The Talmud amplifies this idea, mentioning her as being one of the "four women of surpassing beauty in the world," (the other three being Rahab, Sarah, and Esther). According to 1 Samuel 25, Abigail is married to Nabal, a wealthy rancher, and she is described as beautiful and intelligent. No longer a child, not yet a woman, Abigail—compassionate, caring, committed, a friend of friends. David's third wife was named Abigail. The Blue Letter Bible ministry and the BLB Institute hold to the historical, conservative Christian faith, which includes a firm belief in the inerrancy of Scripture. If two become one, it complicates things when you add additional wives or husbands to that formula. The passage in 1 Samuel 25 makes it clear he also married Ahinoam, and married others along the way. Abigail stands out for a number of reasons. Does David mark as the exception to having more than one wife, or does he encounter consequences for doing so? King David had a complicated family life with multiple wives and many children. Abigail in the Bible was a woman in ancient Israel who married a very wealthy man named Nabal. Abigail's self-styling as a handmaid[14] led to Abigail being a traditional term for a waiting-woman, for example as the waiting gentlewoman in Beaumont and Fletcher's The Scornful Lady, published in 1616. [11], Adele Berlin contrasts the story of Abigail with that of Bathsheba. She became the mother of one of David's sons, who is listed in the Book of Chronicles under the name Daniel, in the Masoretic Text of the Books of Samuel as Chileab,[2] and in the Septuagint text of 2 Samuel 3:3 as Δαλουια, Dalouia. She gives him food, and speaks to him, urging him not to "have on his conscience the staggering burden of needless bloodshed" (verse 31, NIV) and reminding him that God will make him a "lasting dynasty" (verse 28). Who Was Abigail in the Bible? Poor Abigail–the Bible calls her beautiful and intelligent, her actions show that she had wisdom, discernment and a gracious heart, but she ended up with a loser like Nabal! 2 The Jewish Study Bible, 608.. 3 Debra Evans, Women of Character (Grand Rapids, Zondervan 1996) 112.. 4 Lindsay Hardin Freeman, Bible Women (Forward Movement, 2014) 192.. 5 The Jewish Study Bible, 610. jwa.org. In this six-week Bible study, journey along with Abigail as she uses her influence in two men's lives—with different results. 15 Abigail thought and acted quickly. . A … Abigail (Hebrew: אֲבִיגַיִל‎, avigáyil, ’ǎḇîḡayil) was the wife of Nabal; she became a wife of the future King David after Nabal's death (1 Samuel 25). Four times in this one account we find the same verb, “to hasten,” used regarding this woman. 1 Samuel 25. Abigail didn’t leave Nabal; she didn’t even let David kill him. Theirs was an unequal match—perhaps an arranged marriage in which Abigail had little to say. “Abigail lost no time…” (1 … If we take one look at what happens to David’s sons, we can get a good idea of the dissolving family dynamic the Davidic dynasty had. Derived from the Hebrew word ab, "father", and the Hebrew root g-y-l, "to rejoice," the name Abigail has a variety of possible meanings including "my father's joy" and "source of joy". Hope Bolinger is a literary agent at C.Y.L.E. [5] Alice Bach notes that Abigail pronounces a "crucial prophecy,"[6] and the Talmud regards her as one of the Tanakh's seven female prophets. The Bible commends Abigail for her actions. She sent a bounty of supplies to David’s camp without Nabal’s knowledge (verses 18–19). This should be enough to fix the current problem if used correctly. The story of Abigail in the Bible is an interesting one for many reasons. This commentary describes this as, “David was carried away by the corrupt custom of those times.”. But this doesn’t mean he didn’t marry other women in addition to Abigail. After all, their neighbors had multiple wives, why not them? What a match! Abigail was David's second wife, after Saul's daughter, Michal, whom Saul later married to Palti, son of Laish when David went into hiding, and Ahinoam. Abigail dealt with her unhappy marriage by conducting herself with respect, avoiding confrontation with her husband, and speaking persuasively. "In the Abigail story, David, the potential king, is seen as increasingly strong and virtuous, whereas in the Bathsheba story, the reigning monarch shows his flaws ever more overtly and begins to lose control of his family. 25:41-42). We do know that David had lost his wife Michal before this to childbirth. Abigail was faithful. The passage confirms this when she predicts David will be king over Israel. . She was an intelligent and beautiful woman, but her husband was surly and mean in his dealings—he was a Calebite. In an act of grace and courage, Nabal’s wife, Abigail, intervened on her husband’s behalf. Abigail - Women of the Bible. In the Chronicles verse, we learn that she has a son named Daniel (not the one taken into captivity by the Babylonians). As the wife of the wealthy Nabal, she is also a woman of high socioeconomic status. [9] In terms of her moral character, Abraham Kuyper argues that Abigail's conduct indicates "a most appealing character and unwavering faith,"[10] but Alice Bach regards her as subversive. By her quick wisdom and generosity she not only saved her entire family from death, but was miraculously delivered from an evil husband, and given a Godly husband in his place. According to tradition, Abigail's family was always feuding. Her character shows us that women of God can be humble, wise, and diplomatic. Patriarchs also appear to have multiple concubines in addition to their wives. So Abigail collected 200 loaves of bread, two bottles of wine, five butchered and prepared sheep, a bushel of roasted grain, 100 bunches of raisins, 200 dry fig cakes, and she loaded them onto donkeys. Abigail is a lesser-known heroine in the Bible, a humble woman who was married to a wealthy scoundrel. “At once Abigail hastened,” we read. Then she went to David personally, humbling herself and pleading for mercy. The wife of a rich man when she met David, Abigail possessed beauty, intelligence, political shrewdness, and material wealth that helped David at a critical moment when he could have thrown away his chance at success. Her story is found in 1 Samuel 25. in Carmel. Jon Levenson calls this an "undeniable adumbration" of Nathan's prophecy in 2 Samuel 7. Perhaps that is why Abigail raised no objections to the fact that David had eight wives in all. 1 Samuel 25:32 "Then David said to Abigail: “Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me! She is the embodiment of Matthew 10:16. Abigail is a featured figure on Judy Chicago's installation piece The Dinner Party, being represented in one of the 999 tiles of the Heritage Floor. STORY OF ABIGAIL In 1 Samuel 25, a beautiful story emerges, one of submission and deliverance. All rights reserved. Abigail's name means 'father rejoices' whereas Nabal means 'fool' (1 Samuel 25:2-3, 25). Abigail. So, does Scripture allow polygamy? 25:33-34). What Is the Meaning of Lazarus and the Rich Man? Her modern-day Daniel trilogy released its first two installments with IlluminateYA, and the final one, Vision, releases in August of 2021. David proceeds to ask Abigail to be his wife. Commentators suggest such might be the case because Nabal was very rich (1 Samuel 25:2). [7] Levenson, however, suggests that she "senses the drift of history" from intelligence rather than from special revelation. 6 Adele Berlin, “Abigail: Bible” Go to People in the Bible or Women in the Bible Abigail was “an intelligent and beautiful woman” (1 Samuel 25:3) who saved her husband and his household, prevented David from doing something rash, and secured an unexpected future for herself. The main story of Abigail is found in 1 Samuel 25. But her character shows us that women of God can be humble, wise, and diplomatic. In the later years of king Saul's reign of Israel, he fought continuously with David and his army. Instead, Abigail pleaded for Nabal’s life and the lives of her entire household. We also do have to keep in mind that during the Old Testament times, women were seen more as property than humans [cultural views, not God’s] and that marriage would give them security, as we see from this article. If men were intent on objectifying and abusing women, God determined to put a few safety measures in place. Christianity.com is a member of the Salem Web Network of sites including: Copyright © 2020, Christianity.com. Formerly the wife of Nabal of Carmel, and afterwards of David. She is also the co-author of the Dear Hero duology, which was published by INtense Publications. [8], Abigail and David's second wife, Ahinoam the Jezreelite, accompany David and his war band as they seek refuge in Philistine territory. See how the empowerment of the Holy Spirit can help you deal with difficult people . Even Solomon, who seems to stand out from his brothers who rape and try to usurp David, falls into depravity and has 1000 wives and concubines. David led the pursuit, and they were subsequently rescued. 25:2).In return for “protecting” Nabal’s property, David requested a gift of provisions. 3 His name was Nabal and his wife’s name was Abigail. Abigail stands out for a number of reasons. Next person in the Bible: Abigail, wife of King David. Who was Abigail in the Bible? We do know from one other reference in 1 Chronicles 3 that Abigail was the mother of David’s son named Daniel. We also learn she hails from the land of Carmel, a land otherwise known as “God’s vineyard.” This means she would’ve come from a decent amount of wealth. Scripture presents her as a beautiful, intelligent woman whose lot in life is one of being married to a rich fool. As a woman of limited options and say, she may have gone with it or not realized the cultural tacit ate away at not only her marriage but their family. More than 1,000 of her works have been featured in various publications ranging from Writer's Digest to Keys for Kids. Abigail humbly accepts his proposal (1 Sam. Abigail, Nabal, and David Abigail is an interesting woman who we meet in 1 Samuel chapter 25. William Rose Benet notes the notoriety of Abigail Hill, better known as "Mrs Masham", a lady-in-waiting to Queen Anne. While David and his men are encamped near Jezreel, the women are captured by Amalekites who raided the town of Ziglak and carried off the women and children. When David learns of Nabal’s death, he recognizes that the Lord has protected David and avenged him from Nabal’s evildoing. [12] Richard M. Davidson, however, points out that "on the basis of the final form of Old Testament canon, references to Abigail in the biblical accounts indicate two different individuals."