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Psalms 72:20 — Word Study

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WLCכָּלּ֥וּ תְפִלּ֑וֹת דָּ֝וִ֗ד בֶּן־ יִשָֽׁי׃

BSAThus concludekâlâh [come to an end, are finished] the prayerstᵉphillâh [supplications, requests to God] of DavidDâvid [the youngest son of Jesse, a king of Israel] sonbên [a descendant, offspring] of JesseYishay [I possess, a member of the tribe of Judah]

Word
Listen & take awayPsalms 72
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 20 is in this chapter.
Hebrew ↓ Download MP3 The Masoretic text of this chapter, read aloud. Read by Abraham Shmuelof, courtesy of Audio Scriptures International. Chapter divisions by the Academy of Ancient Languages..
Say the word Each Hebrew word carries its transliteration (yi.Shai) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
Psalms 72:20quick helps
In a sentenceThe verse concludes the prayers of David, highlighting his role as a significant figure in Israel.
Who is speakingThe concluding words of a collection of prayers attributed to David.
Where we areThis verse serves as a closing statement in a psalm, summarizing the prayers of David.
The hard wordכָּלּ֥וּ
Take awayDavid's prayers are finished, marking the end of this section.
8 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them › clause verbכלל The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
How rare are these words?in the Old Testament

Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.

Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.

Deep Study — Psalms 72:20

Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.

Context — The Conclusion of David's Prayersgenerated

17May his name endure forever; may his name continue as long as the sun shines. In him may all nations be blessed; may they call him blessed.
18Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds.
19And blessed be His glorious name forever; may all the earth be filled with His glory. Amen and amen.
20Thus conclude the prayers of David son of Jesse.

Psalms 72:20 concludes the prayers of David, son of Jesse, emphasizing his significance as a king and a leader in Israel. This verse serves as a summary of the supplications made by David, reflecting his relationship with God and his role in the spiritual life of the nation. The preceding verses highlight the blessings and enduring legacy of the righteous king, culminating in this acknowledgment of David's prayers.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
12 Samuel 23:1These are the last words of David: “The oracle of David son of Jesse, the oracle of the man raised on high, the one anointed by the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel:
2Job 31:40then let briers grow instead of wheat and stinkweed instead of barley.” Thus conclude the words of Job.
3Jeremiah 51:64Then you are to say, ‘In the same way Babylon will sink and never rise again, because of the disaster I will bring upon her. And her people will grow weary.’” Here end the words of Jeremiah.
4Luke 24:51While He was blessing them, He left them and was carried up into heaven.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 4 references, hung on the phrase they belong to


The Key Word כָּלּ֥וּ, ka.Lugenerated

The verb כָּלּ֥וּ (*kalu*) is a perfect third person common plural form of the root כלל (*kalah*), meaning to finish or end something. It signifies the completion of David's prayers, marking their conclusion.

This word conveys the idea of something coming to an end, as seen in other contexts where it describes the completion of tasks or events. The parsing indicates that this is a definitive statement about the prayers, affirming that they are no longer ongoing.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

The verse is rendered in the Berean Standard Bible as 'Thus conclude the prayers of David son of Jesse.' The KJV and ASV use similar wording, maintaining the essence of the original Hebrew.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The finite verb כָּלּ֥וּ governs the entire verse, indicating the action of finishing. The structure is straightforward, with a noun phrase following that identifies whose prayers are being concluded.

The sentence follows a simple subject-verb-object structure, emphasizing the completion of David's prayers in a direct manner.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

The Septuagint translates כָּלּ֥וּ with the Greek word ἐχέλιπον, which also conveys the idea of leaving or finishing something. This choice reflects a similar understanding of the conclusion of David's prayers.

The Greek term emphasizes the finality of the prayers, aligning with the Hebrew meaning of completion.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

Psalms 72:20 tells us that the prayers of David, son of Jesse, are finished. This marks the end of a section dedicated to David's supplications, highlighting his important role in Israel's spiritual life.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does it mean that David's prayers are finished?

It indicates that the collection of prayers attributed to David has come to a close, summarizing his requests and relationship with God.

Why is David significant in this context?

David is recognized as a key figure in Israel's history, a king whose prayers reflect the spiritual needs and aspirations of the nation.

