The Meaning of 1 Samuel 25:8 Explained

1 Samuel 25:8

KJV: Ask thy young men, and they will shew thee. Wherefore let the young men find favour in thine eyes: for we come in a good day: give, I pray thee, whatsoever cometh to thine hand unto thy servants, and to thy son David.

YLT: 'Ask thy young men, and they declare to thee, and the young men find grace in thine eyes, for on a good day we have come; give, I pray thee, that which thy hand findeth, to thy servants, and to thy son, to David.'

Darby: Ask thy young men, and they will tell thee. Therefore let the young men find favour in thine eyes; for we come in a good day: give, I pray thee, what thy hand may find to thy servants, and to thy son David.

ASV: Ask thy young men, and they will tell thee: wherefore let the young men find favor in thine eyes; for we come in a good day: give, I pray thee, whatsoever cometh to thy hand, unto thy servants, and to thy son David.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Ask  thy young men,  and they will shew  thee. Wherefore let the young men  find  favour  in thine eyes:  for we come  in a good  day:  give,  I pray thee, whatsoever cometh  to thine hand  unto thy servants,  and to thy son  David. 

What does 1 Samuel 25:8 Mean?

Context Summary

1 Samuel 25:2-17 - A Rich Man's Churlishness
This Carmel was a city in the mountains of Judah, ten miles south of Hebron. See Joshua 15:55. Though a descendant of Caleb, Nabal had none of that hero's spirit. He had great wealth, but little wit. Today the Arab tribe which guards the shepherd or caravan, or restrains itself from plundering, expects some acknowledgment. It was unfair that the rich sheep-master should take all the advantage and make no return, and altogether too bad to cap injustice with a coarse jest. Nabal's shepherds were quite explicit in their testimony to the benefits they had received, 1 Samuel 25:7; 1 Samuel 25:15-16. His jibes and churlishness justified the general estimate entertained by those who knew him best.
For David to take the sword to avenge the insult stands out in striking contrast to Him who, "when He was reviled, reviled not again." Revenge for an insult where one has personally suffered has no place in Christ's teaching, and is separated by a whole heaven from the magisterial use of the sword referred to in Romans 13:4. In after-years, David must have been very thankful for the interposition, through Abigail, of God's grace that arrested his hand. See Romans 12:17. [source]

Chapter Summary: 1 Samuel 25

1  Samuel dies
2  David in Paran sends to Nabal
10  Provoked by Nabal's rudeness, he minds to destroy him
14  Abigail understanding thereof
18  takes a present
23  and by her wisdom
32  pacifies David
36  Nabal hearing thereof, dies
39  David takes Abigail and Ahinoam to be his wives
44  Michal is given to Phalti

What do the individual words in 1 Samuel 25:8 mean?

Ask - your young men and they will tell you therefore let find [my] young men favor in your eyes for on a day Feast we come give please - whatever comes to your hand to your servants and to your son David
שְׁאַ֨ל אֶת־ נְעָרֶ֜יךָ וְיַגִּ֣ידוּ לָ֗ךְ וְיִמְצְא֨וּ הַנְּעָרִ֥ים חֵן֙ בְּעֵינֶ֔יךָ כִּֽי־ עַל־ י֥וֹם ט֖וֹב בָּ֑נוּ תְּנָה־ נָּ֗א אֵת֩ אֲשֶׁ֨ר תִּמְצָ֤א יָֽדְךָ֙ לַעֲבָדֶ֔יךָ וּלְבִנְךָ֖ לְדָוִֽד

שְׁאַ֨ל  Ask 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: שָׁאַל 
Sense: to ask, enquire, borrow, beg.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
נְעָרֶ֜יךָ  your  young  men 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: נַעַר  
Sense: a boy, lad, servant, youth, retainer.
וְיַגִּ֣ידוּ  and  they  will  tell 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: נָגַד  
Sense: to be conspicuous, tell, make known.
וְיִמְצְא֨וּ  therefore  let  find 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: מָצָא  
Sense: to find, attain to.
הַנְּעָרִ֥ים  [my]  young  men 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: נַעַר  
Sense: a boy, lad, servant, youth, retainer.
חֵן֙  favor 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: חֵן  
Sense: favour, grace, charm.
בְּעֵינֶ֔יךָ  in  your  eyes 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, cdc, second person masculine singular
Root: עֹונָה 
Sense: eye.
י֥וֹם  a  day 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
ט֖וֹב  Feast 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: טָבַב 
Sense: good, pleasant, agreeable.
בָּ֑נוּ  we  come 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common plural
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
תְּנָה־  give 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular, third person feminine singular
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
נָּ֗א  please 
Parse: Interjection
Root: נָא  
Sense: I (we) pray, now, please.
אֵת֩  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
אֲשֶׁ֨ר  whatever 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
תִּמְצָ֤א  comes 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: מָצָא  
Sense: to find, attain to.
יָֽדְךָ֙  to  your  hand 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
לַעֲבָדֶ֔יךָ  to  your  servants 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: עֶבֶד  
Sense: slave, servant.
וּלְבִנְךָ֖  and  to  your  son 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
לְדָוִֽד  David 
Parse: Preposition-l, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּוִד  
Sense: youngest son of Jesse and second king of Israel.