The form of this verse is a complex question, but it is purely rhetorical, and there is no thought of the speaker seeking information. Nabal uses this form to make a rather strong statement that he has absolutely no intention of giving up his supplies to feed David’s men. In many languages a strong declarative statement will translate the meaning more clearly.

My water: it has seemed strange to many interpreters that water would be in short supply in mountainous regions where sheep are being raised. For this reason many translations follow the Septuagint, which says “my wine” (for example, Revised English Bible, New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, and Osty-Trinquet). Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament, however, gives a {B} evaluation to the Masoretic Text. According to Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament, “my bread and my water” is an idiom in biblical Hebrew, meaning “my food and my drink,” without necessarily referring specifically to bread and to water. If the reference is indeed specifically to water, perhaps the sense is that Nabal is unwilling to share water from his private wells with David’s men.

My meat that I have killed for my shearers: literally “the slaughtering that I have slaughtered for my shearers.” In languages that use the same word for “meat” and “animal,” this will present no problem, but in certain languages it is not possible to speak of killing meat, and the word for “animal” will have to be substituted. Others may change the verb, saying something like “meat I have butchered.” The Hebrew noun means “slaughtering” and refers here to the animal that has been slaughtered.

Men who come from I do not know where: this wording may be considered awkward in some languages. Some other ways of saying this are “people from unknown parts,” “men whose origin I do not know,” or “strangers who have come here from some place I know nothing about.” New Century Version simply says “men I don’t know.”

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

This verse begins in Hebrew with the common conjunction. Good News Translation leaves the relationship of this verse to the preceding verse implicit. Compare, however, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh: “Thereupon David’s young men retraced their steps.”

The words all this in this case refer to Nabal’s arrogant rejection of David’s men, which is recorded in verses 10 and 11. It may be better to say “all that Nabal had said” (New Century Version). The Hebrew says “all these words.”

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

The direct quotation at the beginning of this verse may be made into indirect discourse if this seems more natural in the receptor language: “David instructed all his men to put on their swords.”

The verb gird/girded, which occurs three times in this verse, is rendered by the less archaic expression “strap/strapped on” in New Revised Standard Version.

After David: the preposition rendered after in Revised Standard Version may be understood to mean that the men went “behind” David as he led the way, or simply that they went “with” him.

Baggage: that is, the military supplies. The same word is translated “armor” in 17.54 and “weapons” in 20.40 and 21.8. Here it probably includes both. See the comments at 10.22.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

These young men, who were Nabal’s servants, confirm what David’s men had said in verse 7. See also verse 21.

We suffered no harm may be expressed with David’s men as subject of the sentence if it seems more natural to do so in the receptor language: “they did not harm us.” See verse 7.

We did not miss anything: or “they did not steal anything.” See the comments at verse 7.

Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation translate the Hebrew in the fields quite literally. As the next verse indicates, the idea here is that these men were exposed in the open, with no natural protection, when they were in the fields. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh says “all the time that we went about with them while we were in the open.”

As long as we went with them: or “the whole time we were with them.”

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

They were a wall to us: this is figurative language, meaning that David and his men provided protection for Nabal’s young men. See the same imagery in Zech 2.5. This may be translated by changing the Hebrew image into nonfigurative language, as Good News Translation has done, or by making the comparison more evident: “they were like a protecting wall around us” (Bible en français courant). Contemporary English Version has these men say “With them around day or night, we were as safe as we would have been inside a walled city.”

Both by night and by day: in some languages this expression may be more naturally translated by an adverb like “constantly” or “continuously.” It really serves only to emphasize all the while.

Sheep: a more general term is preferable here, since it is quite probable that this refers not only to sheep but also to goats, though in 25.2 this same term clearly refers to sheep only. See the comments at 8.17.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Now therefore: this translates the common Hebrew conjunction and the adverb Now, which are followed by the two imperative verb forms, know this and consider (literally “know and see”). These two imperatives sound almost too impolite to be used by a servant speaking to the wife of his master. Good News Translation softens this by adding the word “please.” But this does not really reflect anything in the original.

