Samuel the prophet and last judge of Israel dies at the beginning of this chapter and all Israel laments his passing, it is notable that he probably recveived more appreciation when he died than when he was alive.There was a man of Carmel whose name was Nabal which in the hebrew means fool and he was a rich and very successful sheep farmer, and he had a wifie, Abigail, who was very beautiful and wise and completely different to Nabal. David and his men had been protecting Nabal and his possessions for some time from bands of marauders and theives, and so when the sheep shearing season started, which was the best and most prosperous time of the year, David requests a gift from Nabal for services rendered, Nabal not only says no but 'no' in the most insulting way possible, and when David hears of this he is enraged and vows to kill Nabal and al his household. Now when Abigail hears what Nabal has done she collects as much food as she can and heads out to meet David knowing he is intent on massacre.
