Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Samuel 25:14
But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, saying, Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to salute our master; and he railed on them.
14 22. Abigail’s wise counsel
14. to salute ] Lit. to bless, as in ch. 1Sa 13:10. Cp. 2Ki 4:29, and the form of salutation in 1Sa 15:13.
he railed on them ] Lit. flew upon them; the same word as in 1Sa 14:32.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Railed on them – The marginal reading, flew upon them, is nearer to the original.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
One of the young men told Abigail; wisely considering the mischievous effects likely to follow so churlish a message.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
14-18. Then Abigail made hasteTheprudence and address of Nabal’s wife were the means of saving him andfamily from utter destruction. She acknowledged the demand of herformidable neighbors; but justly considering, that to atone for theinsolence of her husband, a greater degree of liberality had becomenecessary, she collected a large amount of food, accompanying it withthe most valued products of the country.
bottlesgoatskins,capable of holding a great quantity.
parched cornIt wascustomary to eat parched corn when it was fully grown, but not ripe.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife,…. Not one of David’s young men, as what follows shows, but one of Nabal’s young men or servants, one of those David directs him to for the truth of what he said, 1Sa 25:8; this was one of those that had been employed in feeding sheep in the wilderness, where David was, and knew him, but was now at Carmel, and was present when David’s messengers came to Nabal, and was privy to what passed:
saying, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to salute our master; in a very kind and handsome manner, to ask of his peace and welfare, and to wish him all happiness and prosperity; or “masters” y master and mistress, including both Nabal and Abigail:
and he railed on them; gave them very abusive language, represented David and his men as a parcel of scoundrels, fugitives, and runaway servants, 1Sa 25:10; or “he flew at them” z; or “upon” them, in great wrath and fury, calling them hard names, bidding them begone about their business; the allusion is to a ravenous bird, which will fly at persons when it apprehends its young in any danger.
y “dominus nostros”, Malvenda. z “et involavit in eos”, Coccei Lex. col. 607.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Abigail Appeals to David. 1Sa. 25:14-38
14 But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabals wife, saying, Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to salute our master; and he railed on them.
15 But the men were very good unto us, and we were not hurt, neither missed we any thing, as long as we were conversant with them, when we were in the fields:
16 They were a wall unto us both by night and day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep.
17 Now therefore know and consider what thou wilt do; for evil is determined against our master, and against all his household: for he is such a son of Belial, that a man cannot speak to him.
18 Then Abigail made haste, and took two hundred loaves, and two bottles of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched corn, and an hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on asses.
19 And she said unto her servants, Go on before me; behold, I come after you. But she told not her husband Nabal.
20 And it was so, as she rode on the ass, that she came down by the covert of the hill, and, behold David and his men came down against her; and she met them.
21 Now David had said, Surely in vain have I kept all that this fellow hath in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that pertained unto him: and he hath requited me evil for good.
22 So and more also do God unto the enemies of David, if I leave of all that pertain to him by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall.
23 And when Abigail saw David, she hasted, and lighted off the ass, and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground,
24 And fell at his feet, and said, Upon me, my lord, upon me let this iniquity be: and let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak in thine audience, and hear the words of thine handmaid.
25 Let not my lord, I pray thee, regard this man of Belial, even Nabal: for as his name is, so is he; Nabal is his name, and folly is with him: but I thine handmaid saw not the young men of my lord, whom thou didst send.
26 Now therefore, my lord, as the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, seeing the Lord hath withholden thee from coming to shed blood, and from avenging thyself with thine own hand, now let thine enemies, and they that seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal.
27 And now this blessing which thine handmaid hath brought unto my lord, let it even be given unto the young men that follow my lord.
28 I pray thee, forgive the trespass of thine handmaid: for the Lord will certainly make my lord a sure house; because my lord fighteth the battles of the Lord, and evil hath not been found in thee all thy days.
29 Yet a man is risen to pursue thee, and to seek thy soul: but the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the Lord thy God; and the souls of thine enemies, them shall he sling out, as out of the middle of a sling.
