Abishag ( he, אבישג ''Avishag'') was a beautiful young woman of Shunem chosen to be a helper and servant to King

David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

in his old age. Among Abishag's duties was to lie next to David and pass along her body heat and vigor because "they put covers on him, but he could not get warm". 1

Kings Kings or King's may refer to: *Monarchs: The sovereign heads of states and/or nations, with the male being kings *One of several works known as the "Book of Kings": **The Books of Kings part of the Bible, divided into two parts **The ''Shahnameh'' ...

1:4 notes that David did not engage in sexual intercourse with her. When brought to David, she was a ''na'arah'', which indicates youth or virginity but not necessarily both. After David's death,

Adonijah According to 2 Samuel, Adonijah ( he, , ''’Ǎḏōnīyyā''; "my lord is Yah") was the fourth son of King David. His mother was Haggith as recorded in the book of . Adonijah was born at Hebron during the long conflict between David and the ...

(David's fourth and eldest surviving son) persuaded

Bathsheba Bathsheba ( or ; he, בַּת־שֶׁבַע, ''Baṯ-šeḇaʿ'', Bat-Sheva or Batsheva, "daughter of Sheba" or "daughter of the oath") was the wife of Uriah the Hittite and later of David, according to the Hebrew Bible. She was the mother of ...

, King Solomon's mother, to entreat the king to permit him to marry Abishag. Solomon suspected in this request an aspiration to the throne, since Abishag was considered David's concubine, and so ordered

's assassination (1 Kings 2:17–25). In the earlier story of

Absalom Absalom ( he, ''ʾAḇšālōm'', "father of peace") was the third son of David, King of Israel with Maacah, daughter of Talmai, King of Geshur. 2 Samuel 14:25 describes him as the handsomest man in the kingdom. Absalom eventually rebelle ...

's rebellion, it is noted that having sexual relations with the former king's

concubine Concubinage is an interpersonal and sexual relationship between a man and a woman in which the couple does not want, or cannot enter into a full marriage. Concubinage and marriage are often regarded as similar but mutually exclusive. Concubi ...

is a way of proclaiming oneself to be the new king. Adonijah may have asked to marry her at the suggestion of his mother. Some scholars point to the possibility that Abishag is the female protagonist in the Song of Songs. Later Jewish

midrash ''Midrash'' (;"midrash"
''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. he, מִדְרָשׁ; ...

ic and Christian traditions paid little attention to Abishag's role. Abishag's experiences have provided inspiration for contemporary writers including Rainer Maria Rilke,

Itzik Manger Itzik Manger (30 May 1901, Czernowitz, then Austrian-Hungarian Empire – 21 February 1969, Gedera, Israel; yi, איציק מאַנגער) was a prominent Yiddish poet and playwright, a self-proclaimed folk bard, visionary, and 'master tailor ...

, Louise Gluck and Shirley Kaufman. Abishag's name, although not her story, is invoked to begin Robert Frost's poem "Provide, Provide."

References

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* * {{Authority control 10th-century BC women 10th-century BCE Hebrew people Books of Kings people Women in the Hebrew Bible People associated with David Kingdom of Israel (united monarchy)

See also

References

- External links