Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Samuel 25:25
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.
Let not my lord regard this man; his person and words deserve thy contempt, but not thy regard.
Man of Belial; for such he hath showed himself to be by this wicked and abominable carriage towards thee.
Folly is with him; his noted folly and stupidity is a more proper object for thy pity than anger. His sordid answer to thy servants did not proceed from any ill design, or deep malice, but from brutish sottishhess, and want of the understanding of a man in him. It may be thought a great crime, that she traduceth her husband in this manner; but this may be said for her, that she told them nothing but what they all knew concerning him, and that she only seemed to take away that which he never had indeed, to wit, his good name, that she might preserve that which he had, and which was more dear and important to him, even his life and soul.
Thine handmaid saw not the young men of my lord; though I freely submit myself to the punishment in my husbands stead, yet I was innocent of the crime.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
25. Nabalsignifying fool,gave pertinence to his wife’s remark.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Let not my lord, I pray thee, regard this man of Belial,
[even] Nabal,…. He is a worthless man, it must be owned, a weak foolish man, rather to be despised than regarded by him; what either he says or does is unworthy of the notice of any, and much less of so great a person as David was:
for as his name [is], so [is] he; his natural disposition, genius, and conduct, agree with his name; when anyone knows his name, he may judge what is to be expected from him:
Nabal [is] his name: which signifies a fool:
and folly, in Hebrew, “Nebalah”,
[is] with him; attends all, his words and actions. This character of her husband, though no doubt a just one, yet it would not have been right in her to have given it, whose folly she should rather have concealed, but that it was his well known character; and she observes it not to reproach him with it, but to excuse his sin, his rudeness and ingratitude and preserve his life; and suggests that what he had done was not to be imputed to malice in his heart, but to his stupidity and folly, and so not to be regarded, and was not a peculiar single action of his, but what he was daily more or less guilty of; his folly was with him wherever he went and appeared in everything he said or did, and therefore to be overlooked and despised:
but I thine handmaid saw not the young men of my lord, whom thou didst send: as she had taken the blame upon herself, now she answers for herself, and pleads ignorance of his messengers, and their message; she had not so much as seen them with her eyes, and much less heard their message when reported; had she, she would have taken care, she intimates, that it should have been attended to; having so much interest in her husband, that she could have prevailed on him to have used them with civility, and granted their request.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
25. Nabal his name, and folly with him In the Hebrew there is a play upon the words, the word for folly being nebalah; Nabal is his name and nebalah is with him.
Abigail’s Plea.
1Sa 25:25
“ Let not my lord, I pray you, regard this worthless fellow, even Nabal, for as his name is, so is he; Nabal is his name, and folly is with him. But I your handmaid did not see the young men of my lord, whom you sent.”
She pleaded with him to recognise Nabal for what he was, a worthless and useless fellow, as his nickname indicated, and one therefore to be dismissed as such. He had been rightly characterised. His name meant ‘folly’ and that is what he was, a fool. And the pathway for a fool led him to his own destruction. It did not need David to help it along. (The writer no doubt intends his readers to recognise that in this he is like Saul). But let David not lay Nabal’s folly at anyone else’s door. She, for example, had not seen the young men whom David had sent. Note her constant use of ‘my lord’. This was how a respectful woman addressed an important man in those days (even her husband).
1Sa 25:26
“ Now therefore, my lord, as YHWH lives, and as your soul lives, seeing YHWH has withheld you from bloodguiltiness, and from avenging yourself with your own hand, now therefore let your enemies, and those who seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal.”
Abigail now advanced three arguments to advance her call for compassion:
Firstly in that YHWH by His providence had caused them to meet so as to prevent him becoming blood guilty. This was a clear sign that the living God was at work and was wanting David to walk in the way of full life (see Deu 30:19) and not in the way of blood-guiltiness and in the way of obtaining his own vengeance by his own actions rather than awaiting YHWH’s vengeance (thus his actions towards Nabal are being seen as the opposite of his actions towards Saul).
Secondly in that her desire was that all David’s enemies be like Nabal (fools doomed to destruction at YHWH’s hand).
And thirdly (in 1Sa 25:27) in that that she herself has brought hospitality for his young men, demonstrating that not all Nabal’s household look on David with contempt and as an enemy.
“As YHWH lives.” David is to remember that YHWH is the living God Who requires all men to walk righteously, and Who is able to avenge all who are righteous.
“And as your soul (inner life) lives,” in other words ‘as you yourself live righteously within your inner man (soul).’ Her point was that while free from blood-guilt and pointless vengeance he would live a free, untrammelled life of righteousness and purity. She is thus calling on him maintain the truly righteous life which he enjoys before YHWH, a life which brings fullness of blessing (Deu 30:19).
“Seeing YHWH has withheld you from bloodguiltiness.” She wanted him to see that this meeting between them was YHWH’s doing with the very purpose of preventing him from becoming blood guilty as a result of slaying the innocent with the guilty.
“And from avenging yourself with your own hand.” Right from the beginning Scripture taught that vengeance was not to be in men’s hands but in YHWH’s hand. Thus one mark of Cain lay in his determination to obtain his own vengeance (Gen 4:8), something that came to full fruit in the similar behaviour of Lamech who demanded even greater vengeance just for being slighted (Gen 4:23-24), something which clearly therefore characterised the line of Cain. In contrast Abel’s vengeance came from YHWH. (Gen 4:8-10), and Adam’s family were therefore not to seek vengeance on Cain (Gen 4:15) but to leave it in YHWH’s hands. Compare Lev 19:18; Deu 32:35; Deu 32:43; Psa 94:1; This was later enunciated in the words, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says YHWH’ (Rom 12:19; Heb 10:30). Thus Abigail was calling on David to follow in the way of revealed righteousness.
