Nabal
나발
Named at 1 Samuel 25:2–3 as a man in Maon whose possessions were in Carmel: “the man was very great. He had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats; and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel. Now the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail. This woman was intelligent and had a beautiful face; but the man was surly and evil in his doings. He was of the house of Caleb.” The Korean Revised Version reads 그는 갈멜 족속이었더라 at 25:3, naming Carmel where WEB names Caleb. At 25:10–11 he answers David’s servants, “Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse?” At 25:25 Abigail says, “Nabal is his name, and folly is with him.” At 25:36–38 he holds a feast in his house like the feast of a king and is very drunk; in the morning his wife tells him these things, and his heart dies within him, and he becomes as a stone; about ten days later the LORD strikes Nabal, so that he dies. At 27:3 his wife is called “Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal’s wife”.
Direct relationships 4
Open in the full graphCollected relationship evidence
Source-backed narrative relations; not independent historical verification. Legacy dates and coordinates are outside this review.
Collection & rightsSource evidence (12)
AI-assisted comparison with the cited narrative; not independent historical verification.
- 1SA 25:2–3, engwebp
2There was a man in Maon whose possessions were in Carmel; and the man was very great. He had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats; and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.
3Now the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail. This woman was intelligent and had a beautiful face; but the man was surly and evil in his doings. He was of the house of Caleb.
- 1SA 25:4–13, engwebp
4David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep.
5David sent ten young men; and David said to the young men, “Go up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and greet him in my name.
6Tell him, ‘Long life to you! Peace be to you! Peace be to your house! Peace be to all that you have!
7Now I have heard that you have shearers. Your shepherds have now been with us, and we didn’t harm them. Nothing was missing from them all the time they were in Carmel.
8Ask your young men, and they will tell you. Therefore let the young men find favor in your eyes, for we come on a good day. Please give whatever comes to your hand to your servants and to your son David.’”
9When David’s young men came, they spoke to Nabal all those words in the name of David, and waited.
10Nabal answered David’s servants and said, “Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants who break away from their masters these days.
11Shall I then take my bread, my water, and my meat that I have killed for my shearers, and give it to men who I don’t know where they come from?”
12So David’s young men turned on their way and went back, and came and told him all these words.
13David said to his men, “Every man put on his sword!” Every man put on his sword. David also put on his sword. About four hundred men followed David, and two hundred stayed by the baggage.
- 1SA 25:14–17, engwebp
14But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, saying, “Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to greet our master; and he insulted them.
15But the men were very good to us, and we were not harmed, and we didn’t miss anything as long as we went with them, when we were in the fields.
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 and consider what you will do; for evil is determined against our master and against all his house, for he is such a worthless fellow that one can’t speak to him.”
- 1SA 25:18–22, engwebp
18Then Abigail hurried and took two hundred loaves of bread, two containers of wine, five sheep ready dressed, five seahs of parched grain, one hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on donkeys.
19She said to her young men, “Go on before me. Behold, I am coming after you.” But she didn’t tell her husband, Nabal.
20As she rode on her donkey, and came down hidden by the mountain, behold, David and his men came down toward her, and she met them.
21Now David had said, “Surely in vain I have kept all that this fellow has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that pertained to him. He has returned me evil for good.
22God do so to the enemies of David, and more also, if I leave of all that belongs to him by the morning light so much as one who urinates on a wall.”
- 1SA 25:23–31, engwebp
23When Abigail saw David, she hurried and got off her donkey, and fell before David on her face and bowed herself to the ground.
24She fell at his feet and said, “On me, my lord, on me be the blame! Please let your servant speak in your ears. Hear the words of your servant.
25Please don’t let my lord pay attention to this worthless fellow, Nabal, for as his name is, so is he. Nabal is his name, and folly is with him; but I, your servant, didn’t see my lord’s young men whom you sent.
26Now therefore, my lord, as the LORD lives and as your soul lives, since the LORD has withheld you from blood guiltiness and from avenging yourself with your own hand, now therefore let your enemies and those who seek evil to my lord be as Nabal.
27Now this present which your servant has brought to my lord, let it 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 fights the LORD’s battles. Evil will not be found in you all your days.
29Though men may rise up to pursue you and to seek your soul, yet the soul of my lord will be bound in the bundle of life with the LORD your God. He will sling out the souls of your enemies as from a sling’s pocket.
30It will come to pass, when 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,
31that this shall be no grief to you, nor offense of heart to my lord, either that you have shed blood without cause, or that my lord has avenged himself. When the LORD has dealt well with my lord, then remember your servant.”
- 1SA 25:32–35, engwebp
32David said to Abigail, “Blessed is the LORD, the God of Israel, who sent you today to meet me!
33Blessed is your discretion, and blessed are you, who have kept me today from blood guiltiness, and from avenging myself with my own hand.
34For indeed, as the LORD the God of Israel lives, who has withheld me from harming you, unless you had hurried and come to meet me, surely there wouldn’t have been left to Nabal by the morning light so much as one who urinates on a wall.”
35So David received from her hand that which she had brought him. Then he said to her, “Go up in peace to your house. Behold, I have listened to your voice and have granted your request.”
- 1SA 25:36–38, engwebp
36Abigail came to Nabal; and behold, he held a feast in his house like the feast of a king. Nabal’s heart was merry within him, for he was very drunk. Therefore she told him nothing 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, and he became as a stone.
38About ten days later, the LORD struck Nabal, so that he died.
- 1SA 25:39–42, engwebp
39When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Blessed is the LORD, who has pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and has kept back his servant from evil. The LORD has returned the evildoing of Nabal on his own head.” David sent and spoke concerning Abigail, to take her to himself as wife.
40When David’s servants had come to Abigail to Carmel, they spoke to her, saying, “David has sent us to you, to take you to him as wife.”
41She arose and bowed herself with her face to the earth, and said, “Behold, your servant is a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.”
42Abigail hurriedly arose and rode on a donkey with her five maids who followed her; and she went after the messengers of David, and became his wife.
- 1SA 27:1–4, engwebp
1David said in his heart, “I will now perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul will despair of me, to seek me any more in all the borders of Israel. So I will escape out of his hand.”
2David arose and passed over, he and the six hundred men who were with him, to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath.
3David lived with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with his household, even David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal’s wife.
4Saul was told that David had fled to Gath, so he stopped looking for him.
- 1SA 30:1–6, engwebp
1When David and his men had come to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had made a raid on the South and on Ziklag, and had struck Ziklag and burned it with fire,
2and had taken captive the women and all who were in it, both small and great. They didn’t kill any, but carried them off and went their way.
3When David and his men came to the city, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, their sons, and their daughters were taken captive.
4Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voice and wept until they had no more power to weep.
5David’s two wives were taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.
6David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the souls of all the people were grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters; but David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.
- 2SA 2:1–4, engwebp
1After this, David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah?” The LORD said to him, “Go up.” David said, “Where shall I go up?” He said, “To Hebron.”
2So David went up there with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.
3David brought up his men who were with him, every man with his household. They lived in the cities of Hebron.
4The men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. They told David, “The men of Jabesh Gilead were those who buried Saul.”
- 2SA 3:2–5, engwebp
2Sons were born to David in Hebron. His firstborn was Amnon, of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess;
3and his second, Chileab, of Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite; and the third, Absalom the son of Maacah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur;
4and the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; and the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital;
5and the sixth, Ithream, of Eglah, David’s wife. These were born to David in Hebron.
AI-assisted, human review pending, 2026-09-26
Machine comparison on 2026-10-07: the wording raised none of the 3 rules against the passages this entry cites. No person has read it.
Unresolved interpretation: The word at 1 Samuel 25:3 that the Korean Revised Version reads as Carmel and WEB as Caleb
- At 25:3 the Korean Revised Version reads 그 사람의 이름은 나발이요 그 아내의 이름은 아비가일이라 그 여자는 총명하고 용모가 아름다우나 남자는 완고하고 행사가 악하며 그는 갈멜 족속이었더라, calling Nabal one of 갈멜 족속, which names Carmel. 25:2 says in both editions that his possessions were in Carmel and that he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.
Source evidence (1)
AI-assisted comparison with the cited narrative; not independent historical verification.
- 1SA 25:2–3, engwebp
2There was a man in Maon whose possessions were in Carmel; and the man was very great. He had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats; and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.
3Now the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail. This woman was intelligent and had a beautiful face; but the man was surly and evil in his doings. He was of the house of Caleb.
- 1SA 25:2–3, engwebp
- WEB reads at 25:3, “Now the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail. This woman was intelligent and had a beautiful face; but the man was surly and evil in his doings. He was of the house of Caleb.”, which names Caleb.
Source evidence (1)
AI-assisted comparison with the cited narrative; not independent historical verification.
- 1SA 25:2–3, engwebp
2There was a man in Maon whose possessions were in Carmel; and the man was very great. He had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats; and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.
3Now the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail. This woman was intelligent and had a beautiful face; but the man was surly and evil in his doings. He was of the house of Caleb.
- 1SA 25:2–3, engwebp
- 1 Samuel 30:13–14 has the young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite, say to David, “We made a raid on the South of the Cherethites, and on that which belongs to Judah, and on the South of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire.” Where WEB reads “the South of Caleb”, the Korean Revised Version reads 갈멜 남방, the South of Carmel.
Source evidence (1)
AI-assisted comparison with the cited narrative; not independent historical verification.
- 1SA 30:11–16, engwebp
11They found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he ate; and they gave him water to drink.
12They gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. When he had eaten, his spirit came again to him; for he had eaten no bread, and drank no water for three days and three nights.
13David asked him, “To whom do you belong? Where are you from?” He said, “I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; and my master left me, because three days ago I got sick.
14We made a raid on the South of the Cherethites, and on that which belongs to Judah, and on the South of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire.”
