That this shall be no grief unto thee, nor offence of heart unto my lord, either that thou hast shed blood causeless, or that my lord hath avenged himself: but when the LORD shall have dealt well with my lord, then remember thine handmaid.

1 SAMUEL 25:31KJV
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1 Samuel 25:31 (KJV)

What does 1 Samuel 25:31 mean?

1 Samuel 25:31 shows Abigail urging David not to take revenge by killing Nabal and his men, so that David will not later feel grief or guilt for shedding innocent blood or acting out of personal vengeance. Abigail asks David to remember her kindly when God blesses him in the future.

Abigail is speaking to David after intercepting him on his way to punish Nabal, her husband, for an insult. She appeals to David’s conscience, warning that acting in anger could become a burden on his heart. Abigail’s words highlight her wisdom and her hope that David will be spared from regret and will remember her loyalty when he becomes king.

The Hebrew behind 1 Samuel 25:31

  • "grief" (פּוּק, puq, H6330): This word often means a stumbling block or cause of trouble. Abigail is asking that David not have this incident become a source of regret or trouble for him later.
  • "offence" (מִכְשׁוֹל, mikshol, H4383): This word refers to something that causes someone to stumble, especially morally. Abigail warns David not to let this be a moral stumbling block for his heart (לֵב, lev, H3820), meaning his inner self or conscience.
  • "shed" (שָׁפַךְ, shafakh, H8210) and "blood" (דָּם, dam, H1818): Abigail specifically mentions the act of spilling blood, emphasizing the seriousness of taking innocent life without just cause ("causeless," חִנָּם, hinnam, H2600).
  • "avenged" (יָשַׁע, yasha, H3467): This word can mean to save or deliver, but here it carries the sense of taking vengeance or seeking one’s own justice, which Abigail cautions against.

Why 1 Samuel 25:31 matters

  • This verse clarifies that Abigail is not only trying to save her household but is also protecting David from future regret and a stained conscience.
  • Abigail’s intervention highlights her discernment and the importance of wise counsel, especially when emotions run high and rash actions could have lasting consequences.
  • The verse connects to the larger story by showing why David later praises Abigail for stopping him from bloodshed, and it foreshadows David’s future as a leader who listens to wise advice.

Where else these words appear

“offence” Hebrew H4383 · used in 14 verses

  • Leviticus 19:14 Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumblingblock before the blind, but shalt fear thy God: I am the LORD.
  • Jeremiah 6:21 Therefore thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will lay stumblingblocks before this people, and the fathers and the sons together shall fall upon them; the neighbour and his friend shall perish.
  • Ezekiel 14:4 Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the LORD will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols;

“causeless” Hebrew H2600 · used in 31 verses

  • Genesis 29:15 And Laban said unto Jacob, Because thou art my brother, shouldest thou therefore serve me for nought? tell me, what shall thy wages be?
  • Job 9:17 For he breaketh me with a tempest, and multiplieth my wounds without cause.
  • Proverbs 23:29 Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?

“handmaid” Hebrew H519 · used in 49 verses

  • Genesis 20:17 So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children.
  • Leviticus 25:44 Both thy bondmen, and thy bondmaids, which thou shalt have, shall be of the heathen that are round about you; of them shall ye buy bondmen and bondmaids.
  • 1 Samuel 25:41 And she arose, and bowed herself on her face to the earth, and said, Behold, let thine handmaid be a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.

“well” Hebrew H3190 · used in 102 verses

  • Genesis 4:7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
  • Deuteronomy 30:5 And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers.
  • Psalms 49:18 Though while he lived he blessed his soul: and men will praise thee, when thou doest well to thyself.