1 Samuel 20 · Verse 21

1 Samuel 20:21

And, behold, I will send a lad, saying, Go, find out the arrows. If I expressly say unto the lad, Behold, the arrows are on this side of thee, take them; then come thou: for there is peace to thee, and no hurt; as the Lord liveth.
1 Samuel 20:21, King James Version

1 Samuel 20:21 in other translations

BSBThen I will send a boy and say, ‘Go, find the arrows!’ Now, if I expressly say to him, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you; bring them,’ then come, because as surely as the LORD lives, it is safe for you and there is no danger.
WEBBehold, I will send the boy, saying, ‘Go, find the arrows!’ If I tell the boy, ‘Behold, the arrows are on this side of you. Take them;’ then come, for there is peace to you and no danger, as the LORD lives.
ASVAnd, behold, I will send the lad, saying, Go, find the arrows. If I say unto the lad, Behold, the arrows are on this side of thee; take them, and come; for there is peace to thee and no hurt, as Jehovah liveth.
YLTand lo, I send the youth: Go, find the arrows. If I at all say to the youth, Lo, the arrows are on this side of thee--take them, --then come thou, for peace is for thee, and there is nothing; Jehovah liveth.
DARBYAnd behold, I will send the lad, saying, Go, find the arrows. If I expressly say to the lad, Behold, the arrows are on this side of thee, take them; then come, for there is peace for thee, and it is nothing; as Jehovah liveth.
BBEAnd I will send my boy to have a look for the arrow. And if I say to him, See, the arrow is on this side of you; take it up! then you may come; for there is peace for you and no evil, by the living Lord.
WebsterAnd behold, I will send a lad, saying, Go, find the arrows. If I expressly say to the lad, Behold, the arrows are on this side of thee, take them; then come thou: for there is peace to thee, and no hurt; as the LORD liveth.

What does 1 Samuel 20:21 mean?

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 1 Samuel 20:11-23

Jonathan faithfully promises that he would let David know how he found his father affected towards him. It will be kindness to ourselves and to ours, to secure an interest in those whom God favours, and to make his friends ours. True friendship rests on a firm basis, and is able to silence ambition, self-love, and undue regard for others. But who can fully understand the love of Jesus, who gave himself as a…

Read the full comment on 1 Samuel 20:11-23 →

1 Samuel 20:21 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וְהִנֵּה֙ve.hi.Nehand there!H2009
אֶשְׁלַ֣ח'esh.LachI will sendH7971
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
הַנַּ֔עַרha.Na.'arthe ladH5288
לֵ֖ךְlekhgoH1980
מְצָ֣אme.Tza'findH4672
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
הַחִצִּ֑יםha.chi.Tzimthe arrowsH2671
אִם\־'im-<if>H518
אָמֹר֩'a.Morcertainly [if] <to say>H559
אֹמַ֨ר'o.MarI will sayH559
לַנַּ֜עַרla.Na.'arto the ladH5288
הִנֵּ֥הhi.Nehthere!H2009
הַחִצִּ֣ים\׀ha.chi.Tzimthe arrowsH2671
מִמְּךָ֣mi.me.Kha[are] from youH4480
וָהֵ֗נָּהva.He.nahand hitherH2008
קָחֶ֧נּוּ\׀ka.Che.nufetch itH3947
וָבֹ֛אָהva.Vo.'ahand come !H935
כִּֽי\־ki-forH3588
שָׁל֥וֹםsha.LomsafetyH7965
לְךָ֛le.Kha[belongs] to <the> you
וְאֵ֥יןve.'Einand there notH369
דָּבָ֖רda.Var[is] anythingH1697
חַי\־chai-[by] [the] lifeH2416
יְהוָֽה\׃Yah.wehof YahwehH3068

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 1 Samuel 20:21

  • Jeremiah 4:2

    And thou shalt swear, The Lord liveth, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.

  • Jeremiah 5:2

    And though they say, The Lord liveth; surely they swear falsely.

  • Amos 8:14

    They that swear by the sin of Samaria, and say, Thy god, O Dan, liveth; and, The manner of Beer–sheba liveth; even they shall fall, and never rise up again.

  • Jeremiah 12:16

    And it shall come to pass, if they will diligently learn the ways of my people, to swear by my name, The Lord liveth; as they taught my people to swear by Baal; then shall they be built in the midst of my people.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
no. Heb. not any thing. as the.
Jer 4:2; 5:2; 12:16; Am 8:14

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • 1 Samuel 20:20

    And I will shoot three arrows on the side thereof, as though I shot at a mark.

  • 1 Samuel 20:21

    And, behold, I will send a lad, saying, Go, find out the arrows. If I expressly say unto the lad, Behold, the arrows are on this side of thee, take them; then come thou: for there is peace to thee, and no hurt; as the Lord liveth.

  • 1 Samuel 20:22

    But if I say thus unto the young man, Behold, the arrows are beyond thee; go thy way: for the Lord hath sent thee away.

Read all of 1 Samuel 20

1 Samuel 20:21 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y luego enviaré el criado diciéndole: Ve, busca las saetas. Y si dijere al mozo: He allí las saetas más acá de ti, tómalas: tú vendrás, porque paz tienes, y nada hay de mal, vive Jehová.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		et voici, j’enverrai le jeune garçon en disant: Va, trouve les flèches. Si je dis expressément au jeune garçon: Voici, les flèches sont en deçà de toi, prends-les; alors viens, car il y a paix pour toi, et il n’y a rien, l’ Éternel est vivant!
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und siehe, ich werde den Knaben senden: Gehe hin, suche die Pfeile! Wenn ich ausdrücklich zu dem Knaben spreche: Siehe, die Pfeile sind von dir ab herwärts, nimm sie! so komm; denn es steht wohl um dich, und es ist nichts, so wahr Jehova lebt!
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Mittam quoque et puerum, dicens ei: Vade, et affer mihi sagittas.