“I have just one small request of you,” she said. “Do not deny me.” “Make your request, my mother,” the king replied, “for I will not deny you.”
Parallel translations
- WEB Then she said, “I ask one small petition of you; don’t deny me.” The king said to her, “Ask on, my mother; for I will not deny you.”
- KJV Then she said, I desire one small petition of thee; I pray thee, say me not nay. And the king said unto her, Ask on, my mother: for I will not say thee nay.
- NKJV Then she said, “I desire one small petition of you; do not refuse me.” And the king said to her, “Ask it, my mother, for I will not refuse you.”
- NASB Then she said, “I am making one small request of you; do not refuse me.” And the king said to her, “Ask, my mother, for I will not refuse you.”
- NLT “I have one small request to make of you,” she said. “I hope you won’t turn me down.” “What is it, my mother?” he asked. “You know I won’t refuse you.”
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 asks Solomon not to refuse her one small request, and he readily promises to grant it. The exchange sets up the king's painful discovery that the request is anything but small.
Overview
Bathsheba presents what she believes is a minor favor, and Solomon, honoring his mother, freely pledges to grant it. His confident promise, given before he hears the request, shows both filial respect and the danger of committing oneself blindly. The narrative builds tension, for the petition touches the security of the throne God has established.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Matt 11:24But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”
- Matt 10:35–36For I have come to turn ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
- John 15:16You did not choose Me, but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will remain—so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you.
- John 2:3–4When the wine ran out, Jesus’ mother said to Him, “They have no more wine.”
- Luke 11:9–10So I tell you: Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.
- Matt 18:19Again, I tell you truly that if two of you on the earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by My Father in heaven.
- John 14:13–14And I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
- Matt 7:7–11Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.
- Matt 20:20–21Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and knelt down to make a request of Him.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 2:20 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.