How do these prayers relate to the rest of the Psalms?

David's prayers throughout the Psalms often express deep emotions and requests for God's guidance, making them a crucial part of the biblical prayer tradition.

What can we learn from David's prayers?

David's prayers teach us about the importance of supplication and reliance on God, showcasing a model of heartfelt communication with the divine.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. What are some ways I can incorporate prayer into my daily life, following David's example?
  2. How can I reflect on the significance of David's prayers in my own spiritual journey?
  3. What does it mean to me that the prayers of David are considered finished?
  4. In what ways can I learn from the way David approached God in prayer?

Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on Psalms 72:20 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended. The Septuagint version renders it, the hymns.

Read John Gill on Psalms 72 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things.

Read Robert Jamieson on Psalms 72 →
Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible

This Psalm is called the last of David’ s Psalms; (which are called prayers, because they consist very much of prayers;) either, 1. The last of that part or book of the Psalms, which reached from the beginning of the Psalms hitherto, whereof the far greatest number were composed by David, and all of them digested into this order; the rest of which follow, being collected by some other holy man or men of God after David’ s death, and composed part by David, and part by other prophets. Or rather, 2. The last Psalm which David composed; for this was done but a little before his death, of which see the first note on this Psalm.

Read Matthew Poole on Psalms 72 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Psalms 72:20 The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.Ver. 20. The prayers of David are ended] That is, this was his last prayer (in time, though not in order), and is therefore well to be considered. Or, so end the prayers that were both written and set in order by David; the rest seem to have been gathered together by Ezra, or some other holy man, after the return from Babylon.

Read John Trapp on Psalms 72 →
AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible

Verse 20. The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.] This was most probably the last Psalm he ever wrote. There may be several in the after part of this book which were written by him; but they were probably composed in a former period of his life, for this was the end of the poetic prayers of David the son of Jesse. Those that were found afterwards have got out of their proper connexion. ANALYSIS OF THE SEVENTY-SECOND PSALM David being near his death, makes his prayer for his son Solomon, that he may be a just, peaceable, and great king, and his subjects happy under his government. But this is but the shell of the Psalm: the kernel is Christ and his kingdom, under whom…

Read AdamClarke on Psalms 72 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

20. Compare the note in Job 31:40 which separates the speeches of Job from those of Elihu and Jehovah. As the Fourth and Fifth Books contain Psalms ascribed to David, this note cannot have been placed here by an editor who had the whole Psalter before him. Most probably it was added by the compiler of the Elohistic collection, to separate the ‘Psalms of David’ from the ‘Psalms of Asaph’ which follow, and to indicate that there were no more ‘Davidic’ Psalms in his collection. The only Psalm in Book iii which bears the name of David (86) is outside the Elohistic collection, and is moreover obviously a late compilation, composed of fragments of other Psalms. For the term prayers see Introd. p.…

Read Cambridge on Psalms 72 →
Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended - This is not found in the Syriac.

Read Albert Barnes on Psalms 72 →
Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible

20. Prayers of David… ended—For the import of this verse see introductory note. The psalmist has given his ideal of a theocratic king, partially realized in Solomon’s reign, but to be fully so only in that of Messiah.

Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Psalms 72 →

The verse in English, compared — 16 translations, and where they part company

Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.

Modern formal

BSBBerean Standard Bible2020

Thus conclude the prayers of David son of Jesse.

WEBWorld English Bible2000

This ends the prayers by David, the son of Jesse.

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

Thus conclude the prayers of David son of Jesse.

NETBNew English Translation2006

This collection of the prayers of David son of Jesse ends here.

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.

RVARevised Version, American1894

The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.

NWBWebster's Bible1833

The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

The prayers of David son of Jesse have been ended.

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

The prayers of David son of Jesse have been ended.

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

Here are ended the prayers of David the son of Jesse.

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

The prayers of David son of Jesse are finished.

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

As the dream of them that awake, O Lord; so in thy city thou shalt bring their image to nothing.

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

(This is the end of the psalms of David, son of Jesse.)

BBEBible in Basic English1949

The prayers of David, the son of Jesse, are ended.

Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.


