1 Kings 1:2

1:2 His servants advised ¹  him, “A young virgin must be found for our master, the king, ²  to take care of the king’s needs ³  and serve as his nurse. She can also sleep with you ⁴  and keep our master, the king, warm.” ⁵ 

1 Kings 13:4

13:4 When the king heard what the prophet ⁶  cried out against the altar in Bethel, Jeroboam, standing at the altar, extended his hand ⁷  and ordered, ⁸  “Seize him!” The hand he had extended shriveled up ⁹  and he could not pull it back.

1 Kings 20:25

20:25 Muster an army like the one you lost, with the same number of horses and chariots. ¹⁰  Then we will fight them in the plains; we will certainly overpower them.” He approved their plan and did as they advised. ¹¹ 

1 Kings 20:32

20:32 So they put sackcloth around their waists and ropes on their heads and went to the king of Israel. They said, “Your servant ¹²  Ben Hadad says, ‘Please let me live!’” Ahab ¹³  replied, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.” ¹⁴ 

[1:2]  ¹ tn Heb “said to.”

[1:2]  ² 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).

[1:2]  ³ 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).

[1:2]  ⁴ 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.

[1:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “and my master, the king, will be warm.”

[13:4]  ⁶ tn Heb “the man of God.”

[13:4]  ⁷ tn Heb “Jeroboam extended his hand from the altar.”

[13:4]  ⁸ tn Heb “saying.”

[13:4]  ⁹ tn Heb “dried up” or “withered.” TEV and NLT interpret this as “became paralyzed.”

[20:25]  ¹¹ tn Heb “And you, you muster an army like the one that fell from you, horse like horse and chariot like chariot.”

[20:25]  ¹² tn Heb “he listened to their voice and did so.”

[20:32]  ¹⁶ sn Your servant. By referring to Ben Hadad as Ahab’s servant, they are suggesting that Ahab make him a subject in a vassal treaty arrangement.

[20:32]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Ahab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:32]  ¹⁸ sn He is my brother. Ahab’s response indicates that he wants to make a parity treaty and treat Ben Hadad as an equal partner.