Outline of Chapter 1:

Introduction

         vv.     1–4           Keeping King David Warm in His Old Age

         vv.     5–10         Adonijah Proclaims Himself King

         vv.    11–14         Nathan Allies Himself with Bathsheba

         vv.    15–21         Bathsheba Speaks with King David about Adonijah

         vv.    22–27         Nathan Speaks with King David about Adonijah

         vv.    28–31         King David Renews His Promise to Bathsheba

         vv.    32–37         King David Tells his Inner Circle what Must be Done

         vv.    38–40         Solomon is Made King, as per David’s Instructions

         vv.    41–48         Jonathan Tells Adonijah and His Crew about the Coronation of Solomon

         vv.    49–53         Adonijah is Terrified of Solomon/Solomon Pardons Him

Addendum

Charts, Graphics and Short Doctrines:

         Preface               Quotations

         Introduction         The Principals of 1Kings 1

         Introduction         The Prequel of 1Kings 1

         Introduction         The Abbreviated Timeline of the Kings

         Introduction         MacLaren’s Synopsis of 1Kings 1

         Introduction         Flemming’s Synopsis of 1Kings 1

         Introduction         Matthew Henry Outlines 1Kings 1

         Introduction         Alternative Outline by Peter Pett

         Introduction         Kukis’ Alternate Outline for 1Kings 1

         Introduction         The Purpose of the Old Testament

         v.       1              Peter Pett’s Chiasmos of 1Kings 1:1–4

         v.       1              Proverbs 3:1–2 (graphic)

         v.       2              The Purpose of Seeking a Young Woman for David

         v.       3              Abishag Perfume

         v.       3              The Village of Shunem

         v.       3              Friar Bacon’s method of restoring and strengthening the Natural Heat

         v.       4              Davi e Abishag by Pedro Américo de Figueiredo e Melo (a painting)

         v.       4              Why Does God Allow Illness and a Slow Decline at the End of our Lives?

         v.       5              Peter Pett’s Organization of 1Kings 1:5–28

         v.       5              Single Parent Statistics

         v.       5              Office of the President Elect (photo)

         v.       5              The Doctrine of Leadership

         v.       5              Leadership Integrity from building Character

         v.       5              Solomon is to be King over all Israel

         v.       6              The Bible on Raising Children

         v.       7              The Doctrine of Abiathar

         v.       7              Speculating Why Abiathar Followed and Supported Adonijah

         v.       8              The Shimei’s of Scripture

         v.       8              Summarizing What We Know About Those For and Against Adonijah

         v.       8              Adonijah’s Weaknesses

         v.      11              Why Nathan Goes to Bathsheba

         v.      11              Nathan’s Link to Bathsheba

         v.      11              Why Solomon will build the Temple of God rather than David

         v.      13              Summarizing David’s Oath to Bathsheba

         v.      15              David, Bathsheba and Abishag (a graphic)

         v.      15              David, Bathsheba and Abishag (a second graphic)

         v.      24              Nathan and Bathsheba Speak to David about Adonijah

         v.      26              3 Versions of the Adonijah Coronation

         v.      27              A summary of what Nathan says to David

         v.      29              Peter Pett’s Organization of 1Kings 1:29–40

         v.      31              Bas Relief Sculpture of King Jehu Bowing to the King of Assyria (graphic)

         v.      32              Who Will Sit on David’s Throne (a graphic)

         v.      33              Fausset and ISBE on Gihon

         v.      33              Keil and Delitzsch on Gihon

         v.      34              David’s Plan to Make Solomon King

         v.      35              Parallels Between Solomon and our Lord

         v.      36              Scholars on the Word “Amen”

         v.      38              Israel, Horses and Mules

         v.      39              The Oil of Anointing is not from the Tabernacle

         v.      39              The Anointing of Solomon (a graphic)

         v.      39              1Kings 1:39 (a graphic)

         v.      40              Similar Passage: 1Chronicles 22

         v.      40              Similar Passage: 1Chronicles 28

         v.      41              Peter Pett’s Organization of 1Kings 1:41–53

         v.      42              The Wives and Family of King David

         v.      45              Nathan the Prophet

         v.      48              Notable Blessings Directed toward God

         v.      48              Jonathan and his Message to Adonijah and his Supporters

         v.      48              3 Versions of Solomon’s Coronation

         v.      49              Lessons from the Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

         v.      50              Adonijah Seizes the Horns of the Altar (a graphic)

         v.      50              Commentators on Adonijah Seizing the Horns of the Altar

         v.      51              The Oath in the Economy of Israel

         v.      53              Adonijah bows before Solomon (a graphic)

         Addendum          Why 1Kings 1 is in the Word of God

         Addendum          What We Learn from 1Kings 1

         Addendum          Josephus’ History of this Time Period

         Addendum          Edersheim Summarizes 1Kings 1

         Addendum          A Complete Translation of 1Kings 1

         Addendum          Word Cloud from a Reasonably Literal Paraphrase of 1Kings 1

         Addendum          Word Cloud from Exegesis of 1Kings 1

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An Introduction to 1Kings 1

I ntroduction: 1Kings 1–2 is about the first orderly transfer of power for the kingdom of Israel. David had to assume power, and there was war and political intrigue involved in his taking power, even though both Saul and Jonathan recognized that he would be the next king of Israel. There is no specific systematic way set up in Scripture for the transfer of royal power. Israel was first set up with a theocracy, but with a few principles of guidance in the Mosaic Law to allow for a king. However, since Israel will exist as a nation for nearly 400 years without a king, it would have made little sense to outline a procedure for this in the Pentateuch.

Adonijah appears to be the next in line to become king, when it comes to age. He is the oldest remaining son of David (we do not know about Chileab, who is actually older). However, that approach has been the tradition among men, but not a procedure which is set in stone. David has promised Bathsheba that her oldest son, Solomon, will be the next king of Israel—and Nathan the prophet is apparently aware of this promise (1Kings 1:13), as is Solomon (we would assume). However, this was never formally announced by King David to the public, which accounts for Joab and Abiathar taking sides with Adonijah while David is sick in bed.

Few of us like to face our own mortality—even those of us who believe in God and in His redeeming grace. In this chapter, David will have to face the fact that he is dying, and what happens to Israel after his death will be in his hands—in his weak and dying hands (at least in this chapter). David must face his own mortality and act forcefully and decisively, in order to make the right man king over Israel.

