Nabal - Textual Features and Origin

Textual Features and Origin

The root meaning of the name Nabal is wilt, and came to mean failure, and so gained the figurative meaning of being shamelessly improprietous; in the Nabal narrative, he is described as living up to his name, in addition to being surly and mean. Traditionally Nabal is euphemistically translated as fool, for which a Hebrew synonym is kesil (literally meaning fool); scholars regard it as possible that some features of the Nabal narrative derive from primitive mythology, and it is notable that kesil particularly referred to the constellation of Orion, and was translated as Orion by the Septuagint.

Nabal (נבל) may be a deliberate satirical corruption of the name Nadab (נדב); if this is an eponym then it probably referred originally to Jehonadab (which is just a theophory of nadab), and thus represent the Rechabites. In the genealogical lists of the Books of Chronicles, there is a man named Nadab, whose brother is married to a person named Abihail; it is possible that the name Abigail (אבגיִל) is a corruption of Abihail (אֲביִהיִל), so that it more closely describes the character of the wife, since Abigail roughly means joy of my father, suggesting positive characteristics, while Abihail means only my father is strength. Rather than the name of his wife was Abigail (שׁם אִשׁתּוֹ אבגיִל) the account in the Books of Samuel may have originally read the name of the chief of Abihail (שׁם שר אביהיִל), and told of a clan named Abihail, which left a political alliance with the Rechabites (represented by Nabal/Nadab) to join the Kingdom of Judah (represented by David's band of men).

Textual scholars ascribe this narrative to the republican source of the Books of Samuel (named this due to its generally negative presentation of David and Saul); the rival source, known as the monarchial source, does not at first glance appear to contain a similar narrative. The same narrative position is occupied in the monarchial source by the story of a raid by Amalekites on the town of Ziklag, and the subsequent defeat of the Amalekites by David. There are some similarities between the narratives: the fact that Ziklag and Maon are located in the region south of Hebron; David leading an army in revenge (for the Amalekite's destruction of Ziklag and capture of its population), with 400 of the army going ahead and 200 staying behind; David gaining Abigail as a wife (though in the Ziklag narrative he re-gains her), as well as several provisions; and there being a jovial feast in the enemy camp (i.e. Nabal's property). However, there are also several differences: such as the victory and provisions being obtained by a heroic victory by David rather than Abigail's peaceful actions; the 200 that stayed behind doing so due to exhaustion rather than to protect the baggage; the main secondary character being the former slave of the enemy, rather than the wife of the enemy (Nabal); David's forces rejoining their wives rather than being joined by damsels; and the Amalekites rather than Nabal being the enemy.