BIBLE HISTORY DAILY

Who Is Abishag?

Was she King David’s servant or closest advisor?

Abishag the Shunammite is one of many women in the story of King David, but unlike fairly well known figures like Abigail and Bathsheba, the Bible tells us very little about her. Indeed, Abishag only shows up in a handful of verses, twice as a sort of servant to the king, and once as the object of Prince Adonijah’s marriage request. Although her brief appearance might make Abishag an easy character to overlook, the strange specificity she receives in the text often leaves readers asking, “Who is Abishag?” Daniel Bodi, Professor of History of Religions of Antiquity at the Sorbonne University in Paris, explores this question in his article “Abishag: Bedwarmer or Bureaucrat?” published in the Summer 2024 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review.

Abishag at Court

We are first introduced to Abishag in 1 Kings 1, when David, worn down by age, can no longer stay warm. Thus, Abishag the Shunammite is brought to the king, seemingly to share his bed, although the text is particularly careful to mention that David “knew her not.” Abishag is mentioned a second time when Nathan the prophet and Bathsheba seek an audience with David to convince him to make Solomon king. The final time she is seen is in 1 Kings 2, when David’s son, Adonijah, convinces Bethsheba to request that the newly crowned Solomon give Abishag to Adonijah in marriage. In response to this single request, Solomon has Adonijah executed.

From such a cursory reading, it can be tempting to see Abishag as little more than a concubine or servant. Indeed, this is how many scholars have portrayed her through the years, presenting her as a means for David to warm himself, a friendly companion in his old age, or a housekeeper. Certainly, Solomon’s anger at Adonijah’s request to marry the woman could lend some credence to seeing her in the role of a concubine, harkening back to Absalom’s attempt to make himself king by sleeping with David’s concubines in 2 Samuel 16.

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According to Bodi, however, there is something in the story of Abishag that most readers miss: her Hebrew title, sokenet, which is the feminine form of a word typically translated as “administrator.” Taking his own readers on a journey through ancient Near Eastern texts and society, Bodi uses this title to present Abishag in a new light, not as a lowly servant, but as a powerful and trusted confidante to the king. According to Bodi: “Abishag’s role at David’s court is best understood within the broader Near Eastern context of women who served as royal and household administrators. She is much more than a servant or housekeeper; she is a key witness and protagonist in resolving an acute political crisis at the crucial moment of David’s succession.”

So, who is Abishag? Was she just another of David’s many concubines, the bedwarmer for an old man, or was she something else entirely? Was Abishag actually another powerful woman in the biblical narrative, stripped of her power by generations of translations and misogyny? For one possible answer, read Daniel Bodi’s article “Abishag: Bedwarmer or Bureaucrat?” published in the Summer 2024 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review.

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