1 Samuel 25:21

1Sa 25:21 Now 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.

Ver. 21. Now David had said,] viz., Either before he set forth, or else whilst he was upon the way: and so, haply, Abigail might overhear him, and thereupon fall down at his feet and say, "Upon me, upon me be this iniquity," &c. {1Sa 25:24}

And he hath requited me evil for good.] This is gross ingratitude, and doth mainly provoke. Such was that of Michael Balbus to Leo Armenius, the emperor, of Parry to Queen Elizabeth, of Bonner to Bishop Ridley, &c.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

1Sa 25:21. Surely in vain have I kept all that this fellow hath — Though David justly thought he had no right to take any part of the flock of Nabal by way of plunder; yet, when he and his men had taken the trouble of defending them for some time from all damage, which, probably, they otherwise could not have escaped, he concluded, with much reason, that he and his men, when reduced to necessity, had cause to expect something by way of gratuity from Nabal, for the services they had done him.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

25:21 he has repaid me evil for good: Cp. 24:17.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

(21) Now David had said.—This verse and the following (22nd) must be understood as a kind of parenthesis in the narrative. They express what David felt, and, as it were, his justification in his own mind for the violent and vengeful act he was about to carry out. The argument was, Nabal had returned indeed evil for good. For a long time David’s band had guarded faithfully his vast scattered flocks, and had preserved them safely, and now, when he asked a small favour in return, the churl repaid him by throwing in his teeth the taunt that he was a rebel and a runaway slave.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

21. Surely in vain] Only to be deceived and disappointed. The same word is used in Jer_3:23.

pertained] i.e. belonged. “Pertain” is derived from Lat. pertineo, through O. Fr. partenir. Cp. “appertain” from appartenir.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Now David had said,.... When the messengers returned and told him how they had been used by Nabal; or he "said" (c), or was saying within himself, or to his men, what follows, just as Abigail met him:

surely in vain have I kept all that this fellow hath in the wilderness; which shows that lie was in a violent passion, and had Nabal in the utmost contempt and indignation, in that he mentions not his name, only says "this", this man or follow; leaving a blank to be filled up with the most ignominious name and character that could be thought of; and repents that he had taken so much care of his flocks when they were feeding by him in the wilderness:

so that nothing was missed of all that pertained unto him; and seems to have wished he had suffered his flocks to have been robbed by the Arabs, or worried by wild beasts, since he had been such an ungrateful wretch to him:

and he hath requited me evil for good; he had requited evil to him by denying to send him any of his provisions, and by abusing him and his men with opprobrious language; and this was done in return for the good deeds he had done in protecting his servants and his flocks in the wilderness, and for the good words and respectful message he had sent unto him.

(c) "ait", V. L. "dixit", Pagninus, Montanus; "dicebat", Vatablus.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

In vain - i. e., under false expectation.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

David had said; either in his journey, or as soon as he heard that reproachful answer.

This fellow; whom he thought unworthy to be named, for his barbarous ingratitude and churlishness.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Vers. 21, 22. David justifies his fierce anger by referring to the services he had rendered Nabal, and which had been requited so shabbily. For the phrase so do God unto the enemies of David see on 1Sa_20:16. A superstitious feeling probably lay at the root of this substitution of David"s enemies for himself when thus invoking a curse.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Connecting Statement:

The writer gives background information before he continues with the story. (See: Background Information)

Now David had said, "Surely ... to him."

The reader needs to understand that David had said these things before he said, "Every man strap on his sword" in 1 Samuel 25:13.

Now David

The word "Now" shows that the writer has stopped writing about Abigail and started writing about David.

nothing was missed of all that belonged to him

This can be stated positively and in active form. AT: "he still has everything that was his" (See: Litotes and Active or Passive)

May God do so to me, David

The Hebrew text has "May God strike the enemies of David," and some versions follow this. However, the reading of the ULB follows the main Greek tradition of the Old Testament, as some other modern versions do.

all who belong

"all the people who belong to him" or "those in his family"

translationWords

David

vain

desert

evil

good

God

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

Dovid said. To himself when his youths told him of Novol's insults, 'It was for naught that I guarded, etc.'

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.