1 Samuel 25

Advice is often as good as the person it comes from, but even when we follow bad advice, God gives us opportunities to course correct. Join Dr. Marty Baker in 1 Samuel 25 as he looks at the foolishness of Nabal and the discernment of his wife Abigail.

When you may be about to do something personally destructive, will you pause and heed some constructive counsel?

I sat at a kitchen table with my younger cousin Steven one evening. I had just finished taking a chemistry class in high school, and he, who possessed a genius IQ, decided to mix various chemicals with his new chemistry set. My job was easy: jot down each chemical he placed in a clear, glass tube.

As he kept adding chemicals on top of chemicals, I grew concerned, so I piped up, “Hey, Steven. From what I learned in my chemistry class last semester, I don’t think you are supposed to mix all those.” He blew me off with his superior mind. Later, he reached for a rubber stopper. “What are you going to do with that?” I asked. He replied, “I’m going to cap this off and shake it.” “Ah, I don’t think you are supposed to do that,” I warned him. “Shaking may cause a negative reaction.”

Within seconds, he capped the tube, tilted it parallel to the table, and began agitating it forward and backward from his chest and then toward me. I’ll never forget the speed of the explosion. Instantly, Steven’s face dripped with a black, odious goo. When he opened his eyes, horror gripped him, and he jumped up and ran screaming into the living room where the parents were visiting. I quickly followed him and informed the adults I had tried to stop him, but he wouldn’t listen.

Horror covered my aunt’s face when she entered her once beautiful kitchen. The black goo was everywhere, and it had eaten through various surfaces. She eventually spent quite a sum of money to repair all the damage. Funny, isn’t it? This mayhem could have been averted had Steven only listened to some wise counsel.

What happened in the kitchen that evening is a snapshot of life. You are doing things that might prove destructive, and someone comes alongside you to offer you some insight before you shake the tube, as it were. What will you do? Will you arrogantly and emotionally blow them off, or will you stop and consider their wise words of caution?

In First Samuel 25, David faced a situation that tested him this way. God spent many years shaping and honing the future king’s character, and he had learned much in God’s spiritual school. God, however, wasn’t finished with polishing David’s inner man. In this historical episode, he will learn the value and wisdom of hearing, embracing, and implementing wise counsel when wronged. He learned a lesson we, too, need to know, because sometimes we encounter situations that prompt us to shake the tube for the sake of our honor, reputation, and righteousness. Our reaction might not be the most brilliant move we could make, and someone else might see this. Will you listen to them? That is the question.

Come with me as we study and learn from David. I’m sure you will encounter yourself in the ensuing verses. David’s next divinely ordered situation started with . . .

The Removal

While David and his men enjoyed the rugged protection afforded by the En-gedi “stronghold,” God called Samuel to heaven:

¹ Then Samuel died; and all Israel gathered together and mourned for him, and buried him at his house in Ramah. And David arose and went down to the wilderness of Paran. (1 Sam. 25)

Samuel, the great Christ-type, had been Israel’s prophet-priest-and king during the spiritual and moral ups and downs of the period of the Judges. With his death, that period ended, and now the period of the kings was formally and fully instituted. By removing this pivotal leader in Israel, God removed a source of wisdom and strength from David’s blossoming life. Why? God wanted to see how David would function. Would he be a wise, mature leader like Samuel, or would he carnally implode? As a sidenote, God tends to do the same thing in our lives. He eventually removes a person’s foundational rock to further test their spiritual and emotional mettle. How will you fare?

David was about to find out.

The Request

Time passed between verses 1 and 2. I’m convinced David didn’t attend the funeral for his best friend and mentor because that would have been too risky, given the number of spies Saul had. Instead, David moved from the En-gedi region inland to the wilderness of Moan, about fifteen miles east in the tribal land of Judah. While in this region, David and his 600 warriors kindly provided protection for the farmers and shepherds from Philistine invaders and greedy thieves.

Feeding this many soldiers was no small task; hence, the request David had his men make to a wealthy shepherd was not out of line.

