Bible Strands
1 Kings 1:31
Bathsheba bowed facedown in homage to the king and said, “May my lord King David live forever!”
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Bathsheba addresses King David immediately after his oath confirming Solomon’s succession (1 Kings 1:30) and before he summons Zadok, Nathan, and Benaiah to act (1 Kings 1:32). She physically lowers herself to the ground in his presence.
The words — The text records וַ/תִּקֹּד (va./ti.Kod) meaning “she bowed low” and אַפַּיִם אֶרֶץ ('a.Pa.yim 'E.retz) meaning “face [to] ground,” describing her posture of homage. She then speaks a formal blessing, “May my lord King David live forever!”
The thread — This identical royal blessing formula appears in Daniel 2:4, 3:9, and 5:10, where courtiers address foreign kings with the same phrase.
Why it lands — The text records a physical act of submission followed by a spoken wish for the king’s longevity. A reader must note that the gesture and words function as formal court protocol acknowledging David’s current authority while he prepares to transfer it to Solomon.
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
Then Bath–sheba bowed with her face to the earth, and did reverence to the king, and said, Let my lord king David live for ever.
Cross-references
- Daniel 2:4 Then the astrologers answered the king in Aramaic, “O king, may you live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will give the interpretation.”
- Daniel 3:9 saying to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, may you live forever!
- Daniel 5:10 Hearing the outcry of the king and his nobles, the queen entered the banquet hall. “O king, may you live forever!” she said. “Do not let your thoughts terrify you, or your face grow pale.
- 2 Samuel 9:6 And when Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he fell facedown in reverence. Then David said, “Mephibosheth!” “I am your servant,” he replied.
- 1 Kings 1:25 For today he has gone down and sacrificed an abundance of oxen, fattened calves, and sheep, and has invited all the sons of the king, the commanders of the army, and Abiathar the priest. And behold, they are eating and drinking before him, saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’
- Nehemiah 2:3 and replied to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should I not be sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”
- Esther 3:2 All the royal servants at the king’s gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman, because the king had commanded that this be done for him. But Mordecai would not bow down or pay homage.
- Daniel 6:6 So the administrators and satraps went together to the king and said, “O King Darius, may you live forever!
- Daniel 6:21 Then Daniel replied, “O king, may you live forever!
- Matthew 21:37 Finally, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.