Lectionary Calendar
Thursday, July 17th, 2025
the Week of Proper 10 / Ordinary 15
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Read the Bible

The NET Bible®

1 Samuel 25:22

God will severely punish David, if I leave alive until morning even one male from all those who belong to him!"

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Decision;   Fig;   Nabal;   Prudence;   Tact;   Wife;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Samuel;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Abigail;   Carmel;   Wife;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Murder;   Prayer;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Marriage;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Carmel;   Samuel, Books of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Ass;   David;   Gift, Giving;   Prayer;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Abigail ;   Carmel ;   Nabal ;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Abigail;   Nabal;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Abigail;   Male;   Man-Child;   Text of the Old Testament;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Abigail;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
May God punish me and do so severely if I let any of his males survive until morning.”
Hebrew Names Version
God do so to the enemies of David, and more also, if I leave of all that belongs to him by the morning light so much as one man-child.
King James Version
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.
Lexham English Bible
May God severely punish the enemies of David and again do thus if I leave behind anything that is his until the morning, not even one male!"
English Standard Version
God do so to the enemies of David and more also, if by morning I leave so much as one male of all who belong to him."
New Century Version
May God punish my enemies even more. I will not leave one of Nabal's men alive until morning."
Amplified Bible
"May God do so to the enemies of David, and more also, if by morning I leave [alive] even one male of any who belong to him."
New American Standard Bible
"May God do so to the enemies of David, and more so, if by morning I leave alive as much as one male of any who belong to him."
Geneva Bible (1587)
So and more also doe God vnto the enemies of Dauid: for surely I will not leaue of all that he hath, by the dawning of the day, any that pisseth against the wall.
Legacy Standard Bible
May God do so to the enemies of David, and more also, if by morning I leave as much as one male of any who belong to him."
Contemporary English Version
I swear that by morning, there won't be a man or boy left from his family or his servants' families. I pray that God will punish me if I don't do it!"
Complete Jewish Bible
Then he swore, "May God do the same and more to David's enemies if I leave alive even one male of everything he owns."
Darby Translation
So and more also do God to the enemies of David, if I leave of all that is his by the morning light any male.
Easy-to-Read Version
I swear, I won't let even one man in Nabal's family live until tomorrow morning."
George Lamsa Translation
The LORD do so and more also to his servant David, if I leave of all that belongs to him by morning any mature male.
Good News Translation
May God strike me dead if I don't kill every last one of those men before morning!"
Literal Translation
So may God do to the enemies of David, and may He do more so, if I leave any of all that is to him to the light of the morning, of one who urinates against a wall.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
God do this and yet more vnto the enemies of Dauid, yf vntyll tomorow in the mornynge I leaue this man (of all that he hath) so moch as one that maketh water agaynst ye wall.
American Standard Version
God do so unto the enemies of David, and more also, if I leave of all that pertain to him by the morning light so much as one man-child.
Bible in Basic English
May God's punishment be on David, if when morning comes there is so much as one male of his people still living.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
So and more also do God vnto the enemies of Dauid, if I leaue of all that pertayne to him by the dawnyng of the day, any that pysseth against the wall.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
God do so unto the enemies of David, and more also, if I leave of all that pertain to him by the morning light so much as one male.'--
King James Version (1611)
So and more also doe God vnto the enemies of Dauid, if I leaue of all that pertaine to him by the morning light, any that pisseth against the wall.)
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
So God do to David and more also, if I leave one male of all that belong to Nabal until the morning.
English Revised Version
God do so unto the enemies of David, and more also, if I leave of all that pertain to him by the morning light so much as one man child.
Berean Standard Bible
May God punish David, and ever so severely, if I let one of his men survive until morning."
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
The Lord do these thingis, and adde these thingis to the enemyes of Dauid, if Y schal leeue of alle thingis that perteynen to him til the morewe a pisser to the wal.
Young's Literal Translation
thus doth God do to the enemies of David, and thus He doth add, if I leave of all that he hath till the light of the morning -- of those sitting on the wall.'
Update Bible Version
God do so to David, and more also, if I leave of all that pertain to him by the morning light so much as one urinating against a wall.
Webster's Bible Translation
So and more also do God to the enemies of David, if I leave of all that [pertain] to him by the morning light any male person.)
World English Bible
God do so to the enemies of David, and more also, if I leave of all that belongs to him by the morning light so much as one man-child.
New King James Version
May God do so, and more also, to the enemies of David, if I leave one male of all who belong to him by morning light."
New Living Translation
May God strike me and kill me if even one man of his household is still alive tomorrow morning!"
New Life Bible
May God do the same to David and more, if I leave until morning as much as one male alive of all who belong to him."
New Revised Standard
God do so to David and more also, if by morning I leave so much as one male of all who belong to him."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So may God do to David and so may he add, if I leave remaining, of all that he hath, until the morning, - so much as a little boy.
Douay-Rheims Bible
May God do so and so, and add more to the foes of David, if I leave of all that belong to him till the morning, any that pisseth against the wall.
Revised Standard Version
God do so to David and more also, if by morning I leave so much as one male of all who belong to him."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"May God do so to the enemies of David, and more also, if by morning I leave as much as one male of any who belong to him."

Contextual Overview

18 So Abigail quickly took two hundred loaves of bread, two containers of wine, five prepared sheep, five seahs of roasted grain, a hundred bunches of raisins, and two hundred lumps of pressed figs. She loaded them on donkeys 19 and said to her servants, "Go on ahead of me. I will come after you." But she did not tell her husband Nabal. 20 Riding on her donkey, she went down under cover of the mountain. David and his men were coming down to meet her, and she encountered them. 21 Now David had been thinking, "In vain I guarded everything that belonged to this man in the desert. I didn't take anything from him. But he has repaid my good with evil. 22 God will severely punish David, if I leave alive until morning even one male from all those who belong to him!" 23 When Abigail saw David, she got down quickly from the donkey, threw herself down before David, and bowed to the ground. 24 Falling at his feet, she said, "My lord, I accept all the guilt! But please let your female servant speak with my lord! Please listen to the words of your servant! 25 My lord should not pay attention to this wicked man Nabal. He simply lives up to his name! His name means ‘fool,' and he is indeed foolish! But I, your servant, did not see the servants my lord sent. 26 "Now, my lord, as surely as the Lord lives and as surely as you live, it is the Lord who has kept you from shedding blood and taking matters into your own hands. Now may your enemies and those who seek to harm my lord be like Nabal. 27 Now let this present that your servant has brought to my lord be given to the servants who follow my lord.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

So and more: Nothing can justify this conduct of David, which was rash, unjust, and cruel in the extreme. David himself condemns it, and thanks God for being prevented from executing this evil - 1 Samuel 25:32-34. 1 Samuel 3:17, 1 Samuel 14:44, 1 Samuel 20:13, 1 Samuel 20:16, Ruth 1:17

if I leave: 1 Samuel 25:34

any that pisseth: etc. This seems to have been a proverbial expression among the Israelites; and may with the utmost propriety be read "any male." 1 Kings 14:10, 1 Kings 16:11, 1 Kings 21:21, 2 Kings 9:8

Reciprocal: Leviticus 5:4 - to do evil 1 Samuel 25:37 - had told him 2 Samuel 3:9 - So do God 2 Samuel 12:5 - David's 2 Kings 6:31 - God do so Proverbs 15:1 - grievous Ecclesiastes 7:9 - hasty Matthew 14:9 - the oath's 1 Corinthians 13:4 - vaunteth not itself

Cross-References

1 Samuel 9:9
(Now it used to be in Israel that whenever someone went to inquire of God he would say, "Come on, let's go to the seer." For today's prophet used to be called a seer.)
1 Samuel 10:22
So they inquired again of the Lord , "Has the man arrived here yet?" The Lord said, "He has hidden himself among the equipment."
1 Samuel 22:15
Was it just today that I began to inquire of God on his behalf? Far be it from me! The king should not accuse his servant or any of my father's house. For your servant is not aware of all this—not in whole or in part!"
1 Samuel 28:6
So Saul inquired of the Lord , but the Lord did not answer him—not by dreams nor by Urim nor by the prophets.
1 Samuel 30:8
David inquired of the Lord , saying, "Should I pursue this raiding band? Will I overtake them?" He said to him, "Pursue, for you will certainly overtake them and carry out a rescue!"
Ezekiel 20:31
When you present your sacrifices—when you make your sons pass through the fire—you defile yourselves with all your idols to this very day. Will I allow you to seek me, O house of Israel? As surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord , I will not allow you to seek me!
Ezekiel 36:37
"This is what the sovereign Lord says: I will allow the house of Israel to ask me to do this for them: I will multiply their people like sheep.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

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.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The concluding phrase denotes the utter destruction of a family, and is rightly explained to mean “every male,” perhaps with the idea, “down to the very meanest member of the household.”

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Samuel 25:22. So and more also do God — Nothing can justify this part of David's conduct. Whatever his provocation might have been, he had suffered, properly speaking, no wrongs; and his resolution to cut off a whole innocent family, because Nabal had acted ungenerously towards him, was abominable and cruel, not to say diabolic. He who attempts to vindicate this conduct of David is, at least constructively, a foe to God and truth. David himself condemns this most rash and unwarrantable conduct, and thanks God for having prevented him from doing this evil, 1 Samuel 25:32, c.

Any that pisseth against the wall. — This expression certainly means either men or dogs, and should be thus translated, if I leave-any male and this will answer both to men and dogs, and the offensive mode of expression be avoided. I will not enter farther into the subject: Bochart and Calmet have done enough, and more than enough; and in the plainest language too.


 
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