Queries & Comments

Queries and Comments Winter 2024

Bedwarmer, Bureaucrat, or Both?

THE GREAT DIFFICULTY in Daniel Bodi’s “Abishag: Bedwarmer or Bureaucrat?” (BAR, Summer 2024) is that he omitted the most valuable passage describing Abishag’s dramatic appearance in 1 Kings 1:4: “and the damsel was very fair, and cherished the king [David], and ministered to him, but the king knew her not [sexually]” (KJV). The English Standard Version (ESV) translation is even more helpful: “The young woman was very beautiful, and she was of service to the king [David] and attended to him, but the king knew her not.”

Referring to Abishag as the Shunammite in verse 3 indicates that she was from the town of Shunem near the Jezreel Valley. It is unclear whether Abishag had any connection to the unnamed “wealthy woman” of Shunem who got the prophet Elijah to eat in 2 Kings 4:8.

It seems evident that Abishag came to help the beloved counselor Nathan confront the greatest crisis of King David’s monarchy, the coup d’état of the rebellious son Adonijah. Abishag would lend her voice, and presumably her experience, along with Nathan to assist the now desperate David, who may have faced not only usurpation but perhaps even murder at the hands of the vainglorious Adonijah, who now “prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him” (1 Kings 1:5, ESV).

“Counselor” or “advisor” is a more accurate translation of the Hebrew feminine noun sokenet than “attendant” or “bedfellow,” and it is comparable to the translation of the masculine soken as “palace steward” or “advisor” in Isaiah 22:15: “thus says the Lord God of Hosts, ‘come, go to the steward, to Shebna, who is over the household…’.“

More derogatory translations, such as “bedfellow,” reveal what can only be described as the misogynist bias of Jewish and Christian biblical scholars and commentators. The position of women in the early Christian church, however, was evidently high when Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 16:19: “The churches of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Prisca, together with the church in their house, send you hearty greetings in the Lord. All the brothers send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss!” (ESV). It would not be the same for women in the church only a few centuries later.

John F. Murphy
Yeadon, Pennsylvania

---

THE CONTEXT IN 1 KINGS does not square with Bodi’s assertions. He plays down (even belittling) obvious contextual matters, which have given rise to such suggestions as “warmer,” etc. But the text makes the point that, even with additional clothing, David (at his age) was unable to keep warm. So what is the solution in the text? It would seem that Bodi would like us to read 1 Kings 1:2 thus: “Let them seek a ‘household administrator’ … and let her lie in your bosom, that my lord the king may keep warm.”

The Hebrew word at issue has the root meaning of “one who helps.” There would be a whole host of helpers for a king. In this context, however, the help King David requires has been clearly stated: to keep warm. In keeping with the metabolism of youth (male or female), a young body would have been ideal to generate a constant source of heat. A female body would have been easy to find, given David’s vast harem. However, for some reason, the text precludes that source, unless she were a fresh recruit, which the text affirms (1 Kings 1:3–4).

Though they were to be flesh-to-flesh (“…let her lie in your bosom”), the text says that “the king did not cohabit with her”—perhaps because of his age, though the text does not speak to why.

So far, Abishag’s role has been quite narrowly defined: 1) She is a new recruit to the harem of David; 2) She is to lie in his bosom; and 3) She is to keep him warm. Just maybe?

But what about the possible role of Abishag as “household administrator”? 1) When it came to “household administration” of a serious nature in 1 Kings 1:11, Nathan did not come to Abishag but to Bathsheba; 2) It is not Abishag but Nathan who provides counsel; 3) Bathsheba (not Abishag) goes to David with the dire news; 4) It is Nathan, then, (not Abishag) that follows on; and 5) It is then with Bathsheba and Nathan (not Abishag) that David declares Solomon the rightful king to take his place.

In 1 Kings 2, Abishag is mentioned in a way that points to her primary role as wife, not “household administrator.” Adonijah did not ask to have Abishag as his wife because she was the “household administrator,” but because she was David’s wife. If she (David’s wife) were to become Adonijah’s wife, since Adonijah was older than Solomon (his brother), Adonijah would be in a position to challenge Solomon for the right to the throne (cf. 1 Kings 2:13–25).

As in archaeology, context matters. In the appropriate context, Daniel Bodi’s research is not to be totally rejected. It is just not appropriate in this context.

George Blankenbaker
San Marcos, California

---

DANIEL BODI RESPONDS: Several arguments allow us to see Abishag as David’s administrator. First, there is the ancient Near Eastern story of “The Old Man and the Young Girl,” in which a virgin cannot rejuvenate or sexually “warm up” an old impotent man. In the story, both the girlfriend of the bride and the wise woman at the king’s court advise against the marriage of a virgin to an old man. The king first authorizes it but then orders the marriage dissolved and punishes the bride. The biblical story and “The Old Man and the Young Girl” share the negative outcome: A virgin cannot warm up an old man.