The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank

This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.

clauseverbכָּלּ֥וּthey.are.finishednoun phrase · subjectתְפִלּ֑וֹתthe.prayersnoun phraseדָּ֝וִ֗דof.Davidnoun phraseבֶּןthe.sonיִשָֽׁיof.Jesse

Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.


The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran

The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint agree on the wording of this verse, with all five words matched in the Greek translation. This indicates a consistent understanding of the text across these ancient witnesses.

Masoretic TextLeningrad Codex, c. AD 1008 — the text this page is built on

כָּלּ֥וּ תְפִלּ֑וֹת דָּ֝וִ֗ד בֶּן־ יִשָֽׁי׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
כָּלּ֥וּἐχέλιπονתְפִלּ֑וֹתὕμνοιדָּ֝וִ֗דδαυιδבֶּן־υἱοῦיִשָֽׁי׃ιεσσαι

5 of the 5 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.

Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.


The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with

This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.

Psalms 72:20כָּלָהthey are fithey are finishכָּלָהתְּפִלָּה[the] praye[the] prayers oתְּפִלָּהדָּוִדDavidDavidדָּוִדבֵּן[the] son o[the] son ofבֵּןיִשַׁיJesseJesseיִשַׁיפָּלַלto prayto prayפָּלַלבָּנָהto buildto buildבָּנָהדּוֹדbelovedbelovedדּוֹדיֵשׁtherethereיֵשׁקָצִירharvestharvestקָצִירחֵמָהragerageחֵמָהתְּחִנָּהsupplicatisupplicationתְּחִנָּהרִנָּהcrycryרִנָּהמִזְמוֹרmelodymelodyמִזְמוֹרנָצַחto conductto conductנָצַחעַמּוֹןAmmonAmmonעַמּוֹןרְאוּבֵןReubenReubenרְאוּבֵןבֵּיתבֵּיתנַחֲלָהinheritancinheritanceנַחֲלָה
meets it a little oftener than chancemeets it far oftener than chancebuilt from the same roottwo words of the verse share ita word of this versea related word

Lexicons — every word in Psalms 72:20

One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.

Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.

they are finished [the] prayers of David [the] son of Jesse
כָּלּ֥וּka.Lu they are finished H3615 Verb · Qal · perfect third person common plural
208× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word means to finish or end something, like completing a task or using up a resource, as seen in Genesis 2:2 where God finished creating the heavens and earth.
Amplified meaning
come to an end, are finished
Tyndale gloss
to end: finish
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word כָּלָה (*kalah*) is a primitive root meaning to end or finish. It encompasses a range of meanings, including to complete, accomplish, perish, and destroy. The entries indicate various uses in both intransitive and transitive forms, covering actions like finishing a task or causing something to cease. Notably, it can also imply negative connotations, such as plotting or destruction.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

כָּלָה 204 vb. be complete, at an end, finished, accomplished, spent

Qal

be complete, at an end, of a period of time

be completed, finished, of a work

be accomplished, fulfilled

be idealy complete, be determined, always in a bad sense, plotted

be spent, used up (prop. come to an end), of water

waste away, be exhausted, fail

come to an end, vanish = perish, be destroyed

Pi.

complete, bring to an end, finish, a thing, task, work, etc.

complete a period of time

finish doing a thing

make an end, end

accomplish, fulfil, bring to pass

accomplish in thought, determine

put an end to, cause to cease

cause to fail, exhaust, use up, spend

destroy, sts. exterminate

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3615 כָּלָה be complete, at an end, finished, accomplished, spent .. . be complete, at an end, of a period of time

. be completed, finished, of a work

. be accomplished, fulfilled

. be idealy complete, be determined, always in a bad sense, plotted

. . be spent, used up (prop. come to an end), of water

. waste away, be exhausted, fail

. come to an end, vanish = perish, be destroyed

. . . complete, bring to an end, finish, a thing, task, work, etc.

. complete a period of time

. finish doing a thing

. make an end, end

. accomplish, fulfil, bring to pass

. accomplish in thought, determine

. . put an end to, cause to cease

. cause to fail, exhaust, use up, spend

. destroy, sts. exterminate

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3615 kalah kaw-law'

a primitive root; to end, whether intransitive (to cease, be

finished, perish) or transitived (to complete, prepare,

consume):--accomplish, cease, consume (away), determine,

destroy (utterly), be (when ... were) done, (be an) end (of),

expire, (cause to) fail, faint, finish, fulfil, X fully, X

have, leave (off), long, bring to pass, wholly reap, make

clean riddance, spend, quite take away, waste.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

כָּלָה (ka.lah) — to end: finish.

