Why did David need Abishag to keep him warm?

Answer

Many ancient customs may seem peculiar to present-day readers of the Bible, particularly to those of us who have never experienced cultures that endorse polygamy or absolute monarchy. The account of Abishag sleeping—purely—in David’s bed is indeed a perplexing narrative. Let’s begin with the Scripture passage where Abishag is introduced to David:

“When King David was very old, he could not get warm even when they covered him with blankets. His attendants suggested, ‘Let’s find a young virgin to attend to the king and care for him. She can lie beside him to keep our lord the king warm.’ So they looked for a beautiful young woman throughout Israel and found Abishag, a Shunammite, and brought her to the king. The woman was exceptionally beautiful; she served the king and attended to him, but the king did not have sexual relations with her” (1 Kings 1:1-4).

Even with additional blankets, the elderly King David struggled to produce enough body heat on his own to maintain a comfortable temperature. A lifetime that involved being a fugitive, residing in caves, enduring harsh conditions, and engaging in strenuous battles had finally taken a toll on his aging body (see 1 Samuel 20:1;1 Samuel 22:1;2 Samuel 21:17). David’s condition, known as hypothermia, is not uncommon in older individuals: toward the end of his lengthy life, former President Ronald Reagan requested the return of his favorite electric blanket from the ranch he had sold. Naturally, ancient Israel lacked the technology to provide a continuous source of warmth during the chilly Judean nights. Only a human body could offer that kind of warmth.

David had at least four known wives—Ahinoam, Abigail «So David went up thither, and his two wives alsO, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail, Nabal’s wife the Carmelite.” , (2 Samuel 2:2), Eglah “and the sixth, Ithream, by Eglah, David’s wife. These were born to David in Hebron.” , (2 Samuel 3:5), and Bathsheba “And when the mourning was past, David sent and fetched her to his house, and she became his wife, and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD.” , (2 Samuel 11:27)—and possibly others such as Absalom’s mother, Maakah. This doesn’t count the concubines he had “And David took more concubines and wives out of Jerusalem, after he had come from Hebron: and there were yet sons and daughters born to David.” , (2 Samuel 5:13). The natural question is, with plenty of female companions to keep David warm, why did his attendants seek out a beautiful virgin stranger for the job? The following are several issues regarding Abishag’s “job description”:

1. Why a woman? A boy or young man would not have been considered for the job, in order to prevent even the appearance of David having a homosexual relationship (Leviticus 18:22; Leviticus 20:13).

2. Why a young virgin? This quality ensured that whoever was chosen for the job wouldn’t be taken away from a jealous fiancé or husband, nor would she be a widow familiar with the sexual practices of the marriage bed. We don’t know what hopes and dreams Abishag had for her own life, but in the ancient world where uncertainty and struggle were lifelong challenges for most people, the honor of being brought into the king’s household would mean a lifetime of well-being and security.For her and her family «And those officers provided victual for King Solomon, and for all that came unto King Solomon’s table, every man in his month: they lacked nothing. », (1 Kings 4:27).

3. Why beautiful? Human nature never changes. Then as now, people valued physical beauty (Genesis 29:17; Deuteronomy 21:11; 1 Samuel 9:2; 2 Samuel 14:25; Esther 2:2-4). Kings had the privilege and power to surround themselves with beauty, and David’s servants likely sought to win his favor by bringing a beautiful woman into his palace.

4. Why not a queen or wife? A queen could not be ordered by mere servants to stay and keep the king warm through the night; she was above following the commands of those of lesser rank. To presume to direct the queen would be an affront to her royal dignity, and it would also reflect poorly on the king.

5. Why not a concubine? Though concubines had a lower status than wives, they, too, held a certain rank and dignity. Absalom demonstrated this fact when, as part of his attempted coup, he slept with his father’s concubines (2 Samuel 16:21-22). Moreover, the personal dynamics within harems were notorious for the jealousy and infighting they caused. Choosing one wife or concubine over another would show favoritism that could provoke resentment and quarrels in the household.

Abishag was neither a wife nor a concubine, but her position in the king’s household gave her such high prestige that David’s son Adonijah asked to marry her after the king’s death. However, Solomon saw this as an attempt by Adonijah to claim the throne, and he had his brother executed (1 Kings 2:21-25).

1 Kings 2:21-25).

Nowhere in the Bible does it approve of David’s situation—quite the opposite! God had warned Israel through Moses that any future king “must not take many wives” «Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold. », (Deuteronomy 17:17). Scripture does not indicate that Abishag’s presence in David’s bed was positive, nor does it portray David as a good father. His numerous children by different mothers caused significant trouble for him and the entire kingdom (2 Samuel 13;2 Samuel 15;1 Kings 12:23-25). His own son and successor, Solomon, disregarding God’s clear warning, took his father’s excesses to a shocking extreme with 700 wives and 300 concubines who led him astray and turned his heart after other gods (1 Kings 11:2-4). The kingdom itself was divided and lost by Solomon’s son shortly after his coronation, barely one generation after the glory of King David (1 Kings 12).