Nabal in the Bible
Meaning: fool; senseless
Exact Match
Now the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail: and she was a woman of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance: but the man was churlish and evil in his doings; and he was of the house of Caleb.
And David heard in the wilderness that Nabal did shear his sheep.
And David sent out ten young men, and David said unto the young men, Get you up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and greet him in my name:
And when David's young men came, they spake to Nabal according to all those words in the name of David, and ceased.
And Nabal answered David's servants, and said, Who is David? and who is the son of Jesse? there be many servants now a days that break away every man from his master.
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.
And she said unto her servants, Go on before me; behold, I come after you. But she told not her husband Nabal.
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.
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.
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.
And Abigail came to Nabal; and, behold, he held a feast in his house, like the feast of a king; and Nabal's heart was merry within him, for he was very drunken: wherefore she told him nothing, less or more, until the morning light.
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.
And it came to pass about ten days after, that the LORD smote Nabal, that he died.
And when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, Blessed be the LORD, that hath pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and hath kept his servant from evil: for the LORD hath returned the wickedness of Nabal upon his own head. And David sent and communed with Abigail, to take her to him to wife.
And David dwelt with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with his household, even David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal's wife.
And David's two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.
So David went up thither, and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail Nabal's wife the Carmelite.
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Contempt » Exemplified » Nabal
Discourtesy » Nabal
Drunkenness » Exemplified » Nabal
Drunkenness » Examples of » Nabal
Drunkenness » Instances of » Nabal
Ingratitude » Exemplified » Nabal
Ask your young men and they'll tell you. Therefore let my young men find favor with you since we came on a special day. Please give whatever you have available to your servants and to your son David.'" David's young men came to Nabal and told him all this in David's name, and then they waited. Nabal answered David's servants: "Who is David? Who is this son of Jesse? There are many servants today who are breaking away from their masters. Should I take my food, my water, and my meat that I've slaughtered for my shearers and give it to men who came from who knows where?"
Ingratitude » Of man to man » Nabal
Intemperance » Examples of » Nabal
Intoxication » Examples of » Nabal
Masters' » Bad--exemplified » Nabal
Nabal » History of
David sent ten young men, saying to the young men, "Go up to Carmel, find Nabal, and greet him in my name. Then say, "May you live long. Peace to you, peace to your family, and peace to all that you have. Now, I've heard that the sheep shearers are with you. Now, your shepherds have been with us. We didn't harm them, and they didn't miss anything all the time they were in Carmel. Ask your young men and they'll tell you. Therefore let my young men find favor with you since we came on a special day. Please give whatever you have available to your servants and to your son David.'" David's young men came to Nabal and told him all this in David's name, and then they waited. Nabal answered David's servants: "Who is David? Who is this son of Jesse? There are many servants today who are breaking away from their masters. Should I take my food, my water, and my meat that I've slaughtered for my shearers and give it to men who came from who knows where?" David's men turned and went on their way. They came back and told David everything. David told his men, "Put on your swords." They put on their swords, and David put on his sword. Then about 400 men followed David, while 200 stayed with the supplies. Now, one of the young men told Nabal's wife Abigail: "Look, David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our lord, but he screamed insults at them. The men were very good to us. They didn't harm us, and we didn't miss anything all the time we moved around with them when we were in the field. They were a wall around us both day and night, all the time we were with them taking care of the sheep. Now, be aware of this and consider what you should do. Calamity is being planned against our master and against his entire household. He's such a worthless person that no one can talk to him." Abigail quickly took 200 loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five butchered sheep, five measures of roasted grain, 100 bunches of raisins, and 200 fig cakes and loaded them on donkeys. She told her young men, "Go ahead of me, I'll be coming right behind you." But she said nothing to her husband Nabal. She was riding on the donkey and as she went down a protected part of the mountain, David was there with his men, coming down to meet her, and she went toward them. Now David had said, "Surely it was for nothing that I protected everything that belonged to this man in the wilderness, and nothing was missing of all that belonged to him. But he has repaid me with evil for good! May the LORD do this to the enemies of David and more also if by the morning I've left alive a single male of all those who belong to him." When Abigail saw David, she quickly got down from the donkey and fell on her face before David, prostrating herself on the ground. She fell at his feet and pleaded, "Your majesty, let the guilt be on me alone, and please let your servant speak to you. Listen to the words of your servant. Please, your majesty, don't pay attention to this worthless man Nabal, for he's just like his name. Nabal is his name and folly is his constant companion. But I, your servant, didn't see your majesty's young men whom you sent. Now, your majesty, as the LORD lives and as you live, the LORD has kept you from shedding blood and from delivering yourself by your own actions. Now, may your enemies and those seeking to do evil to your majesty be like Nabal. Now let this present that your servant has brought to your majesty be given to the young men who follow your majesty. Please forgive the offense of your servant. For the LORD will certainly make a strong dynasty for your majesty, for your majesty is fighting the LORD's battles. May evil not be found in you for all of your life. If anyone should arise to pursue you and seek your life, may the life of your majesty be bound up with the LORD your God in a bundle of the living, and may he sling out the lives of your enemies from the pocket of a sling. When the LORD does for your majesty all the good that he promised concerning you and appoints you Commander-in-Chief over Israel, this shouldn't be an obstacle or stumbling block for your majesty's conscience, that he poured out blood without cause or that your majesty delivered himself. When the LORD does good things for your majesty, remember your servant." David told Abigail, "Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who sent you to meet me today. Blessed be your good judgment, and blessed be you, who today stopped me from shedding blood and delivering myself by my own actions. For as surely as the LORD God of Israel lives, the one who restrained me from harming you indeed, had you not quickly come to meet me, by dawn there wouldn't be a single male left to Nabal." David took from her what she had brought him and told her, "Go up to your house in peace. Look, I've heard your request and will grant it." Abigail returned to Nabal, and he was there in his house holding a festival like the festival of a king. Nabal's heart was glad, and he was very drunk, so she didn't tell him anything at all until morning. After Nabal became sober the next morning, his wife told him all that had happened. Nabal's heart failed and he became paralyzed. About ten days later the LORD struck Nabal, and he died.