1 Kings 1:4

1 Kings 1:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And the damsel was very fair, and cherished the king, and ministered to him: but the king knew her not.
• New International Version (NIV)The woman was very beautiful; she took care of the king and waited on him, but the king had no sexual relations with her.
• English Standard Version (ESV)The young woman was very beautiful, and she was of service to the king and attended to him, but the king knew her not.
• New King James Version (NKJV)The young woman was very lovely; and she cared for the king, and served him; but the king did not know her.

Context of 1 Kings 1:4

2His 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.” 3So they searched throughout Israel for a beautiful, young woman. They found Abishag from Shunem and brought her to the king. The woman was very beautiful. She became the king’s servant and took care of him, but the king did not make love to her. 5Adonijah, son of Haggith, was very handsome. His mother gave birth to him after she had Absalom. Adonijah was boasting that he was king. So he got a chariot and horses and 50 men to run ahead of him. 6His father had never confronted him by asking why he was doing this.

1 Kings 1:4 word by word

וְהַֽנַּעֲרָ֖ה יָפָ֣ה עַד־מְאֹ֑ד וַתְּהִ֨י לַמֶּ֤לֶךְ סֹכֶ֙נֶת֙ וַתְּשָׁ֣רְתֵ֔הוּ וְהַמֶּ֖לֶךְ לֹ֥א יְדָעָֽהּ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And the damselנַעֲרָהna‛ărâh · maidenH5291
• veryמְאֹדme'ôd · muchH3966
• fairיָפֶהyâpheh · beautifulH3303
• and cherishedסָכַןsâkan · be usefulH5532
• the kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
• and ministeredשָׁרַתshârath · to ministerH8334
• knewיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045

Cross-references for 1 Kings 1:4

• Matthew 1:25He did not have marital relations with her before she gave birth to a son. Joseph named the child Jesus.

Commentaries on 1 Kings 1:4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4The king knew her not - The maxim of Bacon in his enigmatical cure is, "Take all you can from the medicine, but give nothing to it; if you give any thing, it increases the disease and hastens death." I have seen this abundantly verified; but it is a subject on which it would be improper to dilate except in a medical work. An extract from Friar Bacon's Cure of Old Age may be found at the end of the chapter.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-53The book of 1 Kings begins with the Lord's promise to David (see 2 Samuel 7:11–16). Solomon was the rightful and God-chosen heir to what God gave his father David. The problems during Solomon's rise to power suggested there would be more troubles later in his reign and between Israel and Judah in the future(1 Kings 1:1–2:46; 11:12–43).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-4Commentary by Robert Jamieson 1Ki 1:1-4. Abishag Cherishes David in His Extreme Age. 1-2. Now king David was old--He was in the seventieth year of his age (2Sa 5:4, 5). But the wear and tear of a military life, bodily fatigue, and mental care, had prematurely, if we may say it, exhausted the energies of David's strong constitution (1Sa 16:12). In modern Palestine and Egypt the people, owing to the heat of the climate, sleep each in a "separate" bed. They…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Kings 1:4

• Abishag
• Beauty
• David
• Diplomacy

In the dictionaries

• Abishag
• Account
• Assuredly
• Cherish
• Solomon
• Adonijah
• Chronicles, Books of
• En-Rogel
• Kings, Books of
• Nathan (1)

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