1 Samuel 25:36
in 1 Samuel 25When Abigail returned to Nabal, there he was in the house, holding a feast fit for a king, in high spirits and very drunk. So she told him nothing until morning light.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Abigail came to Nabal; and, behold, he held a feast in his house, like the feast of a king; and Nabal’s heart was merry within him, for he was very drunken: wherefore she told him nothing, less or more, until the morning light.
KJV
And Abigail came to Nabal; and, behold, he held a feast in his house, like the feast of a king; and Nabal’s heart was merry within him, for he was very drunken: wherefore she told him nothing, less or more, until the morning light.
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This verse in 1 Samuel 25
Commentary
8 notes on this verseA commentator
Gregory the DialogistThe Book of Pastoral Rule, Part 3, Chapter 16 · Written before 604.
But to a mind that is drunk with fury every right thing that is said appears wrong. Whence to Nabal when he was drunk Abigail laudably kept silence about his fault, but, when he had digested his wine, as laudably told him of it. For he could for this reason perceive the evil he had done, that he did not hear of it when drunk.
This site's exposition
like the feast of a king
on 1 Samuel 25:36-38
Abigail returns to find Nabal holding a feast fit for a king, merry and very drunk, and she tells him nothing of what she had done until morning, waiting until he is capable of hearing it. When the wine is gone out of him and she tells him, his heart died within him, and he became as a stone, and Albert Barnes reads the description as a stroke brought on by the shock, from which he lay senseless ten days before the Lord struck him and he died. John Wesley notes that an oath sworn to commit sin is annulled by not performing it rather than kept by performing it, so it is Abigail's gift that answers David's oath, not the Lord's later stroke on Nabal, which comes after the danger has already passed.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
Moreover, Abigail came to Nabal, and behold, there was a feast in his house. After showing the Lord the affection of her devotion, the Synagogue of believers came to see the life and mind of the unbelievers, in case she might be able to call …
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
Abigail came home, and, it should seem, he had so many people and so much plenty about him that he neither missed her nor the provisions she took to David; but she found him in the midst of his jollity, little thinking how near he was to ruin by one whom he had foolishly made his enemy. Sinners are often most secure when they are most in danger and destruction is at the door.
From coming, &c. - Which I had sworn to do. Hereby it plainly appears, that oaths whereby men bind themselves to any sin, are null and void: and as it was a sin to make them; so it is adding sin to sin to perform them.
A feast - As the manner was upon those solemn occasions. Sordid covetousness, and vain prodigality were met together in him. Told nothing - As he was then incapable of admonition, his reason and conscience being both asleep.
And Abigail came to Nabal,....
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
he held a feast in his house, like the feast of a king--The sheep-shearing season was always a very joyous occasion. Masters usually entertained their shepherds; and even Nabal, though of a most niggardly disposition, prepared festivities on a scale of sumptuous liberality.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
The words behind it
27 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַתָּבֹ֣א | vatavo' | and she went | H935 → | 2568 times |
| אֲבִיגַ֣יִל׀ | ʾavigayil | Abigail | H26 → | 17 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| נָבָ֡ל | naval | Nabal | H5037 → | 22 times |
| וְהִנֵּה־ | vehineh- | and there! | H2009 → | 843 times |
| לוֹ֩ | lo | [belonged] to <the> him | ||
| מִשְׁתֶּ֨ה | mishteh | a feast | H4960 → | |
| בְּבֵית֜וֹ | beveito | in house his | H1004 → | 2046 times |
| כְּמִשְׁתֵּ֣ה | kemishteh | like [the] feast of | H4960 → | |
| הַמֶּ֗לֶךְ | hamelekh | <the> king | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| וְלֵ֤ב | velev | and [the] heart of | H3820 → | 595 times |
| נָבָל֙ | naval | Nabal | H5037 → | 22 times |
| ט֣וֹב | tov | it was good | H2895 → | |
| עָלָ֔יו | ʾalav | on him | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| וְה֥וּא | vehu' | and he | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| שִׁכֹּ֖ר | shikor | [was] drunk | H7910 → | |
| עַד־ | ʾad- | up to | H5704 → | 1261 times |
| מְאֹ֑ד | meod | muchness | H3966 → | 300 times |
| וְלֹֽא־ | velo'- | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| הִגִּ֣ידָה | higidah | she told | H5046 → | 370 times |
| לּ֗וֹ | lo | to <the> him | ||
| דָּבָ֥ר | davar | anything | H1697 → | 1440 times |
| קָטֹ֛ן | katon | small | H6996 → | 101 times |
| וְגָד֖וֹל | vegadol | and great | H1419 → | 526 times |
| עַד־ | ʾad- | until | H5704 → | 1261 times |
| א֥וֹר | ʾor | [the] light of | H216 → | 121 times |
| הַבֹּֽקֶר׃ | haboker | the morning | H1242 → | 214 times |
וַתָּבֹ֣אand she went
vatavo'H935 →2568 times
אֲבִיגַ֣יִל׀Abigail
ʾavigayilH26 →17 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
נָבָ֡לNabal
navalH5037 →22 times
וְהִנֵּה־and there!