: finish

1) to accomplish, cease, consume, determine, end, fail, finish, be complete, be accomplished, be ended, be at an end, be finished, be spent

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to be complete, be at an end

1a2) to be completed, be finished

1a3) to be accomplished, be fulfilled

1a4) to be determined, be plotted (bad sense)

1a5) to be spent, be used up

1a6) to waste away, be exhausted, fail

1a7) to come to an end, vanish, perish, be destroyed

1b) (Piel)

1b1) to complete, bring to an end, finish

1b2) to complete (a period of time)

1b3) to finish (doing a thing)

1b4) to make an end, end

1b5) to accomplish, fulfil, bring to pass

1b6) to accomplish, determine (in thought)

1b7) to put an end to, cause to cease

1b8) to cause to fail, exhaust, use up, spend

1b9) to destroy, exterminate

1c) (Pual) to be finished, be ended, be completed

כָּלָה (ka.lah) — to end: destroy.

: destroy

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
V-Pual-Perf-3cp — Verb · Qal · perfect third person common plural
HVqp3cp
they are finished [the] prayers of David [the] son of Jesse
תְפִלּ֑וֹתte.fi.Lot [the] prayers of H8605 Noun common · feminine plural construct
77× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the Bible, this word means prayer or supplication, often used to describe requests to God. It appears in many Psalms, highlighting the importance of prayer in worship.
Amplified meaning
supplications, requests to God
Tyndale gloss
prayer
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

תְּפִלָּה (tefillah) means 'prayer' and is derived from the root meaning intercession or supplication. It encompasses various forms of prayer, including hymns and requests for divine attention. The term appears in contexts such as the titles of Psalms, emphasizing its liturgical significance.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

תְּפִלָּה 77 n.f. prayer

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H8605 תְּפִלָּה prayer

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

8605 tphillah tef-il-law'

from 6419; intercession, supplication; by implication, a

hymn:--prayer.

see HEBREW for 06419

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

תְּפִלָּה (te.phil.lah) — prayer.

1) prayer

1a) prayer

1b) pray a prayer

1c) house of prayer

1d) hear prayer

1e) in Ps titles (of poetic or liturgical prayer)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-fp — Noun common · feminine plural construct
HNcfpc
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ov:

(1) In Anglo-Saxon, had the meaning "from," "away from" (as the strengthened form "off" has still), and was not used for genitive or possessive relations, these being expressed by special case-forms. In the Norman period, however, "of" was taken to represent the French de (a use well developed by the time of Chaucer), and in the Elizabethan period both senses of "of" were in common use. But after about 1600 the later force of the word became predominant, and in the earlier sense (which is now practically obsolete) it was replaced by other prepositions. In consequence the King James Version (and in some cases the Revised Version (British and American)) contains many uses of "of" that are no longer familiar--most of them, to be sure, causing no difficulty, but there still being a few responsible for real obscurities.

English usagewhat the translators’ English meant
Webster's Dictionary (1828), Webster's Unabridged (1913), Webster's Dictionary (1806)

OF, preposition ov. [Gr.]

1. From or out of; proceeding from, as the cause, source, means, author or agent bestowing.

I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you. 1 Corinthians 11:1.

For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts. Joshua 11:1.

It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.

Lamentations 3:1.

The whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Proverbs 16:1.

Go, inquire of the Lord for me. 2 Chronicles 34:2.

That holy thing that shall be born of thee. Luke 1:1.

Hence of is the sign of the genitive case, the case that denotes production; as the son of man, the son proceeding from man, produced from man. This is the primary sense, although we now say, produced by man. 'Part of these were slain; ' that is, a number separate, for part denotes a division; the sense then is, a number from or out of the whole were slain. So also, 'some of these were slain; ' that is…

they are finished [the] prayers of David [the] son of Jesse
דָּ֝וִ֗דda.Vid David H1732 Noun proper masculine
1,075× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
David was the youngest son of Jesse and a king of Judah, first mentioned in Ruth 4:17, and an ancestor of Jesus.
Amplified meaning
the youngest son of Jesse, a king of Israel
Tyndale gloss
David
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

דָּוִד (David) refers to the second king of Israel, known as the youngest son of Jesse. The name means 'beloved' and is associated with a significant lineage, including many siblings and notable descendants like Solomon. The entries highlight his familial connections and historical context, with no significant disagreement among the lexicons.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

דָּוִד, דָּוִיד 1066 n.pr.m. David

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H1732 דָּוִד, דָּוִיד David

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

1732 David daw-veed'

rarely (fully); Daviyd {daw-veed'}; from the same as 1730;

loving; David, the youngest son of Jesse:--David.

see HEBREW for 01730

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

דָּוִד (da.vid) — David.

A king of the tribe of Judah living at the time of United Monarchy, first mentioned at Rut.4.17;

son of: Jesse (H3448) and Nahash (H5176I);

brother of: Eliab (H0446I), Abinadab (H0041I), Shimeah (H8093), Zeruiah (H6870), Abigail (H0026H)(?), Nethanel (H5417H), Raddai (H7288), Ozem (H0684) and Elihu (H0453J); married to Michal (H4324), Abigail (H0026), Ahinoam (H0293H), Maacah (H4601I), Haggith (H2294), Abital (H0037), Eglah (H5698) and Bathsheba (H1339);

father of: Amnon (H0550), Chileab (H3609), Absalom (H0053), Adonijah (H0138), Shephatiah (H8203), Ithream (H3507), Shammua (H8051H), Shobab (H7727), Nathan (H5416), Solomon (H8010), Ibhar (H2984), Elishua (H0474), Nepheg (H5298H), Japhia (H3309I), Elishama (H0476H), Eliada (H0450), Eliphelet (H0467), Tamar (H8559H), Elpelet (H0467I), Nogah (H5052) and Jerimoth (H3406N)

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-proper — Noun proper masculine
HNpm
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

da'-vid (dawidh, or dawidh, "beloved"; Daueid, also in New Testament, Dauid, Dabid; see Thayer's Lexicon):

I. NAME AND GENEALOGY

II. EARLY YEARS

1. Shepherd

2. Slinger

3. Harpist

4. Poet

5. Psalmist

6. Tribesman

III. IN THE SERVICE OF SAUL

1. David First Meets Saul

2. His First Exploit

3. Envy of Saul and Flight of David

4. Jonathan and David

IV. DAVID IN EXILE

1. David as Outlaw

2. David Joins the Philistines

V. DAVID AS KING

1. Civil War

2. Conquests Abroad

3. Political Situation

4. The Ark

VI. DOMESTIC LIFE

1. His Wives and Children

2. Domestic Troubles

VII. HIS OFFICIALS

1. Prophets

2. Priests

3. Military Officers

4. Other Officials

5. Mutual Rivalry

VIII. PERSONAL CHARACTER OF DAVID

1. Chronicles

2. Psalms

3. Complex Character

4. Physical Courage

5. Moral Courage

6. Prudence

7. Strategy

8. Nobility

9. David in Relation to His Family

10. David in Relation to His Friends

11. His Success

12. His Foreign Friends

13. Nemesis

Easton's Bible Dictionary

David

Beloved, the eighth and youngest son of Jesse, a citizen of Bethlehem. His father seems to have been a man in humble life. His mother’s name is not recorded. Some think she was the Nahash of 2 Sam. 17:25. As to his personal appearance, we only know that he was red-haired, with beautiful eyes and a fair face (1 Sam. 16:12; 17:42).

His early occupation was that of tending his father’s sheep on the uplands of Judah. From what we know of his after history, doubtless he frequently beguiled his time, when thus engaged, with his shepherd’s flute, while he drank in the many lessons taught him by the varied scenes spread around him. His first recorded exploits were his encounters with the wild beasts of the field. He mentions that with his own unaided hand he slew a lion and also a…

Smith's Bible Dictionary

(well-beloved), the son of Jesse. His life may be divided into three portions: His youth before his introduction to the court of Saul; His relations with Saul; His reign. The early life of David contains in many important respects the antecedents of his future career. It appears that David was the youngest son, probably the youngest child, of a family of ten, and was born in Bethlehem B.C. 1085. The first time that David appears in history at once admits us to the whole family circle. The annual sacrificial feast is being held when Samuel appears, sent by God to anoint one of Jesse’s sons as they pass before him, (1 Samuel 16:6-10) Samuel sends for the youngest, David, who was "keeping the sheep," and anoints him. (1 Samuel 16:11-13) As David stood before Samuel we are enabled to…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

Beloved, the youngest son of Jesse, of the tribe of Judah, born in Bethlehem B. C. 1085; one of the most remarkable men in either sacred of secular history. His life is fully recorded in 1Sa 16:1 1Ki 2:46. He was "the Lord’s anointed," chosen by God to be king of Israel instead of Saul, and consecrated to that office by the venerable prophet Samuel long before he actually came to the throne, 1Sa 16:1-13, for which God prepared him by the gift of his Spirit, and a long course of vicissitudes and dangers. In his early pastoral life he distinguished himself by his boldness, fidelity, and faith in God; and while yet a youth was summoned to court, as one expert in music, valiant, prudent in behavior, and comely in person. He…

they are finished [the] prayers of David [the] son of Jesse
בֶּן־ben- [the] son of H1121 Noun common · masculine singular construct
4,943× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the Bible, this word means a son or descendant, and can also refer to a grandson, nation, or quality. It appears in 1 Chronicles 24, describing a Levite named Beno. The word is used to show family relationships and inheritance.
Amplified meaning
a descendant, offspring
Tyndale gloss
son: child
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

בֵּן (ben) means 'son' or 'male child' and encompasses a wide range of meanings, including descendants, young animals, and even figurative uses like sparks or arrows. It can refer to members of a tribe or class and is used in various contexts throughout the Old Testament, such as in 1 Chronicles 24:26. The word is derived from a root meaning 'to build' and implies a connection to family or lineage.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

בֵּן 4870 n.m. son

son, male child, born of a woman

children (male and female)

youth, young men

the young of animals

of plant shoots

fig. of lifeless things, sparks, stars, arrows

member of a guild, order or class

of animals son of (the) herd

ב׳ as n. relat. followed by word of quality, characteristic, etc.

n. relat. of age

base

בְּנוֹ 1 Ch 24:26, 27 as n.pr.m. in AV, RV, but render: the sons of Jaaziah his son, & the sons of Merari by Jaaziah his son, cf. VB & Be Öt.

done

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H1121a בֵּן son . son, male child, born of a woman

. children (male and female)

. youth, young men

. the young of animals

. of plant shoots

. fig. of lifeless things, sparks, stars, arrows

. . member of a guild, order or class

. of animals son of (the) herd

. ב׳ as n. relat. followed by word of quality, characteristic, etc.

. n. relat. of age

H1121b בְּנוֹ as n. pr. m. in AV, RV, but render: the sons of Jaaziah his son, & the sons of Merari by Jaaziah his son

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

1121 ben bane

from 1129; a son (as a builder of the family name), in the

widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship,

including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition,

etc., (like 1, 251, etc.)):--+ afflicted, age, (Ahoh-)

(Ammon-) (Hachmon-) (Lev-)ite, (anoint-)ed one, appointed to,

(+) arrow, (Assyr-) (Babylon-) (Egypt-) (Grec-)ian, one born,

bough, branch, breed, + (young) bullock, + (young) calf, X

came up in, child, colt, X common, X corn, daughter, X of

first, + firstborn, foal, + very fruitful, + postage, X in, +

kid, + lamb, (+) man, meet, + mighty, + nephew, old, (+)

people, + rebel, + robber, X servant born, X soldier, son, +

spark, + steward, + stranger, X surely, them of, + tumultuous

one, + valiant(-est), whelp, worthy, young (one), youth.

see HEBREW for 01129

see HEBREW for 01

see HEBREW for 0251

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

בֵּן (ben) — son: child.

: child/son

בְּנוֹ (be.no) — Beno.

A man of the tribe of Levi living at the time of Divided Monarchy, first mentioned at 1Ch.24.26;

son of: Jaaziah (H3269);

brother of: Shoham (H7719), Zaccur (H2139I) and Ibri (H5681)

§ Beno = "his son"

the sons of Jaaziah and the sons of Merari by Jaahziah (his son)

בֵּן (ben) — son: descendant/people.

