Abishag

AI summary: Abishag matters because the cross references present her first as a sign of David's frailty and then as a flashpoint in the succession struggle after his death. Her presence in the royal household makes Adonijah's request for her far more than a personal matter; it is perceived as a political claim. In that way, a seemingly quiet court figure becomes bound up with kingship itself. Taken together, the material presents Abishag as a transitional royal figure whose status reveals the sensitivities of succession politics.¹

Father of (i.e., “given to”) error, a young woman of Shunem, distinguished for her beauty. She was chosen to minister to David in his old age. She became his wife (1 Kings 1:3, 4, 15). After David’s death Adonijah persuaded Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother, to entreat the king to permit him to marry Abishag. Solomon suspected in this request an aspiration to the throne, and therefore caused him to be put to death (1 Kings 2:17-25). ³