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1 Samuel 25

And Samuel died; and all the Israelites were gathered together, and lamented him, and buried him in his house at Ramah. And David arose, and went down to the wilderness of Paran.

And there was a man in Maon, whose possessions were in Carmel; and the man was very great, and he had three thousand sheep, and a thousand goats: and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.

Now the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail: and she was a woman of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance: but the man was churlish and evil in his doings; and he was of the house of Caleb.

And David heard in the wilderness that Nabal did shear his sheep.

And David sent out ten young men, and David said unto the young men, Get you up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and greet him in my name:

And thus shall ye say to him that liveth in prosperity, Peace be both to thee, and peace be to thine house, and peace be unto all that thou hast.

And now I have heard that thou hast shearers: now thy shepherds which were with us, we hurt them not, neither was there ought missing unto them, all the while they were in Carmel.

Ask thy young men, and they will shew thee. Wherefore let the young men find favour in thine eyes: for we come in a good day: give, I pray thee, whatsoever cometh to thine hand unto thy servants, and to thy son David.

And when David's young men came, they spake to Nabal according to all those words in the name of David, and ceased.

And Nabal answered David's servants, and said, Who is David? and who is the son of Jesse? there be many servants now a days that break away every man from his master.

Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it unto men, whom I know not whence they be?

So David's young men turned their way, and went again, and came and told him all those sayings.

And David said unto his men, Gird ye on every man his sword. And they girded on every man his sword; and David also girded on his sword: and there went up after David about four hundred men; and two hundred abode by the stuff.

But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife, saying, Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to salute our master; and he railed on them.

But the men were very good unto us, and we were not hurt, neither missed we any thing, as long as we were conversant with them, when we were in the fields:

They were a wall unto us both by night and day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep.

Now therefore know and consider what thou wilt do; for evil is determined against our master, and against all his household: for he is such a son of Belial, that a man cannot speak to him.

Then Abigail made haste, and took two hundred loaves, and two bottles of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched corn, and an hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on asses.

And she said unto her servants, Go on before me; behold, I come after you. But she told not her husband Nabal.

And it was so, as she rode on the ass, that she came down by the covert of the hill, and, behold, David and his men came down against her; and she met them.

Now David had said, Surely in vain have I kept all that this fellow hath in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that pertained unto him: and he hath requited me evil for good.

So and more also do God unto the enemies of David, if I leave of all that pertain to him by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall.

And when Abigail saw David, she hasted, and lighted off the ass, and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground,

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

Yet a man is risen to pursue thee, and to seek thy soul: but the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the LORD thy God; and the souls of thine enemies, them shall he sling out, as out of the middle of a sling.

And it shall come to pass, when the LORD shall have done to my lord according to all the good that he hath spoken concerning thee, and shall have appointed thee ruler over Israel;

That this shall be no grief unto thee, nor offence of heart unto my lord, either that thou hast shed blood causeless, or that my lord hath avenged himself: but when the LORD shall have dealt well with my lord, then remember thine handmaid.

And David said to Abigail, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which sent thee this day to meet me:

And blessed be thy advice, and blessed be thou, which hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood, and from avenging myself with mine own hand.

For in very deed, as the LORD God of Israel liveth, which hath kept me back from hurting thee, except thou hadst hasted and come to meet me, surely there had not been left unto Nabal by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall.

So David received of her hand that which she had brought him, and said unto her, Go up in peace to thine house; see, I have hearkened to thy voice, and have accepted thy person.

And Abigail came to Nabal; and, behold, he held a feast in his house, like the feast of a king; and Nabal's heart was merry within him, for he was very drunken: wherefore she told him nothing, less or more, until the morning light.

But it came to pass in the morning, when the wine was gone out of Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became as a stone.

And it came to pass about ten days after, that the LORD smote Nabal, that he died.

And when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, Blessed be the LORD, that hath pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and hath kept his servant from evil: for the LORD hath returned the wickedness of Nabal upon his own head, And David sent and communed with Abigail, to take her to him to wife.

And when the servants of David were come to Abigail to Carmel, they spake unto her, saying, David sent us unto thee to take thee to him to wife.

