Abihail

Father of might. (1.) Num. 3:35. (2.) 1 Chr. 2:29. (3.) 1 Chr. 5:14.

(4.) The second wife of King Rehoboam (2 Chr. 11:18), a descendant of Eliab, David’s eldest brother.

(5.) The father of Esther and uncle of Mordecai (Esther 2:15).

(father of , i.e. possessing, strength).

1. Father of Zuriel, chief of the Levitical father of Merari, a contemporary of Moses. (Numbers 3:35) (B.C. 1490.)

2. Wife of Abishur. (1 Chronicles 2:29)

3. Son of Huri, of the tribe of Gad. (1 Chronicles 5:14)

4. Wife of Rehoboam. She is called the daughter, i.e. descendant, of Eliab, the elder brother of David. (2 Chronicles 11:18) (B.C. 972.)

5. Father of Esther and uncle of Mordecai. (Esther 2:15; 9:29)

ab'-i-hal ('abhichayil; in some manuscripts 'abhihayil, when feminine, but best reading is the former: "father, or cause, of strength"): Five persons in the Old Testament are called by this name:

(1) A Levite and the father of Zuriel, who in the Wilderness was head of the house of Merari, Levi's youngest son (Nu 3:35);

(2) The wife of Abishur, a man of the tribe of Judah, in the line of Hazron and Jerahmeel (1Ch 2:29);

(3) One of the heads of the tribe of Gad, who dwelt in Gilead of Bashan (1Ch 5:14);

(4) Either a wife of Rehoboam, king of Judah, or mother of his wife Mahalath, according to the interpretation of the text (2Ch 11:18); probably the latter view is correct, since there is no conjunction in the text, and since (2Ch 11:19) contemplates only one wife as already mentioned. This being true, she was the wife of Jerimath, a son of David, and daughter of Eliab, David's eldest brother. It is interesting to note this frequent intermarriage in the Davidic house;

(5) Father of Queen Esther, who became wife of Xerxes (Biblical Ahasuerus) king of Persia, after the removal of the former queen, Vashti, (Es 2:15; 9:29). He was uncle of Mordecai.

Edward Mack