1 Chronicles 14:3-5 is almost identical to 2 Samuel 5:13-16. Since Bathsheba could not have been older than 20 at the time (since Ahithophel was 39 years old and Eliam was probably in his late 20s), which means that at the time of Solomons birth, Then King David said to the whole assembly: My son Solomon, the one whom God has chosen, is young [, Based on this seemingly contradictory information, let us follow the, Your argument is based on a selective interpretation of Psalm 55., You are taking Psalm 55:23 too literally!, Maybe people could live even longer than 80 years of age at the time of David! [100] Perhaps most controversial is his refusal to assign a particular age to serve as a cutoff. 8 Then David told Uriah, Go down to your house and wash your feet., Uriah left the palace, and a gift from the king was sent after him. In this section, I will try to pre-empt some possible Christian objections. You Muslims believe Muhammad is a role model for all times!, In my view, we should leave it to the experts (e.g., physicians and psychologists) to determine what is an appropriate age for maturity, if there is one. The king has Bathsheba's husband, Uriah, slain in battle and then takes her as a wife. He was, after his father David, the most significant king of all Israel. David's first wife was Michal, the daughter of King Saul. In every time and season, there is an opportunity to share hope in Christ. Clearly, Abigail knew well what she had and was thoroughly in charge of her household responsibilities, much like the capable wife later described in the book of Proverbs. [61], Thus, it is reasonable to conclude that Ahithophel must have died at a relatively young age. Absolutely not! Many of David's marriages were politically motivated. Consequently, she was able to save her husbands life (v. 18-35). God has already removed your sins from you as far as the east is from the west. See Proverbs 31:10, 30; 1 Peter 3:1-6, and any other verses you can find to support your answer. He was able to do something about it. Son of Ahithophel the Gilonite, and one of Davids heroes ( 2 Samuel 23:34 ). The man said, She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.. In the city of Jerusalem, Davids eighth wife, Bathsheba, gave him four sons after the death of her first son. [45] John MacArthur, The MacArthur Bible Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2005), p. 636. The LORD has also returned the evildoing of Nabal on his own head. Then David sent a proposal to Abigail, to take her as his wife. There is no hint that the writer is a king whose authority is threatened by a formidable insurrection. Moreover, I showed that when Jesus was a 12-year old boy, his parents took him to the Passover festival, as the law required for boys his age. According to 2 Samuel 15:30, David was on the Mount of Olives when he found out about Ahithophel. Im not a non-Muslim. Yet, this objection is based on some flawed premises: why is it assumed that Ahithophel needed to be older than David? Names of Davids wives? And do not give the weak-minded your property, which Allah has made a means of sustenance for you, but provide for them with it and clothe them and speak to them words of appropriate kindness. When Nabal heard the news, it affected his heart. Vote Up This story shows that God can redeem us even after we have wandered far off the path. Learn Religions. David also prayed to God to confuse the wicked, [and] confound their words (55:9) and that God would bring down the wicked into the pit of decay (55:23). They shall live as long as the Lord of life, the righteous Judge, has appointed, with whom the number of our months is; but he has determined to cut them off by an untimely death in the midst of their days., [58] https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/spurgeon_charles/tod/ps055.cfm?a=533023, A wicked man never lives out half his days; for either he is cut off before he hath lived half the course of nature, or he is cut off before he hath lived a quarter of the course of his desires; either he lives not half so long as he would; and therefore let him die when he will, his death is full of terror, trouble, and confusion, because he dies out of season. These deals on incredible witnessing and Bible resources dont last long! In the Abigail story, on the other hand, the woman is married to an evil husband and prevents him from murdering Nabal (and all the males of the household), as David acknowledges (vv. Learn how your comment data is processed. 