Carmel (Judah)

Biblical References

• A town of the tribe of Judah: Joshua 15:55, in its list of the towns of the hill country of Judah, names them together: "Maon, Carmel, and Ziph, and Juttah."
• Saul's monument: According to 1 Samuel 15:12, after Saul struck Amalek, he came to Carmel and set up a monument "for himself" (KJV: "he set him up a place").
• Nabal and Abigail: In 1 Samuel 25, Nabal of Maon was a very wealthy man whose livelihood was based in Carmel. While he was shearing his sheep in Carmel, David sent men to ask him for provisions, but Nabal insulted them and refused. David set out to take revenge, but Nabal's wife Abigail came out to meet him with gifts and dissuaded him. After Nabal died, Abigail became David's wife.
• Later references: Abigail is thereafter identified as "Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal's wife" (1 Samuel 27:3) and "Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite" (1 Samuel 30:5). The son she bore to David is called Chileab in 2 Samuel 3:3 and Daniel in 1 Chronicles 3:1. Among David's mighty men was also "Hezrai the Carmelite" (2 Samuel 23:35; Hezro in 1 Chronicles 11:37).

Background

The Hebrew word karmel is generally understood to mean something like "fertile land" or "orchard." The town is distinct from Mount Carmel on the northern coast, which bears the same name. It is commonly identified with Khirbet el-Kirmil, south of Hebron, although scholars differ on the precise identification. The area was pastoral land bordering the wilderness, and the large flocks and the sheep-shearing feast in the Nabal narrative reflect this setting.

Biblical Significance

Carmel appears at two significant points in the narrative of the transition from Saul's dynasty to David's. Shortly after Saul set up his monument at Carmel, Samuel rebuked his disobedience and declared that the kingdom had departed from him (cf. 1 Samuel 15:23–24). By contrast, at Carmel David heeded Abigail's words and refrained from shedding blood (1 Samuel 25:33). Abigail speaks of David as the one who would be appointed "ruler over Israel" (1 Samuel 25:30). The Carmel of Judah is not mentioned directly in the New Testament.

Interpretation and Debate

• Confusion with Mount Carmel: Because the names are identical, the Nabal narrative is sometimes conflated with Elijah's Mount Carmel. The text, however, clearly places this town near Maon in the hill country of Judah.
• Saul's monument: Many interpreters see evidence of Saul's pride in the phrase "for himself." The text, however, does not describe the form or purpose of the monument in detail.
• The Abigail narrative: Abigail is widely read as a model of wisdom and peacemaking. Some scholars also read the chapter as part of the political process by which David expanded his base of support in southern Judah.

In the Korean Church

Carmel is mentioned mainly as the narrative setting in sermons on Abigail's wisdom, David's restraint, and Nabal's folly. The name Nabal is explained as meaning "fool" (1 Samuel 25:25).