1 Kings 1:16
New International Version
Bathsheba bowed down, prostrating herself before the king. “What is it you want?” the king asked.

New Living Translation
Bathsheba bowed down before the king. “What can I do for you?” he asked her.

English Standard Version
Bathsheba bowed and paid homage to the king, and the king said, “What do you desire?”

Berean Standard Bible
And Bathsheba bowed down in homage to the king, who asked, “What is your desire?”

King James Bible
And Bathsheba bowed, and did obeisance unto the king. And the king said, What wouldest thou?

New King James Version
And Bathsheba bowed and did homage to the king. Then the king said, “What is your wish?”

New American Standard Bible
Then Bathsheba bowed and prostrated herself before the king. And the king said, “What is on your mind?”

NASB 1995
Then Bathsheba bowed and prostrated herself before the king. And the king said, “What do you wish?”

NASB 1977
Then Bathsheba bowed and prostrated herself before the king. And the king said, “What do you wish?”

Legacy Standard Bible
Then Bathsheba bowed and prostrated herself before the king. And the king said, “What do you wish?”

Amplified Bible
So Bathsheba bowed down and paid respect to the king. And the king said, “What do you wish?”

Christian Standard Bible
Bathsheba knelt low and paid homage to the king, and he asked, “What do you want? ”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Bathsheba bowed down and paid homage to the king, and he asked, “What do you want?”

American Standard Version
And Bath-sheba bowed, and did obeisance unto the king. And the king said, What wouldest thou?

Contemporary English Version
and bowed down. "What can I do for you?" David asked.

English Revised Version
And Bath-sheba bowed, and did obeisance unto the king. And the king said, What wouldest thou?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Bathsheba knelt and bowed down in front of the king. "What do you want?" the king asked.

Good News Translation
Bathsheba bowed low before the king, and he asked, "What do you want?"

International Standard Version
Bathsheba knelt and bowed down to the king, and the king asked her, "What do you wish?"

Majority Standard Bible
And Bathsheba bowed down in homage to the king, who asked, “What is your desire?”

NET Bible
Bathsheba bowed down on the floor before the king. The king said, "What do you want?"

New Heart English Bible
Bathsheba bowed, and showed respect to the king. The king said, "What would you like?"

Webster's Bible Translation
And Bath-sheba bowed, and did obeisance to the king. And the king said, What wouldst thou?

World English Bible
Bathsheba bowed and showed respect to the king. The king said, “What would you like?”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and Bathsheba bows and pays respect to the king, and the king says, “What do you [want]?”

Young's Literal Translation
and Bath-Sheba boweth and doth obeisance to the king, and the king saith, 'What -- to thee?'

Smith's Literal Translation
And Bath-sheba will bow and worship to the king, and the king will say, What to thee?
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Bethsabee bowed herself, and worshipped the king. And the king said to her: What is thy will?

Catholic Public Domain Version
Bathsheba bowed herself, and she reverenced the king. And the king said to her, “What do you wish?”

New American Bible
Bathsheba bowed in homage to the king. The king said to her, “What do you wish?”

New Revised Standard Version
Bathsheba bowed and did obeisance to the king, and the king said, “What do you wish?”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And Bath-sheba bowed and did obeisance to the king. And the king said to her, What troubles you, Bath-sheba?

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And Bathsheba knelt down and she worshiped the King. The King said to her: “What concerns you, Bathsheba?”
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And Bath-sheba bowed, and prostrated herself unto the king. And the king said: 'What wouldest thou?'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And Bersabee bowed, and did obeisance to the king; and the king said, What is thy request?

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Nathan and Bathsheba Before David
15So Bathsheba went to see the king in his bedroom. Since the king was very old, Abishag the Shunammite was serving him. 16 And Bathsheba bowed down in homage to the king, who asked, “What is your desire?” 17“My lord,” she replied, “you yourself swore to your maidservant by the LORD your God: ‘Surely your son Solomon will reign after me, and he will sit on my throne.’…

Cross References
1 Samuel 25:23-24
When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off the donkey, fell facedown, and bowed before him. / She fell at his feet and said, “My lord, may the blame be on me alone, but please let your servant speak to you; hear the words of your servant.

2 Samuel 14:4-7
When the woman from Tekoa went to the king, she fell facedown in homage and said, “Help me, O king!” / “What troubles you?” the king asked her. “Indeed,” she said, “I am a widow, for my husband is dead. / And your maidservant had two sons who were fighting in the field with no one to separate them, and one struck the other and killed him. ...

2 Samuel 9:6-8
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. / “Do not be afraid,” said David, “for surely I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.” / Mephibosheth bowed down and said, “What is your servant, that you should show regard for a dead dog like me?”

Esther 8:3
And once again, Esther addressed the king. She fell at his feet weeping and begged him to revoke the evil scheme of Haman the Agagite, which he had devised against the Jews.

2 Samuel 1:2
On the third day a man with torn clothes and dust on his head arrived from Saul’s camp. When he came to David, he fell to the ground to pay him homage.

2 Kings 4:27
When she reached the man of God at the mountain, she clung to his feet. Gehazi came over to push her away, but the man of God said, “Leave her alone, for her soul is in deep distress, and the LORD has hidden it from me and has not told me.”

Matthew 2:11
On coming to the house, they saw the Child with His mother Mary, and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh.

Luke 7:38
As she stood behind Him at His feet weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears and wipe them with her hair. Then she kissed His feet and anointed them with the perfume.

