1 Kings 1:2
New International Version
So his attendants said to him, “Let us look for a young virgin to serve the king and take care of him. She can lie beside him so that our lord the king may keep warm.”

New Living Translation
So his advisers told him, “Let us find a young virgin to wait on you and look after you, my lord. She will lie in your arms and keep you warm.”

English Standard Version
Therefore his servants said to him, “Let a young woman be sought for my lord the king, and let her wait on the king and be in his service. Let her lie in your arms, that my lord the king may be warm.”

Berean Standard Bible
So his servants said to him, “Let us search for a young virgin for our lord the king, to attend to him and care for him and lie by his side to keep him warm.”

King James Bible
Wherefore his servants said unto him, Let there be sought for my lord the king a young virgin: and let her stand before the king, and let her cherish him, and let her lie in thy bosom, that my lord the king may get heat.

New King James Version
Therefore his servants said to him, “Let a young woman, a virgin, be sought for our lord the king, and let her stand before the king, and let her care for him; and let her lie in your bosom, that our lord the king may be warm.”

New American Standard Bible
So his servants said to him, “Have them search for a young virgin for my lord the king, and have her attend the king and become his nurse; and have her lie on your chest, so that my lord the king may keep warm.”

NASB 1995
So his servants said to him, “Let them seek a young virgin for my lord the king, and let her attend the king and become his nurse; and let her lie in your bosom, that my lord the king may keep warm.”

NASB 1977
So his servants said to him, “Let them seek a young virgin for my lord the king, and let her attend the king and become his nurse; and let her lie in your bosom, that my lord the king may keep warm.”

Legacy Standard Bible
So his servants said to him, “Let them seek a young virgin for my lord the king, and let her stand before the king and become his nurse; and let her lie in your bosom, that my lord the king may keep warm.”

Amplified Bible
So his servants said to him, “Let a young virgin be found for my lord the king and let her attend him and become his nurse; let her lie against your chest, so that my lord the king may feel warm.”

Christian Standard Bible
So his servants said to him, “Let us search for a young virgin for my lord the king. She is to attend the king and be his caregiver. She is to lie by your side so that my lord the king will get warm.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
So his servants said to him: “Let us search for a young virgin for my lord the king. She is to attend the king and be his caregiver. She is to lie by your side so that my lord the king will get warm.”

American Standard Version
Wherefore his servants said unto him, Let there be sought for my lord the king a young virgin: and let her stand before the king, and cherish him; and let her lie in thy bosom, that my lord the king may get heat.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
His Servants said to him: “Behold your Servants before you will seek our Lord the King a virgin girl and she shall stand before the King and she shall be a Servant for him and she will lie down in your bosom and she will warm our Lord the King.”

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And his servants said, Let them seek for the king a young virgin, and she shall wait on the king, and cherish him, and lie with him, and my lord the king shall be warmed.

Contemporary English Version
His officials said, "Your Majesty, we will look for a young woman to take care of you. She can lie down beside you and keep you warm."

Douay-Rheims Bible
His servants therefore said to him: Let us seek for our lord the king, a young virgin, and let her stand before the king, and cherish him, and sleep in his bosom, and warm our lord the king.

English Revised Version
Wherefore his servants said unto him, Let there be sought for my lord the king a young virgin: and let her stand before the king, and cherish him; and let her lie in thy bosom, that my lord the king may get heat.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
His officials told him, "Your Majesty, let us search for a young woman who has never been married. She can stay with you and be your servant. She can lie in your arms and keep you warm."

Good News Translation
So his officials said to him, "Your Majesty, let us find a young woman to stay with you and take care of you. She will lie close to you and keep you warm."

International Standard Version
so his servants suggested to him, "Let's look for a young virgin woman to take care of you, your majesty. She will be of use to you if you have her lie down near you so that your majesty may keep warm."

JPS Tanakh 1917
Wherefore his servants said unto him: 'Let there be sought for my lord the king a young virgin; and let her stand before the king, and be a companion unto him; and let her lie in thy bosom, that my lord the king may get heat.'

