1 Samuel 18:18
New International Version
But David said to Saul, “Who am I, and what is my family or my clan in Israel, that I should become the king’s son-in-law?”

New Living Translation
“Who am I, and what is my family in Israel that I should be the king’s son-in-law?” David exclaimed. “My father’s family is nothing!”

English Standard Version
And David said to Saul, “Who am I, and who are my relatives, my father’s clan in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?”

Berean Standard Bible
And David said to Saul, “Who am I, and what is my family or my father’s clan in Israel, that I should become the son-in-law of the king?”

King James Bible
And David said unto Saul, Who am I? and what is my life, or my father's family in Israel, that I should be son in law to the king?

New King James Version
So David said to Saul, “Who am I, and what is my life or my father’s family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?”

New American Standard Bible
But David said to Saul, “Who am I, and who is my family, or my father’s family in Israel, that I should be the king’s son-in-law?”

NASB 1995
But David said to Saul, “Who am I, and what is my life or my father’s family in Israel, that I should be the king’s son-in-law?”

NASB 1977
But David said to Saul, “Who am I, and what is my life or my father’s family in Israel, that I should be the king’s son-in-law?”

Legacy Standard Bible
But David said to Saul, “Who am I, and what is my life or my father’s family in Israel, that I should be the king’s son-in-law?”

Amplified Bible
David said to Saul, “Who am I, and what is my life or my father’s family in Israel, that I should be the king’s son-in-law?”

Christian Standard Bible
Then David responded, “Who am I, and what is my family or my father’s clan in Israel that I should become the king’s son-in-law? ”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Then David responded, “Who am I, and what is my family or my father’s clan in Israel that I should become the king’s son-in-law?”

American Standard Version
And David said unto Saul, Who am I, and what is my life, or my father's family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And David said to Shaul: “Who am I and what have I done and what is my life and the family of my father in Israel, that I should take the daughter of the King?”

Contemporary English Version
David answered, "How could I possibly marry your daughter? I'm not very important, and neither is my family."

Douay-Rheims Bible
And David said to Saul: Who am I, or what is my life, or my father's family in Israel, that I should be son in law of the king?

English Revised Version
And David said unto Saul, Who am I, and what is my life, or my father's family in Israel, that I should be son in law to the king?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"Who am I?" David asked Saul. "And how important are my relatives or my father's family in Israel that I should be the king's son-in-law?"

Good News Translation
David answered, "Who am I and what is my family that I should become the king's son-in-law?"

International Standard Version
David told Saul, "Who am I and what is my life or my father's family in Israel that I should be the king's son-in-law?"

JPS Tanakh 1917
And David said unto Saul: 'Who am I, and what is my life, or my father's family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?'

Literal Standard Version
And David says to Saul, “Who [am] I? And what [is] my life—the family of my father in Israel—that I am son-in-law of the king?”

Majority Standard Bible
And David said to Saul, “Who am I, and what is my family or my father’s clan in Israel, that I should become the son-in-law of the king?”

New American Bible
But David answered Saul: “Who am I? And who are my kindred or my father’s clan in Israel that I should become the king’s son-in-law?”

NET Bible
David said to Saul, "Who am I? Who are my relatives or the clan of my father in Israel that I should become the king's son-in-law?"

New Revised Standard Version
David said to Saul, “Who am I and who are my kinsfolk, my father’s family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?”

New Heart English Bible
David said to Saul, "Who am I, and what is my life, or my father's family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?"

Webster's Bible Translation
And David said to Saul, Who am I? and what is my life, or my father's family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?

World English Bible
David said to Saul, “Who am I, and what is my life, or my father’s family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?”

Young's Literal Translation
And David saith unto Saul, 'Who am I? and what my life -- the family of my father in Israel -- that I am son-in-law to the king?'

