King James Version

1 Samuel 17:9

If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us.

Study

Hebrew

Tap a word to see its meaning. Words run left to right in English reading order.

אִםimoh thatאִםconjunction — “oh that”H518used very widely as demonstrative, lo!; interrogative, whether?; or conditional, if, although; also Oh that!, when; hence, as a negative, not(and, can-, doubtless, if, that) (not), [phrase] but, either, [phrase] except, [phrase] more(-over if, than), neither, nevertheless, nor, oh that, or, [phrase] save (only, -ing), seeing, since, sith, [phrase] surely (no more, none, not), t…יוּכַ֞לyukhalbe ableיָכֹלverb, qal, imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “be able”, an unfinished actionH3201to be able, literally (can, could) or morally (may, might)be able, any at all (ways), attain, can (away with, (-not)), could, endure, might, overcome, have power, prevail, still, suffer.לְהִלָּחֵ֤םlehilachemto devourלָחַםpreposition, verb, niphal, infinitive construct — “to devour”, the to-form of the verbH3898to feed on; figuratively, to consume; by implication, to battle (as destruction)devour, eat, [idiom] ever, fight(-ing), overcome, prevail, (make) war(-ring).אִתִּי֙itiamongאֵתpreposition, suffix, pronominal, 1st person, common, singular — “among”H854properly, nearness (used only as a preposition or an adverb), near; hence, generally, with, by, at, among, etc.against, among, before, by, for, from, in(-to), (out) of, with. Often with another prepositional prefix.וְהִכָּ֔נִיvehikaniand strikeנָכָהconjunction, verb, hiphil, perfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular, suffix, pronominal, 1st person, common, singular — “and strike”, a completed actionH5221to strike (lightly or severely, literally or figuratively)beat, cast forth, clap, give (wounds), [idiom] go forward, [idiom] indeed, kill, make (slaughter), murderer, punish, slaughter, slay(-er, -ing), smite(-r, -ing), strike, be stricken, (give) stripes, [idiom] surely, wound.וְהָיִ֥ינוּvehayinvand beהָיָהconjunction, verb, qal, sequential perfect, 1st person, common, plural — “and be”, a completed action in a sequenceH1961to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)beacon, [idiom] altogether, be(-come), accomplished, committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint, fall, [phrase] follow, happen, [idiom] have, last, pertain, quit (one-) self, require, [idiom] use.לָכֶ֖םlakhemtoלָכֶ֖םpreposition, suffix, pronominal, 2nd person, masculine, plural — “to”toלַעֲבָדִ֑יםlaavadimto servantעֶבֶדpreposition, noun, common, masculine, plural, absolute — “to servant”, the ordinary formH5650a servant[idiom] bondage, bondman, (bond-) servant, (man-) servant.וְאִםveimand oh thatאִםconjunction, conjunction — “and oh that”H518used very widely as demonstrative, lo!; interrogative, whether?; or conditional, if, although; also Oh that!, when; hence, as a negative, not(and, can-, doubtless, if, that) (not), [phrase] but, either, [phrase] except, [phrase] more(-over if, than), neither, nevertheless, nor, oh that, or, [phrase] save (only, -ing), seeing, since, sith, [phrase] surely (no more, none, not), t…אֲנִ֤יanimineאֲנִיpronoun, personal, 1st person, common, singular — “mine”H589II, (as for) me, mine, myself, we, [idiom] which, [idiom] who.אֽוּכַלukhalbe ableיָכֹלverb, qal, imperfect, 1st person, common, singular — “be able”, an unfinished actionH3201to be able, literally (can, could) or morally (may, might)be able, any at all (ways), attain, can (away with, (-not)), could, endure, might, overcome, have power, prevail, still, suffer.לוֹ֙lvotoלוֹ֙preposition, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “to”toוְהִכִּיתִ֔יוvehikitivand strikeנָכָהconjunction, verb, hiphil, perfect, 1st person, common, singular, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “and strike”, a completed actionH5221to strike (lightly or severely, literally or figuratively)beat, cast forth, clap, give (wounds), [idiom] go forward, [idiom] indeed, kill, make (slaughter), murderer, punish, slaughter, slay(-er, -ing), smite(-r, -ing), strike, be stricken, (give) stripes, [idiom] surely, wound.וִהְיִ֤יתֶםvihyitemand beהָיָהconjunction, verb, qal, sequential perfect, 2nd person, masculine, plural — “and be”, a completed action in a sequenceH1961to exist, i.e. be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)beacon, [idiom] altogether, be(-come), accomplished, committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint, fall, [phrase] follow, happen, [idiom] have, last, pertain, quit (one-) self, require, [idiom] use.לָ֨נוּ֙lanvtoלָ֨נוּ֙preposition, suffix, pronominal, 1st person, common, plural — “to”toלַעֲבָדִ֔יםlaavadimto servantעֶבֶדpreposition, noun, common, masculine, plural, absolute — “to servant”, the ordinary formH5650a servant[idiom] bondage, bondman, (bond-) servant, (man-) servant.וַעֲבַדְתֶּ֖םvaavadtemand keep in bondageעָבַדconjunction, verb, qal, sequential perfect, 2nd person, masculine, plural — “and keep in bondage”, a completed action in a sequenceH5647to work (in any sense); by implication, to serve, till, (causatively) enslave, etc.[idiom] be, keep in bondage, be bondmen, bond-service, compel, do, dress, ear, execute, [phrase] husbandman, keep, labour(-ing man, bring to pass, (cause to, make to) serve(-ing, self), (be, become) servant(-s), do (use) service, till(-er)…אֹתָֽנוּotanvobject markerאֵתparticle, direct object marker, suffix, pronominal, 1st person, common, plural — “object marker”H853properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)(as such unrepresented in English).

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

If he be able to fight with me, and kill me, then will we be your servants; but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us.'

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

If he be able to fight with me, and kill me, then will we be your servants; but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us.

Young’s Literal Translation

if he be able to fight with me, and have smitten me, then we have been to you for servants; and if I am able for him, and have smitten him, then ye have been to us for servants, and have served us.'

World English Bible

If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then will we be your servants; but if I prevail against him and kill him, then you will be our servants and serve us.”

Darby Translation

If he be able to fight with me, and to smite me, then will we be your servants; but if I overcome and smite him, then shall ye be our servants and serve us.

Douay-Rheims

If he be able to fight with me, and kill me, we will be servants to you: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, you shall be servants, and shall serve us.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

If he be able to fight with me, and kill me, then will we be your servants; but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us.'

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

And if he shall be able to fight against me, and shall smite me, then will we be your servants: but if I should prevail and smite him, ye shall be our servants, and serve us.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Καὶ ἐὰν δυνηθῇ πολεμῆσαι πρός με, καὶ ἐαν πατάξῃ με, καὶ ἐσόμεθα ὑμῖν εἰς δούλους· ἐὰν δὲ ἐγὼ δυνηθῶ καὶ πατάξω αὐτὸν, ἔσεσθε ἡμῖν εἰς δούλους, καὶ δουλεύσετε ἡμῖν.