Smote: see the comments at 4.8 and 7.11. Nabal’s death is seen as a direct result of the intervention of Yahweh. The meaning of this verb may be rendered more dynamically as “took his life” (Contemporary English Version).

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .