Charles Ellicott Commentary 1 Samuel 25:11

"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)

To men, whom I do not know. —In other words, “Shall I give generous gifts to the enemies of my king—to a band of rebel freebooters?”

My water. —The Septuagint, instead of “water,” read “wine.” This is one of the countless alterations this version arbitrarily makes in the original sacred text.

The Greek translators were puzzled at Nabal’s enumeration of “water” as one of David’s demands. Its mention, however, is a mark of the record’s accuracy.

Water in many parts of the East is exceedingly precious. The words of Joshua 15:19 clearly indicate the particular need of this district of Palestine, when Caleb’s daughter Achsah specially prayed her father for springs of water. Its mention, however, can hardly, as Dean Payne Smith observes, “mark the abstemious habits of the people,” considering that in the same chapter we find the owner of all these flocks prostrate through intoxication.