HarperCollins Study Bible

by Harold W. Attridge

  9When David’s young men came, they said all this to Nabal in the name of David; and then they waited. 10But Nabal answered David’s servants, “Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants today who are breaking away from their masters. 11Shall I take my bread and my water and the meat that I have butchered for my shearers, and give it to men who come from I do not know where?” 12So David’s young men turned away, and came back and told him all this. 13David said to his men, “Every man strap on his sword!” And every one of them strapped on his sword; David also strapped on his sword; and about four hundred men went up after David, while two hundred remained with the baggage.

  14But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, “David sent messengers out of the wilderness to salute our master; and he shouted insults at them. 15Yet the men were very good to us, and we suffered no harm, and we never missed anything when we were in the fields, as long as we were with them; 16they were a wall to us both by night and by day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep. 17Now therefore know this and consider what you should do; for evil has been decided against our master and against all his house; he is so ill-natured that no one can speak to him.”

  18Then Abigail hurried and took two hundred loaves, two skins of wine, five sheep ready dressed, five measures of parched grain, one hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs. She loaded them on donkeys 19and said to her young men, “Go on ahead of me; I am coming after you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal. 20As she rode on the donkey and came down under cover of the mountain, David and his men came down toward her; and she met them. 21Now David had said, “Surely it was in vain that I protected all that this fellow has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that belonged to him; but he has returned me evil for good. 22God do so to Davida and more also, if by morning I leave so much as one male of all who belong to him.”

  23When Abigail saw David, she hurried and alighted from the donkey, and fell before David on her face, bowing to the ground. 24She fell at his feet and said, “Upon me alone, my lord, be the guilt; please let your servant speak in your ears, and hear the words of your servant. 25My lord, do not take seriously this ill-natured fellow, Nabal; for as his name is, so is he; Nabalb is his name, and folly is with him; but I, your servant, did not see the young men of my lord, whom you sent.

  26“Now then, my lord, as the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, since the LORD has restrained you from bloodguilt and from taking vengeance with your own hand, now let your enemies and those who seek to do evil to my lord be like Nabal. 27And now let this present that your servant has brought to my lord be given to the young men who follow my lord. 28Please forgive the trespass of your servant; for the LORD will certainly make my lord a sure house, because my lord is fighting the battles of the LORD; and evil shall not be found in you so long as you live. 29If anyone should rise up to pursue you and to seek your life, the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living under the care of the LORD your God; but the lives of your enemies he shall sling out as from the hollow of a sling. 30When the LORD has done to my lord according to all the good that he has spoken concerning you, and has appointed you prince over Israel, 31my lord shall have no cause of grief, or pangs of conscience, for having shed blood without cause or for having saved himself. And when the LORD has dealt well with my lord, then remember your servant.”

  32David said to Abigail, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who sent you to meet me today! 33Blessed be your good sense, and blessed be you, who have kept me today from bloodguilt and from avenging myself by my own hand! 34For as surely as the LORD the God of Israel lives, who has restrained me from hurting you, unless you had hurried and come to meet me, truly by morning there would not have been left to Nabal so much as one male.” 35Then David received from her hand what she had brought him; he said to her, “Go up to your house in peace; see, I have heeded your voice, and I have granted your petition.”

  36Abigail came to Nabal; he was holding a feast in his house, like the feast of a king. Nabal’s heart was merry within him, for he was very drunk; so she told him nothing at all until the morning light. 37In the morning, when the wine had gone out of Nabal, his wife told him these things, and his heart died within him; he became like a stone. 38About ten days later the LORD struck Nabal, and he died.

  39When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Blessed be the LORD who has judged the case of Nabal’s insult to me, and has kept back his servant from evil; the LORD has returned the evildoing of Nabal upon his own head.” Then David sent and wooed Abigail, to make her his wife. 40When David’s servants came to Abigail at Carmel, they said to her, “David has sent us to you to take you to him as his wife.” 41She rose and bowed down, with her face to the ground, and said, “Your servant is a slave to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.” 42Abigail got up hurriedly and rode away on a donkey; her five maids attended her. She went after the messengers of David and became his wife.

  43David also married Ahinoam of Jezreel; both of them became his wives. 44Saul had given his daughter Michal, David’s wife, to Palti son of Laish, who was from Gallim.

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  a Gk Compare Syr: Heb the enemies of David

  b That is Fool

  25.1 Samuel’s obituary prepares readers for the story of the evocation of his ghost in 28.3–25. Ramah. See notes on 1.1; 1.19. The wilderness of Paran was south of Canaan in the northeastern part of the Sinai Peninsula, too far away to fit here, and most scholars prefer to follow the Septuagint and read “wilderness of Maon” (see notes on 23.24; 25.2).

  25.2–44 When David seeks help from a prosperous Judahite and is rudely rejected, he angrily marches out to seek revenge but is prevented from incurring bloodguilt by the timely intervention of Abigail, the wife of his offender.

  25.2 The towns of Maon (see note on 23.24) and Carmel (see note on 15.12) were not far apart.

  25.3 Nabal, a Hebrew word traditionally rendered “fool” in most English Bibles. It refers to someone whose behavior violates the social norms of etiquette or law; it is a very apt name for Abigail’s churlish husband. As a Calebite he traced his ancestry to Caleb, one of the heroes of the conquest tradition (see Num 13–14). Calebite territory was the region around the city of Hebron (see Josh 14.13–15), a district that included the town where the present story takes place.

  25.7 The time of shearers, or sheepshearing, was a time of work, but also merrymaking (cf. 2 Sam 13.23–29).

  25.8 A feast day (lit. “a good day”), a general designation for a legal holiday in postbiblical times; here, however, simply an occasion of celebration, eating, and drinking—in this case, shearing time. In addressing Nabal, who is probably much older and certainly much wealthier, David refers to himself as your son, a gesture of courtesy.

  25.13 Enraged by the report of Nabal’s stingy and discourteous response to his request, David precipitately orders his men to arm themselves and march off to avenge the insult.

  25.18 Abigail, determined to prevent a confrontation that would be disastrous for both David and Nabal, assembles the provisions her husband refused to provide.

  25.22 God do so to David and more also, David’s angry oath accompanying his threat to massacre the males of Nabal’s family. The threat is never carried out, and a scribe who was concerned about the consequences of the oath changed David to the enemies of David (see text note a on 1 Samuel). One male, rendered more literally and less euphemistically in the KJV as “any that pisseth against the wall.”

  25.24 Upon me alone, my lord, be the guilt, a formulaic courtesy meaning, “Please hear me out, and if anything harmful should arise from our conversation, I shall accept responsibility for it.” Cf. the words of the woman of Tekoa in 2 Sam 14.9.

  25.25 Nabal. See note on 25.3. Abigail is saying, “Fool is his name, and folly is with him.” Cf. Isa 32.6.

  25.28–30 This part of Abigail’s speech seems to have been inserte
d secondarily as an expression of the Deuteronomistic Historian’s theme (see Introduction) of David’s sure house (see 2 Sam 7.16; 1 Kings 11.38); cf. the forecast of the sure house of the priest Zadok in 2.35.

  25.29 Bundle here is a tied document (cf. Isa 8.16), so that bundle of the living is “book of the living” (Ps 69.28), a heavenly book in which the name of every living person is recorded and exclusion from which means death (see Ex 32.32–33). In later Judeo-Christian thought the “book of life” was a record of all those people throughout history who were destined for salvation and eternal life (see Dan 12.1; Rev 3.5; 13.8; 17.8; 20.12; 21.27).

  25.30 Prince (Hebrew nagid, rendered ruler in 9.16; 10.1; 13.14). See note on 9.16.

  25.33 David acknowledges that Abigail’s intervention has prevented his incurring bloodguilt by avenging himself rather than leaving vengeance to the Lord, whose justice can be relied upon (see v. 38).

