7 And David saith unto Abiathar the priest, son of Ahimelech, 'Bring nigh, I pray thee, to me the ephod;' and Abiathar bringeth nigh the ephod unto David, 8 and David asketh at Jehovah, saying, 'I pursue after this troop—do I overtake it?' And He saith to him, 'Pursue, for thou dost certainly overtake, and dost certainly deliver.' 9 And David goeth on, he and six hundred men who 'are' with him, and they come in unto the brook of Besor, and those left have stood still, 10 and David pursueth, he and four hundred men, (and two hundred men stand still who have been too faint to pass over the brook of Besor), 11 and they find a man, an Egyptian, in the field, and take him unto David, and give to him bread, and he eateth, and they cause him to drink water, 12 and give to him a piece of a bunch of dried figs, and two bunches of raisins, and he eateth, and his spirit returneth unto him, for he hath not eaten bread nor drunk water three days and three nights. 13 And David saith to him, 'Whose 'art' thou? and whence 'art' thou?' And he saith, 'An Egyptian youth I 'am', servant to a man, an Amalekite, and my lord forsaketh me, for I have been sick three days, 14 we pushed 'to' the south of the Cherethite, and against that which 'is' to Judah, and against the south of Caleb, and Ziklag we burned with fire.' 15 And David saith unto him, 'Dost thou bring me down unto this troop?' and he saith, 'Swear to me by God—thou dost not put me to death, nor dost thou shut me up into the hand of my lord—and I bring thee down unto this troop.'

Matthew Henry's Commentary on 1 Samuel 30:7-15

Commentary on 1 Samuel 30:7-15

(Read 1 Samuel 30:7-15)

If in all our ways, even when, as in this case, there can be no doubt they are just, we acknowledge God, we may expect that he will direct our steps, as he did those of David. David, in tenderness to his men, would by no means urge them beyond their strength. The Son of David thus considers the frames of his followers, who are not all alike strong and vigorous in their spiritual pursuits and conflicts; but, where we are weak, there he is kind; nay more, there he is strong, 2 Corinthians 12:9,10. A poor Egyptian lad, scarcely alive, is made the means of a great deal of good to David. Justly did Providence make this poor servant, who was basely used by his master, an instrument in the destruction of the Amalekites; for God hears the cry of the oppressed. Those are unworthy the name of true Israelites, who shut up their compassion from persons in distress. We should neither do an injury nor deny a kindness to any man; some time or other it may be in the power of the lowest to return a kindness or an injury.