Literal Standard Version
and his servants say to him, “Let them seek [for] a young woman, a virgin, for my lord the king, and she has stood before the king, and is a companion to him, and has lain in your bosom, and my lord the king has heat.”

Majority Standard Bible
So his servants said to him, “Let us search for a young virgin for our lord the king, to attend to him and care for him and lie by his side to keep him warm.”

New American Bible
His servants therefore said to him, “Let a young virgin be sought to attend my lord the king, and to nurse him. If she sleeps with you, my lord the king will be warm.”

NET Bible
His servants advised him, "A young virgin must be found for our master, the king, to take care of the king's needs and serve as his nurse. She can also sleep with you and keep our master, the king, warm."

New Revised Standard Version
So his servants said to him, “Let a young virgin be sought for my lord the king, and let her wait on the king, and be his attendant; let her lie in your bosom, so that my lord the king may be warm.”

New Heart English Bible
Therefore his servants said to him, "Let there be sought for my lord the king a young virgin. And let her attend the king, and care for him; and let her lie in your bosom, that my lord the king may keep warm."

Webster's Bible Translation
Wherefore his servants said to him, Let there be sought for my lord the king a young virgin: and let her stand before the king, and let her cherish him, and let her lie in thy bosom, that my lord the king may get heat.

World English Bible
Therefore his servants said to him, “Let a young virgin be sought for my lord the king. Let her stand before the king, and cherish him; and let her lie in your bosom, that my lord the king may keep warm.”

Young's Literal Translation
and his servants say to him, 'Let them seek for my lord the king a young woman, a virgin, and she hath stood before the king, and is to him a companion, and hath lain in thy bosom, and my lord the king hath heat.'

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Abishag Cares for David
1Now King David was old and well along in years, and though they covered him with blankets, he could not keep warm. 2So his servants said to him, “Let us search for a young virgin for our lord the king, to attend to him and care for him and lie by his side to keep him warm.” 3Then they searched throughout Israel for a beautiful girl, and they found Abishag the Shunammite and brought her to the king.…

Cross References
1 Kings 1:1
Now King David was old and well along in years, and though they covered him with blankets, he could not keep warm.

1 Kings 1:3
Then they searched throughout Israel for a beautiful girl, and they found Abishag the Shunammite and brought her to the king.

Esther 2:2
Then the king's attendants proposed, "Let a search be made for beautiful young virgins for the king,


Treasury of Scripture

Why his servants said to him, Let there be sought for my lord the king a young virgin: and let her stand before the king, and let her cherish him, and let her lie in your bosom, that my lord the king may get heat.

Deuteronomy 10:8
At that time the LORD separated the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to minister unto him, and to bless in his name, unto this day.

1 Samuel 16:21,22
And David came to Saul, and stood before him: and he loved him greatly; and he became his armourbearer…

2 Chronicles 29:11
My sons, be not now negligent: for the LORD hath chosen you to stand before him, to serve him, and that ye should minister unto him, and burn incense.

Genesis 16:5
And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the LORD judge between me and thee.

Deuteronomy 13:6
If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers;

2 Samuel 12:3
But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter.

get heat

Ecclesiastes 4:11
Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone?

Jump to Previous
Attend Bosom Care Cherish Companion Heat Lie Maiden Nurse Seek Servants Sought Stand Virgin Wait Warm Wherefore Young
Jump to Next
Attend Bosom Care Cherish Companion Heat Lie Maiden Nurse Seek Servants Sought Stand Virgin Wait Warm Wherefore Young
1 Kings 1
1. Abishag cherishes David in his extreme age
5. Adonijah, David's darling, usurps the kingdom
11. By the council of Nathan
15. Bathsheba moves the king
22. And Nathan seconds her
28. David renews his oath to Bathsheba
32. Solomon, by David's appointment,
38. being anointed king by Zadok and Nathan, the people triumph
41. Jonathan bringing the news, Adonijah's guests fly
50. Adonijah, flying to the horns of the altar, is dismissed by Solomon














