WHAT ROLE DID ABISHAG PLAY? (I KINGS 1-2)

Abishag is the name of the young woman who was appointed to take care of King David during his waning days right before his death. Daniel Bodi, writing in Biblical Archaeology Review in the Summer 2024 issue has an interesting take on her role in the narrative. He feels that most translations have had the unfortunate effect of demeaning her position within the court. Much depends on the correct rendering of the key Hebrew word sokenet by which she is designated. Bodi notes that the masculine form soken (or saken) appears in Isaiah 22:15, where it means “palace steward” or “administrator.”

Thus, he reasons that a more appropriate translation, especially in light of the meaning of cognate [similar] words in related languages might reflect the fact that she was probably a high official in the court, perhaps even second in charge after David himself.

In addition, Bodi touts the fact that I Kings 2:15 indicates she held the very important role as the key witness to the fact that David wished Solomon to be his successor as king of Israel.

I have no problem whatsoever to feminist understandings of the Bible when they are justified as redressing overly masculine ones, but in this case I have my doubts that Bodi's comments are well founded. My reasons are given below.

The Method by Which She was Chosen for the Position

If this was indeed such an important position, one would not expect that it would have been left up to David's personal attendants (themselves only “flunkies” in the court) to do the choosing. And the requisite requirement they were looking for smack more of the beauty contest the Persian king carried out to chose his bride, as related in the Book of Esther.

Her Duties

Her main responsibility, as spelled out in verses 1-2, is to lie next to the king to keep his body warm and to “be his attendant.” This is where the word sokenet (vv. 2,4) as well as the root srt come in. Various renderings or her duties in the eight modern translations I consulted include “attend, take care of, nurse, wait upon, look after, serve, stay with, minister to, be at his side, be his attendant,” and even “be your concubine” (Living Bible). None of these appear to reflect Bodi's understanding of Abishag holding a highly elevated status. Here is what various scholars have to say regarding the situation:

Domeris: “The part. soken (used 3x) primarily carries the sense of steward or overseer, as in Isa 22:15. Also within the semantic field of nurse soken describes Abishag's care of the elderly David...the emphasis...is often on the parental aspects, but also the wider context of nurturer and protector.”

Fretheim: In royal contexts, srt has reference to personal attendants (2 Sam 13:17-18; I Kgs 1:4; 10:5; 2 Chron 22:8; Esth 1:10; 2:2; 6:3; cf. Ps 101:6)

Bodi feels it is demeaning her position to call her a mere “hot water bottle,” but that is, to some extent what she was chosen for, not only to keep the king comfortable but for another equally important reason. McKenzie says, “She served as a test of the aged king's virility and hence his suitability for the throne.” Similarly, Salvesen states, “Since a king's ability to rule as associated with his virility, David's servants found a young woman, Abishag the Shunammite, to attend David and share his bed.” It is for that reason that one of the qualifications for choosing Abishag was that she was to be virgin (1:2).
Almost all of Bodi's argument hinges on the fact that the masculine form soken appears in Isaiah 22:15, where the prophet applies it to the high court official Shebna. But there are problems with that argument, starting with the possibility that, as Domeris points out above, soken can easily encompass a wide range of meanings from an overseer to a nurse.

Oswalt begins by at least partially agreeing with Bodi's contention in his comments on Isaiah 22:15: “The fem. form of the word appears in 1 K. 1:2,4 and has been translated 'nurse,' but in view of these occurrences and the cognate uses [in related languages] it may be best to translate 'deputy.' The demonstrative [this soken] expresses a contemptuous note (cf. 7:4; 8:6). The exact meaning of 'steward' (soken) is not clear since it occurs only here in Hebrew.”

Fox elaborates: “Possibly, these attendants [to the kings] were foreign eunuchs imported to serve in the inner palace. Similar roles can be attributed to the sokenet (a female attendant [1 Kings 1:2]). The use of the masculine form of that title, soken (Is 22:15) may reflect Isaiah's depreciation of the title bearer who held [a high office]...(the wide range of usage for the term soken in Semitic cultures leaves the issue unresolved).”

