Abishai

Passages on this topic

From Nave’s Topical Bible (1896), a historical reference index. The groupings are Nave’s; the verses are shown in the text used across this site.

Son of Zeruiah, David's sister

• 1 Chronicles 2:16 Their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. And the three sons of Zeruiah were Abishai, Joab, and Asahel.

One of David's chief men

• 2 Samuel 23:18 Now Abishai, the brother of Joab and son of Zeruiah, was chief of the Three, and he wielded his spear against three hundred men, killed them, and won a name along with the Three.

Seeks Saul's life

• 1 Samuel 26:6–8 And David asked Ahimelech the Hittite and Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, “Who will go down with me to Saul in the camp?” “I will go with you,” answered Abishai. That night David and Abishai came to the troops, and Saul was lying there asleep in the inner circle of the camp, with his spear…

Pursues and kills Abner

• 2 Samuel 2:24 But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner. By sunset, they had gone as far as the hill of Ammah opposite Giah on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon.
• 2 Samuel 3:30 (Joab and his brother Abishai murdered Abner because he had killed their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon.)

Defeats the Edomites

• 1 Chronicles 18:12 Moreover, Abishai son of Zeruiah struck down eighteen thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.

Defeats the Ammonites

• 2 Samuel 10:10 And he placed the rest of the troops under the command of his brother Abishai, who arrayed them against the Ammonites.
• 2 Samuel 10:14 When the Ammonites saw that the Arameans had fled, they too fled before Abishai, and they entered the city. So Joab returned from fighting against the Ammonites and came to Jerusalem.

Seeks the life of Shimei

• 2 Samuel 16:9 Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and cut off his head!”
• 2 Samuel 19:21 But Abishai son of Zeruiah said, “Shouldn’t Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the LORD’s anointed?”

Leads a division of David's army against Absalom

• 2 Samuel 18:2 He sent out the troops, a third under Joab, a third under Joab’s brother Abishai son of Zeruiah, and a third under Ittai the Gittite. And the king said to the troops, “I will surely march out with you as well.”
• 2 Samuel 18:5 Now the king had commanded Joab, Abishai, and Ittai, “Treat the young man Absalom gently for my sake.” And all the people heard the king’s orders to each of the commanders regarding Absalom.

Overthrows Sheba

• 2 Samuel 20:1–22 Now a worthless man named Sheba son of Bichri, a Benjamite, happened to be there, and he blew the ram’s horn and shouted: “We have no share in David, no inheritance in Jesse’s son. Every man to his tent, O Israel!” So all the men of Israel deserted David to follow Sheba son of Bichri. But the men o…

Saves David from being slain by a Philistine

• 2 Samuel 21:17 But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to his aid, struck the Philistine, and killed him. Then David’s men swore to him, “You must never again go out with us to battle, so that the lamp of Israel may not be extinguished.”

Obtains water from the well of Bethlehem for David

• 1 Chronicles 11:15–20 Three of the thirty chief men went down to David, to the rock at the cave of Adullam, while a company of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. At that time David was in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was at Bethlehem. David longed for water and said, “Oh, that some…