They informed the king, saying, “Nathan the prophet is here.” And when he came into the king’s presence, he prostrated himself before the king with his face to the ground.
Parallel translations
- WEB They told the king, saying, “Behold, Nathan the prophet!” When he had come in before the king, he bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground.
- KJV And they told the king, saying, Behold Nathan the prophet. And when he was come in before the king, he bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground.
- BSB So the king was told, “Nathan the prophet is here.” And Nathan went in and bowed facedown before the king.
- NKJV So they told the king, saying, “Here is Nathan the prophet.” And when he came in before the king, he bowed down before the king with his face to the ground.
- NLT The king’s officials told him, “Nathan the prophet is here to see you.” Nathan went in and bowed before the king with his face to the ground.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Nathan is announced and bows low before the king. The prophet honors the throne even as he comes to counsel it.
Overview
Nathan's announced arrival and humble bow show proper respect for the king's office. As God's prophet, he approaches not to flatter but to speak truth, as he had before in David's reign. His posture models reverence joined to faithful counsel.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- 1 Pet 2:17Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.
- Rom 13:7Therefore give everyone what you owe: if you owe taxes, pay taxes; if customs, then customs; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.
- 1 Kgs 1:16Bathsheba bowed, and showed respect to the king. The king said, “What would you like?”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Solomon's glory, wisdom, and temple where God's presence dwells are a shadow of the greater Son of David — 'one greater than Solomon is here' — and of the true Temple, Christ himself.
How 1 Kings 1:23 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.