1Sa 25:27
“ And now this present which your servant has brought to my lord, let it be given to the young men who follow my lord.”
Finally she gave practical proof of her own genuineness by drawing his attention to the gifts that she had brought for his young men, which demonstrated on behalf of her and her servants the welcoming hospitality, that previously had been refused. Let them now enjoy hospitality and friendship and not vengeance. Note the subtle implication that David himself was, of course, above requiring such evidence and compensation.
1Sa 25:28
“ Forgive, I pray you, the trespass of your handmaid, for YHWH will certainly make my lord a sure house, because my lord fights the battles of YHWH, and evil shall not be found in you all your days.”
Abigail then asked for forgiveness for her trespass. This may signify that she was acknowledging that she shared in the guilt that fell on the whole household as a result of Nabal’s behaviour, or it may be that she is still aware of how unseemly her intervention as a woman in men’s affairs might seem. Possibly, in fact, both are included. Her plea was that David might forgive whatever trespass he was concerned about.
And her plea was on the basis of her assurance that YHWH would establish David’s house for ever (it would be a sure house), because David was one who fought YHWH’s battles and would thus be preserved from all evil all his days, both external evils from without and internal evils arising from within. Such a man must therefore surely be willing to forgive a weak woman. (It is a reminder that what we are determines what people expect from us).
1Sa 25:29
“ And though men be risen up to pursue you, and to seek your life, yet the life of my lord will be bound in the bundle of life with YHWH your God, and the lives of your enemies, them will he sling out, as from the hollow of a sling.”
Indeed, while David may have to face many enemies, and be pursued by many who will seek his life (a fate likely at some time or other for any war-leader in those days), yet he will not have to fear because his life will be bound up in YHWH’s bundle of life. It will be safely tied up with YHWH. The thought is that his being bound up in a bundle made up of God’s life, and of the lives of His chosen ones, makes him invulnerable. Death cannot penetrate it. His life is safe in God’s hands. Today we would say, ‘your life is hid with Christ in God’ (Col 3:3).
The picture is a vivid one. Those who are true to God are tied up with Him in His bundle of life safe and secure in His hands. Those who are not are slung far and wide and are outside of His care and protection.
She may, of course, have specifically had in mind the fact that he had been pursued by Saul. That would not have been a secret to anyone. Considering the number of men that Saul had had with him such facts would inevitably have spread and become common knowledge. All Israel would know of Saul’s pursuit of David, and the reasons for it, as they would undoubtedly by now have learned of David’s anointing by Samuel, for all such ‘secrets’, where a number of people are involved, inevitably get out. They were in fact probably one of the on-dits of Israelite life, as all learned about them and wondered what would come next.
In contrast to the lives of those who were wrapped up in YHWH’s bundle of life were the lives of his enemies which would be put in the pouch of YHWH’s sling to be slung out far and wide away from YHWH’s protection. This would include both Nabal and Saul. And to be far from YHWH could only result in death in contrast with life. It was to live in the shadows and then finally be destroyed.
1Sa 25:30
“ And it will come about that when YHWH shall have done to my lord according to all the good that he has spoken concerning you, and shall have appointed you prince over Israel, that this shall be no grief to you, nor offence of heart to my lord, either that you have shed blood without cause, or that my lord has avenged himself. And when YHWH shall have dealt well with my lord, then remember your handmaid.”
And in the day when the life that YHWH had given David came to fruition in his receiving the kingship of Israel, the promise of which was common knowledge, he would be only too glad that he was free from blood-guiltiness in regard to this sordid affair. Note the stress on the fact that all this would be given to him by YHWH because YHWH had said so. How sad it would then be to have innocent blood on his hands simply because he had responded to the behaviour of a fool. And how sad if he was then seen as someone who thought of nothing but vengeance, instead of being known as someone who was magnanimous. Such attitudes were not those of a great king.
We must not forget the popularity that David had had as a successful commander, such that his reputation in Israel was even famed among the Philistines (1Sa 21:11; 1Sa 30:5). Thus all Israel were interested in his welfare, and any news about him would spread rapidly, especially among the womenfolk to whom he was an heroic figure. Indeed one thing that no doubt spurred on Saul in his pursuit of David was what he learned about what people were saying about him. By this Abigail was making plain that she and many others in Israel viewed David’s prospects with favour.
The writer is making clear by this, and by David’s response, what were seen as being the qualities by which a good king of Israel (and any good person) should be judged. They were indeed the qualities displayed by David towards Saul in chapter 24 and 26. He is also making clear again that to be king of Israel was David’s destiny as God’s purposes moved on.
1Sa 25:25 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.
Ver. 25. For as his name is, so is he. ] A very sot, and stark naught. Evil is the Hebrew word for a fool; and the word fool seemeth to come of , and Nebulo of Nabal. See 1Sa 25:3 .
Nabal is his name, and folly is with him.
But I thine handmaid saw not. regard: Heb. lay it to his heart, 2Sa 13:33, Isa 42:25, Mal 2:2
man of Belial: 1Sa 25:17, 1Sa 25:26
Nabal: that is, fool
Reciprocal: Deu 9:27 – look not Deu 13:13 – the children Jdg 19:22 – sons of Belial 1Sa 1:16 – a daughter 1Sa 30:22 – wicked 2Sa 19:19 – take it Psa 14:1 – fool Psa 85:8 – folly Pro 13:16 – a fool Pro 19:1 – perverse Pro 30:22 – a fool
1Sa 25:25. Let not my lord regard this man of Belial, &c. She represents him as a man that offended out of folly, rather than malice; which might in some degree excuse his rudeness. For as his name is, so is he Nabal in the Hebrew signifies a fool, though not one by nature, but rather through pride and insolence.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments