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1 Samuel 25:3 — Word Study

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WLCוְשֵׁ֤ם הָאִישׁ֙ נָבָ֔ל וְשֵׁ֥ם אִשְׁתּ֖וֹ אֲבִגָ֑יִל וְהָאִשָּׁ֤ה טֽוֹבַת־ שֶׂ֙כֶל֙ וִ֣יפַת תֹּ֔אַר וְהָאִ֥ישׁ קָשֶׁ֛ה וְרַ֥ע מַעֲלָלִ֖ים וְה֥וּא כָלִבִּֽי׃

BSAHisʼîysh nameshêm was NabalNâbâl [a foolish man] and his wife’sʼishshâh name [was]shêm AbigailʼĂbîygayil [a woman of good understanding] She was an intelligentṭôwb [wise and discerning] and beautifulyâpheh [pleasant and lovely] womanʼishshâh but her husbandʼîysh a Calebitelêb [a descendant of Caleb] was harshqâsheh [severe and cruel] and evilraʻ [morally bad and wicked] in his dealingsmaʻălâl [actions and conduct]

Word
Listen & take away1 Samuel 25
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 3 is in this chapter.
Hebrew ↓ Download MP3 The Masoretic text of this chapter, read aloud. Read by Abraham Shmuelof, courtesy of Audio Scriptures International. Chapter divisions by the Academy of Ancient Languages..
Say the word Each Hebrew word carries its transliteration (khal.vov) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
1 Samuel 25:3quick helps
In a sentenceThis verse introduces Nabal and Abigail, highlighting their contrasting characteristics.
Who is speakingThe narrator describes the characters in the story.
Where we areThe context is a narrative about Nabal and his wife Abigail in the region of Maon.
The hard wordנָבָל
Take awayNabal's foolishness contrasts sharply with Abigail's wisdom and beauty.
8 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them › clause subjectוְ The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
How rare are these words?in the Old Testament

1 of 17 occurs nowhere else in the Old Testament — a word chosen on purpose.

Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.

Deep Study — 1 Samuel 25:3

Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.

Context — The Story of Nabal and Abigailgenerated

2Now there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel. He was a very wealthy man with a thousand goats and three thousand sheep, which he was shearing in Carmel.
3His name was Nabal, and his wife’s name was Abigail. She was an intelligent and beautiful woman, but her husband, a Calebite, was harsh and evil in his dealings.
4While David was in the wilderness, he heard that Nabal was shearing sheep.
5So David sent ten young men and instructed them, “Go up to Nabal at Carmel. Greet him in my name

1 Samuel 25:3 presents Nabal as a wealthy man whose actions and character are at odds with his intelligent and beautiful wife, Abigail. This passage sets the stage for the unfolding drama involving David and Nabal, highlighting themes of wisdom versus folly and the consequences of one's actions. The narrative illustrates the dynamics of their relationship and foreshadows Abigail's pivotal role in the story.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
1Proverbs 14:1Every wise woman builds her house, but a foolish one tears it down with her own hands.
2Proverbs 31:26–30She opens her mouth with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
31 Samuel 25:10–11But Nabal asked them, “Who is David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many servants these days are breaking away from their masters.
4Psalm 10:3For the wicked man boasts in the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the LORD.
5Isaiah 32:5–7No longer will a fool be called noble, nor a scoundrel be respected.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 5 references, hung on the phrase they belong to


The Key Word נָבָל, na.Valgenerated

The name נָבָל (Nabal) means 'fool' in Hebrew, indicating his character as foolish and unwise. This is evident in the context where he spurns David's request for assistance, showcasing his lack of discernment and moral judgment.

Nabal's foolishness is not just a personal trait but also a reflection of his actions, which are described as harsh and evil. His name serves as a fitting descriptor of his character and foreshadows the consequences he will face.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

All translations agree that Nabal is portrayed as a foolish man, consistent with the Hebrew meaning of his name.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The finite verb structure is implied in the descriptions of Nabal and Abigail, with the main focus on their identities. The sentence is structured to introduce both characters in a balanced manner, highlighting their contrasting qualities.

The order of the clauses emphasizes Nabal's name first, followed by his wife's name, which underscores the contrast between them. The adjectives describing Abigail precede the description of Nabal, further accentuating the differences.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

The Septuagint translates נָבָל as ναβαλ, maintaining the connection to foolishness. This choice reflects the Greek translators' understanding of Nabal's character as one of folly.

The use of the term for Abigail in the Septuagint also aligns with the Hebrew, indicating her wisdom and beauty, thus preserving the original contrast between the two characters.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

1 Samuel 25:3 introduces Nabal, a foolish man, and his wife Abigail, who is wise and beautiful. The verse highlights their contrasting characters, setting the stage for the events that follow.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does Nabal's name signify?

Nabal's name means 'fool' in Hebrew, reflecting his foolish character and actions.

How is Abigail described in this verse?

Abigail is described as an intelligent and beautiful woman, highlighting her wisdom and attractiveness.

What is the significance of the contrast between Nabal and Abigail?

The contrast emphasizes the themes of wisdom versus folly and sets the stage for Abigail's role in the narrative.

What role does Nabal play in the story?

Nabal's actions and character create conflict, leading to Abigail's intervention and ultimately affecting the relationship with David.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. What qualities do you value in a leader, as seen in the contrast between Nabal and Abigail?
  2. How can we apply the lessons from Nabal's foolishness in our own decision-making?
  3. In what ways can wisdom and discernment influence our relationships?
  4. How does Abigail's character inspire you to act wisely in challenging situations?

The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it

Bede comments on the meanings of Nabal and Abigail, highlighting their contrasting qualities and implications for understanding their roles in the narrative.

BedeCommentary on Samuel c. 673–735
The name of that man was Nabal, etc. Nabal means foolish, Abigail is called the father's joy: and the foolish man was a legal expert who, having the key of knowledge, neither entered himself, nor allowed those who wished to enter.
Early Church Fathers on 1 Samuel 25 →

Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on 1 Samuel 25:3 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Now the name of the man [was] Nabal,.... Which signifies a "fool"; one would think his parents should not give him this name, though it is a name proper enough to men in common; and Kimchi thinks

Read John Gill on 1 Samuel 25 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

Now the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail: and she was a woman of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance: but the man was churlish and evil in his doings; and he was of the house of Caleb.

Read Robert Jamieson on 1 Samuel 25 →
Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy Bible

This is added to aggravate his crime, that he was a degenerate branch of that noble stock of Caleb, and consequently of the tribe of Judah, as David was.

Read Matthew Poole on 1 Samuel 25 →
John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

1 Samuel 25:3 Now the name of the man [was] Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail: and [she was] a woman of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance: but the man [was] churlish and evil in his doings; and he [was] of the house of Caleb.Ver. 3. Now the name of the man was Nabal.] Nebulo; a man in whom all grace and good nature is faded and dried up; a sapless fellow, not a natural fool, but worse; an Atheist, a Mammonist. Conveniunt rebus nomina saepe suis, Nabal had not his name for naught. And the name of his wife Abigail,] i.e., My father’ s joy. But what meant her father to match her to such an ill-conditioned churl? It is likely he married her to the wealth, not to the man.…

Read John Trapp on 1 Samuel 25 →
Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(3) Nabal.—The word “Nabal” means “fool,” connected with naval, to fade away. The name was probably a nickname given him on account of his well-known stubborn folly. Abigail.—The famous beautiful woman who afterwards became David’s wife seems to have been, as Stanley calls her, “the good angel of the household” of the ill-starred, boorish southern chieftain. Her name, too, which signifies “whose father is joy,” was most likely given her by the villagers on her husband’s estate, as expressive of her sunny, gladness-bringing presence. Her early training, and the question respecting the sources whence she derived her wisdom and deep, far-sighted piety—apparently far in advance of her age—is…

Read Charles John Ellicott on 1 Samuel 25 →
AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible

Verse 3. The name of the man was Nabal] The word נבל nabal signifies to be foolish, base, or villanous; and hence the Latin word nebulo, knave, is supposed to be derived. The name of his wife Abigail] The joy or exultation of my father. A woman of sense and beauty, married to the boor mentioned above, probably because he was rich. Many women have been thus sacrificed. Of the house of Caleb] והוא כלבי vehu Chalibbi, "he was a Calebite." But as the word caleb signifies a dog, the Septuagint have understood it as implying a man of a canine disposition, and translate it thus, καιὁανθρωποςκυνικος, he was a doggish man. It is understood in the same way by the Syriac and Arabic.

Read AdamClarke on 1 Samuel 25 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

3. Nabal] The name means Fool. It is the word used in Psalms 14:1; Proverbs 30:22; &c. churlish] Lit. hard. Cp. Matthew 25:24, where the same Greek word is used as in the Sept. here (σκληρός). of the house of Caleb] Who settled at Hebron (Joshua 15:13). Cp. “the south of Caleb” in ch. 1 Samuel 30:14. The Sept. rendering “dog-like” (κυνικός), referring to his character, is not to be followed.

Read Cambridge on 1 Samuel 25 →
Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible

3. Churlish — Harsh, stern, cross, and surly. Of the house of Caleb — Who inherited Hebron. Joshua 14:13; Joshua 15:13. The Septuagint renders λμαι, Calebite, by κυνικος, doggish.

Read Daniel Denison Whedon on 1 Samuel 25 →

The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company

Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.

Modern formal

BSBBerean Standard Bible2020

His name was Nabal, and his wife’s name was Abigail. She was an intelligent and beautiful woman, but her husband, a Calebite, was harsh and evil in his dealings.

WEBWorld English Bible2000

Now the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail. This woman was intelligent and had a beautiful face; but the man was surly and evil in his doings. He was of the house of Caleb.

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

His name was Nabal, and his wife’s name was Abigail. She was an intelligent and beautiful woman, but her husband, a Calebite, was harsh and evil in his dealings.

NETBNew English Translation2006

The man’s name was Nabal, and his wife’s name was Abigail. She was both wise and beautiful, but the man was harsh and his deeds were evil. He was a Calebite.

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

Now the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail: and she was a woman of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance: but the man was churlish and evil in his doings; and he was of the house of Caleb.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

Now the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail; and the woman was of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance: but the man was churlish and evil in his doings; and he was of the house of Caleb.

RVARevised Version, American1894

Now the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail: and the woman was of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance: but the man was churlish and evil in his doings; and he was of the house of Caleb.

NWBWebster's Bible1833

Now the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail: and she was a woman of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance: but the man was churlish and evil in his doings; and he was of the house of Caleb.

GNVGeneva Bible1599

The name also of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail, and she was a woman of singular wisdome, and beautifull, but the man was churlish, and euil conditioned, and was of the familie of Caleb.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

And the name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail; and the woman was of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance; but the man was churlish and evil in his doings; and he was a Calebite.

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

And the name of the man [is] Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail, and the woman [is] of good understanding, and of fair form, and the man [is] hard and evil [in] doings; and he [is] a Calebite.

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

And the name of the man [is] Nabal, and the name of his wife [is] Abigail, and the woman [is] of good understanding, and of beautiful form, and the man [is] hard and evil [in his] doings; and he [is] a Calebite.

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

Now the name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigayil: and the woman was of good understanding, and of a beautiful form; but the man was hard-hearted and evil in his deeds; and he was of the house of Caleb.

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

The man's name was Nabal, and the name of his wife was Abigail. The woman was intelligent and beautiful in appearance. But the man was harsh and evil in his dealings. He was a descendant of the house of Caleb.

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

Now the name of the man was Nabal: and the name of his wife was Abigail. And she was a prudent and very comely woman, but her husband was churlish, and very bad and ill natured: and he was of the house of Caleb.

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

The man's name was Nabal, and his wife's name was Abigail. She was a wise and beautiful woman, but her husband was cruel and treated people badly. He was a descendant of Caleb.

BBEBible in Basic English1949

Now this man was named Nabal, and his wife's name was Abigail: she was a woman of good sense and pleasing looks: but the man was cruel and evil in his ways; he was of the family of Caleb.

Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.


The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank

This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.

וְandclausenoun phrase · subjectשֵׁ֤םthe.namenoun phraseהָofאִישׁ֙the.manpredicateנָבָ֔ל[was].Nabalוְandclausenoun phrase · subjectשֵׁ֥םthe.namenoun phraseאִשְׁתּ֖his.wifeוֹhispredicateאֲבִגָ֑יִל[was].Abigailוְandclausenoun phrase · subjectהָtheאִשָּׁ֤הwomanadjective phrase · predicateadjective phraseטֽוֹבַת[was].goodשֶׂ֨כֶל֙of.insightוִ֣andadjective phraseיפַתbeautifulתֹּ֔אַרof.formוְandclausenoun phrase · subjectהָtheאִ֥ישׁmanadjective phrase · predicateקָשֶׁ֛ה[was].hardוְandadjective phraseרַ֥עevilמַעֲלָלִ֖יםof.deedsוְandclausesubjectה֥וּאhepredicateכָלִבִּֽי[was].a.Calebite

Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.


The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran

The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint agree in their wording for this verse, with the Septuagint providing a direct correspondence to the Hebrew. The Dead Sea Scrolls fragment contains partial matches, confirming the consistency of the text.

Masoretic TextLeningrad Codex, c. AD 1008 — the text this page is built on

וְשֵׁ֤ם הָאִישׁ֙ נָבָ֔ל וְשֵׁ֥ם אִשְׁתּ֖וֹ אֲבִגָ֑יִל וְהָאִשָּׁ֤ה טֽוֹבַת־ שֶׂ֙כֶל֙ וִ֣יפַת תֹּ֔אַר וְהָאִ֥ישׁ קָשֶׁ֛ה וְרַ֥ע מַעֲלָלִ֖ים וְה֥וּא כָלִבִּֽי׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
וְשֵׁ֤םὄνομαהָאִישׁ֙ἀνθρώπῳנָבָ֔לναβαλוְשֵׁ֥םὄνομαאִשְׁתּ֖וֹαὐτοῦאֲבִגָ֑יִלαβιγαιαוְהָאִשָּׁ֤הγυνὴטֽוֹבַת־ἀγαθὴשֶׂ֙כֶל֙συνέσειוִ֣יפַתκαλὴתֹּ֔אַרεἴδειוְהָאִ֥ישׁἄνθρωποςקָשֶׁ֛הσκληρὸςוְרַ֥עπονηρὸςמַעֲלָלִ֖יםἐπιτηδεύμασινוְה֥וּאκαὶכָלִבִּֽי׃κυνικός

17 of the 17 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.

Dead Sea Scrolls — 4Q51a copy a thousand years older than the Leningrad Codex

מעללים והאיש כלבי

3 words of the verse are on this fragment — 1 partly restored.

Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.


The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with

This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.

1 Samuel 25:3שֵׁםand [the] nand [the] name שֵׁםאִישׁthe manthe manאִישׁנָבָל[was] Nabal[was] Nabalנָבָלשֵׁםand [the] nand [the] name שֵׁםאִשָּׁהwife hiswife hisאִשָּׁהאֲבִיגַ֫יִל[was] Abiga[was] Abigailאֲבִיגַ֫יִלאִשָּׁהand the womand the womanאִשָּׁהטוֹב[was] good [was] good ofטוֹבשֵׂ֫כֶלinsightinsightשֵׂ֫כֶליָפֶהand beautifand beautiful oיָפֶהתֹּ֫אַרappearanceappearanceתֹּ֫אַראִישׁand the manand the manאִישׁקָשֶׁה[was] hard[was] hardקָשֶׁהרַעand evil ofand evil ofרַעמַעֲלָלdeedsdeedsמַעֲלָלהוּאand heand heהוּאכָּלִבִּי[was] a Cal[was] a Calebitכָּלִבִּישׂוּםto set: mato set: makeשׂוּםאֱנוֹשׁhumanhumanאֱנוֹשׁאִשָּׁהwomanwomanאִשָּׁהאִישׁmanmanאִישׁאָבfatherfatherאָבטוֹבbe pleasinbe pleasingטוֹבשָׂכַלbe prudentbe prudentשָׂכַליָפָהbe beautifbe beautifulיָפָהתָּאַרto borderto borderתָּאַרקָשָׁהto hardento hardenקָשָׁהרָעַעbe evilbe evilרָעַעעָלַלto abuseto abuseעָלַלכָּלֵבCalebCalebכָּלֵבנָבָלfoolishfoolishנָבָלקָרָאto call: cto call: call tקָרָאיָדָהto give thto give thanksיָדָהרֵעַneighborneighborרֵעַכַּרְמְלִיCarmeliteCarmeliteכַּרְמְלִי
meets it a little oftener than chancemeets it far oftener than chancebuilt from the same roottwo words of the verse share ita word of this versea related word

Lexicons — every word in 1 Samuel 25:3

One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.

Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.

and [the] name of the man [was] Nabal and [the] name of wife his [was] Abigail and the woman [was] good of insight and beautiful of appearance and the man [was] hard and evil of deeds and he [was] a Calebite
וְשֵׁ֤םve.Shem and [the] name of H8034 Conjunction · noun common masculine singular construct
864× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the Bible, a name represents a person's identity, honor, and character, like God's name symbolizing His power and authority. It appears in Genesis and other books, often referring to God's name or a person's reputation. This concept is central to understanding biblical identity.
Tyndale gloss
name
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

שֵׁם (shem) means 'name' and encompasses various meanings such as reputation, fame, and glory. It can refer to the designation of God and is often associated with memorials or monuments. The word is built from a primitive root and highlights individuality and honor. There is a mention of its use in relation to false gods, which is forbidden.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

שֵׁם 864 n.m. name (√ unknown)

of river, beasts, city, i.e. exact designation of it

usu. of pers.

