Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it unto men, whom I know not whence they be?
Parallel translations
- WEB Shall I then take my bread, my water, and my meat that I have killed for my shearers, and give it to men who I don’t know where they come from?”
- BSB Why should I take my bread and water and the meat I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give them to these men whose origin I do not know?”
- NKJV Shall I then take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers, and give it to men when I do not know where they are from?”
- NASB Shall I then take my bread and my water and my meat that I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men whose origin I do not know?”
- NLT Should I take my bread and my water and my meat that I’ve slaughtered for my shearers and give it to a band of outlaws who come from who knows where?”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Nabal refuses to share his food with men he claims not to know. Selfishness and ingratitude drive his refusal.
Overview
Clutching his bread, water, and meat as 'mine,' Nabal denies David's men any portion, pretending not to know their origin. His repeated emphasis on his own possessions exposes a heart enslaved to greed. The refusal violates the hospitality and gratitude expected in Israel, marking Nabal as a fool whose abundance has not produced generosity.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Judg 8:6And the princes of Succoth said, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thine hand, that we should give bread unto thine army?
- Gal 6:10As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
- Ps 73:7–8Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have more than heart could wish.
- Job 31:17Or have eaten my morsel myself alone, and the fatherless hath not eaten thereof;
- Deut 8:17And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth.
- John 9:29–30We know that God spake unto Moses: as for this fellow, we know not from whence he is.
- 1 Sam 25:14–15But 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 on them.
- 1 Sam 25:3Now the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail: and she was a woman of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance: but the man was churlish and evil in his doings; and he was of the house of Caleb.
- Eccl 11:1–2Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.
- 1 Sam 24:13As saith the proverb of the ancients, Wickedness proceedeth from the wicked: but mine hand shall not be upon thee.
- 2 Cor 6:9As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed;
- 1 Pet 4:9Use hospitality one to another without grudging.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
The rise of the anointed king after Israel's failed first choice points to the true Anointed One (Messiah means 'anointed'), the shepherd-king after God's own heart from Bethlehem.
How 1 Samuel 25:11 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.