1 Kings 1:14 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then while you are still speaking with the king, I also will come in after you and confirm your words."

NIV: While you are still there talking to the king, I will come in and add my word to what you have said."

NASB: Behold, while you are still there speaking with the king, I will come in after you and confirm your words.'

CSB: At that moment, while you are still there speaking with the king, I’ll come in after you and confirm your words."

NLT: And while you are still talking with him, I will come and confirm everything you have said.'

KJV: Behold, while thou yet talkest there with the king, I also will come in after thee, and confirm thy words.

NKJV: Then, while you are still talking there with the king, I also will come in after you and confirm your words.”

Nathan is asking a lot of Bathsheba. David is old and weak. A beautiful young woman is ministering to him, lying with him in bed when he gets too cold (1 Kings 1:1–4). Nathan needs Bathsheba to enter David's chambers and call on her husband and king to rise once more to defend those he loves. We don't know if David only allowed his wives to come to him if he called, like Ahasuerus (Esther 4:11). He certainly didn't execute them if they did! But even if presuming upon the frail king is a breach of protocol, this is a matter of life or death.

David's son Adonijah is declaring himself king even though God and David have decided Solomon will take the crown. Nathan needs Bathsheba to go to David, explain what Adonijah is doing, and warn him. Adonijah may very well kill her and Solomon when David dies (1 Kings 1:15–21).

Unlike Esther, however, Bathsheba is not alone. As soon as she is done speaking, Nathan will burst in and give more context to her message. He'll frame it as a betrayal and let David know that his most loyal servants are at risk (1 Kings 1:22–27).

In this culture, women will do nearly anything for their sons (Matthew 20:20–21). But Bathsheba also knows she has God's will on her side. In addition, despite how many wives and concubines David has, he seems to genuinely love her (2 Samuel 12:24). Bathsheba goes to David and bows to the ground. He asks for her message. When Nathan arrives, she leaves. But when Nathan has corroborated her message, David calls for her again with an oath: Solomon will be king that very day (1 Kings 1:15–31).

First Kings 1:11–14 is Nathan's enlistment of Bathsheba to ensure her son becomes king. David's son Adonijah is throwing a coronation party with the support of Joab, Abiathar, and the officials of Judah (1 Kings 1:5–10). Nathan and Bathsheba know God wants Solomon to be king. Nathan will let Bathsheba break the news to David, then he'll arrive and confirm her words. By the end of the day, Solomon will be king and Adonijah will beg his brother for his life (1 Kings 1:15–50).

First Kings 1 records Solomon's first anointing as king. David is weak. His fourth son, Adonijah, convinces Joab, Abiathar, and the officials of Judah to declare him king. Nathan the prophet and Bathsheba convince David to crown Solomon. With the help of Zadok the priest and Benaiah the royal guard commander, Solomon becomes king. His first act is to pardon his brother, although the truce doesn't last long. After David dies, Solomon must execute Adonijah for rebellion and Joab for murder, as well as banish Abiathar the priest (1 Kings 2:13–35).

First Kings 1 picks up the story of David's kingship several years after the events at the end of 2 Samuel. David has protected the kingdom, gathered supplies for the temple, and purchased the land (2 Samuel 24:18–25; 1 Chronicles 21:2–5; 29:1–9). It's time for Solomon to take over and build the temple. First, however, David must ensure Solomon is king and that the throne does not fall to Solomon's brother Adonijah. Once crowned, Solomon solidifies his hold by executing Adonijah, Joab, and David's nemesis, Shimei. He also banishes Abiathar, the priest who supported Adonijah. With Nathan, Benaiah, and Zadok beside him, Solomon is ready to rule (1 Kings 2).

This was originally the first half of a combined text. First Kings records the end of David's reign and the rule of Solomon. After this, the kingdom is split in two. The northern nation of Israel no longer submits to the king of the southern nation, called Judah. The prophet Elijah first appears in this book. The kings mostly fail to honor the Lord. They participate in idolatry and other sins. This will eventually result in their conquest and exile, as depicted throughout the books of Chronicles.