= reputation

esp. as giving a man a kind of posthumous life, esp. in his sons

name, as designation of God

of false gods, use forbidden

= memorial, monument

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H8034 שֵׁם name (√ unknown)

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

8034 shem shame

a primitive word (perhaps rather from 7760 through the idea

of definite and conspicuous position; compare 8064); an

appellation, as a mark or memorial of individuality; by

implication honor, authority, character:--+ base,

(in-)fame(-ous), named(-d), renown, report.

see HEBREW for 07760

see HEBREW for 08064

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

שֵׁם (shem) — name.

1) name

1a) name

1b) reputation, fame, glory

1c) the Name (as designation of God)

1d) memorial, monument

Aramaic equivalent: shum (שֻׁם "name" H8036)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | N-ms — Conjunction · noun common masculine singular construct
HC/Ncmsc
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ov:

(1) In Anglo-Saxon, had the meaning "from," "away from" (as the strengthened form "off" has still), and was not used for genitive or possessive relations, these being expressed by special case-forms. In the Norman period, however, "of" was taken to represent the French de (a use well developed by the time of Chaucer), and in the Elizabethan period both senses of "of" were in common use. But after about 1600 the later force of the word became predominant, and in the earlier sense (which is now practically obsolete) it was replaced by other prepositions. In consequence the King James Version (and in some cases the Revised Version (British and American)) contains many uses of "of" that are no longer familiar--most of them, to be sure, causing no difficulty, but there still being a few responsible for real obscurities.

English usagewhat the translators’ English meant
Webster's Dictionary (1828), Webster's Unabridged (1913), Webster's Dictionary (1806)

OF, preposition ov. [Gr.]

1. From or out of; proceeding from, as the cause, source, means, author or agent bestowing.

I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you. 1 Corinthians 11:1.

For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts. Joshua 11:1.

It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.

Lamentations 3:1.

The whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Proverbs 16:1.

Go, inquire of the Lord for me. 2 Chronicles 34:2.

That holy thing that shall be born of thee. Luke 1:1.

Hence of is the sign of the genitive case, the case that denotes production; as the son of man, the son proceeding from man, produced from man. This is the primary sense, although we now say, produced by man. 'Part of these were slain; ' that is, a number separate, for part denotes a division; the sense then is, a number from or out of the whole were slain. So also, 'some of these were slain; ' that is…

and [the] name of the man [was] Nabal and [the] name of wife his [was] Abigail and the woman [was] good of insight and beautiful of appearance and the man [was] hard and evil of deeds and he [was] a Calebite
הָאִישׁ֙ha.'Ish the man H376 Particle · noun common masculine singular absolute
1,664× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for man, referring to a male person or individual, is used in the Bible to describe humans in contrast to God or animals, as seen in Genesis and Psalms. It can also mean husband or servant. In the KJV, it is translated as man or male.
Tyndale gloss
man
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word אִישׁ (iysh) means 'man' and can refer to an individual male, a husband, or a human being in general. It encompasses various meanings, including champion and great man, and can also imply 'whosoever' or 'each.' The word is built from a root suggesting existence and is used throughout the Old Testament.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אִישׁ 2166 n.m. man (= vir)

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H376 אִישׁ man (= vir)

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

376 'iysh eesh

contracted for 582 (or perhaps rather from an unused root

meaning to be extant); a man as an individual or a male

person; often used as an adjunct to a more definite term (and

in such cases frequently not expressed in

translation):--also, another, any (man), a certain, +

champion, consent, each, every (one), fellow, (foot-,

husband-)man, (good-, great, mighty) man, he, high (degree),

him (that is), husband, man(-kind), + none, one, people,

person, + steward, what (man) soever, whoso(-ever), worthy.

Compare 802.

see HEBREW for 0582

see HEBREW for 0802

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אִישׁ (ish) — man.

: man

1) man

1a) man, male (in contrast to woman, female)

1b) husband

1c) human being, person (in contrast to God)

1d) servant

1e) mankind

1f) champion

1g) great man

2) whosoever

3) each (adjective)

אִישׁ (ish) — man: husband.

: husband

1) man

1a) man, male (in contrast to woman, female)

1b) husband

1c) human being, person (in contrast to God)

1d) servant

1e) mankind

1f) champion

1g) great man

2) whosoever

3) each (adjective)

אִישׁ (ish) — man: anyone.

: anyone/someone

1) man

1a) man, male (in contrast to woman, female)

1b) husband

1c) human being, person (in contrast to God)

1d) servant

1e) mankind

1f) champion

1g) great man

2) whosoever

3) each (adjective)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Art | N-ms — Particle · noun common masculine singular absolute
HTd/Ncmsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

See ANTHROPOLOGY.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Man

(1.) Heb. ‘Adam, used as the proper name of the first man. The name is derived from a word meaning “to be red,” and thus the first man was called Adam because he was formed from the red earth. It is also the generic name of the human race (Gen. 1:26, 27; 5:2; 8:21; Deut. 8:3). Its equivalents are the Latin homo and the Greek anthropos (Matt. 5:13, 16). It denotes also man in opposition to woman (Gen. 3:12; Matt. 19:10).

(2.) Heb. ‘ish, like the Latin vir and Greek aner, denotes properly a man in opposition to a woman (1 Sam. 17:33;

→ CREATED Ge 1:26,27; 2:7; 5:1,2; De 4:32; Job 4:17; 10:2,3,8,9; 31:15; 33:4; 35:10; Ps 8:5; 100:3; 119:73; 138:8; 139:14; Ec 7:29; Isa 17:7; 42:5; 43:7; 45:12; 64:8; Jer 27:5; Zec 12:1; Mal 2:10; Mr 10:6; Heb 2:7

See CREATED IN THE IMAGE OF GOD, below

The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
and [the] name of the man [was] Nabal and [the] name of wife his [was] Abigail and the woman [was] good of insight and beautiful of appearance and the man [was] hard and evil of deeds and he [was] a Calebite
נָבָ֔לna.Val [was] Nabal H5037 Noun proper masculine
22× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Nabal was an Israelite who lived during King David's time, known for being foolish and spurning David's messengers. His wife Abigail intervened on his behalf, later becoming David's wife after Nabal's death. Nabal means 'fool' in Hebrew.
Amplified meaning
a foolish man
Tyndale gloss
Nabal
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

נָבָל (Nabal) refers to a churlish man from Carmel, known for his foolishness, as indicated by its meaning. He is first mentioned in 1 Samuel 25:3, where he spurns David's messengers and later dies from shock. His widow, Abigail, becomes David's wife after his death.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

נָבָל n.pr.m. a churlish man of Carmel, whose widow David married

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5037 נָבָל

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5037 Nabal naw-bawl'

the same as 5036; dolt; Nabal, an Israelite:--Nabal.

see HEBREW for 05036

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

נָבָל (na.val) — Nabal.

A man living at the time of United Monarchy, first mentioned at 1Sa.25.3; married to Abigail (H0026)

§ Nabhal or Nabal = "fool"

a man of Carmel who spurned David's messengers, then died of shock when he realised it might cause his death; his case was pleaded by his wife Abigail who became David's wife after his death

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-proper — Noun proper masculine
HNpm
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

na'-bal (nabhal, "foolish" or "wicked"; Nabal): A wealthy man of Maon in the highlands of Judah, not far from Hebron, owner of many sheep and goats which he pastured around Carmel in the same district. He was a churlish and wicked man (1Sa 25:2). When David was a fugitive from Saul, he and his followers sought refuge in the wilderness of Paran, near the possessions of Nabal, and protected the latter's flocks and herds from the marauding Bedouin. David felt that some compensation was due him for such services (1Sa 25:15, 25), so, at the time of sheep-shearing--an occasion of great festivities among sheep masters--he sent 10 of his young men to Nabal to solicit gifts of food for himself and his small band of warriors. Nabal not only refused any assistance or presents, but sent back…

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Nabal

Foolish, a descendant of Caleb who dwelt at Maon (1 Sam. 25), the modern Main, 7 miles south-east of Hebron. He was “very great, and he had 3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats...but the man was churlish and evil in his doings.” During his wanderings David came into that district, and hearing that Nabal was about to shear his sheep, he sent ten of his young men to ask “whatsoever cometh unto thy hand for thy servants.” Nabal insultingly resented the demand, saying, “Who is David, and who is the son of Jesse?” (1 Sam. 25:10, 11). One of the shepherds that stood by and saw the reception David’s messengers had met with, informed Abigail, Nabal’s wife, who at once realized the danger that threatened her household. She forthwith proceeded to the camp of David, bringing with her ample stores of provisions (25:18). She so courteously and…