John 11:32
When Mary came to Jesus and saw Him, she fell at His feet and said, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”

Ruth 2:10
At this, she fell on her face, bowing low to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you should take notice of me, even though I am a foreigner?”

1 Samuel 1:26
“Please, my lord,” said Hannah, “as surely as you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the LORD.

2 Samuel 19:18-19
and crossed at the ford to carry over the king’s household and to do what was good in his sight. When Shimei son of Gera crossed the Jordan, he fell down before the king / and said, “My lord, do not hold me guilty, and do not remember your servant’s wrongdoing on the day my lord the king left Jerusalem. May the king not take it to heart.

1 Samuel 25:41
She arose, bowed facedown, and said, “Here is your servant, ready to serve and to wash the feet of my lord’s servants.”

Matthew 8:2
Suddenly a leper came and knelt before Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”

Mark 5:22-23
A synagogue leader named Jairus arrived, and seeing Jesus, he fell at His feet / and pleaded with Him urgently, “My little daughter is near death. Please come and place Your hands on her, so that she will be healed and live.”


Treasury of Scripture

And Bathsheba bowed, and did obeisance to the king. And the king said, What would you?

bowed

1 Kings 1:23
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.

1 Samuel 20:41
And as soon as the lad was gone, David arose out of a place toward the south, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three times: and they kissed one another, and wept one with another, until David exceeded.

1 Samuel 24:8
David also arose afterward, and went out of the cave, and cried after Saul, saying, My lord the king. And when Saul looked behind him, David stooped with his face to the earth, and bowed himself.

And the

1 Kings 2:20
Then she said, I desire one small petition of thee; I pray thee, say me not nay. And the king said unto her, Ask on, my mother: for I will not say thee nay.

Exodus 7:2
Thou shalt speak all that I command thee: and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he send the children of Israel out of his land.

Matthew 20:21,32
And he said unto her, What wilt thou? She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom…

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Bathsheba Bath-Sheba Bathshe'ba Bowed Boweth Desire Earth Face Herself Honour Knelt Low Obeisance Prostrated Want Wish Wouldest
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Bathsheba Bath-Sheba Bathshe'ba Bowed Boweth Desire Earth Face Herself Honour Knelt Low Obeisance Prostrated Want Wish Wouldest
1 Kings 1
1. Abishag cherishes David in his extreme age
5. Adonijah, David's darling, usurps the kingdom
11. By the council of Nathan
15. Bathsheba moves the king
22. And Nathan seconds her
28. David renews his oath to Bathsheba
32. Solomon, by David's appointment,
38. being anointed king by Zadok and Nathan, the people triumph
41. Jonathan bringing the news, Adonijah's guests fly
50. Adonijah, flying to the horns of the altar, is dismissed by Solomon














Bathsheba bowed down
The act of bowing down in ancient Near Eastern culture was a gesture of deep respect and submission. The Hebrew word used here is "שָׁחָה" (shachah), which often denotes worship or reverence. Bathsheba's action signifies her acknowledgment of King David's authority and her humility in approaching him. This moment is crucial as it sets the stage for her petition regarding the succession of the throne, highlighting the importance of respect and protocol in royal courts.

and knelt before the king
The phrase "knelt before" further emphasizes Bathsheba's humility and the seriousness of her request. Kneeling is a physical manifestation of supplication and earnestness. In the Hebrew context, this act is often associated with prayer or a plea for favor. Bathsheba's dual actions of bowing and kneeling underscore her desperation and the gravity of the situation, as she seeks to secure her son Solomon's future.

'What do you want?' the king asked
King David's question, "What do you want?" reflects his openness to hear Bathsheba's request. The Hebrew phrase here is "מַה־לָּךְ" (mah-lach), which can be translated as "What is it to you?" or "What is your concern?" This indicates David's willingness to address the needs of those who come before him, a characteristic of a just and attentive ruler. It also sets the stage for the unfolding of God's plan for Solomon's kingship, as Bathsheba's request aligns with divine prophecy and the continuation of David's lineage.

Verse 16. - And Bathsheba bowed, and did obeisance [cf. 2 Samuel 14:4. But we are hardly justified in seeing here "more than the ordinary Eastern salutation" (Rawlinson). The Jewish court seems to have been very ceremonious and stately (1 Samuel 24:8; 2 Samuel 19:24). The king was the representative of Heaven]. And the king said, What wouldest thou [marg., What to thee? Not necessarily, What thy supplication? (as Rawlinson). It rather means generally, "What thy business?" Quid tibi, not quid petis.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
And Bathsheba
שֶׁ֔בַע (še·ḇa‘)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 1339: Bathsheba -- perhaps 'daughter of oath', the mother of Solomon

bowed down
וַתִּקֹּ֣ד (wat·tiq·qōḏ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 6915: To shrivel up, contract, bend the body, in deference

in homage
וַתִּשְׁתַּ֖חוּ (wat·tiš·ta·ḥū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hitpael - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 7812: To depress, prostrate

to the king,
לַמֶּ֑לֶךְ (lam·me·leḵ)
Preposition-l, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4428: A king

[who]
הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ (ham·me·leḵ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4428: A king

asked,
וַיֹּ֥אמֶר (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“What
מַה־ (mah-)
Interrogative
Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what

is your desire?”
לָּֽךְ׃ (lāḵ)
Preposition | second person feminine singular
Strong's Hebrew


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OT History: 1 Kings 1:16 Bathsheba bowed and did obeisance to (1Ki iKi i Ki 1 Kg 1kg)
1 Kings 1:15
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