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Discover the meanings of thousands of Biblical names in Abarim Publications' Biblical Name Vault: Abital

Abital meaning

Abital in Biblical Hebrew
אביטל
Abital categories:
♀
female names
☂
rain
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Source: https://www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning/Abital.html

🔼The name Abital: Summary

Meaning
Father Of Dew, My Father Is (The) Dew
Etymology
From (1) the noun אב ('ab), father, and (2) the noun טל (tal), dew.
Related names
• Via אב ('ab): Abba, Abi, Abi-albon, Abiasaph, Abiathar, Abida, Abidan, Abiel, Abiezer, Abigail, Abihail, Abihu, Abihud, Abijah, Abijam, Abimael, Abimelech, Abinadab, Abinoam, Abiram, Abishag, Abishai, Abishalom, Abishua, Abishur, Abitub, Abiud, Abner, Abram, Absalom, Ahab, Atroth-beth-joab, Barabbas, Bebai, Ben-abinadab, Chileab, Eliab, Huram-abi, Jeshebeab, Joab, Job, Moab, Oholiab
• Via טלל (talal): Hamutal, Talitha, Telaim

🔼The name Abital in the Bible

Abital is one of king David's lesser known wives. She's mentioned only once in 2 Samuel 3:4 and once in the mirror text of 1 Chronicles 3:3. We don't know where she is from or who her parents are. All we know is that she is the mother of David's fifth son Shephatiah.

🔼Etymology of the name Abital

The name Abital consists of two elements. The first part comes from the common word אב ('ab), meaning father:

Excerpted from: Abarim Publications' Biblical Dictionary
אב

The noun אב ('ab) means father, but describes primarily a social relationship rather than a biological one. That social fatherhood was the defining quality of the community's alpha male, the one around whom all economy revolved and from whom emanated all instructions by which the 'sons' (בן, ben) operated. It's unclear where this word אב ('ab) comes from but the verb abu means to decide.

— See the full Dictionary article —

The letter yod probably turns the word ab into a possessive form: אבי (abi), meaning either my father or father of, depending on the context.

The second part of the name Abital comes from the verb טלל (talal):

Excerpted from: Abarim Publications' Biblical Dictionary
טלל

The root טלל (talal) has to do with being small, thin or widely dispersed or spread. Noun טל (tal), means dew. Verb טלל (talal) means to overcast (with a roof or with mist or dew). Derived verb טול (tul), means to extend or disperse widely, and its noun טלטלה (taltela) denotes a spreading out. Noun טלה (taleh) describes the young of sheep, goats or deer: lambs and fawns, and the verb טלא (tala') describes the patterns of spots spread out on a fawn. The plural noun טלאים (tal'im) collectively describes young ones or spotted ones.

— See the full Dictionary article —

🔼Abital meaning

For a meaning of the name Abital, NOBSE Study Bible Name List reads The Father Is Dew and Jones' Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names reads Father Of Dew. BDB Theological Dictionary sees the yod between the words ab and tal as possessive and reads My Father Is (The) Dew.

This name is rather poetic and may seem somewhat odd, but a kindred and slightly odder name is Hamutal, meaning My Father-In-Law Is The Dew.