THEOSISAugustine of Hippo
Indeed, considering that David vowed to take Nabal's life but, out of mercy, refrained from carrying out that intention, should we conclude that we ought to mirror David's approach by making oaths regarding actions we later deem inappropriate? Just as fear clouded Lot’s judgment when he offered his daughters to the crowd (See Genesis 19:8), so too did anger cloud David’s mind when he impulsively swore an oath. If we were to inquire of both what prompted their actions, one might respond, “Fear and trembling have seized me, and terror has overwhelmed me” (Psalms 54:6); the other might lament, “My eye has grown dim with grief; I am worn down by all my adversaries” (Psalms 6:8).
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Thus, it is not surprising that one, caught in the grips of fear, and the other, burdened by his afflictions, failed to see the path that would allow them to avoid wrongdoing. Indeed, to St. David, it could rightly be asserted that he should not have allowed himself to be angered by Nabal, a man who responds to kindness with ingratitude. Even if anger seized him, he ought to have restrained himself from making an oath to God regarding actions he might take in the heat of passion, or those he might entirely refuse to commit, only to later break that vow and become an oath-breaker.