1 Samuel 18: 25 tells us that Saul asked for this strange request in the hope that David would be killed. When she came to him, he had sex with her. [88] Many commentators also say this, including Barnes,[89] Trapp,[90] George Haydock,[91] Bullinger,[92] and the Jamiesson-Fausset-Brown Commentary. Then she returned home. We are told in 1 Samuel 18:20 that Michal loved David. Melanie has written many Bible study guides (available on Bible.org and her website me More. Bathsheba would have been between 16 and 19, because she was doing the ritual bath outlined in Leviticus 15::19-30 for women who have their period already (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus+15%3A19-30&version=NIV). Featuring courses and local seminars on how to be a better witness in your community. Then Abigail returned home to a drunken husband who was holding a great feast. This view was based on the Quran, which states regarding the orphans who have not reached the marriageable age (emphasis ours): And do not give the weak-minded your property, which Allah has made a means of sustenance for you, but provide for them with it and clothe them and speak to them words of appropriate kindness. Even if the psalm itself did not refer to Ahithophel, the verse could still be applied to him, as he was a bloody and deceitful man (from Davids perspective) whose life was violently cut short. She was also the mother of King Solomon. The Number, Location, and Mothers of David's Children. As Jonathan Brown explains: the medieval ulama considered the point at which a girl was fit for intercourse to be too varied to be firmly legislated for. 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. 1 Samuel 18:27 (NASB). When he realized that Absalom had not taken his advice on how to fight David, Ahithophel knew that the conspiracy against the king would fail. [32] John Phillips, The John Phillips Commentary Series: Exploring Psalms: An Expository Commentary, Vol. Comments containing URLs outside the family of Amazing Facts websites will not be approved. He is just like his namehis name means . Seven verses later in 1 Samuel 18:27, we are told that Saul gave Michal to David after he killed one hundred Philistines. All Rights Reserved. But King David was not her first husband either. Thus, it also means that he was between 4448 years old when he first encountered Bathsheba, who was 79 years old. Thus, they were following the Jewish customs of the time, which included marriage at around 12 years of age for girls. Learn how your faithful giving helped thousands know Christ this last year. He went with Absalom. This illustrates that Ahithophel was probably a young man (Source: This brings us to the most crucial point of our academic journey of determining Ahithophels age. All answers are REVIEWED and MODERATED. Bible: Child Marriage in Ancient Israelite times Paedophilia? The table below shows a summary of this information and calculations of ages for David, Ahithophel, Solomon, and Bathsheba, based on the chronology of 2 Samuel 1117. But King David was not her first husband either. The name Eliam is only mentioned twice in the entire Bible, and both instances occur in 2 Samuel. And the claim that Allah is a moon God has been debunked many times. What did Jesus mean in John 14:18 when he said, "I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you. He lost four children. Psychologist Dr. Robert Epstein has made the controversial suggestion that young people, regardless of how young, should be allowed to make decisions about marriage and sex provided that they demonstrate that he or she knows about the risks of sexis physically and emotionally mature, and so on, an arbitrary age cutoff necessarily allows incompetent people to gain rights and privileges they probably shouldnt have., The norm that the ulama did come to consensus on was only a general guideline: they prohibited sexual intercourse for girls not able to undergo it, on the basis that otherwise sex could be physically harmful. Eliam, in turn, was the son of Ahitophel the Gilonite (2 Samuel 23:34). Who Were the Nephilim Giants of the Bible? Bullingers Companion Bible Notes,[17] Gary H. Everetts Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures,[18] George Haydocks Catholic Bible Commentary,[19] the Jamiesson-Fausset-Brown Commentary,[20] John Trapps Complete Commentary,[21] Ironsides Notes on Selected Books,[22] L.M. I can trust His goodness in whatever He chooses to do! Remember that David did suffer terribly because of his sin with Bathsheba. a native of Giloh, was a privy councillor of David, whose wisdom was highly esteemed, though his name had an exactly opposite signification. In his commentary, Ibn Kathir stated that the age of marriage coincides with the age of puberty. [1] https://quranandbibleblog.wordpress.com/2020/06/10/the-age-of-marriage-in-the-bible/. Here are guidelines to help facilitate a meaningful learning experience for everyone. 54, or of Davids being shut up in Keilah in the time of Saul (1 Sam. What does destroyer mean in the Bible in Exodus chapter 12:23? Bath-shua ( Bathsheba) the daughter of Ammiel 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. This is not the Muslims problem because we do not believe in the Bible as a reliable source of information. So says the Benson Commentary (emphasis ours): Not half so long as men ordinarily live, and as they, by the course of nature, might have lived, and as they themselves expected to live, but shall be cut off by Gods just judgment, by an untimely and violent death.