1 Samuel 25:36

36 Then Abigail went to Nabal, and look, {he was holding a feast} in his house like the feast of the king. {Nabal was enjoying himself}, and he [was] very drunk, so she did not tell him a thing, {nothing at all}, until the light of morning.

1 Samuel 25:36 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 25:36

And Abigail came to Nabal
Having sped with David, and taken her leave of him, she returned home to her husband Nabal: and, behold, he held a feast in his house like the feast of a king;
both for the number of dishes on his table and of guests at it though only on the account of sheep shearing; but very probably there were others that were invited to this entertainment besides the shearers; covetous men are generally very profuse when they make feasts: and Nabal's heart [was] merry within him, for he [was] very drunken:
which was a very ill example for the master of the feast to set, and was one instance among others of his folly, and of his conduct answering to his name: wherefore she told him nothing less or more until the morning light;
where she had been, and what she had been about, the danger that he and the whole family were in through his rude and churlish behaviour towards David and his men, and how she had prevented it by a timely application to David, meeting him when in full march, and in a great passion, and with a firm resolution to destroy him and his; but finding Nabal in such a condition, bereaved of his reason, and incapable of attending to what she should say, said not one word about it till the next morning.

1 Samuel 25:36 In-Context

34 But {as Yahweh lives}, the God of Israel who has prevented me from harming you, if you had not hurried and come to meet me, surely there would not have been {one male} left alive for Nabal by the light of morning!"
35 Then David took from her hand what she had brought for him, and he said to her, "Go up to your house in peace. See, I have listened to your voice, and I have {granted your request}."
36 Then Abigail went to Nabal, and look, {he was holding a feast} in his house like the feast of the king. {Nabal was enjoying himself}, and he [was] very drunk, so she did not tell him a thing, {nothing at all}, until the light of morning.
37 {And then} in the morning when the wine had gone out of Nabal, his wife told him these words. Then his heart died {within him}, and he became like a stone.
38 {And then}, about ten days later, Yahweh struck Nabal and he died.

Footnotes 3

  • [a]. Literally "a feast [was] for him"
  • [b]. Literally "the heart of Nabal [was] good on him"
  • [c]. Literally "small or large"
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