The name Abihail (which means “my father is might” or “father of strength”) is borne by multiple individuals in the King James Version of the Bible, both male and female, appearing in genealogical records and historical narratives.
1. Abihail, Father of Queen Esther
One of the most notable individuals bearing this name is the father of Queen Esther, a central figure in the deliverance of the Jews in Persia.
“Now when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her for his daughter, was come to go in unto the king, she required nothing but what Hegai the king’s chamberlain, the keeper of the women, appointed. And Esther obtained favour in the sight of all them that looked upon her.” (Esther 2:15, KJV)
He is also referenced when the official decree for the Feast of Purim is recorded:
“Then Esther the queen, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew, wrote with all authority, to confirm this second letter of Purim.” (Esther 9:29, KJV)
2. Abihail, Wife of Abishur
In the genealogies of the tribe of Judah, Abihail is noted as the wife of a man named Abishur, a descendant of Hezron.
“And the name of the wife of Abishur was Abihail, and she bare him Ahban, and Molid.” (1 Chronicles 2:29, KJV)
3. Abihail, Daughter of Eliab and Wife of Rehoboam
Another Abihail is connected to the royal line of David, through the first king of Judah, Rehoboam, the son of Solomon.
“And Rehoboam took him Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth the son of David to wife, and Abihail the daughter of Eliab the son of Jesse;” (2 Chronicles 11:18, KJV)
The scripture establishes her lineage, identifying her as the daughter of Eliab, who was the elder brother of King David, thereby making Abihail David’s niece.
4. Abihail, Father of Zuriel
This individual is a male Levite, from the family of Merari, one of the three major divisions of the tribe of Levi.
“And the chief of the house of the father of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail: these shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle northward.” (Numbers 3:35, KJV)
5. Abihail, A Gadite
Abihail is also listed as a male descendant from the tribe of Gad.
“These are the children of Abihail the son of Huri, the son of Jaroah, the son of Gilead, the son of Michael, the son of Jeshishai, the son of Jahdo, the son of Buz;” (1 Chronicles 5:14, KJV)