There is a lot which has gone on in David’s later years which is only alluded to, but not clearly recorded as historical events. David clearly spent time teaching his son Solomon (and probably Solomon’s brothers); and much of this teaching makes up the book of Proverbs. So there are about 7 years of unrecorded history at the end of the reign of David, during which time, he taught and guided the sons of Bathsheba—something which he had not done for his other sons. Because of this inculcation of Bible doctrine from an early age, Solomon was trained and qualified to be the next king of Israel.

While David is on what most believe to be his deathbed, Adonijah decides to simply assume the reigns of power, allying himself with Abiathar the priest and with Joab, the commander of David’s army, and then staging his own coronation event (1Kings 1:5–10). He does this specifically apart from those who are closest to King David (he does not invite Solomon or Zadok the priest or Nathan the prophet to this coronation). He does not invite nor does he inform King David. Quite obviously, Adonijah never consults David about becoming king.

Nathan recognizes that this is a problem, and he contacts Bathsheba in order to straighten things out (which implies that he knows that David promised her that Solomon would be the next king).

Most of this chapter takes place over a period of perhaps 4–8 hours.

In the larger sense, this is a very good beginning chapter to the book of kings, because within it is a bad “king” and a good king, which pretty much describes all the kings of Israel which follow David.

Dummelow writes: This chapter relates Adonijah's attempt to obtain the succession, its defeat through the agency of Nathan, and the enthronement of Solomon. The history contained in it is omitted in 1Chronicles, where, however, mention is made of Solomon's having been crowned not once only but twice. However, the details of the crowning the surrounding intrigue are missing from the Chronicles.

Coffman: This chapter gives an intimate glance into the intrigues, hatreds and deceptions which invariably came about from the godless custom of ancient kings and their harems of concubines and wives in constant competition with one another.

There are a number of commentaries with incorrect interpretations of what occurs in this chapter. This misinformation will be cleared up in the extensive commentary which follows.

Whereas the book of Samuel had a huge number of alternate readings (most of them inconsequential); the same is not true of the book of Kings.

Matthew Henry: David, as recorded in 1Sam. 24, had, by the grace of God, escaped the sword of the destroying angel. But our deliverances from or through diseases and dangers are but reprieves; if the candle be not blown out, it will burn out of itself. We have David here sinking under the infirmities of old age, and brought by them to the gates of the grave.

——————————

Keeping King David Warm in His Old Age

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:                       Note: I compare the Hebrew text to English translations of the Latin, Syriac and Greek texts, using the Douay-Rheims translation ; George Lamsa’s translation, and Sir Lancelot Charles Lee Brenton’s translation as revised and edited by Paul W. Esposito, respectively. I often update these texts with non-substantive changes (e.g., you for thou, etc.). I often use the text of the Complete Apostles’ Bible instead of Brenton’s translation, because it updates the English text.

The Septuagint was the earliest known translation of a book (circa 200 b.c.). Since this translation was made before the textual criticism had been developed into a science and because different books appear to be translated by different men, the Greek translation can sometimes be very uneven.

When there are serious disparities between my translation and Brenton’s (or the text of the Complete Apostles’ Bible), I look at the Greek text of the Septuagint (the LXX) to see if a substantive difference actually exists (and I reflect these changes in the English rendering of the Greek text). I use the Greek LXX with Strong’s numbers and morphology available for e-sword. The only problem with this resource (which is a problem for similar resources) is, there is no way to further explore Greek verbs which are not found in the New Testament. Although I usually quote the Complete Apostles’ Bible here, I have begun to make changes in the translation when their translation conflicts with the Greek and note what those changes are.

The Masoretic text is the Hebrew text with all of the vowels (vowel points) inserted (the original Hebrew text lacked vowels). We take the Masoretic text to be the text closest to the original. However, differences between the Masoretic text and the Greek, Latin and Syriac are worth noting and, once in a great while, represent a more accurate text possessed by those other ancient translators.

In general, the Latin text is an outstanding translation from the Hebrew text into Latin and very trustworthy (I say this as a non-Catholic). Unfortunately, I do not read Latin—apart from some very obvious words—so I am dependent upon the English translation of the Latin (principally, the Douay-Rheims translation).

Underlined words indicate differences in the text.

Bracketed portions of the Dead Sea Scrolls are words, letters and phrases lost in the scroll due to various types of damage. Underlined words or phrases are those in the Dead Sea Scrolls but not in the Masoretic text.

I will only list the translation from the Dead Sea Scrolls if it exists and if it is different from the Masoretic text.

Ancient texts:

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And the king, David, was old; he went in the days. And so they cover him in garments and so he does not become warm to him.

Dead Sea Scrolls                   There are barely a handful of contiguous words here and there in the entire 1^st chapter of Kings in the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Latin Vulgate                          Now king David was old, and advanced in years: and when he was covered with clothes he was not warm.

Peshitta (Syriac)                    NOW King David was old and well advanced in years; and they covered him with clothes, but he could not get warm.

Septuagint (Greek)                And King David was old and advanced in days, and they covered him with clothes, and he was not warmed.

Significant differences:           Advanced in years appears to be a reasonable understanding of the Hebrew.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

Common English Bible           David and Abishag

King David had become very old. His servants covered him with blankets, but he couldn't stay warm.

Contemporary English V.       King David was now an old man, and he always felt cold, even under a lot of blankets.

Easy English                          How Solomon became king

King David was now a very old man. He could not keep warm, although his servants covered him with blankets.

Easy-to-Read Version            King David was very old. He could not keep warm. His servants covered him with blankets, but he was still cold.

Good News Bible (TEV)         King David was now a very old man, and although his servants covered him with blankets, he could not keep warm.

The Message                         King David grew old. The years had caught up with him. Even though they piled blankets on him, he couldn't keep warm.

New Century Version             Adonijah Tries to Become King

At this time King David was very old, and although his servants covered him with blankets, he could not keep warm.

New Life Bible                        Now King David was old. He had lived many years. They covered him with clothes, but he could not keep warm.

New Living Translation           David in His Old Age

King David was now very old, and no matter how many blankets covered him, he could not keep warm.

The Voice                               King David was now an old man with an epic lifetime behind him. Lying in his bed, he became chilled; so his servants tried to warm him with blankets. It did no good-the years were catching up with this great king.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          Now, King David had grown very old, and even when they wrapped him in [heavy] clothes he couldn't get warm.

Beck’s American Translation King David was old—far along in his years. Although he was covered with blankets, he couldn’t keep warm.

Christian Community Bible     David’s last years

King David was already a very old man who could no longer keep warm even in very thick clothing.

International Standard V        Adonijah's Attempted Coup

When David had grown very old, they covered him with blankets, but he could not keep warm, 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 [Lit. lie in your lap] so that your majesty may keep warm.” V. 2 is included for context.

New American Bible (2011)              David's Old Age.

When King David was old and advanced in years, though they covered him with blankets he could not get warm. [1:1-11:43] The story of the reign of Solomon comprises twelve major units, organized concentrically. That is, the first unit (1:1-2:12a) balances the last (11:26-43), the second (2:12b-46) balances the second last (11:14-25), and so forth. (See the structural notes at the beginning of each major unit.) The center of the whole story is a diptych that narrates the construction of the Temple (6:1-7:51) and its dedication (8:1-9:10).

[1:1-2:12a] The first major unit of the Solomon story concludes the so-called Succession Narrative (2 Sm 9-20; 1 Kgs 1-2). This unit tells how Solomon, a younger son, came to succeed David on the throne of Israel through the intervention of the prophet Nathan. Compare the last unit of the Solomon story, 11:26-43, where the prophet Ahijah begins the process whereby Jeroboam becomes king of the northern tribes after Solomon's death. The story of Solomon's accession is itself concentrically arranged: David's decline, Adonijah's rise, Solomon's supporters, David's decision, Solomon's inauguration, Adonijah's fall, David's death. Chronicles has no developed parallel to this story (see 1 Chr 23:1).

NIRV                                      Adonijah Makes Himself King

King David was now very old. He couldn't keep warm even when blankets were spread over him.

New Jerusalem Bible             King David was now a very old man, and though wrapped in bedclothes he could not keep warm.

Revised English Bible            King David was now a very old man, as, though they wrapped clothes round him, he could not keep warm.

Today’s NIV                          Adonijah Sets Himself Up as King

When King David was very old, he could not keep warm even when they put covers over him.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Ancient Roots Translinear      King David came to his old days. They covered him with a cloak, and none rutted with him. Central-Jordan transgressed with Israel after the death of Ahab. I do not know why this 2^nd sentence is here.

Bible in Basic English             Now King David was old and far on in years; and though they put covers over him, his body was cold.

The Expanded Bible              Adonijah Tries to Become King

At this time King David was ·very old [^Lold and advanced in years], and although his servants covered him with ·blankets [bedclothes], he could not keep warm.

Ferar-Fenton Bible                 (b.c. 1015)          David Grows Old and Helpless

King David grew old and advanced in years, and they covered him with clothing, but he felt no warmth, so his officers said to him, Let us seek for your Majesty a young maiden, and let her attend the king, and be -a. nurse and lie at your breast, and warm your Majesty. V. 2 is included for context.

NET Bible®                             Adonijah Tries to Seize the Throne

King David was very old [Heb "was old, coming into the days" (i.e., advancing in years).]; even when they covered him with blankets [Or "garments."], he could not get warm. When it comes to making an actual material change to the text, the NET Bible® is pretty good about indicating this. Since most of these corrections will be clear in the more literal translations below and within the Hebrew exegesis itself, I will not continue to list every NET Bible® footnote.

NIV, ©2011                             Adonijah Sets Himself Up as King

When King David was very old, he could not keep warm even when they put covers over him.

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           King David grew old, the years took their toll, and he couldn't get warm even when they covered him with bedclothes.

exeGeses companion Bible   DAVID AGES

Sovereign David ages - stricken in days;

they cover him with clothes, and he has no heat:...

JPS (Tanakh—1985)               King David was now old, advanced in years; and though they covered him with bedclothes, he never felt warm.

Orthodox Jewish Bible           Melachim Alef 1

Now HaMelech Dovid was zaken and stricken in yamim; and they covered him with begadim, but he could get no warmth.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

The Amplified Bible                And King David was old and advanced in years; they covered him with [bed]clothes, but he could not get warm.

English Standard Version      Now King David was old and advanced in years. And although they covered him with clothes, he could not get warm.

The Geneva Bible                  Now king David was old [He was about 70 years old, ( 2 Samuel 5:4 ). ] [and] stricken in years; and they covered him with clothes, but he gat no heat [For his natural heat was worn away with travels.]. The Argument - Because the children of God should expect no continual rest and quietness in this world, the Holy Spirit sets before our eyes in this book the variety and change of things, which came to the people of Israel from the death of David, Solomon, and the rest of the kings, to the death of Ahab. Declaring that flourishing kingdoms, unless they are preserved by Gods protection, (who then favours them when his word is truly set forth, virtue esteemed, vice punished, and concord maintained) fall to decay and come to nothing as appears by the dividing of the kingdom under Rehoboam and Jeroboam, who were one people before and now by the just punishment of God were made two. Judah and Benjamin were under Rehoboam, and this was called the kingdom of Judah. The other ten tribes held with Jeroboam, and this was called the kingdom of Israel. The king of Judah had his throne in Jerusalem, and the king of Israel in Samaria, after it was built by Omri Ahabs father. Because our Saviour Christ according to the flesh, comes from the stock of David, the genealogy of the kings of Judah is here described, from Solomon to Joram the son of Jehoshaphat, who reigned over Judah in Jerusalem as Ahab did over Israel in Samaria.

Green’s Literal Translation    And King David was old, going into days. And they covered him with garments, for he had no heat.

Kretzmann’s Commentary    Adonijah Attempts to Seize the Kingdom

Now, King David was old and stricken in years, advanced in days, being about seventy years old at that time; and they covered him with clothes, but he gat no heat. The extraordinary cares and overexertions of his earlier years had sapped his strength and weakened his resistance, so that his blood no longer had the power to warm him; his vital powers were so chilled and enfeebled that the thickest of covers did not give him warmth.

NASB                                     David in Old Age

Now King David was old, advanced in age; and they covered him with clothes, but he could not keep warm.

New King James Version       Adonijah Presumes to Be King

Now King David was old, advanced in years; and they put covers on him, but he could not get warm.

New RSV                               King David was old and advanced in years; and although they covered him with clothes, he could not get warm.

Third Millennium Bible            Now King David was old and stricken in years; and they covered him with clothes, but he got no heat.

Young’s Updated LT             And king David is old, entering into days, and they cover him with garments, and he has no heat.

The gist of this verse:          David has become old and his body is no longer generating heat as it should.

Translation: Now King David had become old, [having] advanced in years. This book begins with the word and, which is a conjunction and it is often used to tie things together. This and (which is often translated now) ties this book, which begins with the history of King Solomon, to the previous book, Samuel, which ends with David in power. In this chapter, King David is still in power, except that he has grown old.

There are about 7 years between the end of 2Samuel and this chapter of 1Kings.

