King David’s Wives

Once David was anointed king, it didn’t take long to acquire more wives. In addition to Ahiroam, Abigail, and Michal, he married Maacah, Haggith, Abital, and Elgah while living in Hebron. Then came Bathsheba.

Ahinoam bore him Amnon. Abigail bore Chileab. Maacah, the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur, bore Absalom. Haggith bore Adonijah. Abital bore Shephatiah. And Elgah bore Ithream. 

We know little about Ahinoam other than she came from Jezreel, and her son Amnon raped his stepsister. 

Though we know Abigail was a godly woman, the Bible doesn’t share much about her after she and Ahinoam were captured and then rescued by David. Bible scholars believe her son Chileab died at a young age.

Haggith is mentioned multiple times in 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, and 1 Chronicles, and each time she’s referred to as the mother of Adonijah. 

Nothing is known about Abital or Elgah. 

Then there’s Bathsheba. She came along much later than the other wives. Of David’s first seven wives, however, love never seemed to play a role in their relationship. He married for political gain, or in the case of Abigail, as a kindness to show thanks. 

What must it have been like for these women living together in the palace, married to a king, raising his sons, none of them having a close relationship with their husband. 

God’s plan was for one man, one woman in marriage. Though it was the custom of the times for kings to have wives chosen for political reasons, that was never God’s way. How complicated it made things with multiple wives bearing sons who competed with each other. How much simpler it would have been had David married for love or at least committed to one wife.

Read about David’s wives in the Bible:

2 Samuel 3:1-4, 1 Chronicles 3:1-3.