1 Samuel 25:2

2 Now there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel, and the man was very rich. He had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. And he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.

1 Samuel 25:2 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 25:2

And [there was] a man in Maon
A city of the tribe of Judah, from whence the wilderness had its name before mentioned; of which place, see ( Joshua 15:55 ) ; though Ben Gersom takes it to signify a dwelling place; and that this is observed to show, that he did not dwell in a city, but had his habitation where his business lay, which was in Carmel, where his fields, gardens, and vineyards were: wherefore it follows,

whose possessions [were] in Carmel;
not Carmel in the tribe of Issachar, but in the tribe of Judah, not far from Maon, and are mentioned together, (See Gill on Joshua 15:55); his cattle were there, his sheep particularly, for they are afterwards said to be shorn there; or "his work" ^F18; his agriculture, his farming, where he was employed, or employed others in sowing seed, and planting trees:

and the man [was] very great;
in worldly substance, though not in natural wisdom and knowledge, and especially in true religion and piety:

and he had three thousand sheep, and a thousand goats;
so the substance of men in those times was generally described by the cattle they had, whether of the herd or flock, in which it chiefly lay:

and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel;
which was the custom in Judea and Syria, and was a very ancient one, as early as the times of Judah, yea, of Laban, see ( Genesis 31:19 ) ( Genesis 38:12 Genesis 38:13 ) ; though the old Romans used to pluck off the wool from the sheep's backs; hence a fleece of wool was called "vellus [a] vellendo", from the plucking it off; and Pliny says {s}, in his time, that sheep were not shorn everywhere, but in some places the custom of plucking off the wool continued; and who elsewhere observes ^F20, that the time of shearing was in June or July, or thereabouts; at which times a feast was made, and it is for the sake of that this is observed.

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FOOTNOTES:

F18 (whvem) "opus ejus", Montanus, Vatablus; "eujus opus", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.
F19 Nat. Hist. l. 8. c. 48.
F20 Ibid. l. 18. c. 27.

1 Samuel 25:2 In-Context

1 Then Samuel died; and the Israelites gathered together and lamented for him, and buried him at his home in Ramah. And David arose and went down to the Wilderness of Paran.

2 Now there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel, and the man was very rich. He had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. And he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.

3 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. And he was of the house of Caleb.

4 When David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep,

5 David sent ten young men; and David said to the young men, "Go up to Carmel, go to Nabal, and greet him in my name.