What does 1 Samuel 25:15 mean?
ESV: Yet the men were very good to us, and we suffered no harm, and we did not miss anything when we were in the fields, as long as we went with them.
NIV: Yet these men were very good to us. They did not mistreat us, and the whole time we were out in the fields near them nothing was missing.
NASB: Yet the men were very good to us, and we were not harmed, nor did anything go missing as long as we went with them, while we were in the fields.
CSB: The men treated us very well. When we were in the field, we weren’t harassed and nothing of ours was missing the whole time we were living among them.
NLT: These men have been very good to us, and we never suffered any harm from them. Nothing was stolen from us the whole time they were with us.
KJV: 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:
NKJV: But the men were very good to us, and we were not hurt, nor did we miss anything as long as we accompanied them, when we were in the fields.
Verse Commentary:
Verse Context:
First Samuel 25:14–22 records Abigail's plan. A servant warns her that David's men have protected her husband's shepherds well. But Nabal, her foolish spouse, refuses to reward them and speaks with insults. Both the servant and Abigail suspect David will respond to this dishonor immediately and with violence. She orders servants to take a feast to David while she rides behind. Meanwhile, David and 400 men get closer, determined to kill every male on the estate. When they meet, David accepts Abigail's gift and her humble rebuke, and Nabal and the servants are saved (1 Samuel 25:23–35).
Chapter Summary:
David learns to give grace to people other than King Saul. Samuel dies, and Saul temporarily leaves David alone. David and his men protect the shepherds of the foolish Nabal. When Nabal refuses to reward David, David vows revenge on him and all his male servants. Nabal's wife, Abigail, rushes to David with food and a warning that David shouldn't carry the shame of killing Nabal and the servants when he becomes king. David listens, Nabal dies, and David marries Abigail. Soon the truce will end, and David will meet Saul one last time (1 Samuel 26).
Chapter Context:
David spared Saul's life, and the grateful king gives David some peace (1 Samuel 24). God has protected David numerous times from having to fight Saul. When a wealthy fool insults David, only the fool's wife, Abigail, keeps David from destroying the entire estate. Once again, God has kept David from needless bloodshed. Saul will later break the truce, but David still refuses to kill his enemy (1 Samuel 26). When David is ready to battle Saul, God prevents it (1 Samuel 29).
Book Summary:
First Samuel introduces the key figures who led Israel after the era of the judges. The books of 1 and 2 Samuel were originally part of a single text, split in certain translations shortly before the birth of Christ. Some of the Bible’s most famous characters are depicted in this book. These including the prophet Samuel, Israel’s first king, Saul, her greatest king, David, and other famous names such as Goliath and Jonathan. By the end of this book, Saul has fallen; the book of 2 Samuel begins with David’s ascension to the throne.
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