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

1King David was now very old, and no matter how many blankets covered him, he could not keep warm. 2So 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.” So they searched throughout the land of Israel for a beautiful girl, and they found Abishag from Shunem and brought her to the king. 4The girl was very beautiful, and she looked after the king and took care of him. But the king had no sexual relations with her. 5About that time David’s son Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith, began boasting, “I will make myself king.” So he provided himself with chariots and charioteers and recruited fifty men to run in front 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 2:2So his personal attendants suggested, “Let us search the empire to find beautiful young virgins for the king.
• 1 Kings 2:17He replied, “Speak to King Solomon on my behalf, for I know he will do anything you request. Ask him to let me marry Abishag, the girl from Shunem.”
• Joshua 19:18Its boundaries included the following towns: Jezreel, Kesulloth, Shunem,
• 1 Samuel 28:4The Philistines set up their camp at Shunem, and Saul gathered all the army of Israel and camped at Gilboa.
• 2 Kings 4:8One day Elisha went to the town of Shunem. A wealthy woman lived there, and she urged him to come to her home for a meal. After that, whenever he passed that way, he would stop there for something 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
• Abishag
• Account
• Assuredly
• Cherish
• Shunammite
• Solomon
• Adonijah
• Chronicles, Books of
• En-Rogel

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