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 3:15

3:15 Solomon then woke up and realized it was a dream. ⁶  He went to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord’s covenant, offered up burnt sacrifices, presented peace offerings, ⁷  and held a feast for all his servants.

1 Kings 5:1

Solomon Gathers Building Materials for the Temple

5:1 (5:15) ⁸  King Hiram of Tyre ⁹  sent messengers ¹⁰  to Solomon when he heard that he had been anointed king in his father’s place. (Hiram had always been an ally of David.)

1 Kings 20:31

20:31 His advisers ¹¹  said to him, “Look, we have heard that the kings of the Israelite dynasty are kind. ¹²  Allow us to put sackcloth around our waists and ropes on our heads ¹³  and surrender ¹⁴  to the king of Israel. Maybe he will spare our lives.”

[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.”

[3:15]  ⁶ tn Heb “and look, a dream.”

[3:15]  ⁷ tn Or “tokens of peace”; NIV, TEV “fellowship offerings.”

[5:1]  ¹¹ sn The verse numbers in the English Bible differ from those in the Hebrew text (BHS) here; 5:1-18 in the English Bible corresponds to 5:15-32 in the Hebrew text. See the note at 4:21.

[5:1]  ¹² map For location see Map1 A2; Map2 G2; Map4 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.

[5:1]  ¹³ tn Heb “his servants.”

[20:31]  ¹⁶ tn Or “servants.”

[20:31]  ¹⁷ tn Or “merciful.” The word used here often means “devoted” or “loyal.” Perhaps the idea is that the Israelite kings are willing to make treaties with other kings.

[20:31]  ¹⁸ sn Sackcloth was worn as a sign of sorrow and repentance. The precise significance of the ropes on the head is uncertain, but it probably was a sign of submission. These actions were comparable to raising a white flag on the battlefield or throwing in the towel in a boxing match.

[20:31]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “go out.”