Abishag
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Abishag ( he, אבישג ''Avishag'') was a beautiful young woman of
Shunem Shunaam ( he, שׁוּנֵם; in LXX grc, Σουνὰν) was a small village mentioned in the Bible in the possession of the Tribe of Issachar. It was located near the Jezreel Valley, north of Mount Gilboa (). Shunaam is where the Philistines c ...
chosen to be a helper and
servant A domestic worker or domestic servant is a person who works within the scope of a residence. The term "domestic service" applies to the equivalent occupational category. In traditional English contexts, such a person was said to be "in service ...
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 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 Solomon (; , ),, ; ar, سُلَيْمَان, ', , ; el, Σολομών, ; la, Salomon also called Jedidiah (Hebrew language, Hebrew: , Modern Hebrew, Modern: , Tiberian Hebrew, Tiberian: ''Yăḏīḏăyāh'', "beloved of Yahweh, Yah"), ...
's mother, to entreat the king to permit him to
marry Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
Abishag. Solomon suspected in this request an aspiration to the throne, since Abishag was considered David's concubine, and so ordered
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 ...
'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 rebelled ag ...
'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 René Karl Wilhelm Johann Josef Maria Rilke (4 December 1875 – 29 December 1926), shortened to Rainer Maria Rilke (), was an Austrian poet and novelist. He has been acclaimed as an idiosyncratic and expressive poet, and is widely recogni ...
,
Itzik Manger Itzik Manger (30 May 1901, Czernowitz, then Austrian-Hungarian Empire – 21 February 1969, Gedera, Israel; yi, איציק מאַנגער) was a prominent Yiddish language, Yiddish poet and playwright, a self-proclaimed folk bard, visionary, a ...
,
Louise Gluck Louise or Luise may refer to: * Louise (given name) Arts Songs * "Louise" (Bonnie Tyler song), 2005 * "Louise" (The Human League song), 1984 * "Louise" (Jett Rebel song), 2013 * "Louise" (Maurice Chevalier song), 1929 *"Louise", by Clan of ...
and
Shirley Kaufman Shirley Kaufman Daleski (June 5, 1923 in Seattle - September 25, 2016 in San Francisco) was an American-Israeli poet and translator. Life Her parents immigrated from Poland. She grew up in Seattle and graduated from James A. Garfield High School ...
. Abishag's name, although not her story, is invoked to begin Robert Frost's poem "Provide, Provide."


See also

*
Shunamitism Shunamitism (also referred to as gerocomy) is the practice of an old man sleeping with, but not necessarily having sex with, a young virgin to preserve his youth. It is considered an esoteric youth-enhancing method. The rationale was that the heat ...
*
Avishag Semberg Avishag Semberg (or Abishag Samberg, he, אבישג סמברג; born 16 September 2001) is an Israeli taekwondo athlete. She was an Olympic bronze medalist for Israel at the 2020 Summer Olympics in the women's 49 kg competition. She won Isr ...
(born 2001), Israeli
taekwondo ''Taekwondo'', ''Tae Kwon Do'' or ''Taekwon-Do'' (; ko, 태권도/跆拳道 ) is a Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast kicking techniques. T ...
Olympic bronze medalist


References


- External links

* * {{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)