King David's Wives and Marriages in the Bible Share By Cynthia Astle David is familiar to most people as a great hero in the Bible because of his confrontation with Goliath of Gath, a (giant) Philistine warrior. David is also known because he played the harp and wrote psalms . However, these were only some of David's many accomplishments. David's story also includes many marriages that influenced his rise and fall. Many of David's marriages were politically motivated. For example, King Saul , David's predecessor, offered both of his daughters at separate times as wives for David. For centuries, this "bond of blood" concept -- the idea that rulers feel bound to the kingdoms ruled by their wives' relatives -- was often employed, and just as often violated. How Many Women Married David in the Bible? Limited polygamy (one man married to more than one woman) was permitted during this era of Israel's history. While the Bible names seven women as David's spouses, it's possible that he had more, as well as multiple concubines who may have borne him unaccounted-for children.

continue reading below our video 4 Tips for Improving Test Performance The most authoritative source for David's wives is 1 Chronicles 3, which lists David's descendants for 30 generations. This source names seven wives: Ahinoam of Jezreel, David's Wife Abigail's Story The Number, Location, and Mothers of David's Children David was married to Ahinoam, Abigail, Maacha, Haggith, Abital and Eglah during the 7-1/2 years he reigned in Hebron as king of Judah. After David moved his capital to Jerusalem, he married Bathsheba. Each of his first six wives bore David a son, while Bathsheba bore him four sons. Altogether, scripture records that David had 19 sons by various women, and one daughter, Tamar. Where in the Bible Did David Marry Michal? Missing from the 1 Chronicles 3 list of sons and wives is Michal, daughter of King Saul who reigned c. 1025-1005 B.C.

Her omission from the genealogy may be linked to 2 Samuel 6:23, which says, "to her dying day Michal, daughter of Saul, had no children." However, according to the encyclopedia Jewish Women, there are rabbinic traditions within Judaism that pose three claims about Michal: that she was really David's favorite wife; that because of her beauty she was nicknamed "Eglah," meaning calf or calf-like; and that she died giving birth to David's son Ithream. The end result of this rabbinic logic is that the reference to Eglah in 1 Chronicles 3 is taken as a reference to Michal. David's Wife Michal's Story What Were the Limits on Polygamy? Jewish Women says that equating Eglah with Michal was the rabbis' way of bringing David's marriages into line with the requirements of Deuteronomy 17:17, a law of Torah which mandates that the king "shall not have many wives." David had six wives while he ruled in Hebron as king of Judah.

While there, the prophet Nathan tells David in 2 Samuel 12:8: "I would give you twice as much over," which the rabbis interpret to mean that the number of David's existing wives could be tripled: from six to 18. David brought his number of spouses to seven when he later married Bathsheba in Jerusalem, so David had well under the maximum of 18 wives. David's Wife Bathsheba's Story Scholars Dispute Whether David Married Merab 1 Samuel 18:14-19 lists Merab, Saul's elder daughter and Michal's sister, as also betrothed to David. Women in Scripture notes that Saul's intention here was to bind David as a soldier for life through his marriage, and thus get David into a position where the Philistines could kill him. David didn't take the bait, because in verse 19 Merab is married to Adriel the Meholathite, with whom she had 5 children. Jewish Women says that in an effort to resolve the conflict, some rabbis argue that Merab didn't marry David until after her first husband died, and that Michal didn't marry David until after her sister died.

This timeline also would resolve a problem created by 2 Samuel 21:8, in which Michal is said to have married Adriel and borne him five sons. The rabbis assert that when Merab died, Michal raised her sister's five children as if they were her own, so that Michal was acknowledged as their mother, though she was not married to Adriel, their father. If David had married Merab, then his total number of legitimate spouses would have been eight -- still within the limits of religious law, as the rabbis later interpreted it. Merab's absence from the Davidic chronology in 1 Chronicles 3 could be explained by the fact that scripture doesn't record any children born to Merab and David. Amid All the Wives of David in the Bible 3 Stand Out Amid this numerical confusion, three of the many wives of David in the Bible stand out because their relationships provide significant insights into David's character. These wives are Michal, Abigail and Bathsheba, and their stories greatly influenced the history of Israel. References for the Many Wives of David in the Bible: The Jewish Study Bible (Oxford University Press, 2004).

"Michal, daughter of Saul: Midrash and Aggadah," Jewish Women: A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia at The Jewish Women's Archive. "Merab," Jewish Women: A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia entries in Jewish Women: A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia at The Jewish Women's Archive. "Michal," Women in Scripture, Carol Meyers, General Editor (Houghton Mifflin Company, 2000). "Merab," Women in Scripture, Carol Meyers, General Editor (Houghton Mifflin Company, 2000). Abigail - All the Women of the Bible - Bible Gateway Scripture References— 1 Samuel 25:1-42; 2 Samuel 3:3 Name Meaning—Father of Joy, or Cause of Joy Family Connections—Scripture gives us no clue as to Abigail’s parentage or genealogy. Ellicott suggests that the name given this famous Jewish beauty who became the good angel of Nabal’s household was likely given her by the villagers of her husband’s estate.

Meaning “Whose father is joy,” Abigail was “expressive of her sunny, gladness-bringing presence.” Her religious witness and knowledge of Jewish history testify to an early training in a godly home, and acquaintance with the teachings of the prophets in Israel, Her plea before David also reveals her understanding of the events of her own world. The three conspicuous characters in the story of one of the loveliest females in the Bible are Nabal, Abigail and David. Nabal is described as “the man churlish and evil in his doings” ( 1 Samuel 25:3 ), and his record proves him to be all that. Churlish means, a bear of man, harsh, rude and brutal. Destitute of the finer qualities his wife possessed, he was likewise avaricious and selfish. Rich and increased with goods and gold, he thought only of his possessions and could be classed among those of whom it has been written— The man may breathe but never lives Whoe'er receives but nothing gives— Creation’s blot, creation’s blank, Whom none can love and none can thank.

Nabal was also a drunken wretch, as well as being unmanageable and stubborn and ill-tempered. Doubtless he was often “very drunken.” This wretch of a man was likewise an unbeliever, “a son of Belial,” who bowed his knee to the god of this world and not to the God of his fathers. Further, as a follower of Saul he shared the rejected king’s jealousy of David. Added to his brutal disposition and evil doings was that of stupidity, as his name suggests. Pleading for his unworthy life, Abigail asked for mercy because of his foolishness. “As his name is, so is he; Nabal is his name, and folly is with him” ( vs 25 ). Nabal means “a fool,” and what Abigail actually meant was, “Pay no attention to my wretched husband for he’s a fool by name, and a fool by nature.” Truly, such a man will always provoke the profoundest perversion in all who read his story. Abigail is as “a woman of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance.” In her, winsomeness and wisdom were wed. She had brains as well as beauty.

Today, many women try to cultivate beauty and neglect their brains. A lovely face hides an empty mind. But with Abigail, loveliness and intelligence went hand in hand, with her intelligence emphasizing her physical attractiveness. A beautiful woman with a beautiful mind as she had is surely one of God’s masterpieces. Added to her charm and wisdom was that of piety. She knew God, and although she lived in such an unhappy home, she remained a saint. Her own soul, like that of David, was “bound in the bundle of life with the Lord God.” Writing of Abigail as “A Woman of Tact” W.