² Now there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel; and the man was very rich, and he had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. And it came about while he was shearing his sheep in Carmel ³ (now the man’s name was Nabal, and his wife’s name was Abigail. And the woman was intelligent and beautiful in appearance, but the man was harsh and evil in his dealings, and he was a Calebite),  ⁴ that David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep. ⁵ So David sent ten young men, and David said to the young men, “Go up to Carmel, visit Nabal and greet him in my name; ⁶ and thus you shall say, ‘Have a long life, peace be to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have. ⁷ ‘And now I have heard that you have shearers; now your shepherds have been with us and we have not insulted them, nor have they missed anything all the days they were in Carmel. ⁸ ‘Ask your young men and they will tell you. Therefore let my young men find favor in your eyes, for we have come on a festive day. Please give whatever you find at hand to your servants and to your son David.'” ⁹ When David’s young men came, they spoke to Nabal according to all these words in David’s name; then they waited. (1 Sam. 25)

The request seemed innocent enough.

Nabal was the wealthy shepherd who was shearing his vast flock near Carmel. No, this was not the Carmel located in northern Israel on the western rim of the Valley of Armageddon. This was another Carmel located about two miles north of the small village of Maon. All David honorably and humbly requested from the man was whatever assistance he could offer. Surely, he could spare some sheep for his men, and some other food items, after all, he had an abundance.

The author quietly informs the reader that this request will not go well with the parenthetical statement dropped into verse 3. Nabal, whose name in Hebrew means “fool,” is a Saul-type, who is also a fool (1 Sam. 13:13). Here he is contrasted with his wife Abigail, whose name means “My father is joy.” She is everything he isn’t. She is intelligent. The Hebrew word here is sekel (שֶׂ֙כֶל ). It denotes the capacity for rational, logical thought. Emotion didn’t guide her thinking; her brain and intuitive powers did. It is employed in Proverbs 13:15 to describe a person possessing good sense:

^NIV Proverbs 13:15 Good judgment wins favor, but the way of the unfaithful leads to their destruction.

 ^WTT Proverbs 13:15 שֵֽׂכֶל־ט֭וֹב יִתֶּן־חֵ֑ן וְדֶ֖רֶךְ בֹּגְדִ֣ים אֵיתָֽן׃

We reencounter it in Proverbs 19:

^NAB Proverbs 19:11 It is good sense to be slow to anger, and an honor to overlook an offense. (Prov. 19:11 NAB)

‎^WTT Proverbs 19:1 שֵׂ֣כֶל אָ֭דָם הֶאֱרִ֣יךְ אַפּ֑וֹ וְ֜תִפאַרְתּ֗וֹ עֲבֹ֣ר עַל־פָּֽשַׁע׃ (Prov. 19:11 )

So, Abigail didn’t just have a sound mind; she possessed one that enabled her to study complex situations and arrive at an optimal answer or response. What man wouldn’t want a wife like this? And she was outwardly beautiful, too. The Hebrew word is yapheh (יָפֶה), and it speaks of a woman whose beauty makes her a delight to the senses (Gen. 12:14; 39:6). Her husband couldn’t have been more different. He was “harsh.” The Hebrew is qasheh (קָשֶׁ֛ה ). Literally, it refers to something extremely heavy (1 Kings 12:4). Later, it was figuratively used of people, like Nabal, whose foul mouth and degrading speech served to crush people near them.[1]   Further, he was “evil in his dealings.” So, if he could shortchange a customer to make a shekel, he would. What a piece of work, a real shady and ruthless businessman. And he was from the great line of Caleb, Israel’s famous warrior from the times of Joshua (Num. 13:30ff; 14:6ff; Josh. 14-15). How far the genealogical line had fallen with the birth of this crude, crass character.

So, David sent ten of his best soldiers to attempt to get a donation for protection from Nabal, of all people. He and his wife couldn’t have been any different. He was like Saul, impulsive, rude, and crude, while his wife exuded moral wisdom and grace. What possibly could go wrong with this innocent request for aid? A lot. David and his courageous men had for some time protected men like Nabal, and this protection afforded him the ability to make wealth. Why not share some of the bounty with the young soldiers who acted with kindness and generosity, not with intimidating propositions?

As a side note, it is essential to recall that giving and sharing were key components of Torah law. The Year of Jubilee, which occurred every fifty years, commanded the people to release people from their debts so they weren’t poor (Lev. 25). Every seventh year, the farmers in Israel were commanded to let the farmland, vineyards, and orchards rest so the poor and needy could get food for themselves (Ex. 23:10-13). According to Leviticus 19:10, God prohibited the people at harvest time from going over their vineyards a second time to leave some food for the less fortunate (Lev. 19:10). The point is clear: Nabal knew exactly what God wanted from his people in relation to meeting the needs of less fortunate, needy Israelites . . . like David and his soldiers.