  25.35 I have granted your petition, lit. “I have lifted up your face,” also occurs in Gen 19.21 (“I grant you this favor”); Job 42.8 (“I will accept his prayer”); 42.9 (“and the LORD accepted Job’s prayer”).

  25.39 The LORD has returned…own head. Cf. 1 Kings 2.44.

  25.43–44 A catalog of miscellaneous information like 14.47–52.

  25.43 Ahinoam of Jezreel became the mother of Amnon, David’s firstborn (see 2 Sam 3.2; 1 Chr 3.1); her home was not the well-known town of Jezreel situated at the eastern end of the great valley that shares its name (see notes on 29.1; 2 Sam 2.9) but a small Judahite town of the same name near Maon, Ziph, and Carmel (see Josh 15.55–56). Because Ahinoam’s name is the same as that of Saul’s wife (see 14.50), some scholars have speculated that David married not only Saul’s daughters but also his wife (cf. 2 Sam 12.8).

  25.44 Saul’s annulment of David’s marriage to Michal was intended to thwart any claim to the throne David might make on the basis of the marriage; she will be returned to David just before he becomes king of Israel (see 2 Sam 3.13–16). Palti son of Laish, called by a longer form of his name, Paltiel, in 2 Sam 3.15; for Gallim, his hometown, see Isa 10.30.

  1 SAMUEL 26

  David Spares Saul’s Life a Second Time

  1Then the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “David is in hiding on the hill of Hachilah, which is opposite Jeshimon.”a 2So Saul rose and went down to the Wilderness of Ziph, with three thousand chosen men of Israel, to seek David in the Wilderness of Ziph. 3Saul encamped on the hill of Hachilah, which is opposite Jeshimonb beside the road. But David remained in the wilderness. When he learned that Saul had come after him into the wilderness, 4David sent out spies, and learned that Saul had indeed arrived. 5Then David set out and came to the place where Saul had encamped; and David saw the place where Saul lay, with Abner son of Ner, the commander of his army. Saul was lying within the encampment, while the army was encamped around him.

  6Then David said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Joab’s brother Abishai son of Zeruiah, “Who will go down with me into the camp to Saul?” Abishai said, “I will go down with you.” 7So David and Abishai went to the army by night; there Saul lay sleeping within the encampment, with his spear stuck in the ground at his head; and Abner and the army lay around him. 8Abishai said to David, “God has given your enemy into your hand today; now therefore let me pin him to the ground with one stroke of the spear; I will not strike him twice.” 9But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him; for who can raise his hand against the LORD’s anointed, and be guiltless?” 10David said, “As the LORD lives, the LORD will strike him down; or his day will come to die; or he will go down into battle and perish. 11The LORD forbid that I should raise my hand against the LORD’s anointed; but now take the spear that is at his head, and the water jar, and let us go.” 12So David took the spear that was at Saul’s head and the water jar, and they went away. No one saw it, or knew it, nor did anyone awake; for they were all asleep, because a deep sleep from the LORD had fallen upon them.

  13Then David went over to the other side, and stood on top of a hill far away, with a great distance between them. 14David called to the army and to Abner son of Ner, saying, “Abner! Will you not answer?” Then Abner replied, “Who are you that calls to the king?” 15David said to Abner, “Are you not a man? Who is like you in Israel? Why then have you not kept watch over your lord the king? For one of the people came in to destroy your lord the king. 16This thing that you have done is not good. As the LORD lives, you deserve to die, because you have not kept watch over your lord, the LORD’s anointed. See now, where is the king’s spear, or the water jar that was at his head?”

  17Saul recognized David’s voice, and said, “Is this your voice, my son David?” David said, “It is my voice, my lord, O king.” 18And he added, “Why does my lord pursue his servant? For what have I done? What guilt is on my hands? 19Now therefore let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If it is the LORD who has stirred you up against me, may he accept an offering; but if it is mortals, may they be cursed before the LORD, for they have driven me out today from my share in the heritage of the LORD, saying, ‘Go, serve other gods.’ 20Now therefore, do not let my blood fall to the ground, away from the presence of the LORD; for the king of Israel has come out to seek a single flea, like one who hunts a partridge in the mountains.”

