Haggith
“Festive or dancer”
Summary
Haggith was one of David's wives and the mother of Adonijah, who later attempted to seize the throne from Solomon.
☩Wife of David
Haggith was one of the wives David married after he became king, and she bore him his fourth son, Adonijah, at Hebron. Her son Adonijah was renowned for his handsome appearance, like his half-brother Absalom. The name Haggith is the feminine form of the word meaning "festive" and may indicate she was born during a religious festival; some interpret it as meaning "dancer" from the primitive sense of the Hebrew root.
☩Adonijah's Failed Bid for the Throne
Haggith's son Adonijah attempted to make himself king when David was old and failing, gathering supporters including Joab and Abiathar the priest. However, Nathan the prophet and Bathsheba intervened, and David designated Solomon as his successor. After David's death, Adonijah's request to marry Abishag, David's last attendant, was seen as a renewed bid for the throne and led to his execution.
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Haggith," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. IV (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.George Morrish, "Haggith," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).
- 3.F. N. Peloubet & M. A. Peloubet (ed.), "Haggith," in Smith's Bible Dictionary (Porter & Coates, 1884).
- 4.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Haggith," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).