1 Kings 1:4 kjv
And the damsel was very fair, and cherished the king, and ministered to him: but the king knew her not.
1 Kings 1:4 nkjv
The young woman was very lovely; and she cared for the king, and served him; but the king did not know her.
1 Kings 1:4 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.
1 Kings 1:4 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.
1 Kings 1:4 nlt
The girl was very beautiful, and she looked after the king and took care of him. But the king had no sexual relations with her.
1 Kings 1 4 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Kgs 1:1 | Now King David was old, advanced in years. And though they... cold. | David's extreme age and inability to retain warmth. |
| 1 Kgs 2:15 | And he said, "You know that the kingdom was mine... turned about..." | Adonijah acknowledges the kingship divinely intended for Solomon. |
| Gen 4:1 | Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived... | Illustrates "knew" as a euphemism for sexual intimacy. |
| Gen 19:8 | ...these men have not known any man; let me bring them out to you... | Another example of "knowing" in a sexual context. |
| Num 31:17-18 | kill every woman who has known man by lying with him, but save... | Distinguishes between virgins and sexually experienced women. |
| Judg 21:11-12 | ...save every virgin who has not known man by lying with him. And... | Specifies "known" in the context of sexual purity. |
| Matt 1:25 | ...and knew her not till she had given birth to a son. | Joseph and Mary's relationship, confirming "knowing" as intimacy. |
| 2 Sam 3:7 | Now Saul had had a concubine whose name was Rizpah... | Concubines tied to king's status, possession signifying power. |
| 2 Sam 12:8 | I gave you your master’s wives into your arms... | Wives/concubines of king symbolically represented royal power. |
| 2 Sam 16:21-22 | Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Go in to your father’s concubines... | Absalom claiming David's concubines to assert kingship. |
| 1 Kgs 2:13 | Then Adonijah... came to Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon. And she | Adonijah initiates his fatal request for Abishag. |
| 1 Kgs 2:14-25 | ...please ask King Solomon—for he will not refuse you—to give me... | Adonijah's request for Abishag interpreted as a claim to the throne. |
| 1 Sam 2:35 | And I will raise up for myself a faithful priest...walk before my | Prophecy of God raising a faithful leader (foreshadows Solomon). |
| 1 Chr 22:9-10 | ...His name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet... | God's promise to David about Solomon's peaceful reign. |
| Ecc 12:1-7 | Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before... | Describes the physical decline in old age, echoing David's state. |
| Job 14:1-2 | Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble... | Humanity's fragility and transient nature. |
| Gen 24:67 | Then Isaac brought her into the tent of Sarah his mother and... | Wives providing comfort and solace to their husbands. |
| Psa 71:9 | Do not cast me off in the time of old age; forsake me not when... | Plea for God's presence in declining years. |
| Isa 46:4 | Even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you... | God's faithfulness even in old age, contrast with human frailty. |
| 1 Tim 5:2 | The older women as mothers, younger women as sisters... | The appropriate conduct with older/younger people. |
| Lev 18:6 | None of you shall approach anyone in his own flesh to uncover... | Laws against illicit sexual relations; setting boundaries. |
| Lev 20:11 | If a man lies with his father’s wife... | Reinforces prohibition against sexual relations with a father's wife/concubine. |
| Heb 4:15 | For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize... | Sympathy and care (context of Christ, speaks to "ministering"). |
| Eph 5:28 | In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own... | Marriage as a relationship of knowing and care (contrast David). |
1 Kings 1 verses
1 Kings 1 4 Meaning
1 Kings 1:4 describes Abishag the Shunammite, a young woman chosen for her great beauty to attend to the aging King David. Her primary roles were to minister to him and provide warmth. Crucially, despite her intimate proximity and devoted service, the verse explicitly states that King David had no sexual relations with her. This highlights David's extreme physical decline and sets the stage for the transition of power, underscoring that his personal reign was concluding, and a new era, led by Solomon, was at hand.