Smith's Bible Dictionary

(fool) was a sheepmaster on the confines of Judea and the desert, in that part of the country which bore from its great conqueror the name of Caleb. (1 Samuel 25:3; 30:14) (B.C. about 1055.) His residence was on the southern Carmel, in the pasture lands of Maon. His wealth, as might be expected from his abode, consisted chiefly of sheep and goats. It was the custom of the shepherds to drive them into the wild downs on the slopes of Carmel; and it was whilst they were on one of these pastoral excursions that they met a band of outlaws, who showed them unexpected kindness, protecting them by day and night, and never themselves committing any depredations. (1 Samuel 25:7,15,18) Once a year there was a grand banquet on Carmel, "like the feast of a king." ch. (

and [the] name of the man [was] Nabal and [the] name of wife his [was] Abigail and the woman [was] good of insight and beautiful of appearance and the man [was] hard and evil of deeds and he [was] a Calebite
וְשֵׁ֥םve.Shem and [the] name of H8034 Conjunction · noun common masculine singular construct
864× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the Bible, a name represents a person's identity, honor, and character, like God's name symbolizing His power and authority. It appears in Genesis and other books, often referring to God's name or a person's reputation. This concept is central to understanding biblical identity.
Tyndale gloss
name
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

שֵׁם (shem) means 'name' and encompasses various meanings such as reputation, fame, and glory. It can refer to the designation of God and is often associated with memorials or monuments. The word is built from a primitive root and highlights individuality and honor. There is a mention of its use in relation to false gods, which is forbidden.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

שֵׁם 864 n.m. name (√ unknown)

of river, beasts, city, i.e. exact designation of it

usu. of pers.

= reputation

esp. as giving a man a kind of posthumous life, esp. in his sons

name, as designation of God

of false gods, use forbidden

= memorial, monument

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H8034 שֵׁם name (√ unknown)

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

8034 shem shame

a primitive word (perhaps rather from 7760 through the idea

of definite and conspicuous position; compare 8064); an

appellation, as a mark or memorial of individuality; by

implication honor, authority, character:--+ base,

(in-)fame(-ous), named(-d), renown, report.

see HEBREW for 07760

see HEBREW for 08064

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

שֵׁם (shem) — name.

1) name

1a) name

1b) reputation, fame, glory

1c) the Name (as designation of God)

1d) memorial, monument

Aramaic equivalent: shum (שֻׁם "name" H8036)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | N-ms — Conjunction · noun common masculine singular construct
HC/Ncmsc
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ov:

(1) In Anglo-Saxon, had the meaning "from," "away from" (as the strengthened form "off" has still), and was not used for genitive or possessive relations, these being expressed by special case-forms. In the Norman period, however, "of" was taken to represent the French de (a use well developed by the time of Chaucer), and in the Elizabethan period both senses of "of" were in common use. But after about 1600 the later force of the word became predominant, and in the earlier sense (which is now practically obsolete) it was replaced by other prepositions. In consequence the King James Version (and in some cases the Revised Version (British and American)) contains many uses of "of" that are no longer familiar--most of them, to be sure, causing no difficulty, but there still being a few responsible for real obscurities.

English usagewhat the translators’ English meant
Webster's Dictionary (1828), Webster's Unabridged (1913), Webster's Dictionary (1806)

OF, preposition ov. [Gr.]

1. From or out of; proceeding from, as the cause, source, means, author or agent bestowing.

I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you. 1 Corinthians 11:1.

For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts. Joshua 11:1.

It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.

Lamentations 3:1.

The whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Proverbs 16:1.

Go, inquire of the Lord for me. 2 Chronicles 34:2.

That holy thing that shall be born of thee. Luke 1:1.

Hence of is the sign of the genitive case, the case that denotes production; as the son of man, the son proceeding from man, produced from man. This is the primary sense, although we now say, produced by man. 'Part of these were slain; ' that is, a number separate, for part denotes a division; the sense then is, a number from or out of the whole were slain. So also, 'some of these were slain; ' that is…

and [the] name of the man [was] Nabal and [the] name of wife his [was] Abigail and the woman [was] good of insight and beautiful of appearance and the man [was] hard and evil of deeds and he [was] a Calebite
אִשְׁתּ֖וֹ'ish.To wife his H802 Noun common feminine singular construct · suffix
781× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for woman, used to describe a female person, wife, or animal, appears in many biblical passages, including Genesis and Exodus, and is often translated as woman, wife, or female.
Tyndale gloss
woman
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

אִשָּׁה (ishshah) means 'woman,' 'wife,' or 'female.' It can refer to a woman in general, a wife in relation to a man, or the female of animals. The term also has distributive and reciprocal uses, indicating 'each woman' from her neighbor. The word is derived from the masculine forms אִישׁ (ish) and אִישָׁה (ishah), indicating a broad range of meanings.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אִשָּׁה 773 n.f. woman, wife, female

woman

Wife (woman belonging to a man, usually cstr. or sf.)

Female of animals

With distrib. & recipr. sense, each woman from her neighbor; each one

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H802 אִשָּׁה woman, wife, female . woman

. Wife (woman belonging to a man, usually cstr. or sf.)

. Female of animals

. With distrib. & recipr. sense, each woman from her neighbor; each one

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

802 'ishshah ish-shaw'

feminine of 376 or 582; irregular plural, nashiym

{naw-sheem'}; a woman (used in the same wide sense as

582):--(adulter)ess, each, every, female, X many, + none,

one, + together, wife, woman. Often unexpressed in English.

see HEBREW for 0376

see HEBREW for 0582

see HEBREW for 0582

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אִשָּׁה (ish.shah) — woman.

: woman

1) woman, wife, female

1a) woman (opposite of man)

1b) wife (woman married to a man)

1c) female (of animals)

1d) each, every (pronoun)

אִשָּׁה (ish.shah) — woman: wife.

: wife/widow

1) woman, wife, female

1a) woman (opposite of man)

1b) wife (woman married to a man)

1c) female (of animals)

1d) each, every (pronoun)

אִשָּׁה (ish.shah) — woman: another.

: another

1) woman, wife, female

1a) woman (opposite of man)

1b) wife (woman married to a man)

1c) female (of animals)

1d) each, every (pronoun)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-fs | Suff — Noun common feminine singular construct · suffix
HNcfsc/Sp3ms
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

hiz: Used often in the King James Version with reference to a neuter or inanimate thing, or to a lower animal (Ge 1:11, "after his kind"; Le 1:16, "pluck away his crop"; Ac 12:10, "of his own accord"; 1Co 15:38, "his own body"), etc. the Revised Version (British and American) substitutes "its."

and [the] name of the man [was] Nabal and [the] name of wife his [was] Abigail and the woman [was] good of insight and beautiful of appearance and the man [was] hard and evil of deeds and he [was] a Calebite
אֲבִגָ֑יִל'a.vi.Ga.yil [was] Abigail H26 Noun proper feminine
17× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Abigail was an Israelite woman, first mentioned in 2 Samuel 17:25, known for her wisdom and kindness. She was the daughter of Nahash and married to Jether, and later to King David. Abigail is also the name of another Israelite woman.
Amplified meaning
a woman of good understanding
Tyndale gloss
Abigail
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word אֲבִיגַ֫יִל (*Abiygayil*) means 'my father is joy.' It refers to two women in the Old Testament: one was the wife of Nabal and later David, while the other is noted as David's sister. The name is derived from the words for 'father' and 'joy,' indicating its joyful connotation.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אֲבִיגַ֫יִל n.pr.f. (my father is joy (?))

wife of Nabal, then of David

sister of David

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H26 אֲבִיגַ֫יִל

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

26 'Abiygayil ab-ee-gah'-yil

or shorter Abiygal {ab-ee-gal'}; from 1 and 1524; father

(i.e. source) of joy; Abigail or Abigal, the name of two

Israelitesses:--Abigal.

see HEBREW for 01

see HEBREW for 01524

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אֲבִיגַ֫יִל, אֲבִיגַ֫ל (a.vi.ga.yil) — Abigail.

A woman living at the time of United Monarchy, first mentioned at 1Sa.25.3; married to David (H1732) and Nabal (H5037);

mother of: Chileab (H3609)

§ Abigail = "my father is joy"

1) wife of Nabal, then of David

אֲבִיגַ֫יִל, אֲבִיגַ֫ל (a.vi.ga.yil) — Abigail.

A woman living at the time of United Monarchy, first mentioned at 2Sa.17.25;

daughter of: Nahash (H5176I) and Nahash (H5176I)(?);

sister of: David (H1732)(?), Eliab (H0446I)(?), Abinadab (H0041I)(?), Shimeah (H8093)(?), Nethanel (H5417H)(?), Raddai (H7288)(?), Ozem (H0684)(?), Zeruiah (H6870)(?), Abigail (H0026H)(?) and Elihu (H0453J)(?); married to Jether (H3500H);

mother of: Amasa (H6021)

§ Abigail = "my father is joy"

sister of David

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-proper — Noun proper feminine
HNpf
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
Easton's Bible Dictionary

Abigail

Father (i.e., “leader”) of the dance, or “of joy.” (1.) The sister of David, and wife of Jether an Ishmaelite (1 Chr. 2:16,17). She was the mother of Amasa (2 Sam. 17:25).

