Haggith

Biblical Record

Haggith was a wife of David. In listing the sons born to David while he reigned in Hebron, 2 Samuel 3:4 states, "And the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith." The same information appears in 1 Chronicles 3:2. In this list the firstborn is Amnon, son of Ahinoam, and the third is Absalom, son of Maacah.

1 Kings repeatedly refers to Adonijah as "the son of Haggith." Examples include the account of Adonijah exalting himself to be king when David was old (1 Kings 1:5), the passage in which the prophet Nathan tells Bathsheba of this (1 Kings 1:11), and the scene in which Adonijah comes to Bathsheba after David's death (1 Kings 2:13).

Scripture does not record Haggith's origins, the circumstances of her marriage to David, when she died, or what role, if any, she played in her son's struggle for the throne. Nor is there any scene in which Haggith herself speaks or acts.

Significance Within Scripture

Haggith is not the central figure of any narrative of her own. She appears as a name identifying Adonijah within the genealogy of David's house and the account of the royal succession. In a royal household with multiple wives, such as David's, sons of the same father were distinguished by their mothers' names. Accordingly, 1 Kings 1–2 sets "Adonijah the son of Haggith" alongside "Solomon the son of Bathsheba," highlighting the two sides of the struggle for the throne. Haggith does not appear in the New Testament.

Interpretation and Debate

Some scholars relate the name "Haggith" to the Hebrew words for "festival" or "feast." However, inferring Haggith's character or life from the meaning of her name goes beyond what the text says.

Explanations differ as to why 1 Kings repeats the phrase "the son of Haggith." Some regard it as a customary genealogical designation, while others read it as a narrative device contrasting Adonijah with Bathsheba and Solomon. Claims that Haggith encouraged her son's bid for the throne or quarreled with Bathsheba are not found in the biblical text. Where such details are added in sermons or commentaries, they should be distinguished from what the text actually records.

In Korean Churches

Sermons or study materials devoted specifically to Haggith are rare in Korean churches. She is usually mentioned only briefly, as the mother of Adonijah, in sermons or Bible studies on the succession events of 1 Kings 1. Her name is also sometimes mentioned in discussions of David's family life and the conflicts among his sons.