1 Samuel 25:26
in 1 Samuel 25Now, 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 those who seek harm for my lord be like Nabal.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Now therefore, my lord, as Jehovah liveth, and as thy soul liveth, seeing Jehovah hath withholden thee from bloodguiltiness, and from avenging thyself with thine own hand, now therefore let thine enemies, and them that seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal.
KJV
Now therefore, my lord, as the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, seeing the Lord hath withholden thee from coming to shed blood, and from avenging thyself with thine own hand, now let thine enemies, and they that seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal.
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This verse in 1 Samuel 25
Commentary
4 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
The passage should be rendered as follows: “And now my lord, as the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth,” it is “the Lord” that “hath withholden thee from coming” into blood-guiltiness (as in 1Sa 25:33), “and from saving thyself with thine own hand;” and “now” all “thine enemies” shall be as Nabal (whom she considers as utterly impotent to hurt David, and as already thoroughly humbled before him), and (so shall be) all “that seek evil to my Lord.”
This site's exposition
as the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth
Abigail's oath answers David's oath, and her theology is exact, it is the Lord who has withheld him from coming to bloodshed and from avenging himself with his own hand, not her gift that stopped him, though her gift is the means. The verse sits at the center of the chapter's argument, for the same restraint from personal vengeance that marks David toward Saul in the cave chapters on either side of this one marks him here toward Nabal, though this time a woman rather than his own conscience supplies it. Albert Barnes reads the Hebrew as crediting the Lord directly with the restraint, Abigail speaking as one who already sees David's cause as the Lord's own.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
"Didst thou forbear to avenge thyself on that lion that would devour thee, and wilt thou shed the blood of this dog that can but bark at thee?" The very mentioning of what he was about to do, to shed blood and to avenge himself, was enough to work upon such a tender gracious spirit as David had; and it should seem, by his reply (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
Now therefore, my lord, as the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth,....
The words behind it
22 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְעַתָּ֣ה | veatah | and now | H6258 → | 433 times |
| אֲדֹנִ֗י | ʾadoni | O lord my | H113 → | 333 times |
| חַי־ | chai- | [by] [the] life | H2416 → | 498 times |
| יְהוָ֤ה | yahweh | of Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| וְחֵֽי־ | vechei- | and [by] [the] life of | H2416 → | 498 times |
| נַפְשְׁךָ֙ | nafshekha | self your | H5315 → | 754 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֨ר | ʾasher | that | H834 → | 5497 times |
| מְנָעֲךָ֤ | menaakha | he has restrained you | H4513 → | |
| יְהוָה֙ | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| מִבּ֣וֹא | mibo' | from coming | H935 → | 2568 times |
| בְדָמִ֔ים | vedamim | in blood<s> | H1818 → | 360 times |
| וְהוֹשֵׁ֥עַ | vehoshea' | and [from] delivering | H3467 → | 206 times |
| יָדְךָ֖ | yadekha | hand your | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| לָ֑ךְ | lakh | <to> <the> you | ||
| וְעַתָּ֗ה | veatah | and now | H6258 → | 433 times |
| יִֽהְי֤וּ | yihyu | may they be | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| כְנָבָל֙ | khenaval | like Nabal | H5037 → | 22 times |
| אֹיְבֶ֔יךָ | ʾoyeveikha | enemies your | H341 → | 282 times |
| וְהַֽמְבַקְשִׁ֥ים | vehamvakshim | and those [who] seek | H1245 → | 225 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | against | H413 → | 5510 times |
| אֲדֹנִ֖י | ʾadoni | lord my | H113 → | 333 times |
| רָעָֽה׃ | raah | evil | H7451 → | 662 times |
וְעַתָּ֣הand now
veatahH6258 →433 times
אֲדֹנִ֗יO lord my
ʾadoniH113 →333 times
חַי־[by] [the] life
chai-H2416 →498 times
יְהוָ֤הof Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
וְחֵֽי־and [by] [the] life of
vechei-H2416 →498 times
נַפְשְׁךָ֙self your
nafshekhaH5315 →754 times
אֲשֶׁ֨רthat
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
מְנָעֲךָ֤he has restrained you
menaakhaH4513 →
יְהוָה֙Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
מִבּ֣וֹאfrom coming
mibo'H935 →2568 times
בְדָמִ֔יםin blood<s>
vedamimH1818 →360 times
וְהוֹשֵׁ֥עַand [from] delivering
vehoshea'H3467 →206 times
יָדְךָ֖hand your
yadekhaH3027 →1618 times
לָ֑ךְ<to> <the> you
lakh
וְעַתָּ֗הand now
veatahH6258 →433 times
יִֽהְי֤וּmay they be
yihyuH1961 →3559 times
כְנָבָל֙like Nabal
khenavalH5037 →22 times
אֹיְבֶ֔יךָenemies your
ʾoyeveikhaH341 →282 times
וְהַֽמְבַקְשִׁ֥יםand those [who] seek
vehamvakshimH1245 →225 times
אֶל־against
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
אֲדֹנִ֖יlord my
ʾadoniH113 →333 times
רָעָֽה׃evil
raahH7451 →662 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
Hebrews 10:30For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge His people.”
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 32:35–36
Vengeance is Mine; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; for their day of disaster is near, and their doom is coming quickly.”
- 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.”
- Nahum 1:2
The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD is avenging and full of wrath. The LORD takes vengeance on His foes and reserves wrath for His enemies.
- Psalms 50:4
He summons the heavens above, and the earth, that He may judge His people:
- 2 Corinthians 5:10
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive his due for the things done in the body, whether good or bad.
- Deuteronomy 32:35–36
Through
Genesis 20:6Then God said to Abimelech in the dream, “Yes, I know that you did this with a clear conscience, and so I have kept you from sinning against Me. That is why I did…
it leads to
- 1 Samuel 25:34
Otherwise, as surely as the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, who has restrained me from harming you, if you had not come quickly to meet me, then surely no male belonging to Nabal…
- Proverbs 21:1
The king’s heart is a waterway in the hand of the LORD; He directs it where He pleases.
- Genesis 35:5
As they set out, a terror from God fell over the surrounding cities, so that they did not pursue Jacob’s sons.
- 1 Samuel 25:34
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About 1 Samuel
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil and Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Books of Samuel and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.