15David said to him, “Will you bring me down to this troop?” He said, “Swear to me by God that you will not kill me and not deliver me up into the hands of my master, and I will bring you down to this troop.”
16When he had brought him down, behold, they were spread around over all the ground, eating, drinking, and dancing, because of all the great plunder that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah.
- 1SA 30:11–16, engwebp
At 1 Samuel 25:3 the Korean Revised Version calls Nabal one of 갈멜 족속 and WEB says, “He was of the house of Caleb”; at 30:14 the Korean Revised Version has 갈멜 남방 where WEB has “the South of Caleb”. In both verses the two editions give one word different names. Both editions say at 25:2 that Nabal’s possessions were in Carmel. By these words of 25:3 and 30:14 this collection gives evidence neither to Carmel nor to Caleb, and does not decide which reading is right.
All 4 relationships: AI-assisted, human review pending
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Nabal — Spouse of — Abigail (wife of Nabal)
Evidence: 1 Samuel 25:2–3, 1 Samuel 25:14–17, 1 Samuel 25:18–22, 1 Samuel 25:36–38, 1 Samuel 27:1–4, 2 Samuel 2:1–4
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Took part in (3) — Nabal of Maon shears his sheep in Carmel, Nabal answers David’s young men, and about four hundred men follow David, Nabal, who held a feast like the feast of a king, dies about ten days later
A relationship with an event rests on the passages the event cites: each event’s page has them.
Verses tagged with this entry
Names in the World English Bible text that carry this entry’s tag. They are carried over from the tags on the Korean Revised Version, which are matched by name inside chapters that already have collected evidence, and a verse where the English says “he” carries none. All await human review. They are a separate list from the source passages above. An empty list does not mean the entry is absent from the text.
Now the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail. This woman was intelligent and had a beautiful face; but the man was surly and evil in his doings. He was of the house of Caleb.
David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep.
David sent ten young men; and David said to the young men, “Go up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and greet him in my name.
When David’s young men came, they spoke to Nabal all those words in the name of David, and waited.
Nabal answered David’s servants and said, “Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants who break away from their masters these days.
But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, saying, “Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to greet our master; and he insulted them.
She said to her young men, “Go on before me. Behold, I am coming after you.” But she didn’t tell her husband, Nabal.
Please don’t let my lord pay attention to this worthless fellow, Nabal, for as his name is, so is he. Nabal is his name, and folly is with him; but I, your servant, didn’t see my lord’s young men whom you sent.
Now therefore, my lord, as the LORD lives and as your soul lives, since the LORD has withheld you from blood guiltiness and from avenging yourself with your own hand, now therefore let your enemies and those who seek evil to my lord be as Nabal.
For indeed, as the LORD the God of Israel lives, who has withheld me from harming you, unless you had hurried and come to meet me, surely there wouldn’t have been left to Nabal by the morning light so much as one who urinates on a wall.”
Abigail came to Nabal; and behold, he held a feast in his house like the feast of a king. Nabal’s heart was merry within him, for he was very drunk. Therefore she told him nothing until the morning light.
In the morning, when the wine had gone out of Nabal, his wife told him these things; and his heart died within him, and he became as a stone.
About ten days later, the LORD struck Nabal, so that he died.
When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Blessed is the LORD, who has pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and has kept back his servant from evil. The LORD has returned the evildoing of Nabal on his own head.” David sent and spoke concerning Abigail, to take her to himself as wife.
David lived with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with his household, even David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal’s wife.
David’s two wives were taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.
So David went up there with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.
and his second, Chileab, of Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite; and the third, Absalom the son of Maacah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur;
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[Bibliadatum entry report]
Entry: Nabal (person-nabal)
Address: https://bibliadatum.org/en/wiki/person/nabal
Current wording: Named at 1 Samuel 25:2–3 as a man in Maon whose possessions were in Carmel: “the man was very great. He had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats; and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel. Now the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail. This woman was intelligent and had a beautiful face; but the man was surly and evil in his doings. He was of the house of Caleb.” The Korean Revised Version reads 그는 갈멜 족속이었더라 at 25:3, naming Carmel where WEB names Caleb. At 25:10–11 he answers David’s servants, “Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse?” At 25:25 Abigail says, “Nabal is his name, and folly is with him.” At 25:36–38 he holds a feast in his house like the feast of a king and is very drunk; in the morning his wife tells him these things, and his heart dies within him, and he becomes as a stone; about ten days later the LORD strikes Nabal, so that he dies. At 27:3 his wife is called “Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal’s wife”.
Cited evidence: 1SA 25:2–3, engwebp / 1SA 25:4–13, engwebp / 1SA 25:14–17, engwebp / 1SA 25:18–22, engwebp / 1SA 25:23–31, engwebp / 1SA 25:32–35, engwebp / 1SA 25:36–38, engwebp / 1SA 25:39–42, engwebp (and 4 more of 12)
Review state: ai-assisted / human-review-pending
What looks wrong:
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This collection records what the text says and does not settle interpretation. A report about a reading that divides opinion may be registered as an unresolved issue rather than corrected.