Who Is Princess Maakah?

Mesu AndrewsFeatured Articles

This question is for my women readers: When you were a little girl, did you ever want to become a princess? Now for men readers: Did you ever want to be the dashing prince who fought with a sword to save the princess held captive in the tower?

You need not answer in the comments. Simply imagine how different your life is in 2025 than a princess’s in 1010 B.C. Then think how different that same princess’s life would be from the women in David’s camp.

The Bible doesn’t tell us the details about day-to-day survival, food prep, and hygiene for David, his wives, and his army. Nor does it include how different (or similar) the kings and other royalty/nobility lived from the common farmers or the poor.

So, when I begin research on a particular character who’s mentioned once or perhaps twice in God’s eternal record, I start with what it DOES say. Then I use other Scripture and a little common sense to build a plausible story around them.

Maakah In the Bible

Maakah is a rather popular name in the Bible and is used thirty times with various spellings: Maakah, Maacah, Maacath, and Maachach. In God’s Word, Maakah identifies people’s names and various locations in the Old Testament, depending on which Bible translation you choose. The woman in my August 2025 release, Noble: The Story of Maakah, is only mentioned twice in Scripture, both times defined as the “mother of Absalom” (2 Sam. 3:3; 1 Chron. 3:2). Just to make things a little more confusing, Absalom named his daughter, Maakah (2 Chron.11:20-21). Sheesh!

So, here are a few things we know of Maakah, King David’s Bride, from Scripture:

  • Maakah and Saul’s daughter, Michal, were David’s only royal wives (1 Samuel 15-18:18).
  • Maakah was the daughter of King Talmai of Geshur, making her the only gentile (non-Israelite) who the Bible specifically states that David married (2 Samuel 3:3).
  • Maakah’s son, Absalom, grew into a prince who tried to steal David’s throne. When Absalom’s coup failed, he escaped to his grandfather, Talmai, in Geshur for protection (2 Samuel 13:37).

These are the Truths of Scripture that we KNOW.

How Can Scripture Inspire Educated Common Sense?

Research into Jewish history, archaeology, and academic texts is valuable. I use the knowledge gained through those sources as blocks to build on the foundation of Scripture. I then use common sense to imagine how historical information can mold with the Truths in Scripture.

After all that synthesizing, I make educated fictional conclusions about who Maakah MIGHT HAVE been. In my August 2025 release, Noble: The Story of Maakah, y’all will meet the young princess. (CLICK HERE to check Baker Book House’s price.) Here’s the fictional character summary of where Maakah starts in the book:

She’s the sole heir of Geshur, and her only political value comes with a shrewd marriage. Unfortunately, she’s past her prime at twenty years old and has experienced two failed betrothals. Her parents have arranged a third betrothal, this one to the renegade warlord, David ben Jesse. “He’s not even royalty,” she protests but discovers that he’s more noble than any king.

The part that’s bolded and underlined is the transformation of her (fictional) character’s journey. Isn’t that why we read a book? To see the main character’s journey?

Common Sense Practice

Let’s do a little common sense practice on a part of Maakah’s life that’s not explored in NOBLE. If you have already read beyond the story of David’s reign in 2 Samuel 3, you may know that Maakah’s son, Absalom, tries to steal the throne from his father. (Boooo! 👿 ) How does that part of Scripture inform my fiction about Maakah’s life when she first interacts with David? How do her parents influence her as a young princess before and after she meets David?

Though it isn’t always true, children often grow up like their parents raised them. Was Absalom’s arrogance due to his mother’s princess days in Geshur? Was Absalom raised differently among King David’s sons even though he was the third-born? According to the Bible, after his coup failed Absalom fled.

Absalom fled and went to Talmai son of Ammihud, the king of Geshur. But King David mourned many days for his son. After Absalom fled and went to Geshur, he stayed there three years. 2 Sam. 13:37–38

Why did Absalom choose Geshur? I find no definitive answer in Scripture and none in my historical search. My fictional guess is based on other Scripture (the Bible says Absalom killed his first-born brother to avenge his sister’s rape; 2 Sam. 13). I believe Absalom KNEW he’d be welcomed into his grandpa’s palace. How would he know that? Maybe Princess Maakah kept in touch with her parents all the years she was married to David.

One More Thing About The Princess

We know David was “ruddy and handsome,” and I get the impression from other Scriptures that he really liked pretty women (to his detriment). No doubt, Princess Maakah was also lovely. I describe her in the book as having long, dark, ringlets of hair that grew quickly and needed to be cut often because of its weight. Why? Because of this Scripture describing Absalom:

In all Israel there was not a man so highly praised for his handsome appearance as Absalom. From the top of his head to the sole of his foot there was no blemish in him. Whenever he cut the hair of his head—he used to cut his hair once a year because it became too heavy for him—he would weigh it, and its weight was two hundred shekels by the royal standard. 2 Samuel 14:25–26

In the coming months, I’ll share lots more about Noble: The Story of Maakah – Bk #2 in the KDB series. The first book, Brave: The Story of Ahinoam is available now and tells about the first two of King David’s Brides mentioned in 2 Samuel 3:1-2.

Keep In Touch!

Did you enjoy this post? Never miss out on future posts by following my blog or subscribing to my newsletter. When you subscribe as one of my Newsies, you’ll receive a free novella, exclusive monthly giveaways, and book news straight to your inbox! 

Tweet-a-bles