Second, the word for “clothes” (begadim) sounds a lot like “treachery” (bogedim) and recalls the earlier story of David’s first wife, Michal (1 Samuel 19:13), who fooled her father. This link may suggest that David needing clothes and a virgin in his lap is a trumped-up excuse of the pro-Solomon party to have direct access to the king’s chamber and ear, while it squares with David’s reputation as an inveterate womanizer.

Finally, there is the politics and retributive justice we see under David. Solomon’s appointment as David’s successor results from a palace putsch, when Adonijah proclaimed himself king (1 Kings 1:11). The name Abishag means “my father errs/wanders.” The appointment of Abishag as David’s household administrator seems like a skillful deception by the pro-Solomon party, as she would screen people asking for an audience with the king and, thereby, provide them with privileged access to carry out an “oath hoax” on the failing king. The question is whether David made the vow or was made to believe in a fictional oath. I conclude the oath was a hoax, and David the deceiver becomes a dupe.

---

Ed. note: Read Daniel Bodi’s full response in this pdf document.

---

Paul’s Thorn in the Flesh

IN THE ARTICLE “Finding Paul’s Weakness,” the distinguished author Ben Witherington III makes Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:7) and Paul’s “weakness of the flesh” (Galatians 4:13) the same condition. The weakness of the flesh might well be poor eyesight, but to conclude that God refused to heal poor eyesight after three requests is a bit of a stretch.

I believe the thorn in Paul’s flesh was his memory. His mind was filled with memories of Christians he had persecuted, some even to death. He was now one of those Christians, and his memory haunted him.

John A. Wilson
Parker, Colorado

---

BEN WITHERINGTON’S ARTICLE is excellent, but it does not connect Paul’s eye problem to his episode of blindness that occurred on the road to Damascus. As a physician, I consider it likely that Chlamydia trachomatis infection is the most likely etiology. Trachoma was and is a common eye disease in the Middle East. An acute infection can cause pus and painful swelling of the eyelids, but will resolve on its own, as did Paul’s acute episode of vision loss. Repeated infection often occurs, leading to scarring of the eyelids with the lashes rubbing against and irritating the eye. Corneal scarring can also occur. The eye and lid deformities would be ugly and obvious to all.

Cynthia Burdge
Kailua, Hawaii

---

Debating the Future of Biblical Archaeology

Glenn Corbett’s article wondering if biblical archaeology has a future is well taken. While the disciplines of history and archaeology are currently validating biblical history at an increasing rate, there’s a disruptive force at work undermining scholarship’s wary progress, that being, the blunt force of tradition. The following is a single, simple example of the problem, with much similar evidence, indicating that the traditional locations of the Temple and the Antonia Fortress in Jerusalem are wrong:

In the January/February 2006 issue of the BAR, there was an article by Eilat Mazar titled “Did I find King David’s Palace?” In it she asks, “Since it is unlikely that it (the large stone structure) was the Jebusite citadel, what else could it be, perhaps a new temple? But this flies in the face of the long tradition [emphasis mine].”

This is not a theological or biblical errancy issue at all; the emotional power of tradition (and the people who wield it) just make it seem that way.

Mahlon Marr
Peoria, Arizona

---

Get more biblical Archaeology: Become a Member

The world of the Bible is knowable. We can learn about the society where the ancient Israelites, and later Jesus and the Apostles, lived through the modern discoveries that provide us clues.

Biblical Archaeology Review is the guide on that fascinating journey. Here is your ticket to join us as we discover more and more about the biblical world and its people.

Each issue of Biblical Archaeology Review features lavishly illustrated and easy-to-understand articles such as:

• Fascinating finds from the Hebrew Bible and New Testament periods

• The latest scholarship by the world's greatest archaeologists and distinguished scholars

• Stunning color photographs, informative maps, and diagrams

• BAR's unique departments

• Reviews of the latest books on biblical archaeology

The BAS Digital Library includes:

• 45+ years of Biblical Archaeology Review

• 20+ years of Bible Review online, providing critical interpretations of biblical texts

• 8 years of Archaeology Odyssey online, exploring the ancient roots of the Western world in a scholarly and entertaining way,

• The New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land

• Video lectures from world-renowned experts.

• Access to 50+ curated Special Collections,

• Four highly acclaimed books, published in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institution: Aspects of Monotheism, Feminist Approaches to the Bible, The Rise of Ancient Israel and The Search for Jesus.

The All-Access membership pass is the way to get to know the Bible through biblical archaeology.