David, Nabal and Abigail
First Samuel 25: 1-44
Chapter 25 is the central section that comprises Chapters 24 to 26. As such, it not only anchors the literary unit but also facilitates the fact that Chapters 24 and 26 mirror each other. Beginning with the death of David’s friend Samuel, it ends with Sha’ul’s giving David’s wife Michal to another man and thus considering David as good as dead. It is therefore possible to interpret Chapter 25 as marking the low point of David’s fortunes. At the same time, however, in this chapter David acquires a wise wife (Abigail), who had successfully persuaded him not to kill a typical fool (Nabal). Sha’ul, who figures prominently in Chapters 24 and 26, appears only in the last verse of Chapter 25. Sha’ul, while physically absent, is nevertheless figuratively present in Nabal, his alter ego.141
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