[52]. An older king could certainly have a younger counselor, and since early marriages were very common, it is not surprising for a 3040-year-old man to have grandchildren. Furthermore, as stated, David himself was 70 years old at the time of his death. Scholars Dispute Whether David Married Merab, Amid All the Wives of David in the Bible 3 Stand Out, References for the Many Wives of David in the Bible. What is the difference between offices and gifts in the Bible? 5 The woman conceived and sent word to David. Yes, David must have been in his late 30s to his early 40s and Bathsheba would have been young but of age, not an adolescent. Donations to this ministry aretax-deductible. Why did Bathsheba agree to marry David, if she suspected David was responsible for Uriah's death? The name Eliam is only mentioned twice in the, But 1 Chronicles 11:36 gives the alternate name for Eliam, the son of Ahithophel as Ahijah the Pelonite, so he cannot be the same person as the father of Bathsheba!, Third, if Ahijah is an alternate name for Eliam, it still does not refute the claim that Eliam was the son of Ahithophel and the father of Bathsheba, simply because the Chronicler does not provide any additional information. (Psalm 44:9, 17). What opportunities did Bathsheba have to fear? So, either way, it seems that the name in 1 Chronicles 11:36 was a textual corruption, and thus, unreliable. We might also know her as the wife of the Hittite Uriah, the daughter of Eliam, or the mother of Israel's King Solomon. David rose up and went, he and his men, and struck down two hundred men among the Philistines. When they told Saul, the thing was agreeable to him. Ahithophel was known as Davids counsellor, [41] https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/pmc/psalms-55.html#23, And the prayer here used is followed with another in the history, to turn the counsel of Ahitophel, an enemy of his, but held in great reputation, into foolishness., [42] https://www.studylight.org/commentary/psalms/55-13.html, My guide my counselor; as Ahithophel was to David (1 Samuel 15:12; 1 Samuel 16:23)., [43] https://biblehub.com/commentaries/kad/psalms/55.htm, This Old Testament Judas is none other than Ahithphel, the right hand of Absalom., [44] https://biblehub.com/commentaries/lange/psalms/55.htm, In retaining this reference to David, however, we are not to think of Doeg, Ps. 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, Absalom is not named nor is he even hinted at. Biography of Moses, Leader of the Abrahamic Religions, The Bible Says 'No' to Talking to the Dead, 13 Thank You Bible Verses to Express Your Appreciation, Bathsheba and David: Biblical Romance and Tragedy, Maachah the daughter of King Talmai of Geshur, that she was really David's favorite wife, that because of her beauty she was nicknamed "Eglah," meaning calf or calf-like, that she died giving birth to David's son Ithream. The man was very rich; he had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. you have contributed so much great eye opening articles making Muslims and Christians aware of such controversial subjects. Report, December 01 2017 Because, Im a Sunni Muslim and Im planning to debunk all anti-islamic claims and anti-islamic arguments. As a result, David decided to engage in sexual activity with her and made her pregnant. 5. Also already taken care of. Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.[77]. before marriage or caused a first marriage to be broken up by your relationship to each other, and you are feeling guilty or . In addition, Gills Exposition of the Entire Bible explains, based on the Talmudic interpretation, that (emphasis ours): bloody and deceitful mendo not come up to the half of the ordinary term of mans life, which is threescore years and ten.[54], Heb. [48] http://blb-ra.blueletterbible.org/mcgee_j_vernon/Psa/19134_Psalm_55_1-5.mp3 (mark 1:45). We are told that she was extremely beautiful. These are the names of the children born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, Ibhar, Elishua, Elpelet, Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, Elishama, Beeliada and Eliphelet. Talmud Niddah 29b; Halacha is clear, ritual bath must be done during the morning hence, there is no connection with Bathsheba who took a bath during the night (2 Samuel 11:2). [62] Later, Ahithophel was with Absalom in Jerusalem. He lived well past half [the] days of the normal lifespan. Share Part of the reason for some Christians' denial about "child marriage" in the Bible is that the Bible does not mention any specific age at which marriage could occur. We can see from the example of Barzillai that people could have lived into their 80s at that time, but this seems to have been the. Thus, while some people (a very small minority) may have lived into their 90s (though no proof exists from the Bible), this would not have been the normal extent of life at the time. As Adele Berlin points out: "The Abigail story contains no illicit sex, though the opportunity was present; the Bathsheba story revolves around an . Later in 1 Samuel 27:3 we read about both Abigal and Ahinoam in one verse. Have you ever wondered how many wives David had? [4] Sanhedrin 69b, https://www.sefaria.org/Sanhedrin.69b.11?lang=bi. David offered his services to a man named Nabal, Abigail's husband before David. Regardless, most sources reasonably identify the two Eliams as the same person, including Naves Topical Bible,[82] Eastons Bible Dictionary,[83] the American Tract Society Bible Dictionary,[84] Faussets Bible Dictionary,[85] the Holman Bible Dictionary,[86] Hastings Dictionary of the Bible,[87] and the Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature. Thus, Bathsheba could have been around 12-14 years old at the time of the birth of Solomon, which means that she was around 10-12 years old at the time David first encountered her. He was shearing his sheep in Carmel. Rather, by the onset of puberty, they were adults and were treated as such. But one of King Davids young men told Abigail what David had planned to do to her husband (v. 14-17). This was also the conclusion of Jewish and Christian commentators. This tends to be the go-to argument for problematic verses. Though this is said to be a prayer of Moses, who probably lived some 250 years before the reign of David, it still finds corroboration in the time of David, since Barzillai was 80 years old at the time of Absaloms revolt, and David himself lived for 70 years. Would David have called Ahithophel a man mine equal (https://biblehub.com/commentaries/cambridge/psalms/55.htm). 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. It should also be pointed out that there is no indication that Bathshebas marriage to either Uriah or David was seen as abnormal or immoral. 7. In a previous article, I demonstrated that the Bible generally allowed marriage and sex at the onset of puberty (with the exception of Numbers 31:18 which seemingly allowed sex even before puberty). On-demand Amazing Facts audio featuring a wealth of spiritual guidance and inspiration. If Ahithophel was Bathshebas grandfather, then determining his approximate age would allow us to estimate Bathshebas age as well. 6 Then David sent a message to Joab: Send me Uriah the Hittite. So Joab sent Uriah to David. Each of his first six wives bore David a son, while Bathsheba bore him four sons. We strive to approve comments the day they are made, but please allow at least 24 hours for your comment to appear. Bath-sheba was the granddaughter of Ahithophel 2 Samuel 23:34., [90] https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/jtc/2-samuel-11.html#3, [91] https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/hcc/2-samuel-11.html#3, By a transposition of letters, he is called Ammiel, in 1 Paralipomenon iii. Comments containing telephone numbers or email addresses will not be approved. Even if we grant a new upper limit, 90 years, that does not improve the situation for embarrassed Christian apologists. ESV - Note that the dictionary does not deny that Ahithophel was Bathshebas granddaughter or that he was the subject of Psalm 55. Helping you get the most out of your Sabbath School quarterly every week. The reason for this was: [f]or the Lord had determined to frustrate the good advice of Ahithophel in order to bring disaster on Absalom.. Then 1 Chronicles 3:9 adds this, All these were the sons of David, besides the sons of the concubines; and Tamar was their sister. Rather, Ahithophel must be the close friend, since he was Davids counselor. Then David rose and went down to the wilderness of Paran. From the roof he saw a woman bathing; the woman was very beautiful. The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges concurs: Much of the Psalm is sufficiently appropriate to Davids circumstances to account for its having been regarded as an expression of his feelings at that bitter crisis: but a closer examination makes it difficult, if not impossible, to suppose that it was actually written by him. My bad. 2 Samuel 6:23 (NASB). He states that: an arbitrary age cutoff necessarily allows incompetent people to gain rights and privileges they probably shouldnt have.[101]. The report came back: Isnt this Eliams daughter Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite? 4 So David sent messengers to take her. Was Rebekah 3-10 Years Old When Married Off To Isaac? This source names seven wives: 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.
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