In brief
Nabal is a very rich man of Maon, owner of three thousand sheep and a thousand goats at Carmel, at the time when David is fleeing from Saul. The Bible describes him as harsh and badly behaved, while his wife Abigail is intelligent. He scornfully refuses to feed David’s men, who had protected his shepherds. Abigail keeps David from taking revenge. About ten days later, the Lord strikes Nabal, and he dies.
What does the name Nabal mean?
Nabal means fool or senseless in Hebrew. The Bible itself makes the connection through Abigail: as his name is, so is he, and folly is with him (1 Samuel 25:25). The account also presents him as a descendant of Caleb (1 Samuel 25:3).
The story of Nabal
A rich but harsh man
1 Samuel 25:2-3At Maon lives a very rich man who has three thousand sheep and a thousand goats at Carmel. His name is Nabal, and his wife’s name is Abigail. The text contrasts them: she was a woman of good understanding and beautiful, but the man was harsh and badly behaved. At sheep-shearing time, a day of feasting, this contrast is about to be revealed.
David’s peaceful request
1 Samuel 25:4-9David hears that Nabal is shearing his sheep. He sends ten young men to greet him in peace and to remind him that his shepherds suffered no harm during their stay near David’s men. He simply asks, on this day of celebration, that Nabal give his servants whatever he has at hand.
Who is David?
1 Samuel 25:10-13Nabal answers with scorn, asking who David is and who the son of Jesse is, and saying that many servants these days are breaking away from their masters. He refuses to share his bread, his water and his meat with men he does not know. David then straps on his sword and sets out with about four hundred men.
Abigail repairs her husband’s folly
1 Samuel 25:14-35A servant warns Abigail: David’s men had been a wall around them, and disaster is determined against Nabal. Without telling her husband, she prepares provisions and goes to meet David. She takes the blame on herself and urges him not to avenge himself, and David blesses the Lord for sending her to meet him.
A heart like a stone
1 Samuel 25:36-38Abigail finds Nabal feasting like a king, completely drunk. She waits until morning to tell him everything. Then, says the text, his heart died within him, and he became like a stone. About ten days later, the Lord strikes Nabal, and he dies.
God defends David’s cause
1 Samuel 25:39-42On hearing of Nabal’s death, David blesses the Lord, who has defended his cause against the insult from Nabal and kept his servant from doing wrong. God has brought Nabal’s wickedness back on his own head. David then asks Abigail to be his wife, and she becomes his wife.
What Nabal teaches us
- Wealth does not guarantee wisdom: Nabal owned much but behaved like a fool.
- Contempt and ingratitude toward those who have done us good are a form of folly in God’s eyes.
- Leave it to God to defend your cause rather than avenging yourself, as David learned that day.
- A wise and humble word can prevent a tragedy, as Abigail’s intervention did.
Key verses
The account contrasts Abigail, a woman of good understanding, with Nabal, harsh and badly behaved, from the very start. Each one’s character is then revealed in the crisis.
Abigail admits that her husband is like his name: folly is with him. Yet she takes the blame on herself to keep blood from being shed.
David blesses the Lord who defended his cause and kept him from doing wrong. God himself brought Nabal’s wickedness back on his own head.
Sermons about Nabal
Frequently asked questions
Who was Nabal in the Bible?
Nabal was a very rich man of Maon, with property at Carmel and large flocks, a descendant of Caleb and the husband of Abigail (1 Samuel 25:2-3). He scornfully refused to help David, whose men had protected his shepherds. Abigail calmed David, and Nabal died about ten days later, struck by the Lord.
What does the name Nabal mean?
In Hebrew, Nabal means fool or senseless. Abigail says so herself to David: her husband is like his name, and folly is with him (1 Samuel 25:25). In the Bible, a fool is not first of all someone of little intelligence, but someone who lives without regard for God or for others.
Where can I find the story of Nabal in the Bible?
The whole story of Nabal is told in 1 Samuel 25: his wealth, his refusal to help David, Abigail’s intervention and his death. Abigail is later called Abigail of Carmel, the widow of Nabal, when she accompanies David (1 Samuel 27:3; 2 Samuel 2:2).