Albert Barnes Commentary 1 Samuel 25
Albert Barnes Commentary
1 Samuel 25
Albert Barnes Commentary
1 Samuel 25
"And Samuel died; and all Israel gathered themselves together, and lamented him, and buried him in his house at Ramah. And David arose, and went down to the wilderness of Paran." — 1 Samuel 25:1 (ASV)
In his house at Ramah - Probably in the court or garden attached to his dwelling-house. (Compare 2 Chronicles 33:20; 2 Kings 21:18; John 19:41).
The wilderness of Paran - The Septuagint has the far more probable reading “Maon.” The wilderness of Paran lay far off to the south, on the borders of the wilderness of Sinai (Numbers 10:12; 1 Kings 11:18), whereas the following verse (1 Samuel 25:2) shows that the scene is laid in the immediate neighborhood of Maon. If, however, Paran is the true reading, we must suppose that in a wide sense the wilderness of Paran extended all the way to the wilderness of Beersheba, and eastward to the mountains of Judah (marginal references).
"And there was a man in Maon, whose possessions were in Carmel; and the man was very great, and he had three thousand sheep, and a thousand goats: and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel." — 1 Samuel 25:2 (ASV)
Carmel - This is not Mount Carmel on the west of the plain of Esdraelon, but the Carmel located close to Maon (as noted in the marginal references).
Shearing his sheep - This was always a time of open-handed hospitality among flock owners (Genesis 38:12–13; 2 Samuel 13:23–24).
"and thus shall ye say to him that liveth [in prosperity], Peace be unto thee, and peace be to thy house, and peace be unto all that thou hast." — 1 Samuel 25:6 (ASV)
That lives in prosperity—The Hebrew is obscure and is variously interpreted. The simplest rendering is, And you shall say thus about (his) life—that is, with reference to his life, health, circumstances, etc.
"Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it unto men of whom I know not whence they are?" — 1 Samuel 25:11 (ASV)
The mention of water indicates a country where it was scarce . Alternatively, the phrase “bread and water” may be equivalent to “food and drink.”
"But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal`s wife, saying, Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to salute our master; and he railed at them." — 1 Samuel 25:14 (ASV)
Railed on them - The marginal note, “flew upon them,” is closer to the original.
Jump to: