Why did Abigail say that Nabal’s name means Fool (NIV)?
1 Samuel 25:25 (ESV)
25Let not my lord regard this worthless fellow, Nabal, for as his name is, so is he. Nabal is his name, and folly is with him. But I your servant did not see the young men of my lord, whom you sent.
In Hebrew, Nabal as an adjective means foolish.1 It is very unlikely that Nabal's parents would have given him a name that means fool. Most likely, his name has a double meaning,2 perhaps derived from a homonym meaning noble or adept.3
25 Let not my lord regard this worthless fellow, Nabal, for as his name is, so is he. Nabal is his name, and folly is with him. But I your servant did not see the young men of my lord, whom you sent.