Peter Pett: The `and' with which the book begins is clearly intended to link the book to the earlier books. The writer wanted it to be seen that he was carrying on the sacred history of YHWH. And he commenced his narrative by describing the events which established the kingship of Solomon, the one whom God especially loved (2Samuel 12:24-25), as David's life was coming to its close. But there is no direct continuation of any previous incident in Samuel.

The author of Kings is clearly different than the author of Samuel. David is called, literally, the King David. This designation for David is found 17 times in the entire book of 2Samuel and 9 times in the entire book of Chronicles; on the other hand, the King David is found 10 times in this first chapter of Kings alone. This emphasis suggests a different author altogether. This emphasis also indicates that, in God’s eyes, David is still king over all Israel, regardless of what Adonijah, his son, does.

We do not know exactly what went through the heads of those who wrote Scripture. Moses, at the very end of his life, spoke with great authority, and he appeared to understand, in the book of Deuteronomy, that he was speaking for God. However, in the 3 previous books, this does not appear to be the case at all, where Moses is very careful to differentiate between his words, God’s words and narrative. He knows, in those books, that he needs to preserve God’s words; and that some context ought to be given them; but it is unclear whether Moses ever thought, until the end of his life, that he was actually writing Scripture.

Christian theology has come up with a marvelous definition for the inspiration of Scripture: Biblical inspiration may be defined as human authors wrote as moved by the Holy Spirit, so that, without waving their human intelligence, their vocabulary, their personal feelings, their literary style, their personality, their environmental influences or their individuality, they recorded God’s complete and connected message to man with perfect accuracy in the original languages of Scripture, the very words bearing the authority of divine authorship. The is known as the verbal, plenary view of inspiration.

When this writer of Kings wrote, people believed that some of their writings were inspired by God—although they may have had difficulty defining exactly what the means—but it is not clear that this author began to record the history of Solomon that he appreciated that he was writing the Word of God.

This fact ought not to confuse us. We are all engaged in the Angelic Conflict, although most Christians do not really know what that means and how our lives are a part of the Angelic Conflict. Even believers with some knowledge of the plan of God do not fully appreciate their role in it. For instance, how can I write a check for $1000 and chunk it into the offertory plate, and it means nothing; while some goofy teen can haul a crinkled dollar out of his pocket and put it into the plate, and it means something? My point being, we do not fully comprehend all that goes on in this life; and there are realities that God keeps from us, which we would no doubt find to be quite disturbing (do you want to be able to see the demons who want to destroy you?).

It is not as if this approach to life is goofy. We all breathe and we all eat—and we all use the same mouth for air as for food, and yet these things go down a whole different path. Some of us know a little biology and we have an inkling how this works; most of us do not give this a second thought—we eat, we breathe—and we do not spend even a second thinking about, how does this happen; how did this all come about? The very fact that we can walk, drive, play piano, guitar and type is something that we give very little thought to; but the mechanics are complex beyond our ability to understand, and yet we just do them. So it is with the Christian life—we learn the mechanics and we go ahead and engage in the Christian walk, even though we may not fully appreciate all that is really going on.

My point in this is, the writer may have no interest in doing anything except writing down an accurate accounting of the final days of David, and to provide information about King Solomon’s reign. If someone was to look over his shoulder and tell him, “Dude, you are writing Scripture;” he would probably look up and say, “I would never be that presumptuous to even think such a thing. I am merely recording the events in the reign of Solomon.”

This does not mean that we go through life completely ignorant, acting and reacting, and then dying and finding out what it was all about. The believer is given the option of learning what his life is all about. He is given the opportunity to make a difference with his life. And having a life of meaning and impact is not difficult, particularly in the Church Age. The first thing we do is believe in Jesus Christ; then we learn how to get back into fellowship (we name our sins to God when we sin—1John 1:9); and we learn Bible doctrine (which is probably what you are doing right now). We will not know every single detail of what life is all about—just as we will never fully appreciate how it is that we walk from point A to point B—but we will be allowed to have lives of meaning and purpose.

Now, back to that first word, the wâw conjunction: did the author know that he was writing Scripture, and therefore used this word to continue where Samuel left off? I think not. This word can also be translated now, and I believe that is how it ought to be translated. However, on the one hand, where I do not believe that the human author (or editor) realized that he was recording the Word of God; the Holy Spirit obviously knows this, and the Holy Spirit co-authors Scripture (that is not really the right word for it, but it will work temporarily). So the Holy Spirit knows that this continues the book of Samuel, and therefore, ought to begin with the wâw conjunction.

So, already, we have fully covered the first word of this book. Now let’s look into David’s age:

2Sam. 5:4–5 David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. At Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and at Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years. Therefore, David is about 70 years old, and he is old. This passage, by the way, appears to be a gloss taken from 1Kings 2:11 (And the time that David reigned over Israel was forty years. He reigned seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.—ESV).

Prior to this, the word old (whether used as a verb or as a descriptor) had only been applied to men who were 80 years or older (Gen. 18:11 24:1 Joshua 13:1 23:1). However, man’s age seems to have reached an overall lower age upward limit, and, apart from David, Solomon, and Manasseh, no king of Israel lived past 60.

We all become old at different times. David was around 70 years old in this chapter and it will become clear to him that he is old and dying, and that there will be no recovery on the horizon.

You may recall that Abraham, Moses, Caleb and Joshua were older and stronger at the end of their lives. You may remember Caleb’s testimony near the end of his life: "Now then, just as the Lord promised, he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the wilderness. So here I am today, eighty-five years old! I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I'm just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. (Joshua 14:1–11; ISV)

Jamieson, Fausset and Brown: 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.

David, although a great man of war, had apparently not been altogether healthy all of his life. There are several psalms written by David which suggest that he went through periods of time where he was very ill (Psalm 6 22 32 38). These periods of time are not found recorded in Samuel or Chronicles. In fact, apart from this chapter in Kings, there is nothing in Samuel, Kings or Chronicles to ever suggest that David was ever sick. This is reasonable. When recording the history of a great king, it would not seem right to speak of him as sickly. However, David himself would teach spiritual principles through his weakness and occasional ill health.

One of the important issues of this chapter is, even though David is old and bed-ridden, God still has a plan for his life. There are several important things remaining in his life to do before he checks out. In fact, there are a couple of chapters in Chronicles where David clearly takes an active role in setting up his son Solomon as king.

Therefore, it is easy to read this chapter and think that David is here on his deathbed, and that he will not recover. And, whereas this is true, to some degree, he will also have his good days; and there will be times he has to speak before his people, and he will do so with the power of Holy Spirit and the authority of his royal office.