(2.) The wife of the churlish Nabal, who dwelt in the district of Carmel (1 Sam. 25:3). She showed great prudence and delicate management at a critical period of her husband’s life. She was “a woman of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance.” After Nabal’s death she became the wife of David (1 Sam. 25:14-42), and was his companion in all his future fortunes (1 Sam. 27:3; 30:5;

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

1. Formerly the wife of Nabal of Carmel, and afterwards of David. Upon receiving information of Nabal’s ingratitude to David, 1Sa 25:14, she loaded several asses with provisions, and attended by some of here domestics went out to meet him. Her manners and conversation gained for her his esteem, and as soon as the days of mourning for Nabal’s death, which happened soon afterwards, were over, he made her his wife. The issue of the marriage was, as some critics suppose, two sons, Chileab and Daniel, 2Sa 3:3; 1Ch 3:1; but it is most probable that these names were borne by one person.

2. A sister of David, and mother of Amasa, 1Ch 2:16,17.

Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary

the father's joy

and [the] name of the man [was] Nabal and [the] name of wife his [was] Abigail and the woman [was] good of insight and beautiful of appearance and the man [was] hard and evil of deeds and he [was] a Calebite
וְהָאִשָּׁ֤הve.ha.'i.Shah and the woman H802 Conjunction · particle · noun common feminine singular absolute
781× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for woman, used to describe a female person, wife, or animal, appears in many biblical passages, including Genesis and Exodus, and is often translated as woman, wife, or female.
Tyndale gloss
woman
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

אִשָּׁה (ishshah) means 'woman,' 'wife,' or 'female.' It can refer to a woman in general, a wife in relation to a man, or the female of animals. The term also has distributive and reciprocal uses, indicating 'each woman' from her neighbor. The word is derived from the masculine forms אִישׁ (ish) and אִישָׁה (ishah), indicating a broad range of meanings.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אִשָּׁה 773 n.f. woman, wife, female

woman

Wife (woman belonging to a man, usually cstr. or sf.)

Female of animals

With distrib. & recipr. sense, each woman from her neighbor; each one

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H802 אִשָּׁה woman, wife, female . woman

. Wife (woman belonging to a man, usually cstr. or sf.)

. Female of animals

. With distrib. & recipr. sense, each woman from her neighbor; each one

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

802 'ishshah ish-shaw'

feminine of 376 or 582; irregular plural, nashiym

{naw-sheem'}; a woman (used in the same wide sense as

582):--(adulter)ess, each, every, female, X many, + none,

one, + together, wife, woman. Often unexpressed in English.

see HEBREW for 0376

see HEBREW for 0582

see HEBREW for 0582

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אִשָּׁה (ish.shah) — woman.

: woman

1) woman, wife, female

1a) woman (opposite of man)

1b) wife (woman married to a man)

1c) female (of animals)

1d) each, every (pronoun)

אִשָּׁה (ish.shah) — woman: wife.

: wife/widow

1) woman, wife, female

1a) woman (opposite of man)

1b) wife (woman married to a man)

1c) female (of animals)

1d) each, every (pronoun)

אִשָּׁה (ish.shah) — woman: another.

: another

1) woman, wife, female

1a) woman (opposite of man)

1b) wife (woman married to a man)

1c) female (of animals)

1d) each, every (pronoun)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | Art | N-fs — Conjunction · particle · noun common feminine singular absolute
HC/Td/Ncfsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

woom'-an ('ishshah, "a woman" (feminine of 'ish, "a man"]; gune, "a woman" "wife"):

I. IN THE CREATIVE PLAN

II. IN OLD TESTAMENT TIMES

1. Prominence of Women

2. Social Equality

3. Marriage Laws

4. Inheritance

5. Domestic Duties

6. Dress and Ornaments

7. Religious Devotion and Service

(1) in Idolatry and False Religion

(2) in Spiritual Religion

III. INTER-TESTAMENTAL ERA

IV. IN NEW TESTAMENT TIMES

1. Mary and Elisabeth

2. Jesus and Women

3. In the Early Church

4. Official Service

5. Widows

6. Deaconesses

IV. LATER TIMES

1. Changes in Character and Condition

2. Notable Examples of Christian Womanhood

3. Woman in the 20th Century

The generic term "man" includes woman. In the narrative of the creation (Ge 1:26,27) Adam is a collective term for mankind. It may signify human being, male or female, or humanity entire. "God said, Let us make man .... and let them"…

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Woman

Was “taken out of man” (Gen. 2:23), and therefore the man has the preeminence. “The head of the woman is the man;” but yet honour is to be shown to the wife, “as unto the weaker vessel” (1 Cor. 11:3, 8, 9; 1 Pet. 3:7). Several women are mentioned in Scripture as having been endowed with prophetic gifts, as Miriam (Ex. 15:20), Deborah (Judg. 4:4, 5), Huldah (2 Kings 22:14), Noadiah (Neh. 6:14), Anna (Luke 2:36, 37), and the daughters of Philip the evangelist…

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

Is spoken of in Scripture as the beloved and honored companion and helpmeet, not the servant, of man, Ge 2:23,24, created as the necessary completion of man, Ge 3:16 1Co 11:3,8,9 14:34,35 1Ti 2:11-14, yet specially qualified for that sphere, and as necessary in it as man in his. Man and woman are indeed essentially one, the natural qualities of each so responding to those of the other as to lay the foundation of the most tender and abiding unity. The Bible thus raised the Jewish woman high above the woman of heathenism; and the Old Testament contains some of the finest portraitures of female character. But still greater is the contrast between the women of heathenism and…

Torrey's New Topical Textbook

- Origin and cause of the name

Ge 2:23

- ORIGINALLY MADE

. By God in his own image

Ge 1:27

. From one of Adam's ribs

Ge 2:21,22

. For man

1Co 11:9

. To be an helpmeet for man

Ge 2:18,20

. Subordinate to man

1Co 11:3

. To be the glory of man

1Co 11:7

- Deceived by Satan

Ge 3:1-6; 2Co 11:3; 1Ti 2:14

- Led man to disobey God

and [the] name of the man [was] Nabal and [the] name of wife his [was] Abigail and the woman [was] good of insight and beautiful of appearance and the man [was] hard and evil of deeds and he [was] a Calebite
טֽוֹבַת־toat- [was] good of H2896 Adj
538× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
In the Bible, this Hebrew word means good or welfare, describing something that is beneficial or pleasing, like a good deed or a happy time. It is used in many contexts, including Genesis and Psalms. This word is often translated as 'good' or 'beautiful'.
Amplified meaning
wise and discerning
Tyndale gloss
pleasant
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

טוֹב (tov) is a Hebrew word meaning good or pleasant, encompassing a wide range of meanings from agreeable to the senses to ethical goodness. It can function as an adjective, noun, or adverb, referring to things like welfare, happiness, and prosperity. The feminine form, טוֹבָה (tovah), specifically denotes welfare or good things.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

טוֹב adj. pleasant, agreeable, good

pleasant, agreeable to the senses

pleasant to the higher nature, giving pleasure, happiness, prosperity, and so agreeable, pleasing, well

good, excellent, of its kind

good, rich, valuable in estimation

good, appropriate, becoming

c. מִן compar. = better

of man's sensuous nature, glad, happy, prosperous

of man's intellectual nature, good understanding

good, kind, benign

good (ethical), right

base

טוֹב n.m. a good thing, benefit, welfare

welfare, prosperity, happiness

good things

good = benefit

moral good

base

טוֹבָה n.f. welfare, benefit, good things, good

welfare, prosperity, happiness

good things

bounty, good

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H2896a טוֹב pleasant, agreeable, good . pleasant, agreeable to the senses

. pleasant to the higher nature, giving pleasure, happiness, prosperity, and so agreeable, pleasing, well

. good, excellent, of its kind

. good, rich, valuable in estimation

. good, appropriate, becoming

. c. מִן compar. =better

. of man's sensuous nature, glad, happy, prosperous

. of man's intellectual nature, good understanding

. good, kind, benign

. good (ethical), right

H2896b טוֹב a good thing, benefit, welfare H2896c טוֹבָה welfare, benefit, good things, good

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

2896 towb tobe

from 2895; good (as an adjective) in the widest sense; used

likewise as a noun, both in the masculine and the feminine,

the singular and the plural (good, a good or good thing, a

good man or woman; the good, goods or good things, good men or

women), also as an adverb (well):--beautiful, best, better,

bountiful, cheerful, at ease, X fair (word), (be in) favour,

fine, glad, good (deed, -lier, -liest, -ly, -ness, -s),

graciously, joyful, kindly, kindness, liketh (best), loving,

merry, X most, pleasant, + pleaseth, pleasure, precious,

prosperity, ready, sweet, wealth, welfare, (be) well

((-favoured)).

see HEBREW for 02895

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

טוֹב (tov) — pleasant.

adj

1) good, pleasant, agreeable

1a) pleasant, agreeable (to the senses)

1b) pleasant (to the higher nature)

1c) good, excellent (of its kind)

1d) good, rich, valuable in estimation

1e) good, appropriate, becoming

1f) better (comparative)

1g) glad, happy, prosperous (of man's sensuous nature)

1h) good understanding (of man's intellectual nature)

1i) good, kind, benign

1j) good, right (ethical)

Aramaic equivalent: tav (טָב "fine" H2869)

טוֹב (tov) — good.

