The Story of Abigail and Nabal

The name Abigail is Hebrew and it means "my father's joy". Because of the story about this man in the Bible the name Nabal gained the figurative meaning of being shamelessly malodorous.

Image credit

• For those who are not familiar with the Old Testament story of Abigail and Nabal, it is as follows:

She is described as “a woman of good understanding” (1 Samuel 25), the wife of an unreasonable scoundrel, named Nabal, who provoked the anger of a future king of Israel, David. So ferocious was David's anger that he determined to wipe out the entire house of Nabal. The servants told Abigail what her husband had done and also clarified their report by saying that David had been very kind to them and had protected them from ruthless marauders. She immediately prepared food and took it to David and his men; apologizing for her husband's disrespect and insult; and imploring David to have mercy on those who were innocent and meant him no harm. Her actions caused David to have a change of heart. She also won his heart. When she informed her husband that he had almost caused the death and destruction of his entire family, servants included, he apparently died from shock!

Original Source