1 Kings 1 3

1 Kings 1:3 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.

1 Kings 1:3 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.

1 Kings 1:3 niv

Then they searched throughout Israel for a beautiful young woman and found Abishag, a Shunammite, and brought her to the king.

1 Kings 1:3 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.

1 Kings 1:3 nlt

So they searched throughout the land of Israel for a beautiful girl, and they found Abishag from Shunem and brought her to the king.

1 Kings 1 verses

1 Kings 1 3 Meaning

King David's royal advisors, acting on the recommendation to provide physical warmth and care for the aging monarch, conducted a comprehensive search across the entire territory of Israel. Their diligent quest was for a young, beautiful, and pure woman to serve as a companion and nurse for the king. This search culminated in the discovery of Abishag, a woman from the town of Shunem, who was subsequently brought into King David's presence to fulfill this role.

1 Kings 1 3 Context

The immediate context of 1 Kings 1:3 is found in the opening verses of 1 Kings. King David, by this point, is very old and frail, unable to generate sufficient body heat (1 Kgs 1:1). His servants and advisors recommend finding a "young woman, a virgin," to attend to him, "that she may cherish him and lie by his side, that my lord the king may have warmth" (1 Kgs 1:2). This verse, 1 Kings 1:3, then details the execution of this recommendation.

The broader context of 1 Kings 1 revolves around the impending death of King David and the highly contested issue of his succession. The narrative introduces David's feebleness as a catalyst for power struggles, with his son Adonijah attempting to usurp the throne. Abishag's introduction, while initially for physical comfort, becomes critically significant later in the narrative as a symbolic claim to David's throne when Adonijah seeks to marry her, prompting Solomon's decisive response (1 Kgs 2). Historically and culturally, the health and vigor of a king were often seen as reflecting the health and stability of the kingdom. The search for a "beautiful young woman" underscores not only practical needs but also royal dignity and the potential for a new "legitimizing" presence in the royal household.

1 Kings 1 3 Word analysis

• So they sought (וַיְבַקְשׁוּ - vayvakshu): From the root בָּקַשׁ (bakash), meaning "to seek," "to search diligently," "to inquire." This word conveys an active, intentional, and thorough process, indicating the seriousness and formality of the royal quest initiated by the king's servants. It suggests an official, kingdom-wide effort, not a casual observation.

• for a beautiful (יָפָה - yâphâh): The adjective yâphâh means "beautiful," "fair," or "goodly." This is a significant descriptor. Her beauty was explicitly a selection criterion. While her primary stated purpose was warmth, her beauty points to her suitability as a companion to the king, fitting for a royal context, potentially even for procreation if David had been able. This aspect contributes to the future political ramifications.

• young woman (נַעֲרָה - na'arah): This term typically refers to a maiden or a young virgin. Combined with the implicit instruction for a virgin in the preceding verse (1 Kgs 1:2), it strongly indicates that Abishag was indeed a virgin when selected. Her virginity was crucial, preventing any pre-existing claims or associations that could compromise the king's purity or succession line. In royal settings, the virginity of women chosen for a king often conferred legitimacy and indicated suitability for the royal bedchamber.

• throughout all the territory of Israel (בְּכֹל גְּבוּל יִשְׂרָאֵל - b'chol gevul Yisrael): This phrase emphasizes the scope and authority of the search. It was a nationwide effort, underscoring that King David, even in his infirmity, retained full command over his kingdom's resources and population. This widespread search also implied the expectation of finding a suitable woman from among God's people, implicitly avoiding foreign alliances or entanglements in this delicate matter.

• and found Abishag the Shunammite (אֶת־אֲבִישַׁג הַשּׁוּנַמִּית - et-Avishag haShunamit):

  • found: The diligent search was successful.
  • Abishag: A specific individual is identified. Her name will be critical later when Adonijah uses a request for her as a covert attempt to claim the throne. The naming distinguishes her from a generic "nurse" or "concubine."
  • the Shunammite: This designates her origin from Shunem, a town in the tribal territory of Issachar, near the Jezreel Valley. While no specific cultural or religious implication of Shunem is explicitly stated here regarding Abishag, the town is known later in 2 Kings as the home of the "Shunammite woman" who showed hospitality to Elisha (2 Kgs 4). It indicates a woman from the heartland of Israel, connecting her to the larger Israelite community.

• and brought her to the king (וַיָּבִאוּ אֹתָהּ אֶל־הַמֶּלֶךְ - vayavi'u otah el-haMelech): This denotes the culmination of the process and her official induction into the royal court. Her lack of personal agency in this act—she is "brought"—reflects the hierarchical nature of the court and her status as a subject appointed for royal service.

Words-group analysis:

• "sought for a beautiful young woman": This phrase highlights the multi-faceted criteria for Abishag's role. It wasn't merely about warmth, but about selecting a fitting individual of suitable age, appearance, and purity to attend a king, implicitly reflecting on the king's dignity and the nature of the royal household, which extended beyond basic caregiving to include ceremonial presence and even potential procreative capability (even if unfulfilled in David's case).
• "throughout all the territory of Israel": This phrase underscores the king's continued authority and the breadth of his domain. The search was a royal decree, enforced and executed throughout his unified kingdom, illustrating that despite his physical decline, David's power structure remained intact, even for what seemed a private, domestic matter.
• "found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king": This final sequence of actions emphasizes the effectiveness of the search, the definitive identification of the individual, and her successful placement within the royal court. It marks Abishag's entry into the biblical narrative, establishing her presence in the palace just before the succession crisis begins to unfold, setting the stage for her critical symbolic role in David's legacy and Solomon's ascendancy.

1 Kings 1 3 Bonus section

• Abishag's lack of voice: Throughout 1 Kings 1 and 2, Abishag remains completely silent. She is an object of action ("sought," "found," "brought"), a device within the narrative, and later, the subject of a political maneuver (Adonijah's request), but she never speaks a word. This highlights the position of women in the ancient Near Eastern royal courts, particularly those designated as concubines or attendants, whose agency was often limited by their roles and social status.
• The "Warming Pan" context: In ancient understanding, it was common practice to place virgins, or young healthy individuals, next to older or sick persons, believing their body heat and vitality could literally transfer and help revive or warm the ailing individual. This might seem primitive from a modern medical perspective, but it reflects an ancient method of care that was considered effective and appropriate.

1 Kings 1 3 Commentary

1 Kings 1:3 provides the pivotal outcome of the search for a suitable attendant for King David, thereby introducing Abishag into the narrative. Her entry into the royal household serves not only as a practical solution for David's comfort but also as a powerful, albeit unintended, symbol in the brewing succession crisis. The specification "beautiful young woman," combined with the context of her virginity, indicates a role beyond a mere servant; she held a status akin to a minor consort, even though David "knew her not" (1 Kgs 1:4). This physical proximity to the king and symbolic association with the royal bedchamber carried profound political weight in ancient Israel. A successor's claim to the throne was often validated by taking possession of the previous king's wives or concubines, as seen later with Absalom (2 Sam 16:21-22). Abishag's unique position, as one brought to "cherish" the king but without conjugal relations, becomes the very legal loophole or basis upon which Adonijah later tries to assert a residual claim to the kingship (1 Kgs 2:13-25). Thus, what began as a search for physical comfort becomes a crucial plot point revealing the complexities of royal power, legitimacy, and the cunning required to secure the throne.