Since I am nearly to being ready to classify myself as having reached old age, it occurred to me a year or so ago, that I really have a limited time on this earth, and that I needed to focus on the work in these commentaries. There is only a limited time that I have left on this earth; therefore, there is only a limited amount of work that I can do. There was another project which I enjoyed doing, but it took so much time and was so very temporal in nature; and I realized that I needed to put that aside in order to work on these commentaries.

I have thought that I need to do a doctrine on the arc of one’s life, from youth to old age, as the Bible has a number of examples of this, David being one of the most conspicuous. We see him from the age of perhaps 13 or 16, on up to the point of this chapter, where he is perhaps 70.

Many commentators make a big deal out of David’s age and suggest that he is old because of some kind of hard-living or sinning or whatever.

Arno Gaebelein: David was about 70 years old and extremely feeble. The strenuous life he had led, the exposures and hardships of his youth, the cares and anxieties of his reign, and the chastenings through which he passed on account of his great sin, and much else were responsible for this enfeebled condition. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary makes a similar comment: After the oppressive splendor of his heroic youth and manhood there was no dewy twilight of honored peace. We see him in a somewhat pitiable decrepitude...But the decrepitude of David was exceptional. He was drained of all his vital force. He took to his bed, but though they heaped clothes upon him he could get no warmth..[the vision of] David in his unloved and disgraced decline.

It is as if these commentators were so shocked by David’s behavior that they could not wait to come to David’s end, at which point, they would pile on to the extreme.

Certainly, David had made mistakes and he sinned. Furthermore, as a military man and king, he had a strenuous life from time to time (particularly from youth toward middle age). However, we are not complete victims of our environment or of our own actions. Throughout history, life spans have decreased and then increased. There is probably a lot more to a person’s genetic makeup than anything else. I’ve known many people my age who look about the same as me; and many who look quite aged. I know some former students who look my age. A great deal of that is hereditary, I can assure you. In other words, making judgments on David’s life—saying that his sin with Bathsheba, for instance, caused premature aging, is quite silly. Some people are old at age 70 (David’s age) because that is what their genetics dictate.

Solomon will live to about age 60, which suggests that genetics is key to their ages.

Almost nothing is said of David’s health throughout Samuel, Kings and Chronicles, apart from this one passage. However, there were several occasions where David suffered illnesses which were quite debilitating (see Psalm 22 32 38, for example). Some illnesses, combined with a person’s heredity, can result in a person growing old at age 60, 65 or 70.

However, there is some modification to the length of a person’s life, and that is related to Bible doctrine. Bible doctrine is the source of happiness, a longer life, and a more peaceful and pleasant existence. Happinesses to

the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold. She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace [and prosperity]. She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called blessed (Prov. 3:13-18). True humility and respect for the Lord lead a man to riches, honor, and long life. (Prov. 22:4; The Living Bible) My son, do not forget my law, but let your heart keep my commands, for they shall add length of days and long life and peace to you (Prov. 3:1–2; Green’s literal translation). Oh my son, hear and receive my sayings, and the years of your life shall be many (Prov. 4:10; Green’s literal translation). Everyone has a life length relative to his genetics and life experiences. Given all of this information, it may be likely that you will die at age 55; however, God’s Word in your soul extends your life to 65.

Proverbs 3:1–2 (graphic); from Blogspot; accessed June 29, 2014.

Yet, no matter what, there will come a time when God will call for each one of us. We might be in relatively good health, and we may be at the tail-end of a lengthy illness. But there is a point at which there is no more service which we may render; and for the unbeliever, there will be time after which he can no longer change his mind. If his heart is turned against the grace of God for every moment of breath, then after that last breath comes the judgment. Furthermore, it ought to be logical—despite the horrible suffering of pain—that if a person throughout his life rejects Jesus Christ and all that God is willing to give, that person would certainly not want to spend the rest of eternity with Jesus Christ the Son and with God the Father.

Translation: His palace staff [lit., they] covered him with garments,... This verse does not tell us who they is. More than likely, this would be palace staff rather than Bathsheba or any of his sons, given what they do next. They round up a young tart to put into David’s bed with him. This does not sound like something his wife or sons would think to do.

Translation: ...but did not warm for him. This is an interesting verb here, which means to be [become] warm (or, hot); to be angry; to be warm with sexual desire.

Dr. Thomas Constable: In view of David's symptoms, he may have suffered from arteriosclerosis.

I did a little searching on the internet to try to determine what illness might come with this primary symptom. However, nearly all of the illnesses which feature chills also come with fevers and night sweats—symptoms not named here. The precise body thermostat is thrown out of whack by most of the illnesses that I looked at, and this thermostat malfunction cause uncomfortable temperature shifts. However, that is not the case here. Hyperthermia is suggested, which simply means that David got chilled from the temperature (which could happen in that era in Jerusalem); and he cannot seem to get his normal body temperature back. Several tick-borne diseases may cause chills. Some suggested irritable bowel syndrom, with chills as one of the side-effects. Others experienced chills with a urinary tract infection. However, in the short amount of time I devoted to researching this particular topic, nothing really stood out. If you choose to study this, the symptoms are chills, possibly compounded by old age, along possibly with lethargy; but this is a disease a person can recover from. David will appear to recover.

You may not realize this, but blankets do not make you warm. Warm clothes do not make you warm. Your body makes you warm. Your body is a heat-making machine, so that when you become cold, your body has a thermostat which sets the temperature at 98.5°F, and it does everything that it can to maintain that temperature. When you start to get cold, your body manufactures heat. Now, when it is cold, and you are in warm clothing or under a mound of blankets, your body is what makes you warm. It builds up heat, that heat is captured by your clothing or blankets, and it comes back to you. This is why, when you share a bed with your spouse, it is even warmer, because there are two heat-producing machines under the same covers (as Solomon later asks: If two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone?—Eccles. 4:11; ESV).

I recall as a very young person where I did not understand these principles. At that time, various types of sleeping bags and coats came out made of Nylon and down and they were quite lightweight. Not understanding that it is the body that produces heat, and “warm” clothes trapped the heat, I was skeptical as to how such lightweight material could provide warmth.

David’s body is not producing enough of this heat. Generally speaking, that has to do with circulation, and your body is not properly circulating the blood throughout your body, which also carries carefully regulated heat throughout your body.

