Did King David Have Red Hair?

One of the most persistent misconceptions about King David (Dovid HaMelech) is the belief that he had red hair. In this article, I’ll demonstrate that there isn’t a single classical source that proves that he had red hair.

Now, of course, I can’t prove that he didn’t have red hair either. I have no way of knowing his hair color. All I'm trying to prove is that there’s no definitive source that tells us anything about King David’s hair color. For all we know, he could just as easily have had black hair.

The bottom line? Until Moshiach comes, we simply won’t know!

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Origin of the Misconception

But first, where would the misconception have come from?

My likely theory is that the mistake was born from the unique description of King David, which is mentioned twice in the Bible when depicting his appearance. David is described as an "Admoni" (אַדְמוֹנִ֔י), which is associated with the word "Edom," which translates as "Red."

1. The first time is in connection to King David's secretive coronation, where Samuel the Prophet (Shmuel Hanavi) sees King David after attempting unsuccessfully to coronate his elder brothers:

שמואל א ט״ז:י״ב

וַיִּשְׁלַ֤ח וַיְבִיאֵ֙הוּ֙ וְה֣וּא אַדְמוֹנִ֔י עִם־יְפֵ֥ה עֵינַ֖יִם וְט֣וֹב רֹ֑אִי...

I Samuel 16:12

He sent for him and brought him. He was an Admoni, with beautiful eyes and handsome...

2. The second time is at the start of King David's duel against Goliath (Golias) when Goliath is shocked by the un-warrior-like appearance of the much smaller King David:

שמואל א י״ז:מ״ב

וַיַּבֵּ֧ט הַפְּלִשְׁתִּ֛י וַיִּרְאֶ֥ה אֶת־דָּוִ֖ד וַיִּבְזֵ֑הוּ כִּֽי־הָיָ֣ה נַ֔עַר וְאַדְמֹנִ֖י עִם־יְפֵ֥ה מַרְאֶֽה׃

I Samuel 17:42

The Philistine looked and he saw Dovid, and he scorned him, for he was a youth, an Admoni and handsome.

Both locations use the word אַדְמוֹנִ֔י (Admoni), and to the unlettered, this may be a reference to the reddish hue of his hair.

It is important to note that the word "Admoni" is used one more time in the entire Bible, and that's in reference to Esau (Esav), but we'll come back to that once we finish talking about King David.

The Classic Commentators on King David's Appearance

I've examined as many Classic Torah Commentators as I could find - and there are a lot - and I have not yet found a single one that even insinuates that the word "Admoni" has any connection to the color of King David's hair.

Here are a few examples of the differing meanings of the word "Admoni":

1. Targum Yonasan, written by Yonasan ben Uzziel (Circa 50 BCE), a pupil of Hillel the Elder, translated "Admoni" as "Sumoik", which is the Aramaic word for "Blood-Red Color". There are strong indications that he's referring to the reddish color of King David's cheeks.

No mention of the word hair.

תרגום יונתן על שמואל א ט״ז:י״ב

וּשְׁלַח וְאַיְתֵיהּ וְהוּא סַמוֹק עֵינוֹהִי יָאִין וְשַׁפִּיר בְּרֵיוֵיהּ וַאֲמַר יהוה קוּם מַשְׁחֵיהּ אֲרֵי דֵין הוּא:

Targum Jonathan on I Samuel 16:12

...

2. The Metzudos Tzion, written by Rabbi David Altschuler of Prague (1687-1769), says that "Admoni" means "Of Reddish Appearance."

Not a word about hair.

מצודת ציון על שמואל א ט״ז:י״ב:א׳

אדמוני. מראה אדום:

Metzudat Zion on I Samuel 16:12:1

3. The Malbim, written by Rabbi Meir Leibush ben Yehiel Michel Wisser (1809 – 1879), gives us a much more in-depth description of the word "Admoni". He says that "שגברה בו האדומה," meaning "the red trait was dominant in him."

The Malbim explains, based on the Medrash Bereishis Rabbah, that when Samuel the Prophet saw King David for the first time, he made an assumption based on his "reddish character tendencies" and said that David, like Esau (Esav), who was the only other person to be described as an "Admoni" in history, would also be involved in lots of bloodshed.

God assured Samuel that, unlike Esau, who murdered based on his own designs, King David would consult with the High Court before each decision.

The Malbim, in other words, is translating "Admoni" as a personality type.

Again, not a hair color.

מלבי"ם על שמואל א ט״ז:י״ב:ב׳

והוא אדמוני פה הראה לו אמיתת מ"ש תחלה כי לא כאשר יראה האדם, כי דוד היה אדמוני שגברה בו האדומה והוא בטבעו מוכן לשפיכת דם...

Malbim on I Samuel 16:12:2

4. While quoting the Medrash Bereishis Rabbah, here's what the Yefeh To'ar, Rabbi Shmuel Yaffe Ashkenazi (circa 1560), says about the story of David's coronation. Like the Malbim, he says that the word "Admoni" refers to personality, not features. He even uses basic Hebrew grammar to prove it.

And again, no mention of King David's hair color.

יפה תואר על בראשית רבה ס״ג:ח׳:ג׳

אדמוני אראב"כ כאלו שופך דמים. דריש מדלא אמר ויצא הראשון אדום או אדמון ואמר אדמוני משמע שזה מעשיו וכמו שנקרא שולחני חנוני וזולתם ביו"ד היחס לבסוף על מעשהו. והטעם דחזותו מוכחת עליו כי יהיה אכזרי ושופך דמים ועמ"ש בזה הרא"ם:

Yefeh To'ar on Bereshit Rabbah 63:8:3

...

Was Esau a Redhead?

Another source for the misconception comes from the story of Esau's (Esav) birth. The description of his birth in the Torah is very pointed, and it directly mentions what seems to be his features and appearance. Of course, as mentioned above, one of his descriptions is an "Admoni".

בראשית כ״ה:כ״ה

וַיֵּצֵ֤א הָרִאשׁוֹן֙ אַדְמוֹנִ֔י כֻּלּ֖וֹ כְּאַדֶּ֣רֶת שֵׂעָ֑ר וַיִּקְרְא֥וּ שְׁמ֖וֹ עֵשָֽׂו׃

Genesis 25:25

The first one emerged red, like a hairy mantle all over; so they named him Esau.

Still a work in progress...