Identity of King David's Mother in Scripture
The Hebrew Bible does not explicitly name King David's mother. While David's father, Jesse, is clearly identified, the identity of his mother is not directly stated in the biblical narrative [7, 10]. However, later Jewish tradition and biblical genealogies offer some insights and implications regarding her lineage and status.
The Babylonian Talmud, in Bava Batra 91a.15, records a tradition that David's mother was named Natzvat bat Ada’el. This tradition is presented as an answer to "heretics who inquire into the names of these women, which are not stated in the Bible," suggesting that such information was preserved through oral tradition [8].
Although David's mother is not named, the Bible provides extensive details about other women in David's life and lineage. For instance, Bath-sheba, the wife of Uriah, became David's wife and the mother of Solomon [3, 7]. She held a prominent position, even taking part in securing Solomon's succession to the throne [3]. Another of David's wives was Eglah, who was the mother of Ithream [6]. The mother of the king, as exemplified by Bath-sheba, was generally treated with special honor in Jewish families, a practice that distinguished Hebrew society from other ancient cultures [1].
The genealogies of Jesus in the New Testament, particularly in Matthew, trace Jesus' lineage through David, emphasizing his descent from "David the king" [4, 7]. These genealogies mention several women, including Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and "her who had been the wife of Uriah" (Bath-sheba), highlighting their roles in the Davidic line [7, 9]. The inclusion of these women, some of whom were Gentiles or had controversial histories, is noted by commentators as a distinctive feature of Matthew's genealogy [9]. Augustine, a patristic writer, discusses how Christ's flesh, though born of a virgin, still owed its origin to David's seed, connecting Mary to David's lineage [11, 12]. Mary herself was of the tribe of Judah and the lineage of David [2, 5].
The absence of David's mother's name in the biblical text contrasts with the detailed accounts of other family members and the significant role mothers often played in ancient Israelite society. While the Bible does not provide her name, the later rabbinic tradition attempts to fill this gap, indicating the ongoing interest in the full lineage of significant biblical figures like King David [8].
Sources
- Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Mother — The superiority of the Hebrew over all contemporaneous systems of legislation and of morals is strongly shown in the higher estimation of the mother in the Jewish family, as contrasted with modern Oriental as well as ancient Oriental and classical usage. The king's mother, as appears in the case of Bath-sheba, was treated with special honor. (Exodus 20:12; Leviticus 19:3; 5:16; 21:18,21; 1 Kings 2:29; Proverbs 10:1; 15:20; 17:25; 29:15; 31:1,30)”
- Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Mary The Virgin — the mother of our Lord. There is no person perhaps in sacred or profane history around whom so many legends have been grouped a the Virgin Mary; and there are few whose authentic history is more concise. She was, like Joseph, of the tribe of Judah and of the lineage of David. (Psalms 132:11; Luke 1:32; Romans 1:3) She had a sister, named, like herself, (John 19:25) and she was connected by marriage, (Luke 1:36) with Elizabeth, who was of the tribe of Levi and of the lineage of Aaron. This is all that we know of her antecedents. She was betrothed to J”
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Bath-sheba — Daughter of the oath, or of seven, called also Bath-shu'a (1 Chr. 3:5), was the daughter of Eliam (2 Sam. 11:3) or Ammiel (1 Chr. 3:5), and wife of Uriah the Hittite. David committed adultery with her (2 Sam. 11:4, 5; Ps. 51:1). The child born in adultery died (2 Sam. 12:15-19). After her husband was slain (11:15) she was married to David (11:27), and became the mother of Solomon (12:24; 1 Kings 1:11; 2:13). She took a prominent part in securing the succession of Solomon to the throne (1 Kings 1:11, 16-21).”
- Matthew “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. -- Matthew 1:1”
- STEPBible TIPNR “Biblical proper name: [email protected]=G3137G — Jesus' mother living at the time of the New Testament (refs: #A woman from the tribe of Judah living at the time of the New Testament, first mentioned at Mat.1.1)”
- II Samuel “II Samuel 3:5 (BBE) — And the sixth, Ithream, whose mother was David's wife Eglah. These were the sons of David, whose birth took place in Hebron.”
- Matthew “Jesse became the father of King David. David became the father of Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah. -- Matthew 1:6”
- Babylonian Talmud (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Babylonian Talmud, Bava Batra 91a.15: Rav Ḥanan bar Rava continues: The mother of David was named Natzvat bat Ada’el. The mother of Samson was named Tzelelponit, and his sister was called Nashyan. The Gemara asks: What is the practical difference as to what their names were? The Gemara answers: It is important with regard to an answer for heretics who inquire into the names of these women, which are not stated in the Bible. One can reply that there is a tradition handed down concerning their names.”
- Matthew (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Matthew 1:3: And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar; and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram; 4. And Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat Naasson; and Naasson begat Salmon; 5. And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse; 6. And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her of Urias--Four women are here introduced; two of them Gentiles by birth--Rachab and Ruth; and three of them with a blot at their names in the Old Testament--Thamar, Rachab, and Bath-sheba. This feature in the present genealog”
- Matthew (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Matthew 1:6: And Jesse begat David the king,.... The descent of the Messiah runs in the line of David, the youngest of Jesse's sons, who was despised by his brethren, and overlooked and neglected by his father; but God chose him, and anointed him to be king, and set him on the throne of Israel; hence he is called "David the king"; as also because he was the first king that was of the tribe of Judah, and in the genealogy of Christ, and was an eminent type of the king Messiah, who is sometimes called by the same name, Eze 34:24 and who was to be his son, as Jesus is, and also right ”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 4: Augustine — Anti-Manichaean, Anti-Donatist — BOOK XXIII. (part 7): in Mary herself, so that the flesh of Christ, although produced from a virgin, still owed its origin to David's seed. But as, in fact, both statements are made by one and the same writer, who informs us both that Joseph was the husband of Mary and that the mother of Christ was a virgin, and that Christ was of the seed of David, and that Joseph is in the list of Christ's progenitors in the line of David, those who prefer the authority of the sacred Gospel to that of heretical fiction must conclude that Mary was not ”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 6: Augustine — Homilies on the Gospels — OF THE AGREEMENT OF THE EVANGELISTS MATTHEW AND LUKE IN THE GENERATIONS OF THE LORD. (part 8): Son of David, the son of Abraham."(1) How the Son of David, and the Son of Abraham? He could not be shown to be so, but by the succession of generations; for certain it is that when the Lord was born of the Virgin Mary, neither Abraham nor David was in this world, and dost thou say that the same man is both the Son of David, and the Son of Abraham? Let us, as it were, say to Matthew, Prove thy word, for I am waiting for the succession of the generati”