30 And it shall come to pass, when the Lord shall have done to my lord according to all the good that he hath spoken concerning thee, and shall have appointed thee ruler over Israel;
31 That this shall be no grief unto thee, nor offence of heart unto my lord, either that thou hast shed blood causeless, or that my lord hath avenged himself: but when the Lord shall have dealt well with my lord, then remember thine handmaid.
32 And David said to Abigail, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, which sent thee this day to meet me:
33 And blessed be thy advice, and blessed be thou, which hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood, and from avenging myself with mine own hand.
34 For in very deed, as the Lord God of Israel liveth, which hath kept me back from hurting thee, except thou hadst hasted and come to meet me, surely there had not been left unto Nabal by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall.
35 So David received of her hand that which she had brought him, and said unto her, Go up in peace to thine house; see, I have hearkened to thy voice, and have accepted thy person.
36 And Abigail came to Nabal; and, behold, he held a feast in his house, like the feast of a king; and Nabals heart was merry within him for he was very drunken: wherefore she told him nothing, less or more, until the morning light.
37 But it came to pass in the morning, when the wine was gone out of Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became as a stone.
38 And it came to pass about ten days after, that the Lord smote Nabal, that he died.
7.
How did Nabal escape? 1Sa. 25:14
Some young man told Abigail, Nabals wife, how her husband had railed on Davids men. The young man was evidently one of Nabals servants who was ashamed of his masters actions. He was one of the men of whom David suggested Nabal make inquiry and must have known that David had a right to request a token of appreciation from Nabal. Nabals actions must have been of such nature as to make it almost a matter of honor for David to avenge himself. The young man affirmed all that David had said. None of Nabals flocks were missing while they were under Davids protection. None of their equipment was missing as long as they were in contact with them. David had saved Nabal from very many losses. As a matter of fact a young man said that they felt as safe as if they had been behind a city wall.
8.
What was the young mans estimation of his master? 1Sa. 25:17
The young man was so ashamed of his masters action that he terminated his discourse with his masters wife by referring to Nabal as the son of Belial. This epithet was one which was hurled to any man who was of bestial character. He viewed Nabal as a son of Satan, a worthless man. He was ashamed of him, and had gone to his wife to see if some action might be taken to rectify the situation.
9.
What did Abigail do? 1Sa. 25:18
Abigail took matters into her own hand. She took provisions for David and his men. Without telling her husband, she loaded beasts of burden with 200 loaves of bread, two wineskins full of wine, five sheep already dressed, five measures of parched corn, and 100 clusters of raisins, in addition to 200 cakes of figs. She organized a company of servants to lead the asses and urged them to go on before her. She may have been afraid that if she were in the first contingent she would be attacked by David who was evidently going to take the spoils from Nabal by force. She also knew that the situation demanded speed and she did not want the servants to wait for her.
10.
What were Davids intentions? 1Sa. 25:21
David was not only out to get some provisions from Nabal, but he was also bent upon the utter destruction of the man and his family. He vowed a vow to God that he hoped God would wipe him out if he did not destroy Nabal from the face of the earth. As the American Standard Version expressed it, he said that he would not leave by the morning light so much as one man child (1Sa. 25:22 b).
11.
How did Abigail stop David? 1Sa. 25:23
Abigail took the initiative when she came within sight of David. She did not wait to see if he would attack her; but she approached him, got down off her donkey, and fell on her face to the ground before David. She must have known that David would not attack a woman, and yet she asked that all the iniquity of her husband be laid upon her. She was willing to take the responsibility for what had happened although she had evidently had nothing to do with it. She asked David to let her speak to him about the matter.
12.
What is the meaning of the word Nabal? 1Sa. 25:25
The word Nabal is a word from the original which means fool. She also describes her husband as a worthless fellow, a son of Satan, a man of Belial. She went on to say that she had not seen the young men whom David had sent to Nabal. Had she seen them, she would have attempted to give them these tokens of their appreciation of what they had done for them. Abigail then thanked God that David had been stopped from going out to shed innocent blood. David really had no right to take Nabals life, although he was treated shamefully. Finally Abigail called attention to the provisions which she had brought. She called the present a blessing (1Sa. 25:27 a).
