During the daytime, Abishag served David and met his needs. So, let’s meet this woman, Abishag. She was David's primary caregiver, with David's wives tending to their own affairs much of this day. Great emphasis is placed upon her [Abishag's] charms. The fact that the king did not have intercourse with her is decisive in the story. Abishag was the Shunammite maiden who was chosen to lie with King David to keep him warm in his old age (although the Bible specifically says that David did not have sexual relations with her)(1 Kings 1:1-4). We know he died at 70 years old. As far as I am aware, the last definite reference to Abishag is in 1 Kings 2:13-25. While Abishag lied in bed with David at night, he never had sexual relations with her[3]. [6], Some scholars point to the possibility that Abishag is the female protagonist in the Song of Songs. אֲבִישַג; "the [Divine] Father (? II. Abishag was King David's attendant in his elderly years. Bible Evidence That David Married 12 Year Old Abishag [Part 3] We once again return to the marriage of King David and Abishag. Abishag was a Shunammite, Israelite woman who lived during the end of David's reign and was renowned for her beauty. This is evidenced by when Bathsheba went to speak to David in his chambers, Abishag was attending him[4]. A short time later David died and Solomon became King. After David's death, his son, Adonijah tried to usurp the throne from Solomon by asking for her hand in marriage. As a young woman, she became exceedingly beautiful, but was not married before being conscripted into royal service. ABISHAG THE SHUNAMMITE (Heb. [6], https://bible.wikia.org/wiki/Abishag?oldid=28917. David by this time was old and decrepit and his sexual vigor is called into question. ), Homage to Shmuel (2002), 376–81. The notice (1:4) that "the king knew her not" serves less to impute decrepitude to David than to inform the audience that there would be no other claimants to David's throne than Solomon and Adonijah. How old is he? [verify] If David was impotent he could no longer be king. She is used as a tool to move along the plot concerning Solomon and Adonijah; her story conveys the importance of male honor, as Solomon asserts his right to determine the sexual fates of the female members of his household. She was named "Ignorant Father", perhaps reflecting that she had a foolish father. She lived in the village of Shunem during her early life. The first cure is to heap clothes upon his bed in order to secure such physical heat as might render him capable. Adonijah was executed and some of his associates were also killed or exiled. Abishag. She was a young woman in the time of King David’s old age. )"; meaning unknown; of *Shunem), an unmarried girl who was chosen to serve as sōkhenet to King David. represented a true threat to Solomon's position, as it is only the king, and not a commoner, who is allowed to make use of the servants of the deceased king (Sanh. 22a, and Rashi, ibid.). In the first article (Part 1: “King David’s Marriage To 12 Year Old Abishag – Bible“), we covered how old King David and Abishag was when they were married. [2]. When David became elderly, he had poor circulation and was unable to keep warm in bed. According to the Hebrew Bible, she was chosen to be a helper and servant to king David in his old age. 22:15) Abishag's role was of a lower status. The fact that David did not make Abishag his legal wife is explained as due to his refusal to exceed the traditional number of wives (18) allowed to a king (Sanh. Coming from the the city of Shunem in Issachar, Abishag was considered one of the most beautiful women all of Israel. Solomon's brother and David's eldest son, Adonijah, noticed Abishag's beauty and wished to have her as a wife. She served as bed companion to David in the hope that her fresh beauty would induce some warmth in the old man (I Kings 1:1–4, 15), and as his housekeeper. Abishag (Hebrew: אבישג ‎ Avishag) was a beautiful person of Shunem, who, when brought to David, was a na'arah, which indicates youth and/or virginity, but not necessarily both. She was chosen to minister to David in his old age.

Solomon correctly interpreted this request for the former king's concubine as a bid for the throne (See II Sam 12:8; 16:20–23), and had Adonijah killed (I Kings 2:13–25). Having Abishag as a wife would be pleasing to him and a method for him to gain power he felt he deserved.

When Solomon became king, *Adonijah , whose life Solomon had spared although he knew him to be a dangerous rival, asked *Bath-Sheba, Solomon's mother, to intercede on his behalf for permission to marry Abishag. Adonijah came to Bathsheba and asked to her to ask Solomon to give Abishag's hand in marriage to him. [11] Abishag's experiences have provided inspiration for contemporary writers including Rainer Maria Rilke, Itzik Manger, Louise Gluck and Shirley Kaufman. ADD. Download our mobile app for on-the-go access to the Jewish Virtual Library, Encyclopaedia Judaica, © 1998 - 2020 American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise. Abishag was brought in to comfort and warm David in bed in his old age, though she remained a virgin. His servants suggested that a national search be made for a beautiful young virgin who could care for the king in his old age: namely to lie with him at night to keep him warm and very possibly to have intercourse with him and help him remain virile. As David's attendant, Abishag's chief duty was to lie in bed with the elderly David to keep warm at night (known as gerocomy) and it was very likely it was intended for her to have sexual relations with him (which did not occur). 39b). Abishag was a Hebrew woman born in the Tribe of Issachar[1]. What she does seems insignificant and unnoticed but I think we’ll be surprised by her. © 2008 The Gale Group. Abishag was very beautiful and well known for her beauty. Solomon suspected in this request an aspiration to the throne, since Abishag was considered David's concubine,[8][9] and so ordered Adonijah's assassination (1 Kings 2:17–25).

