He said to David, “You are more righteous than I; for you have done good to me, whereas I have done evil to you.
Parallel Translations
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He said to David, “You are more righteous than I; for you have done good to me, whereas I have done evil to you.
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And he said to David, Thou art more righteous than I: for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil.
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(24-18) 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.
Cross-references (7)
Passages linked to 1 Samuel 24:17 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Matthew 5:44 But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you,
- 1 Samuel 26:21 Then Saul said, “I have sinned. Return, my son David; for I will no more do you harm, because my life was precious in your eyes today. Behold, I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly.”
- Genesis 38:26 Judah acknowledged them, and said, “She is more righteous than I, because I didn’t give her to Shelah, my son.” He knew her again no more.
- Romans 12:20-21 Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in doing so, you will heap coals of fire on his head.” Don’t be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
- Exodus 9:27 Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “I have sinned this time. Yahweh is righteous, and I and my people are wicked.
- Psalms 37:6 he will make your righteousness shine out like light, and your justice as the noon day sun.
- Matthew 27:4 saying, “I have sinned in that I betrayed innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? You see to it.”
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (8 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain Though he was a most cruel enemy to David,…
Though he was a most cruel enemy to David, yet by his great gentleness his conscience compelled him to yield.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain 1Sa 24:17 And he said to David, Thou [art]…
1Sa 24:17 And he said to David, Thou [art] more righteous than I: for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil.
Ver. 17. Thou art more righteows than I.] This is a great mercy of God, and a great comfort to the godly, that their persecutors, convinced in their own consciences, are eftsoons forced to attest their innocency, and their own unrighteousness in acting against them. Thus - besides Maximinus and other of the ancient persecutors - the Papists could not but think and speak well of Luther, Bucer, Bradford, and others whom they persecuted, for their piety in life and patience at death. Si Luthero faverem ut viro bono, quod fatentur et hostes, &c., saith Erasmus. {a} At the digging up of Bucer’s bones in Cambridge, Dr Perne, vice-chancellor, made a sermon against him. Howbeit the same Perne, either immediately after his sermon, or before he went to it, striking himself on the breast, and in a manner weeping, wished at home at his house with all his heart that God would grant he might even then presently depart, and remain with Bucer; for he thought if any man’s soul were worthy of heaven, his in special to be most worthy. This was testified by Perne’s own familiar friends. {b}
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{a} Tom. viii. epist.
{b} Act. and Mon., fol. 1780.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain Thou hast rewarded me good for the evil that…
Thou hast rewarded me good for the evil that I have designed and done to thee.
I have rewarded thee evil for thy good will to me.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain And he said to David, thou art more righteous…
And he said to David, thou art more righteous than I,.... By which it appears he thought himself righteous, though David was more so; the righteousness of David was so glaring, that his enemy himself being judge acknowledges it, but will not confess his own wickedness, having no true sense of sin, nor real sorrow for it:
for thou hast rewarded me good; in times past, and now; heretofore in killing Goliath, fighting his battles for him against the Philistines, driving the evil spirit from him, by playing on the harp before him, and now by sparing his life, only cutting off the skirt of his garment, when he could with equal ease have cut off his head:
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whereas I have rewarded thee evil: in seeking to take away his life at various times, by casting a javelin at him more than once, sending messengers to kill him, and hunting after him from place to place, to take him and slay him.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain More righteous than I - He ingenuously acknowledges David's…
More righteous than I - He ingenuously acknowledges David's integrity, and his own iniquity.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain 1Sa 24:17-19. Thou art more righteous than I —…
1Sa 24:17-19. Thou art more righteous than I — He ingenuously acknowledges David’s integrity and his own iniquity. If a man find his enemy, will he let him go? — That is, he will certainly destroy him to save himself. Thy behaviour, therefore, shows that thou hast no enmity to me. Wherefore the Lord reward thee good — Because he thought himself not able to recompense so great a favour, he prays God to recompense it.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain Voice. He was at such a distance, as not…
Voice. He was at such a distance, as not to be able to distinguish his features. --- Wept. The greatest reprobates may sometimes feel sentiments of compunction, so that we need not here doubt of Saul’s sincerity. (Calmet) --- He might otherwise have turned upon David with his 3,000, and easily have seized his prey. (Haydock)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 you have done good to me
you have done good to me
Saul acknowledges that David did show that he supported King Saul and was loyal to him by not killing him.
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for you did not kill me when Yahweh had put me at your mercy
Saul acknowledges that David chose to show mercy and demonstrated his loyalty to King Saul as Yahweh's anointed.
translationWords
David
righteous
good
evil
declare
Yahweh
mercy
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.