Biblical Hebrew Forum

["K Randolph" <kwrandolph AT gmail.com>]

NBL, the musical instrument was apparently a type of bagpipe, a rather noisy
instrument. Apparently Nabal had a real set of lungs and lusty voice as an
infant, hence given that name.

The word was also used to refer to a fool as a "windbag", i.e. one who is
all air and nothing behind it. Abigail was using the second meaning as a pun
to assuage David's anger.

As a verb, it means to become flabby, as an empty bag, used of plants when
they lose turgidity they shrivel and droop.

Karl W. Randolph.

On 5/18/07, Isaac Fried <if AT math.bu.edu> wrote:
> Steve,
>
> You may be right that "moral system" is somewhat hyperbolic. Yet I
> suspect that also NABAL the Carmelite's death (see I Samuel 25:2-38)
> was not an accident. By the way, I tend to think that NABAL means
> 'nobleman', as it is in Arabic. Possibly NEBEL, 'harp?', is an
> imposing musical instrument.
>
> Isaac Fried, Boston University