The body has both ways to produce heat and ways to remove heat. Depending upon movement and the kind of clothing worn, the body is generally able to easily maintain a core temperature of very close to 98.5°F (37°C), when the ambient temperature is anywhere from 50–120°F (give or take). David would have several problems—his activity is low, so his body produces less heat. His genes are not being easily transformed into chemical energy and he is not oxidizing his fat as he once did. His metabolism is certainly quite low. The body is an amazing creation, and often, even with all of those things being true, a person is still able to maintain a normal body temperature. So there is very possibly something else going on in David’s body as well. There is a complex interplay of bodily functions which both produce and throw off heat, the result being maintaining that normal core temperature.

This complex interplay in David’s body is not working right. Very likely, he is shivering (which is one way the body produces heat), but it is not even enough heat to maintain a comfortable core temperature when under warm blankets.

If this topic interests you, see first How Does the Human Body Regulate Temperature? This will open up a Word document on your computer.

 Psalm 139:13-14 tells us: For You [God] formed my inward parts; You knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are Your works; my soul knows it very well. (ESV; capitalized)

No one is able to duplicate the human body. Even when we duplicate certain portions of the body (like the knee or whatever), we are never able to come anywhere close to doing what God does.

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Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And so say to him his servants, “They will seek for my adoni the king a girl, a virgin and she has stood to faces of the king and she is to him an attendant and she has laid down on your bosom and he has become warm my adoni the king.”

Latin Vulgate                          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.

Peshitta (Syriac)                    Wherefore his servants said to him, Behold, your servants are before you, let them seek for our lord the king a young virgin; and let her wait upon the king, and let her minister to him, and let her lie in your bosom, that our lord the king may get warm.

Septuagint (Greek)                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.

Significant differences:           The Syriac had an additional phrase at the beginning. The other translations understand what is said to function as a jussive. However, I do not find that in the Hebrew.

The Latin and Greek appear to have cherish instead of attend to. The Greek leaves out the king’s bosom (chest).

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

Common English Bible           They said to him, "Allow us to find a young woman for our master the king. She will serve the king and take care of him by lying beside our master the king and keeping him warm."

Contemporary English V.       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."

Easy English                          His servants said to him, `Let us find a young woman to stay with you and to take care of you. She will lie close to you so that you can keep warm.'

Good News Bible (TEV)         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."

The Message                         So his servants said to him, "We're going to get a young virgin for our master the king to be at his side and look after him; she'll get in bed with you and arouse our master the king."

New Century Version             They said to him, "We will look for a young woman to care for you. She will lie close to you and keep you warm."

New Life Bible                        So his servants said to him, "Let a young woman who has never had a man be found for my lord the king. Let her help the king and become his nurse. And let her lie in your arms, that my lord the king may be 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."

The Voice                               Servants (to David): ² Allow us to find a beautiful, young woman for you, our lord and king. She can be a nurse to you and keep you warm by lying next to you.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          So his servants said: 'Have them search for a young virgin girl for the king, to wait on him, treat him well, and lie with him. that will keep him warm.'

Beck’s American Translation His men told him, “A young unmarried girl should be found for my lord the king who will wait on the king, take are of him, and lie in your arms, and so my lord the king will get warm.”

Christian Community Bible     So his servants said to him, “They should get for my lord king a virgin girl to attend the king and nurse him. She could sleep with you, my lord king, and make you feel warm.”

New Advent (Knox) Bible       And now David had grown old, and so chilled with age that there was no warming him by heaping coverlets on his bed; so his attendants asked leave of him to go and find a young maid, who should be brought to the court and cherish him by sleeping in his bosom, to give their royal master warmth. V. 1 is included for context.

New American Bible (2011)   His servants therefore said to him, "Let a young virgin be sought to attend my lord the king [The fulsome use of royal titles and the elaborate etiquette in the Succession Narrative suggest the raw ambition of the contending parties and the oppressive atmosphere of the court.], and to nurse him. If she sleeps with you, my lord the king will be warm."

NIRV                                      So his servants spoke to him. They said, "You are our king and master. Please let us try to find a young virgin to help you. She can take care of you. She can lie down beside you. Then you can keep warm."

New Jerusalem Bible             So his servants said to him, 'Let us find a young girl for my lord the king, to wait on the king and look after him; she will lie close beside you and this will keep my lord the king warm.'

New Simplified Bible              His servants 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.«

Revised English Bible            His attendants said to him, ‘Let us find a young virgin for your majesty, to attend you and take care of you; and let her lie n your arms, sir, and make you warm.’

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Bible in Basic English             So his servants said to him, Let search be made for a young virgin for my lord the king, to take care of him and be waiting on him; and you may take her in your arms, and so my lord the king will be warm.

The Expanded Bible              They said to him, "·We will look for [Let us find] a young woman to ·care for you [^Lserve/wait on my lord the king]. She will lie ·close to you [^Lin your bosom] and keep you warm."

HCSB                                     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."

NET Bible®                             His servants advised [Heb "said to."] him, "A young virgin must be found for our master, the king ["let them seek for my master, the king, a young girl, a virgin." The third person plural subject of the verb is indefinite (see GKC 460 §144.f). The appositional expression, "a young girl, a virgin," is idiomatic; the second term specifically defines the more general first term (see IBHS 230 §12.3b).], to take care of the king's needs [Heb "and she will stand before the king." The Hebrew phrase "stand before" can mean "to attend; to serve" (BDB 764 s.v. עָמַד).] and serve as his nurse. She can also sleep with you [Heb "and she will lie down in your bosom." The expression might imply sexual intimacy (see 2 Sam 12:3 [where the lamb symbolizes Bathsheba] and Mic 7:5), though v. 4b indicates that David did not actually have sex with the young woman.] and keep our master, the king, warm [Heb "and my master, the king, will be warm."]."

NIV, ©2011                             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."

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           His servants said to him, "Let us try to find a young virgin for my lord the king. She can wait on the king and be a companion for him, and she can lie next to you, so that my lord the king will get some heat.".

exeGeses companion Bible   ...so his servants say to him,

We seek a virgin lass for my adoni the sovereign

to stand at the face of the sovereign

to become acquainted with him - to lie in his bosom

so that my adoni the sovereign heats up.

JPS (Tanakh—1985)               His courtiers said to him, “Let a young virgin be sought for my lord the king, to wait upon Your Majesty and be his attendant [Meaning of Heb. uncertain.]; and let her lie in your bosom, and my lord the king will be warm.”

Judaica Press Complete T.    And his servants said to him, "Let them seek for my lord the king a young girl, a virgin, and she shall stand before the king, and she shall be to him a warmer, and she shall lie in your lap, and it shall be warm for my lord the king."

