Bible Strands
1 Kings 1:22
And just then, while Bathsheba was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet arrived.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Bathsheba is addressing King David to secure Solomon’s succession when Nathan the prophet arrives. The event occurs precisely during her ongoing verbal petition to the king.
The words — עוֹדֶ֥נָּה (‘ôdennâh) means “still she” and מְדַבֶּ֖רֶת (medabbēreṯ) means “speaking,” together rendering “still speaking.” The construction עִם־הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ (‘im-hammēleḵ) specifies the action occurs “with the king.”
The thread — The narrative pattern of interruption during speech appears in Genesis 24:15, Job 1:16, and Daniel 9:20. These references establish a literary motif where divine or prophetic figures arrive while a petition or prayer is ongoing.
Why it lands — The text records that prophetic intervention interrupts a human appeal at its peak, not after its conclusion. The reader must recognize that the narrative treats this timing as deliberate rather than accidental.
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
King James Version
And, lo, while she yet talked with the king, Nathan the prophet also came in.
Cross-references
- Genesis 24:15 Before the servant had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah, the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor.
- Job 1:16 While he was still speaking, another messenger came and reported: “The fire of God fell from heaven. It burned and consumed the sheep and the servants, and I alone have escaped to tell you!”
- Daniel 9:20 While I was speaking, praying, confessing my sin and that of my people Israel, and presenting my petition before the LORD my God concerning His holy mountain—