2 And 'there is' a man in Maon, and his work 'is' in Carmel; and the man 'is' very great, and he hath three thousand sheep, and a thousand goats; and he is shearing his flock in Carmel. 3 And the name of the man 'is' Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail, and the woman 'is' of good understanding, and of fair form, and the man 'is' hard and evil 'in' doings; and he 'is' a Calebite. 4 And David heareth in the wilderness that Nabal is shearing his flock, 5 and David sendeth ten young men, and David saith to the young men, 'Go ye up to Carmel, and ye have come in unto Nabal, and asked of him in my name of welfare, 6 and said thus: To life! and thou, peace; and thy house, peace; and all that thou hast—peace! 7 and, now, I have heard that thou hast shearers; now, the shepherds whom thou hast have been with us, we have not put them to shame, nor hath anything been looked after by them, all the days of their being in Carmel. 8 'Ask thy young men, and they declare to thee, and the young men find grace in thine eyes, for on a good day we have come; give, I pray thee, that which thy hand findeth, to thy servants, and to thy son, to David.' 9 And the young men of David come in, and speak unto Nabal according to all these words, in the name of David—and rest. 10 And Nabal answereth the servants of David and saith, 'Who 'is' David, and who the son of Jesse? to-day have servants been multiplied who are breaking away each from his master; 11 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'!'
Matthew Henry's Commentary on 1 Samuel 25:2-11
Commentary on 1 Samuel 25:2-11
(Read 1 Samuel 25:2-11)
We should not have heard of Nabal, if nothing had passed between him and David. Observe his name, Nabal, "A fool;" so it signifies. Riches make men look great in the eye of the world; but to one that takes right views, Nabal looked very mean. He had no honour or honesty; he was churlish, cross, and ill-humoured; evil in his doings, hard and oppressive; a man that cared not what fraud and violence he used in getting and saving. What little reason have we to value the wealth of this world, when so great a churl as Nabal abounds, and so good a man as David suffers want!, David pleaded the kindness Nabal's shepherds had received. Considering that David's men were in distress and debt, and discontented, and the scarcity of provisions, it was by good management that they were kept from plundering. Nabal went into a passion, as covetous men are apt to do, when asked for any thing, thinking thus to cover one sin with another; and, by abusing the poor, to excuse themselves from relieving them. But God will not thus be mocked. Let this help us to bear reproaches and misrepresentations with patience and cheerfulness, and make us easy under them; it has often been the lot of the excellent ones of the earth. Nabal insists much on the property he had in the provisions of his table. May he not do what he will with his own? We mistake, if we think we are absolute lords of what we have, and may do what we please with it. No; we are but stewards, and must use it as we are directed, remembering it is not our own, but His who intrusted us with it.