# 1 Kings 1.2

<!-- type: passage | created: 2026-06-01 | updated: 2026-06-01 -->

**Book:** [1 Kings](/codex/1-kings/) · NASB95

## Immediate context (±2 verses)

**ASV** ([ASV](/codex/asv/))
> 1. Now king David was old and stricken in years; and they covered him with clothes, but he gat no heat.
>
> **2. 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 cherish him; and let her lie in thy bosom, that my lord the king may get heat.**
>
> 3. So they sought for a fair damsel throughout all the borders of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king. 4. And the damsel was very fair; and she cherished the king, and ministered to him; but the king knew her not. (1 Kings 1:1-4, ASV)

**WEB** ([WEB](/codex/web/))
> 1. Now king David was old and advanced in years; and they covered him with clothes, but he couldn’t keep warm.
>
> **2. Therefore his servants said to him, “Let a young virgin be sought for my lord the king. Let her stand before the king, and cherish him; and let her lie in your bosom, that my lord the king may keep warm.”**
>
> 3. So they sought for a beautiful young lady throughout all the borders of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king. 4. The young lady was very beautiful; and she cherished the king, and served him; but the king didn’t know her intimately. (1 Kings 1:1-4, WEB)

**KJV** ([KJV](/codex/kjv/))
> 1. Now king David was old and stricken in years; and they covered him with clothes, but he gat no heat. <sup>stricken: Heb. entered into days</sup>
>
> **2. 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. <sup>Let there: Heb. Let them seek</sup> <sup>a young: Heb. a damsel, a virgin</sup> <sup>cherish: Heb. be a cherisher unto him</sup>**
>
> 3. So they sought for a fair damsel throughout all the coasts of Israel, and found Abishag a Shunammite, and brought her to the king. 4. And the damsel was very fair, and cherished the king, and ministered to him: but the king knew her not. (1 Kings 1:1-4, KJV)

**YLT** ([YLT](/codex/ylt/))
> 1. And king David [is] old, entering into days, and they cover him with garments, and he hath no heat,
>
> **2. and his servants say to him, 'Let them seek for my lord the king a young woman, a virgin, and she hath stood before the king, and is to him a companion, and hath lain in thy bosom, and my lord the king hath heat.'**
>
> 3. And they seek a fair young woman in all the border of Israel, and find Abishag the Shunammite, and bring her in to the king, 4. and the young woman [is] very very fair, and she is to the king a companion, and serveth him, and the king hath not known her. (1 Kings 1:1-4, YLT)

## Setting

- **Speaker:** _TBD_
- **Audience:** _TBD_
- **Location:** _TBD_
- **Time period:** _TBD_

## Theological reading

_Patristic / early-church-father exegesis, to be added._

## Key words

_Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word; see Lexicon Roadmap._

- _TBD_
- _TBD_
- _TBD_
- _TBD_

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## Quoted in

**Lexicon:**

- [H1330 - bethulah](/codex/h1330-bethulah/)

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_Scripture quotations taken from the **New American Standard Bible®** (NASB), Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by **The Lockman Foundation**. Used by permission. All rights reserved. [www.lockman.org](https://www.lockman.org)_

## Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the **most literal English translations available** (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the **public domain in the United States**, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

- **[ASV](/codex/asv/)** (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
- **[WEB](/codex/web/)** (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
- **[KJV](/codex/kjv/)** (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
- **[YLT](/codex/ylt/)** (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See [Bibles](/codex/bibles/) for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.