Then they searched throughout Israel for a beautiful girl, and they found Abishag the Shunammite and brought her to the king.
Parallel translations
- WEB 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- NASB So they searched for a beautiful girl throughout the territory of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king.
- 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.
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
The servants search Israel and find Abishag, a beautiful young woman from Shunem, to care for David. She is brought to serve the failing king.
Overview
A nationwide search produces Abishag the Shunammite, chosen for her beauty to attend David. Her introduction here matters later, when Adonijah's request for her becomes a claim on the throne (1 Kings 2:13-25). The detail quietly advances the narrative's central concern with royal succession.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Josh 19:18Their territory included Jezreel, Chesulloth, Shunem,
- Esth 2:4Then let the young woman who pleases the king become queen in place of Vashti.” This suggestion pleased the king, and he acted accordingly.
- Esth 2:2Then the king’s attendants proposed, “Let a search be made for beautiful young virgins for the king,
- 2 Kgs 4:8One day Elisha went to Shunem, and a prominent woman who lived there persuaded him to have a meal. So whenever he would pass by, he would stop there to eat.
- 1 Sam 28:4The Philistines came together and camped at Shunem, while Saul gathered all Israel and camped at Gilboa.
- 1 Kgs 2:17–25Adonijah replied, “Please speak to King Solomon, since he will not turn you down. Let him give me Abishag the Shunammite as my wife.”
- 2 Kgs 4:25So she set out and went to the man of God at Mount Carmel. When the man of God saw her at a distance, he said to his servant Gehazi, “Look, there is the Shunammite woman.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 1:3 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.