1 Kings 2 · Verse 17

1 Kings 2:17

And he said, Speak, I pray thee, unto Solomon the king, (for he will not say thee nay,) that he give me Abishag the Shunammite to wife.

1 Kings 2:17, King James Version

1 Kings 2:17 in other translations

BSB	Adonijah replied, “Please speak to King Solomon, since he will not turn you down. Let him give me Abishag the Shunammite as my wife.”
WEB	He said, “Please speak to Solomon the king (for he will not tell you ‘no’), that he give me Abishag the Shunammite as wife.”
ASV	And he said, Speak, I pray thee, unto Solomon the king (for he will not say thee nay), that he give me Abishag the Shunammite to wife.
YLT	And he saith, ‘Speak, I pray thee, to Solomon the king, for he doth not turn back thy face, and he doth give to me Abishag the Shunammite for a wife.'
DARBY	And he said, Speak, I pray thee, to Solomon the king — for he will not refuse thee — that he give me Abishag the Shunammite as wife.
BBE	Then he said, Will you go to Solomon the king (for he will not say, No, to you) and put before him my request that he will give me Abishag the Shunammite for a wife?
Webster	And he said, Speak, I pray thee, to Solomon the king, (for he will not say to thee no,) that he give me Abishag the Shunamite for a wife.

What does 1 Kings 2:17 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Kings 2:13-18

13-18. Adonijah ... came to Bath-sheba--Her question to him betrays an apprehension which his recent conduct might well warrant; but his pious acknowledgment of the divine will seemed apparently to indicate so entire an acquiescence in the settlement of the succession [1Ki 2:15], that, in her womanly simplicity, she perceived not the deep cunning and evil design that was concealed under his request and readily…

Read the full comment on 1 Kings 2:13-18 →

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 17 That he give me Abishag - to wife - He cheerfully gives up all right to the kingdom, and only desires to have this young woman, who, though she had been his father's wife or concubine, was still in a state of virginity. Some think that Joab and Abiathar had advised Adonijah to make this application, not doubting, if he got Abishag, that the popular tide would again turn in his favor, and that Solomon, whom they did not like, might soon be deposed; and that it was on this account that Solomon was so severe. But there is little evidence to support these conjectures. It does not appear that Adonijah by desiring to have Abishag had any thought of the kingdom, or of maintaining any right to it, though Solomon appears to have understood him in this sense. But without farther evidence, this was a flimsy pretext to imbrue his hands in a brother's blood. The fable of the wolf and lamb is here very applicable, and the old English proverb not less so: It is an easy thing to find a staff to beat a dog with. We readily find an excuse for whatever we are determined to do. He who attempts to varnish over this conduct of Solomon by either state necessity or a Divine command, is an enemy, in my mind, to the cause of God and truth. See on 1Kgs 2:25 (note).

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 1 Kings 2:12-25

Solomon received Bathsheba with all the respect that was owing to a mother; but let none be asked for that which they ought not to grant. It ill becomes a good man to prefer a bad request, or to appear in a bad cause. According to eastern customs it was plain that Adonijah sought to be king, by his asking for Abishag as his wife, and Solomon could not be safe while he lived. Ambitious, turbulent spirits commonly…

Read the full comment on 1 Kings 2:12-25 →

1 Kings 2:17 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיֹּ֗אמֶרvai.Yo.merand he saidH559

אִמְרִי\־'im.ri-speakH559

נָא֙na'pleaseH4994

לִשְׁלֹמֹ֣הlish.lo.Mohto SolomonH8010

הַמֶּ֔לֶךְha.Me.lekhthe kingH4428

כִּ֥יkiforH3588

לֹֽא\־lo'-notH3808

יָשִׁ֖יבya.Shivhe will turn awayH7725

אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853

פָּנָ֑יִךְpa.Na.yikhface yourH6440

וְיִתֶּן\־ve.yi.ten-so he may giveH5414

לִ֛יlito me

אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853

אֲבִישַׁ֥ג'a.vi.ShagAbishagH49

הַשּׁוּנַמִּ֖יתha.shu.na.Mitthe ShunammiteH7767

לְאִשָּֽׁה\׃le.'i.Shahto a wifeH802

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 1 Kings 2:17

2 Samuel 3:7
And Saul had a concubine, whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah: and Ish–bosheth said to Abner, Wherefore hast thou gone in unto my father’s concubine?
2 Samuel 12:8
And I gave thee thy master’s house, and thy master’s wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things.
1 Kings 1:2-4
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. So they sought for a fair damsel throughout all the coasts of Israel, and found Abishag a Shunammite, and brought her to the king. And the damsel was very fair, and cherished the king, and ministered to him: but the king knew her not.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Abishag.
1:2-4; 2Sa 3:7; 12:8

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

1 Kings 2:16
And now I ask one petition of thee, deny me not. And she said unto him, Say on.
1 Kings 2:17
And he said, Speak, I pray thee, unto Solomon the king, (for he will not say thee nay,) that he give me Abishag the Shunammite to wife.
1 Kings 2:18
And Bath–sheba said, Well; I will speak for thee unto the king.

Read all of 1 Kings 2

1 Kings 2:17 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	El entonces dijo: Yo te ruego que hables al rey Salomón, (porque él no te hará volver tu rostro,) para que me dé á Abisag Sunamita por mujer.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Et il dit: Parle, je te prie, au roi Salomon, car il ne te repoussera pas, afin qu’il me donne Abishag, la Sunamite, pour femme.
German Elberfelder 1871	Und er sprach: Sprich doch zu dem König Salomo, denn er wird dich nicht abweisen, daß er mir Abischag, die Sunamitin, zum Weibe gebe.
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Et ille ait: Precor ut dicas Salomoni regi (neque enim negare tibi quidquam potest) ut det mihi Abisag Sunamitidem uxorem.