1 Kings 1:3

1 Kings 1:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)So they sought for a fair damsel throughout all the coasts of Israel, and found Abishag a Shunammite, and brought her to the king.
• New International Version (NIV)Then they searched throughout Israel for a beautiful young woman and found Abishag, a Shunammite, and brought her to the king.
• English Standard Version (ESV)So they sought for a beautiful young woman throughout all the territory of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king.
• New King James Version (NKJV)So they sought for a lovely young woman throughout all the territory of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king.

Context of 1 Kings 1:3

1Now King David was old and advanced in age. Although they covered him with bedclothes, he could not get warm. 2So 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.” They searched for a beautiful girl throughout the territory of Israel; they found Abishag the Shunammite and brought her to the king. 4The girl was of unsurpassed beauty, and she became the king’s caregiver. She attended to him, but he was not intimate with her. 5Adonijah son of Haggith kept exalting himself, saying, “I will be king!” He prepared chariots, cavalry, and fifty men to run ahead of him.

1 Kings 1:3 word by word

וַיְבַקְשׁוּ֙ נַעֲרָ֣ה יָפָ֔ה בְּכֹ֖ל גְּב֣וּל יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וַֽיִּמְצְא֗וּ אֶת־אֲבִישַׁג֙ הַשּׁ֣וּנַמִּ֔ית וַיָּבִ֥אוּ אֹתָ֖הּ לַמֶּֽלֶךְ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• So they soughtבָּקַשׁbâqash · to seekH1245
• for a fairיָפֶהyâpheh · beautifulH3303
• damselנַעֲרָהna‛ărâh · maidenH5291
• throughout all the coastsגְּבוּלgebûl gebûl · border: areaH1366
• of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
• and foundמָצָאmâtsâ' · to findH4672
• Abishagאֲבִישַׁג'ăbîyshag · AbishagH49
• a Shunammiteשׁוּנַמִּיתshûnammîyth · ShunammiteH7767
• and broughtבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): bringH935
• her to the kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428

Cross-references for 1 Kings 1:3

• Esther 2:2The king’s personal attendants suggested, “Let a search be made for beautiful young virgins for the king.
• 1 Kings 2:17He replied, “Please speak to King Solomon since he won’t turn you down. Let him give me Abishag the Shunammite as a wife.”
• Joshua 19:18Their territory went to Jezreel, and included Chesulloth, Shunem,
• 1 Samuel 28:4The Philistines gathered and camped at Shunem. So Saul gathered all Israel, and they camped at Gilboa.
• 2 Kings 4:8One day Elisha went to Shunem. A prominent woman who lived there persuaded him to eat some food. So whenever he passed by, he stopped there to eat.

Commentaries on 1 Kings 1:3

• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-3David was seventy years old (2 Samuel 5:4–5). He was weak, likely due to years of war and stress. He needed a young person to provide warmth. This was a medical remedy also mentioned in Josephus’s Antiquities and by the Greek doctor Galen. David's weakening strength encouraged Adonijah to try to make himself king.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. a Shunammite--Shunem, in the tribe of Issachar (Jos 19:18), lay on an eminence in the plain of Esdraelon, five miles south of Tabor. It is now called Sulam. 1Ki 1:5-31. Adonijah Usurps the Kingdom.Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Kings 1:3

• Abishag
• David
• Diplomacy
• Shunammite
• Shunem

In the dictionaries

• Israel
• Israel, Israelites
• Jacob, Israel
• Abishag
• Account
• Assuredly
• Cherish
• Shunammite
• Solomon
• Adonijah

Commentaries on 1 Kings 1

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings