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1 Samuel 20:31

Made Simple — Modern English Translation

Translated by Verse Made Simple Editorial
KJV ORIGINAL
For as long as the son of Jesse liveth upon the ground, thou shalt not be established, nor thy kingdom. Wherefore now send and fetch him unto me, for he shall surely die.
Close to the original. Clear modern English.
✦ MADE SIMPLE

As long as Jesse's son lives on the earth, you will never be secure on the throne, and your kingdom will never be safe. So send for him and bring him to me right now, because he must die.

⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE

King Saul is telling his son Jonathan that David must be killed because Saul sees him as a threat to Jonathan's future as king.

📚 Historical Context

This is King Saul speaking to his son Jonathan about David, who had been anointed by Samuel to be the next king of Israel. Saul had become increasingly jealous and paranoid about David's popularity and God's favor on him. At this point, Saul viewed David as a direct threat to his dynasty and his son Jonathan's right to inherit the throne.

Explore Similar Verses

1 Chronicles 10:14
And he did not seek guidance from the LORD: therefore God killed him, and gave the kingdom to David the son of Jesse.
1 Kings 12:16
When all the people of Israel saw that the king wouldn't listen to them, they answered him by saying, 'What share do we have in David's kingdom? We have no inheritance from Jesse's son. Go back to your tents, O Israel! Now take care of your own family, David.' So the Israelites left and went back to their homes.
2 Chronicles 10:16
When all the people of Israel saw that the king refused to listen to them, they responded to the king by saying, 'What share do we have in David's kingdom? We have no inheritance with Jesse's son. Everyone go back to your homes, Israel! Now David's family can take care of themselves.' So all the Israelites went back to their homes.

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Translation & Methodology Sources

The original manuscript text provided is based on the King James Version (KJV), which is in the public domain. Our modern English simplifications are generated via proprietary philological synthesis, cross-referenced against Strong's Exhaustive Concordance and the Textus Receptus to ensure unwavering theological and etymological precision.

Read our full translation methodology →