The Meaning of 1 Samuel 27:9 Explained

1 Samuel 27:9

KJV: And David smote the land, and left neither man nor woman alive, and took away the sheep, and the oxen, and the asses, and the camels, and the apparel, and returned, and came to Achish.

YLT: and David hath smitten the land, and doth not keep alive man and woman, and hath taken sheep, and oxen, and asses, and camels, and garments, and turneth back, and cometh in unto Achish.

Darby: And David smote the land, and left neither man nor woman alive, and took away the sheep, and the oxen, and the asses, and the camels, and the apparel, and returned, and came to Achish.

ASV: And David smote the land, and saved neither man nor woman alive, and took away the sheep, and the oxen, and the asses, and the camels, and the apparel; and he returned, and came to Achish.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And David  smote  the land,  and left neither man  nor woman  alive,  and took away  the sheep,  and the oxen,  and the asses,  and the camels,  and the apparel,  and returned,  and came  to Achish. 

What does 1 Samuel 27:9 Mean?

Context Summary

1 Samuel 27:1-12 - Substituting Policy For Trust
David had every assurance that he would be king. From Samuel, Jonathan and Saul he had heard predictions of his coming exaltation; yet suddenly he seems to have had a fainting-fit and to have concluded that he would after all perish by the hand of Saul. It was thus with Elijah under the juniper bush, when he asked God to take away his life; and thus with the Baptist, when from prison he sent to ask whether Jesus was the Christ. Let us not sink into despair when the shadow of discouragement falls across our path. Let us believe that God's word shall stand though the heavens fall. Let us especially beware of taking our own measures of self-defense. The caves of Adullam are safer for the child of God than the land of the Philistines. David was driven to ruthless cruelty; he went about under the constant fear of discovery, and lived a perpetual lie. It was a life of deceit that was wholly unworthy of a servant of the Most High, and must have had a fatal effect on David's followers. And, in the end, Ziklag was destroyed, and the exile's heart was well-nigh broken. See 1 Samuel 30:1-4. "The way of the transgressor is hard!" No psalms can be traced to this period. [source]

Chapter Summary: 1 Samuel 27

1  Saul, hearing David to be in Gath, seeks no more for him
5  David begs Ziklag of Achish
8  He, invading other countries, persuades Achish he fought against Judah

What do the individual words in 1 Samuel 27:9 mean?

And Whenever attacked David - the land and neither he left alive man nor woman but took away the sheep and the oxen and the donkeys and the camels and the apparel and returned and came to Achish
וְהִכָּ֤ה דָוִד֙ אֶת־ הָאָ֔רֶץ וְלֹ֥א יְחַיֶּ֖ה אִ֣ישׁ וְאִשָּׁ֑ה וְלָקַח֩ צֹ֨אן וּבָקָ֜ר וַחֲמֹרִ֤ים וּגְמַלִּים֙ וּבְגָדִ֔ים וַיָּ֖שָׁב וַיָּבֹ֥א אֶל־ אָכִֽישׁ

וְהִכָּ֤ה  And  Whenever  attacked 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: נָכָה  
Sense: to strike, smite, hit, beat, slay, kill.
דָוִד֙  David 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּוִד  
Sense: youngest son of Jesse and second king of Israel.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
הָאָ֔רֶץ  the  land 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
וְלֹ֥א  and  neither 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
יְחַיֶּ֖ה  he  left  alive 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: חָיָה  
Sense: to live, have life, remain alive, sustain life, live prosperously, live for ever, be quickened, be alive, be restored to life or health.
אִ֣ישׁ  man 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
וְאִשָּׁ֑ה  nor  woman 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אִשָּׁה  
Sense: woman, wife, female.
וְלָקַח֩  but  took  away 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יָקַח 
Sense: to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away.
צֹ֨אן  the  sheep 
Parse: Noun, common singular
Root: צֹאן  
Sense: small cattle, sheep, sheep and goats, flock, flocks.
וּבָקָ֜ר  and  the  oxen 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular
Root: בָּקָר  
Sense: cattle, herd, oxen, ox.
וַחֲמֹרִ֤ים  and  the  donkeys 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural
Root: חֲמֹור 
Sense: (he)ass.
וּגְמַלִּים֙  and  the  camels 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural
Root: גָּמָל  
Sense: camel.
וּבְגָדִ֔ים  and  the  apparel 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural
Root: בֶּגֶד 
Sense: treachery, deceit.
וַיָּ֖שָׁב  and  returned 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שׁוּב  
Sense: to return, turn back.
וַיָּבֹ֥א  and  came 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
אָכִֽישׁ  Achish 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אָכִישׁ  
Sense: Philistine king of Gath.