English Standard Version
1 Samuel 25:3
3Now the name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. The woman was discerning and beautiful, but the man was harsh and badly behaved; he was a Calebite.
1 Samuel 25:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)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.
- New International Version (NIV)His name was Nabal and his wife’s name was Abigail. She was an intelligent and beautiful woman, but her husband was surly and mean in his dealings—he was a Calebite.
- New King James Version (NKJV)The name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. And she was a woman of good understanding and beautiful appearance; but the man was harsh and evil in his doings. He was of the house of Caleb.
- New Living Translation (NLT)This man’s name was Nabal, and his wife, Abigail, was a sensible and beautiful woman. But Nabal, a descendant of Caleb, was crude and mean in all his dealings.
Context of 1 Samuel 25:3
1Now Samuel died. And all Israel assembled and mourned for him, and they buried him in his house at Ramah. Then David rose and went down to the wilderness of Paran. 2And there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel. The man was very rich; he had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. He was shearing his sheep in Carmel. Now the name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. The woman was discerning and beautiful, but the man was harsh and badly behaved; he was a Calebite. 4David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep. 5So 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.
Read all of 1 Samuel 251 Samuel 25:3 word by word
וְשֵׁ֤ם הָאִישׁ֙ נָבָ֔ל וְשֵׁ֥ם אִשְׁתּ֖וֹ אֲבִגָ֑יִל וְהָאִשָּׁ֤ה טֽוֹבַת־שֶׂ֙כֶל֙ וִ֣יפַת תֹּ֔אַר וְהָאִ֥ישׁ קָשֶׁ֛ה וְרַ֥ע מַעֲלָלִ֖ים וְה֥וּא כָלִבִּֽי׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Now the nameשֵׁםshêm · nameH8034
- of the manאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
- Nabalנָבָלnâbâl · NabalH5037
- of his wifeאִשָּׁה'ishshâh nâshîym · woman: wifeH802
- Abigailאֲבִיגַ֫יִל, אֲבִיגַ֫ל'ăbîygayil 'ăbîygal · AbigailH26
- a womanאִשָּׁה'ishshâh nâshîym · womanH802
- of goodטוֹבţôb · pleasantH2896
- understandingשֵׂ֫כֶלώekel ώêkel · understandingH7922
- and of a beautifulיָפֶהyâpheh · beautifulH3303
- countenanceתֹּ֫אַרtô'ar · appearanceH8389
- churlishקָשֶׁהqâsheh · severeH7186
- and evilרַעra‛ râ‛âh · bad: evilH7451
- in his doingsמַעֲלָלma‛ălâl · deedH4611
- of the house of Calebכָּלִבִּיkâlibbô kâlêbîy · CalebiteH3614
Cross-references for 1 Samuel 25:3
- Proverbs 14:1The wisest of women builds her house, but folly with her own hands tears it down.
- Proverbs 31:26She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
- 1 Samuel 25:10And Nabal answered David's servants, "Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants these days who are breaking away from their masters.
- Psalms 10:3For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul, and the one greedy for gain curses and renounces the Lord.
- Isaiah 32:5The fool will no more be called noble, nor the scoundrel said to be honorable.
Commentaries on 1 Samuel 25:3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3The name of the man was Nabal - The word נבל nabal signifies to be foolish, base, or villanous; and hence the Latin word nebulo, knave, is supposed to be derived. The name of his wife Abigail - The joy or exultation of my father. A woman of sense and beauty, married to the boor mentioned above, probably because he was rich. Many women have been thus sacrificed. Of the house of Caleb - כלבי והוא vehu Chalibbi, "he was a Calebite." But as the word caleb…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 2-11Verses 2-11 We should not have heard of Nabal, if nothing had passed between him and David. Observe his name, Nabal, "A fool;" so it signifies. Riches make men look great in the eye of the world; but to one that takes right views, Nabal looked very mean. He had no honour or honesty; he was churlish, cross, and ill-humoured; evil in his doings, hard and oppressive; a man that cared not what fraud and violence he used in getting and saving. What little…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3Nabal: See 1 Samuel 25:25 to understand the irony of his name. Unlike her husband, Abigail was a sensible and wise person, as the story shows.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. he was of the house of Caleb--of course, of the same tribe with David himself; but many versions consider Caleb ("dog") not as a proper, but a common noun, and render it, "he was snappish as a dog."Read the comment
Topics related to 1 Samuel 25:3
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on 1 Samuel 25
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
Commentaries