And she arose, and bowed herself on her face to the earth, and said, Behold, let thine handmaid be a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.

And Abigail hasted, and arose, and rode upon an ass, with five damsels of hers that went after her; and she went after the messengers of David, and became his wife.

David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel; and they were also both of them his wives.

But Saul had given Michal his daughter, David's wife, to Phalti the son of Laish, which was of Gallim.

What does 1 Samuel 25:22 mean?

1 Samuel 25:22

"So and more also do God unto the enemies of David, if I leave of all that pertain to him by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall."

Explanation

1 Samuel 25:22 contains a curse uttered by David in a heightened emotional state.

He speaks of doing to his enemies what is implied by the phrase “any that pisseth against the wall.” This is an idiomatic expression of the time, referring to males (since they stand to urinate).

In essence, David is vowing to kill all the males belonging to the household of his enemy by the next day.

The language here demonstrates both the gender norms of the time and the brutal realities of ancient conflicts and personal vendettas.

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Historical Context

This verse is situated in the narrative of David's dealings with the wealthy but mean-spirited Nabal, who had insulted and refused to assist David and his men.

Outraged by Nabal's response, David prepares to exact brutal vengeance on Nabal's household.

It reflects the law of retaliation that was part of many ancient cultures, including the Israelite society, where personal revenge could be pursued up to this extreme.

Theological Insights

The severity of David’s vow can give rise to several theological discussions. First, it highlights the characteristic of David as not just a man of God, but also a man of his time, capable of anger and violence.

Theologically, this opens dialogue on themes such as divine justice versus personal vendettas, the role of mercy, and the potential for righteous anger to become sinful.

Practical Applications

While the verse itself depicts a drastic and culturally specific action, it may still offer lessons today.

One could reflect on the importance of controlling one's anger, the consequences of unchecked revenge, and the significance of seeking peaceful resolutions.

Contemporary readers are encouraged to turn to legal systems and community support rather than personal retribution when conflicts arise.

Cross-References

1 Kings 14:10 - "Therefore, behold, I will bring evil upon the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel, and will take away the remnant of the house of Jeroboam, as a man taketh away dung, till it be all gone."
1 Kings 16:11 - "And it came to pass, when he began to reign, as soon as he sat on his throne, that he slew all the house of Baasha: he left him not one that pisseth against a wall, neither of his kinsfolks, nor of his friends."

Language Study

The Hebrew phrase translated as "any that pisseth against the wall" (השתין בקיר, hāšətîn bāqîr) is a crude idiom for males.

The words within the phrase carry particular connotations that emphasize masculinity and are used to depict the completeness of a male line being cut off.

Cultural and Religious Comparisons

Other ancient Near Eastern cultures had similar idiomatic expressions and also maintained practices of herem (the complete destruction of the enemy including men, women, children, and possessions), much like what David proposed in his oath.

This was not an uncommon approach to enemies in that era and comparable examples can be found in myths and histories from different civilizations.

Scientific Perspectives

Modern science has no standing on the acts of violence depicted in biblical accounts, but studies in psychology and sociology can provide insight into the human behaviors exhibited.

The desire for revenge is a well-researched emotion that can be related to social dynamics, personal pride, and perceived justice or injustice.

Commentaries

Biblical scholars have commented on this verse from various perspectives.

Some emphasize David's role as a warrior and king who enacted the norms of his day, while others focus on the moral implications of his intentions.

Some commentaries also make a point about the eventual intervention of Abigail, Nabal’s wife, which may illustrate themes of wisdom, diplomacy, and divine providence in preventing unnecessary bloodshed.

1 Samuel 25

1 Samuel 25

What does 1 Samuel 25:22 mean?

Explanation

Top Rated 1 Samuel Books

Historical Context

Theological Insights

Practical Applications

Cross-References

Language Study

Cultural and Religious Comparisons

Scientific Perspectives

Commentaries

Want more context?

What does 1 Samuel 25:22 mean?

Explanation

Top Rated 1 Samuel Books

Historical Context

Theological Insights

Practical Applications

Cross-References

Language Study

Cultural and Religious Comparisons

Scientific Perspectives

Commentaries

Want more context?