Editing Ahinoam

[[File:Facial Chronicle - b.03, p.068 - Saul's family.jpg|thumb|Saul's family]]
{{Short description|Hebrew female given name}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2022}}
'''Ajinoam''' ({{langx|he|{{Script/Hebr|אֲחִינֹעַם}}}} ''ʾăḥīnōʿam'') is a [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] name literally meaning ''brother of pleasantness'', or ''my brother is pleasant'', thus meaning ''pleasant''.

There are two references in the [[Bible]] to people; who bear that name;
*A daughter of Ahimaaz; who became a wife of [[Saul]]<ref>[https://www.internationalstandardbible.com/A/ahinoam.html Beecher, Willis J., "Ahinoam", ''International Standard Bible Encyclopedia'' (James Orr, ed.), Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1929]</ref> and the mother of his five sons and two daughters, one of whom is [[Michal]], David's first wife.
*A woman from [[Jezreel (city)|Jezreel]], who became [[David]]'s second wife, after he fled from Saul, leaving [[Michal]], his first wife, behind,<ref>{{bibleverse|1|Samuel|19:11|HE}}</ref> and the mother of [[Amnon]], David's first-born.<ref>{{bibleverse|2|Samuel|3:2|HE}}</ref>

== Context ==
Some scholars suggest that the two may be, in fact, one person. In [[Books of Samuel|2 Samuel]] 12:8, God tells David through the prophet [[Nathan (prophet)|Nathan]], "I gave your master's house to you, and your master's wives into your arms." [[Jon Levenson]] suggests that this implies David took Ahinoam from Saul. However, Diana V. Edelman disagrees, "Such a presumption would require David to have run off with the queen mother while Saul was still on the throne, which seems unlikely. In view of the possession of the royal harem as a claim to royal legitimacy, Nathan's comment can be related to David's eventual possession of Saul's wives after he ascended the throne in the wake of Eshbaal's death..."<ref>Edelman, Diana. "Ahinoam (Person)", The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary. (David Noel Freedman. ed.) New York: Doubleday, 1992, 1:118</ref>

Levenson goes on to note that Ahinoam is always mentioned before [[Abigail]] and that she bears David a son before Abigail does, and concludes from this that "she was already married to David when the conflict with [[Nabal]] erupted."<ref>[[Jon D. Levenson]], "1 Samuel 25 as Literature and History," ''[[Catholic Biblical Quarterly|CBQ]]'' 40 [1978] 27.</ref> When David had fled from Saul and dwelt with Achish, king of Gath, he had his two wives Ahinoam and Abigail with him as per 1 Samuel 27:3.<ref>{{bibleverse|1|Samuel|27:3|HE}}</ref>

Adherents of [[Source criticism (Biblical studies)|source criticism]] suggest that references to a woman called ''Ahinoam'' being Saul's wife belong to the account of the ''[[republican source]]'' of the Books of Samuel,<ref name="JE-Samuel">''Jewish Encyclopedia'', ''Books of Samuel''</ref> while in the passages ascribed to the ''[[monarchial source]]'',<ref name="JE-Samuel" /> the only mention of a woman called ''Ahinoam'' is the description of her as a wife of David.

Since Ahinoam's name usually precedes that of Abigail, it has been suggested that David married Ahinoam before he married Abigail. However, if her son Amnon was David's firstborn son, then the order of their names might indicate Ahinoam's status as the crown prince's mother.<ref name=Schearing>[http://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/ahinoam-bible Schearing, Linda. "Ahinoam: Bible." Jewish Women: A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia. 1 March 2009. Jewish Women's Archive]</ref> Ahinoam is with David during his stay with King Achish of Gath, and is taken captive when Amalekites raid Ziklag, David's Philistine base, but was recovered by David.<ref>[https://www.biblicalcyclopedia.com/A/ahinoam.html "Ahinoam", ''McClintock and Strong Biblical Cyclopedia'', Harper and Brothers; NY; 1880]{{PD-notice}}</ref> She is among those who go with David to Hebron when he becomes king over Judah (2 Sam 2:2).<ref name=Schearing />

Additionally, Leviticus 20:14 forbids men from marrying their mothers-in-law, and Ahinoam, wife of Saul, was the mother of David's first wife Michal, whom David considered to legally be his wife even after fleeing, and David was never indicted by any prophets for his marriage to Ahinoam.

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{EBD|title=Ahinoam}}

[[Category:11th-century BC women]]
[[Category:10th-century BC women]]
[[Category:Wives of David]]
[[Category:Jewish royalty]]
[[Category:Women in the Hebrew Bible]]
[[Category:Family of Saul]]