David's Children Trivia Quiz

Answer:

King David had many wives and concubines who have been assumed to have given him many children between them but only eight wives and nineteen children are named in the Bible. In the order that they are given in the Old Testament the named wives are Michal (1 Samuel 18:27), Abigail, Ahinoam (1 Samuel 25:39-43), Maakah, Haggith, Abital, Eglah (2 Samuel 3:3-5 and 1 Chronicles 3:1-3) and Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11:2-3 and 26-27).

The Bible gives details of the lives of some of David's children but only the names, and sometimes the mothers, of fourteen of them are given, including five of the children given as answers here (1 Chronicles 3:1-9). Those five are Ithream, whose mother was Eglah, Japhia, Ibhar and Nogah as well as Nathan, whose mother was Bathsheba and who was mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus (Luke 3:31).

Those children about whom more detail is given are Amnon the son of Ahimoan, Absalom and Tamar the son and daughter of Maakah and Adonijah the son of Haggith (1 Chronicles 3:1-9). Solomon, also known as Jedidah, was the son of Bathsheba (2 Samuel 12:24-25) and, like his brother Nathan, was also mentioned as an ancestor of Jesus (Matthew 1:6).

The second book of Samuel describes three of David's children and their interactions with each other and with their father. Amnon was a man who fell in love with his half-sister Tamar and lusted after her. He lured her into his bedroom under the pretext of being ill and when they were alone he raped her despite her pleas and her statement that their father, David, would not stop them from getting married (2 Samuel 13:1-14)

His love for her then turned to hate and he had her evicted from his home, again despite her pleas, and she went away weeping. Her full brother Absalom saw her distress and, when she explained what had happened to her, he took her to live in isolation in his house (2 Samuel 13:15-20). The Bible does not state what happened to Tamar during the rest of her life but then depicts the interaction between Amnon and Absalom.

Absalom said nothing to Amnon but hated him from then onwards and two years later he invited all of David's other sons to visit his camp at sheep shearing time, which they did. Once they were there Absalom instructed his men to kill Amnon when he had been drinking and they did this, whereupon the other sons fled back to their father David. Absalom also fled but to Geshur, where he stayed for three years (2 Samuel 13: 23-29, 36-38).

Joab, David's nephew and a commander in his army, realised that David yearned for Absalom and managed to have him persuaded to allow Absalom to come back to Jerusalem. Absalom was not permitted to see the king, though, but after two years he managed to convince Joab to get David to see and accept him again (2 Samuel 14:1-3, 20-24, 28-33).

Over the next few years Absalom worked himself into favour with the Israelites, then persuaded David to let him go to Hebron, from where he raised supporters to help him usurp David and become king. When he heard of this plot, David left Jerusalem with his followers (2 Samuel 15:1-18). Then Absalom entered the city with his supporters and followed advice to openly sleep with six of his father's concubines as a way of consolidating his position (2 Samuel 16:15, 20-22).

Absalom then led his forces after David's (2 Samuel 17:1, 4, 24,) and the two armies met in a battle which David's forces won. David asked his followers to be gentle with Absalom but while the latter was fleeing his thick, long hair became caught in the branches of a tree and he was trapped there. On seeing this Joab threw three spears into Absalom's heart, then ten of Joab's men killed Absalom and buried him in a big pit on top of which they piled stones (2 Samuel 18: 1-17).

The first book of Kings recounts the later story of David's son Adonijah, who by that time was the eldest remaining son of David. The king was by then old and infirm (1 Kings 1:1) and Adonijah determined to be king instead and so gathered warriors around him (1 Kings 1:5) but Nathan warned Bathsheba. She then followed his advice and reminded David that he had said Solomon, although younger than Adonijah, would be the next king and warned David that Adonijah was declaring himself king; Nathan supported what she said (1 Kings 1:11-24). David responded by confirming his earlier decision and ordered that Solomon should be publicly declared and anointed king, and this was done to acclaim from the populace (1 Kings 1:33-35, 38-40)

Adonijah and his people were nearby feasting when he was told the news and his guests fled while Adonijah himself went and clung to the horns of an altar. People told Solomon that Adonijah was begging for mercy, which Solomon granted after Adonijah had bowed down to him (1 Kings 1:41-53). When David died, Solomon was established as the king (1 Kings 2:10-12). However, Adonijah persuaded Bathsheba to ask Solomon to let him have Abishag, who had been a servant or concubine to David, as his wife. In those times wanting this could be viewed as similar to making a claim to be the king, so Solomon refused and ordered Adonijah to be killed, which was done by his warrior Benaiah (1 Kings 2:13-25).

Solomon had found favour with God and he dreamed that God offered to grant a request by him so he asked for the wisdom to rule well. God was so pleased with this request that He not only granted Solomon the wisdom but also gave him unmatched wealth and a long life (1 Kings 3:5-15). In Solomon's waking life God did give him those things, as he became famous in a number of countries for his wisdom (1 Kings 4: 29-31) while he was able to have a rich Temple for the Lord and a palace for himself built (1 Kings 5:5, 6:14, 7:1, 7:51) and his income was very large (1 Kings 10:10-12, 14).

Solomon's main wife was Namah, the daughter of a Pharoah (1 Kings 3:1), but over the years he also took some seven hundred other wives and three hundred concubines (1 Kings 11:1-3), lived until a very advanced age and ruled over Israel for over forty years until he died and was buried in Jerusalem (1 Kings 11:42-43). Solomon was also the author of some books that have been included in the Old Testament, with much of Proverbs, the Song of Solomon and Ecclesiastes all being written by him.

Of the incorrect answers Seth was the third son of Adam and Eve, Shem was a son of Noah and Lamech was Noah's father while Benjamin was the youngest son of Jacob, Jesse was the father of David and Deborah was the only female Judge.