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.
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.
- BSB Then they searched throughout Israel for a beautiful girl, and they 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 border was to Jezreel, Chesulloth, Shunem,
- Esth 2:4and let the maiden who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.” The thing pleased the king, and he did so.
- Esth 2:2Then the king’s servants who served him said, “Let beautiful young virgins be sought for the king.
- 2 Kgs 4:8One day Elisha went to Shunem, where there was a prominent woman; and she persuaded him to eat bread. So it was, that as often as he passed by, he turned in there to eat bread.
- 1 Sam 28:4The Philistines gathered themselves together, and came and encamped in Shunem; and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they encamped in Gilboa.
- 1 Kgs 2:17–25He said, “Please speak to Solomon the king (for he will not tell you ‘no’), that he give me Abishag the Shunammite as wife.”
- 2 Kgs 4:25So she went, and came to the man of God to Mount Carmel. When the man of God saw her afar off, he said to Gehazi his servant, “Behold, there is the Shunammite.
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.