Verse 2. - Wherefore [Heb. and] his servants [according to Josephus (Antiq. 7:14, 3), his physicians] said unto him, Let there be sought [lit. as marg., "let them seek"] for my lord the king [the singular pronoun is used as representing the servant who was spokesman for the rest] a young virgin [marg., "a damsel, a virgin." She must be young, to impart heat, and a virgin, as befitted a king. Though she was recommended as a nurse, they would naturally suppose she might be taken as a concubine] and let her stand before the king [i.e., as servant (Ver. 4). Cf. 1 Kings 12:6, 8; Genesis 41:46; Daniel 1:5; Deuteronomy 1:38 (with Joshua 1:1) 1 Kings 10:8. In the East, servants still stand and wait their masters' pleasure. Cf. 2 Kings 5:25], and let her cherish him [So also the LXX., καὶ ἔσται αὐτὸν θάλπουσα. But Gesenius, al, "be a companion to him"] and let her lie in thy [or "his," LXX. αυτοῦ, Vulg. sue] bosom [the expression is generally, but not invariably (see 1 Kings 3:20; Ruth 4:16) used de complexu venereo] that my lord the king may get heat. [This close embrace of youth was an obvious way of imparting animal heat to age ("Color a corpore juvenili ac sane maxime prodest senibus." Grotius), and was the more favoured because other and internal remedies were not then known. It is recognized by Galen, and is said to have been prescribed by a Jewish physician to the Emperor Frederick Bar-baressa (Bahr). It is stated by Roberts that it is still largely followed in the East.]

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
So his servants
עֲבָדָ֗יו (‘ă·ḇā·ḏāw)
Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 5650: Slave, servant

said
וַיֹּ֧אמְרוּ (way·yō·mə·rū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 559: To utter, say

to him,
ל֣וֹ (lōw)
Preposition | third person masculine singular
Strong's Hebrew

“Let us search for
יְבַקְשׁ֞וּ (yə·ḇaq·šū)
Verb - Piel - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 1245: To search out, to strive after

a young
נַעֲרָ֣ה (na·‘ă·rāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 5291: A girl, maiden

virgin
בְתוּלָ֔ה (ḇə·ṯū·lāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 1330: A virgin, sometimes, a bride

for our lord
לַאדֹנִ֤י (la·ḏō·nî)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 113: Sovereign, controller

the king,
הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ (ham·me·leḵ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4428: A king

to attend
וְעָֽמְדָה֙ (wə·‘ā·mə·ḏāh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 5975: To stand, in various relations

to
לִפְנֵ֣י (lip̄·nê)
Preposition-l | Noun - common plural construct
Strong's 6440: The face

[him]
הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ (ham·me·leḵ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4428: A king

and
וּתְהִי־ (ū·ṯə·hî-)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive imperfect Jussive - third person feminine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

care
סֹכֶ֑נֶת (sō·ḵe·neṯ)
Verb - Qal - Participle - feminine singular
Strong's 5532: To be familiar with, to minister to, be serviceable to, be customary

for him
ל֖וֹ (lōw)
Preposition | third person masculine singular
Strong's Hebrew

and lie
וְשָׁכְבָ֣ה (wə·šā·ḵə·ḇāh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 7901: To lie down

by his side
בְחֵיקֶ֔ךָ (ḇə·ḥê·qe·ḵā)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 2436: The bosom

{to keep} him
לַאדֹנִ֥י (la·ḏō·nî)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 113: Sovereign, controller

warm.”
וְחַ֖ם (wə·ḥam)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 2552: To be or become warm


Links
1 Kings 1:2 NIV
1 Kings 1:2 NLT
1 Kings 1:2 ESV
1 Kings 1:2 NASB
1 Kings 1:2 KJV

1 Kings 1:2 BibleApps.com
1 Kings 1:2 Biblia Paralela
1 Kings 1:2 Chinese Bible
1 Kings 1:2 French Bible
1 Kings 1:2 Catholic Bible

OT History: 1 Kings 1:2 Therefore his servants said to him Let (1Ki iKi i Ki 1 Kg 1kg)
1 Kings 1:1
Top of Page
Top of Page