In other words, rather than arguing, as Bodi does, that the masculine term soken in Isaiah 22:15 elevates the status of the feminine equivalent sokenet, the two scholars above argue that Isaiah purposely employs the relatively demeaning word soken when talking about Shebna. This understanding also fits in well with D. Kidner's observation: “Every nuance in God's message to him [Shebna] is scornful from 'this steward' (v. 15) to 'you shame...(v. 18).”

Also, it is helpful to consider one other aspect of the case, namely, that Adonijah in the next chapter goes to a lot of trouble to try to marry Abishag after his father's death. Since Abishag's main duty was to use her body heat to keep David warm in bed, there was obviously the popular understanding that she was David's concubine. And Norman says that “by ancient custom a man's concubines became the inheritance of his heir (cf. 2 Sa. xvi.20ff).” Provan, in the same vein, says, “2 Sam. 16:20-22 suggest that sexual liaison with the king's concubines legitimated a claim to the throne.” That is certainly how Solomon interpreted Adonijah's request, and he used it as the basis for having his half-brother killed.

Abishag as a Witness

The other manner in which Bodi attempts to elevate Abishag's status is to state that she would have been the key witness of David's last wish to have Solomon replace him in office as king. This statement is even harder to justify. Bodi points to the fact the she was the only one present when Bathsheba asked David to clarify his wishes on the subject (I Kings 1:15-16). But why in the world would her testimony ever have been needed in the first place? Soon after that audience with David, he called in the priest Zadok, the prophet Nathan, and the official Benaiah and made it abundantly clear to all of them that he wished Solomon to be his successor (I Kings 1:22-31). Surely any one of them would have a greater legal standing than a woman if the question ever came up.

Three Shunammites?

Abishag is first introduced as a “Shunammite” in v. 3 – in other words, a female inhabitant of Shunem, a town in the territory of Issachar near Jezreel. The only other inhabitant of that town listed in the Bible is also a female, an unnamed Shunammite who is featured in both II Kings 4 and II Kings 8:1-6. There are some surprising correspondences between these two women, which may or may not be merely coincidental. In either case, I have read nothing in the scholarly literature which connects the two women.

    1. A prominent prophet (Elisha or Nathan) is featured in the stories of both women.

    2. Both women make themselves useful to an important character in the Bible.

    3. Each story has a son whose mother is rightly concerned for his welfare.

    4. In each story, the body warmth of one person lying on or next to another is a prescription for restoring the second party to health.

    5. In each narrative, a woman appeals to the king and has her request granted.

Then there is another woman in the Old Testament who has even greater claim to be identified with Abishag the Shunammite. That is the heroine of the Song of Songs (also known as the Song of Solomon). She is identified as a Shulamite in Song 6:13. The problem is, as D.A. Hubbard and others explain, there is no town in Israel called Shulam. For that reason, scholars such as Waterman and Torcyner feel that the text should have read Shunammite instead and that possibly she is actually meant to refer to Abishag. Not everyone agrees with that assessment; however, it is certainly interesting that both woman were known for their great beauty and their close association with Solomon. One could even propose that Solomon, following the custom described above, ended up in a romantic relationship with Abishag, adding her to his harem. It has even been suggested that Solomon's violent reaction to Adonijah's request for Abishag was partially due to jealousy.

As an example of the controversy surrounding this subject, just consider the two following diverse opinions:

    Goodspeed: “It his high time Abishag was banished from commentaries on the Song of Songs, into which she has been imported on such slender grounds.” Pope responds, “Against this view there is little that can be said.”

    Snaith: “Whether Abishag actually entered Solomon's harem, as Goulder claims, is uncertain – if she did, it would explain well her mention here [i.e. in Song of Songs].”