The Meaning of 1 Samuel 25:11 Explained

1 Samuel 25:11

KJV: Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it unto men, whom I know not whence they be?

YLT: and I have taken my bread, and my water, and my flesh, which I slaughtered for my shearers, and have given it to men whom I have not known whence they are!'

Darby: And shall I take my bread, and my water, and my flesh which I have killed for my shearers, and give it to men whom I know not whence they are?

ASV: Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it unto men of whom I know not whence they are?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Shall I then take  my bread,  and my water,  and my flesh  that I have killed  for my shearers,  and give  [it] unto men,  whom I know  not whence they [be]? 

What does 1 Samuel 25:11 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 25:11 mean?

Then shall I take - my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers and give [it] to men when not I do know from where he they [are]
וְלָקַחְתִּ֤י אֶת־ לַחְמִי֙ וְאֶת־ מֵימַ֔י וְאֵת֙ טִבְחָתִ֔י אֲשֶׁ֥ר טָבַ֖חְתִּי לְגֹֽזְזָ֑י וְנָֽתַתִּי֙ לַֽאֲנָשִׁ֔ים אֲשֶׁר֙ לֹ֣א יָדַ֔עְתִּי אֵ֥י מִזֶּ֖ה הֵֽמָּה

וְלָקַחְתִּ֤י  Then  shall  I  take 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular
Root: יָקַח 
Sense: to take, get, fetch, lay hold of, seize, receive, acquire, buy, bring, marry, take a wife, snatch, take away.
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.
לַחְמִי֙  my  bread 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: לֶחֶם  
Sense: bread, food, grain.
מֵימַ֔י  my  water 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, first person common singular
Root: מַיִם  
Sense: water, waters.
טִבְחָתִ֔י  my  meat 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: טִבְחָה  
Sense: slaughtered meat, a slaughter, flesh, meat, thing slaughtered.
אֲשֶׁ֥ר  that 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
טָבַ֖חְתִּי  I  have  killed 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: טָבַח  
Sense: to slaughter, slay, butcher, kill ruthlessly.
לְגֹֽזְזָ֑י  for  my  shearers 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural construct, first person common singular
Root: גָּזַז  
Sense: to shear, mow.
וְנָֽתַתִּי֙  and  give  [it] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, first person common singular
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
לַֽאֲנָשִׁ֔ים  to  men 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine plural
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
יָדַ֔עְתִּי  I  do  know 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: דָּעָה 
Sense: to know.
אֵ֥י  from  where 
Parse: Interrogative
Root: אֵי  
Sense: where?, whence?.
הֵֽמָּה  they  [are] 
Parse: Pronoun, third person masculine plural
Root: הֵם 
Sense: they, these, the same, who.