Now David had said, “Surely in vain I have protected all that this fellow has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that belongs to him. And he has repaid me evil for good.
Parallel translations
- WEB Now David had said, “Surely in vain I have kept all that this fellow has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that pertained to him. He has returned me evil for good.
- KJV 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.
- BSB Now David had just finished saying, “In vain I have protected all that belonged to this man in the wilderness. Nothing that belongs to him has gone missing, yet he has paid me back evil for good.
- NASB Now David had said, “It is certainly for nothing that I have guarded everything that this man has in the wilderness, so that nothing has gone missing of all that belonged to him! For he has returned me evil for good.
- NLT David had just been saying, “A lot of good it did to help this fellow. We protected his flocks in the wilderness, and nothing he owned was lost or stolen. But he has repaid me evil for good.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
David recalls his unrewarded kindness, complaining that Nabal returned evil for good. His resentment fuels his vengeful intent.
Overview
David rehearses how he guarded Nabal's property in the wilderness only to be repaid with insult. His bitter reasoning justifies, in his own mind, the violent revenge he is set upon. The verse lays bare the wounded pride driving David toward sin and underscores how badly he needs the restraining word Abigail will bring.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 16
- Prov 17:13Whoever rewards evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house.
- Rom 12:21Don’t be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
- Eph 4:31Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, outcry, and slander, be put away from you, with all malice.
- Eph 4:26“Be angry, and don’t sin.” Don’t let the sun go down on your wrath,
- 1 Pet 2:20–23For what glory is it if, when you sin, you patiently endure beating? But if, when you do well, you patiently endure suffering, this is commendable with God.
- 1 Th 5:15See that no one returns evil for evil to anyone, but always follow after that which is good, for one another, and for all.
- 1 Pet 3:17For it is better, if it is God’s will, that you suffer for doing well than for doing evil.
- Ps 37:8Cease from anger, and forsake wrath. Don’t fret, it leads only to evildoing.
- 1 Pet 3:9not rendering evil for evil, or insult for insult; but instead blessing; knowing that to this were you called, that you may inherit a blessing.
- Ps 35:12They reward me evil for good, to the bereaving of my soul.
- 1 Sam 25:13David said to his men, “Every man put on his sword!” Every man put on his sword. David also put on his sword. About four hundred men followed David, and two hundred stayed by the baggage.
- Job 30:8They are children of fools, yes, children of base men. They were flogged out of the land.
- Gen 44:4When they had gone out of the city, and were not yet far off, Joseph said to his steward, “Up, follow after the men. When you overtake them, ask them, ‘Why have you rewarded evil for good?
- Jer 18:20Shall evil be recompensed for good? For they have dug a pit for my soul. Remember how I stood before you to speak good for them, to turn away your wrath from them.
- Ps 38:20They who also render evil for good are adversaries to me, because I follow what is good.
- Ps 109:3–5They have also surrounded me with words of hatred, and fought against me without a cause.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The rise of the anointed king after Israel's failed first choice points to the true Anointed One (Messiah means 'anointed'), the shepherd-king after God's own heart from Bethlehem.
How 1 Samuel 25:21 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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