撒母耳記上 25:2

2 在 瑪 雲 有 一 個 人 ， 他 的 產 業 在 迦 密 ， 是 一 個 大 富 戶 ， 有 三 千 綿 羊 ， 一 千 山 羊 ； 他 正 在 迦 密 剪 羊 毛 。

撒母耳記上 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.

撒母耳記上 25:2 In-Context

1 撒 母 耳 死 了 ， 以 色 列 眾 人 聚 集 ， 為 他 哀 哭 ， 將 他 葬 在 拉 瑪 ─ 他 自 己 的 墳 墓 （ 原 文 是 房 屋 ） 裡 。 大 衛 起 身 ， 下 到 巴 蘭 的 曠 野 。

2 在 瑪 雲 有 一 個 人 ， 他 的 產 業 在 迦 密 ， 是 一 個 大 富 戶 ， 有 三 千 綿 羊 ， 一 千 山 羊 ； 他 正 在 迦 密 剪 羊 毛 。

3 那 人 名 叫 拿 八 ， 是 迦 勒 族 的 人 ； 他 的 妻 名 叫 亞 比 該 ， 是 聰 明 俊 美 的 婦 人 。 拿 八 為 人 剛 愎 凶 惡 。

4 大 衛 在 曠 野 聽 見 說 拿 八 剪 羊 毛 ，

5 大 衛 就 打 發 十 個 僕 人 ， 吩 咐 他 們 說 ： 你 們 上 迦 密 去 見 拿 八 ， 提 我 的 名 問 他 安 。