Chapter 25:
| Darby
| Geneva
| Gill
| Jamieson Faussett Brown
| Matthew Henry
| Matthew Henry Concise
| Wesley
| Index
| Bible Gateway |
Introduction 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Ruth 2 Samuel
1 Samuel 25
Samuel's death, ver. 1. The character of Nabal, ver. 2, 3.
David's requests to him, ver. 4-9. His churlish answer, ver. 10-13.
David's purpose to destroy him told to Abigail, ver. 13-17. She
pacifies David, ver. 18-31. His answer, ver. 32-35. The death of
Nabal, ver. 36-38. David marries Abigail and Ahinoam, ver. 39-
44.
Verse 1. Lamented him - Those have hard hearts, that can bury their
faithful ministers with dry eyes, and are not sensible of the loss of
them who have prayed for them, and taught them the way of the
Lord.
Verse 2. Carmel - In some part of this wilderness Israel wandered, when
they came out of Egypt. The place would bring to mind God's
care concerning them, which David might now improve for his
own encouragement.
Verse 3. Abigail - That is, the joy of his father: yet he could not promise
himself much joy of her, when he married her to such an husband:
it seems, in inquiring, (no unfrequent thing) more after his wealth,
than after his wisdom. Caleb - This is added to aggravate his
crime, that he was a degenerate branch of that noble stock of
Caleb, and consequently of the tribe of Judah, as David was.
Verse 4. Shear sheep - Which times were celebrated with feasting.
Verse 6. Prosperity - By this expression David both congratulates
Nabal's felicity, and tacitly minds him of the distress in which he
and his men were.
Verse 7. We hurt not - This considering the licentiousness of soldiers,
and the necessities David and his men were exposed to, was no
small favour, which Nabal was bound both in justice, and
gratitude, and prudence to requite.
Verse 8. A good day - That is, in a day of feasting and rejoicing; when
men are most chearful and liberal; when thou mayst relieve us out
of thy abundance without damage to thyself; when thou art
receiving the mercies of God, and therefore obliged to pity and
relieve distressed and indigent persons.
Verse 17. Can not speak - But he flies into a passion.
Verse 18. Abigail took, &c. - This she did without his leave, because it
was a case of apparent necessity, for the preservation of herself,
and husband, and all the family from imminent ruin. And surely,
that necessity which dispenseth with God's positive commands,
might dispense with the husband's right, in this case. Bottles -
Casks or rundlets.
Verse 22. Enemies of David - That is, unto David himself. But because
it might seem ominous to curse himself, therefore instead of
David, he mentions David's enemies. But is this the voice of
David? Can he speak so unadvisedly with his lips? Has he been so
long in the school of affliction, and learned no more patience
therein? Lord, what is man? And what need have we to pray, lead
us not into temptation.
Verse 24. And said, &c. - Impute Nabal's sin to me, and if thou pleasest,
punish it in me, who here offer myself as a sacrifice to thy just
indignation. This whole speech of Abigail shews great wisdom,
by an absolute submitting to mercy, without any pretense of
justification, of what was done, (but rather with aggravation of it)
she endeavours to work upon David's generosity, to pardon it.
And there is hardly any head of argument, whence the greatest
orator might argue in this case, which she doth not manage to the
best advantage.
Verse 25. Nabal is his name - Nabal signifies a fool.
Verse 26. As Nabal - Let them be as contemptible as Nabal is, and will
be for this odious action; let them be as unable to do thee any hurt
as he is; let them be forced to yield to thee, and implore thy
pardon, as Nabal now doth by my mouth: let the vengeance thou
didst design upon Nabal and his family fall upon their heads, who,
by their inveterate malice against thee, do more deserve it than
this fool for this miscarriage; and much more than all the rest of
our family, who, as they are none of thine enemies, so they were
in way guilty of this wicked action. And therefore spare these, and
execute thy vengeance upon more proper objects.
Verse 27. Blessing - So a gift or present is called here, and elsewhere;
not only because the matter of it comes from God's blessing; but
also because it is given with a blessing, or with a good will. Unto
the young men - As being unworthy of thine acceptance or use.
Verse 28. The trespass - That is, which I have taken upon myself, and
which, if it be punished, the punishment will reach to me. Sure
house - Will give the kingdom to thee, and to thy house for ever,
as he hath promised thee. And therefore let God's kindness to
thee, make thee gentle and merciful to others; do not sully thy
approaching glory with the stain of innocent blood; but consider,
that it is the glory of a king, to profit by offenses: and that it will
be thy loss to cut off such as will shortly be thy subjects. The
battles - For the Lord, and for the people of the Lord against their
enemies; especially, the Philistines. And as this is thy proper
work, and therein thou mayest expect God's blessing; so it is not
thy work to draw thy sword in thy own private quarrel against any
of the people of the Lord; and God will not bless thee in it. Evil
hath not, &c. - Though thou hast been charged with many crimes
by Saul and others; yet thy innocency is evident to all men: do not
therefore by this cruel act, justify thine enemies reproaches, or
blemish thy great and just reputation.
Verse 29. A man - Saul though no way injured. Thy soul - To take away
thy life. Bundle of life - Or, in the bundle: that is, in the society, or
congregation of the living; out of which, men are taken, and cut
off by death. The phrase is taken from the common usage of men,
who bind those things in bundles, which they are afraid to lose.
The meaning is, God will preserve thy life; and therefore it
becomes not thee, unnecessarily to take away the lives of any;
especially of the people of thy God. With the Lord - That is, in the
custody of God, who by his watchful providence, preserves this
bundle, and all that are in it; and thee in a particular manner, as
being thy God in a particular way, and special covenant. The Jews
understand this. not only of the present life, but of that which is to
come, even the happiness of departed souls, and therefore use it
commonly, as an inscription on their grave-stones. "Here we have
laid the body, trusting the soul is bound up in the bundle of life
with the Lord." Sling out - God himself will cut them off
suddenly, violently, and irresistibly; and cast them far away; both
from his presence, and from thy neighbourhood, and from all
capacity of doing thee hurt.
Verse 31. No grief - The mind and conscience will be free from all the
torment which such an action would cause in thee. By which, she
intimates, what a blemish this would be to his glory, what a
disturbance to his peace, if he proceeded to execute his purpose:
and withal implies, how comfortable it would be to him to
remember, that he had for conscience to God, restrained his
passions. Causeless - Which she signifies would be done if he
should go on. For though Nabal had been guilty of abominable
rudeness, and ingratitude; yet he had done nothing worthy of
death, by the laws of God or of man. And whatsoever he had
done, the rest of his family were innocent. Avenged - Which is
directly contrary to God's law, Levit xix, 18 Deut. xxxii, 35. Then
- When God shall make thee king, let me find grace in thy sight.
Verse 32. The Lord - Who by his gracious providence so disposed
matters, that thou shouldst come to me: He rightly begins at the
fountain of his deliverance; and then proceeds to the instruments.
Verse 33. 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.
Verse 35. Accepted - That is, shewed my acceptance of thy person, by
my grant of thy request.
Verse 36. 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.
Verse 37. His heart died - He fainted away through the fear and horror
of so great a mischief though it was past. As one, who having in
the night galloped over a narrow plank, laid upon a broken bridge,
over a deep river; when in the morning he came to review it, was
struck dead with the horror of the danger he had been in.
Verse 38. Smote - God either inflicted some other stroke upon him, or
increased his grief and fear to such an height, as killed him.
Verse 39. Blessed, &c. - This was another instance of human infirmity
in David. David sent - But this doubtless was not done
immediately after Nabal's death, but some time after it; though
such circumstances be commonly omitted in the sacred history;
which gives only the heads, and most important passages of
things.
Chapter 25:
| Darby
| Geneva
| Gill
| Jamieson Faussett Brown
| Matthew Henry
| Matthew Henry Concise
| Wesley
| Index
| Bible Gateway |
Introduction 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Ruth 2 Samuel
This version of Wesley's Notes on the Bible is a derivative of an electronic version, Copyright 1997, by Sulu D. Kelley. All rights reserved. Used by permission. It may not be modified or used commercially without permission of Wesleyan Heritage Publishing and Sulu Kelley. A special thanks to Mr. Kelley and Wesleyan Heritage Publishing for permission to create and post this version of Wesley's Notes on the Bible.
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