1 Samuel 25:18-35

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 25:26

Now therefore, my lord, as the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth ,.... Which is an oath, and respects either what goes before, that she never saw the young men that were sent to Nabal, or to what follows, the providence of God in preventing David from shedding blood, which she was sure of by an impulse on her own mind, and by observing a change in David's countenance: seeing the Lord hath withholden thee from coming to shed blood, and from avenging thyself with thine own hand ;... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 25:27

And now this blessing, which thine handmaid hath brought unto my lord ,.... The present, consisting of the things mentioned in 1 Samuel 25:18 ; which came as a blessing from God, and with good will from her: let it even be given unto the young men that follow my lord ; the servants of David: in the original it is, "that walk at the feet of my lord": and which the Targum paraphrases, "who minister before my lord"; and so Abigail's damsels are called "pedissequae", or "that walked at her... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 25:28

I pray thee, forgive the trespass of thine handmaid ,.... The trespasses, as the Targum, either the sin of her husband, she had taken upon herself, or her boldness in troubling him with her petitions and solicitations, and even with the present she had brought: for the Lord will certainly make my lord a sure house ; or a firm kingdom, as the Targum; would raise him to the kingdom of Israel, and establish it in his posterity, that it should not be taken from him, as it would be from Saul:... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 25:29

Yet a man is risen to pursue thee, and to seek thy soul ,.... His life, to take it away, meaning Saul, whom she chose not to name, because he was king: but the soul of my lord shall be bound up in the bundle of life with the Lord thy God ; should be dear unto the Lord, precious in his esteem, and be carefully preserved by him, among other his chosen ones, and should be safe with him, in his hands, and under his care and keeping; the Jews refer this to eternal life in the world to come,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 25:30

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 ,.... Performed his promise, especially with respect to his kingdom, as follows: and shall have appointed thee ruler over Israel ; that is, actually raised him to be, and settled him as king upon the throne of Israel; for he was both appointed and anointed already; and this Abigail knew, and was now well known in Israel, and the common talk of the people. read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 25:31

This shall be no grief unto thee, nor offence of heart unto my lord ,.... It would give him no trouble, nor distress of mind, or sit uneasy on his conscience: either that thou hast shed blood causeless, or that my lord hath avenged himself ; which she suggests it might do, if he had shed the blood of Nabal's family, his children and servants, who were no ways concerned with him in his rudeness and ingratitude; or had avenged himself on him for the same, by taking away his life, which... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 25:32

And David said to Abigail ,.... Having heard her out, and being overcome with her rhetoric and powerful arguments: blessed be the Lord God of Israel, which sent thee this day to meet me ; who put it into her heart to come out and meet him, and endeavour to avert him from his bad design, which his heart was set upon; he saw plainly the hand of God in it, and in the first place acknowledges the goodness of divine Providence, in directing her to take the step she did. read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 25:33

And blessed be thy advice ,.... Thanks be to God, and to thee for it, being wise, good, and seasonable; or "thy taste" F7 טעמך "sapor tuus", Piscator; "discretio tua", Montanus. , thy good sense, knowledge, as the Targum, discretion, prudence, and understanding: and blessed be thou which hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood ; he came out with a full resolution to shed the blood of Nabal, and of all the males in his house, but was stopped by Abigail; who by her... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 25:34

For in very deed, as the Lord God of Israel liveth ,.... 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 :... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 25:35

So David received of her hand that which she had brought him ,.... Her present, 1 Samuel 25:18 ; and which he kindly took for his own use, as well as for his men; for it was a present for a prince: and said to her, go up in peace to thine house ; in peace of mind, having her request granted, and nothing to fear from David and his men, and so might return home with the greatest safety in her own person, with those that were with her, and be under no apprehensions of danger and... read more

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