1:1 King David was very old; 1 even when they covered him with blankets, 2 he could not get warm. 1:2 His servants advised 3 him, “A young virgin must be found for our master, the king, 4 to take care of the king’s needs 5 and serve as his nurse. She can also sleep with you 6 and keep our master, the king, warm.” 7 1:3 So they looked through all Israel 8 for a beautiful young woman and found Abishag, a Shunammite, and brought her to the king. 1:4 The young woman was very beautiful; she became the king’s nurse and served him, but the king did not have sexual relations with her. 9
1:5 Now Adonijah, son of David and Haggith, 10 was promoting himself, 11 boasting, 12 “I will be king!” He managed to acquire 13 chariots and horsemen, as well as fifty men to serve as his royal guard. 14
1 tn Heb “was old, coming into the days” (i.e., advancing in years).
2 tn Or “garments.”
3 tn Heb “said to.”
4 tn Heb “let them seek for my master, the king, a young girl, a virgin.” The third person plural subject of the verb is indefinite (see GKC 460 §144.f). The appositional expression, “a young girl, a virgin,” is idiomatic; the second term specifically defines the more general first term (see IBHS 230 §12.3b).
5 tn Heb “and she will stand before the king.” The Hebrew phrase “stand before” can mean “to attend; to serve” (BDB 764 s.v. עָמַד).
6 tn Heb “and she will lie down in your bosom.” The expression might imply sexual intimacy (see 2 Sam 12:3 [where the lamb symbolizes Bathsheba] and Mic 7:5), though v. 4b indicates that David did not actually have sex with the young woman.
7 tn Heb “and my master, the king, will be warm.”
8 tn Heb “through all the territory of Israel.”
9 tn Heb “did not know her.”
10 tn Heb “son of Haggith,” but since this formula usually designates the father (who in this case was David), the translation specifies that David was Adonijah’s father.
11 tn Heb “lifting himself up.”
12 tn Heb “saying.”
13 tn Or “he acquired for himself.”
14 tn Heb “to run ahead of him.”