Orthodox Jewish Bible           Wherefore his avadim said unto him, Let there be sought for adoni HaMelech a na'arah betulah; and let her stand before HaMelech, and let her care for him, and let her lie at thy kheyk (bosom), that adoni HaMelech may be warm.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

The Amplified Bible                So his servants [the physicians [Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 14, 3.]] said to him, Let there be sought for my lord the king a young virgin, and let her wait on and be useful to the king; let her lie in your bosom, that my lord the king may get warm.

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

Context Group Version          Therefore his slaves said to 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 your bosom, that my lord the king may get heat.

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."

Green’s Literal Translation    And his servants said to him, Let them seek out a young woman for my lord the king, a virgin, and she shall stand before the king, and be a nurse to him, and lie in your bosom, and my lord the king shall have heat.

Kretzmann’s Commentary    Wherefore his servants said unto him, Let there be sought for my lord the king a young virgin, literally, "a young woman, a virgin," and let her stand before the king, as a servant and nurse, and let her cherish him, be his constant attendant, and let her lie in thy bosom, this manner of warming chilled and enfeebled bodies by contact with young, vigorous, full-blooded bodies being advocated in ancient times, that my lord the king may get heat. This was the only object of this arrangement, which must be looked upon from the standpoint of the time, when polygamy, especially in the case of kings, was altogether in order.

NASB                                     So his servants said to him, "Let them seek a young virgin for my lord the king, and let her attend [Lit stand before] the king and become his nurse; and let her lie in your bosom, that my lord the king may keep warm."

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 RSV                               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.'

World English Bible                Therefore 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 cherish him; and let her lie in your bosom, that my lord the king may keep warm.

Young’s Updated LT             And his servants say to him, “Let them seek for my lord the king a young woman, a virgin, and she has stood before the king, and is to him a companion, and has lain in your bosom, and my lord the king has heat.”

The gist of this verse:          David’s palace staff suggest that a young woman be found, and that she would generate heat next to David.

Translation: His servants said to him, “They will seek out a young woman for my lord the king... David has an entire network of servants. There are those who attend to him there; and those which can be sent out to do things. It is clear by observation that David is cold, and that no amount of blankets and clothing is warming him. They are not asking King David’s permission here; they are simply saying that already some men have been dispatched to find a young woman (not necessarily but probably a virgin) for King David.

Quite obviously, David has a reputation, and he has many wives. It does not appear that he took any wives after Bathsheba; but it is unknown the sort of relationship that David had with his other wives after Bathsheba. He has 4 sons by Bathsheba, and it is clear, by the book of Proverbs, that David has taken a close interest in the raising of Solomon—and, very likely—in the raising of the other sons. Now, in the past, David would go from one wife to another wife, sire a child, and then more on to another wife. It is not clear that David goes back to any of these wives at any point in time; and nothing is plainly said about additional children being born from these mothers (although, it appears that they did bear additional children).

If I were to make an educated guess, it would be that David stopped having sex with his other wives (or, very nearly stopped having sex with them) and stayed with Bathsheba. Bathsheba has 4 sons; we do not hear of David fathering sons by any of the other wives (although, at some point, he did—we just do not know whether this happened before or after Bathsheba).

There is information in this chapter which suggests that Bathsheba has become his close confidant. Other wives do not appear to take part in any of his decision making. There is obviously important decisions made throughout this chapter—some of the last that David will make—and they involve Solomon his son and Bathsheba his wife. So, even if there was no exclusivity at first, at the very least, David and Bathsheba appear to form a partnership more like a marriage than David had had with his other wives.

As for this virgin who is brought in, we can certainly conjecture that she may have been brought in to warm David up at night with sex; but that did not happen. Her body was used to provide warmth for him, but his temperature appeared to remain below normal.

Bathsheba has to interact with David after this young woman is brought in, and it is apparent that there is no drama which is a result of jealousy or rivalry. If I were to guess, based upon the interaction between David and Bathsheba in this chapter, that a very close bond had developed; and that Bathsheba was not worried about David being unfaithful to her. Whatever the case, that does not appear to be an issue at any time in this chapter.

Do not misunderstand me in this analysis. If you read much of the Samuel exegesis, you know that I am not a Davidic apologist, making attempts to justify his every act. I think here, there is no evidence of wrongdoing and no evidence that Bathsheba suspects wrongdoing.

Translation: ...and she will stand before the king [as a servant]... The verb here means to take a stand, to stand, to remain, to endure, to withstand; to stop; and with the rest of what follows, this means that this woman would become David’s servant; that she would attend to him, and see to all of his needs.

David clearly has all of his wits about him. However, his body is clearly shutting down, and not maintaining the proper temperature.

Translation: ...and she will be his nurse [and attendant]. Her position is more carefully explained using the feminine singular, Qal active participle of çâkan (סָכַן) [pronounced saw-KAHN], which means an associate, a friend; a female friend; an attendant; a nurse. Strong’s #5532 BDB #698. So, despite David’s close relationship with Bathsheba, these men have suggested another woman come in to attend to him.

This is not out of the ordinary. People who were rich 100 years ago in England had those who dressed them, made food for them, and saw to all of their various needs. It was not that they could not dress themselves; it was just what was done. So a woman who would be David’s close personal servant is called for.

There is the suggestion that this relationship might involve sex, and this is in hopes of warming David up. This is being done by David’s servants and not necessarily by his direction. No one has asked David’s permission to do this.

Translation: She will lie upon your chest... Then David’s servants become more explicit. The word used here can refer to sexual relations; but they are not necessarily sexual relations. One of her services will be to lie next to the king, who is very cold. She will provide the heat that his body is not making.

There is the suggestion that this relationship might involve sex in the word that is used, and this is in hopes of warming David up. However, that is certainly not a given with this word.

Translation: ...and it will be warmed, my lord the king.” The verb here is a masculine singular rather than a feminine singular. It simply means that his chest will be warmed; or David will be warmed; rather than, the woman would warm him.

L. M. Grant asks the question, why isn’t David warmed by one of his wives? This is certainly a worthwhile question. Let me first offer a theory—David is not regularly sleeping with his first wives. He may or may not be sleeping with Bathsheba, as we do not know the customs of that time. However, at this point, he is clearly cold, and no amount of covering is enough for him. Let me point out that it is not David who is making this request; this is at the direction of those who are with him during this time of sickness.

What seems to be the case is, someone—even a physician perhaps—thought that a young, nubile body is just what David needs. It is likely that they were expecting that David would engage in sex with such a young woman, and that this would revitalize him.

What is done far too often by critics of Scripture is, they find a passage like this, and conclude, so God wants old men to be warmed up by sex with a nubile? Does that sound holy to you? What people actually did and what God wants people to do are often two different things, which fact is abundantly clear to anyone who knows a little about the Bible. We understand a passage like this to be descriptive and not prescriptive. This is really what happened.

