Now the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail: and she was a woman of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance: but the man was churlish and evil in his doings; and he was of the house of Caleb.
He was of the house of Caleb - of course, of the same tribe with David himself; but many versions consider Caleb (dog) not as a proper, but a common noun, and render it 'he was snappish as a dog.'