1 Kings 2:18
in 1 Kings 2“Very well,” Bathsheba replied. “I will speak to the king for you.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Bath-sheba said, Well; I will speak for thee unto the king.
KJV
And Bath–sheba said, Well; I will speak for thee unto the king.
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This verse in 1 Kings 2
Commentary
3 notes on this verseA commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
The right hand is the place of honor; and as it expressly said to have been assigned to "the king's mother," it is necessary to remark that, when a husband dies, his widow acquires a higher dignity and power, as a mother over her son, than she ever possessed before. Besides, the dignity of "king's mother" is a state office, to which certain revenues are attached.
This site's exposition
one petition of thee
on 1 Kings 2:16-18
Adonijah asks for Abishag the Shunammite, the young woman brought to warm David in his old age at 1 Kings 1:1-4 but never known by him, and the request carries royal weight in the ancient world, where a former king's concubine passing to his successor could stand as a claim on the throne, the reading Absalom acted on publicly at 2 Samuel 16:20-22. Bathsheba agrees to carry the petition without raising that danger, whether she misses it or simply leaves Solomon to judge it himself.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
And Bathsheba said, well,.... Very well spoken, the thing is good and right: I will speak for thee unto the king; and use her interest with him, not seeing into his design, but pitying an unfortunate man.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
To speak to him. To speak on his behalf, on behalf of Adoniyahu. 11 Alternatively, on behalf of Shlomo, because she felt that Shlomo’s kingdom would be strengthened by granting Adoniyahu’s request.—Malbim.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 6 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
9 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַתֹּ֥אמֶר | vatomer | and she said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| בַּת־ | bat- | Bath- | H1339 → | 20 times |
| שֶׁ֖בַע | sheva' | -sheba | H1339 → | 20 times |
| ט֑וֹב | tov | good | H2896 → | 538 times |
| אָנֹכִ֕י | ʾanokhi | I | H595 → | 359 times |
| אֲדַבֵּ֥ר | ʾadaber | I will speak | H1696 → | 1141 times |
| עָלֶ֖יךָ | ʾaleikha | on you | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| הַמֶּֽלֶךְ׃ | hamelekh | the king | H4428 → | 2525 times |
וַתֹּ֥אמֶרand she said
vatomerH559 →5305 times
בַּת־Bath-
bat-H1339 →20 times
שֶׁ֖בַע-sheba
sheva'H1339 →20 times
ט֑וֹבgood
tovH2896 →538 times
אָנֹכִ֕יI
ʾanokhiH595 →359 times
אֲדַבֵּ֥רI will speak
ʾadaberH1696 →1141 times
עָלֶ֖יךָon you
ʾaleikhaH5921 →5755 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
הַמֶּֽלֶךְ׃the king
hamelekhH4428 →2525 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
5 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Proverbs 14:15The simple man believes every word, but the prudent man watches his steps.
it leads to
- Ephesians 5:17
Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.
- Proverbs 14:8
The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way, but the folly of fools deceives them.
- 1 John 4:1
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world.
- Proverbs 4:26
Make a level path for your feet, and all your ways will be sure.
- Proverbs 27:12
The prudent see danger and take cover; but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.
- Ephesians 5:17
About 1 Kings
This page draws on Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil, The Books of the Kings and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.