vehineh-H2009 →843 times
לוֹ֩[belonged] to <the> him
lo
מִשְׁתֶּ֨הa feast
mishtehH4960 →
בְּבֵית֜וֹin house his
beveitoH1004 →2046 times
כְּמִשְׁתֵּ֣הlike [the] feast of
kemishtehH4960 →
הַמֶּ֗לֶךְ<the> king
hamelekhH4428 →2525 times
וְלֵ֤בand [the] heart of
velevH3820 →595 times
נָבָל֙Nabal
navalH5037 →22 times
ט֣וֹבit was good
tovH2895 →
עָלָ֔יוon him
ʾalavH5921 →5755 times
וְה֥וּאand he
vehu'H1931 →1879 times
שִׁכֹּ֖ר[was] drunk
shikorH7910 →
עַד־up to
ʾad-H5704 →1261 times
מְאֹ֑דmuchness
meodH3966 →300 times
וְלֹֽא־and not
velo'-H3808 →5168 times
הִגִּ֣ידָהshe told
higidahH5046 →370 times
לּ֗וֹto <the> him
lo
דָּבָ֥רanything
davarH1697 →1440 times
קָטֹ֛ןsmall
katonH6996 →101 times
וְגָד֖וֹלand great
vegadolH1419 →526 times
עַד־until
ʾad-H5704 →1261 times
א֥וֹר[the] light of
ʾorH216 →121 times
הַבֹּֽקֶר׃the morning
habokerH1242 →214 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Proverbs 20:1Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by them is not wise.
it leads to
- Ephesians 5:18
Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to reckless indiscretion. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.
- Hosea 4:11
Promiscuity, wine, and new wine take away understanding.
- Isaiah 28:7
These also stagger from wine and stumble from strong drink: Priests and prophets reel from strong drink and are befuddled by wine. They stumble because of strong drink, muddled in their visions and stumbling…
- Proverbs 31:4
It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, or for rulers to crave strong drink,
- 1 Corinthians 6:10
nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.
- Ephesians 5:18
Through
2 Samuel 13:28Now Absalom had ordered his young men, “Watch Amnon until his heart is merry with wine, and when I order you to strike Amnon down, you are to kill him. Do not be afraid.…
it leads to
- Judges 19:6
So they sat down and the two of them ate and drank together. Then the girl’s father said to the man, “Please agree to stay overnight and let your heart be merry.”
- Judges 19:9
When the man got up to depart with his concubine and his servant, his father-in-law, the girl’s father, said to him, “Look, the day is drawing to a close. Please spend the night. See,…
- Judges 19:6
Through
1 Samuel 25:19and said to her young men, “Go ahead of me. I will be right behind you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal.
it leads to
- Genesis 32:20
You are also to say, ‘Look, your servant Jacob is right behind us.’” For he thought, “I will appease Esau with the gift that is going before me. After that I can face him,…
- Genesis 32:20
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About 1 Samuel
Who and where
2 names in this verse with a page on the site.
- PersonEarly monarchyNabalThe wealthy fool of Carmel — "as his name is, so is he" — who repaid David's protection with insult; his heart died within him whe…
- PersonEarly monarchyAbigailNabal's wife, a woman of good understanding whose swift intercession kept David from avenging himself with his own hand — and who…
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Bede, Commentary on Samuel; Gregory the Dialogist, The Book of Pastoral Rule, Part 3, Chapter 16; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.