Charles Ellicott Commentary 1 Samuel 25:14

"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)

But one of the young men told Abigail. The servant of Nabal—accustomed, no doubt, to his master’s wild and ungovernable displays of temper—had heard the insulting words Nabal spoke to the armed messenger of the famous outlaw captain. And, probably gathering from the angry demeanor of these warlike followers of David how deadly the insult was—aware, too, how great was the power of the man thus insulted—he came at once and recounted to his mistress what had taken place.

Abigail had, no doubt, often acted as peacemaker between her intemperate husband and his neighbors. On hearing the story and how imprudently her husband had behaved, she saw that no time must be lost. For with a clever woman’s wit, she foresaw that grave consequences would surely follow the churlish refusal and the rash words, which betrayed him at once as the jealous adherent of Saul and the bitter enemy of the powerful outlaw.