Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible
1 Samuel 25:6-38
Abigail Informs Nabal of What Has Happened and Nabal Has A Heart Attack And Dies (1 Samuel 25:6 b).
On receiving news from Abigail about how close they had come to disaster Nabal had a stroke and died, causing David, when he heard of it, to thank YHWH for taking up his cause while keeping him from evil.
Analysis.
a 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 drunk, for which reason she told him nothing, less or more, until the morning light (1 Samuel 25:36).
b And it came about in the morning, that when the wine was gone out of Nabal, his wife told him these things, and his heart died within him, and he became as a stone (1 Samuel 25:37).
c And it came about approximately ten days after, that YHWH smote Nabal, so that he died (1 Samuel 25:38).
b And when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Blessed be YHWH, who has pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and has kept back his servant from evil” (1 Samuel 25:39 a).
a “And the evildoing of Nabal has YHWH returned on his own head” (1 Samuel 25:39 b).
Note that in ‘a' Nabal, having refused David and his men any provision, indulges himself to excess, and in the parallel his evil is said by David to have been returned by YHWH onto his own head. In ‘b' Nabal had a stroke which is described as his heart dying within him, and in the parallel David learns that Nabal is dead and he blesses YHWH for Himself judging Nabal and preventing David from evil behaviour. Centrally in ‘c' Nabal died.
‘ 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 drunk, for which reason she told him nothing, less or more, until the morning light.'
On returning home Abigail found the festivities in full progress with the result that Nabal was in no condition to listen to what she had to say because he was very drunk. So she told him nothing that night and decided to wait until he had sobered up in the morning.
The feast is said to be one which was the equivalent of that of a king, a reminder that we are to see in this incident a precursor of what would shortly happen to the real king. This extravagant language also emphasises the meanness of Nabal in refusing hospitality to David and his men. It had not been due to a shortage of provisions, but simply to nastiness.
‘ And it came about in the morning, that when the wine was gone out of Nabal, his wife told him these things, and his heart died within him, and he became as a stone.'
Once he had recovered from his excesses in the morning Abigail explained to him all that she had done, and how, as a result, she had been able to turn back an army of armed men who had been coming to destroy them. He found the news so disturbing that it resulted in him having a stroke. His body ceased to function. (Some consider that it was his anger at Abigail's disobedience that caused his stroke, but no one would have ever known which it was)
‘ And it came about approximately ten days after, that YHWH smote Nabal, so that he died.'
And the result was that around ten days afterwards he died, ‘smitten by YHWH'. (Anyone who had a stroke was in fact, in those days, seen as smitten by YHWH).
1 Samuel 25:39 a/b
‘And when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Blessed be YHWH, who has pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and has kept back his servant from evil. And the evildoing of Nabal has YHWH returned on his own head.”
When David heard the news of the stroke, and Nabal's consequent death, he blessed God both for avenging him the insult that he had suffered, and for punishing Nabal for his evildoing, while at the same time having prevented it occurring at David's hands. It demonstrated to him that YHWH was with him, confirmed that in the same way he could also wait for YHWH Himself to deal with Saul, and in addition had given him a lesson in mercy.
The fact that David ‘heard' so quickly suggests that he had by now an efficient system of spies and informers.