1 Samuel 25:23

When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off the donkey, fell facedown, and bowed before him.

Berean Standard Bible

Study note

Setting — Abigail acts upon seeing David, dismounting her donkey and prostrating herself before him. This occurs immediately after David vows to destroy Nabal’s household and just before Abigail intercedes.

The words — וַ/תְּמַהֵר (va./te.ma.Her) means “and she made haste,” and וַ/תֵּרֶד (va./Te.red) means “and she came down.” These verbs track her rapid physical response to the encounter.

The thread — The pattern of dismounting and bowing appears in 1 Samuel 20:41, Joshua 15:18, and Judges 1:14. These passages share the physical gesture of yielding or approaching authority.

Why it lands — The text demands recognition of the immediate posture of submission required when confronting divinely appointed authority. It records a physical act of reverence without commentary on its spiritual merit.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

וַתֵּ֤רֶאva./Te.re'and/ she saw אֲבִיגַ֙יִל֙'a.vi.Ga.yilAbigail אֶת־'et-<obj.>דָּוִ֔דda.VidDavid וַתְּמַהֵ֕רva./te.ma.Herand/ she made haste וַתֵּ֖רֶדva./Te.redand/ she came down מֵעַ֣לme./'Alfrom/ on הַחֲמ֑וֹרha./cha.Morthe/ donkey וַתִּפֹּ֞לva./ti.Poland/ she fell לְאַפֵּ֤יle./'a.Peito/ [the] face of דָוִד֙da.VidDavid עַל־'al-on פָּנֶ֔יהָpa.Nei./haface/ her וַתִּשְׁתַּ֖חוּva./tish.Ta.chuand/ she bowed down אָֽרֶץ׃'A.retz[the] ground

King James Version

And when Abigail saw David, she hasted, and lighted off the ass, and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground,

Cross-references

1 Samuel 20:41 When the young man had gone, David got up from the south side of the stone, fell facedown, and bowed three times. Then he and Jonathan kissed each other and wept together—though David wept more.
Joshua 15:18 One day Acsah came to Othniel and urged him to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What do you desire?”
Judges 1:14 One day Acsah came to Othniel and urged him to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What do you desire?”
1 Samuel 24:8 After that, David got up, went out of the cave, and called out to Saul, “My lord the king!” When Saul looked behind him, David bowed facedown in reverence

People named

DavidAbigail