· Translation: KJV

1 Samuel 25:2There was a man in Maon, whose possessions were in Carmel; and the man was very great, and he had three thousand sheep, and a thousand goats: and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.

The setting

Carmel, Israel, ~1020 BC. Sheep-shearing season — a time of celebration and feasting. Nabal, whose name means 'fool,' owns vast flocks while David's men have been protecting his shepherds without payment...

The emotion here: methodically setting up the scene, knowing this wealth detail will matter for the coming conflict

The original word

gadol (גדול) — great in wealth and status, but the irony is his name Nabal means 'fool'

Why it matters

3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats made Nabal one of the wealthiest men in Judah

Read with care

What most readers miss in 1 Samuel 25:2

Sheep-shearing was like harvest festival — a time when wealthy landowners were expected to be generous

Common misconceptionPeople read this as just background information, but it's actually showing the setup for injustice — Nabal has wealth that David's protection helped preserve.

Bible Genome reading

1 Samuel 25:2 — Bible Genome reading

SpeakerNarrator
EraUnited Kingdom
Primary emotionresting
Literary typenarrative

Emotional genome

Comfort power20%
Quotability20%
Memorability30%
Crisis relevance20%
Standalone30%
Themes:wealthprosperity

In context

No verse stands alone.

Read the conversation around it.

Open 1 Samuel 25

1 Samuel 25:2 comes from the book of 1 Samuel, written during the United Kingdom period. These words are attributed to Narrator. The dominant emotion in this verse is resting, with a comfort power of 20% and a tone that is conversational. It belongs to the narrative genre of biblical literature. Key themes include wealth, prosperity. Notable phrases: very great; three thousand sheep.

Your reflection

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