Girl Old Testament Known
Abishag
ignorance of the father
אֲבִישַׁג a.vi.shag
Abishag (Hebrew: אֲבִישַׁג, a.vi.shag) means “ignorance of the father”, by traditional interpretation. It appears in 5 verses across 1 book of the Bible. In United States birth records the name is below the reporting threshold. Appears with Abiathar in 1 Kings 2.
The bearer in scripture
One person in scripture bears this name.
-
Abishag
Scripture against society
The two measures, side by side
At a glance
- Verses
- 5 across 1 book
- Bearers
- 1 one person only
- Testament
- Old
- Era
- Divided Kingdom
Using it today
In United States birth records this name is below the reporting threshold. The Social Security Administration does not publish counts under five, so a name given to four children looks the same as one given to none.
In scripture
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| First appears | 1 Kings 1:3 |
| Last appears | 1 Kings 2:22 |
| Cross-references | 41 linked passages |
Names connected to this one
- Shunammites co-occurrence Appears with Shunammites in 1 Kings 2.
- Adonijah co-occurrence Appears with Adonijah in 1 Kings 2.
- Bathsheba co-occurrence Appears with Bathsheba in 1 Kings 1.
- Rei co-occurrence Appears in the same passages as Rei.
- Zeruiah co-occurrence Appears with Zeruiah in 1 Kings 2.
- Abiathar co-occurrence Appears with Abiathar in 1 Kings 2.
- Haggith co-occurrence Appears in the same passages as Haggith.
- Maoch co-occurrence Appears in the same passages as Maoch.
Origin & meaning
A woman living at the time of United Monarchy, first mentioned at 1Ki.1.3
§ Abishag = "my father is a wanderer"
David's beautiful young nurse
Abishag, the beautiful Shunammite who served King David in his old age and was later sought as a wife by Adonijah.
The biblical story
Abishag was a beautiful young woman from Shunem who was chosen to serve King David in his old age (1Ki.1.3). She was brought to the king to keep him warm and to attend to his needs, but David did not have sexual relations with her (1Ki.1.4).
After David's death, his son Adonijah, who had previously attempted to claim the throne, approached Bathsheba, Solomon's mother. He requested that she ask King Solomon to give him Abishag as his wife (1Ki.2.17). However, Solomon perceived this request as a challenge to his kingship, as taking the king's concubine was a symbolic claim to the throne (2Sa.16.21-22).
Solomon responded with anger, interpreting Adonijah's request as tantamount to asking for the kingdom itself. He vowed that Adonijah's request would cost him his life (1Ki.2.22-23). Subsequently, Solomon ordered Benaiah to execute Adonijah (1Ki.2.25). The incident with Abishag reveals the political intrigues and power struggles that occurred during the transition of power from David to Solomon. It also underscores the significance of the king's concubines in the context of royal succession in ancient Israel.
Key verses
Abishag appears in 5 verses. Here are some of the most notable:
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So they sought for a fair damsel throughout all the coasts of Israel, and found Abishag a Shunammite, and brought her to the king.
1 Kings 1:3 -
And Bath–sheba went in unto the king into the chamber: and the king was very old; and Abishag the Shunammite ministered unto the king.
1 Kings 1:15 -
And he said, Speak, I pray thee, unto Solomon the king, (for he will not say thee nay,) that he give me Abishag the Shunammite to wife.
1 Kings 2:17 -
And she said, Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah thy brother to wife.
1 Kings 2:21 -
And king Solomon answered and said unto his mother, And why dost thou ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? ask for him the kingdom also; for he is mine elder brother; even for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah.
1 Kings 2:22
Show all 5 references
1 Kings (5)
- 1 Kings 1:3
- 1 Kings 1:15
- 1 Kings 2:17
- 1 Kings 2:21
- 1 Kings 2:22