But it came to pass in the morning, when the wine was gone out of Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became as a stone.
Parallel translations
- WEB In the morning, when the wine had gone out of Nabal, his wife told him these things, and his heart died within him, and he became as a stone.
- BSB In the morning when Nabal was sober, his wife told him about these events, and his heart failed within him and he became like a stone.
- NKJV So it was, in the morning, when the wine had gone from Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became like a stone.
- NASB But in the morning, when the wine had gone out of Nabal, his wife told him these things, and his heart died within him so that he became like a stone.
- NLT In the morning when Nabal was sober, his wife told him what had happened. As a result he had a stroke, and he lay paralyzed on his bed like a stone.
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
When sober, Nabal hears the news and his heart fails, becoming like stone. The shock exposes his collapse before God's coming judgment.
Overview
The next morning, learning how near he came to ruin, Nabal suffers what appears to be a stroke, his heart dying within him. The proud fool who scorned David is suddenly paralyzed and helpless. The verse begins the visible outworking of divine judgment, showing that no one mocks God's anointed with impunity.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Job 15:21–22A dreadful sound is in his ears: in prosperity the destroyer shall come upon him.
- Prov 23:29–35Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?
- 1 Sam 25:22So and more also do God unto the enemies of David, if I leave of all that pertain to him by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall.
- Deut 28:28The LORD shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart:
- 1 Sam 25:34For in very deed, as the LORD God of Israel liveth, which hath kept me back from hurting thee, except thou hadst hasted and come to meet me, surely there had not been left unto Nabal by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall.
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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 25:37 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.