1 Samuel 25 · Verse 17

1 Samuel 25:17

Now therefore know and consider what thou wilt do; for evil is determined against our master, and against all his household: for he is such a son of Belial, that a man cannot speak to him.
1 Samuel 25:17, King James Version

1 Samuel 25:17 in other translations

BSBNow consider carefully what you must do, because disaster looms over our master and all his household. For he is such a scoundrel that nobody can speak to him!”
WEBNow therefore know and consider what you will do; for evil is determined against our master and against all his house, for he is such a worthless fellow that one can’t speak to him.”
ASVNow therefore know and consider what thou wilt do; for evil is determined against our master, and against all his house: for he is such a worthless fellow, that one cannot speak to him.
YLT‘And, now, know and consider what thou dost; for evil hath been determined against our lord, and against all his house, and he is too much a son of worthlessness to be spoken to.'
DARBYAnd now know and consider what thou wilt do, for evil is determined against our master, and against all his household; and he is such a son of Belial, that one cannot speak to him.
BBESo now, give thought to what you are going to do; for evil is in store for our master and all his house: for he is such a good-for-nothing person that it is not possible to say anything to him.
WebsterNow therefore know and consider what thou wilt do: for evil is determined against our master, and against all his household: for he is such a son of Belial, that a man cannot speak to him.

What does 1 Samuel 25:17 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Samuel 25:14-18

14-18. Then Abigail made haste--The prudence and address of Nabal's wife were the means of saving him and family from utter destruction. She acknowledged the demand of her formidable neighbors; but justly considering, that to atone for the insolence of her husband, a greater degree of liberality had become necessary, she collected a large amount of food, accompanying it with the most valued products of the country…

Read the full comment on 1 Samuel 25:14-18 →

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 1 Samuel 25:12-17

God is kind to the evil and unthankful, and why may not we be so? David determined to destroy Nabal, and all that belonged to him. Is this thy voice, O David? Has he been so long in the school of affliction, where he should have learned patience, and yet is so passionate? He at other times was calm and considerate, but is put into such a heat by a few hard words, that he seeks to destroy a whole family. What are the…

Read the full comment on 1 Samuel 25:12-17 →

1 Samuel 25:17 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וְעַתָּ֗הve.'a.Tahand nowH6258
דְּעִ֤יde.'IknowH3045
וּרְאִי֙u.re.'Iand seeH7200
מַֽה\־mah-what?H4100
תַּעֲשִׂ֔יta.'a.Siwill you doH6213
כִּֽי\־ki-forH3588
כָלְתָ֧הkhal.Tahit has been determinedH3615
הָרָעָ֛הha.ra.'Ah<the> evilH7451
אֶל\־'el-againstH413
אֲדֹנֵ֖ינוּ'a.do.Nei.numaster<s> ourH113
וְעַ֣לve.'Aland onH5921
כָּל\־kol-allH3605
בֵּית֑וֹbei.Tohousehold hisH1004
וְהוּא֙ve.Hu'and heH1931
בֶּן\־ben-[is] a son ofH1121
בְּלִיַּ֔עַלbe.li.Ya.'alworthlessnessH1100
מִדַּבֵּ֖רmi.da.Berfrom speakingH1696
אֵלָֽיו\׃'e.Lavto himH413

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 1 Samuel 25:17

  • Deuteronomy 13:13

    Certain men, the children of Belial, are gone out from among you, and have withdrawn the inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which ye have not known;

  • 1 Samuel 20:7

    If he say thus, It is well; thy servant shall have peace: but if he be very wroth, then be sure that evil is determined by him.

  • 1 Samuel 25:25

    Let not my lord, I pray thee, regard this man of Belial, even Nabal: for as his name is, so is he; Nabal is his name, and folly is with him: but I thine handmaid saw not the young men of my lord, whom thou didst send.

  • 1 Samuel 20:9

    And Jonathan said, Far be it from thee: for if I knew certainly that evil were determined by my father to come upon thee, then would not I tell it thee?

  • 1 Samuel 2:12

    Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the Lord.

  • 2 Samuel 23:6-7

    But the sons of Belial shall be all of them as thorns thrust away, because they cannot be taken with hands: But the man that shall touch them must be fenced with iron and the staff of a spear; and they shall be utterly burned with fire in the same place.

  • Judges 19:22

    Now as they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, certain sons of Belial, beset the house round about, and beat at the door, and spake to the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man that came into thine house, that we may know him.

  • 2 Chronicles 25:16

    And it came to pass, as he talked with him, that the king said unto him, Art thou made of the king’s counsel? forbear; why shouldest thou be smitten? Then the prophet forbare, and said, I know that God hath determined to destroy thee, because thou hast done this, and hast not hearkened unto my counsel.

  • 1 Kings 21:10

    And set two men, sons of Belial, before him, to bear witness against him, saying, Thou didst blaspheme God and the king. And then carry him out, and stone him, that he may die.

  • 1 Kings 21:13

    And there came in two men, children of Belial, and sat before him: and the men of Belial witnessed against him, even against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, Naboth did blaspheme God and the king. Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him with stones, that he died.

  • Esther 7:7

    And the king arising from the banquet of wine in his wrath went into the palace garden: and Haman stood up to make request for his life to Esther the queen; for he saw that there was evil determined against him by the king.

  • 1 Samuel 20:32-33

    And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said unto him, Wherefore shall he be slain? what hath he done? And Saul cast a javelin at him to smite him: whereby Jonathan knew that it was determined of his father to slay David.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
evil.
20:7,9,33; 2Ch 25:16; Es 7:7
a son of Belial.
25; 2:12; De 13:13; Jud 19:22; 2Sa 23:6,7; 1Ki 21:10,13
2Ch 13:7
that a man.
20:32,33; 2Ki 5:13,14

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • 1 Samuel 25:16

    They were a wall unto us both by night and day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep.

  • 1 Samuel 25:17

    Now therefore know and consider what thou wilt do; for evil is determined against our master, and against all his household: for he is such a son of Belial, that a man cannot speak to him.

  • 1 Samuel 25:18

    Then Abigail made haste, and took two hundred loaves, and two bottles of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched corn, and an hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on asses.

Read all of 1 Samuel 25

1 Samuel 25:17 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Ahora pues, entiende y mira lo que has de hacer, porque el mal está del todo resuelto contra nuestro amo y contra toda su casa: pues él es un hombre tan malo, que no hay quien pueda hablarle.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Et maintenant, sache et vois ce que tu as à faire; car le mal est décidé contre notre maître et contre toute sa maison; et il est trop fils de Bélial pour qu’on parle avec lui.
German
Elberfelder 1871
Und nun wisse und sieh zu, was du tun willst; denn das Unglück ist beschlossen gegen unseren Herrn und über sein ganzes Haus; und er ist ein solcher Sohn Belials, daß man nicht zu ihm reden kann.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Quam ob rem considera, et recogita quid facias: quoniam completa est malitia adversum virum tuum, et adversum domum tuam, et ipse est filius Belial, ita ut nemo possit ei loqui.