: descendant, people, tribe, nation

A sub-meaning of ben (בֵּן ": child" H1121)

§ : child/son

בֵּן (ben) — son: young animal.

: calf/lamb/young(ANIMAL)

A sub-meaning of ben (בֵּן ": child" H1121)

§ : descendant

בֵּן (ben) — son: type of.

: rebel/son(Belial)

A sub-meaning of ben (בֵּן ": child" H1121)

§ : people/men/nation/tribe

בֵּן (ben) — son.

: [inheriting]son/heir

A sub-meaning of ben (בֵּן ": child" H1121)

בֵּן (ben) — son: warrior.

: warrior/son(strong)

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular construct
HNcmsc
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ov:

(1) In Anglo-Saxon, had the meaning "from," "away from" (as the strengthened form "off" has still), and was not used for genitive or possessive relations, these being expressed by special case-forms. In the Norman period, however, "of" was taken to represent the French de (a use well developed by the time of Chaucer), and in the Elizabethan period both senses of "of" were in common use. But after about 1600 the later force of the word became predominant, and in the earlier sense (which is now practically obsolete) it was replaced by other prepositions. In consequence the King James Version (and in some cases the Revised Version (British and American)) contains many uses of "of" that are no longer familiar--most of them, to be sure, causing no difficulty, but there still being a few responsible for real obscurities.

English usagewhat the translators’ English meant
Webster's Dictionary (1828), Webster's Unabridged (1913), Webster's Dictionary (1806)

OF, preposition ov. [Gr.]

1. From or out of; proceeding from, as the cause, source, means, author or agent bestowing.

I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you. 1 Corinthians 11:1.

For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts. Joshua 11:1.

It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.

Lamentations 3:1.

The whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Proverbs 16:1.

Go, inquire of the Lord for me. 2 Chronicles 34:2.

That holy thing that shall be born of thee. Luke 1:1.

Hence of is the sign of the genitive case, the case that denotes production; as the son of man, the son proceeding from man, produced from man. This is the primary sense, although we now say, produced by man. 'Part of these were slain; ' that is, a number separate, for part denotes a division; the sense then is, a number from or out of the whole were slain. So also, 'some of these were slain; ' that is…

they are finished [the] prayers of David [the] son of Jesse
יִשָֽׁי׃yi.Shai Jesse H3448 Noun proper masculine
42× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Jesse was the father of King David and a member of the tribe of Judah, and his name means 'I possess', showing his importance in the family and community.
Amplified meaning
I possess, a member of the tribe of Judah
Tyndale gloss
Jesse
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

יִשַׁי (Yishay) refers to Jesse, the father of David, and is associated with the tribe of Judah. The name appears in the context of the United Monarchy, first mentioned in Ruth 4:17. Jesse is noted as the son of Obed and has several sons, including David and Eliab. The name may also mean 'I possess'.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

יִשַׁי 41 n.pr.m. father of David

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3448 יִשַׁי father of David

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3448 Yishay yee-shah'-ee

by Aramaic Iyshay {ee-shah'-ee}; from the same as 3426;

extant; Jishai, David's father:--Jesse.

see HEBREW for 03426

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

יִשַׁי (yi.shay) — Jesse.

A man of the tribe of Judah living at the time of United Monarchy, first mentioned at Rut.4.17;

son of: Obed (H5744);

father of: David (H1732), Eliab (H0446I), Abinadab (H0041I), Shimeah (H8093), Nethanel (H5417H), Raddai (H7288), Ozem (H0684), Zeruiah (H6870), Abigail (H0026H)(?) and Elihu (H0453J)

Also named: Iessai (Ἰεσσαί "Jesse" G2421)

§ Jesse = "I possess"

son of Boaz and the father of king David

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-proper — Noun proper masculine
HNpm
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

jes'-e (yishay, meaning doubtful; according to Gesenius it = "wealthy"; Olshausen, Gram., sections 277 f, conjectures yesh yah, "Yahweh exists"; Wellhausen (1Sa 14:49) explains it as 'abhishay (see ABISHAI); Iessai; Ru 4:17,22; 1Sa 16; 17; 20; 22; 25:10; 2Sa 20:1; 23:1; 1Ki 12:16; 1Ch 10:14; 12:18; Ps 72:20; Isa 11:1,10 ( = Ro 15:12)); Mt 1:5,6; Ac…