  21Then Saul said, “I have done wrong; come back, my son David, for I will never harm you again, because my life was precious in your sight today; I have been a fool, and have made a great mistake.” 22David replied, “Here is the spear, O king! Let one of the young men come over and get it. 23The LORD rewards everyone for his righteousness and his faithfulness; for the LORD gave you into my hand today, but I would not raise my hand against the LORD’s anointed. 24As your life was precious today in my sight, so may my life be precious in the sight of the LORD, and may he rescue me from all tribulation.” 25Then Saul said to David, “Blessed be you, my son David! You will do many things and will succeed in them.” So David went his way, and Saul returned to his place.

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  a Or opposite the wasteland

  b Or opposite the wasteland

  26.1–25 As in ch. 24, David, while fleeing from Saul, is given an opportunity to take his pursuer’s life. Once again, he spares the king and asks for reconciliation.

  26.1 Cf. the details here to those of 23.19.

  26.5 Abner son of Ner, Saul’s uncle (see 14.50–51).

  26.6 Ahimelech the Hittite, mentioned only here. Abishai, one of the three sons of David’s sister Zeruiah (see 1 Chr 2.16); the others are Joab (see 2 Sam 2.13) and Asahel (see 2 Sam 2.18–23); all three are fiercely loyal partisans of David.

  26.9 David’s command to Abishai is more specific than an admonition not to strike or kill Saul. The verb rendered destroy implies mutilation or disfigurement; as in 24.6, David’s concern is with violence done to the sacrosanct body of the LORD ’s anointed.

  26.12 The spear and the water jar are taken as proof that David was there; cf. the corner of Saul’s cloak in 24.4. Deep sleep from the LORD (cf. Gen 2.21; 15.12; Isa 29.10) shows that David is receiving divine help.

  26.19 May he accept an offering, lit. “may he smell an offering,” as in Gen 8.21. By excluding him from the heritage of the LORD, i.e., from Israel, David’s enemies would prevent him from worshiping the God of Israel.

  26.20 A single flea. See 24.14. David’s simile comparing Saul to one who hunts partridge in the mountains is particularly fitting for two reasons; first, the partridge was hunted by relentless pursuit, and second, its Hebrew name meant “the caller” and David is in fact calling in the mountains (see v. 14).

  26.21 Once again (see 24.16–19) Saul acknowledges the justice of David’s cause.

  1 SAMUEL 27

  David Serves King Achish of Gath

  1David said in his heart, “I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul; there is nothing better for me than to escape to the land of the Philistines; then Saul will despair of seeking me any longer within
the borders of Israel, and I shall escape out of his hand.” 2So David set out and went over, he and the six hundred men who were with him, to King Achish son of Maoch of Gath. 3David stayed with Achish at Gath, he and his troops, every man with his household, and David with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel, and Abigail of Carmel, Nabal’s widow. 4When Saul was told that David had fled to Gath, he no longer sought for him.

  5Then David said to Achish, “If I have found favor in your sight, let a place be given me in one of the country towns, so that I may live there; for why should your servant live in the royal city with you?” 6So that day Achish gave him Ziklag; therefore Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day. 7The length of time that David lived in the country of the Philistines was one year and four months.

  8Now David and his men went up and made raids on the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites; for these were the landed settlements from Telama on the way to Shur and on to the land of Egypt. 9David struck the land, leaving neither man nor woman alive, but took away the sheep, the oxen, the donkeys, the camels, and the clothing, and came back to Achish. 10When Achish asked, “Against whomb have you made a raid today?” David would say, “Against the Negeb of Judah,” or “Against the Negeb of the Jerahmeelites,” or, “Against the Negeb of the Kenites.” 11David left neither man nor woman alive to be brought back to Gath, thinking, “They might tell about us, and say, ‘David has done so and so.’” Such was his practice all the time he lived in the country of the Philistines. 12Achish trusted David, thinking, “He has made himself utterly abhorrent to his people Israel; therefore he shall always be my servant.”