How did the fool, Nabal, respond? Like a fool.

The Rude Response

The tension of the moment was heightened with Nabal’s reaction to the ten smiling soldiers:

¹⁰ But Nabal answered David’s servants, and said, “Who is David? And who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants today who are each breaking away from his master. ¹¹ “Shall I then take my bread and my water and my meat that I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men whose origin I do not know?” (1 Sam. 25)

Nabal’s words demonstrate he knew David and his family. How could he not, because Maon and Carmel were only some twenty miles south of Bethlehem? His words dripped with poisonous scorn and hate. In fact, the harsh way he spoke and the disparaging phrases he employed made him sound a whole lot like another fool named Saul (1 Sam. 17:55-58; 20:27, 30, 31; 22:7, 8, 13). And just like Saul, he erroneously concluded David and his men were rebellious in breaking away from the king (1 Sam. 20:26-34; 22:7-8). The David Derangement Syndrome had certainly claimed another power-hungry, prideful man. Ironically, he was about to discover that one of his servants would break free from him for sound moral, spiritual reasons. More on that in a moment.

Like Saul, Nabal loved his earthly possessions. Underscore how he castigated the young soldiers with words like “my bread,” “my water,” “my meat,” and “my shearers.” His stingy love of materialism reminds me of the wealthy farmer in Jesus’ parable about the rich man who was so enamored with his barns, grain, and goods (“my barns,” “my grain,” and “my goods”) he decided he need to build bigger, not realizing, however, that he would die that night (Luke 12:15-20).

So, instead of blessing David and his men from his bounty, this mean-spirited miser rudely sent them packing. Eventually, those soldiers made their way back to their commanding officer. They wasted no time telling him what occurred.

The Reports

First, we encounter the predictable report of the soldiers to David:

¹² So David’s young men retraced their way and went back; and they came and told him according to all these words. (1 Sam. 25)

How did David handle the debrief? Not well.

¹³ And David said to his men, “Each of you gird on his sword.” So each man girded on his sword. And David also girded on his sword, and about four hundred men went up behind David while two hundred stayed with the baggage. (1 Sam. 25)

In a word, David exploded. I find this most interesting. Saul hunted him down like a dog for years, and when he had the opportunity to assassinate him and stop the madness, he showed mercy. Yet, when he was disrespected by someone he had helped and who should have acted benevolently toward him, he emotionally flared out with rage. So, he didn’t desire capital punishment for a man who deserved it, but he did want it for a man who didn’t deserve it. Woa. Uncontrolled anger does tend to twist a person’s thinking, doesn’t it?

All of this causes us to see the need for a question: What triggers you? What sets you off? What makes you suddenly become a Karen, like the lady on the plane from last year?

• Someone passes all the cars waiting to exit and then attempts to nose in front of you.
• Your ex doesn’t fulfill their end of the divorce agreement with the children.
• Your teenager blows off your command to (finally) clean their room, and you come home to find it looking like the blast site.
• Somebody with power over you uses foul language to denigrate you and your work in front of others.

For David, disrespect from a vile, vain man like Nabal was his spiritual Achilles heel. It is a good idea to isolate what sets you off, and then take appropriate action to steer clear of this kind of person or situation, or at least realize how you need to pray for yourself before your day begins.

While David’s men reported to him, one of Nabal’s wise servants bypassed him and went right to his lovely wife Abigail with the facts of what had just transpired:

¹⁴ But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, saying, “Behold, David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master, and he scorned them. ¹⁵ “Yet the men were very good to us, and we were not insulted, nor did we miss anything as long as we went about with them, while we were in the fields. ¹⁶ “They were a wall to us both by night and by day, all the time we were with them tending the sheep. ¹⁷ “Now therefore, know and consider what you should do, for evil is plotted against our master and against all his household; and he is such a worthless man that no one can speak to him.” (1 Sam. 25)

This young man knew who to talk to, and it wasn’t Nabal. You can’t reason with a fool, but you can with someone known for their gracious demeanor, moral intelligence, and ability to speak wisely. In this context, that person was Abigail. She quickly learned that something bad was about to happen to her family in light of her husband’s out-of-control mouth.

