1 Samuel 25:18

_THEN ABIGAIL MADE HASTE, AND TOOK TWO HUNDRED LOAVES, AND TWO BOTTLES OF WINE, AND FIVE SHEEP READY DRESSED, AND FIVE MEASURES OF PARCHED CORN, AND AN HUNDRED CLUSTERS OF RAISINS, AND TWO HUNDRED CAKES OF FIGS, AND LAID THEM ON ASSES._ Then Abigail made haste. The prudence and address of his wife was the means of saving himself and family from utter destruction. She acknowledged the demand of her formidable neighbours; but, justly considering that to atone for the insolence of her husband, a greater degree of liberality had become necessary, she collected a large amount of food, accompanying it with the most valued products of the country. BOTTLES - goat-skins, capable of holding a great quantity. PARCHED CORN, х_ QAALIY_ (H7039)]. It was customary to eat parched grain when it was fully grown, but not ripe (see the note at...

18-31 By a present Abigail atoned for Nabal's denial of David's request. Her behaviour was very submissive. Yielding pacifies great offences. She puts herself in the place of a penitent, and of a petitioner. She could not excuse her husband's conduct. She depends not upon her own reasonings, but on God's grace, to soften David, and expects that grace would work powerfully. She says that it was below him to take vengeance on so weak and despicable an enemy as Nabal, who, as he would do him no kindness, so he could do him no hurt. She foretells the glorious end of David's present troubles. God will preserve thy life; therefore it becomes not thee unjustly and unnecessarily to take away the lives of any, especially of the people of thy God and Saviour. Abigail keeps this argument for the last, as very powerful with so good a man; that the less he indulged his passion, the more he consulted...

Verse 1 Samuel 25:18. _TOOK TWO HUNDRED LOAVES_] The Eastern bread is ordinarily both _thin_ and _small_; and answers to our _cakes_. _TWO BOTTLES OF WINE_] That is, two goat-skins full. The hide is pulled off the animal without _ripping up_; the places where the legs, c., were are sewed up, and then the skin appears one _large_ _bag_. This is properly the Scripture and Eastern _bottle_. There is one such before me. _FIVE SHEEP_] Not one sheep to one hundred men. _CLUSTERS OF RAISINS_] Raisins dried in the sun. _CAKES OF FIGS_] Figs cured, and then pressed together. We receive the former in jars, and the latter in small _barrels_ and both articles answer the description here given. Now all this provision was a ma

TWO BOTTLES - Rather, “two skins,” each of which would contain many gallons. These leather vessels varied in size according to the skin they were made of, and the use they were to be put to. The smaller and more portable kind, which may not improperly be called bottles, were made of the skin of a kid: larger ones of the skin of a he-goat. The Arabs invariably to this day carry their milk, water, etc., in such leather vessels. One skin of wine was a handsome present from Ziba, sufficient for David’s household 2 Samuel 16:1. The provisions were all ready to Abigail’s hand, having been provided for the sheep-shearing feast....

EXPOSITION DEATH OF SAMUEL (1 Samuel 25:1). 1 SAMUEL 25:1 AND SAMUEL DIED. According to Josephus, Samuel had for eighteen years been contemporaneous with Saul's kingdom. If this calculation, which probably rests upon some Jewish tradition, be at all correct, we must include the years of Samuel's judgeship in the sum total of Saul's reign (see on 1 Samuel 13:1), as evidently his fall was now fast approaching. Samuel's life marked the beginning of the second age of Israelite history (Acts 3:24). Moses had given the people their law, but

THEN ABIGAIL MADE HASTE,.... As the case required, her family being in imminent danger: AND TOOK TWO HUNDRED LOAVES; of bread; of what size or weight they were is not said; though it may be reasonably concluded they were pretty large, since they are not called cakes, but loaves, and since they were to be a present to David and his men, who were numerous: AND TWO BOTTLES OF WINE; not such as ours are, which would have borne no proportion to the rest of the provision; but these were leathern bags which held a large quantity, in which they put and carried wine in those times and countries; the Septuagint version is, two vessels or casks of wine: AND FIVE SHEEP READY DRESSED; killed and dressed by the butcher, or made ready by the cook, boiled or roasted; the word which the Targum uses, according to the interpretation of Jarchi, from one of their Rabbins, signifies such as were stuffed wi...

CHAPTER 25 _ 1. The death of Samuel (1 Samuel 25:1)_ 2. Nabal and his refusal (1 Samuel 25:2) 3. Abigail's deed and her prayer (1 Samuel 25:14) 4. David's answer to Abigail (1 Samuel 25:32) 5. Nabal's death (1 Samuel 25:36) 6. Abigail becomes David's wife (1 Samuel 25:39) After the death of Samuel, briefly mentioned in the beginning of this chapter, David went still further south into the wil

1 SAMUEL 25:1 A. (TO RAMAH). DEATH AND BURIAL OF SAMUEL. (An editorial addition.) 1 SAMUEL 25:1. IN HIS HOUSE: in the grounds belonging to it. 1 SAMUEL 25:1 B - 1 SAMUEL 25:44. DAVID, NABAL AND ABIGAIL (J). From one of the oldest sources. The story is complete in itself, and has no obvious connexion with any of the other sections. 1 SAMUEL 25:1 B - 1 SAMUEL 25:13. David goes to the wilderness of Paran at the S. of the Araba

AND. Note the Figure of speech _Polysyndeton_ (App-6), emphasising Abigail's thought and care, as well as rapidity. measures. See App-51....

Abigail's wise counsel 14. _to salute_ Lit. _to bless_, as in ch. 1 Samuel 13:10. Cp. 2 Kings 4:29, and the form of salutation in 1 Samuel 15:13. _he railed on them_ Lit. FLEW UPON THEM; the same word as in 1 Samuel 14:32....