1 Samuel 25:22

22 May God deal harshly with me, David, and worse still if I leave alive even one single male belonging to him come morning!"

1 Samuel 25:22 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 25:22

So and more also do God unto the enemies of David
Give them as much health and prosperity, as much wealth and riches, as Nabal has, and much more:

if I leave of all that [pertain] to him, by the morning light, any
that pisseth against the wall;
which is generally understood of a dog, that he, would not leave him so much as a dog: but it is better, with Ben Gersom, to interpret it of the males in his house, himself, his sons, and servants; and so the Targum paraphrases it of reasonable creatures, of such

``that know knowledge,''

or are knowing and understanding creatures; it seems to have been towards the evening; of the day when David was marching towards Nabal's house, designing to fall upon him and his, amidst their jollity that night, and cut them all off before morning. This must be imputed to the sudden and violent passion David was thrown into when off his guard, through the necessity he was in, the disappointment he met with, and the opprobrious language he was treated with; but in this his conduct was not as it used to be, and as it was towards Saul his enemy. Nor is his rage and passion to be vindicated, or the rash vow he made to destroy Nabal and his family; his crime, though great, yet not to be published with death; his ingratitude and insolence deserved resentment, but were not capital crimes worthy of death, and especially of the destruction of his whole family; the Jews indeed make him to be guilty of treason, in that he knew that David was anointed king, and yet both abused him, and disobeyed his commands, and therefore being guilty of overt acts of treason, he and his were deserving of death; but David was not yet king.

1 Samuel 25:22 In-Context

20 As she was riding her donkey, going down a trail on the hillside, David and his soldiers appeared, descending toward her, and she met up with them.
21 David had just been saying, "What a waste of time—guarding all this man's stuff in the wilderness so that nothing of his went missing! He has repaid me evil instead of good!
22 May God deal harshly with me, David, and worse still if I leave alive even one single male belonging to him come morning!"
23 When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and fell facedown before him, bowing low to the ground.
24 She fell at his feet and said, "Put the blame on me, my master! But please let me, your servant, speak to you directly. Please listen to what your servant has to say.

Footnotes 2

  • [a]. LXX; MT with David’s enemies
  • [b]. Or who urinates on a wall; also in 25:34
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