The Meaning of 1 Samuel 25:6 Explained

1 Samuel 25:6

KJV: And thus shall ye say to him that liveth in prosperity, Peace be both to thee, and peace be to thine house, and peace be unto all that thou hast.

YLT: and said thus: To life! and thou, peace; and thy house, peace; and all that thou hast -- peace!

Darby: And thus shall ye say: Long life to thee! and peace be to thee, and peace be to thy house, and peace be to all that thou hast!

ASV: and thus shall ye say to him that liveth in prosperity , Peace be unto thee, and peace be to thy house, and peace be unto all that thou hast.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And thus shall ye say  to him that liveth  [in prosperity], Peace  [be] both to thee, and peace  [be] to thine house,  and peace  [be] unto all that thou hast. 

What does 1 Samuel 25:6 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 25:6 mean?

And you shall say thus to him who lives [in prosperity] and to you Peace [be] and to your house peace and to all that you have peace
וַאֲמַרְתֶּ֥ם כֹּ֖ה לֶחָ֑י וְאַתָּ֤ה שָׁלוֹם֙ וּבֵיתְךָ֣ שָׁל֔וֹם וְכֹ֥ל אֲשֶׁר־ לְךָ֖ שָׁלֽוֹם

וַאֲמַרְתֶּ֥ם  And  you  shall  say 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, second person masculine plural
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
כֹּ֖ה  thus 
Parse: Adverb
Root: כֹּה  
Sense: thus, here, in this manner.
לֶחָ֑י  to  him  who  lives  [in  prosperity] 
Parse: Preposition-l, Article, Adjective, masculine singular
Root: חַי 
Sense: living, alive.
וְאַתָּ֤ה  and  to  you 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, second person masculine singular
Root: אַתְּ 
Sense: you (second pers.
שָׁלוֹם֙  Peace  [be] 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: שָׁלֹום  
Sense: completeness, soundness, welfare, peace.
וּבֵיתְךָ֣  and  to  your  house 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
שָׁל֔וֹם  peace 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: שָׁלֹום  
Sense: completeness, soundness, welfare, peace.
וְכֹ֥ל  and  to  all 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
אֲשֶׁר־  that 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
לְךָ֖  you  have 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine singular
שָׁלֽוֹם  peace 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: שָׁלֹום  
Sense: completeness, soundness, welfare, peace.