1Sa 25 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for 1Sam 25:1-44: 25:1-44 This episode about Nabal falls between two accounts in which Saul pursued David and David spared Saul’s life. Nabal was similar to Saul. 25:1 Maon: This town in southern Judah (see study note on 23:24) was likely Nabal’s home. The wilderness of Paran, located in the northern half of the Sinai Peninsula, was too far south. The wilderness of Paran served as a place of refuge (Gen 21:21 ; 1 Kgs 11:18 ).

Summary for 1Sam 25:1-44: 25:1-44 ^a This episode about Nabal falls between two accounts in which Saul pursued David and David spared Saul’s life. Nabal was similar to Saul. 25:1 ^b Maon: This town in southern Judah (see study note on 23:24) was likely Nabal’s home. The wilderness of Paran, located in the northern half of the Sinai Peninsula, was too far south. The wilderness of Paran served as a place of refuge (Gen 21:21 ^c; 1 Kgs 11:18 ^d).
25:2 ^e Carmel was a village near Maon, not to be confused with the famous mountain from the Elijah narrative in 1 Kgs 18 ^f. It was in this village that Saul had erected his monument to celebrate victory over the Amalekites (1 Sam 15:12 ^g).
25:3 ^h Nabal: See 25:25 ⁱ for insight into the irony of his name.

• Unlike her husband, Abigail was a sensible and wise person, as the narrative shows.
25:8 ^j Sheep-shearing time for herdsmen was like harvest time for farmers, a time of celebration and thankfulness for blessings.
25:10 ^k son of Jesse: Like Saul (20:27 ^l, 31 ^m; 22:7 ⁿ), Nabal used this designation disrespectfully.
25:21 ^o he has repaid me evil for good: Cp. 24:17 ^p.
25:26 ^q Abigail began and ended (25:31 ^r) her plea by declaring that God had kept you from murdering and taking vengeance: David could have killed Nabal (and Saul), but he didn’t.
25:28 ^s a lasting dynasty: See 2 Sam 7 ^t.

• fighting the Lord’s battles: David was known and loved for his victories over Israel’s enemies (1 Sam 18:7 ^u, 13 ^v, 16 ^w).

• have not done wrong: This comment does not indicate that David was sinless, but rather that he was innocent in his quest for the throne (as 25:29-31 ^x makes clear).
25:29 ^y The phrase like stones shot from a sling is a fitting metaphor for David, considering his defeat of Goliath with a sling (17:32-51 ^z).
25:36 ^aa like a king: Nabal was like Saul (see study note on 25:1-44).
25:37 ^ab Nabal was so stunned by the revelation that he had a stroke or a heart attack.
25:39 ^ac Nabal’s death was God’s punishment for his sin. David could not be accused of vengeful murder.

• David lost no time in asking Abigail to become his wife. She had already shown herself to be a woman of good sense, and she was also beautiful (25:3 ^ad).
25:43 ^ae Ahinoam was also the name of Saul’s wife (14:50 ^af). If she was the same woman, then David took Saul’s widow after his death (31:1-13 ^ag), which would make another parallel between Nabal and Saul. However, see 27:3 ^ah; 30:5 ^ai.

• This Jezreel was a village in the vicinity of Maon, Ziph, and Carmel in Judah (Josh 15:55-56 ^aj) and not the better-known northern city of Jezreel.
25:44 ^ak Saul’s motive for giving away Michal to another man was probably political, an attempt to remove any claim David might have on the throne by dissolving David’s marriage with a member of the royal family.