This verse (1 Samuel 30:22) describes a dispute among David's men after they successfully rescued their families and recovered their stolen possessions from the Amalekites. Here's a breakdown of its meaning:
Context: David and his men had returned to Ziklag to find it raided by the Amalekites, their families taken captive, and their possessions stolen. They pursued the Amalekites, won a great victory, and recovered everything.
"Then all the wicked men and worthless fellows, of those who went with David...": This identifies a specific subgroup within David's victorious army. The terms "wicked men and worthless fellows" suggest that these were likely individuals of questionable character or motives who had joined David's band.
"...answered and said, “Because they didn’t go with us, we will not give them anything of the plunder that we have recovered...": This is the crux of the dispute. Some of David's men had been too exhausted to continue the pursuit of the Amalekites and had stayed behind to guard the baggage. These "wicked men" argued that because those men didn't actively participate in the battle and recovery of the plunder, they were not entitled to a share.
"...except to every man his wife and his children, that he may lead them away, and depart.”: This reveals the harsh and selfish nature of the "wicked men." They were willing to allow the men who stayed behind to take their families (whom they had rescued), but they wouldn't share any of the recovered possessions with them. It was essentially saying, "You can have your families back, but you're getting nothing else from us."
In essence, the verse highlights a moment of greed and selfishness within David's army. Some of the men, driven by their own desires, wanted to exclude others from sharing in the spoils of victory simply because they hadn't directly participated in the battle. It shows a lack of compassion and fairness toward their fellow Israelites. It also sets the stage for David's response, where he rebukes this behavior and establishes a more equitable distribution of the plunder (as described in the following verses).
This verse (1 Samuel 30:22) describes a dispute among David's men after they successfully rescued their families and recovered their stolen possessions from the Amalekites. Here's a breakdown of its meaning:
Context: David and his men had returned to Ziklag to find it raided by the Amalekites, their families taken captive, and their possessions stolen. They pursued the Amalekites, won a great victory, and recovered everything.
"Then all the wicked men and worthless fellows, of those who went with David...": This identifies a specific subgroup within David's victorious army. The terms "wicked men and worthless fellows" suggest that these were likely individuals of questionable character or motives who had joined David's band.
"...answered and said, “Because they didn’t go with us, we will not give them anything of the plunder that we have recovered...": This is the crux of the dispute. Some of David's men had been too exhausted to continue the pursuit of the Amalekites and had stayed behind to guard the baggage. These "wicked men" argued that because those men didn't actively participate in the battle and recovery of the plunder, they were not entitled to a share.
"...except to every man his wife and his children, that he may lead them away, and depart.”: This reveals the harsh and selfish nature of the "wicked men." They were willing to allow the men who stayed behind to take their families (whom they had rescued), but they wouldn't share any of the recovered possessions with them. It was essentially saying, "You can have your families back, but you're getting nothing else from us."
In essence, the verse highlights a moment of greed and selfishness within David's army. Some of the men, driven by their own desires, wanted to exclude others from sharing in the spoils of victory simply because they hadn't directly participated in the battle. It shows a lack of compassion and fairness toward their fellow Israelites. It also sets the stage for David's response, where he rebukes this behavior and establishes a more equitable distribution of the plunder (as described in the following verses).