Mackintosh Mackay says that, “she possessed in harmonious combination these two qualities which are valuable to any one, but which are essential to one who has to manage men—the tact of a wise wife and the religious principle of a good woman.” Eugenia Price, who writes of Abigail as, A Woman With God’s Own Poise, says that, “only God can give a woman poise like Abigail possessed, and God can only do it when a woman is willing to cooperate as Abigail cooperated with Him on every point.” True to the significance of her own name she experienced that in God her Father there was a source of joy enabling her to be independent of the adverse, trying circumstances of her miserable home life. She must have had implicit confidence in God to speak to David as she did about her divinely predestined future. In harmony with her many attractions was “the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is more lustrous than the diamonds that decorate the delicate fingers of our betters, shone as an ornament of gold about her head, and chains about her neck.” David is the other outstanding character in the record.

He it was who fought the battles of the Lord, and evil had not been found in him all his days ( 25:28 ). He could match Abigail’s beauty, for it was said of him that he was “ruddy...of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to” ( 1 Samuel 16:12 ). When Abigail and David became one they must have been a handsome pair to look upon! Then, in addition to being most musical, David was equal with Abigail in wisdom and piety for he was “prudent in matters,...and the Lord [was] with him” ( 1 Samuel 16:18 ). The sacred historian tells us how these three persons were brought together in a tragic way. David was an outlaw because of Saul’s hatred, and lived in the strongholds of the hills with his loyal band of 600 followers. Having often helped Nabal’s herdsmen out, being in need of food for his little army, David sent a kind request to Nabal for help. In his churlish fashion, Nabal bluntly refused to give David a crumb for his hungry men, and dismissed David as a marauding hireling.

Angered, David threatened to plunder Nabal’s possession and kill Nabal and all those who emulated his contempt. Abigail, learning from the servants of David’s request and her husband’s rude refusal, unknown to Nabal, acted with thought, care and great rapidity. As Ellicott comments &--; Having often acted as peace-maker between her intemperate husband and his neighbours, on hearing the story and how imprudently her husband had behaved, saw that no time must be lost, for with a clever woman’s wit she saw that grave consequences would surely follow the churlish refusal and the rash words, which betrayed at once the jealous adherent of Saul and the bitter enemy of the powerful outlaw. Gathering together a quantity of food and wine, sufficient she thought for David’s immediate need, Abigail rode out on an ass and at a covert of a hill met David and his men—and what a momentous meeting it turned out to be. With discreet tact Abigail averted David’s just anger over Nabal’s insult to his messengers, by placing at David’s feet food for his hungry men.

She also revealed her wisdom in that she fell at the feet of David, as an inferior before a superior, and acquiesced with him in his condemnation of her brutal, foolish husband. As a Hebrew woman was restricted by the customs of her time to give counsel only in an emergency and in the hour of greatest need, Abigail, who had risked the displeasure of her husband whose life was threatened, did not act impulsively in going to David to plead for mercy. She followed the dictates of her disciplined will, and speaking at the opportune moment her beautiful appeal from beautiful lips, captivated the heart of David. “As his own harp had appeased Saul, the sweet-toned voice of Abigail exorcised the demon of revenge, and woke the angel that was slumbering in David’s bosom.” We can never gauge the effect of our words and actions upon others. The intervention of Abigail in the nick of time teaches us that when we have wisdom to impart, faith to share, and help to offer, we must not hesitate to take any risk that may be involved. Abigail had often to make amends for the infuriated outbursts of her husband.

Neighbors and friends knew her drunken sot of a husband only too well, but patiently she would pour oil on troubled waters, and when she humbly approached with a large peace offering, her calmness soothed David’s anger and gave her the position of advantage. For her peace-making mission she received the king’s benediction ( 25:33 ). Her wisdom is seen in that she did not attempt to check David’s turbulent feelings by argument, but won him by wise, kind words. Possessing heavenly intelligence, self-control, common sense and vision, she exercised boundless influence over a great man, and marked herself out as a truly great woman. After Abigail’s successful, persuasive entreaty for the life of her worthless husband, the rest of her story reads like a fairy tale. She returned to her wicked partner to take up her hard and bitter life again. It is to the credit of this noble woman that she did not leave her godless husband or seek divorce from him, but remained a loyal wife and the protector of her worthless partner. She had taken him for better or for worse, and life for her was worse than the worst.

Wretched though her life was, and spurned, insulted and beaten as she may have been during Nabal’s drinking bouts, she clung to the man to whom she had sworn to be faithful. Abigail manifested a love stronger than death. But the hour of deliverance came ten days after her return home, when by a divine stroke, Nabal’s worthless life ended. When David hearkened to the plea of Abigail and accepted her person, he rejoiced over being kept back by her counsel from taking into his own hands God’s prerogative of justice ( Romans 12:19 ). When David said to Abigail, “Blessed be thy advice,” he went on to confess with his usual frank generosity that he had been wrong in giving way to wild, ungovernable passion. If Abigail had not interceded he would have carried out his purpose and destroyed the entire household of Nabal, which massacre would have included Abigail herself. But death came as the great divorcer or arbiter, and Nabal’s wonderful wife had no tears of regret, for amid much suffering and disappointment she had fulfilled her marriage vows.

In that farmer’s house there had been “The Beauty and the Beast.” The Beast was dead, and the Beauty was legally free of her terrible bondage. After Nabal’s death, David “communed with Abigail” ( 1 Samuel 25:39 )—a technical expression for asking one’s hand in marriage ( Song of Solomon 8:8 )—and took her as his wife. Married to Israel’s most illustrious king, Abigail entered upon a happier career. By David, she had a son named Chileab, or Daniel (compare 2 Samuel 3:3 with 1 Chronicles 3:1 ). The latter name means, “God is my Judge,” and one has an inkling that the choice of such a name was Abigail’s because of her experience of divine vindication. She accompanied David to Gath and Ziklag ( 1 Samuel 27:3; 30:5, 18 ).

Matthew Henry’s comment at this point is, “Abigail married David in faith, not questioning but that, though now he had not a house of his own, yet God’s promise to him would at length be fulfilled.” Abigail brought to David not only “a fortune in herself,” but much wealth so useful to David in the meeting of his manifold obligations. Among the lessons to be learned from the life of Abigail, the first is surely evident, namely, that much heartache follows when a Christian woman marries an unbeliever. Unequal yokes do not promote true and abiding happiness. The tragedy in Abigail’s career began when she married Nabal, a young man of Naon. Already we have asked the question, Why did she marry such a man? Why did such a lovely girl throw herself away upon such a brute of a man? According to the custom of those times marriages were man-made, the woman having little to say about the choice of a husband. Marriage was largely a matter of family arrangement. Nabal was of wealthy parentage and rich in his own right with 3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats and thus seemed a good catch for Abigail.

