Ab'ishag (Heb. Abishag' אֲבַישִׁג, father of [i.e. given to] error, i. q. inconsiderate; Sept. Α᾿βισάγ), a beautiful young woman of Shunem, in the tribe of Issachar, who was chosen by the servants of David to be introduced into the royal harem, for the special purpose of ministering to him and cherishing him in his old age, B.C. cir. 1015. She became his wife, but the marriage was never consummated (1Ki 1:3-15). Some time after the death of David, Adonijah, his eldest son, persuaded Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon, to entreat the king that Abishag might be given to him in marriage, B.C. cir. 1013. But as rights and privileges peculiarly regal were associated with the control and possession of the harem (q.v.) of deceased kings (2Sa 12:8), Solomon detected in this application a fresh aspiration to the throne, which he visited with death (1Ki 2:17-22; Josephus, Aβησάκη, Ant. 7:14, 3). SEE ADONIJAH.
The Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature was edited by John McClintock and James Strong. It contains nearly 50,000 articles pertaining to Biblical and other religious literature, people, creeds, etc. It is a fantastic research tool for broad Christian study.
John McClintock was born October 27, 1814 in Philadelphia to Irish immigrants, John and Martha McClintock. He began as a clerk in his father's store, and then became a bookkeeper in the Methodist Book Concern in New York. Here he converted to Methodism and considered joining the ministry. McClintock entered the University of Pennsylvania in 1832 and graduated with high honors three years later. Subsequently, he was awarded a doctorate of divinity degree from the same institution in 1848.WikipediaRead More