Yhdistynyt kuningaskuntaWise womanPeacemakerProphetic voiceWife of NabalWife of DavidActive c. 1015–990 B.C.E.
In the story of Nabal and David, Abigail emerges as a figure of extraordinary wisdom, strength, and beauty. While her first husband, the wealthy Nabal from the Carmel region in Judah, is characterized as harsh and foolish, Abigail shows diplomatic wisdom when a dangerous crisis arises. Nabal’s rejection of David’s men during sheep shearing — a gross violation of the hospitality norms of that time — triggered David’s desire for bloody revenge. Abigail intervened on her own initiative, gathered abundant supplies, and went to meet David with a speech that stands out in the Old Testament for its humility, rhetorical power, and prophetic vision. She acknowledged David’s future kingship and predicted that the Lord would build him an enduring house — words that point forward to God’s covenant with David. Her intervention caused David to praise God and refrain from bloodguilt. After Nabal died shortly afterward, David sent for Abigail and took her as his wife. She accompanied him through his time as a fugitive in the wilderness, was captured during an Amalekite raid on Ziklag, but was rescued. She bore David a son named Chileab, who is also called Daniel in Chronicles.
Abigail was married to Nabal, a wealthy man from Maon who owned estates in Carmel. Nabal is described as harsh and evil in his conduct, while Abigail was sensible and beautiful.
2There was a man in Maon whose holdings were in Carmel. He was a very wealthy man, with three thousand sheep and a thousand goats, and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.
3The man's name was Nabal, and his wife's name was Abigail. She was intelligent and beautiful, but her husband was harsh and mean in all his dealings. He was a Calebite.
When David sent his men to ask for provisions from Nabal during the sheep shearing, Nabal rejected them with mockery and insults, which provoked David's anger.
10But Nabal answered David's servants, "Who is David? Who is this son of Jesse? These days there are plenty of servants running away from their masters.
13David said to his men, "Strap on your swords!" So each man strapped on his sword, and David strapped on his as well. About four hundred men went up with David, while two hundred stayed behind with the baggage.
Abigail quickly gathered food and supplies and went out to meet David. She bowed before him, took the blame upon herself, and begged him not to shed blood in unnecessary vengeance. Her wisdom and humility convinced David to abandon his plan.
18Abigail acted quickly. She took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five dressed sheep, five measures of roasted grain, a hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of pressed figs, and loaded them on donkeys.
25Let my lord pay no attention to that worthless man Nabal. He is just what his name says: Nabal, "Fool"—and folly goes with him. But I, your servant, did not see the young men my lord sent.
26And now, my lord, as surely as the LORD lives and as you live, the LORD has kept you from shedding blood and from taking vengeance with your own hand. May your enemies and all who seek to harm my lord end up like Nabal.
28Please forgive your servant's offense. The LORD will surely establish a lasting house for my lord, because my lord fights the battles of the LORD, and no wrong will be found in you as long as you live.
29Though someone rises up to pursue you and seek your life, the life of my lord will be bound securely in the bundle of the living with the LORD your God. But the lives of your enemies he will hurl away as from the pocket of a sling.
31then my lord will have no cause for grief or remorse over having shed blood without cause and having taken vengeance himself. And when the LORD has dealt well with my lord, remember your servant.
David thanked the Lord for Abigail's good judgment and acknowledged that she had kept him from committing bloodguilt. He blessed her for her sound discretion.
34As surely as the LORD, the God of Israel, lives—he has kept me from harming you—if you had not hurried to meet me, not one male of Nabal's household would have been left alive by daybreak." [Footnote: Hebrew idiom, literally "one who urinates against a wall," a blunt expression for a male.]
When Abigail told Nabal what had happened, his heart became like stone within him, and about ten days later the Lord struck Nabal so that he died. David then sent messengers to bring Abigail, and he took her as his wife.
36When Abigail came to Nabal, he was holding a banquet in his house like a king's feast. He was in high spirits and very drunk, so she told him nothing at all until daybreak.
39When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, "Blessed be the LORD, who has taken up my cause against the insult I suffered from Nabal, and who has kept his servant from doing wrong. The LORD has brought Nabal's evil down on his own head." Then David sent word to Abigail, asking her to become his wife.
When the Amalekites raided Ziklag and took women and children captive, Abigail was among those who were captured. David and his men pursued the enemy, defeated them, and rescued Abigail and all the other captives.
1When David and his men reached Ziklag on the third day, they found that the Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They had struck Ziklag and burned it down.