1) a good thing, benefit, welfare

1a) welfare, prosperity, happiness

1b) good things (collective)

1c) good, benefit

1d) moral good

טוֹבָה (to.vah) — welfare.

1) welfare, benefit, good things

1a) welfare, prosperity, happiness

1b) good things (collective)

1c) bounty

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Adj — Adj
HAafsc
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ov:

(1) In Anglo-Saxon, had the meaning "from," "away from" (as the strengthened form "off" has still), and was not used for genitive or possessive relations, these being expressed by special case-forms. In the Norman period, however, "of" was taken to represent the French de (a use well developed by the time of Chaucer), and in the Elizabethan period both senses of "of" were in common use. But after about 1600 the later force of the word became predominant, and in the earlier sense (which is now practically obsolete) it was replaced by other prepositions. In consequence the King James Version (and in some cases the Revised Version (British and American)) contains many uses of "of" that are no longer familiar--most of them, to be sure, causing no difficulty, but there still being a few responsible for real obscurities.

English usagewhat the translators’ English meant
Webster's Dictionary (1828), Webster's Unabridged (1913), Webster's Dictionary (1806)

OF, preposition ov. [Gr.]

1. From or out of; proceeding from, as the cause, source, means, author or agent bestowing.

I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you. 1 Corinthians 11:1.

For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts. Joshua 11:1.

It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.

Lamentations 3:1.

The whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Proverbs 16:1.

Go, inquire of the Lord for me. 2 Chronicles 34:2.

That holy thing that shall be born of thee. Luke 1:1.

Hence of is the sign of the genitive case, the case that denotes production; as the son of man, the son proceeding from man, produced from man. This is the primary sense, although we now say, produced by man. 'Part of these were slain; ' that is, a number separate, for part denotes a division; the sense then is, a number from or out of the whole were slain. So also, 'some of these were slain; ' that is…

and [the] name of the man [was] Nabal and [the] name of wife his [was] Abigail and the woman [was] good of insight and beautiful of appearance and the man [was] hard and evil of deeds and he [was] a Calebite
שֶׂ֙כֶל֙se.khel insight H7922 Noun common · masculine singular absolute
16× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word means understanding or intelligence, implying success. It involves prudence and insight, as seen in Proverbs. It can also mean cunning or craft.
Tyndale gloss
understanding
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

שֵׂ֫כֶל (sekel) refers to intelligence and understanding, encompassing concepts like prudence, insight, and wisdom. It can imply success and good sense, but also has a negative connotation of cunning or craftiness. The term appears in contexts that highlight its importance in decision-making and discernment.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

שֵׂ֫כֶל, שֶׂ֫כֶל n.m. prudence, insight

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H7922 שֵׂ֫כֶל, שֶׂ֫כֶל

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

7922 sekel seh'-kel

or sekel {say'-kel}; from 7919; intelligence; by implication,

success:--discretion, knowledge, policy, prudence, sense,

understanding, wisdom, wise.

see HEBREW for 07919

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

שֵׂ֫כֶל (se.khel) — understanding.

1) prudence, insight, understanding

1a) prudence, good sense

1b) insight, understanding

1c) cunning, craft (bad sense)

Aramaic equivalent: sokh.le.ta.nu (שׇׂכְלְתָנוּ "insight" H7924)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HNcmsa — Noun common · masculine singular absolute
HNcmsa
The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
and [the] name of the man [was] Nabal and [the] name of wife his [was] Abigail and the woman [was] good of insight and beautiful of appearance and the man [was] hard and evil of deeds and he [was] a Calebite
וִ֣יפַתVi.fat and beautiful of H3303 Conjunction
42× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Beautiful things in the Bible are described as fair, lovely, and pleasant, as seen in the Song of Solomon, which celebrates the beauty of love and relationships. The term is used to describe people, places, and things that bring joy and delight.
Amplified meaning
pleasant and lovely
Tyndale gloss
beautiful
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word יָפֶה (yapheh) means 'fair' or 'beautiful,' and can describe something that is aesthetically pleasing or attractive. It is derived from the root word יָפָה (yafah). The entries consistently emphasize its use in both literal and figurative contexts.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

יָפֶה adj. fair, beautiful

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3303 יָפֶה fair, beautiful

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3303 yapheh yaw-feh'

from 3302; beautiful (literally or figuratively):--+

beautiful, beauty, comely, fair(-est, one), + goodly,

pleasant, well.

see HEBREW for 03302

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

יָפֶה (ya.pheh) — beautiful.

fair, beautiful, handsome

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | Adj — Conjunction
HC/Aafsc
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ov:

(1) In Anglo-Saxon, had the meaning "from," "away from" (as the strengthened form "off" has still), and was not used for genitive or possessive relations, these being expressed by special case-forms. In the Norman period, however, "of" was taken to represent the French de (a use well developed by the time of Chaucer), and in the Elizabethan period both senses of "of" were in common use. But after about 1600 the later force of the word became predominant, and in the earlier sense (which is now practically obsolete) it was replaced by other prepositions. In consequence the King James Version (and in some cases the Revised Version (British and American)) contains many uses of "of" that are no longer familiar--most of them, to be sure, causing no difficulty, but there still being a few responsible for real obscurities.

English usagewhat the translators’ English meant
Webster's Dictionary (1828), Webster's Unabridged (1913), Webster's Dictionary (1806)

OF, preposition ov. [Gr.]

1. From or out of; proceeding from, as the cause, source, means, author or agent bestowing.

I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you. 1 Corinthians 11:1.

For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts. Joshua 11:1.

It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.

Lamentations 3:1.

The whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Proverbs 16:1.

Go, inquire of the Lord for me. 2 Chronicles 34:2.

That holy thing that shall be born of thee. Luke 1:1.

Hence of is the sign of the genitive case, the case that denotes production; as the son of man, the son proceeding from man, produced from man. This is the primary sense, although we now say, produced by man. 'Part of these were slain; ' that is, a number separate, for part denotes a division; the sense then is, a number from or out of the whole were slain. So also, 'some of these were slain; ' that is…

and [the] name of the man [was] Nabal and [the] name of wife his [was] Abigail and the woman [was] good of insight and beautiful of appearance and the man [was] hard and evil of deeds and he [was] a Calebite
תֹּ֔אַרTo.'ar appearance H8389 Noun common · masculine singular absolute
15× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word refers to someone's appearance or figure, describing their shape or form. It can also mean beautiful or comely, conveying a sense of attractiveness. The KJV translates it as beautiful or fair.
Tyndale gloss
appearance
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

תֹּ֫אַר (to'ar) refers to outline, form, or appearance. It is derived from a related root and encompasses meanings such as figure, visage, and beauty. The term appears in contexts that describe physical attributes, but no specific verses are cited in the entries.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

תֹּ֫אַר n.m. outline, form

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H8389 תֹּ֫אַר outline, form

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

8389 to'ar to'-ar

from 8388; outline, i.e. figure or appearance:--+ beautiful,

X comely, countenance, + fair, X favoured, form, X goodly, X

resemble, visage.

see HEBREW for 08388

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

תֹּ֫אַר (to.ar) — appearance.

shape, form, outline, figure, appearance

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HNcmsa — Noun common · masculine singular absolute
HNcmsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

a-per'-ans (mar'eh; chiefly used of the mystic and supernatural visions of Ezekiel and Daniel): A semblance, as of lightning, wheels, sapphire stone (Eze 1:14,16,26); Gabriel's overpowering revelation (Da 8:15; see also Da 10:6,18). In the New Testament refers exclusively, through three Greek words, prosopon, "sight," "countenance," to "outward appearance" (2Co 10:7 the King James Version); and its possibly deceptive nature: opsis, "Judge not according to appearance." (Joh 7:24); "them that glory in appearance." (2Co 5:12; compare

and [the] name of the man [was] Nabal and [the] name of wife his [was] Abigail and the woman [was] good of insight and beautiful of appearance and the man [was] hard and evil of deeds and he [was] a Calebite
וְהָאִ֥ישׁve.ha.'Ish and the man H376 Conjunction · particle · noun common masculine singular absolute
1,664× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for man, referring to a male person or individual, is used in the Bible to describe humans in contrast to God or animals, as seen in Genesis and Psalms. It can also mean husband or servant. In the KJV, it is translated as man or male.
Tyndale gloss
man
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word אִישׁ (iysh) means 'man' and can refer to an individual male, a husband, or a human being in general. It encompasses various meanings, including champion and great man, and can also imply 'whosoever' or 'each.' The word is built from a root suggesting existence and is used throughout the Old Testament.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

אִישׁ 2166 n.m. man (= vir)

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H376 אִישׁ man (= vir)

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

376 'iysh eesh

contracted for 582 (or perhaps rather from an unused root

meaning to be extant); a man as an individual or a male

person; often used as an adjunct to a more definite term (and

in such cases frequently not expressed in

translation):--also, another, any (man), a certain, +

champion, consent, each, every (one), fellow, (foot-,

husband-)man, (good-, great, mighty) man, he, high (degree),

him (that is), husband, man(-kind), + none, one, people,

person, + steward, what (man) soever, whoso(-ever), worthy.