13.
What was Abigails estimation of David? 1Sa. 25:28
Nabal had referred to David as a worthless servant who had broken away from his master. He had classed him with runaway slaves, but Abigail saw through the transpiring events that God was building a sure house for David. This meant that she viewed David as one to become the father of a great family in Israel. She believed that this was true because David was fighting the battles of the Lord. He was not fighting for himself, but he was putting down injustices and championing the cause of the righteous.
14.
What is the meaning of the phrase the bundle of life? 1Sa. 25:29
If an object were in the midst of a lump of clay in a sling, it would not fall out. Any separated object would fall away. Abigail may have known of Davids great victory over Goliath as David used his sling to kill the giant. She knew that David would appreciate this figure of speech and hoped that this would convince him of her good intentions towards him. Abigail went on to say that she foresaw the time when David would be appointed ruler of Israel (1Sa. 25:30). She asked David to think of how he would feel about this after he became ruler. Since he had withdrawn his hand from harming Saul, she knew that he must not have any intention of offending. If he had been over anxious in avenging himself in the case of Nabal, he would regret this later,
15.
What was Davids final decision? 1Sa. 25:32
David knew that Abigail was speaking the truth. He prayed that God would bless Abigail for what she had done. He viewed this intercession on the part of Abigail as providential. He believed that God had sent her to him to stop him from shedding innocent blood. He admitted that if she had not come, he would have utterly destroyed Nabal and all his descendants before morning (1Sa. 25:34). David then received the gift which Abigail had brought him and sent her away in peace. He promised her that he would not attack her or her husband.
16.
What happened to Nabal? 1Sa. 25:37
Nabal was full of wine when his wife returned to their home, and she did not mention her trip to meet David. When he was sober in the morning, she told him what had happened, and his heart died within him (1Sa. 25:37). He became as stone. The affliction which came upon Nabal was sent from the Lord, and ten days later he died.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(14) But one of the young men told Abigail.The servant of Nabalaccustomed, no doubt, to his masters wild and ungovernable displays of temper had heard the insulting words which Nabal spoke to the armed messenger of the famous outlaw captain; and probably gathering from the angry demeanour of these warlike followers of David how deadly was the insultaware, too, how great was the power of the man thus insultedcame at once, and recounted to his mistress what had taken place. Abigail had, no doubt, often acted as peace-maker between her intemperate husband and his neighbours, and on hearing the story and how imprudently her husband had behaved, saw that no time must be lost, for with a clever womans wit she saw that grave consequences would surely follow the churlish refusal and the rash words, which betrayed at once the jealous adherent of Saul and the bitter enemy of the powerful outlaw.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Abigail’s Tact and Prudence
v. 14. But one of the young men, v. 15. But the men, v. 16. they were a wall unto us both by night and day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep, v. 17. Now, therefore, know and consider what thou wilt do, v. 18. Then Abigail made haste, and took two hundred loaves, and two bottles of wine, v. 19. And she said unto her servants, Go on before me; behold, I come after you. v. 20. And it was so, as she rode on the ass, that she came down by the covert of the hill, v. 21. Now, David had said, Surely in vain have I kept all that this fellow hath in the wilderness, v. 22. So and more also do God unto the enemies of David if I leave of all that pertain to him by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall, v. 23. And when Abigail saw David, she hasted, and lighted off the ass, and fell before David on her face, v. 24. and fell at his feet, v. 25. Let not my lord, I pray thee, regard this man of Belial, even Nabal, v. 26. Now, therefore, my lord, as the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, seeing the Lord hath withholden thee from coming to shed blood, v. 27. And now this blessing, v. 28. I pray thee, forgive the trespass of thine handmaid, v. 29. Yet a man is risen to pursue thee and to seek thy soul, v. 30. And it shall come to pass, when the Lord shall have done to my lord according to all the good that He hath spoken concerning thee, v. 31. that this shall be no grief unto thee nor offense of heart unto my lord, v. 32. And David said to Abigail, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, which sent thee this day to meet me, v. 33. and blessed be thy advice, v. 34. For in very deed, as the Lord God of Israel liveth, which hath kept me back from hurting thee, except thou hadst hasted and come to meet me, surely there had not been left unto Nabal by the morning light, v. 35. So David received of her hand that which she had brought him
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
1Sa 25:14. And he railed on them The Hebrew word waiiaat, is never used to signify railing, but denotes, he flew at them, like a ravenous bird on its prey: an expression used in almost all languages to denote a violent attack or assault upon any person to abuse and injure him; and it is probable, by David’s resentment, that Nabal employed some of his servants to attack them. The same verb is used to denote the sudden, furious, hostile invasion of the prey; ch. 1Sa 25:14 and is there rendered by the LXX, “Hast rushed upon the spoil,” viz. in order to seize it. The substantive aiiet signifies a bird of prey; so we read, Jer 12:9. The bird with talons; as that place should be rendered.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
(14) But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, saying, Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to salute our master; and he railed on them. (15) But the men were very good unto us, and we were not hurt, neither missed we anything, as long as we were conversant with them, when we were in the fields: (16) They were a wall unto us both by night and day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep. (17) Now therefore know and consider what thou wilt do; for evil is determined against our master, and against all his household: for he is such a son of Belial, that a man cannot speak to him.
