BibleTools
1 Kings 1:2
Compare all

Adonijah Presumes to Be King

1 Now King David was aold, advanced in years; and they put covers on him, but he could not get warm.  
2 Therefore his servants said to him, “Let a young woman, a virgin, be sought for our lord the king, and let her1 stand before the king, and let her care for him; and let her lie in your bosom, that our lord the king may be warm.”  
3 So they sought for a lovely young woman throughout all the territory of Israel, and found aAbishag the bShunammite, and brought her to the king.  
4 The young woman was very lovely; and she cared for the king, and served him; but the king did not know her.
5 Then aAdonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, “I will2 be king”; and bhe prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him.  
6 (And his father had not1 rebuked him at any time by saying, “Why have you done so?” He was also very good-looking. aHis mother had borne him after Absalom.)  
Commentaries:
Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown
<< 1 Kings 1:1   1 Kings 1:3 >>


1 Kings 1:1-2

ABISHAG CHERISHES DAVID IN HIS EXTREME AGE. (I Kings 1:1-4)

Now king David was old—He was in the seventieth year of his age (II Samuel 5:4-5). But the wear and tear of a military life, bodily fatigue, and mental care, had prematurely, if we may say it, exhausted the energies of David's strong constitution (I Samuel 16:12). In modern Palestine and Egypt the people, owing to the heat of the climate, sleep each in a "separate" bed. They only depart from this practice for medical reasons (Ecclesiastes 4:11). The expedient recommended by David's physicians is the regimen still prescribed in similar cases in the East, particularly among the Arab population, not simply to give heat, but "to cherish," as they are aware that the inhalation of young breath will give new life and vigor to the worn-out frame. The fact of the health of the young and healthier person being, as it were, stolen to support that of the more aged and sickly is well established among the medical faculty. And hence the prescription for the aged king was made in a hygienic point of view for the prolongation of his valuable life, and not merely for the comfort to be derived from the natural warmth imparted to his withered frame [PORTER, Tent and Khan]. The polygamy of the age and country may account for the introduction of this practice; and it is evident that Abishag was made a concubine or secondary wife to David (see on I Kings 2:22).




Other Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown entries containing 1 Kings 1:2:

1 Kings 1:1-2

 

<< 1 Kings 1:1   1 Kings 1:3 >>

DISCLAIMER: Church of the Great God (CGG) provides these resources to aid the individual in studying the Bible. However, it is up to the individual to "prove all things, and hold fast to that which is good" (I Thessalonians 5:21). The content of these resources does not necessarily reflect the views of CGG. They are provided for information purposes only.

Join 137,228+ readers

A Verse and a Thought,
Every Morning

Consistent Bible study is hard to start.

The Berean gives you the starting point: one scripture and a focused commentary in your inbox each morning — read it in minutes, or go as deep as you like.

Free, daily, and spam-free. We never share your address. Unsubscribe anytime.

Close
E-mail This Page