SEV Biblia, Chapter 25:2
¶ Y en Maón había un hombre que tenía su hacienda en el Carmelo, el cual era muy rico, que tenía tres mil ovejas y mil cabras. Y aconteció hallarse esquilando sus ovejas en el Carmelo.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 2. And [there was] a man in Maon , etc.] A city of the tribe of Judah, from whence the wilderness had its name before mentioned; of which place, (see Joshua 15:55); though Ben Gersom takes it to signify a dwelling place; and that this is observed to show, that he did not dwell in a city, but had his habitation where his business lay, which was in Carmel, where his fields, gardens, and vineyards were: wherefore it follows, whose possessions [were] in Carmel ; not Carmel in the tribe of Issachar, but in the tribe of Judah, not far from Maon, and are mentioned together, (see Gill on “ Joshua 15:55”); his cattle were there, his sheep particularly, for they are afterwards said to be shorn there; or “his work” f493 ; his agriculture, his farming, where he was employed, or employed others in sowing seed, and planting trees: and the man [was] very great ; in worldly substance, though not in natural wisdom and knowledge, and especially in true religion and piety: and he had three thousand sheep, and a thousand goats ; so the substance of men in those times was generally described by the cattle they had, whether of the herd or flock, in which it chiefly lay: and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel ; which was the custom in Judea and Syria, and was a very ancient one, as early as the times of Judah, yea, of Laban, (see Genesis 31:19 38:12,13); though the old Romans used to pluck off the wool from the sheep’s backs; hence a fleece of wool was called “vellus [a] vellendo”, from the plucking it off; and Pliny says f494 , in his time, that sheep were not shorn everywhere, but in some places the custom of plucking off the wool continued; and who elsewhere observes f495 , that the time of shearing was in June or July, or thereabouts; at which times a feast was made, and it is for the sake of that this is observed.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 2-11 - We should not have heard of Nabal, if nothing had passed between his and David. Observe his name, Nabal, "A fool;" so it signifies. Riche make men look great in the eye of the world; but to one that take right views, Nabal looked very mean. He had no honour or honesty; he was churlish, cross, and ill-humoured; evil in his doings, hard an oppressive; a man that cared not what fraud and violence he used it getting and saving. What little reason have we to value the wealth of this world, when so great a churl as Nabal abounds, and so good a ma as David suffers want!, David pleaded the kindness Nabal's shepherd had received. Considering that David's men were in distress and debt and discontented, and the scarcity of provisions, it was by goo management that they were kept from plundering. Nabal went into passion, as covetous men are apt to do, when asked for any thing thinking thus to cover one sin with another; and, by abusing the poor to excuse themselves from relieving them. But God will not thus be mocked. Let this help us to bear reproaches and misrepresentations with patience and cheerfulness, and make us easy under them; it has ofte been the lot of the excellent ones of the earth. Nabal insists much of the property he had in the provisions of his table. May he not do what he will with his own? We mistake, if we think we are absolute lords of what we have, and may do what we please with it. No; we are but stewards, and must use it as we are directed, remembering it is not ou own, but His who intrusted us with it.
Original Hebrew
ואישׁ 376 במעון 4584 ומעשׂהו 4639 בכרמל 3760 והאישׁ 376 גדול 1419 מאד 3966 ולו צאן 6629 שׁלשׁת 7969 אלפים 505 ואלף 505 עזים 5795 ויהי 1961 בגזז 1494 את 853 צאנו 6629 בכרמל׃ 3760
