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;
Read it in contextAbigail Intercedes for Nabal
Start reading at 1 Samuel 25:18 (1 Samuel 25:18 to 1 Samuel 25:38).
An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.
David's movements as a fugitive contrast with Saul's decline, and the book ends with Saul's death in battle.
25:18Then 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.
25:19And she said unto her servants, Go on before me; behold, I come after you. But she told not her husband Nabal.
25:20And 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.
25:21Now 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.
25:22So 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.
25:23And when Abigail saw David, she hasted, and lighted off the ass, and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground,
25:24And 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.
25:25Let 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.
25:26Now 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.
25:27And now this blessing which thine handmaid hath brought unto my lord, let it even be given unto the young men that follow my lord.
25:28I 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.
25:29Yet 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.
25:30And 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;
25:31That 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.
25:32And David said to Abigail, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which sent thee this day to meet me:
25:33And 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.
25:34For 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.
25:35So 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.
25:36And 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.
25:37But 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.
25:38And it came to pass about ten days after, that the LORD smote Nabal, that he died.
Study content, not yet reviewed.
Who
Who wrote the book? Tradition associates Samuel with the earlier material and Nathan and Gad with its continuation. Samuel dies during the narrative, so he did not write the complete account; the final compiler is unknown. Biblical references: 1 Samuel 25:1; 1 Chronicles 29:29. Historical source: Babylonian Talmud, Bava Batra 14b–15a (record of Jewish attribution, not contemporary proof). traditionally held
Who was present or being addressed in this passage? In the surrounding chapter context (1 Samuel 25:1–25:44): David and his men, Nabal, Abigail, and their households are involved in the refused provision and Abigail's intervention. stated in the text
Who was the book written to? Israelite readers considering the rise of the monarchy and the transition from Saul to David. A more exact first readership cannot be established. Biblical references: 1 Samuel 8:4; 1 Samuel 16:13; 1 Samuel 31:6. book background
What
What is the topic of this reading unit? Abigail Intercedes for Nabal. Read 1 Samuel 25:18 through 1 Samuel 25:38 as a connected unit. interpretation
How does it contribute to the book? David's movements as a fugitive contrast with Saul's decline, and the book ends with Saul's death in battle. interpretation
When
When are the events or message set? The narrative spans Samuel's upbringing, Israel's request for a king, Saul's reign, and David's emergence before Saul's death. book background
Where
What is the book’s geographic setting? Events occur at Shiloh, among Israel's towns, in Philistine territory, and in places of David's flight. The chapter identifies the immediate setting. book background
Where does the context start?
This passage sits in Abigail Intercedes for Nabal (1 Samuel 25:18 to 1 Samuel 25:38).
Start reading at 1 Samuel 25:18. An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.
How
How does this book connect with Jesus Christ? Acts 13 connects Samuel, Saul, and David with the subsequent coming of Jesus from David's seed. David's anointing belongs to that historical line; it does not turn every conflict into a direct messianic prediction. See Acts 13:20, Acts 13:21, Acts 13:22, Acts 13:23. interpretation
How should this book guide our response? Evaluate leadership by hearing and obeying God rather than appearance or initial success. David's restraint toward Saul can be considered with its narrated reasons rather than generalized into approval of wrongdoing by leaders. interpretation
Cited: 1 Samuel 25:18, 1 Samuel 25:38, Acts 13:20, Acts 13:21, Acts 13:22, Acts 13:23
Who wrote it, and how we know
Samuel, with Nathan and Gad (traditional)From early tradition
What Scripture saysThe book does not name its author. Chronicles refers to written records of Samuel, Nathan, and Gad. 1 Chronicles 29:29
Early traditionJewish tradition credits Samuel, with Nathan and Gad continuing after his death.
What is debatedSamuel dies partway through the account, so he cannot have written all of it. The final form is later.
Cross references from CrossReferences-org (CC BY 4.0).
Macro-Structure
See how this passage fits the chapter and the book.
Macro-Structure of 1 Samuel 25
Prefilled outline, not yet reviewed.
First Samuel follows the transition from the judges to kingship and the rise of David during Saul's reign. It records Samuel's death before the book ends; attributing every line to Samuel would therefore exceed the narrative's evidence. Local headings and stanza divisions are editorial reading aids adapted from public-domain BSB headings; verse boundaries and Scripture links use the KJV. Connections describe the surrounding book movement.
Connection to the wholeThis opening unit introduces the chapter’s movement. David's movements as a fugitive contrast with Saul's decline, and the book ends with Saul's death in battle.
Connection to the wholeThis unit closes the chapter’s selected reading divisions. David's movements as a fugitive contrast with Saul's decline, and the book ends with Saul's death in battle.
interpretation
Suggested literary divisions. Headings summarize the passage; they are not part of the biblical text.
Macro-Structure of 1 Samuel
Prefilled outline, not yet reviewed.
First Samuel follows the transition from the judges to kingship and the rise of David during Saul's reign. It records Samuel's death before the book ends; attributing every line to Samuel would therefore exceed the narrative's evidence.
Connection to the wholeSamuel's upbringing and calling stand beside the failures of Eli's house and the ark narrative, leading to Israel's return to the LORD.
Connection to the wholeThe establishment of kingship is followed by Saul's failures, and the LORD's rejection of his kingship prepares the choice of David.