Bible Strands
1 Samuel 25:42
So Abigail hurried and got on a donkey, and attended by five of her maidens, she followed David’s messengers and became his wife.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Abigail acts immediately after her negotiation with David’s messengers, departing her household to join David. Her movement occurs at the precise moment David’s men report his decision to spare her family.
The words — וַ/תְּמַהֵ֞ר (va./te.ma.Her) translates literally to “and she made haste,” while וַ/תִּרְכַּב (va./tir.Kav) means “and she rode.” These verbs record the physical speed and mode of her departure before noting her new status as David’s wife.
The thread — The text places her hurried departure on a donkey with five attendants alongside Rebekah’s journey in Genesis 24:61, where she mounts camels to follow a servant. It also aligns with the directive in Psalms 45:10 to leave one’s father’s house and follow a new covenant path.
Why it lands — The narrative requires immediate compliance with a new authority rather than prolonged deliberation. It forces the reader to recognize that decisive physical action, not continued negotiation, establishes the promised outcome.
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
King James Version
And Abigail hasted, and arose, and rode upon an ass, with five damsels of hers that went after her; and she went after the messengers of David, and became his wife.
Cross-references
- Genesis 24:61 Then Rebekah and her servant girls got ready, mounted the camels, and followed the man. So the servant took Rebekah and left.
- Psalms 45:10 Listen, O daughter! Consider and incline your ear: Forget your people and your father’s house,