We should overlook the servant in this happy and seasonable advice, to remark the hand of God in it. How sweetly doth Joseph look beyond second causes, in the instance of himself and brethren, when the overruling providences of God had so arranged the events in his wonderful life, that their inhuman conduct in selling him for a slave was made the very foundation of his becoming their preserver. It was not you that sent me hither (said Joseph) but God. Gen 45:8 . Reader! depend upon it, you lose a thousand of the most precious enjoyments of life, if you do not continually take into your view the gracious overruling hand of God in all that concerns you. Every blessing is made doubly sweet, by thus beholding the Lord arranging and appointing a ll.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
1Sa 25:14 But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, saying, Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to salute our master; and he railed on them.
Ver. 14. And he railed on them. ] Heb., He flew upon them; as a ravenous bird doth upon the prey. Or, He drove them away, sc., by his harsh and currish language wherewith he let fly at them.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Behold. Figure of speech Asterismos. App-6.
railed on them = flew at them, or stormed at them.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
railed on them: Heb. flew upon them, Mar 15:29
Reciprocal: 1Sa 20:10 – answer thee 1Sa 25:11 – whom 2Ki 5:13 – his servants Pro 25:15 – long Act 7:27 – he that Act 25:13 – unto 1Co 1:11 – it hath
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
1Sa 25:14-17. But one of the young men told Abigail, &c. One of those belonging to Nabal. Who can help admiring the wisdom and fidelity of this shepherd, who admonished his mistress of the danger her family was in; as he rationally concluded from the rude abuse that had been put upon David, whose merits he honestly set forth before her. They were a wall unto us This servant says more than Davids men had said of themselves; that they not only did them no harm, but were a guard to them against robbers and against wild beasts. A man cannot speak to him But he flies into a passion. Nabal must have been a most brutish, churlish man, to extort such a character of himself from his own servants.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
A servant’s appeal to Abigail 25:14-17
Nabal’s servant appealed to Abigail to reverse Nabal’s orders. He testified that God had blessed Nabal’s shepherds greatly through David. David’s soldiers had been a wall of protection for them (1Sa 25:16). One of the characteristics of a fool is that he or she does not listen to other people (1Sa 25:17). Nabal was such a fool that he did not even listen to God. If he had, he would have known that David was the Lord’s anointed servant (cf. 1Sa 25:30).
The Hebrew words for "good" and "evil" each occur seven times in chapter 25 (1Sa 25:3; 1Sa 25:8; 1Sa 25:15; 1Sa 25:21; 1Sa 25:30-31; 1Sa 25:36; 1Sa 25:3; 1Sa 25:17; 1Sa 25:21; 1Sa 25:26; 1Sa 25:34; 1Sa 25:39 [twice]). [Note: Gunn, p. 96.]
"Together they underscore one of the major themes of the story: Good brings its own reward, while evil recoils on the head of the wicked." [Note: Youngblood, p. 753.]