ABIGAIL Bible Study 2026

 

Beginning January 2026, I'll be hosting a study on the life of Abigail, who we first meet in 1 Samuel chapter 25. 

This godly woman features a great deal throughout the chapter, initially as the wife of Nabal, but eventually becoming the wife of King David. Abigail's kindness and courage are two of the character traits we shall be gleaning from as we study her story, but we shall also learn of her knowledge, generosity, sensibility, beauty, humility, respectfulness, honesty and sacrifice.

I have set up this page to house every section of the study for as long as it runs - perhaps a few months, or maybe a year. There will be a date & subject heading between each section, beginning here at the top of the page and gradually moving down, so if you miss any of the study just come to this page and scroll down until you find where you're up to. 

I made some Abigail notepaper as a free download, so if you'd like to write your own notes on them simply print up as many pages as you'll need. Use the link below to download the notepaper.

DOWNLOAD Abigail Notepaper

The study will begin during the second week of January. Until then, have a read through the chapter and make some notes on what stands out to you. Hopefully, we shall have some great insights to share in the comments once we get started. 

God bless!

ABIGAIL Part One: 1 Samuel 1-3

(January 7th, 2026)

Setting the scene for this chapter we learn in v1 that God’s faithful priest and prophet, Samuel, has died and been buried in Ramah. At that time David and his men have been hiding in the caves of the Engedi, to escape King Saul who is hunting David in order to take his life. You’ll note that previously in chapter 24 David spares Saul’s life because he will not murder God’s anointed. This is an important point to consider in the next chapter with the story of Abigail.

Now, leaving the strongholds of Engedi, David and his men travel to the area where a different man of aggression is to be faced. Nabal.

Nabal is very rich, with thousands of sheep and goats, and he employed many men to shepherd them. He is described in v3 as a man none of us would want to be involved with. The reason I’d like us to take a look at Nabal is to give us a reference point between the character of Nabal, and that of his wife Abigail.

Nabal: In the ancient Hebrew, the description of Nabal is less than kind – he is cruel, impudent, obstinate, stiff-necked and stubborn. An all-round nasty man indeed.

nāvāl, pronounced na-VAHL, means fool, and indeed we shall see that his character in the story ahead confirms that description.

Abigail: How very different she is to her husband. Described as a woman of good understanding and beautiful countenance, I have heard many women ask “why did she marry such a dreadful man?” Well, these were different times, and most marriages were arranged or convenient. Abigail was more than likely ‘bought’ by Nabal from her father for a mohar, or what we would call a dowry. This would commonly be 50 silver shekels as we learn in Exodus 22 and Deuteronomy 22, but could also be paid in livestock, years of service to the father-in-law (such as with Jacob, Rachel and Leah), or even foreskins, which were King Saul’s price for David to marry his daughter Michal. If the families were very rich the price would be much higher than the 50 shekels.

So, it seems fairly obvious this was how Abigail came to be Nabal’s wife. But let us not forget that God is in the details, and He had a bigger plan for Abigail’s life.

I love how the Hebrew language widens our understanding of a particular word, something our English language has lost, or may never have had. When I studied the description of Abigail last year, her character qualities became qualities I desired to focus on in my own life, knowing I had many sharp edges to be smoothed down, but also a loving Father who would show me how. Studying godly women in the Bible serves to refine our modern character, and to change us character trait, by character trait, into Christian women who represent the Word of God in action, and not just name only. 

Let’s look at the Hebrew meaning of the words which described Abigail in v3.

Good understanding – seh-kel (sekel). She had discernment, discretion, knowledge, prudence, sense, wisdom.

The same word is used in Proverbs 19:11 – “The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger, and his glory is to overlook a transgression.”

In Nehemiah 8:8 – “They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.”

In Proverbs 23:9 – “Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the good sense of your words.”

In Psalm 111:10 – “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding.”

Beautiful countenance – toar (to-ar). This refers to form and appearance, the same word being used to describe Rachel in Genesis 29:17, and David in 1 Samuel 16:18

The Wise Woman:

The Bible has a lot to say about being a wise woman, such as here in Proverbs 14:1 where the scripture reads "The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish pulls it down with her hands." 

To build means to 'repair, set up, make, to obtain children'...

But to pull it down (plucketh in the KJ) means to 'overthrow, ruin, break, destroy into pieces, beat down'. 

Abigail was a wise woman, not foolish, and this becomes very obvious as we continue her story in the weeks and months ahead.

Next time...

Before the next instalment of our Abigail study, read through v4-13 to learn of the aggressive situation that arose between David and Nabal.

Then focus on v14-17 because that’s when we meet this wise woman again, and our focus will be on those four verses.

Until then, God bless you all!

DOWNLOAD Part 1