So, what are we supposed to get out of this? (1) David, despite the beauty of this young waif, does not have sex with her. We know in the book of Chronicles that David did recover from this illness, because he gives two power speeches after this day; but there is no indication that he ever had relations with this woman. This suggests a complete recovery from sexual arrogance (HTML) (PDF) (WPD). (2) This passage also gives us background and explains why Adonijah is not executed in this chapter, but is in the next chapter. Without this brief passage, his execution in 1Kings 2 (HTML) (PDF) (WPD) would confuse us.

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Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:

Masoretic Text (Hebrew)        And so they seek a young woman attractive in all territory of Israel and so they find Abishag the Shunammite and so they bring her to the king.

Latin Vulgate                          So they sought a beautiful young woman, in all the coasts of Israel and they found Abisag, a Sunamitess, and brought her to the king.

Peshitta (Syriac)                    So they sought for a beautiful maiden throughout all the territory of Israel, and found Abishag a Shilommite, and brought her to the king.

Septuagint (Greek)                So they sought out a lovely young woman out of all the coasts of Israel; and they found Abishag the Shunammite, and they brought her to the king.

Significant differences:           None.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

Common English Bible           So they looked in every corner of Israel until they found Abishag from Shunem. They brought her to the king.

Contemporary English V.       They looked everywhere in Israel until they found a very beautiful young woman named Abishag, who lived in the town of Shunem. They brought her to David, and she took care of him. But David did not have sex with her. V. 4 is included for context.

Easy English                          They looked all over *Israel for a beautiful girl. They found Abishag from Shunem and they brought her to the king.

Easy-to-Read Version            So the king’s servants began looking everywhere in the country of Israel for a beautiful young woman to keep the king warm. They found a girl named Abishag. She was from the city of Shunem. They brought the young woman to the king.

Good News Bible (TEV)         A search was made all over Israel for a beautiful young woman, and in Shunem they found such a woman named Abishag, and brought her to the king.

The Message                         So they searched the country of Israel for the most ravishing girl they could find; they found Abishag the Shunammite and brought her to the king.

New Century Version             After searching everywhere in Israel for a beautiful young woman, they found a girl named Abishag from Shunam and brought her to the king.

The Voice                               So David's servants looked throughout Israel for a beautiful, young woman. During their search, they found a Shunammite girl named Abishag, and they escorted her to the king.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          So, they searched for a pretty young woman throughout the borders of IsraEl; and they found AbiSag the Somanite, and they brought her to the king.

Beck’s American Translation They looked for beautiful girl in the whole country of Israel. They found Abishag of Shunem and brought her to the king.

International Standard V        So they conducted a search throughout the territory of Israel for a beautiful young woman, and Abishag the Shunammite was located and brought to the king.

New Advent (Knox) Bible       And of all the fair maids in Israel they chose out one, Abisag from Sunam, who was brought into the king's presence; a fair maid indeed, who now shared the king's bed and waited on him, yet never did the king mate with her. V. 4 is included for context.

NIRV                                      So David's servants looked all over Israel for a beautiful young woman. They found Abishag. She was from the town of Shunem. They brought her to the king.

New Jerusalem Bible             Having searched for a beautiful girl throughout the territory of Israel, they found Abishag of Shunem and brought her to the king.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Bible in Basic English             So after searching through all the land of Israel for a fair young girl, they saw Abishag the Shunammite, and took her to the king.

The Expanded Bible              After searching everywhere in Israel for a beautiful young woman, they found a girl named Abishag from Shunam and brought her to the king.

Ferar-Fenton Bible                 They therefore sought for the fairest girl in all the bounds of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunarn-ite, and brought her to the king.

NET Bible®                             So they looked through all Israel [Heb "through all the territory of Israel."] for a beautiful young woman and found Abishag, a Shunammite, and brought her to the king.

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           After looking through all of Isra'el's territory for a beautiful girl, they found Avishag the Shunamit and brought her to the king.

exeGeses companion Bible   So they seek a beautiful lass

throughout all the borders of Yisra El;

and find Abi Shag a Shunemiyth

and bring her to the sovereign:...

Judaica Press Complete T.    And they sought a beautiful young girl throughout the borders of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunemitess and brought her to the king.

Orthodox Jewish Bible           So they sought for a na'arah yafeh throughout all the territory of Yisroel, and found Avishag HaShunammit, and brought her to HaMelech.

The Scriptures 1998              And they sought for a lovely young woman in all the border of Yisraʼĕl, and found Aisha the Shunammite, and brought her to the sovereign.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

Emphasized Bible                  So they sought a fair young woman, throughout all the bounds of Israel,—and found Abishag, the Shunammite, and brought her in, unto the king.

English Standard Version      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.

The Geneva Bible                  So they sought for a fair damsel throughout all the coasts of Israel, and found Abishag a Shunammite [A city in the tribe of Issachar, ( Joshua 19:18 ).], and brought her to the king.

Kretzmann’s Commentary    So they sought for a fair damsel throughout all the coasts of Israel, and found Abishag, a Shunammite, of Shunem, a city in the Plain of Jezreel, near the foot of the Little Hermon, and brought her to the king, her relation to him being looked upon as that of a wife.

New King James Version       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.

New RSV                               So they searched for a beautiful girl throughout all the territory of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king.

Third Millennium Bible            So they sought for a fair damsel throughout all the region of Israel, and found Abishag, a Shunammite, and brought her to the king.

World English Bible                So they sought for a beautiful young lady throughout all the borders of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king.

Young's Literal Translation     And they seek a fair young woman in all the border of Israel, and find Abishag the Shunammite, and bring her in to the king.

The gist of this verse:          A young woman, Abishag the Shunammite, was found, and she was brought to David.

Translation: So they sought for a young, attractive woman throughout all the territory of Israel... The servants of David were attempting to find a woman who was both young and attractive. The idea was to heat up David. Based upon the woman being young and attractive, it is very likely that at least some of David’s palace staff sought a woman with whom he would have sex. However, that would not occur.

Recall that David did have 10 mistresses, so the king taking a mistress was not out of the ordinary. However, she continued only in the capacity of a nurse and companion.

If one questions the value of her attractiveness, then one does not understand men. Of course a man would prefer an attractive women waiting on him; and, after all, this is David, the king.

As Matthew Poole writes: [her] beauty might engage his affections, and refresh his spirits, and...might communicate some of her natural heat to him, as was designed. Again, the warming would have occurred as a result of her body in close proximity to his.