How many times is Abigail mentioned in the Bible?
The word Abigail appears 17 times in the King James Version, in 17 verses. It is found in 3 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses Abigail 17 times.
Abigail in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of Abigail counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| Abigail | 17 | 17 |
| Total | 17 | 17 |
What the name Abigail means
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary glosses Abigail as "the father's joy".
This is the 1869 traditional meaning; modern scholars often read names differently.
See every name and place with its meaning and count on Bible names and their meanings.
Source: Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary (1869), checked 2026-10-22.
Which books mention Abigail most
Abigail appears in 3 books of the 66 in the King James Version. 1 Samuel has the most (11), then 2 Samuel (3) and 1 Chronicles (3).
First and last mention of Abigail
Now the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail: and she was a woman of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance: but the man was churlish and evil in his doings; and he was of the house of Caleb.
Now these were the sons of David, which were born unto him in Hebron; the firstborn Amnon, of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; the second Daniel, of Abigail the Carmelitess:
Common questions
How many times is Abigail in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 17 of the 17 uses are in the Old Testament and 0 in the New Testament. Abigail appears in 3 books of the 66 in the King James Version. 1 Samuel has the most (11), then 2 Samuel (3) and 1 Chronicles (3).
Where is Abigail first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is 1 Samuel 25:3: "Now the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail: and she was a woman of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance: but the man was churlish and evil in his doings; and he was of the house of Caleb." The last is 1 Chronicles 3:1.
What does the name Abigail mean in the Bible?
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary glosses Abigail as "the father's joy".
More word counts: Athaliah, Naaman, Shem, Ham, Japheth, Miriam, Hagar, Enoch, or all 484 words.
Counted by Bible Says About from the full public-domain text of the King James Version (1769 edition) and the World English Bible. Verse text only: headings and psalm titles are left out. A word is a run of letters: a hyphenated name like Beer-sheba counts as two, and an apostrophe stays inside its word (LORD'S is one). Matching ignores capital letters. Data compiled 2026-10-22.