Bible Strands
1 Samuel 25:10
But Nabal asked them, “Who is David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many servants these days are breaking away from their masters.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Nabal addresses David’s young men immediately after they deliver his request and await his response. He answers their presence with a dismissive interrogation about David’s identity and recent labor unrest.
The words — The Hebrew מִי (mi) means “who?” and is repeated twice to frame Nabal’s rhetorical challenge. The phrase עַבְדֵי דָוִד (avdei David) literally translates to “the servants of David,” anchoring his complaint in contemporary social disruption.
The thread — This defiant “who is X?” pattern appears in Exodus 5:2 when Pharaoh rejects divine authority and in Judges 9:28 when Gaal questions Abimelech’s legitimacy. It parallels the familial accusation in 1 Samuel 20:30 where Saul denounces Jonathan’s loyalty.
Why it lands — The text records Nabal’s explicit refusal to acknowledge David’s standing or grant requested provisions. It requires the reader to observe how pride and social isolation actively resist covenantal obligation and divine appointment.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And Nabal answered David’s servants, and said, Who is David? and who is the son of Jesse? there be many servants now a days that break away every man from his master.
Cross-references
- Judges 9:28 Then Gaal son of Ebed said, “Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerubbaal, and is not Zebul his officer? You are to serve the men of Hamor, the father of Shechem. Why should we serve Abimelech?
- Exodus 5:2 But Pharaoh replied, “Who is the LORD that I should obey His voice and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and I will not let Israel go.”
- 1 Samuel 20:30 Then Saul’s anger burned against Jonathan, and he said to him, “You son of a perverse and rebellious woman! Do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of the mother who bore you?
- 1 Samuel 22:2 And all who were distressed or indebted or discontented rallied around him, and he became their leader. About four hundred men were with him.
- 1 Samuel 22:7 Then Saul said to his servants, “Listen, men of Benjamin! Is the son of Jesse giving all of you fields and vineyards and making you commanders of thousands or hundreds?
- 2 Samuel 20:1 Now a worthless man named Sheba son of Bichri, a Benjamite, happened to be there, and he blew the ram’s horn and shouted: “We have no share in David, no inheritance in Jesse’s son. Every man to his tent, O Israel!”
- 1 Kings 12:16 When all Israel saw that the king had refused to listen to them, they answered the king: “What portion do we have in David, and what inheritance in the son of Jesse? To your tents, O Israel! Look now to your own house, O David!” So the Israelites went home,
- Psalms 73:7 From their prosperity proceeds iniquity; the imaginations of their hearts run wild.
- Psalms 123:3 Have mercy on us, O LORD, have mercy, for we have endured much contempt.
- Ecclesiastes 7:10 Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?” For it is unwise of you to ask about this.