All Rights Reserved. Some see in Abishag, who is described as "very fair" (I Kings 1:4), the Shulammite of the Song of Songs (Shulammite being regarded as the same as Shunammite). Solomon's action is also vindicated on the grounds that the request made by Adonijah to be permitted to marry Abishag (I Kings 2:13 ff.)

The LXX supports this by translating in vs. 2, "and let her excite him and lie with him." After David's death, his firstborn son, Adonijah tried to usurp the throne from Solomon by asking for Abishag's hand in marriage. Adonijah reasoned that the Kingdom was his, but God's decree forfeited his right to King. [4] Among Abishag's duties was to lie next to David and pass along her animal heat and vigor ("they put covers on him, but he could not get warm"),[5], while not having sex with him (1 Kings 1:4).[6]. [11], Last edited on 6 September 2020, at 10:45, "Jesus the Central Jew: His Times and His People", "Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments 1 Kings 1", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Abishag&oldid=977004187, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 6 September 2020, at 10:45. When this fails a search is made for the most beautiful woman in the land. With her master dead, Abishag was now a servant of King Solomon. After David's death Adonijah (David's fourth and eldest surviving son), persuaded Bathsheba, king Solomon's mother, to entreat the king to permit him to marry Abishag. The King is old. the Hebrews...believed that the fertility of the soil and the general prosperity of the people were bound up with the fertility of the king. BIBLIOGRAPHY: M. Cogan, I Kings (AB; 2000), 156; Z. Kallai, in: Z. Talshir (ed. אֲבִישַג; "the [Divine] Father (? Abishag does not accept the monarch’s reply and challenges him with the proverb “When the thief has nothing to steal, he becomes virtuous”—in plain language: you are old and impotent, and so you claim that I am forbidden to you.

[1][2][3] According to the Hebrew Bible, she was chosen to be a helper and servant to king David in his old age.

Noth, Personennamen, index; Ginzberg, Legends, index. She was chosen to be a helper to David in his final days. Adonijah may have asked to marry her at the suggestion of his mother. Adonijah wanted the throne and having Abishag as his wife would also take power from his brother. Other than her minor role in the court affairs of David's family, Abishag has no other appearances or description in the Bible; she simply appears a stock character as part of the whims of the males of her time. She became his wife ( 1 Kings 1:3 1 Kings 1:4 1 Kings 1:15). Seeing David was unable to stay warm at night and losing the virility of his youth, David's staff wanted to preserve his health and youth, thus continuing his prestige as king. In the earlier story of Absalom's rebellion, it is noted that having sex with the former king's concubine is a way of proclaiming oneself to be the new king. Abishag is an unspeaking Bible character involved in the story of the power struggle between King David’s sons. Hearing this Solomon was outraged, suspecting that Adonijah wished to usurp the throne from him. The term comes from a root skn, "attend to," "take care," and its noun forms can be applied to high officials in Hebrew (Is. Abishag. I Kings 1:4 When King David was very old, he could not keep warm even when they put covers over him.

22a). The term comes from a root skn, "attend to," "take care," and its noun forms can be applied to high officials in Hebrew (Is. Abishag (Hebrew: אבישג‎ Avishag) was a beautiful person of Shunem, who, when brought to David, was a na'arah, which indicates youth and/or virginity, but not necessarily both. It relates that she was not half as beautiful as Sarah (Sanh. ABISHAG THE SHUNAMMITE (Heb. Source: Encyclopaedia Judaica. Attempts are made to remedy the situation. )"; meaning unknown; of *Shunem), an unmarried girl who was chosen to serve as sōkhenet to King David. The aggadah identifies Abishag as the Shunammite who gave hospitality to Elisha the prophet (PdRE 33). We are told “they put covers on him but could not keep him warm.” Her duties were to “lie next to David and […] Very possibly, David was experiencing impotence. [5], Bathsheba went before Solomon and asked him to give Abishag's hand in marriage to Solomon. [10], Later Jewish midrashic and Christian traditions paid little attention to Abishag's role. father of (i.e., "given to") error, a young woman of Shunem, distinguished for her beauty. After David's death Adonijah persuaded Bathsheba, Solomon's mother, to entreat the king to permit him to marry Abishag.

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