The Meaning of 1 Samuel 24:17 Explained

1 Samuel 24:17

KJV: And he said to David, Thou art more righteous than I: for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil.

YLT: And he saith unto David, 'More righteous thou art than I; for thou hast done me good, and I have done thee evil;

Darby: And he said to David, Thou art more righteous than I; for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil.

ASV: And he said to David, Thou art more righteous than I; for thou hast rendered unto me good, whereas I have rendered unto thee evil.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And he said  to David,  Thou [art] more righteous  than I: for thou hast rewarded  me good,  whereas I have rewarded  thee evil. 

What does 1 Samuel 24:17 Mean?

Context Summary

1 Samuel 24:16-22 - Kindness Wakens A Better Spirit
David's noble self-restraint, followed as it was by no less noble words, awoke the best side of Saul's nature. Chords began to vibrate that had long been silent. The memory of happier days, before their intercourse had become clouded by jealousy and hatred, came trooping back, and Saul was himself again. Indeed, David's appeal called forth from Saul a confession of his sin; and he went so far as to ask David to spare his house in the coming days, when David would assuredly be king. But, as the sequel proved, this better spirit was but temporary. It was a change of mood, not of will. Let us not form the habit of trusting in our emotional life. Nothing is permanent save the will that is energized by the will of God. Psalms 142:1-7 throws a light on David's state of heart at this period.
The death of a good man is a serious loss at any time, but to Israel, governed by a cruel, wayward king, Samuel's death was cause for special lamentation. His holy life, his fearless denunciation of wrong, his self-sacrifice for the people's welfare, and especially his power in intercessory prayer, made him one of the most important national assets. Let us so live that we may be missed when we go home! [source]

Chapter Summary: 1 Samuel 24

1  David, in a cave at En Gedi, spares his life
8  He shows thereby his innocence,
16  Saul, acknowledging his fault, takes an oath of David, and departs

What do the individual words in 1 Samuel 24:17 mean?

And he said to David more righteous You [are] than I for you have rewarded me with good and whereas I have rewarded you with evil
וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ אֶל־ דָּוִ֔ד צַדִּ֥יק אַתָּ֖ה מִמֶּ֑נִּי כִּ֤י אַתָּה֙ גְּמַלְתַּ֣נִי הַטּוֹבָ֔ה וַאֲנִ֖י גְּמַלְתִּ֥יךָ הָרָעָֽה

וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙  And  he  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
דָּוִ֔ד  David 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּוִד  
Sense: youngest son of Jesse and second king of Israel.
צַדִּ֥יק  more  righteous 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: צַדִּיק  
Sense: just, lawful, righteous.
אַתָּ֖ה  You  [are] 
Parse: Pronoun, second person masculine singular
Root: אַתְּ 
Sense: you (second pers.
מִמֶּ֑נִּי  than  I 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
Root: מִן 
Sense: from, out of, on account of, off, on the side of, since, above, than, so that not, more than.
גְּמַלְתַּ֣נִי  have  rewarded  me 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person masculine singular, first person common singular
Root: גָּמַל  
Sense: to deal fully with, recompense.
הַטּוֹבָ֔ה  with  good 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: טָבַב 
Sense: good, pleasant, agreeable.
וַאֲנִ֖י  and  whereas  I 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, first person common singular
Root: אֲנִי  
Sense: I (first pers.
גְּמַלְתִּ֥יךָ  have  rewarded  you 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common singular, second person masculine singular
Root: גָּמַל  
Sense: to deal fully with, recompense.
הָרָעָֽה  with  evil 
Parse: Article, Adjective, feminine singular
Root: רַע 
Sense: bad, evil.