1 Kings 1:4 - Exposition

And the damsel was very fair [lit. ,fair to exceeding ] and cherished [see on 1 Kings 1:2 ] the king, and ministered to him; but the king knew her not. [This is mentioned to explain the history of 1 Kings 2:13-25 . Had it been otherwise, Adonijah could never have presumed to seek her in marriage, and Bathsheba would never have promised her help in his suit. Such an incestuous alliance would not only have been contrary to the law (Le 1 Kings 18:8 ), but abhorrent to all true Israelites (cf. 1 Corinthians 5:1 ). In this fact, which the court knew, and which the nation at large did not know— they could only suppose that such a "search" for one so exceeding "fair" meant the increase of the seraglio—Adonijah found his point d'appui for a second attempt on the throne. The older expositors and some of the modern, notably Wordsworth, assume that Abishag was David's wife, in the sense of being legally married to him. (Corn. A Lap. discusses the question at considerable length, and with needless pruriency.) But this idea finds no support in Scripture, which represents her as simply an attendant. It is idle to remark, consequently, that "the Jewish law allowed polygamy" (Rawlinson).