What's in a Name?

ABIGAIL
(" her Father's joy").
1. The churl Nabal's beautiful wife, of Carmel. Taking on herself the blame of Nabal's insult to David's messengers, she promptly, and with a discreet woman's tact, averted David's just anger by liberally supplying the wants of his forces, and by deprecating in person at his feet the shedding of blood in vengeance. He hearkened to her prayer and accepted her person; and rejoiced at being "kept back" by her counsel from taking into his own hand, God's prerogative of vengeance (1 Sam 25:26,34,39; Rom 12:19). God did "plead His cause" against Nabal: compare the undesigned coincidence of phrase between the history and the independent psalm, a proof of genuineness: Ps 35:1,7,16; 17:4; 14:1 with 1 Sam 25:25,36-38 with Luke 12:19-21; 1 Sam 25:29; the image of a "sling, slinging out the souls of the enemy" with 1 Sam 17:49. At Nabal's death by God's visitation David made her his wife, and by her David had a son, Chileab (2 Sam 3:3), or Daniel (1 Chron 3:1), i.e. God is my judge, a name which apparently alludes to the divine judgment on Nabal. Fausset's Bible Dictionary, Electronic Database Copyright (c)1998 by Biblesoft