1 Samuel 30:8 (KJV)

What does 1 Samuel 30:8 mean?

1 Samuel 30:8 describes David asking the LORD whether to chase the raiders who had taken people from his town. The LORD tells David to pursue them and promises that he will catch them and recover everything.

After calling for the priest’s ephod in verse 7, David asks two direct questions: whether he should pursue the troop and whether he will overtake it. The ephod was a priestly garment associated here with seeking an answer from the LORD. The answer gives David both an instruction and an assurance about the outcome.

The Hebrew behind 1 Samuel 30:8

• “enquired” — שָׁאַל (sha’al): The word means to ask or seek an answer. Here it describes David seeking direction before deciding whether to chase the raiders.
• “surely overtake” — נָשַׂג (nasag): The word carries the sense of catching up with someone. Its repeated form in Hebrew adds force to the promise that David will reach the troop.
• “without fail recover” — נָצַל (natsal): The word can mean to rescue or bring something away from danger. Its repeated form adds emphasis to the promised recovery.

Why 1 Samuel 30:8 matters

• The promise covers more than catching the raiders. “Recover all” points to getting back what they had taken, including the captives described earlier in the passage.
• The later account shows the answer being carried out. In verses 18–19, David recovers the people and goods taken by the raiders, and “there was nothing lacking.”