As surely as the LORD the God of Israel lives: see verse 26.

Good News Translation provides a possible model for restructuring this verse. The relative clause who has restrained me from hurting you is made into an independent sentence and shifted to a position before the oath formula.

Made haste: see the comments at verses 18 and 23.

One male: literally “one urinating against a wall” (see the comments on verse 22). Good News Translation understands the reference to be to “Nabal’s men,” who have been mentioned in the preceding verses. Others see the reference to be “any male of the family of Nabal” (so Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente) or “… of Nabal’s household” (Revised English Bible).

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .