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.”
Parallel translations
- 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.
- 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 tell you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom, on the day of judgment, than for you.”
- Matt 10:35–36For I came to set a man at odds against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
- John 15:16You didn’t choose me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain; that whatever you will ask of the Father in my name, he may give it to you.
- John 2:3–4When the wine ran out, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no wine.”
- Luke 11:9–10“I tell you, keep asking, and it will be given you. Keep seeking, and you will find. Keep knocking, and it will be opened to you.
- Matt 18:19Again, assuredly I tell you, that if two of you will agree on earth concerning anything that they will ask, it will be done for them by my Father who is in heaven.
- John 14:13–14Whatever you will ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
- Matt 7:7–11“Ask, and it will be given you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened for you.
- Matt 20:20–21Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, kneeling and asking 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.