Abishag

Biblical Account

Abishag appears only in 1 Kings 1–2, where the text calls her "Abishag the Shunammite." Shunem was a town in the territory of the tribe of Issachar in northern Israel.

• Attending David (1 Kings 1:1-4): In his old age, David could not get warm even when covered with clothes. His servants searched throughout Israel for a young virgin and brought Abishag to him. The text records that "the damsel was very fair, and cherished the king, and ministered to him: but the king knew her not" (1 Kings 1:4).
• During the succession dispute (1 Kings 1:15): When Adonijah tried to make himself king, Bathsheba and Nathan went to David. The text briefly notes that Abishag was ministering to the king at that time.
• Adonijah's request (1 Kings 2:13-25): After David died and Solomon took the throne, Adonijah asked, through Bathsheba, to be given Abishag as his wife. Solomon took the request as a bid for the throne. He replied, "ask for him the kingdom also" (1 Kings 2:22), and then sent Benaiah to put Adonijah to death.

The text records not a single word spoken by Abishag, nor does it say what became of her afterward.

Significance Within the Bible

Abishag appears in scenes that depict the transfer of power within the Davidic dynasty. The note that David could not be warmed even with a woman attending him reveals his frailty, and this frailty leads directly to the struggle over the succession.

Interpreters commonly hold that in the ancient Near East, taking possession of a former king's wife or concubine was understood as asserting a claim to the throne. The Bible contains similar cases: Absalom lay with his father's concubines (2 Samuel 16:21-22), and Ishbosheth confronted Abner over his relations with Saul's concubine Rizpah (2 Samuel 3:7). The subsequent punishment of Adonijah's supporters, the priest Abiathar and Joab, fits the same pattern.

The New Testament does not mention Abishag.

Interpretations and Issues

• Abishag's status: The text states plainly that David did not have relations with her. Solomon's reaction, however, suggests that she may have been regarded as a woman of the royal household, with a status comparable to that of a concubine. Interpreters are therefore divided over whether she was merely a caregiver or a concubine.
• Adonijah's intent: Many commentators read Adonijah's request as a political attempt to regain the throne. Others suggest it was a matter of personal affection, which Solomon used as a pretext to eliminate a rival.
• Connection with the Shulamite: Some interpreters have proposed that "the Shulamite" of Song of Solomon 6:13 is the same person as Abishag. They point to the similarity of the name and place of origin, but the text offers no direct evidence, so the identification remains conjecture.
• Distinction from another Shunammite woman: The Shunammite woman who hosted Elisha in 2 Kings 4 came from the same town as Abishag but is a different person.
• Modern readings: Some recent interpretations focus on the plight of a woman passed back and forth, without a word, between kings and powerful men.

Interpretations of Abishag do not divide sharply along denominational lines. Jewish tradition and other sources preserve additional stories about her, but these are not found in the biblical text.

In the Korean Church

Abishag is rarely treated as a standalone topic in sermons or Sunday school. She is mainly mentioned in expository preaching on passages dealing with David's final years, Adonijah's rebellion, and the establishment of Solomon's reign.