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And now I ask one petition of thee, deny me not. And she said unto him, Say on.
1 Kings 2:16 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB Now I ask one petition of you. Don’t deny me.” She said to him, “Say on.”
  • BSB So now I have just one request of you; do not deny me.” “State your request,” she told him.
  • NKJV Now I ask one petition of you; do not deny me.” And she said to him, “Say it.”
  • NASB So now I am making one request of you; do not refuse me.” And she said to him, “Speak.”
  • NLT So now I have just one favor to ask of you. Please don’t turn me down.” “What is it?” she asked.

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

Adonijah asks Bathsheba for a single request and begs her not to refuse. He sets up his real petition.

Overview

Adonijah presses Bathsheba to grant one favor, securing her agreement before revealing it. His careful approach suggests he knows the request is sensitive. Bathsheba's willingness to listen sets the stage for the dangerous appeal that follows.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 2

  • Ps 132:10For thy servant David’s sake turn not away the face of thine anointed.
  • Prov 30:7Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die:

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (6)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — 1 Kings videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on 1 Kings 2:16YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on 1 KingsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    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 2:16 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.