But character should be considered before possessions. Many a woman in the world today made her own choice of a partner. Perhaps she knew of his failures and thought that after marriage she would reform him, but found herself joined to one whose ways became more evil. Then think of those brave, unmurmuring wives who have to live with the fool of a husband whose drunken, crude ways are repellant, yet who, by the grace of God accept and live with their trial; and who, because of a deep belief in divine sufficiency retain their poise. Such living martyrs are among God’s heroines. All of us know of those good women chained with the fetters of a wretched married life for whom it would be infinitely better for them— To lie in their graves where the head, heart and breast, From care, labour and sorrow forever should rest. Thinking of modern Abigails the appropriate lines of noble Elizabeth Barrett Browning come to mind— The sweetest lives are those to duty wed, Whose deeds, both great and small, and closeknit strands Of an unbroken thread; where love ennobles all. The World may sound no trumpets, ring no bells: The Book of Life the shining record tells.

© 1988 Zondervan. All Rights Reserved Bible Gateway King David's Wisest Wife Abigail Current Affairs The story of Abigail and David ranks almost as exciting and deceitful as that of David and his most famous wife, Bathsheba. The wife of a rich man when she met David, Abigail possessed beauty, intelligence, political shrewdness, and material wealth that helped David at a critical moment when he could have thrown away his chance at success. David Was on the Run from Saul When Abigail and David encounter one another in 1 Samuel 25, David is on the run from King Saul , who has rightly discerned that David is a threat to his throne. This makes David an outlaw, camping out in the wilderness while trying to build up some following among the people. In contrast, Abigail lived in Carmel in the north of Israel as the wife of a rich man named Nabal. Her marriage gave her considerable social standing, judging by the fact that she had five maidservants (1 Samuel 25:42).

continue reading below our video What are the Seven Wonders of the World However, Abigail's husband is described in scripture as "a hard man and an evildoer," making us wonder why such a paragon of virtue as Abigail would have married him in the first place. Yet it's Nabal's rude and intemperate actions that bring Abigail and David together. According to 1 Samuel 25:4-12, David, in need of supplies, sends 10 men to seek provisions from Nabal. He tells the messengers to remind Nabal that David's band had protected Nabal's shepherds in the wilderness. Some scholars say this reference implies that David was merely seeking a quid pro quo from Nabal, but others argue that David was really trying to extort the ancient Israelite equivalent of "protection money" from Nabal. Nabal appears to think David's request falls into the latter category, for he sneers at their message. "Who is this David?" Nabal says, meaning essentially "who is this upstart?" Nabal then accuses David of disloyalty to Saul by saying, "There are many slaves nowadays who run away from their masters.

Should I then take my bread and my water, and the meat that I slaughtered for my own shearers, and give them to men [who come] from I don't know where?" In other words, Nabal gave David the ancient Israelite version of "Buzz off, kid." Abigail Gets the Word and Acts When the messengers report this unhappy exchange, David orders his men to "gird on your swords" to take provisions from Nabal by force. The phrase "gird on your swords" is key here, says the book Women in Scripture. That's because in ancient Israelite warfare, girding involved wrapping a sword belt around the waist 3 times to make it secure in battle. In short, violence was about to ensue. However, a servant brought word of David's request and Nabal's rejection to Nabal's wife, Abigail. Fearing that David and his army would take what they wanted by force, Abigail was prompted to act. The fact that Abigail would gather supplies in defiance of her husband's wishes and ride out to meet David herself implies that she was not a woman oppressed by her culture's patriarchy.

Carol Meyers, in her book Discovering Eve: Ancient Israelite Women in Context, writes this of gender relationships in pre-state Israel: "When a household occupies the preeminent place in society, women have a strong role in decision making and consequently exercise considerable power in the household. This is especially true for complex households such as the extended or multiple-family units that made up a significant number of domestic compounds in Israelite villages." Abigail was clearly one of these women, according to 1 Samuel 25. She not only has five women servants of her own, but her husband's male servants also do her bidding, as seen when she sent them out with provisions for David. Abigail Used Courtesy and Diplomacy Riding a donkey, Abigail was just coming into view of David when she heard him cursing Nabal for his stinginess, and swearing vengeance against all of Nabal's extended family. Abigail prostrated herself before David and begged him to take his anger at Nabal out on her instead, because she didn't see the messengers he sent and therefore didn't know of his needs.

Then she apologized for Nabal's behavior, telling David that her husband's name means "boor" and that Nabal had acted like a boor toward David. Far more polite and diplomatic than a woman of her standing needed to be with an outlaw like David, Abigail assured him that he has God's favor, which will keep him from harm and give him both the throne of Israel and a noble house of many descendents. By diverting David from vengeance against Nabal, Abigail not only saved her family and its wealth, she also saved David from committing murders that could have brought retribution upon him. For his part, David was captivated by Abigail's beauty and apparent wisdom. He accepted the food she brought and sent her home with a promise that he would remember her good counsel and her kindness. Prev Nabal Definition and Meaning - Bible Dictionary Nabal [N] [H] [S] foolish, a descendant of Caleb who dwelt at Maon ( 1 Samuel 25 ), the modern Main, 7 miles south-east of Hebron.

He was "very great, and he had 3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats...but the man was churlish and evil in his doings." During his wanderings David came into that district, and hearing that Nabal was about to shear his sheep, he sent ten of his young men to ask "whatsoever cometh unto thy hand for thy servants." Nabal insultingly resented the demand, saying, "Who is David, and who is the son of Jesse?" ( 1 Samuel 25:10 1 Samuel 25:11 ). One of the shepherds that stood by and saw the reception David's messengers had met with, informed Abigail, Nabal's wife, who at once realized the danger that threatened her household. She forthwith proceeded to the camp of David, bringing with her ample stores of provisions ( 25:18 ).

She so courteously and persuasively pled her cause that David's anger was appeased, and he said to her, "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel which sent thee this day to meet me." On her return she found her husband incapable from drunkenness of understanding the state of matters, and not till the following day did she explain to him what had happened. He was stunned by a sense of the danger to which his conduct had exposed him. "His heart died within him, and he became as a stone." and about ten days after "the Lord smote Nabal that he died" ( 1 Samuel 25:37 1 Samuel 25:38 ). Not long after David married Abigail (q.v.). These dictionary topics are from M.G. Easton M.A., D.D., Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Third Edition, published by Thomas Nelson, 1897. Public Domain, copy freely. [N] indicates this entry was also found in Nave's Topical Bible [H] indicates this entry was also found in Hitchcock's Bible Names [S] indicates this entry was also found in Smith's Bible Dictionary Bibliography Information Easton, Matthew George. "Entry for Nabal".

"Easton's Bible Dictionary". . Hitchcock's Dictionary of Bible Names. Public Domain. Copy freely. [N] indicates this entry was also found in Nave's Topical Bible [E] indicates this entry was also found in Easton's Bible Dictionary [S] indicates this entry was also found in Smith's Bible Dictionary Bibliography Information Hitchcock, Roswell D. "Entry for 'Nabal'". "An Interpreting Dictionary of Scripture Proper Names". . New York, N.Y., 1869. Nabal [N] [E] [H] (fool ) was a sheepmaster on the confines of Judea and the desert, in that part of the country which bore from its great conqueror the name of Caleb. ( 1 Samuel 25:3 ; 30:14 ) (B.C. about 1055.) His residence was on the southern Carmel, in the pasture lands of Maon. His wealth, as might be expected from his abode, consisted chiefly of sheep and goats.

