Bathsheba bowed facedown in homage to the king and said, “May my lord King David live forever!”
Parallel translations
- WEB Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the earth, and showed respect to the king, and said, “Let my lord king David live forever!”
- KJV Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the earth, and did reverence to the king, and said, Let my lord king David live for ever.
- NKJV Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the earth, and paid homage to the king, and said, “Let my lord King David live forever!”
- NASB Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the ground, and prostrated herself before the king and said, “May my lord King David live forever.”
- NLT Then Bathsheba bowed down with her face to the ground before the king and exclaimed, “May my lord King David live forever!”
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
Bathsheba bows in gratitude and blesses David with long life. Her response shows relief and honor toward the king.
Overview
Bathsheba responds to David's decree with deep reverence and the customary blessing, 'Let my lord King David live forever.' Her words express both thanks and loyalty as the crisis turns toward resolution. The courtly blessing underscores the honor due the king who has acted to keep his oath.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Dan 2:4Then the astrologers answered the king in Aramaic, “O king, may you live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will give the interpretation.”
- Dan 5:10Hearing the outcry of the king and his nobles, the queen entered the banquet hall. “O king, may you live forever!” she said. “Do not let your thoughts terrify you, or your face grow pale.
- Dan 3:9saying to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, may you live forever!
- Heb 12:9Furthermore, we have all had earthly fathers who disciplined us, and we respected them. Should we not much more submit to the Father of our spirits and live?
- Neh 2:3and replied to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should I not be sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”
- Matt 21:37Finally, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.
- Dan 6:21Then Daniel replied, “O king, may you live forever!
- Esth 3:2All the royal servants at the king’s gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman, because the king had commanded that this be done for him. But Mordecai would not bow down or pay homage.
- 1 Kgs 1:25For today he has gone down and sacrificed an abundance of oxen, fattened calves, and sheep, and has invited all the sons of the king, the commanders of the army, and Abiathar the priest. And behold, they are eating and drinking before him, saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’
- Dan 6:6So the administrators and satraps went together to the king and said, “O King Darius, may you live forever!
- 2 Sam 9:6And when Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he fell facedown in reverence. Then David said, “Mephibosheth!” “I am your servant,” he replied.
- Eph 5:33Nevertheless, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
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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 1:31 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
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