Ahinoam

Two women named Ahinoam appear in the Bible. One is Ahinoam of Jezreel, a wife of David; the other is the wife of Saul. The Hebrew name is commonly understood to mean "my brother is delight" (or "pleasantness").

Biblical Record

Ahinoam, Wife of David

• Marriage: At the close of the account of David's marriage to Abigail, 1 Samuel 25:43 briefly records that David also took "Ahinoam of Jezreel" as a wife. The very next verse reports that Saul had given Michal, David's first wife, to another man.
• Exile: When David fled from Saul to Gath in the land of the Philistines, Ahinoam and Abigail went with him (1 Samuel 27:3).
• Captivity and rescue: The Amalekites raided Ziklag, where David was living, and carried off his two wives; David pursued the raiders and recovered them (1 Samuel 30:5, 18).
• The Hebron period: After Saul's death, David went up to Hebron with his two wives (2 Samuel 2:2). In the list of sons born to David in Hebron, Ahinoam appears as the mother of Amnon, the firstborn (2 Samuel 3:2; 1 Chronicles 3:1).

Ahinoam's name does not appear after this point. Even in 2 Samuel 13, where Amnon violates his half-sister Tamar and is killed by Absalom, his mother is not mentioned.

Ahinoam, Wife of Saul

First Samuel 14:50 records that Saul's wife was Ahinoam the daughter of Ahimaaz. She is the only wife of Saul named in the Bible.

Significance Within Scripture

No words or actions of David's wife Ahinoam are ever recorded. In the text she serves to show how David's household was formed and which son was the firstborn in line for the throne. She is always mentioned together with Abigail, and she belonged to the family that shared David's years of hardship. Neither Ahinoam is mentioned in the New Testament.

Interpretation and Debate

• Place of origin: A widely accepted interpretation holds that "Jezreel" refers not to the Jezreel Valley in the north but to a town of the same name in the hill country of Judah. This view rests on Joshua 15:56, which lists that town near Carmel, Abigail's hometown.
• Hypothesis that the two Ahinoams are the same person: Some scholars, citing Nathan's words to David, "I gave thee thy master's house, and thy master's wives into thy bosom" (2 Samuel 12:8), suggest that David may have taken Saul's wife. However, because the biblical text does not say so directly and the two women's recorded origins differ, most commentaries regard them as different individuals.
• Polygamy: Interpreters differ on how to understand David's taking of multiple wives. Some regard the account as simply recording the customs of royal households in the ancient Near East. Others, comparing it with Deuteronomy 17:17, which forbids the king to multiply wives, read it as background to the strife within David's household that later led to the incident involving Amnon.

In the Korean Church

Sermons or Sunday school lessons devoted specifically to Ahinoam are rare. Her name usually comes up in explanations of David's family relationships when Abigail, David's household, or the events involving Amnon and Absalom are discussed.