Abigail (mother of Amasa)
Encyclopedia
Abigail is a character in the Hebrew Bible
She was the mother of Amasa
, the commander-in-chief of Absalom
's army (2 Sam. 17:25).
's sister, and therefore and aunt to Joab
. In , Abigail and Zeruiah are referred to as sisters to David
. It does not explicitly say that they are also daughters of Jesse
, and the Masoretic Text
of 2 Samuel 17:25 calls Abigail the daughter of Nahash. While it is possible that Jesse
's wife had first married to Nahash (and Abigail was David's half-sister), scholars think that Nahash is a typographic error, based on the appearance of the name two verses later.
In the Book of Chronicles, Amasa's father is Jether the Ishmaelite
, but in the Books of Samuel
, Amasa's father is Ithra the Israelite
; scholars think that the latter case is more likely.
Jon Levenson
and Baruch Halpern
suggest that Abigail, mother of Amasa may, in fact, be the same Abigail
who became David's wife.
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible is a term used by biblical scholars outside of Judaism to refer to the Tanakh , a canonical collection of Jewish texts, and the common textual antecedent of the several canonical editions of the Christian Old Testament...
She was the mother of Amasa
Amasa
Amasa is a person in the Hebrew Bible. He was the son of Abigail , who was sister to King David and Zeruiah, the mother of Joab. Hence, Amasa was a nephew to David, a cousin to Joab, as well as a cousin to Absalom....
, the commander-in-chief of Absalom
Absalom
According to the Bible, Absalom or Avshalom was the third son of David, King of Israel with Maachah, daughter of Talmai, King of Geshur. describes him as the most handsome man in the kingdom...
's army (2 Sam. 17:25).
Family
refers to Abigail as a ZeruiahZeruiah
Zeruiah , daughter of King Nahash and stepdaughter of Jesse of the Tribe of Judah, was an older sister of King David. Zeruiah had three sons, Abishai, Joab, and Asahel, all of whom were soldiers in David's army.Very little is told of her...
's sister, and therefore and aunt to Joab
Joab
Joab the son of Zeruiah, was the nephew of King David and the commander of his army, according to the Hebrew Bible.- Name :...
. In , Abigail and Zeruiah are referred to as sisters to David
David
David was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Hebrew Bible and, according to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, an ancestor of Jesus Christ through both Saint Joseph and Mary...
. It does not explicitly say that they are also daughters of Jesse
Jesse
Jesse, Eshai or Yishai, is the father of the David, who became the king of the Israelites. His son David is sometimes called simply "Son of Jesse" ....
, and the Masoretic Text
Masoretic Text
The Masoretic Text is the authoritative Hebrew text of the Jewish Bible and is regarded as Judaism's official version of the Tanakh. While the Masoretic Text defines the books of the Jewish canon, it also defines the precise letter-text of these biblical books, with their vocalization and...
of 2 Samuel 17:25 calls Abigail the daughter of Nahash. While it is possible that Jesse
Jesse
Jesse, Eshai or Yishai, is the father of the David, who became the king of the Israelites. His son David is sometimes called simply "Son of Jesse" ....
's wife had first married to Nahash (and Abigail was David's half-sister), scholars think that Nahash is a typographic error, based on the appearance of the name two verses later.
In the Book of Chronicles, Amasa's father is Jether the Ishmaelite
Ishmaelites
According to the Book of Genesis, Ishmaelites are the descendants of Ishmael, the elder son of Abraham.-Traditional Origins:According to the Book of Genesis, Abraham's first wife was named Sarah and his second wife Hagar. However Sarah was old and barren, and could not conceive...
, but in the Books of Samuel
Books of Samuel
The Books of Samuel in the Jewish bible are part of the Former Prophets, , a theological history of the Israelites affirming and explaining the Torah under the guidance of the prophets.Samuel begins by telling how the prophet Samuel is chosen by...
, Amasa's father is Ithra the Israelite
Israelite
According to the Bible the Israelites were a Hebrew-speaking people of the Ancient Near East who inhabited the Land of Canaan during the monarchic period .The word "Israelite" derives from the Biblical Hebrew ישראל...
; scholars think that the latter case is more likely.
Jon Levenson
Jon D. Levenson
Jon D. Levenson is the Albert A. List Professor of Jewish Studies at the Harvard Divinity School.-Education:*Ph.D. Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, Harvard University, 1975,*M.A...
and Baruch Halpern
Baruch Halpern
Baruch Halpern is the Chaiken Family Chair in Jewish Studies at Pennsylvania State University. He has been a leader of the archaeological digs at Tel Megiddo since 1992. As an undergraduate at Harvard in 1972, he wrote a political analysis of the Bible, which subsequently influenced research into...
suggest that Abigail, mother of Amasa may, in fact, be the same Abigail
Abigail
Abigail was the wife of Nabal; she became a wife of David after Nabal's death .In the passage, Nabal demonstrates ingratitude towards David, and Abigail attempts to placate David in order to stop him taking revenge...
who became David's wife.