1 Samuel 25:26

26 Now therefore, my lord, as the LORD liveth and as thy soul liveth, seeing the LORD hath withheld thee from coming to shed blood and from avenging thyself with thine own hand, now let thine enemies and those who seek evil for my lord be as Nabal.

1 Samuel 25:26 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 25:26

Now therefore, my lord, [as] the Lord liveth, and [as] thy
soul liveth
Which is an oath, and respects either what goes before, that she never saw the young men that were sent to Nabal, or to what follows, the providence of God in preventing David from shedding blood, which she was sure of by an impulse on her own mind, and by observing a change in David's countenance:

seeing the Lord hath withholden thee from coming to [shed] blood, and
from avenging thyself with thine own hand;
she does not impute this to her prudence, and the provision she made to appease David, and prevent him from shedding the blood he intended, and taking the vengeance he had resolved on; but to the Lord, and the interposition of his providence, which she knew would have its weight on the mind of so good a man as David was; who upon reflection would be thankful that he had been prevented from shedding innocent blood, as the Targum calls it:

now let thine enemies, and they that seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal;
meaning Saul and those with him, wishing they might be as inconsiderable as Nabal; as unable, as weak, and impotent as he to do him any hurt, and as short lived, and cut off by the hand God, as he would be; for, according to Jarchi, she prophesied under the direction of the Holy Spirit. It may be observed that in ( 1 Samuel 25:24-31 ) , she frequently gives David the title of "my lord", in reverence of him, and to atone for the rudeness and insolence of her husband, in speaking of him as a runaway servant, ( 1 Samuel 25:10 ) .

1 Samuel 25:26 In-Context

24 and fell at his feet and said, "Upon me, my lord, upon me let this iniquity be; and let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak in thine audience, and hear the words of thine handmaid.

25 Let not my lord, I pray thee, regard this man of Belial, even Nabal. For as his name is, so is he: Nabal is his name, and folly is with him. But I, thine handmaid, saw not the young men of my lord whom thou didst send.

26 Now therefore, my lord, as the LORD liveth and as thy soul liveth, seeing the LORD hath withheld thee from coming to shed blood and from avenging thyself with thine own hand, now let thine enemies and those who seek evil for my lord be as Nabal.

27 And now this blessing which thine handmaid hath brought unto my lord, let it even be given unto the young men who follow my lord.

28 I pray thee, forgive the trespass of thine handmaid; for the LORD will certainly make my lord a sure house, because my lord fighteth the battles of the LORD, and evil hath not been found in thee all thy days.