It was the custom of the shepherds to drive them into the wild downs on the slopes of Carmel; and it was whilst they were on one of these pastoral excursions that they met a band of outlaws, who showed them unexpected kindness, protecting them by day and night, and never themselves committing any depredations. ( 1 Samuel 25:7 1 Samuel 25:15 1 Samuel 25:18 ) Once a year there was a grand banquet on Carmel, "like the feast of a king." ch. ( 1 Samuel 25:2 1 Samuel 25:4 ; 36 ) It was on one of these occasions that ten youths from the chief of the freebooters approached Nabal, enumerated the services of their master, and ended by claiming, with a mixture of courtesy and defiance characteristic of the East, "whatsoever cometh into thy hand for thy servants and for thy son David." The great sheepmaster peremptorily refused. The moment that the messengers were gone, the shepherds that stood by perceived the danger that their master and themselves would incur. To Nabal himself they durst not speak. ch.

( 1 Samuel 25:17 ) To his wife, as to the good angel of the household, one of the shepherds told the state of affairs. She, with the offerings usual on such occasions, with her attendants running before her, rode down the hill toward Davids encampment. David had already made the fatal vow of extermination. ch. ( 1 Samuel 26:22 ) At this moment, as it would seem, Abigail appeared, threw herself on her face before him, and poured forth her petition in language which in both form and expression almost assumes the tone of poetry. She returned with the news of Davids recantation of his vow. Nabal was then at the height of his orgies and his wife dared not communicate to him either his danger or his escape. ch. ( 1 Samuel 28:36 ) At break of day she told him both. The stupid reveller was suddenly roused to a sense of that which impended over him. "His heart died within him, and he be came as a stone." It was as if a stroke of apoplexy or paralysis had fallen upon him.

Ten days he lingered "and the Lord smote Nabal, and he died." ch. ( 1 Samuel 25:37 1 Samuel 25:38 ) [N] indicates this entry was also found in Nave's Topical Bible [E] indicates this entry was also found in Easton's Bible Dictionary [H] indicates this entry was also found in Hitchcock's Bible Names Bibliography Information Smith, William, Dr. "Entry for 'Nabal'". "Smith's Bible Dictionary". . 1901. Michal, daughter of Saul: Midrash and Aggadah | Jewish Women's Archive Home › Collections › Encyclopedia › Michal, daughter of Saul: Midrash and Aggadah Michal, daughter of Saul: Midrash and Aggadah by Tamar Kadari Michal was Saul’s younger daughter, who fell in love with David and married him for one hundred Philistine foreskins. According to the Bible, Merab , Saul’s older daughter, was to have married David, but she was given in matrimony to Adriel the Meholathite, while David married Michal.

Despite the Biblical account, some Rabbis assert that David married both of Saul’s daughters. The Rabbis ask how David could have married two sisters, an act that is prohibited by the halakhah , and answer that David first married Merab, and married Michal after her death (T Sotah [ed. Lieberman] 11:18). A different Rabbinic position, however, denies that David married Merab (BT Sanhedrin 19b). The Rabbis present Michal as a beautiful woman, who was lusted after by all who saw her (BT Megillah 15a). They claim that she was David’s favorite wife and was therefore called “Eglah” (calf), because she was as beloved to him as a calf. Eglah, the name of one of David’s wives, is mentioned in II Sam. 3:5. The identification between these two wives of David—Eglah and Michal—resulted from the desire of the Rabbis to limit the number of David’s wives. The Torah (Deut.

17:17) mandates that the king “shall not have many wives”; the maximum number permitted to a king under this rule, according to the Rabbis, is eighteen. II Sam. 3:2–5 records that David had six wives when he was in Hebron: Ahinoam of Jezreel, Abigail wife of Nabil the Carmelite, Maacah daughter of Talmai, Haggith, Abital, and Eglah. Afterwards, the prophet Nathan tells him (II Sam. 12:8): “I would give you twice as much over,” which the Rabbis understand to mean that the number of wives that David already had would be tripled: from six to eighteen. Since Michal was not included in the list of his first six wives, but was already married to him before this statement by the prophet, the Rabbis identified Eglah with Michal. They interpreted “Eglah” as an appellation, rather than a proper name, and gave it various meanings; for additional understandings of this appellation, see below (BT Sanhedrin 21a).

The Book of Samuel relates that Michal and Jonathan loved David and protected him from their father’s evil designs. Expanding on this, the midrash states that Michal saved David from danger within the house, and Jonathan, from external danger, and applies to them the verse (Eccl. 4:9): “Two are better than one” (Midrash Tehillim 59:1). Expanding on the Biblical account (I Sam. 19:11–17) of how Michal aided David to flee when her father sought to kill him, the Rabbis tell of Michal’s wise actions in saving her husband’s life and the intelligent manner in which she withstood her father’s rage. To avoid Saul’s guards, who were stationed at the entrance to the house to prevent David from escaping, she let David down from the window. When Saul’s agents came up, she pretended that David was ill and placed a household idol and a net of goat’s hair in his bed, as if her husband were still lying there (vv. 13–16).

The midrash states that when Saul learned of this, he was angry with his daughter and demanded of her: “Why did you deceive me and let my enemy escape?” Michal replied: “You are the one who married me to this brigand! David stood over me with a sword to kill me, and said to me: ‘If you don’t help me to escape, I will kill you.’ I was scared. I was afraid of him, and I helped him to escape.” Michal thereby alluded to her father that he was the one who had arranged her marriage to David in return for the military victory over the Philistines, and one should not expect a soldier to change his disposition. For her actions in this episode, Michal was given the appellation of Eglah: like a calf that does not accept a yoke on its neck, Michal did not accept her father’s authority, but stood by her husband (Midrash Tehillim 59:4). The “Woman of Valor” poem (Prov. 31:10–31) praises her for saving David from death and devotes to her the verse (v.

23): “Her husband is prominent in the gates.” (Midrash Eshet Hayil 31:23). The Rabbis emphasize that even when Michal was given to another, she remained faithful to David. I Sam. 25:44 records that during one of the times that David fled from Saul, the latter gave Michal to Palti[el] son of Laish. According to the Rabbis, Saul did so upon the evil counsel of Doeg the Edomite. Doeg told Saul that since David had rebelled against the king, he deserved to die, and indeed, was already considered to be a dead man: his life was free for the taking, as was his wife. Saul accordingly gave his daughter, who was already married, to Palti (Gen. Rabbah 32:1). The Rabbis maintain that although Michal and Paltiel lived together as a married couple, they did not engage in intercourse. He was given the name Paltiel (palat-el) because God (El) attests of him that he was saved (niflat) from sin, and did not touch David’s wife (Lev.

Rabbah 23:10). Paltiel placed his sword between them and said: “Whoever engages in this [intercourse] shall be stabbed by this sword.” Paltiel overcame his sexual urge to such an extent that he was regarded as a woman, and not a man, as is learned from the verse (II Sam. 3:16): “Ishah [that could be understood either as “her husband” or “a woman”] walked with her”—he became for her as a woman. The “Woman of Valor” poem alludes to this conduct by Paltiel (Prov. 31:29): “[Many women have done well,] but you surpass them all” (BT Sanhedrin 19b–20a). Saul, in striking contrast, made light of the sexual prohibitions, and gave a married woman to another; accordingly, he was punished by the loss of his kingship ( Seder Eliyahu Rabbah, chap. 29). Michal, the daughter of royalty, who was accustomed to all the details of protocol at the royal court, could not distinguish between the honor of God and that of mere flesh and blood. II Sam.

