Topical Bible: Drunkenness: Nabal

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Nabal is a biblical figure whose account is recounted in 1 Samuel 25. He is often cited as an example of the perils and moral failings associated with drunkenness. Nabal was a wealthy but foolish man from Maon, whose possessions were in Carmel. He was married to Abigail, a woman described as intelligent and beautiful, in stark contrast to her husband’s harsh and surly demeanor.

The narrative unfolds during the time when David, not yet king, was fleeing from King Saul. David and his men had been protecting Nabal’s shepherds and flocks in the wilderness, ensuring their safety and prosperity. When the time of sheep shearing came, a festive and generous occasion, David sent ten young men to Nabal to request provisions, reminding him of the protection they had provided.

Nabal’s response was one of insolence and disrespect. He dismissed David’s men, questioning David’s identity and refusing to share his wealth: “Who is David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many servants are breaking away from their masters these days. Why should I take my bread and water and the meat I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men coming from who knows where?” (1 Samuel 25:10-11).

David, angered by Nabal’s response, prepared to take vengeance. However, Abigail, Nabal’s wife, intervened. She quickly gathered a generous gift of food and wine and went to meet David, pleading for mercy and acknowledging her husband’s folly: “Please pay no attention, my lord, to that wicked man Nabal. He is just like his name—his name means Fool, and folly goes with him” (1 Samuel 25:25).

Abigail’s wise and humble approach appeased David, preventing bloodshed. She returned home to find Nabal holding a feast “like that of a king,” and he was “very drunk” (1 Samuel 25:36). In his drunken state, Abigail chose not to tell him of her actions until the next morning. When Nabal sobered up and learned of the events, his heart failed him, and he became like a stone. About ten days later, the Lord struck Nabal, and he died (1 Samuel 25:37-38).

Nabal’s account serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of drunkenness and folly. His inability to act with wisdom and generosity, exacerbated by his drunken state, led to his downfall. The Bible consistently warns against the excesses of alcohol, as seen in Proverbs 20:1 : “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging, and whoever is led astray by them is not wise.” Nabal’s life and death illustrate the destructive potential of drunkenness, both in personal conduct and in relationships with others.

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1 Samuel 25:36
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 drunken: why she told him nothing, less or more, until the morning light.
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How David, when He had Twice the Opportunity of Killing Saul did ...
... not sensible on account of his drunkenness,] she went to David. She was then met
by David as she was descending a hill, who was coming against Nabal with four ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 13 how david when.htm

The Heinous Sin of Drunkenness
... by drinking, that were you to hear of them, your heart, like Nabal's, after he ... But
no marvel that drunkards commit such crimes; for drunkenness drives the Holy ...
/.../selected sermons of george whitefield/the heinous sin of drunkenness.htm

Meditations on the Hindrances which Keep Back a Sinner from the ...
... no disease to the stone in the heart, whereof Nabal died, and ... with present judgment
for their outrageous swearing, adultery, drunkenness, oppression, profaning ...
/.../bayly/the practice of piety/meditations on the hindrances which.htm

A Discourse of Mercifulness
... When the apostles, who were filled with the wine of the Spirit, were charged with
drunkenness, Peter vindicated them openly ... These are akin to the churl Nabal. ...
/.../15 a discourse of mercifulness.htm

Doctrinal and Moral Treatises. Index of Subjects.
... Donatus, the grammarian, [1100]355. Dreams, See Apparitions, [1101]545
sq. Drunkenness, a fault in act or habit, [1102]357. Duty ...
/.../on care to be had for the dead /doctrinal and moral treatises index.htm