Bible Strands
1 Samuel 25:4
While David was in the wilderness, he heard that Nabal was shearing sheep.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — David is in the wilderness when he receives news that Nabal is shearing sheep. This factual report occurs between Nabal’s introduction as a harsh Calebite and David’s decision to send ten young men to him.
The words — The Hebrew verb וַיִּשְׁמַע (va-yishma') means "and he heard," marking David's reception of information. The participle גֹזֵז (gozez) translates to "shearing," describing Nabal's agricultural activity.
The thread — This shearing motif appears in Genesis 38:13 when Tamar learns of her father-in-law's sheep-shearing, and in 2 Samuel 13:23 during Absalom's invitation at a sheepshearing feast.
Why it lands — The verse establishes the factual trigger for David's subsequent diplomatic overture to Nabal. It requires the reader to recognize how routine agricultural events become catalysts for political and moral decisions.
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 David heard in the wilderness that Nabal did shear his sheep.
Cross-references
- Genesis 38:13 When Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep,”
- 2 Samuel 13:23 Two years later, when Absalom’s sheepshearers were at Baal-hazor near Ephraim, he invited all the sons of the king.