Compare 802.

see HEBREW for 0582

see HEBREW for 0802

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

אִישׁ (ish) — man.

: man

1) man

1a) man, male (in contrast to woman, female)

1b) husband

1c) human being, person (in contrast to God)

1d) servant

1e) mankind

1f) champion

1g) great man

2) whosoever

3) each (adjective)

אִישׁ (ish) — man: husband.

: husband

1) man

1a) man, male (in contrast to woman, female)

1b) husband

1c) human being, person (in contrast to God)

1d) servant

1e) mankind

1f) champion

1g) great man

2) whosoever

3) each (adjective)

אִישׁ (ish) — man: anyone.

: anyone/someone

1) man

1a) man, male (in contrast to woman, female)

1b) husband

1c) human being, person (in contrast to God)

1d) servant

1e) mankind

1f) champion

1g) great man

2) whosoever

3) each (adjective)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | Art | N-ms — Conjunction · particle · noun common masculine singular absolute
HC/Td/Ncmsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

See ANTHROPOLOGY.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Man

(1.) Heb. ‘Adam, used as the proper name of the first man. The name is derived from a word meaning “to be red,” and thus the first man was called Adam because he was formed from the red earth. It is also the generic name of the human race (Gen. 1:26, 27; 5:2; 8:21; Deut. 8:3). Its equivalents are the Latin homo and the Greek anthropos (Matt. 5:13, 16). It denotes also man in opposition to woman (Gen. 3:12; Matt. 19:10).

(2.) Heb. ‘ish, like the Latin vir and Greek aner, denotes properly a man in opposition to a woman (1 Sam. 17:33;

→ CREATED Ge 1:26,27; 2:7; 5:1,2; De 4:32; Job 4:17; 10:2,3,8,9; 31:15; 33:4; 35:10; Ps 8:5; 100:3; 119:73; 138:8; 139:14; Ec 7:29; Isa 17:7; 42:5; 43:7; 45:12; 64:8; Jer 27:5; Zec 12:1; Mal 2:10; Mr 10:6; Heb 2:7

See CREATED IN THE IMAGE OF GOD, below

The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
and [the] name of the man [was] Nabal and [the] name of wife his [was] Abigail and the woman [was] good of insight and beautiful of appearance and the man [was] hard and evil of deeds and he [was] a Calebite
קָשֶׁ֛הka.Sheh [was] hard H7186 Adj
36× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word describes something or someone as severe or cruel, like the harsh treatment of the Israelites by their enemies in Judges.
Amplified meaning
severe and cruel
Tyndale gloss
severe
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

קָשֶׁה (qasheh) means hard or severe, with applications ranging from physical hardness to emotional severity. It can describe someone as obstinate or cruel, and it is used in contexts like difficult situations or intense emotions. The entries indicate a range of meanings including rigorous and stiff-necked, but do not present any significant disagreement.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

קָשֶׁה adj. hard, severe

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H7186 קָשֶׁה hard, severe

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

7186 qasheh kaw-sheh'

from 7185; severe (in various applications):--churlish,

cruel, grievous, hard((-hearted), thing), heavy, + impudent,

obstinate, prevailed, rough(-ly), sore, sorrowful,

stiff((necked)), stubborn, + in trouble.

see HEBREW for 07185

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

קָשֶׁה (qa.sheh) — severe.

1) hard, cruel, severe, obstinate

1a) hard, difficult

1b) severe

1c) fierce, intense, vehement

1d) stubborn, stiff of neck, stiff-necked

1e) rigorous (of battle)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Adj — Adj
HAamsa
and [the] name of the man [was] Nabal and [the] name of wife his [was] Abigail and the woman [was] good of insight and beautiful of appearance and the man [was] hard and evil of deeds and he [was] a Calebite
וְרַ֥עve.Ra' and evil of H7451 Conjunction
662× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Ra means bad or evil, referring to moral or natural harm. It describes adversity, affliction, or distress, and is often used to convey a sense of misery or injury.
Amplified meaning
morally bad and wicked
Tyndale gloss
bad: harmful
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

רַע (ra) is a Hebrew word meaning bad or evil, encompassing a range of negative qualities such as distress, misery, and ethical wrongdoing. It can describe unpleasantness, harm, or low value, and is used in various contexts, including emotional states and moral judgments. The entries also note its comparative form, indicating worse than or worst. The word has feminine forms, such as רָעָה (ra.ah), which similarly convey concepts of evil and distress.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

רַע 228 adj. bad, evil

bad, disagreeable, malignant

bad, unpleasant, giving pain, unhappiness, misery

evil, displeasing

bad of its kind

bad, , i.e. of low value

מִן comp., worse than

sad, unhappy

devise evil (hurtful) device

bad, unkind, vicious in disposition or temper

ethically bad, evil, wicked

base

רַע 126 n.m. evil, distress, misery, injury, calamity

evil, distress, adversity

evil, injury, wrong

ethical evil

base

רָעָה 310 n.f. evil, misery, distress, injury

evil, misery, distress

evil, injury, wrong

ethical evil

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H7451a רַע bad, evil . bad, disagreeable, malignant

. bad, unpleasant, giving pain, unhappiness, misery

. evil, displeasing

. bad of its kind

. bad, , i.e. of low value

. + מִן comp., worse than

. sad, unhappy

. devise evil (hurtful) device

. bad, unkind, vicious in disposition or temper

. ethically bad, evil, wicked

H7451b רַע evil, distress, misery, injury, calamity . evil, distress, adversity

. evil, injury, wrong

. ethical evil

H7451c רָעָה evil, misery, distress, injury . evil, misery, distress

. evil, injury, wrong

. ethical evil

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

7451 ra` rah

from 7489; bad or (as noun) evil (natural or moral):--

adversity, affliction, bad, calamity, + displease(-ure),

distress, evil((- favouredness), man, thing), + exceedingly, X

great, grief(-vous), harm, heavy, hurt(-ful), ill (favoured),

+ mark, mischief(-vous), misery, naught(-ty), noisome, + not

please, sad(-ly), sore, sorrow, trouble, vex,

wicked(-ly, -ness, one), worse(-st), wretchedness, wrong.

(Incl. feminine raaah; as adjective or noun.).

see HEBREW for 07489

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

רַע (ra) — bad: harmful.

: harmful

adj

1) bad, evil

1a) bad, disagreeable, malignant

1b) bad, unpleasant, evil (giving pain, unhappiness, misery)

1c) evil, displeasing

1d) bad (of its kind-land, water, etc)

1e) bad (of value)

1f) worse than, worst (comparison)

1g) sad, unhappy

1h) evil (hurtful)

1i) bad, unkind (vicious in disposition)

1j) bad, evil, wicked (ethically)

1j1) in general, of persons, of thoughts

1j2) deeds, actions

רַע (ra) — bad: evil.

1) evil, distress, misery, injury, calamity

1a) evil, distress, adversity

1b) evil, injury, wrong

1c) evil (ethical)

רָעָה (ra.ah) — distress: harm.

: harm

1) evil, misery, distress, injury

1a) evil, misery, distress

1b) evil, injury, wrong

1c) evil (ethical)

רַע (ra) — bad: evil.

: evil

adj

1) bad, evil

1a) bad, disagreeable, malignant

1b) bad, unpleasant, evil (giving pain, unhappiness, misery)

1c) evil, displeasing

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | Adj — Conjunction
HC/Aamsc
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ov:

(1) In Anglo-Saxon, had the meaning "from," "away from" (as the strengthened form "off" has still), and was not used for genitive or possessive relations, these being expressed by special case-forms. In the Norman period, however, "of" was taken to represent the French de (a use well developed by the time of Chaucer), and in the Elizabethan period both senses of "of" were in common use. But after about 1600 the later force of the word became predominant, and in the earlier sense (which is now practically obsolete) it was replaced by other prepositions. In consequence the King James Version (and in some cases the Revised Version (British and American)) contains many uses of "of" that are no longer familiar--most of them, to be sure, causing no difficulty, but there still being a few responsible for real obscurities.

English usagewhat the translators’ English meant
Webster's Dictionary (1828), Webster's Unabridged (1913), Webster's Dictionary (1806)

OF, preposition ov. [Gr.]

