1 Samuel 25:3

Contextual Overview

²A man in Maon had a business in Carmel; he was a very rich man with three thousand sheep and one thousand goats and was shearing his sheep in Carmel. ² There was a man in Ma`on, whose possessions were in Karmel; and the man was very great, and he had three thousand sheep, and a thousand goats: and he was shearing his sheep in Karmel. ² And there was a man in Maon, whose possessions were in Carmel; and the man was very great, and he had three thousand sheep, and a thousand goats: and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel. ² Now there was a man in Maon, whose business was in Carmel. The man was very rich and owned three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. Now the shearing of his sheep was taking place in Carmel. ² And 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. ² A man in Maon who had land at Carmel was very rich. He had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. He was cutting the wool off his sheep at Carmel. ² There was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel. This man was very wealthy; he owned three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. At that time he was shearing his sheep in Carmel. ²Now there was a man in Maon whose business and possessions were 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 ² Now there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel; and the man was very rich, and he had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. And it came about while he was shearing his sheep in Carmel ² Now in Maon was a man, who had his possessio in Carmel, & the man was exceeding mightie & had three thousand sheepe, and a thousand goates: and he was shering his sheepe in Carmel.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

good: Proverbs 14:1, Proverbs 31:26, Proverbs 31:30, Proverbs 31:31

was churlish: 1 Samuel 25:10, 1 Samuel 25:11, 1 Samuel 25:17, Psalms 10:3, Isaiah 32:5-7

and he was: Wehoo calibbee, literally, "and he was a Calebite;" but as the word cailev signifies a dog, the Septuagint has understood it as implying a man of canine disposition, and translated it, ךבי בםטסשנןע ךץםיךןע, "and he was a doggish man." It is understood in the same way by the Syriac and Arabic.

Reciprocal: 1 Samuel 27:3 - with his two 2 Samuel 3:3 - Abigail 2 Samuel 20:16 - General Esther 1:11 - fair to look on Proverbs 11:29 - that Proverbs 30:22 - a fool

Cross-References

2 Samuel 2:9
He made him king over Gilead, Asher, Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin—over all Israel.

2 Samuel 2:9
and he made him king over Gil`ad, and over the Ashuri, and over Yizre`el, and over Efrayim, and over Binyamin, and over all Yisra'el.

2 Samuel 2:9
And made him king over Gilead, and over the Ashurites, and over Jezreel, and over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, and over all Israel.

2 Samuel 2:9
He made him king over Gilead, over the Ashurites, over Jezreel, over Ephraim, over Benjamin, and over Israel, all of it.

2 Samuel 2:9
and he made him king over Gilead and the Ashurites and Jezreel and Ephraim and Benjamin and all Israel.

2 Samuel 2:9
and made him king of Gilead, Ashuri, Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin, and all Israel.

2 Samuel 2:9
He appointed him king over Gilead, the Geshurites, Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin, and all Israel.

2 Samuel 2:9
He made him king over Gilead, over the Ashurites, over Jezreel, over Ephraim, over Benjamin, even over all Israel [except Judah].

2 Samuel 2:9
And he made him king over Gilead, over the Ashurites, over Jezreel, over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, even over all Israel.

2 Samuel 2:9
And made him King ouer Gilead, and ouer the Ashurites, and ouer Izreel, and ouer Ephraim, and ouer Beniamin, and ouer al Israel.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Now the name of the man [was] Nabal,.... Which signifies a "fool"; one would think his parents should not give him this name, though it is a name proper enough to men in common; and Kimchi thinks this was a nickname, which men gave him agreeably to his genius and conduct, and which is not improbable:

and the name of his wife Abigail; which signifies "my father's joy", he delighting in her for her wit and beauty, as follows:

and [she was] a woman of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance; she was not only of a good understanding in things natural, civil, and domestic, but in things spiritual, as her speech to David shows, and which, with her external form, completed her character, and greatly recommended her; which is the character Aelianus u gives of Aspasia, wise and fair:

but the man [was] churlish and evil in his doings; morose and ill natured in the temper and disposition of his mind, and wicked in his conversation, and fraudulent and oppressive in his dealings with men:

and he [was] of the house of Caleb; or he was a Calebite w, a descendant of that great and good man Caleb the son of Jephunneh; which was an aggravation of his wickedness, that he should be the degenerate plant of such a noble vine: some interpret it, he was as his heart, as his heart was bad, so was he; some men, their outside is better than their inside; but this man was no hypocrite, he was as bad outwardly as he was inwardly: the word "Caleb" sometimes signifies a dog; hence the Septuagint version renders it, a doggish man, a cynic; and to the same purpose are the Syriac and Arabic versions; and so some Jewish writers interpret it; but the Targum, Jarchi, and Kimchi, supply it as we do, that he was of the house or family of Caleb, and so of the tribe of Judah, as David was.

u Var. Hist. l. 12. c. 1. w כלבו "keri" כלבי "Calibita", Pagninus, Montanus; "Calebita" Tigurine version, Junius & Tremcilius, Piscator.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Samuel 25:3. The 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 — והוא כלבי vehu Chalibbi, "he was a Calebite." But as the word caleb signifies a dog, the Septuagint have understood it as implying a man of a canine disposition, and translate it thus, και ὁ ανθρωπος κυνικος, he was a doggish man. It is understood in the same way by the Syriac and Arabic.