1 Samuel 25:23

And when Abigail saw David, she hasted, and lighted off the ass, and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground,

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
Abigail	אֲבִיגַ֙יִל֙ 'a.vi.Ga.yil	H26	Abigail or Abigal · proper noun, a woman's name
saw	וַתֵּ֤רֶא va.Te.re'	H7200	to see · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person feminine singular
David	דָּוִ֔ד da.Vid	H1732	David · proper noun, a man's name
hasted	וַתְּמַהֵ֕ר va.te.ma.Her	H4116	properly · conjunction + verb, piel sequential imperfect, 3rd person feminine singular
off	וַתֵּ֖רֶד va.Te.red	H3381	to descend (literally · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person feminine singular
ass	הַחֲמ֑וֹר ha.cha.Mor	H2543	a male ass (from its dun red) · definite article + noun, common both genders singular absolute
fell	וַתִּפֹּ֞ל va.ti.Pol	H5307	to fall · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person feminine singular
before	לְאַפֵּ֤י le.'a.Pei	H639	properly · preposition + noun, common masculine dual construct
David	דָוִד֙ da.Vid	H1732	David · proper noun, a man's name
face	פָּנֶ֔יהָ pa.Nei.ha	H6440	the face (as the part that turns) · noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person feminine singular
bowed	וַתִּשְׁתַּ֖חוּ va.tish.Ta.chu	H7812	to depress · conjunction + verb, sequential imperfect, 3rd person feminine singular
ground	אָֽרֶץ 'A.retz	H776	the earth (at large · noun, common feminine singular absolute

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

1 Samuel 20:41 And as soon as the lad was gone, David arose out of a place toward the south, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three ti…
Joshua 15:18 And it came to pass, as she came unto him, that she moved him to ask of her father a field: and she lighted off her ass; and Caleb said unto…
Judges 1:14 And it came to pass, when she came to him, that she moved him to ask of her father a field: and she lighted from off her ass; and Caleb said…
1 Samuel 24:8 David also arose afterward, and went out of the cave, and cried after Saul, saying, My lord the king. And when Saul looked behind him, David…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Samuel 25:18-31

We have here an account of Abigail's prudent management for the preserving of her husband and family from the destruction that was just coming upon them; and we find that she did her part admirably well and fully answered her character. The passion of fools often makes those breaches in a little time which the wise, with all their wisdom, have much ado to make up again. It is hard to say whether Abigail was more miserable in such a husband or Nabal happy in such a wife. A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband, to protect as well as adorn, and will do him good and not evil. Wisdom in such a case as this was better than weapons of war. 1. It was her wisdom that what she did she did quickly,…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Samuel 25:23

she hasted, and lighted off the ass, and fell before David on her face--Dismounting in presence of a superior is the highest token of respect that can be given; and it is still an essential act of homage to the great. Accompanying this act of courtesy with the lowest form of prostration, she not only by her attitude, but her language, made the fullest amends for the disrespect shown by her husband, as well as paid the fullest tribute of respect to the character and claims of David.

Adam Clarke on 1 Samuel 25:22

So and more also do God - Nothing can justify this part of David's conduct. Whatever his provocation might have been, he had suffered, properly speaking, no wrongs; and his resolution to cut off a whole innocent family, because Nabal had acted ungenerously towards him, was abominable and cruel, not to say diabolic. He who attempts to vindicate this conduct of David is, at least constructively, a foe to God and truth. David himself condemns this most rash and unwarrantable conduct, and thanks God for having prevented him from doing this evil, Sa1 25:32, etc. Any that pisseth against the wall - This expression certainly means either men or dogs, and should be thus translated, if I leave, any m…

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The Church Fathers

But before this David had already held back his armed hand in his indignation. How much greater it is not to revile again, than not to avenge oneself! The warriors, too, [who] prepared to take vengeance against Nabal, Abigail restrained by her prayers. From this we perceive that we ought not only to yield to timely entreaties but also to be pleased with them. So much was David pleased that he blessed her who intervened, because he was restrained from his desire for revenge.
— Ambrose of Milan, On the Duties of the Clergy 1.21.94

When Abigail saw David, she hastened and descended from the donkey, etc. When the synagogue recognized Christ, or rather, having itself been recognized by Christ, it hastened to renounce its old way of life, which had zeal for God, but not according to knowledge; and with the most devout humility, bearing witness to itself as dust and ashes, it began to worship the steps of the Lord's incarnation with humble prayer, either repenting for itself to be accepted by the Lord, or praying for its people and unbelieving leaders that they may not be struck corporally, with an open confession, and testifying that the wicked are reserved for eternal punishment, and that Christ's kingdom will remain in perpetual peace, and begging with every desire of the soul that it may belong to this.
— Bede, Commentary on Samuel

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Abigail — Father (i.e., “leader”) of the dance, or “of joy.” (1.) The sister of David, and wife of Jether an Ishmaelite (1 Chr. 2:16, 17). She was the mother of Amasa (2 Sam. 17:25). (2.) The wife of the…
Booty — Captives or cattle or objects of value taken in war. In Canaan all that breathed were to be destroyed (Deut. 20: 16). The “pictures and images” of the Canaanites were to be destroyed also (Num.…
David — Beloved, the eighth and youngest son of Jesse, a citizen of Bethlehem. His father seems to have been a man in humble life. His mother’s name is not recorded. Some think she was the Nahash of 2 Sam.…
Nabal — Foolish, a descendant of Caleb who dwelt at Maon (1 Sam. 25), the modern Main, 7 miles south-east of Hebron. He was “very great, and he had 3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats...but the man was churlish and…
Ass (Donkey) · 1:14;5:10; — 1:14;5:10;
Diplomacy · .Of Abigail — .Of Abigail
Fig · General references — General references
Intercession · .Abigail for Nabal — .Abigail for Nabal
Nabal · History of — History of
Obsequiousness · .Abigail — .Abigail
Prudence · .Abigail, in averting David’ s anger — .Abigail, in averting David’ s anger
Salutations · By bowing — By bowing
Tact · Nabal’ s wife

1 Samuel 25:23

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Samuel 25:18-31

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Samuel 25:23

Adam Clarke on 1 Samuel 25:22

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

1 Samuel 25:23

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Samuel 25:18-31

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Samuel 25:23

Adam Clarke on 1 Samuel 25:22

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Gill on 1 Samuel 25:23

Keil & Delitzsch on 1 Samuel 25:2–end

Tyndale Open Study Notes on 1 Samuel 25:21

Rashi on 1 Samuel 25:22