1 Kings 1:1-4

1 Kings 1:1-4

[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 let her 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 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 

What does 1 Kings 1:1-4 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

It was customary in ancient times to warm an elderly person not only by covering him or her with blankets, but also by putting a healthy person in bed with him or her. [1] The body heat of the well person would keep the older person warmer. David"s physicians chose Abishag to provide nursing care for David as well as to warm him. Since David was the king, they sought and found a beautiful nurse for him. In view of David"s symptoms, he may have suffered from arteriosclerosis. [2]
"Shunammite" is an alternate reading of "Shulammite," a resident of Shunem in Issachar. There is no way of telling if Abishag was the Shulammite Solomon loved and wrote of in the Song of Solomon ( Song of Solomon 6:13). The fact that David did not have sexual relations with this "very beautiful" young woman ( 1 Kings 1:4) is significant because it shows that his physical powers were now weak. David had been sexually active, but now his sexual powers were depleted. This shows that it was time for a more energetic man to reign.