The young lady was very beautiful; and she cherished the king, and served him; but the king didn’t know her intimately.
Parallel translations
- KJV And the damsel was very fair, and cherished the king, and ministered to him: but the king knew her not.
- BSB The girl was unsurpassed in beauty; she cared for the king and served him, but he had no relations with her.
- NKJV The young woman was very lovely; and she cared for the king, and served him; but the king did not know her.
- NASB The girl was very beautiful; and she became the king’s nurse and served him, but the king did not become intimate with her.
- 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.
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
Abishag cares for David, but the text stresses he had no sexual relations with her. This clarifies her role and protects David's reputation.
Overview
The narrator is careful to note that David did not 'know' Abishag intimately, underscoring both his physical weakness and her status. This clarification becomes significant when Adonijah later seeks her as a wife, an act treated as a bid for the kingdom. The verse maintains the moral and legal clarity the later story depends on.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 1
- Matt 1:25and didn’t know her sexually until she had given birth to her firstborn son. He named him Jesus.
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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 1:4 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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