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
David Marries Michal
17Then Saul said to David, “Here is my older daughter Merab. I will give her to you in marriage. Only be valiant for me and fight the LORD’s battles.” But Saul was thinking, “I need not raise my hand against him; let the hand of the Philistines be against him.” 18And David said to Saul, “Who am I, and what is my family or my father’s clan in Israel, that I should become the son-in-law of the king?” 19So when it was time to give Saul’s daughter Merab to David, she was given in marriage to Adriel of Meholah.…

Cross References
Exodus 3:11
But Moses asked God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?"

1 Samuel 9:21
Saul replied, "Am I not a Benjamite from the smallest tribe of Israel, and is not my clan the least of all the clans of Benjamin? So why would you say such a thing to me?"

1 Samuel 18:23
But when Saul's servants relayed these words to David, he replied, "Does it seem trivial in your sight to be the son-in-law of the king? I am a poor man and lightly esteemed."

2 Samuel 7:18
Then King David went in, sat before the LORD, and said, "Who am I, O Lord GOD, and what is my house, that You have brought me this far?


Treasury of Scripture

And David said to Saul, Who am I? and what is my life, or my father's family in Israel, that I should be son in law to the king?

Who am I

1 Samuel 18:26
And when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to be the king's son in law: and the days were not expired.

1 Samuel 9:21
And Saul answered and said, Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? wherefore then speakest thou so to me?

Exodus 3:11
And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?

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Clan David Israel King's Kinsfolk Life Saul Son-In-Law
1 Samuel 18
1. Jonathan befriends David
5. Saul envies his praise
10. seeks to kill him in his fury
12. fears him for his good success
17. offers him his daughters for snare
23. David persuaded to be the king's son-in-law,
25. gives two hundred foreskins of the Philistines for Michal's dowry
28. Saul's hatred and David's glory increase














(18) What is my life?--These words in David's modest and wise answer have been variously interpreted. (a) They have been taken to refer to David's personal life; but surely that has been alluded to in the preceding words, "Who am I?" (b) As referring to the condition of life in which he was born and to which he was accustomed; so Keil; but it is doubtful if the Hebrew word here used ever has this significance. (c) With a reference to David's family; so Ewald and Lange. Ewald would translate, "What are my folks or relations?" Of these (c) is undoubtedly the preferable meaning.



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
And David
דָּוִ֜ד (dā·wiḏ)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 1732: David -- perhaps 'beloved one', a son of Jesse

said
וַיֹּ֨אמֶר (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

to
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

Saul,
שָׁא֗וּל (šā·’ūl)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 7586: Saul -- first king of Israel, also an Edomite and two Israelites

“Who
מִ֤י (mî)
Interrogative
Strong's 4310: Who?, whoever, in oblique construction with prefix, suffix

am I,
אָֽנֹכִי֙ (’ā·nō·ḵî)
Pronoun - first person common singular
Strong's 595: I

and what
וּמִ֣י (ū·mî)
Conjunctive waw | Interrogative
Strong's 4310: Who?, whoever, in oblique construction with prefix, suffix

is my family
חַיַּ֔י (ḥay·yay)
Noun - masculine plural construct | first person common singular
Strong's 2416: Alive, raw, fresh, strong, life

or my father’s
אָבִ֖י (’ā·ḇî)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 1: Father

clan
מִשְׁפַּ֥חַת (miš·pa·ḥaṯ)
Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 4940: A family, circle of relatives, a class, a species, sort, a tribe, people

in Israel,
בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל (bə·yiś·rā·’êl)
Preposition-b | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3478: Israel -- 'God strives', another name of Jacob and his desc

that
כִּֽי־ (kî-)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

I should become
אֶהְיֶ֥ה (’eh·yeh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

the son-in-law
חָתָ֖ן (ḥā·ṯān)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2860: A relative by marriage, a circumcised child

of the king?”
לַמֶּֽלֶךְ׃ (lam·me·leḵ)
Preposition-l, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4428: A king


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OT History: 1 Samuel 18:18 David said to Saul Who am I (1Sa iSam 1 Sam i sa)
1 Samuel 18:17
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