6:14 tells that when David brought the Ark of the Lord to Jerusalem, he leaped and whirled before the Lord, an act which the Rabbis characterize as debasing himself in honor of God. David, who was wearing golden garments, would clap and strike one hand against the other, leap about, cry out “Keri Ram [Hail, O Exalted One]!”, while the Israelites cheered, blew on shofarot (ram’s horns) and trumpets, and played all manner of musical instruments. When the procession reached Jerusalem, all the women gazed upon David from the rooftops and the windows and saw him dancing carelessly and merrily. When Michal daughter of Saul saw David acting like a commoner, she found this disgraceful. Michal went out to him, but she did not let him enter the house; instead, she gave him a tongue-lashing and began quarreling with him. She told him: “Today the honor of the house of my father Saul has been revealed. Come and see the difference between you and Father’s house.

All the members of my father’s household were modest, and no one would see even a bit of their hand, and not even a bit the size of a thumb of their body, and all were more distinguished than you. But you stand and reveal your clothing as one of the worthless ones!” David answered her: “Did I make merry before a flesh-and-blood king? I made merry before the King of kings, who chose me from among your father and all his house. If your father had been more righteous than I, would God have chosen me and rejected your father’s house? In your father’s house they stood upon their own honor instead of the honor of Heaven. As for me, I do not do so—I disregard my own honor and stand upon the honor of Heaven” (JT Sukkah 5:4, 55c; Num. Rabbah 4:20; Midrash Samuel 25:6). The punishment prescribed for Michal (II Sam. 6:23) was that “to her dying day she had no children,” which the Rabbis interpret: she had no children until her dying day, but on her dying day she bore a son.

The midrash speaks of three women who had difficult deliveries and died in childbirth: Rachel, the wife of Phinehas, and Michal daughter of Saul. Michal bleated like a sheep when giving birth and died, and therefore she was called “Eglah” (Gen. Rabbah 82:7). This aggadic tradition was meant to resolve the difficulty raised by the identification of Michal with Eglah. II Sam. 3:5 attests that Eglah had a son named Ithream, while Michal was said not to have a child to her dying day. This difficulty could be circumvented if Michal gave birth to Ithream on her dying day. Another Rabbinic proposal is that from that day on Michal was punished by not bearing any further children, but before that fateful day she already had a son by this name (BT Sanhedrin 21a). In describing Michal’s maternal traits, the midrash says that she raised her dead sister Merab’s five sons. Merab was married to Adriel the Meholathite and bore five sons.

When Merab passed away, Michal raised them as if they were her own offspring, and therefore they are attributed to Michal. This tradition sought to resolve the problem created by the text in II Sam. 21:8, in which Michal is said to have been married to Adriel and to have borne him five sons (T Sotah [ed. Lieberman] 11:20; JT Kiddushin 4:1, 65b). The Rabbis further relate of this righteous woman that Michal would put on tefillin every day, and the sages of the time did not protest, even though there is no halakhic requirement for a woman to do so (JT Eruvin 10:1, 26a). See also: Merab Daughter of Saul. David's Wives DAVID'S WIVES David and His Wives David David was probably the greatest lover in the Old Testament. As a man after God's own heart, he was the greatest responder to the Love of God. He was very handsome. He had "beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance" (1 Samuel 16:12).

The Hebrew word for David is dw!D*, from the root which means delight from love, or lover. The first letter of his name is the pictorial for the point of a female breast. The root, dwD) (dodh), meaning beloved or love delights, has two of these letters. David's wives, except for Mikal, are listed in 1 Chronicles 3:1-5. These women, along with their meanings, are listed in the table. Each wife was a test for David in the development of the Intimacy Room of the Edification Complex of the Soul . Bear in mind, that David had the Enduement of the Holy Spirit, but he did not have the Filling of the Holy Spirit nor the power of the Spiritual Life of believers in the Church Age. After each test was passed, David was promoted with another wife. After his victory over Goliath, he received his first wife. During his flight from Saul, he picked up two more, 'Achino`am and Abigail. While he was King in Hebron, he picked up four more; and when he was King in Jerusalem, he picked up the eighth. David's Wives . . Attraction Phase . .

1 lk*ym! (Mikal) brook, stream water of Word - X-axis Blue 1 Sa. 18:27; 2 Sa 3:3 µ2 <u^ny)j!a^('Achino`am) my brother is delight love, social friend, breasts - Y-axis Yellow 1 Sa 25:43 3 ly!g^yb!a^(Abigail) my father is rejoicing royalty, Spiritual - Z-axis Violet 1 Sa. 25:30 . . Compatibility Phase . . 4 hk*u^m^ (Ma`akah) fondling female, pet skin - Adam = red Red Ge 2:7; 2 Sa 3:3 5 tyG!j^ (Chaggith) festal dancer Green 2 Sa 3:4 6 lf^yb!a^ ('Abital) my father is dew female sexual response; genitals Orange 2 Sa 3:4 7 hl*g=u# (`Egelah) heifer big female Indigo Judg 14:18; 2 Sa 3:5 . . Spiritual Rapport . .

8 u^Wv-tB^ (Bathshu`a) ub^v#-tB^(Bathsheba`) daughter of opulence daughter of the oath (Right Woman substitute) White 1 Chron 3:5 2 Sa 11:3 1. Mikal David was promised Saul's daughter in marriage after he defeated Goliath. However, while Saul procrastinated in delivering his elder daughter for marriage, David fell in love with the younger daughter, lk*ym! (Mikal). Note: Mikal is erroneously transliterated, Michal. Mikal was the only wife who was reported to have loved David (1 Samuel 18:20, 28). Mikal was a divisive female and a psychopathic liar. Saul knew she was trouble, and he gave her to David to be a snare to him, since Saul was becoming jealous of David. The dowry that David had to pay for Mikal was 100 foreskins of the Philistines, but he paid 200 instead. The word for foreskin (Hebrew hl*r=u* , `arelah) here was a Hebrew euphemism for the male phallus.

The way the dead were counted was by the phallus, since the Jews were circumcised and the Philistines were not. Mikal was a very proper Jewish girl like a graduate of a Baptist college. She was legalistic and somewhat prudish because her Spiritual instruction was not coupled with experiential sanctification. In other words, she was religious but lacked a love relationship with God. Her name, Mikal, meant brook, or stream, a symbol of the water of the word. When Mikal saw David dancing before the Ark and the women cheering, she was jealous and bitter due to her legalism. She criticized David for showing his butt before the women. Apparently he had girded his robe in his belt to dance. This revealed not only her jealousy but also her prudishness. Her bitterness caused her to be barren (2 Samuel 6:18-27). From all this, it can be deduced that Mikal represented the X-axis of the Edification Complex of the Soul, which symbolizes Righteousness and is counterattacked by Ecumenical Babylon. The characteristic color of Mikal, a brook, would be blue. 2.

'Achino`am David's second wife was 'Achino`am, which means my brother is delight. She was good friends with her brother. She enjoyed social love relationships. She was a person with whom David could talk. He married her after he fled for his life from Saul and left Mikal behind. She was from Jezreel (2 Samuel 3:2). David had a passionate relationship with Mikal, but they were unable to have a good social relationship. When David lost Mikal, he wanted a woman companion, which he found in 'Achino`am. 'Achino`am represented the Y-axis of the Edification Complex of the Soul, which represents love relationships with others. Love is the expression of the entire ECS, but the facade (Y-axis) represents that expression. The woman's breasts symbolize the Y-axis love relationship. The capacity for life of the conjugal love relationship in the man is symbolized by the color, yellow; and the woman's Y-axis response to that love is symbolized by yellow. This is like grapefruit, which symbolize the woman's breasts and are yellow. The color for Love, which is a combination of all the colors is white.

However, the color of the Y-axis only is yellow. 3. Abigail While David was running from Saul, he met another woman, Abigail, who became his third wife. Abigail means my father is rejoicing. Abigail was from Mt. Carmel (2 Samuel 3:2). She was a perfect wife. He met her when he was on his way to kill her worthless husband, who wouldn't pay David for providing security during the sheep shearing. When Abigail heard that David was on his way to kill her husband, she loaded up some donkeys with food and set out on her donkey to meet him. She met David on a blind curve as they were coming round the mountain, and as the King James says, "she lighted off the ass" (1 Samuel 25:23). She bowed to the ground before David to show her respect for his authority and pleaded with him on the basis of David's prophetic purpose not to do anything that would bring dishonor to his future calling as King of Israel. Abigail was a doctrinal believer who knew prophecy. She was a Spiritual woman. She convinced David not to kill her worthless, drunken husband.

David left the matter in the Lord's hands per the Faith-Rest technique. When her husband subsequently died of a heart attack, David married Abigail. Abigail represents the Spiritual woman, which corresponds to the Z-axis of the Edification Complex of the Soul. The color of that axis corresponds to the color of Justice and royalty, which is violet. Abigail provided Spiritual Love and harmony to David. David's first three wives represented the Attraction, or Identification, Phase of the Right Man - Right Woman relationship. Three axes are required for the foundation of the Intimacy Room in the Edification Complex of the Soul. The foundation of the Intimacy Room represents the Attraction Phase. Now, in the Church Age, the believer is expressly forbidden from having more than one wife, but prior to the Church Age, the Lord permitted more than one wife in His permissive will. In spite of all David's wives, he still reached Spiritual Maturity and the fullness of blessing from God after passing Evidence Testing. David's wives did not prevent him from executing the Spiritual Life. Furthermore, the individual wives provided insight into the testing of all aspects of the Marriage relationship. Each wife represented a different test and another promotion level.

Every time David was promoted, he received another wife. The wives pointed out the strategic objective of the corporate testimony of Marriage in David's life. 4. Ma`akah David's fourth wife was Ma`akah, the daughter of Talmai, King of Geshur. Geshur, meaning bridge, was an Aramaean principality in Syria.1 Ma`akah means fondling female, or pet. The root word means to fondle, and the ending of "ah" is feminine. Fondling is sensual, which is associated with touching the skin. The conjugal love relationship includes the intimate response of the body as well as the soul. The skin is very responsive to intimacy. The breakdown of intimacy causes many types of skin ailments. The name, Ma`akah, does not indicate whether she was the one giving or receiving the petting. If receiving, perhaps she had big breasts. Ma`akah was different from David's first three wives, who represented the Attraction Phase of the Right Man - Right Woman relationship. Ma`akah represented the logical progression toward intimacy. David saw Mikal in Saul's castle and was attracted to her. They did not have meaningful conversations. They were young, passionate lovers without much soul compatibility.

Thus, Mikal represented the first step in the Right Man - Right Woman relationship, i.e. the Attraction Phase. Then David progressed to social life in his love relationship with 'Achino`am. After meeting, it is logical to talk. Next, David progressed to a Spiritual relationship with Abigail, the ultimate Spiritual companion. However, the first three wives were all associated with forming the foundation of the Intimacy Room in the Attraction Phase. Ma`akah represented the beginning of the wall of the Intimacy Room. The walls are analogous to the skin of the human body. The color of the skin is red, from the Hebrew Adam, which means red or ruddy. So Ma`akah was symbolized by the color, red. 5. Chaggith David's fifth wife was Chaggith, which is erroneously transliterated Haggith. Chaggith means festal. She was the belle of the ball whom David took to festivals. What would a festival be without dancing? Dancing is the sign of festivities. It is likely that Chaggith was a dancer and probably a belly dancer, since that was the popular dance in the region.

Song of Solomon 7:1-2 The swaying of your hips are like jewels, The work of an artist's hands. 2 Your navel is a well-rounded basin Which never lacks mixed wine; Your belly is like a heap of wheat Encircled about with lilies. Dancing is an expression of love and happiness. It should, therefore, be performed in the Filling of the Holy Spirit. Belly dancing expresses in pantomime conjugal love making. It is on a higher plane than touching. It expresses love and happiness in a realm that is beyond the sensual. The legalists who view belly dancing as vulgar have obviously not arrived at level 5 of the Right Man - Right Woman relationship. The color that symbolizes happiness is green, which is the color of prosperity. Thus, Chaggith was symbolized by green. One of Solomon's brides danced for him as an expression of her love response to him. When a woman dances for a man, it is a much higher expression of love than touching. Chaggith's belly dancing also reveals something else about her. She war probably plump, which was the case with many women of the day, and especially the belly dancers.

The "well-rounded basin" (SOS 7:2) was the belly. For belly dancers a belly is an asset. A woman without a basin would not be prized for her belly dancing. 6. 'Abital David's sixth wife was 'Abital, which means my father is dew. The dew falls on the ground at night and represents the female sexual response for her Right Man during the night. 'Abital was the wife who readily responded to David by becoming wet. David did not have to take her to a festival to get her in the mood. She was a natural responder. The dew on the grass symbolizes the dampness of the woman's pubic region. The dew on the ground may be symbolized by the color, orange, like the color of pottery. The orange fruit is a symbol of the female genitals, and its sticky juice is a symbol of the female sexual response just as dew. Thus, 'Abital was symbolized by the color orange as well as the orange fruit. With 'Abital, the natural progression of events led to the female sexual response. The purpose of the Compatibility Phase of testing is to bring about coalescence of souls.

When there is coalescence of souls, there will be coalescence of bodies. The Right Man and Right Woman are designed to have wonderful coalescence of bodies. When that does not happen, the problem is usually in the soul. Scar tissue of the soul is the great enemy of conjugal love. Legalists are frigid and dry while the lawless are promiscuous and swampy. 7. `Egelah `Egelah was David's seventh wife, the completion of a category. She was his last wife in Hebron, where he reigned for seven and a half years before moving to Jerusalem. `Egelah means heifer. She was a big woman, who represented all of the previous types of wives. Big is not necessarily synonymous with fat, since she was probably not short. Big women are known for being powerful lovers. The expansion of the Y-axis is related to love desires. Whereas, no woman can be content with the wrong man, with big women, the problem is even more pronounced. Big women are insatiable without the Right Man. David, whose name means lover, had in `Egelah his most complete lover.

The symbolic color of `Egelah was indigo, for a covering. `Egelah represented the completion of the Compatibility Phase when the soul receives stress testing to prove that it is capable of sustaining the power of the conjugal love relationship in Marriage. A person who has not completed Compatibility Testing cannot withstand the conjugal love relationship without springing a leak in the soul. When the soul springs a leak, it falls under the power of the Cosmic System and the Old Sin Nature takes over. That does not make for a loving relationship. The person in the Cosmic System is in darkness, and none of the love lights are on. All of the lights in the Intimacy Room go out, and the soul becomes a haunt for demons (2 Corinthians 6:14). Samson's first wife was a Philistine, whom he referred to as his heifer. She was obviously a big woman to match Samson. So the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down, "What is sweeter than honey?

And what is stronger than a lion?" But he (Samson) said to them, "If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have hit upon (guessed) my riddle." (Judges 14:18) On their honeymoon, Samson's wife engaged in social intercourse with the other men at the wedding party. She violated her loyalty to Samson when she told his secret to the other men. That broke up the marriage, and Samson's wife later married the best man. 8. Bathsheba` After completing Compatibility Testing and the walls of the Intimacy Room, David's 7 lights for the Intimacy Room were shining. However, none of his seven wives were his Right Woman. The Right Woman was to come next as David was promoted into Spiritual Rapport Testing. However, Spiritual Rapport is a paradigm shift. Spiritual Rapport is analogous to adding the roof to the Intimacy Room. Spiritual Rapport is the test of the Spiritual relationship with God to produce harmonious rapport with Right Woman. David was a wild child who had to overcome many problems that hindered the Right Man - Right Woman relationship.

When David moved into Spiritual Rapport Testing, his soul reeled in confusion. He entered into reversionism and made wrong decisions. Granted, David fell into reversionism, but he was under strong pressure from Spiritual Rapport Testing. It was God's Plan to give David his Right Woman at this phase. The Right Woman would be the woman of the promise and bear him children to receive his inheritance like Isaac and Jacob. However, at this stage, David failed the test and committed adultery with Bathsheba`. He even had her husband murdered before he Rebounded . David received intensified discipline for his adultery and murder. He had so much discipline that he had to take it on the installment plan for the rest of his life. Consequently, he never had his Right Woman. David married Bathsheba` as his eighth wife. She is called Bathshu`a in 1 Chronicles 3:5, which means daughter of opulence. As the daughter of opulence, she symbolized the Right Woman through whom the inheritance would be passed down through the child of the promise. Elsewhere she is called Bathsheba`, which means daughter of the oath, i.e. the Marriage covenant.

She was married to Uriah the Hittite, David's best general. Bathsheba` was Uriah's Right Woman, who is called his ewe lamb (2 Samuel 12:3). She was not David's Right Woman. However, David married Bathsheba` through whom his inheritance was passed on through Solomon. Nevertheless, she was not his Right Woman. So, David, the greatest lover, failed to receive his greatest female love responder, his Right Woman. Bathsheba` is represented as the color, white, although she was only the Right Woman substitute. The Right Woman is supposed to be white for sanctification just as the bride wears white for purity. White is the combination of all the colors of the rainbow. When all the colors are present in the Intimacy Room, the result is white. White is the color of love. Love is combination of all seven colors just as God's Love is the expression of His Integrity including His Righteousness and Justice. David Rebounded, however, and took his punishment. He eventually qualified for Evidence Testing, which occurred during the Absalom Rebellion. In spite of all his wives and sins, he eventually reached Spiritual Rapport and Maximum Glorification of God.

He had all the lights in his Edification Complex. He just did not have his Right Woman. Having the Right Man or Right Woman is not a requirement for the Spiritual Life as Paul tried to explain to the Corinthians. water Pressure Points of David's Wives The colors associated with David's wives also correspond to pressure points of the spiritual body (ref. Colors of the Spiritual Body ). Each wife corresponds to a pressure point and a planet (ref. Planets in the Spiritual Body ). Spiritual bodies exist in pairs corresponding to Right Man and Right Woman. The spiritual bodies of Right Man and Right Woman are inseparably united in a corporate system. A system cannot be broken down without destroying the system. What happens to one member of the system also affects the other. The pressure points on the Right Man are like buttons which correspond to button holes on the Right Woman. The Right Man and Right Woman are designed to be fully compatible in their spiritual bodies. All their pressure points are designed to complement each other. However, some pressure points may be compatible in couples that are not Right Man and Right Woman. This was David's problem. Each one of his wives had at least one pressure point that was compatible with his.

However, since none of his wives were the Right Woman, all of his children were wild children . Some of the pressure points of the spiritual bodies may be grouped to produce even stronger unions. For example, the Breast, Solar Plexus, and Belly may be analogous to a horse, driver, and wagon. The horse symbolizes the man. The driver symbolizes the Lord, who is the matchmaker. And the wagon symbolizes the woman. Similarly, the Womb or Belly and Genitals may be grouped together to symbolize sex, or conjugal love. Sex is not simply a function of the genitals but the Womb or Belly as well. In this case the man fills the woman, and the woman completes the man.

Pressure Point Planet 1 Mikal Water Breast Redeemer 2 'Achino`am Love Soul Savior 3 Abigail Royalty Crown Almighty God 4 Ma`akah Pet Womb Red Planet 5 Chaggith Festal Solar Plexus Mediator 6 'Abital Dew Genitals Morning Star 7 `Egelah Heifer Throat God of Covenants 8 Bathsheba` Opulence, oath Feet Last Adam 1 Mikal captured David with her breasts, which intoxicated him (Prov 5:19-20). Breasts symbolize true (righteous) love. Mikal, however, was a proper girl who neglected Bible Doctrine and became self-righteous and legalistic, corresponding to the attack on the Breast pressure point. Her self-righteousness led to bitterness and judging David for showing his legs while dancing before his audience of women (2 Sam 6:16). This made her barren (2 Sam 6:23). Mikal corresponds to the Redeemer Planet because she was redeemed from Saul for the price of 100 foreskins of the Philistines. 2 'Achino`am enjoyed a social love relationship with David, corresponding to the Soul pressure point.

'Achino`am was the mother of David's firstborn, Amnon (2 Sam 3:2), as symbolized by the Savior Planet as a son of light. 3 Abigail recognized David's royal destiny to be King of Israel, corresponding to the Crown pressure point. She understood God's Sovereign Design and prophecy, which she probably learned from Samuel. She was a woman who could be a queen. The Crown corresponds to the Almighty God Planet, for the Sovereign King. 4 Ma`akah means pet, corresponding to the sensual relationship with a woman. She symbolized the suffering of the Womb, corresponding to the Red Planet. She was the mother of Absalom and Tamar (2 Sam 3:3). Tamar was raped by Amnon, who was murdered by Absalom. Absalom started a rebellion and wrestled the kingdom from David, who was forced to flee for his life. David's suffering from Absalom was the greatest of his life. The suffering was Evidence Testing, which was used to promote David to Spiritual Rapport. Absalom's army was defeated and he was killed, but David wept bitterly for him (2 Sam 19:4).