1 Kings 1 4 Context
First Kings chapter 1 opens at a critical juncture in Israelite history: the advanced age and severe physical decline of King David. His inability to stay warm, despite many covers, signifies his overall waning strength and vigor. This immediate problem leads to the search for a young woman to serve as a companion and a physical source of warmth. Abishag the Shunammite is selected for this role. Her introduction in verse 4 establishes her exceptional beauty and her attentive service, while definitively clarifying the nature of her relationship with David – one of platonic care rather than conjugal intimacy. This detailed preamble to David's death is essential for understanding the political intrigues and struggles for succession that follow, particularly Adonijah's attempted usurpation of the throne before Solomon's appointed coronation. Historically, David's advanced age marked the culmination of Israel's golden age under his leadership, foreshadowing a complex transition of power.
1 Kings 1 4 Word analysis
- But: A conjunction that introduces a contrasting or qualifying statement, here highlighting a transition from David's frail condition to Abishag's youthful qualities.
- the young woman: הַנַּעֲרָה (hanna'arah). Refers specifically to Abishag. The Hebrew "na'arah" indicates a young maiden, often implying virginity. Her youth and purity are essential to her designated role as a source of warmth and her political neutrality for the succession narrative.
- was very beautiful: יָפָה מְאֹד (yafah m'od). "Yafah" translates to beautiful or comely, and "me'od" is an emphatic adverb meaning "very" or "exceedingly." This emphasized beauty made her a suitable choice for a king, yet it is notable that this physical attribute was not utilized for sexual gratification in David's weakened state.
- and she was very useful to the king, and ministered to him: The Hebrew תְּשָׁרְתֵהוּ (t'shar'tehu), derived from the root שָׁרַת (sharat), means "she ministered to him" or "served him." This emphasizes her active, personal, and dedicated role in attending to David's needs and comfort, providing continuous care. It signifies a role of high trust and close physical attendance, crucial for an ailing monarch.
- but the king knew her not: וְהַמֶּלֶךְ לֹא יְדָעָהּ (v'hammelech lo' y'da'ah). "Yada'" (יָדַע), "to know" in Hebrew, commonly refers to sexual intimacy in biblical narrative. The strong negative particle "lo'" (לֹא) explicitly states that David had no sexual relations with Abishag. This vital detail confirms David's severe physical decline and ensures that Abishag's status remained uncompromised by marital or concubinage ties.
- the young woman...very beautiful; and she was very useful to the king, and ministered to him: This phrase group cumulatively describes Abishag's suitability and dedicated actions. Her external loveliness, combined with her attentive caregiving, highlights her fitness for royal service, specifically in a role that transcended marital expectations due to the king's physical state.
- but the king knew her not: This concluding clause is the linchpin of the verse's meaning. It directly establishes David's physical impotence and draws a crucial distinction about Abishag's non-consort status. This factual detail becomes pivotal later, preventing Adonijah from claiming the throne through acquiring "royal property" associated with the previous king, and legitimizing Solomon's swift action.
1 Kings 1 4 Bonus section
The biblical account of Abishag reflects David's complete human vulnerability in his final days, emphasizing that even God's most favored king was subject to physical decline. This detail about Abishag is less about her personal story and more about its instrumental role in the divine narrative of kingship transfer. Her character implicitly serves as a poignant reminder that human plans and desires (like David's inability to warm himself or Adonijah's ambitious grasp for power) ultimately conform to God's sovereign will, leading to Solomon's predestined accession to the throne. Her untainted state, underscored by "knew her not," becomes symbolic of a purity that clarifies the rightful heir.
1 Kings 1 4 Commentary
First Kings 1:4 introduces Abishag the Shunammite as an embodiment of youthful vitality placed in direct contrast with the fading vigor of King David. Her beauty was undeniable, but her service was purely practical – providing warmth and dedicated care. The emphatic declaration that "the king knew her not" (in the biblical sense of sexual intimacy) serves multiple critical purposes. First, it poignantly highlights David's extreme physical incapacitation and underscores the necessity of a leadership transition, marking the clear end of an era. Second, this lack of intimate relationship establishes Abishag's unique status within the royal household, preventing her from becoming a concubine or wife, whose "possession" would have carried symbolic weight for succession. This fact becomes foundational for Solomon's decisive action against Adonijah's later attempt to claim her, which Solomon correctly interpreted as a direct claim to the throne itself. Thus, a seemingly simple medical remedy holds profound theological and political implications for the continuity of God's covenant kingship.