14. David and the virgin Abishag
The Book of 1 Kings opens with a description of King David in old age, unable to keep warm despite the presence of blankets. His distressed servants decided on a plan to help the old man generate heat. “Let there be sought for my lord the king a young virgin: and let her stand before the king, and let her cherish him, and let her lie in thy bosom, that my lord the king may get heat”. The nation of Israel was explored throughout the land before a suitable young virgin was found. Abishag was a young woman of great beauty, and was brought before David. The Hebrews of the time were of the belief that the bestial prowess of their king was tied to the success of their crops, hence David’s decline was of practical importance.
Abishag was brought before David, who was pleased with her, and she ministered to him in the prescribed manner in an attempt to help him increase his heat, but 1 Kings states clearly that “the king knew her not”. David’s lack of libido was an indication that his tenure as king was rapidly drawing to an end, and Bathsheba began to exhort him to take the necessary steps to ensure that his successor as king would be his son by her, Solomon. After David died his eldest surviving son Adonijah asked for permission to marry Abishag (which would have carried similar connotations as Absalom’s sleeping with his father’s concubines) and Solomon, believing it to be part of an attempted coup, had him put to death.