The Response

Watch how quickly Abigail jumped into action to stop David from doing something he would regret later:

¹⁸ Then Abigail hurried and took two hundred loaves of bread and two jugs of wine and five sheep already prepared and five measures of roasted grain and a hundred clusters of raisins and two hundred cakes of figs, and loaded them on donkeys. ¹⁹ And she said to her young men, “Go on before me; behold, I am coming after you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal. (1 Sam. 25)

The gifts of food she had her servants take to David were not enough to feed all those men, but it was a good start. Why didn’t she tell Nabal anything about her plan? Simple. He would have nixed it, and she knew it. So, she purposefully and wisely kept him in the dark. Strategically, her move was brilliant too. Once the men received the massive and generous gifts from Nabal’s men, they knew something positive was possibly up. This potentially quelled David’s anger toward being disrespected as Israel’s anointed king.

Abigail trailed some distance behind the gift caravan. She arrived at just the right time:

²⁰ And it came about as she was riding on her donkey and coming down by the hidden part of the mountain, that behold, David and his men were coming down toward her; so she met them. ²¹ Now David had said, “Surely in vain I have guarded all that this man has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that belonged to him; and he has returned me evil for good. ²² “May God do so to the enemies of David, and more also, if by morning I leave as much as one male of any who belong to him.” (1 Sam. 25)

It’s quite possible she heard everything David said about wiping out Nabal, his lineage, and his servants. David’s moral outrage at being given evil when he only ever did good toward Nabal was too much for him to process. It was the main reason for his out-of-control rage against this nasty, stingy man. Once more, Nabal was just like Saul. How? In chapter 24, Saul noted, after David informed him outside the cave that he could have killed him, that he had only returned David’s good actions so far with evil (1 Sam. 24:17). Again, Nabal was a card-carrying member of the David Derangement Syndrome. Still, his actions did not warrant David’s bloodthirsty response. How quickly David spiritually slipped from his lofty position of mercy at En-gedi. We, too, must be on guard against letting something or someone trigger us so we trip and spiritually fall too easily.

Don’t miss the words that describe how Abigail approached a group of angry soldiers armed to the teeth and determined to wipe her family out. Imagine the courage of one woman up against a force like this. She was some lady.

²³ When Abigail saw David, she hurried and dismounted from her donkey, and fell on her face before David, and bowed herself to the ground. ²⁴ And she fell at his feet and said, “On me alone, my lord, be the blame. And please let your maidservant speak to you, and listen to the words of your maidservant. ²⁵ “Please do not let my lord pay attention to this worthless man, Nabal, for as his name is, so is he. Nabal is his name and folly is with him; but I your maidservant did not see the young men of my lord whom you sent. (1 Sam. 25)

Her actions after dismounting the donkey illustrate her humility and respect for David. She not only bowed before Israel’s future king, she called him “my lord” (she called him my master/lord, adon, fifteen times in verses 24-31, and 41!), while referencing herself as his “maidservant,” (amah six times in verses 24-25, 28, 31, 41!), even though she was a powerful, woman of financial means. She even agreed that her vile husband lived up to his name. He was a fool, especially in disrespecting David and the logical, respectful request his soldiers had presented to him. She closed out this part of her presentation by telling David that had she received this request, the response would have been far different. Why? Because she was wise, and not a fool. Wisdom called for a gift to be given to David.

In my view, the following few verses form the heart of the passage.

²⁶ “Now therefore, my lord, as the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, since the LORD has restrained you from shedding blood, and from avenging yourself by your own hand, now then let your enemies, and those who seek evil against my lord, be as Nabal. ²⁷ “And now let this gift which your maidservant has brought to my lord be given to the young men who accompany my lord. ²⁸ “Please forgive the transgression of your maidservant; for the LORD will certainly make for my lord an enduring house, because my lord is fighting the battles of the LORD, and evil shall not be found in you all your days. ²⁹ “And should anyone rise up to pursue you and to seek your life, then the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living with the LORD your God; but the lives of your enemies He will sling out as from the hollow of a sling. ³⁰ “And it shall come about when the LORD shall do for my lord according to all the good that He has spoken concerning you, and shall appoint you ruler over Israel, ³¹ that this will not cause grief or a troubled heart to my lord, both by having shed blood without cause and by my lord having avenged himself. When the LORD shall deal well with my lord, then remember your maidservant.” (1 Sam. 25)

