אֲבִיטָל
𐤀𐤁𐤉𐤈𐤋
Avital
H37 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Proper name designating a woman; personal name meaning 'my father is dew'. Used as the name of one of King David's wives. The name likely expresses a wish, statement, or theological motif regarding divine provision or freshness, conveyed through the use of 'dew' as a symbol of blessing or life.
Semantic Range
Personal name: 'my father is dew'; reflects theological or poetic imagery of sustenance, blessing, freshness
Root / Etymology
Formed from two elements: אָב (ʼāv, 'father') and טַל (ṭal, 'dew'), with the first element featuring the pronominal suffix '-î' ('my father'), rendering the meaning as 'my father is dew'. The name is constructed per common Israelite anthroponymic patterns.
Historical & Contextual Notes
אֲבִיטָל appears only as the name of one individual in the Hebrew Bible, identified as one of David’s wives (2 Sam 3:4; 1 Chr 3:3). The name structure, combining a familial term ('father') with a natural element ('dew'), is paralleled in other personal names from the period, which often invoke divine attributes or natural phenomena as signals of blessing or favor. The use of 'dew' in Hebrew poetry and narrative signifies freshness, renewal, or divine blessing (cf. Gen 27:28; Deut 33:13, 28; Mic 5:7). The reference to 'father' may allude either to God or to ancestry, but the suffix '-î' suggests a personal relationship or possession. The name does not itself indicate Judahite, Israelite, or later Judean identity but must be situated in the historical context of the United Monarchy. Standard English translations retain the name as Abital, often without explication of its meaning. There is no evidence for the term being used outside of personal naming or with broader lexical function.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from אָב and טַל; father of dew (i.e. fresh); Abital, a wife of King David; Abital.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
אב, טל (ʾ-b, ṭ-l) — father, dew
Word Forms
2 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H37-01 |
אֲבִיטָֽל | avital | HNp |
Abital | My-Father-Is-Dew | 1 |
H37-02 |
לַ/אֲבִיטָ֑ל | laavital | HR/Np |
by Abital | to My-Father-is-Dew | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
2 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H37-01 |
2 Samuel 3:4 | אֲבִיטָֽל | avital | HNp |
Abital | My-Father-Is-Dew |
H37-02 |
1 Chronicles 3:3 | לַ/אֲבִיטָ֑ל | laavital | HR/Np |
by Abital | to My-Father-is-Dew |