2 Samuel 2:2
ESV
So David went up there, and his two wives also, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel.
NIV
So David went up there with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel.
NASB
So David went up there, and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite.
CSB
So David went there with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelite and Abigail, the widow of Nabal the Carmelite.
NLT
David’s two wives were Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal from Carmel. So David and his wives
KJV
So David went up thither, and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail Nabal's wife the Carmelite.
NKJV
So David went up there, and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite.
What does 2 Samuel 2:2 mean?
With the Lord's direction and blessing, David moves his wives and his men from the Philistine city of Ziklag to the city of Hebron in Judah. Saul's crusade to kill David came to an end when he died, freeing David up to move toward taking his place as king over Israel, as God anointed him to do (1 Samuel 16:1).The move brings David and his two wives nearer to the places they grew up. Hebron is not far from David's hometown of Bethlehem. Ahinoam, his first wife after Michal was taken from him by Saul (1 Samuel 25:44), is from Jezreel. The wise and beautiful Abigail, widowed when the Lord struck her foolish husband dead (1 Samuel 25:36–38), is from Carmel (1 Samuel 27:3). Carmel is also reasonably close to Hebron.
The inclusion of David's wives helps illustrate David's growing power. When he becomes king of Judah (2 Samuel 2:4), he has two wives. Nearer the time he becomes king of all Israel, David will have five wives and several sons (2 Samuel 3:2–5). When he is king, he will add even more (2 Samuel 5:13–16). To God, the multiple wives are unnecessary and possibly harmful if they follow foreign gods (Deuteronomy 17:17). To the people of the time, it's proof of David's power.
