·’ap̄ | Conjunction | H637 also, yea |
| more so | כִּ֥י | kî | Conjunction | H3588 burning, branding |
| today | הַיּ֖וֹם | hay·yō·wm | Article; Noun - masculine singular | H3117 day |
1 Samuel 21:6
| English | Hebrew | Sounds like | Grammar | Word study |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| So the priest | הַכֹּהֵ֖ן | hak·kō·hên | Article; Noun - masculine singular | H3548 priest |
| gave | וַיִּתֶּן־ | way·yit·ten- | Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular | H5414 give, put, set |
| him | ל֥וֹ | lōw | Preposition; third person masculine singular | |
| the consecrated | קֹ֑דֶשׁ | qō·ḏeš | Noun - masculine singular | H6944 sacred, sanctity |
| since | כִּי֩ | kî | Conjunction | H3588 burning, branding |
| there was | הָ֨יָה | hā·yāh | Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular | H1961 fall out, come to pass, become, be |
| no | לֹא־ | lō- | Adverb - Negative particle | H3808 not |
| bread | לֶ֗חֶם | le·ḥem | Noun - masculine singular | H3899 bread, food |
| there | שָׁ֜ם | šām | Adverb | H8033 there, thither |
| but | אִם־ | ’im- | Conjunction | H518 if |
| the Bread | לֶ֤חֶם | le·ḥem | Noun - masculine singular construct | H3899 bread, food |
| of the Presence | הַפָּנִים֙ | hap·pā·nîm | Article; Noun - masculine plural | H6440 face, before |
| which had been removed | הַמּֽוּסָרִים֙ | ham·mū·sā·rîm | Article; Verb - Hofal - Participle - masculine plural | H5493 turn aside |
| from before | מִלִּפְנֵ֣י | mil·lip̄·nê | Preposition-m, Preposition-l; Noun - common plural construct | H6440 face, before |
| the LORD | יְהוָ֔ה | Yah·weh | Noun - proper - masculine singular | H3068 Yahweh |
| and replaced with | לָשׂוּם֙ | lā·śūm | Preposition-l; Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct | H7760 put, place, set |
| hot | חֹ֔ם | ḥōm | Noun - masculine singular | H2527 heat |
| bread | לֶ֣חֶם | le·ḥem | Noun - masculine singular construct | H3899 bread, food |
| on the day | בְּי֖וֹם | bə·yō·wm | Preposition-b; Noun - masculine singular construct | H3117 day |
| it was taken away | הִלָּקְחֽוֹ׃ | hil·lā·qə·ḥōw | Verb - Nifal - Infinitive construct; third person masculine singular | H3947 take |
Cross-references
Other passages that speak to the same thing. Point at one to read it.
1 Samuel 21:4 Matthew 12:3–4 · Exodus 19:15 · Exodus 25:30 · 1 Corinthians 7:5 · Zechariah 7:3 · Leviticus 24:5–9 · 1 Samuel 21:6
1 Samuel 21:6 Luke 6:3–4 · Matthew 12:3–4 · Leviticus 24:5–9 · Mark 2:25–27
Cross-references from OpenBible.info, used under CC BY 4.0. The best-supported references for each verse are shown.
Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible.