Encyclopedia entry · Person
Abital
Curator's research file
Subject · person
Abital
Identity
- Name meaning
- father of dew (Heb. av-tal)
Family
- Parent(s)
- —
- Spouse
- —
- Children
- —
- Tribe / people
- —
Era & origin
- Era
- c. 1010–1003 BC — David's Hebron years
- Region
- —
- Contemporary of
- —
Role
- Role
- Wife of David · Mother of Shephatiah
- Notable for
- Abital appears twice in scripture — 2 Samuel 3:4 and 1 Chronicles 3:3 — both times in the list of David's six wives during his seven-year reign at Hebron over Judah, before the kingdom was united under him.
Scripture
- First mention
- 2 Samuel 3
- Most cited
- 2 Samuel 3
- Key passages
Network
- Referenced by
- 1 entry
- Voices
- —
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Abital appears twice in scripture — 2 Samuel 3:4 and 1 Chronicles 3:3 — both times in the list of David's six wives during his seven-year reign at Hebron over Judah, before the kingdom was united under him. She was the mother of his fifth Hebron-born son, Shephatiah. Nothing else is recorded of her.
Her Hebrew name means father of dew (av-tal) — dew in scripture carrying connotations of refreshment, blessing, and the LORD's quiet generosity to the land. Smith's gives her as a minor wife; ISBE leaves her unidentified beyond the genealogical notice. She is one of those names that exists in scripture chiefly to tell us David's kingdom in Hebron grew through six separate households.
Key passages
Source · AI-drafted from biblical text and standard reference works (Smith's, Easton's, ISBE) — verify and refine against authoritative sources before publication.