BibleWord.ai› Bible› 1 Samuel› Chapter 25› Verse 34

1 Samuel 25:34

Old Testament Historical ASV (1901)

What does 1 Samuel 25:34 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “For in very deed, as Jehovah, the God of Israel, liveth, who hath withholden me from hurting thee, except thou hadst hasted and come to meet me, surely there had not been left unto Nabal by the morning light so much as one man-child.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

For in very deed, as Jehovah, the God of Israel, liveth, who hath withholden me from hurting thee, except thou hadst hasted and come to meet me, surely there had not been left unto Nabal by the morning light so much as one man-child.
1 Samuel 25:34 — American Standard Version

Context — 1 Samuel 25

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
31that this shall be no grief unto thee, nor offence of heart unto my lord, either that thou hast shed blood without cause, or that my lord hath avenged himself. And when Jehovah shall have dealt well with my lord, then remember thy handmaid.
32And David said to Abigail, Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Israel, who sent thee this day to meet me:
33and blessed be thy discretion, and blessed be thou, that hast kept me this day from bloodguiltiness, and from avenging myself with mine own hand.
34For in very deed, as Jehovah, the God of Israel, liveth, who hath withholden me from hurting thee, except thou hadst hasted and come to meet me, surely there had not been left unto Nabal by the morning light so much as one man-child.
35So David received of her hand that which she had brought him: and he said unto her, Go up in peace to thy house; see, I have hearkened to thy voice, and have accepted thy person.
36And 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.
37And it came to pass in the morning, when the wine was gone out of Nabal, that his wife told him these things, and his heart died within him, and he became as a stone.
← 1 Samuel 25:331 Samuel 25:35 →
← Full Chapter 25 1 Samuel Overview

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“For in very deed, [as] the Lord God of Israel liveth, etc.] An oath for the confirmation of what he was about to say: which hath kept me back from hurting thee: from doing any ill to her family, as he intended, though not to her person, his resolution being only to slay the males; but that would have been an hurt, an evil, an affliction to Abigail, from which the Lord in his providence restrained him, and that through her good advice: except thou hadst hasted, and come to meet me: if she had not made quick dispatch in preparing her present, or had stayed to persuade her husband into her measures; if she had delayed a little longer, David would have been at Nabal’s house, executing his…”
Read attributed excerpt →
Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“kept me back: Sa1 25:26 hasted: Sa1 25:18, Sa1 11:11; Jos 10:6, Jos 10:9 there had: Sa1 25:22 1 Kings (1 Samuel) 25:35”
Read attributed excerpt →

Related study paths

Read 1 Samuel 25 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification