Nitzevet

Nitzevet (Nzb'th) was a Israelite woman who was the mother of King David according to the Talmud,[1] but she is not named in the Bible. She was an ancestress of the Kings of Judah.

Family

A depiction of David with a harp from the 11th century, the Gospel Book in National and University Library in Zagreb

Nitzevet’s father was named Adael or Edal.[2] She married a man called Jesse and their children were:

Her famous grandson was King Solomon.

In the Bible

Although David’s mother is not named in the Bible, she is still mentioned there with her husband.

When David was worried about the safety of his parents, he went to Mizpah in Moab to ask permission from the king to allow his father and mother to stay under the royal protection of the king.[5] They stayed there until David's fortunes took a turn for the better.[6]

Theories

According to 2 Samuel 17:25, Abigail was the daughter of someone named Nahash. It is possible that this is King Nahash of Ammon.[7]

Since Abigail is elsewhere identified as a sister (or half-sister) of David,[8] there is a theory that Nahash was also a husband of Nitzevet or that this was the other name for Jesse.

There is a possibility that in this case Nahash is a name of Jesse’s wife – Nahash and Nitzevet are then the same person.

References

  1. ↑ Nitzevet, Mother of David
  2. ↑ Talmud Tractate Bava Batra 91a
  3. ↑ 1 Samuel 17:13
  4. ↑ 2 Samuel 17:25
  5. ↑ 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."
  6. ↑ First & Second Samuel by James E. Smith
  7. ↑ The Jewish Encyclopedia argues that the father of Abigail, the king of the Ammonites, and the father of Shobi, were the same individual, husband of David’s mother, hence making Shobi and David half-brothers.
  8. ↑ 1 Chronicles 2:16