1 Samuel 25:38
in 1 Samuel 25About ten days later, the LORD struck Nabal dead.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And it came to pass about ten days after, that Jehovah smote Nabal, so that he died.
KJV
And it came to pass about ten days after, that the Lord smote Nabal, that he died.
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This verse in 1 Samuel 25
Commentary
6 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
holding a feast fit for a king
on 1 Samuel 25:36-38
Abigail finds Nabal very drunk, so she tells him nothing until morning. When he is sober and hears it, his heart fails, and Barnes reads this as a stroke brought on by the shock. Wesley notes that an oath sworn to commit sin is annulled by not performing it.
This site's exposition
the LORD struck Nabal dead
The chapter that opens with all Israel mourning Samuel records no mourning for Nabal. Matthew Henry marks the silence. The narrator names the Lord as the one who struck, so the death David had sworn to cause comes without his hand.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
When ten days had passed, the death of Nabal can be understood as nothing better than the extermination of the most proud kingdom of the Jews, the overthrow of the temple, and the cessation of legal observances. Indeed, after the procession of ten days, it …
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
), and, it should seem, he never held up his head; it is just with God (says bishop Hall) that those who live without grace should die without comfort, nor can we expect better while we go on in our sins. Here is no lamentation made for Nabal.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
From coming, &c. - Which I had sworn to do. Hereby it plainly appears, that oaths whereby men bind themselves to any sin, are null and void: and as it was a sin to make them; so it is adding sin to sin to perform them.
And it came to pass, about ten days after,.... After he had lain in this stupid and senseless manner for ten days: that the Lord smote Nabal, that he died; with some disease or increased the grief of his heart, and the fears of his mind that he died therewith.
The words behind it
8 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיְהִ֖י | vayhi | and it was | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| כַּעֲשֶׂ֣רֶת | kaaseret | about [the] ten | H6235 → | 176 times |
| הַיָּמִ֑ים | haiyamim | the days | H3117 → | 2304 times |
| וַיִּגֹּ֧ף | vaiyigof | and he struck | H5062 → | 49 times |
| יְהוָ֛ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| נָבָ֖ל | naval | Nabal | H5037 → | 22 times |
| וַיָּמֹֽת׃ | vaiyamot | and he died | H4191 → | 839 times |
וַיְהִ֖יand it was
vayhiH1961 →3559 times
כַּעֲשֶׂ֣רֶתabout [the] ten
kaaseretH6235 →176 times
הַיָּמִ֑יםthe days
haiyamimH3117 →2304 times
וַיִּגֹּ֧ףand he struck
vaiyigofH5062 →49 times
יְהוָ֛הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
נָבָ֖לNabal
navalH5037 →22 times
וַיָּמֹֽת׃and he died
vaiyamotH4191 →839 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Acts 12:23Immediately, because Herod did not give glory to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.
it leads to
- Psalms 115:1
Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to Your name be the glory, because of Your loving devotion, because of Your faithfulness.
- Acts 10:25–26
As Peter was about to enter, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet to worship him.
- 2 Thessalonians 2:4
He will oppose and exalt himself above every so-called god or object of worship. So he will seat himself in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.
- Acts 14:14–15
But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul found out about this, they tore their clothes and rushed into the crowd, shouting,
- Psalms 115:1
Through
1 Samuel 25:33Blessed is your discernment, and blessed are you, because today you kept me from bloodshed and from avenging myself by my own hand.
it leads to
- 1 Samuel 25:26
Now, my lord, as surely as the LORD lives and you yourself live, the LORD has held you back from coming to bloodshed and avenging yourself with your own hand. May your enemies and…
- 1 Samuel 25:26
Through
1 Samuel 26:10David added, “As surely as the LORD lives, the LORD Himself will strike him down; either his day will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish.
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 31:14
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, the time of your death is near. Call Joshua and present yourselves at the Tent of Meeting, so that I may commission him.” So Moses and Joshua…
- Romans 12:19
Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written: “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord.”
- Genesis 47:29
When the time drew near for Israel to die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, “If I have found favor in your eyes, put your hand under my thigh and promise…
- Deuteronomy 31:14
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies4
On this verse
About 1 Samuel
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Bede, Commentary on Samuel; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.