She was a Human Blanket for the King

We Don’t Much Know about Abishag

The Necessity of a Human Bedwarmer

King David, Israel’s second and greatest king, ruled for forty years.

At age 70, as he neared the end of his life, David dealt with the issue of not being able to stay warm. One researcher hypothesized that the king’s problem stemmed from hypothermia.

What’s That?

The normal human body temperature is 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius). However, body temperature can increase when a person exercises, is sick with fever, or is in the throes of a hot flash.

Hypothermia occurs when the body can’t maintain the optimum temperature and it dips below 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 degrees Celsius).

As the body ages, it becomes difficult for some people to maintain that optimum temperature. Which means that even if an older person is wearing multiple layers of clothing or is bundled up beneath a blanket, he may still be cold.

Canva AI-generated image provided by Purple Lydia

The Remedy for the King

King David’s advisors suggested a human blanket.

So his attendants said to him, “Let us look for a young virgin to serve the king and take care of him. She can lie beside him so that our lord the king may keep warm.” — 1 Kings 1:2 New International Version

Abishag, a young, pretty woman from the town of Shunem was chosen. Her job was to take care of the ailing king. Part of her nursing duties included nestling beside King David to keep him warm.

She was his human blanket.

Who was Abishag?

Unfortunately, the Bible doesn’t reveal any other personal facts about the woman chosen to be a live-in nurse for King David.

Here’s what we do know:

She was a virgin.
She wasn’t required to have sexual intercourse with David.
Abishag was considered a member of King David’s harem.**
Adonijah, one of David’s rebel sons, asked to marry Abishag. His proposal was quickly rebuffed by the newly crowned king, Solomon. (That’s an article for another day.)

If you liked this article then check out ‘Wait…Cut WHAT in Half?!?!’ here; or ‘Resurrected and then Put on a Hit List’ here. You may also enjoy ‘Fast, Faster, Fastest: The Super Speeders in the Bible’ here. Thanks for your time. Thanks for reading.