1 Kings 1:2
Context1:2 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
Context3:15 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
Context5:1 (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
Context20:31 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] 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] 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.