Jesse

Firm, or a gift, a son of Obed, the son of Boaz and Ruth (Ruth 4:17, 22; Matt. 1:5, 6; Luke 3:32). He was the father of eight sons, the youngest of whom was David (1 Sam. 17:12). The phrase “stem of Jesse” is used for the family of David (Isa. 11:1), and “root of Jesse” for the Messiah (Isa. 11:10; Rev. 5:5). Jesse was a man apparently of wealth and position at Bethlehem (1 Sam. 17:17, 18, 20; Ps.…

(wealthy), the father of David, was the son of Obed, who again was the fruit of the union of Boaz and the Moabitess Ruth. His great-grandmother was Rahab the Canaanite, of Jericho. (Matthew 1:5) Jesse’s genealogy is twice given in full in the Old Testament, viz., (Ruth 4:18-22) and 1Chr 2:5-12 He is commonly designated as "Jesse the Bethlehemite," (1 Samuel 16:1,18; 17:58) but his full title is "the Ephrathite of Bethlehem Judah." ch. (1 Samuel 17:12) He is an "old man" when we first meet with him, (1 Samuel 17:12) with eight sons, ch. (

Sources on this page. Lexicons and dictionaries imported from the CrossWire SWORD modules — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, Dodson, the Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones, Robinson and Packard, Webster and Cawdrey. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Harper, 1889 — Grimm’s Wilke’s Clavis Novi Testamenti, translated, revised and enlarged by Joseph Henry Thayer) is public domain and is set here from the Internet Archive page scan greekenglishlex00grim; it is uncorrected OCR, marked as such on the entry itself, and the Strong’s numbers — which Thayer’s own edition does not carry — were matched by lemma against the other modules on this page. Trench’s Synonyms of the New Testament (Macmillan, 1880) and Moulton and Milligan’s Vocabulary of the Greek Testament (Hodder & Stoughton, 1930, which entered the United States public domain on 1 January 2026) are set from Internet Archive page scans synonymsofnewtes00treniala and vocabularyofgree00mouluoft, and are likewise uncorrected OCR matched to Strong’s numbers by lemma. Trench treats a group of words at once, so the same essay stands on the page of each word it compares. The Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary is © 1993 and is used here by permission for non-commercial use, www.teknia.com/greek-dictionary. The full Liddell-Scott-Jones and the Hebrew word data (TAHOT) come from STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0. Brown-Driver-Briggs is the OpenScriptures digitisation, public domain. Syntax analysis is the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (biblicalhumanities.org); the concordance and morphology are built from the tagged Nestle 1904 text. Septuagint occurrences use the Open Scriptures Septuagint lemma index, derived from CCAT (University of Pennsylvania) and the Rahlfs 1935 dataset by Eliran Wong, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — used here on a non-commercial ministry site. Greek of Josephus and Barnabas from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA 4.0. Commentaries and the Ante-Nicene Fathers are public-domain texts hosted on this site. Everyday Greek from the Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri, CC BY 3.0, with dates and provenance from the Heidelberger Gesamtverzeichnis. Philo and the Apostolic Fathers from Open Greek and Latin (First1KGreek), CC BY-SA 4.0. The apparatus and the fifth Greek column are the SBL Greek New Testament, © 2010 SBL and Logos Bible Software, CC BY 4.0. The Latin is the Clementine Vulgate (public domain); the Syriac New Testament is the ETCBC edition (MIT licence). The Hebrew behind the Greek is computed here from the Septuagint index and TAHOT, not taken from any aligned edition. The translation spread and the per-word edition marks come from the Translators Amalgamated Greek NT (STEPBible, CC BY 4.0); clause roles from the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (CC BY-SA 4.0); place identifications and their confidence from OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding (CC BY 4.0), with map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Gospel parallels are computed here from shared uncommon vocabulary, not taken from any printed harmony. Cross references are the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and the subject headings are Nave’s Topical Bible, both public domain. Works under Creative Commons licences are used unchanged apart from markup removal.

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