Wife of Nabal and later the wife of King David.
About Abigail
Nabal’s wife, who later became the wife of David (1 Samuel 25:2–42). Nabal was a wealthy sheep owner whose flockes had been protected by David’s men. When David asked Nabal for food in return, Nabal said no. This made David very angry. He took 400 armed men to attack Nabal and his household. Abigail heard what her husband had done. She quickly gathered food and met David on the way. She apologized for her husband's foolish behavior. David thanked God for using Abigail to stop him from doing something wrong.
The next morning, Nabal woke up after drinking too much. When he heard what happened, he had a stroke (a sudden illness that affects the brain). He died 10 days later.
Abigail then married David and lived with him among the Philistines(1 Samuel 27:3). Later, she was captured by the Amalekites and rescued by David (1 Samuel 30:1–19). Abigail went with David to Hebron when he became king of Judah (2 Samuel 2:2). She bore his second son, Chileab (2 Samuel 3:3), also called Daniel (1 Chronicles 3:1).
Family Relationships
Key References
His name was Nabal, and his wife’s name was Abigail. She was an intelligent and beautiful woman, but her husband, a Calebite, was harsh and evil in his dealings.
Then David said to Abigail, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who sent you to meet me this day!
When his servants came to Abigail at Carmel, they said, “David has sent us to take you as his wife.”
And sons were born to David in Hebron: His firstborn was Amnon, by Ahinoam of Jezreel;
his second was Chileab, by Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel; his third was Absalom, the son of Maacah daughter of King Talmai of Geshur;
All Scripture References (14)
1 Samuel (11)
His name was Nabal, and his wife’s name was Abigail. She was an intelligent and beautiful woman, but her husband, a Calebite, was harsh and evil in his dealings.
Meanwhile, one of Nabal’s young men informed Nabal’s wife Abigail, “Look, David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master, but he screamed at them.
Then Abigail hurried and took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five butchered sheep, five seahs of roasted grain, a hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs. She loaded them on donkeys
When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off the donkey, fell facedown, and bowed before him.
Then David said to Abigail, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who sent you to meet me this day!
When Abigail returned to Nabal, there he was in the house, holding a feast fit for a king, in high spirits and very drunk. So she told him nothing until morning light.
On hearing that Nabal was dead, David said, “Blessed be the LORD, who has upheld my cause against the reproach of Nabal and has restrained His servant from evil. For the LORD has brought the wickedness of Nabal down upon his own head.” Then David sent word to Abigail, asking her to become his wife.
When his servants came to Abigail at Carmel, they said, “David has sent us to take you as his wife.”
So Abigail hurried and got on a donkey, and attended by five of her maidens, she followed David’s messengers and became his wife.
David and his men settled in Gath with Achish. Each man had his family with him, and David had his two wives: Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel, the widow of Nabal.
David’s two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel, had been taken captive.
2 Samuel (2)
So David went there with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel.
his second was Chileab, by Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel; his third was Absalom, the son of Maacah daughter of King Talmai of Geshur;
1 Chronicles (1)
These were the sons of David who were born to him in Hebron: The firstborn was Amnon by Ahinoam of Jezreel; the second was Daniel by Abigail of Carmel;