אֲבִישַׁי H0052
Abishai; David's nephew and mighty warrior, son of Zeruiah and brother of Joab, meaning 'my father is a gift'
Abishai (אֲבִישַׁי) was the son of Zeruiah — David's sister — and brother of Joab and Asahel, making him David's nephew and one of his most loyal warriors. He first appears volunteering to accompany David into Saul's camp by night (1 Sam 26:6–9), where he urges David to kill the sleeping king — a request David refuses. Throughout the narratives of 2 Samuel he fights alongside Joab, commands troops, and repeatedly demonstrates fierce, sometimes reckless, loyalty. The name likely means 'my father is a gift' or 'father of Jesse,' and the LXX renders it Abessa/Abessai.
Senses
1. Abishai (proper name) — The proper name Abishai (אֲבִישַׁי / אַבְשַׁי), identifying David's nephew through Zeruiah, brother of Joab and Asahel, and one of the 'Three' or 'Thirty' mighty warriors. He first appears in 1 Sam 26:6 entering Saul's camp with David at night. Spanish 'Abisai,' French 'Abischaï,' and German 'Abischai' all transliterate the same figure. The alternate spelling אַבְשַׁי in Chronicles reflects a contracted form of the same name. 25×
AR["أبيشايَ", "أبيشايُ", "أَبيشاي", "أَبيشايَ", "أَبيشايُ", "أَبِيشَايَ", "أَبِيشَايُ", "وَأبيشايُ", "وَأَبِيشَايُ"]·ben["অবীশনণ", "অবীশনয়ের", "অবীশয়", "অবীশয়কে", "অবীশয়ের", "আর-অবীশয়", "এবং-অবীশয়"]·DE["Abishai", "Avishai", "und-Abishai", "und-Avishai"]·EN["Abishai", "Avishai", "and-Abishai", "and-Avishai"]·FR["Abischaï", "Avishai", "et-Abischaï", "et-Avishai"]·heb["אבישי", "אבשי", "ו-אבישי"]·HI["अबीशै", "अबीशै-के", "अबीशै-ने", "अबीशै-से", "अबीशैने", "और-अबीशै", "और-अबीशै-ने"]·ID["Abisai", "dan-Abisai"]·IT["Abisai", "Avishai", "e-Abisai", "e-Avishai"]·jav["Abisai", "Lan-Abisai", "lan-Abisai"]·KO["그리고-아비새", "그리고-아비새가", "그리고-아비샤이가", "그리고-아비샬와", "그리고-아비샬이", "아비새", "아비새가", "아비샤이", "아비샤이가", "아비샤이에게", "아비샤이와", "아비샤이의"]·PT["'Avishai", "Avishai", "E-Avishai", "e-'Avishai", "e-Avishai"]·RU["-Авишаю", "Авесса", "Авессе", "Авессы", "Авишай", "Авишаю", "Авшая", "и-Авесса", "и-Авишай"]·ES["Abisai", "Abishai", "Avishai", "Y-Avishai", "y-Abisai", "y-Avishai"]·SW["Abishai", "na-Abishai"]·TR["Avişay", "Avişay'a", "Avişay'nın", "Avşay'in", "ve-Avişay"]·urd["ابیشائی", "ابیشائی-نے", "ابیشائی-کے", "ابیشی", "ابیشی-نے", "اور-ابیشائی", "اور-ابیشی"]
1 Sam 26:6, 1 Sam 26:6, 1 Sam 26:7, 1 Sam 26:8, 1 Sam 26:9, 2 Sam 2:18, 2 Sam 2:24, 2 Sam 3:30, 2 Sam 10:10, 2 Sam 10:14, 2 Sam 16:9, 2 Sam 16:11 (+13 more)
Related Senses
G3588 1. definite article (18298×)H0853 1. definite direct object marker (10915×)G2532 1. (8312×)H3068 1. YHWH (the divine name) (6522×)H0834a 1. relative pronoun (who/which/that) (4839×)H3588a 1. causal: because, for (3498×)G1161 1. and (2806×)H3478 1. Israel (proper name and nation) (2507×)G4771 1. you (plural address) (1853×)H1931 1. personal pronoun he/she/it (1431×)G3739 1. relative pronoun who/which/that (1149×)H1732 1. David (proper name) (1075×)H2088 1. this, this one (demonstrative) (1059×)G1063 1. (1047×)G3778 1. this thing, these things (1003×)H???? 2. (1002×)G2424 1. (924×)G3754 1. that (content clause) (881×)H2009 1. presentative particle: behold, look (881×)H0589 1. I (first person singular pronoun) (874×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
אֲבִישַׁי n.pr.m. (my father is Jesse; LagBN 75 thinks from אֲבֶן (= בֶּן) + ישׁי cf. 𝔊 Ἀβεσσα[ι] 1 S 26:6)—א׳ 1 S 26:6(×2) + 17 times 1 & 2 S = אַבְשַׁי 2 S 10:10 + 5 times 1 Ch.—grandson of Jesse; son of Zeruiah & brother of Joab 1 S 26:6(×2), 7, 8, 9 2 S 2:18, 24 + 20:6 (where read יואב 𝔖 Th We Dr) + 12 times 2 S + 20:7 (where insert אבישׁי 𝔊 We Dr) + 5 times 1 Ch.