1 Kings 1:2

So his servants said to him, “Let us search for a young virgin for our lord the king, to attend to him and care for him and lie by his side to keep him warm.”

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — David’s servants address the aging king, who cannot retain heat despite blankets, by proposing a physical remedy. They speak to restore his warmth as his reign approaches its end.

The words — The phrase נַעֲרָה בְתוּלָה (na‘arah vetulah) literally means “a young woman, a virgin,” specifying the attendant’s required condition. The verb יְבַקְשׁוּ (yeḇaqqəšû) translates as “let them seek,” framing the proposal as a deliberate search for a bodily solution.

The thread — The text’s focus on shared warmth for survival runs parallel to Ecclesiastes 4:11, which notes that two lying together keep warm. It also mirrors the relational complications of Genesis 16:5, where a delivered servant creates household tension, and the warning in Micah 7:5 against trusting one who lies in your arms.

Why it lands — The passage asks a reader to note how political counsel addresses a monarch’s physical decline with a practical, bodily intervention. It requires the reader to observe the tension between a servant’s proposed care and the relational vulnerabilities the surrounding texts expose.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

וַיֹּ֧אמְרוּva/i.Yo.me.ruand/ they saidל֣וֹl/oto/ himעֲבָדָ֗יו'a.va.Da/vservants/ his יְבַקְשׁ֞וּye.vak.Shulet people seek לַאדֹנִ֤יla./do.N/ifor/ lord/ my הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ha./Me.lekhthe/ king נַעֲרָ֣הna.'a.Raha young woman בְתוּלָ֔הve.tu.Laha virgin וְעָֽמְדָה֙ve./'a.me.Dahand/ she will stand לִפְנֵ֣יli/f.Nei<to>/ before הַמֶּ֔לֶךְha./Me.lekhthe/ king וּתְהִי־u./te.hi-and/ let her beל֖וֹl/oof/ himסֹכֶ֑נֶתso.Khe.neta nurse וְשָׁכְבָ֣הve./sha.khe.Vahand/ she will lie בְחֵיקֶ֔ךָve./chei.Ke./chain/ bosom/ your וְחַ֖םve./Chamand/ it will be warm לַאדֹנִ֥יla./do.N/ito/ lord/ my הַמֶּֽלֶךְ׃ha./Me.lekhthe/ king

King James Version

Wherefore his servants said unto him, Let there be sought for my lord the king a young virgin: and let her stand before the king, and let her cherish him, and let her lie in thy bosom, that my lord the king may get heat.

Cross-references

Ecclesiastes 4:11 Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; but how can one keep warm alone?
Genesis 16:5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done to me be upon you! I delivered my servant into your arms, and ever since she saw that she was pregnant, she has treated me with contempt. May the LORD judge between you and me.”
Micah 7:5 Do not rely on a friend; do not trust in a companion. Seal the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your arms.
1 Samuel 16:21 When David came to Saul and entered his service, Saul loved him very much, and David became his armor-bearer.
Deuteronomy 10:8 At that time the LORD set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to serve Him, and to pronounce blessings in His name, as they do to this day.
Deuteronomy 13:6 If your very own brother, or your son or daughter, or the wife you embrace, or your closest friend secretly entices you, saying, “Let us go and worship other gods” (which neither you nor your fathers have known,
2 Samuel 12:3 but the poor man had nothing except one small ewe lamb that he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food and drank from his cup; it slept in his arms and was like a daughter to him.
2 Chronicles 29:11 Now, my sons, do not be negligent, for the LORD has chosen you to stand before Him, to serve Him, to minister before Him, and to burn incense.”