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.
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.”
- BSB “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.”
- 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 say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.
- Matt 10:35–36For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
- John 15:16Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
- John 2:3–4And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine.
- Luke 11:9–10And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
- Matt 18:19Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
- John 14:13–14And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
- Matt 7:7–11Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
- Matt 20:20–21Then came to him the mother of Zebedee’s children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing 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.