1. From or out of; proceeding from, as the cause, source, means, author or agent bestowing.

I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you. 1 Corinthians 11:1.

For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts. Joshua 11:1.

It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.

Lamentations 3:1.

The whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Proverbs 16:1.

Go, inquire of the Lord for me. 2 Chronicles 34:2.

That holy thing that shall be born of thee. Luke 1:1.

Hence of is the sign of the genitive case, the case that denotes production; as the son of man, the son proceeding from man, produced from man. This is the primary sense, although we now say, produced by man. 'Part of these were slain; ' that is, a number separate, for part denotes a division; the sense then is, a number from or out of the whole were slain. So also, 'some of these were slain; ' that is…

and [the] name of the man [was] Nabal and [the] name of wife his [was] Abigail and the woman [was] good of insight and beautiful of appearance and the man [was] hard and evil of deeds and he [was] a Calebite
מַעֲלָלִ֖יםma.'a.la.Lim deeds H4611 Noun common · masculine plural absolute
41× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
Maalal means a deed or act, which can be good or bad, such as a practice or invention. It is used in the Bible to describe human actions and their consequences. This term is found in various biblical contexts.
Amplified meaning
actions and conduct
Tyndale gloss
deed
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

מַעֲלָל (ma`alal) refers to a deed or practice, often with a negative connotation. It encompasses actions or works, whether good or bad, and is derived from a root meaning to act. The entries consistently highlight its focus on deeds and practices.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

[מַעֲלָל] 41 n.m. deed, practice

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H4611 מַעֲלָל deed, practice

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

4611 ma`alal mah-al-awl'

from 5953; an act (good or bad):--doing, endeavour,

invention, work.

see HEBREW for 05953

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

מַעֲלָל (ma.a.lal) — deed.

1) deed, practice

1a) practice (usually bad)

1b) deeds

1c) acts

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-mp — Noun common · masculine plural absolute
HNcmpa
and [the] name of the man [was] Nabal and [the] name of wife his [was] Abigail and the woman [was] good of insight and beautiful of appearance and the man [was] hard and evil of deeds and he [was] a Calebite
וְה֥וּאve.Hu' and he H1931 Conjunction · pronoun
1,879× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word is a pronoun meaning 'he', 'she', or 'it', used to refer to a person or thing. It is used in the Bible to emphasize a subject or make it clear who is being talked about.
Tyndale gloss
he/she/it
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

הוּא (hu) is a third-person singular pronoun meaning he, she, or it, used for emphasis or when no verb is present. It can also refer to oneself or serve as a demonstrative pronoun. The word has various nuances, including resuming the subject with emphasis or expressing it unobtrusively. It can indicate 'that' or 'those' when used with the definite article.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

הוּא m. הִיא f., pron. of the 3rd ps. sing. he, she, used also (in both genders) for the neuter it

an emph. he (she, it, they), sometimes equivalent to himself (herself, itself, themselves), or (esp. with the art.) that (those)

It resumes the subj. with emph.

Where, however, the pron. follows the pred., its position gives it the minimum of emphasis, and it expresses (or resumes) the subject as unobtrusively as possible

It anticipates (as it seems) the subject

As an emph. predicate, of God

In a neuter sense, that, it (of an action, occurrence, matte, etc.)

With the art.: so regularly when joined to a subst. defined itself by the art.

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H1931 הוּא, הִיא he, she, used also (in both genders) for the neuter it . an emph. he (she, it, they), sometimes equivalent to himself (herself, itself, themselves), or (esp. with the art.) that (those)

. It resumes the subj. with emph.

. Where, however, the pron. follows the pred., its position gives it the minimum of emphasis, and it expresses (or resumes) the subject as unobtrusively as possible

. It anticipates (as it seems) the subject

. As an emph. predicate, of God

. In a neuter sense, that, it (of an action, occurrence, matte, etc.)

. With the art.: so regularly when joined to a subst. defined itself by the art.

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

1931 huw' hoo

of which the feminine (beyond the Pentateuch) is hiyw {he}; a

primitive word, the third person pronoun singular, he (she or

it); only expressed when emphatic or without a verb; also

(intensively) self, or (especially with the article) the same;

sometimes (as demonstrative) this or that; occasionally

(instead of copula) as or are:--he, as for her, him(-self),

it, the same, she (herself), such, that (...it), these, they,

this, those, which (is), who.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

הוּא (hu) — he/she/it.

pron 3p s

1) he, she, it

1a) himself (with emphasis)

1b) resuming subj with emphasis

1c) (with minimum emphasis following predicate)

1d) (anticipating subj)

1e) (emphasising predicate)

1f) that, it (neuter) demons pron

2) that (with article)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HC/Pp3ms — Conjunction · pronoun
HC/Pp3ms
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ha: The fifth letter of the Hebrew alphabet; transliterated in this Encyclopedia as "h." It came also to be used for the number 5. For name, etc., see ALPHABET.

The company it keepswords that stand beside it more often than chance
and [the] name of the man [was] Nabal and [the] name of wife his [was] Abigail and the woman [was] good of insight and beautiful of appearance and the man [was] hard and evil of deeds and he [was] a Calebite
כָלִבִּֽי׃khal.vov [was] a Calebite H3614 Noun gentilic · masculine singular absolute
1× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

כָּלִבִּי adj.gent. 1 S 25:3 Qr

ref

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3614 כָּלִבִּי

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3614 Kalibbow kaw-lib-bo'

probably by erroneous transcription for Kalebiy

{kaw-lay-bee'}; patronymically from 3612; a Calebite or

descendant of Caleb:--of the house of Caleb.

see HEBREW for 03612

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

כָּלִבִּי (ka.lib.bo) — Calebite.

Someone descended from Caleb who was a man living at the time of Egypt and Wilderness and Israel before the Monarchy, first mentioned at Num.13.6;

son of: Jephunneh (H3312);

brother of: Kenaz (H7073I);

father of: Achsah (H5915), Iru (H5900), Elah (H0425J), Naam (H5277)

Group of ka.lev (כָּלֵב "Caleb" H3612)

§ Calebite, of Caleb "dog"

a descendant of Caleb

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
HNgmsa — Noun gentilic · masculine singular absolute
HNgmsa
Sources on this page. Lexicons and dictionaries imported from the CrossWire SWORD modules — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, Dodson, the Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones, Robinson and Packard, Webster and Cawdrey. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Harper, 1889 — Grimm’s Wilke’s Clavis Novi Testamenti, translated, revised and enlarged by Joseph Henry Thayer) is public domain and is set here from the Internet Archive page scan greekenglishlex00grim; it is uncorrected OCR, marked as such on the entry itself, and the Strong’s numbers — which Thayer’s own edition does not carry — were matched by lemma against the other modules on this page. Trench’s Synonyms of the New Testament (Macmillan, 1880) and Moulton and Milligan’s Vocabulary of the Greek Testament (Hodder & Stoughton, 1930, which entered the United States public domain on 1 January 2026) are set from Internet Archive page scans synonymsofnewtes00treniala and vocabularyofgree00mouluoft, and are likewise uncorrected OCR matched to Strong’s numbers by lemma. Trench treats a group of words at once, so the same essay stands on the page of each word it compares. The Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary is © 1993 and is used here by permission for non-commercial use, www.teknia.com/greek-dictionary. The full Liddell-Scott-Jones and the Hebrew word data (TAHOT) come from STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0. Brown-Driver-Briggs is the OpenScriptures digitisation, public domain. Syntax analysis is the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (biblicalhumanities.org); the concordance and morphology are built from the tagged Nestle 1904 text. Septuagint occurrences use the Open Scriptures Septuagint lemma index, derived from CCAT (University of Pennsylvania) and the Rahlfs 1935 dataset by Eliran Wong, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — used here on a non-commercial ministry site. Greek of Josephus and Barnabas from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA 4.0. Commentaries and the Ante-Nicene Fathers are public-domain texts hosted on this site. Everyday Greek from the Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri, CC BY 3.0, with dates and provenance from the Heidelberger Gesamtverzeichnis. Philo and the Apostolic Fathers from Open Greek and Latin (First1KGreek), CC BY-SA 4.0. The apparatus and the fifth Greek column are the SBL Greek New Testament, © 2010 SBL and Logos Bible Software, CC BY 4.0. The Latin is the Clementine Vulgate (public domain); the Syriac New Testament is the ETCBC edition (MIT licence). The Hebrew behind the Greek is computed here from the Septuagint index and TAHOT, not taken from any aligned edition. The translation spread and the per-word edition marks come from the Translators Amalgamated Greek NT (STEPBible, CC BY 4.0); clause roles from the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (CC BY-SA 4.0); place identifications and their confidence from OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding (CC BY 4.0), with map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Gospel parallels are computed here from shared uncommon vocabulary, not taken from any printed harmony. Cross references are the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and the subject headings are Nave’s Topical Bible, both public domain. Works under Creative Commons licences are used unchanged apart from markup removal.

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