When David’s young men arrived, they relayed all these words to Nabal on behalf of David. Then they waited.
Parallel translations
- WEB When David’s young men came, they spoke to Nabal all those words in the name of David, and waited.
- KJV And when David’s young men came, they spake to Nabal according to all those words in the name of David, and ceased.
- NKJV So when David’s young men came, they spoke to Nabal according to all these words in the name of David, and waited.
- NASB When David’s young men came, they spoke to Nabal in accordance with all these words in David’s name; then they waited.
- NLT David’s young men gave this message to Nabal in David’s name, and they waited for a reply.
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's men deliver the message and wait for Nabal's reply. They faithfully carry out their errand in David's name.
Overview
The young men speak David's words exactly and then pause for a response, having represented their master honorably. Their patient waiting shows the request was made peaceably, with no threat or pressure. The scene pauses on the brink of Nabal's decision, which will determine whether peace or judgment follows.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- 2 Kgs 2:15When the sons of the prophets who were facing him from Jericho saw what had happened, they said, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” And they went to meet him and bowed down to the ground before him.
- 2 Chr 14:7So he said to the people of Judah, “Let us build these cities and surround them with walls and towers, with doors and bars. The land is still ours because we have sought the LORD our God. We have sought Him and He has given us rest on every side.” So they built and prospered.
- Gen 8:4On the seventeenth day of the seventh month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 25:9 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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.