Thread: "Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite"

Why is it that Abigail is listed this way throughout I and II Samuel? I'm sure that there is some point to it that I am completely missing.

Is it an equivalent of "Jackie Kennedy-Onasis"? or what?

I've been reading 1 and 2 Samuel and wondering the same thing, and even thought about starting a thread! I hope someone has an explanation.

GMTA, Evie. I just wish mine could think of the reason behind this appellation.....

I'm wondering if it was because once again David has taken another wife that doesn't belong to him. In the NT, Bathsheba is not even called by her name but by "the wife of Uriah". God never gave David or anyone else permission to have multiple wives. I think it was done to show the disobedience that was done.

Good point, Sarah. I was wondering if it might not be a reprimand, thought I didn't quite connect all the dots, as you have.

But it still records her as David's wife.

Anyone else?

Maybe to point her out. Like someone calls a lady "The widow" so maybe it was to point out that this particular lady was the one being mentioned maybe?

Why not praise her? Abigail, the virtuous woman married to a pig, who was loyal to the pig. More loyal to one of the biggest pigs in history except for when loyalty to God caused her to go behind her husbands back. And even then, in the presence of a handsome, charismatic rebel leader still remained loyal to her husband.

Who knows what sparks flied between Abigail and David when they met? No one. But we do know that she stayed with her husband until he died. Her hands weren't guilty, although there is no doubt at all that she was very unhappy in her marriage.

But when he died, and she was free, she went to David. Some sort of communication must have been sent between the two. Whether their thoughts were pure or not, their hands were clean, and they married legally, and loved each other. And God blessed them with children, and when she was kidnapped, and both their hearts were broken, God Himself brought them back into each other's arms again.

I see no need to point fingers. To me it's another love story, and her epithet a reminder of the story behind their marriage.

Originally Posted by TimV

Why not praise her? Abigail, the virtuous woman married to a pig, who was loyal to the pig. More loyal to one of the biggest pigs in history except for when loyalty to God caused her to go behind her husbands back. And even then, in the presence of a handsome, charismatic rebel leader still remained loyal to her husband.

Who knows what sparks flied between Abigail and David when they met? No one. But we do know that she stayed with her husband until he died. Her hands weren't guilty, although there is no doubt at all that she was very unhappy in her marriage.

But when he died, and she was free, she went to David. Some sort of communication must have been sent between the two. Whether their thoughts were pure or not, their hands were clean, and they married legally, and loved each other. And God blessed them with children, and when she was kidnapped, and both their hearts were broken, God Himself brought them back into each other's arms again.

I see no need to point fingers. To me it's another love story, and her epithet a reminder of the story behind their marriage.

I wasn't saying Abigail was wrong on this matter as Bathsheba was in enticing David. I was saying David was wrong in taking yet another wife. God in the Garden set up how marriage was to be...between one man and one woman. David broke God's law by having multiple wives.

There may be more to it than that, of course, but there is another Abigail whom you wouldn't want to confuse with the erstwhile wife of Nabal.

2 Samuel 17:25
1 Chronicles 2:16,17

Sarah, you're naturally right in that David would have been better to have had only one wife, but he didn't break God's law. He married Abigail perfectly legally.

Originally Posted by py3ak

There may be more to it than that, of course, but there is another Abigail whom you wouldn't want to confuse with the erstwhile wife of Nabal.

2 Samuel 17:25
1 Chronicles 2:16,17

But then wouldn't the appellation "Abigail the second (third?) wife of David" fit the bill of distinguishing between the two?

Did David rightfully get rid of Michal before he married Abigail?

1Sam 18

43David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel, and both of them became his wives. 44Saul had given Michal his daughter, David’s wife, to Palti the son of Laish, who was of Gallim.

Looks to me that David took Abigail and Ahinoam as wives at the same time. Doesn't really say if Saul gave Michel away before David took these two wives...maybe it does somewhere else. Even if Saul did give Michel away first, the fact that David took two wives at the same time doesn't make his marriage to Abigail legal.