SEV Biblia, Chapter 25:18
¶ Entonces Abigail tomó luego doscientos panes, y dos cueros de vino, y cinco ovejas guisadas, y cinco medidas de harina tostada, y cien hilos de uvas pasas, y doscientos panes de higos secos, y lo cargó en asnos;
Clarke's Bible Commentary - 1 Samuel 25:18
Verse 18. Took two hundred loaves] The Eastern bread is ordinarily both thin and small; and answers to our cakes. Two bottles of wine] That is, two goat-skins full. The hide is pulled off the animal without ripping up; the places where the legs, &c., were are sewed up, and then the skin appears one large bag. This is properly the Scripture and Eastern bottle. There is one such before me.
Five sheep] Not one sheep to one hundred men.
Clusters of raisins] Raisins dried in the sun.
Cakes of figs] Figs cured, and then pressed together. We receive the former in jars, and the latter in small barrels; and both articles answer the description here given.
Now all this provision was a matter of little worth, and, had it been granted in the first instance, it would have perfectly satisfied David, and secured the good offices of him and his men. Abigail showed both her wisdom and prudence in making this provision. Out of three thousand sheep Nabal could not have missed five; and as this claim was made only in the time of sheep-shearing, it could not have been made more than once in the year: and it certainly was a small price for such important services.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 18. Then Abigail made haste , etc.] As the case required, her family being in imminent danger: and took two hundred loaves ; of bread; of what size or weight they were is not said; though it may be reasonably concluded they were pretty large, since they are not called cakes, but loaves, and since they were to be a present to David and his men, who were numerous: and two bottles of wine ; not such as ours are, which would have borne no proportion to the rest of the provision; but these were leathern bags which held a large quantity, in which they put and carried wine in those times and countries; the Septuagint version is, two vessels or casks of wine: and five sheep ready dressed ; killed and dressed by the butcher, or made ready by the cook, boiled or roasted; the word which the Targum uses, according to the interpretation of Jarchi, from one of their Rabbins, signifies such as were stuffed with small pieces of meat, and eggs in them, or, as it should seem, made into pastries: and five measures of parched [corn] ; or five seahs, a measure which held, according to Bishop Cumberland f504 , two wine gallons, four bottles, and a little more; of this parched corn, (see Gill on “ 1 Samuel 17:17”); where mention is made of an ephah of it; and the Septuagint version has the same measure here, and calls them five ephahs of flour: and an hundred clusters of raisins ; or dried grapes, as the Targum; the Septuagint is, one omer of them, which was the tenth part of an ephah: and two hundred cakes of figs ; which were dried, and pressed, and made into lumps, and she took two hundred of these; or, as the Targum, two hundred pound weight of them: and laid [them] on asses ; one not being sufficient to carry all this provision.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 18-31 - By a present Abigail atoned for Nabal's denial of David's request. He behaviour was very submissive. Yielding pacifies great offences. Sh puts herself in the place of a penitent, and of a petitioner. She coul not excuse her husband's conduct. She depends not upon her ow reasonings, but on God's grace, to soften David, and expects that grac would work powerfully. She says that it was below him to take vengeanc on so weak and despicable an enemy as Nabal, who, as he would do him n kindness, so he could do him no hurt. She foretells the glorious end of David's present troubles. God will preserve thy life; therefore it becomes not thee unjustly and unnecessarily to take away the lives of any, especially of the people of thy God and Saviour. Abigail keep this argument for the last, as very powerful with so good a man; tha the less he indulged his passion, the more he consulted his peace an the repose of his own conscience. Many have done that in a heat, whic they have a thousand times wished undone again. The sweetness of revenge is soon turned into bitterness. When tempted to sin, we shoul consider how it will appear when we think upon it afterwards.
Original Hebrew
ותמהר 4116 אבוגיל 26 ותקח 3947 מאתים 3967 לחם 3899 ושׁנים 8147 נבלי 5035 יין 3196 וחמשׁ 2568 צאן 6629 עשׂוות 6213 וחמשׁ 2568 סאים 5429 קלי 7039 ומאה 3967 צמקים 6778 ומאתים 3967 דבלים 1690 ותשׂם 7760 על 5921 החמרים׃ 2543
