Charles Ellicott Commentary 1 Samuel 25:40

"And when the servants of David were come to Abigail to Carmel, they spake unto her, saying, David hath sent us unto thee, to take thee to him to wife." — 1 Samuel 25:40 (ASV)

When the servants of David were come to Abigail. — The time that had elapsed between the death of Nabal and this mission of David to Abigail is not specified. The legal time of mourning was fixed at only seven days, but a very considerable period may have elapsed in this case. St. Ambrose allegorizes here, as is usual in Patristic expositions, and compares the marriage of Abigail to David after Nabal’s death to the union of the Church (that is, the Gentile world) to Christ after the cessation of its connection with heathenism. — St. Ambrose, Epistle 31 (quoted in Wordsworth).