Evil is determined against our master: see the comments on this same idiom in 20.9. A passive meaning is conveyed by Revised Standard Version and certain other versions: “is planned” (Klein); “has been decided” (New Revised Standard Version). But in languages where the passive is impossible or unnatural, other models are available: “harm threatens our master” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh); “misfortune is in store for our master” (Anchor Bible). In some languages this will be worded as “bad things are surely about to come on our master” or “they [indefinite] are planning to do our master harm.”

All of his house: that is, “all of his family” (compare 22.15).

He is so ill-natured: literally “he [is] a son of Belial.” See the comments on 1.16, and see verse 25 below. The idiom “He’s a bully” (Contemporary English Version) communicates the idea well in English, but a better model may be “he has such a bad character” (La Bible du Semeur).

One cannot speak to him: literally “not to speak to him.” But the sense is clear enough. Nabal was such a mean person that “no one can say a word to him,” “who won’t listen to anyone” (Contemporary English Version), or “it is no good talking to him” (Revised English Bible).

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

When the intensive verb translated made haste occurs in series with another verb in Hebrew, it may often be translated by an adverb like “hurriedly” or “hastily” (Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible). This verb is used four times to describe Abigail’s actions in this chapter.

The word loaves represents the same Hebrew word that is translated “bread” in verse 11. In some languages the presence of the number two hundred will require something like “loaves of bread,” but in other cases “two hundred breads” will be perfectly normal.

Skins of wine: New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh and Contemporary English Version say “jars of wine.” Regarding the meaning and translation of the word rendered skins, see the comments on 1.24.

Ready dressed: translates the passive participle of a verb often rendered “to do” or “to make.” So a literal rendering would be “done” or “made.” Here it means “dressed” (so New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, New American Bible, and Klein). Others say “ready dressed” (Revised Standard Version, New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible) or “ready prepared.” When used in this way, the English word “dressed” is a technical term describing an animal or bird that has been prepared for cooking by removing skin (or feathers) and internal organs. The meaning in this context seems to be that the sheep were already prepared and “roasted” (so Moffatt as well as Good News Translation), although the text does not say that the meat was already cooked.

Five measures of parched grain: five measures is literally “five seahs.” A seah was equal to about a third of an ephah (see 1.24 and 17.17). The equivalent measure is approximately “two bushels,” or “forty liters” (Biblia Dios Habla Hoy). The grain (see 17.17) was probably wheat (so La Bible du Semeur) or barley. Where precise measurements are not possible or would sound unnatural, one may say something like “five sacks” (em>Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente). It is not recommended that the Hebrew term be transliterated as in New American Bible (“five seahs of roasted grain”), since the word “seah” will have no meaning in most languages.

Raisins are grapes that have been dried in the sun. Dried grapes were sometimes pressed together to form lumps or masses of raisins (see 2 Sam 6.19).

Cakes of figs: figs are small, sweet, pear-shaped fruit. Dried figs were pressed together to form chunks and were ideal food for those who were traveling (see also 30.12). Such chunks are sometimes referred to as cakes in English. But this should not be thought of as something made with flour and baked in an oven. The Contemporary English Version model (“handfuls”) may be helpful in some languages.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

Young men: or “servants.” See the comments verse 5.

Behold: see the discussion of this focusing particle on page 18 and following.

In languages where indirect discourse is preferred over the direct quotation in this verse, translators may wish to say “Then she told her servants to go ahead, and she said she would come there later.”

Did not tell her husband: that is, she did not let her husband know what she was doing. The Good News Translation rendering “said nothing to her husband” should be understood to mean that she said nothing about her plans to placate David, not that she refused to speak to him at all. Some languages will have to say “said nothing to her husband about this matter.”

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .