One of David's wives; mother of Shephatiah
Abital
Named in 2 verses across 2 books, first in 2 Samuel 3:4.
אֲבִיטָ֑לAbital
The name means “the father of the dew; or of the shadow.” Hitchcock's Bible Names, 1869
- Married to
- David
- Children
- Shephatiah
About Abital Written by AI
Abital was one of the wives of King David, the second king of Israel. She is mentioned in the lists of David's wives and children in both 2 Samuel 3:4 and 1 Chronicles 3:3. Abital gave birth to one of David's sons, named Shephatiah. The biblical text does not provide any further information about Abital's background, her relationship with David, or her role in the royal household. She is one of several wives mentioned in the genealogies, highlighting David's practice of polygamy, which was common among kings in the ancient Near East. Abital's son Shephatiah is listed among David's sons born in Hebron, where David reigned over Judah for seven years before becoming king over all Israel (2 Samuel 2:11).
Drafted by an AI model for STEPBible's TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Check it against the verses below.
Easton's Bible Dictionary, 1897
Father of dew; i.e., “fresh”, David’s fifth wife (2 Sam. 3:4).
M. G. Easton, Illustrated Bible Dictionary, third edition (1897), public domain, from CrossWire. Shown as written; its Scripture quotes are from older translations.
Where the Bible names her
- 2 Samuel 3:4
his fourth was Adonijah, the son of Haggith; his fifth was Shephatiah, the son of Abital;
- 1 Chronicles 3:3
the fifth was Shephatiah by Abital; and the sixth was Ithream by his wife Eglah.
From STEPBible's TIPNR, Tyndale House Cambridge (CC BY 4.0): names, family, references and the AI written article. Verse text is the BSB.