David’s Mother

Who was David’s mother? Some may ask, “Does it really matter?” Perhaps not, but the example of mothers in Israel was important.

Who is David’s mother? Some may ask, “Does it really matter?” Perhaps not, but it is interesting that we find the names of so many other mothers in Israel but not David’s mother.

As an example, “And Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephrathite of Zereda, Solomon’s servant, whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow woman, even he lifted up his hand against the king.” (1 Kings 11:26). Jeroboam was so wicked; do we really care about his mother’s name? On the other hand, David was a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22), yet we are not told his mother’s name. What we do know is found in 1 Samuel 22:3-4,

And David went thence to Mizpeh of Moab: and he said unto the king of Moab, Let my father and my mother, I pray thee, come forth, and be with you, till I know what God will do for me. And he brought them before the king of Moab: and they dwelt with him all the while that David was in the hold.

There does not seem to be absolute proof of what her name was. However, I have been able to piece together some information on this topic. It is my belief that three of Jesse’s children, David, Zeruiah, and Abigail, all had the same mother. I base this on what is recorded in 1 Chronicles 2:13-17, where the three of them are linked together.

And Jesse begat his firstborn Eliab, and Abinadab the second, and Shimma the third, Nethaneel the fourth, Raddai the fifth, Ozem the sixth, David the seventh: Whose sisters were Zeruiah, and Abigail. And the sons of Zeruiah; Abishai, and Joab, and Asahel, three. And Abigail bare Amasa: and the father of Amasa was Jether the Ishmeelite.

With this in mind, let’s examine 2 Samuel 17:25-29.

And Absalom made Amasa captain of the host instead of Joab: which Amasa was a man’s son, whose name was Ithra an Israelite, that went in to Abigail the daughter of Nahash, sister to Zeruiah Joab’s mother. So Israel and Absalom pitched in the land of Gilead. And it came to pass, when David was come to Mahanaim, that Shobi the son of Nahash of Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and Machir the son of Ammiel of Lodebar, and Barzillai the Gileadite of Rogelim, Brought beds, and basons, and earthen vessels, and wheat, and barley, and flour, and parched corn, and beans, and lentiles, and parched pulse, And honey, and butter, and sheep, and cheese of kine, for David, and for the people that were with him, to eat: for they said, The people is hungry, and weary, and thirsty, in the wilderness.

In verses 25 and 27, a person named Nahash is mentioned. Although possible, it is unlikely that these two are different people. In verse 27, Nahash is identified as the father of Shobi; therefore, he is the king of Ammon, who reigned in Rabbah.

Now, going back to verse 25, it states that Abigail was the daughter of Nahash. This cannot be so, as she is the daughter of Jesse and an Israelite. However, the Hebrew word for daughter is bath, which means descendant, and therefore, the text probably should have read granddaughter. We find this error based on the same Hebrew word bath in 2 Kings 8:26.

Two and twenty years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign; and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Athaliah, the daughter of Omri king of Israel.

We know that Athaliah was Omri’s granddaughter since she was the daughter of Ahab, the king of Israel.

If it is true that Abagail was the granddaughter of Nahash, then Abigail, Zeruiah, and David were all the children of Nahash’s daughter.

The words recorded in 2 Samuel 17:25 have puzzled translators and Bible commentators for many years. Let me list here the variety of solutions that I have read and collected.

1. Nahash is a woman and David’s mother. (Unlikely)
2. Nahash is Abigail and Zeruiah’s mother but not David’s. (Young’s Concordance)
3. Nahash is a man. His widow married Jesse and bore David. (Bullinger, The Companion Bible)
4. Nahash is another name for Jesse. (The Authorized Version’s margin)
5. David’s mother was the daughter of Nahash, King of Ammon, and sister to Hanun and Shobi, the two sons of Nahash (Bro. A. Chambers, Brisbane, Australia)

Of these five explanations, the fifth explanation seems to be the only one that adheres to the Scriptures available. But it explains a lot of things.

1. David, as the son of an Ammonitess, had no status in the family and was not even included when Samuel came to review the sons of Jesse to select the future king.
2. He was relegated to keeping the sheep, although it would appear that Jesse was wealthy enough to have servants to perform this task.
3. Eliab, Jesse’s eldest son, treated David as a servant when Jesse sent him to check on his sons’ well-being in the war with the Philistines and Goliath.
4. After the death of Nahash, his oldest son, Hanun, treated David’s servants so shabbily. Hanun probably felt threatened by David since he was likely Nahash’s grandson, and he may have felt David would try to assume the throne of the kingdom of Ammon.
5. On the other hand, Hanun’s younger brother, Shobi, didn’t feel threatened and provided David and his men with all kinds of provisions when David was banished to Mahanaim (2 Samuel 17:27).

Of course, none of this is proof of David’s mother’s identity, but it is certainly compelling evidence of who she might have been.

I also find that the example of mothers in Israel was important. Here are some examples.

Deborah is the only female judge in Israel’s history. “The inhabitants of the villages ceased, they ceased in Israel, until that I Deborah arose, that I arose a mother in Israel.” (Judges 5:7).

There was the wise woman at the city of Abel of Bethmaachah when Joab pursued Shebna, the son of Bichri, who had led a rebellion against David and his Kingdom. “I am one of them that are peaceable and faithful in Israel: thou seekest to destroy a city and a mother in Israel: why wilt thou swallow up the inheritance of the LORD? And Joab answered and said, ‘Far be it, far be it from me, that I should swallow up or destroy.’” (2 Sam 20:19-20). She solved the situation and saved the city by having Shebna beheaded and casting his head over the wall to Joab.

I also find it interesting that the mother of David’s grandson, Rehoboam, is recorded in Scripture, and lo and behold, she was an Ammonitess, just like Rehoboam’s great-grandmother.

And Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the LORD did choose out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. And his mother’s name was Naamah an Ammonitess. (1 Kings 14:21). 

Again, here is an example of a wicked king of Judah who bore at least some responsibility for dividing God’s holy nation, and yet his mother’s name is recorded, even though David’s mother is not.

Looking at the next verse (1 Kings 14:22), we read, “And Judah did evil in the sight of the LORD, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins which they had committed, above all that their fathers had done.” 

I would like to say one last thing about mothers and their importance. In the genealogy of Matthew 1, five women are named. They were all important mothers and played a critical part in God’s plan of salvation for us. Also, note that they are not all of Israel!

1. Tamar, the mother of Phares (v. 3).
2. Rahab, a Canaanite, the mother of Boaz (v. 5).
3. Ruth, a Moabitess, the mother of Obed (v. 5).
4. Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon (v. 6).
5. Mary, the mother of Jesus (v. 16).

Even though David’s mother’s name is not explicitly mentioned in Scripture, she was important because Jesus Christ was known as David’s son. 

And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. (Luke 1:31-33).

As stated earlier, none of this is absolute proof of David’s mother’s identity. Nevertheless, it is undoubtedly sound Scriptural evidence of who she might have been.

Paul Wade,
Houston West Ecclesia, TX