Thus, the Absalom rebellion was like the suffering of a woman in labor, as symbolized by the color red. 5 Chaggith means festal, corresponding to dancing and celebration. Thus, she symbolized the Solar Plexus. She brings to mind Happiness, corresponding to the color green, and the balance of a dancer as symbolized by the Mediator Planet. 6 'Abital means dew and symbolizes the female response from the Genitals. She was turned on sexually - the great sex partner. The dew is associated with the dawn, corresponding to the Morning Star and the color orange. 7 `Egelah means heifer, corresponding to a big woman who is covered with fat. The color indigo corresponds to a covering. `Egelah was the mother of David's sixth and last son (Ithream) born in Hebron (2 Sam 3:5). All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and made a covenant with him to be King of Israel (2 Sam 5:1, 2, 3).

The covering of all the tribes and the covenant correspond to the Throat pressure point, which is symbolized by the God of the Covenants planet.4 The Throat may be associated with speaking, conversation, singing, swearing, lying, maligning, or quarreling. 8 Bathsheba` is also called Bathshu`a, meaning daughter of opulence (1 Chron 3:5), corresponding to the Right Woman through whom the inheritance would be passed down through the child of the promise. Elsewhere she is called Bathsheba`, which means daughter of the oath, i.e. the Marriage covenant. She was the Right Woman of Uriah the Hittite, who was her first husband (2 Samuel 12:3). The daughter of opulence and daughter of the oath also signify the Davidic Covenant through which there would always be a son of David on the Throne of Israel. Bathsheba` was the mother of Solomon who reigned from the Throne of David as the symbol of peace and prosperity of the Millennium under the rule of Christ. Bathsheba` was also the mother of Nathan.

The humanity of Christ as the Son of David was descended from Solomon through Joseph (Matt 1:6) and Nathan through Mary (Lk 3:31). Thus, the pressure point of the Feet correspond to the two lines which came together in the Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ. The Feet are symbolized by the color white, corresponding to peace during the rule of Solomon and the rule of Christ in the Millennium. The Feet are symbolized by the Last Adam Planet. David's Death-Bed Virgin As David neared death, he became cold and couldn't get warm no matter how many clothes he wore (1 Ki 1:1). His advisors came up with a plan to find a beautiful young virgin to lie in his bosom and to be his nurse (1 Ki 1:2). David should have been mature enough to see through this plan, which came from Satan, but he was so empty without his Right Woman that he accepted it. So they found Abishag, an exceedingly beautiful young virgin from Shunam, who came to sleep with David and be his nurse (1 Ki 1:3, 4).

None of David's other eight wives or concubines could do the job, since people who are not Right Man ï¿½ Right Woman become hardened toward each other over the years. They have rough edges, and David's advisors wanted the best for the king. However, in spite of her enticing beauty, the virgin cure did not revive David's vitality, and he never had sex with her before he died. Now Abishag was not just an amenity for kings. She has a part in the prophetic revelation of scripture. Abishag means father of wandering, error, or reversionism. It is applied to a father who wanders away from Divine commands and becomes an apostate or reversionist. This actually applies to Abishag, who was a mistress, a concubine, and a Prostitute of Babylon. David needed a nurse, but physical beauty is not a requirement for the job. It is, however, a requirement for temptation. Abishag was brought into Divine revelation to demonstrate that David died without his Right Woman. The last woman in his life was a concubine with whom he never had sex. She was a human good substitute for his Right Woman.

David never had his Right Woman because he took Uriah's Right Woman and had him murdered. In the Justice of God since David deprived Uriah of his Right Woman, David would never have a Right Woman (2 Sam 12:10). There are other reasons David never had a Right Woman. He made bad decisions to marry wrong women instead of waiting for the right one. And in prophecy he was a type of Christ, the Son of David, who would sit on the Throne of David. Christ died without His Right Woman. The Church was called out to be His Right Woman. Conclusion David had eight wives, which represented the testing and promotion through all the Phases of the Right Man - Right Woman relationship. The first seven wives represented the completion of the category of tests of the soul to qualify for Right Woman while the eighth represented the Right Woman substitute, since David did not receive his Right Woman. Each wife represented a specific characteristic of Right Woman and a symbolic color of the light production, or fruit, of that relationship. David's wives represented the promotions toward the strategic objective of the corporate testimony of Marriage in the life of the believer. His wives demonstrated that one of the strategic objectives of life is the advance back to the Garden with the Right Woman.

The production of the Intimacy Room is light - not physical fruit. The fruit, or production, of the Intimacy Room consists of the seven colors of light of the rainbow. The fruit-bearing, or production, of the Spiritual Life in the Intimacy Room is light. The symbolic colors associated with David's wives are the colors of the light in the Intimacy Room. After the Flood, God placed a rainbow in the sky as a symbol of the end of judgment. However, the rainbow was also a testimony of the breakdown of marriage culture. In Satan's attack on Marriage, all seven tests of the Right Man - Right Woman relationship were failed. The rainbow in the sky was a testimony of the failed tests and lack of light in the Intimacy Room of those who rejected the Right Man - Right Woman relationship. Those who reject Right Man or Right Woman reside in darkness. And the only way to pass the intimacy tests is with Bible Doctrine. The colors in David's Intimacy Room also correspond to the colors of the pressure points of the spiritual body. David's eight wives were associated with pressure points and their corresponding planets. Each wife had characteristics associated with a specific pressure point.

Thus, David's relationship with his wives was reflected in his spiritual body and theirs. Children born before the parents are in Spiritual Rapport receive various curses. David's family was full of cursing when he sinned with Bathsheba`. The cursing included rape and murder. Wild children from relationships other than Right Man - Right Woman also inherit cursing. David was a wild child, and he had a life time of problems with women. His first seven wives represented the intimacy tests that he had to pass to qualify for Right Woman. Job's wife in Spiritual Maturity left him during Evidence Testing. He received a new wife after Evidence Testing, and his three daughters by her were the most beautiful in the land. Job gave an inheritance to all his children, not just the firstborn. Joseph did not marry until he had passed Evidence Testing. He married a daughter of a priest of the Sun god, yet God was still able to bless his marriage with double blessing. Spiritual Rapport is the key to harmonious rapport in marriage. Spiritual Rapport is the phase of maximum glorification of God. The light in the Intimacy Room will be white from the combination of the seven colors of the rainbow.

White is the color for true love and sanctification, which only occurs when all the colors are present. David went through eight wives so we could understand the colors of light production in the Intimacy Room and the spiritual body. David never had his Right Woman because God judged him for taking Uriah's Right Woman (Bathsheba`). And in prophecy David was a type of Christ, the Son of David, who would sit on the Throne of David. Christ died without His Right Woman, and the Church was called out to be His Right Woman. References 1. Merill F. Unger, The New Unger's Bible Dictionary, ISBN 0-8024-9037-9, (Chicago: Moody Press, Chicago, IL 60610), 1988, p. 469. 3. Larry Wood. Biblical Astrology, " Planets in the Spiritual Body ," Nov. 16, 2014. Released December 23, 2000 - Revised Feb. 3, 2016 Author: Larry Wood

Question: In the Bible what was the name of King David's wife who had been married to Nabal
Answer: Abigail