With verse 26, we learn that Abigail realized that God’s providence had placed her in a situation to counsel David not to do something he’d regret. After encouraging them to enjoy the food she had sent, rightfully due to David and his men, she waxed eloquent about David’s future reign as Israel’s king. Obviously, she had heard about his anointing and was quite excited about it. And because she realized that God had chosen David, she reminded him that it would go well with him, so he shouldn’t worry so much for himself and his men. After this, she stepped into the role of a prophetess and informed David that he would have an “enduring house,” or dynasty. This would not be divinely revealed in full details years later in 2 Samuel 7, but for now, she, by the knowledge of the Spirit, no doubt, comforted and encouraged David. In a sense, she told him that God was with him, so despite obstacles and enemies, he would do well. What a woman of faith.

Like a gifted orator, she closed out her argument with an amazing statement that serves as the core spiritual motif of the passage:

³¹ that this will not cause grief or a troubled heart to my lord, both by having shed blood without cause and by my lord having avenged himself. When the LORD shall deal well with my lord, then remember your maidservant. (1 Sam. 25)

She didn’t want David’s unfounded anger to drive him to unwarranted bloodshed, for this would eventually stain his conscience and have a negative impact on his kingship and dynasty. What moral insight. She reminded David that as king, he needed to set an example for the nation as a merciful, not angry, explosive, or unmerciful man. He needed to show others how to turn the other cheek when wronged, while waiting for God to carry out His righteous vengeance against unrepentant evil people (Deut. 20:4; 32:35; Jud. 7:2). Would he listen to her counsel, or would he shake the test tube violently seeking to prove a point?

Everyone sometimes needs an Abigail in their life, someone who lovingly confronts you when you are about to do something harmful, illogical, or destructive. The Abigail types care about you and your walk with God and are not afraid to tell you when you are about to tarnish that intimate walk … when you don’t have to, because there is a better way. So what about it? Will you listen to Abby when she shows up?

David’s response was not predictable given his anger, but it was most refreshing to witness:

³² Then David said to Abigail, “Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me, ³³ and blessed be your discernment, and blessed be you, who have kept me this day from bloodshed, and from avenging myself by my own hand. ³⁴ “Nevertheless, as the LORD God of Israel lives, who has restrained me from harming you, unless you had come quickly to meet me, surely there would not have been left to Nabal until the morning light as much as one male.” ³⁵ So David received from her hand what she had brought him, and he said to her, “Go up to your house in peace. See, I have listened to you and granted your request.” (1 Sam. 25)

Put in other words, “If God hadn’t sent you to me today with your wise insights, I WOULD HAVE acted rashly and ruthlessly instead of trusting God to go before me.” What just occurred? David woke up. David saw that his anger wasn’t justified and was about to tarnish his conscience, spiritual walk, and role model as God’s king. So, he, a macho man, who was armed to the teeth, accepted the counsel of this wise woman and put down the test tube and walked away. That action took humility and courage. But he did it, which is why we are still talking about him. The Scripture in this regard is true:

⁵ A wise man will hear and increase in learning, and a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel, (Prov. 1)

¹⁵ The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man is he who listens to counsel. (Prov. 12)

It takes a big man to admit he’s wrong and to make immediate course corrections to live differently. David was that man, and Abigail helped him grow to become an even greater man and leader in God’s eyes. All this makes you stop and ask yourself: When God sends Abigail my way, will I recognize and submit to her wise insight into my life?

After Abigail finished with David, she returned home to what I call . . .

The Removal

God took Nabal out, not David. Why did God do this? He made an example of this vile man to show Israel the danger of disrespecting the king He had chosen to rule and reign over them: 

³⁶ Then Abigail came to Nabal, and behold, he was holding a feast in his house, like the feast of a king. And Nabal’s heart was merry within him, for he was very drunk; so she did not tell him anything until the morning light. ³⁷ But it came about in the morning, when the wine had gone out of Nabal, that his wife told him these things, and his heart died within him so that he became as a stone. ³⁸ And about ten days later, it happened that the LORD struck Nabal, and he died. (1 Sam. 25)

What happened to Nabal? When he was sober enough to tell her about the danger she averted from his unwise response to David’s soldiers, he had a stroke. Ten days later, God personally removed the foolish man from the planet. This divine action sets the tone for messianic psalms like Psalm 2. This psalm speaks about how the world will oppose the Messiah, but how he will destroy them as easily as a man destroys a clay pot with an iron rod:

¹⁰ Now therefore, O kings, show discernment; Take warning, O judges of the earth. ¹¹ Worship the LORD with reverence, and rejoice with trembling. ¹² Do homage to the Son, lest He become angry, and you perish in the way, for His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him! (Psalm 2).

John uses this same concept to denote the work of the Messiah when He comes back to rule over the David empire He will create (Rev. 19:15). You don’t mess with the divine Messiah. Nabal’s passing underscored this eternal truth.

Sometime after Nabal died, David realized he wanted to be married to a woman of Abigail’s spiritual stature. Their unexpected union is what I label as . . .

The Reception

We are shocked to read the following few verses:

³⁹ When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Blessed be the LORD, who has pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and has kept back His servant from evil. The LORD has also returned the evildoing of Nabal on his own head.” (1 Sam. 25)

David realized the Lord had worked through an amazing, gifted woman named Abigail. And now that she was single, he decided she would make an excellent wife:

Then David sent a proposal to Abigail, to take her as his wife. ⁴⁰ When the servants of David came to Abigail at Carmel, they spoke to her, saying, “David has sent us to you, to take you as his wife.” ⁴¹ And she arose and bowed with her face to the ground and said, “Behold, your maidservant is a maid to wash the feet of my lord’s servants.” ⁴² Then Abigail quickly arose, and rode on a donkey, with her five maidens who attended her; and she followed the messengers of David, and became his wife. ⁴³ David had also taken Ahinoam of Jezreel, and they both became his wives. ⁴⁴ Now Saul had given Michal his daughter, David’s wife, to Palti the son of Laish, who was from Gallim. (1 Sam. 25)

I don’t have the time to get into the moral issue with David and his many wives. That’s a subject for another time. What I do want to highlight is Abigail. She was the Proverbs 31 woman from head to toe. In his helpful book Date or Soulmate? Neil Clark Warren, the founder of eHarmony, states how important it is to study and analyze a future mate’s words AND actions. They must jive; if they don’t, you need to move on. When David met Abigail, he saw a woman whose words and actions dovetailed perfectly. He also met a woman of sound judgment. Concerning this trait, Warren comments:

“One of the most important qualities that any person brings to a relationship is good judgment. If the individual knows how to make consistently wise decisions, he or she will almost certainly contribute consistently to the strength and health of the relationship. So your task becomes one of ‘judging your date’s judgments.’”[2]

No wonder David wasted no time proposing to her. This kind of woman is one in a million. David was a one in a million man, too, because he wasn’t afraid to receive sound counsel when he was all fired up, and he wasn’t afraid to embrace the wisdom of the counsel and to make immediate corrections in his life. No doubt, in his carnality, he wanted to shake the test tube, but wisdom said otherwise, and he listened.

What will you do when an Abigail steps into your emotionally charged moment? Growing believers in the Lord Jesus know what to do:

When you’re triggered to retaliate, hesitate, communicate, and alter your spiritual gait.

You will be blessed when you do, and that blessing will fall on others, too. So, stop shaking the tube full of a dark, black substance, lay it on the proverbial table, and walk away.

[1] Holladay, Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament:  קָשִׁים, cs. קְשֵׁי, f. קָשׁוֹת — 1. hard, difficult, heavy: hand Ju 4₂₄, work 1K 12₄, battle 2S 2₁₇, q¹šâ hard things Ps 60₅; q®š¢h yôm him whose day is hard Jb 30₂₅; — 2. hard, severe (person): 1S 25₃, pl. 2S 3₃₉; ±¹nâ qâšâ answer severely 1K 12₁₃, dibber q¹šôt speak harshly Gn 42₇, š¹lû­µ q¹šâ sent with bad news 1K 14₆; ±œref q¹šeh stiff-necked, stubborn Dt 31₂₇ = q®š¢h ±œref Ex 32₉ > q¹šeh Is 48₄ cf. Ju 2₁₉; — 3. difficult: d¹b¹r q¹šeh Ex 18₂₆; — 4. > shameless, insolent: q®šê p¹nîm Ez 2₄, q®šê l¢b 3₇. (pg 327)

[2] Neil Clark Warren, Date or Soulmate? (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2002), 69-70.