John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 7. And now I have heard that thou hast shearers , etc.] Men employed in shearing his sheep, which was a time of feasting and gladness, and therefore David sent his young men to him at this time with his compliments upon it; and in order to obtain what he intended by this message to him, he observes the favours he and his men had done to his servants, and the advantages which they had received from them: now thy shepherds which were with us ; feeding their sheep near the wilderness of Paran, which was not far from Carmel and Maon: we hurt them not ; by taking any of their sheep and lambs from them, or by abusing, beating them, or giving them ill language; or “did not put them to shame” f498 , by denying them anything they asked of them, which was in their power to grant, nor mocked and scoffed at them, and jeered them on account of their occupation: neither was there ought missing unto them ; they did not steal a sheep or lamb from them, as was common for soldiers to do; nor did they suffer any of the Arabs, that dwelt in the wilderness of Paran, to rob them, who lived upon plunder, or any of the wild beasts to hurt them, as much as in them lay; so careful were they of them, and were a wall unto them by night and day, as Nabal’s servants owned, ( 1 Samuel 25:16); and this was the case, all the while they were in Carmel ; or in the fields, ( 1 Samuel 25:15); which were joining to the wilderness of Paran.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 2-11 - We should not have heard of Nabal, if nothing had passed between his and David. Observe his name, Nabal, "A fool;" so it signifies. Riche make men look great in the eye of the world; but to one that take right views, Nabal looked very mean. He had no honour or honesty; he was churlish, cross, and ill-humoured; evil in his doings, hard an oppressive; a man that cared not what fraud and violence he used it getting and saving. What little reason have we to value the wealth of this world, when so great a churl as Nabal abounds, and so good a ma as David suffers want!, David pleaded the kindness Nabal's shepherd had received. Considering that David's men were in distress and debt and discontented, and the scarcity of provisions, it was by goo management that they were kept from plundering. Nabal went into passion, as covetous men are apt to do, when asked for any thing thinking thus to cover one sin with another; and, by abusing the poor to excuse themselves from relieving them. But God will not thus be mocked. Let this help us to bear reproaches and misrepresentations with patience and cheerfulness, and make us easy under them; it has ofte been the lot of the excellent ones of the earth. Nabal insists much of the property he had in the provisions of his table. May he not do what he will with his own? We mistake, if we think we are absolute lords of what we have, and may do what we please with it. No; we are but stewards, and must use it as we are directed, remembering it is not ou own, but His who intrusted us with it.
Original Hebrew ועתה6258 שׁמעתי8085 כי3588 גזזים1494 לך עתה6258 הרעים7462 אשׁר834 לך היו1961 עמנו5973 לא3808 הכלמנום3637 ולא3808 נפקד6485 להם מאומה3972 כל3605 ימי3117 היותם1961 בכרמל׃3760
