From the Hebrew word נבל (nāvāl, pronounced na-VAHL, with the medial letter "bet" pronounced as a "v"), meaning "fool" or "futile, worthless, good-for-nothing," the name Nabal means precisely that: fool. We find him mentioned in 1 Samuel 25:3–39 as the husband of Abigail, who describes his as follows in verse 25: "My lord, do not take seriously this ill-natured fellow, Nabal (נבל); for as his name is, so is he; Nabal (נבל) is his name, and folly (נבל) is with him."