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 was shearing his sheep.
And David sent ten young men, and David said to the young men, Go up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and greet him in my name:
And when David's young men came, they spoke to Nabal in the name of David, according to all these words, and ceased.
And Nabal answered David's servants, and said, Who is David? and who is the son of Jesse? there are many servants in these 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 from the wilderness to salute our master; and he railed at them.
And she said to 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 thy 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 withheld thee from coming to shed blood, and from avenging thyself with thy own hand, now let thy enemies, and they that seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal.
For in very deed, as the LORD God of Israel liveth, who hath kept me back from hurting thee, except thou hadst hasted and come to meet me, surely there had not been left to Nabal by the morning light any male person.
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: Therefore she told him nothing, less or more, until the morning light.
But it came to pass in the morning, when the wine had left 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 himself for a 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.
Search Results by Versions
Search Results by Book
Thematic Bible
Contempt » Exemplified » Nabal
Discourtesy » Nabal
Drunkenness » Exemplified » Nabal
Drunkenness » Examples of » Nabal
Drunkenness » Instances of » Nabal
Ingratitude » Exemplified » Nabal
Ask your shepherds. They will tell you the same thing. My servants are your servants. You are like a father to me. This is a day for celebrating. Please be kind and share some of your food with us.' David's men went to Nabal and gave him David's message. They waited for Nabal's answer. This is what he said: Who does this David think he is? That son of Jesse is just one more slave on the run from his master. There are too many of them now days. What makes you think I would give you the bread and water, and the meat that I cooked for my own servants? I do not even know where you are from.
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 to Nabal. David said to them: Go up to Carmel and go to Nabal, and say kind words to him in my name. Say to him: 'May you live long! May you, your home, and all you have prosper! I hear that your sheepshearers are with you. Your shepherds have been with us. We have not mistreated them. Nothing of theirs has been missing as long as they have been in Carmel. Ask your shepherds. They will tell you the same thing. My servants are your servants. You are like a father to me. This is a day for celebrating. Please be kind and share some of your food with us.' David's men went to Nabal and gave him David's message. They waited for Nabal's answer. This is what he said: Who does this David think he is? That son of Jesse is just one more slave on the run from his master. There are too many of them now days. What makes you think I would give you the bread and water, and the meat that I cooked for my own servants? I do not even know where you are from. The men returned to their camp and told David everything Nabal said. David ordered: Everyone get your swords! They strapped on their swords. Two hundred men stayed behind to guard the camp. The other four hundred followed David. One of Nabal's servants told Nabal's wife Abigail: Have you heard? David sent some messengers from the wilderness with greetings for our master. He insulted them. Yet they were very good to us. They never bothered us. Nothing belonging to us was stolen at the time we were with them in the fields. They protected our sheep and us day and night the whole time we were with them. Consider what you should do because our master and his whole household are doomed. He is such a worthless man that it is useless to talk to him. So Abigail quickly took two hundred loaves of bread, two full wineskins, five butchered sheep, a bushel of roasted grain, one hundred bunches of raisins, and two hundred fig cakes and loaded them on donkeys. Lead the way, she told her young men, and I will follow you. But she did not tell her husband Nabal about it. She rode her donkey down a hidden mountain path. David and his men came to her. David thought: I guarded this man's possessions in the desert for nothing! Not one of his possessions was missing. Yet, he paid me back with evil when I was good to him. May God punish me if I do not kill every one of those men before morning! Abigail saw David and quickly got down from her donkey. She immediately bowed down in front of David with her face touching the ground. She fell at his feet and said: Let me be held responsible for this wrong. Please let me speak with you. Please listen to me. You should not take this worthless person Nabal seriously. He is like his name. His name is Nabal (Godless Fool). He is foolish. But I did not see the young men you sent. Jehovah kept you from spilling innocent blood and from getting a victory by your own efforts. As Jehovah lives and you live, may your enemies and those who are trying to harm you end up like Nabal. Please accept this gift from your maidservant. And give it to the young men who accompany my lord. Also please forgive the transgression of your maidservant. Jehovah will certainly give you a lasting dynasty, because my lord is fighting the battles of Jehovah. Evil will not be found in you all your days. Even if someone pursues you to take your life, your life is wrapped securely in the bundle (purse) (bag) of the living from Jehovah your God (God will keep you safe). He will dispose of the lives of your enemies. They will be hurled like stones from a sling. When Jehovah does all the good he promised and makes you ruler of Israel, you should not have a troubled conscience because you spilled blood for no good reason and claimed your own victory. When Jehovah gives you success, remember me. David said to Abigail: Blessed is Jehovah the God of Israel, who sent you today to meet me. Blessed is your good judgment and blessed are you for keeping me from slaughtering people today and from getting a victory by my own efforts. I solemnly promise as Jehovah the God of Israel lives that if you had not come to meet me Nabal would not have had one of his men alive at dawn. Then David accepted what she brought him. He said: Go home in peace. I have listened to what you said and I grant your request. When Abigail came to Nabal, he was holding a banquet in his home. It was like a king's banquet. He was in a good mood and very drunk, so she did not tell him anything until dawn. In the morning after the effects of the wine wore off his wife told him what had happened. Nabal had a stroke. He could not move. Ten days later Jehovah made him sicker and Nabal died.