[13]. For one, Nabal is a rather bizarre character. In the end, she also honored and submitted to Israel's anointed king, thus saving David from the sin of avenging himself through murdering Nabal’s household (1 Sam. The name Abigail means “cause of joy.” The Scriptures don’t say why Abigail—a beautiful, joyful woman—would marry a foolish brute like Nabal. As a woman of beauty and brains, she counsels David, prophesies his kingship, and becomes one of his wives who is actually named. Both wives then settle with David in Hebron, where Abigail gives birth to David's second son, Chileab (also called Daniel). The banquet Nabal throws himself, and the amount of food Abigail sends David seems to confirm this. So, if Abigail abounded with wisdom and beauty, why did David marry more than one woman. This caused her to run away from home to settle on Inis Oirr in the Aran Islands. We should also note that the examples of families with multiple spouses always seem to have massive drama or tragedy. Abigail also tells David not to slay Nabal because God would do the vengeance if only David would wait on the Lord. California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. [8], Abigail is also listed as one of the seven Jewish women prophets, the other six being Miriam, Deborah, Hannah, Sarah, Huldah,and Esther. Her character shows us that women of God can be humble, wise, and diplomatic. And in a few of those instances, we see her deep faith in God’s purpose and plans for David, and so she reminded him of God’s hand in his life. Whether David married her because he was attracted to her, or as an astute political move, or both is unclear. In the second, David orders the murder of a good man because he desires his wife. Of the seven women being reviewed, she is the one most people are less likely to know. "[8], Levenson and Halpern suggest that Abigail may, in fact, also be the same person as Abigail, mother of Amasa. [3] Her name is spelled Abigal in 2 Samuel 17:25 in the American Standard Version. [15] Jonathan Swift and Henry Fielding use Abigail in this generic sense, as does Charlotte Brontë. All to say, we don’t know if Abigail approved of David’s taking on multiple wives. Instead, Nabal, Abigail’s then-husband, hurls insults at David. without becoming difficult yourself! But modern women usually choose their own husband. They should try to be wise in their choice. Scripture makes it clear that by the time of Malachi God shows he desires a monogamous union. [17][18], This article is about the wife of King David. gail. But wait a minute, hadn’t David already married other women such as Michal and Ahinoam? Does this mean that the Bible allows for polygamy? She has good sense, and she keeps David from doing a bad thing. She is mentioned a few other times in scripture, but not with as much detail as is found in this main chapter. [1] Abigail was David's second wife, after Saul and Ahinoam's daughter, Michal, whom Saul later married to Palti, son of Laish when David went into hiding. Here, Abigail sends loads of food to David and asks him not to do anything rash in regard to Nabal. Abigail marries David and travels with him and his men until David is established as king over Judah (2 Sam. INTRODUCTION Abigail was the wife of Nabal. אֲבִיגַיִל) is the name of two women in the Bible. This was certainly something to appreciate during a time when Israel had been recovering from repeated attacks from surrounding nations like the Philistines. She is described as intelligent and beautiful while Nabal was rich, mean and surly in his dealings. and a graduate of Taylor University's professional writing program. Find out more about her at her website. After all, most people in the Bible who marry more than one wife have great familial troubles as a consequence of this action (take, for instance, Jacob married two wives and all the drama that happens because of that). But does David show the exception to polygamy? 1. If men were allowed to take multiple wives, they could satisfy various desires without divorce. [5], After Abigail reveals to Nabal what she has done, "God struck Nabal and he died," (v.38), after which David married her. In one, the wife prevents David from murdering her foolish and greedy husband. I love Abigail's story no matter who's telling it, but Ann Burton's version is incredible. (1) ABIGAIL wife of Nabal the Carmelite (see Carmel) and later of David.Abigail is described as both beautiful and sagacious (I Sam. Anthony Trollope makes two references to the abigail (all lower case) in The Eustace Diamonds, at the beginning of Chapter 42, whilst Thomas Mann makes the same reference at the start of the second chapter of Part 2 in Buddenbrooks (published in 1901). Or why did God allow him to do it? Abigail L. 14. [16] George MacDonald Fraser makes mention of "an abigail fussing about the room" in his novel Flashman from The Flashman Papers series. This seems to indicate she had some prophetic giftings of some sort. Abigail, in the Old Testament, the wife of Nabal of southern Judah, on whose death she became one of the first wives of David (1 Samuel 25) and the mother of his son Chileab. Ann does an amazing job filling in the rest of the story. 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