1 Kings 1:15 - Exposition

And Bathsheba went In unto the king into the chamber [lit. inner chamber, θάλαμος , cubiculum penetrale, Buxtorf. Same word 2 Samuel 4:7 ; 2 Samuel 13:1-39 :0] and the king was very old [the repetition (see 2 Samuel 13:1 ) is not idle or unmeaning. Here the word refers to feebleness rather than age. It is mentioned to explain David's confinement to his chamber] and Abishag the Shunammite ministered unto the king. [This is introduced to show the king's helplessness. It does not prove that "there was a disinterested witness present" (Rawlinson), for she may have withdrawn, as Bathsheba did presently ( 2 Samuel 13:23 ), and Nathan ( 2 Samuel 13:32 ). It is a graphic touch, painted probably from the life, and by the hand of Nathan, from whom this narrative is derived.