Bible Strands
1 Kings 1:23
So the king was told, “Nathan the prophet is here.” And Nathan went in and bowed facedown before the king.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Court officials report to the king that Nathan the prophet has arrived while Bathsheba is still in audience. Nathan enters the royal chamber and bows facedown before him.
The words — וַ/יַּגּ֤ידוּ (va/i.ya.Gi.du) literally means "and they told," and לִ/פְנֵ֣י (li/f.Nei) translates as "to/before." These terms mark the official notification of the prophet's arrival and his physical approach into the king's presence.
The thread — This formal entrance immediately precedes Nathan's direct inquiry about the succession in 1 Kings 1:24. The recorded posture of reverence aligns with the New Testament directives to give respect and honor to rulers in Romans 13:7 and 1 Peter 2:17.
Why it lands — The text documents a procedural report and a physical gesture of submission before a political confrontation. Readers must observe how prophetic intervention operates within established court protocol rather than in defiance of it.
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 they told the king, saying, Behold Nathan the prophet. And when he was come in before the king, he bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground.
Cross-references
- 1 Kings 1:16 And Bathsheba bowed down in homage to the king, who asked, “What is your desire?”
- Romans 13:7 Pay everyone what you owe him: taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due.
- 1 Peter 2:17 Treat everyone with high regard: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.