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1 Kings 1:1-4 | Study Notes

Why does 1 & 2 Kings open with such a strange story?

The Strange Beginning to 1 & 2 Kings

1 Kings 1:1-4 is a strange introduction to the story told in 1 & 2 Kings. Most other narrative books in the Old Testament begin with the birth of a national leader or some important event in the leaders life. Consider these examples:

Genesis begins with the creation of humanity.

Leviticus through Deuteronomy begin with important moments between God, Moses, and Israel.

1 & 2 Samuel begins with Samuel's birth.

When the book opens with a story about death, on the other hand, it typically signals a negative situation.

Exodus begins with a report on the previous generation and their deaths. While the people grew in number, the king of Egypt did not know Joseph and enslaved the people.

Judges begins "after the death of Joshua," and the people immediately fail to completely conquer the promised land. Infamously, the rest of the book is a disaster.

The book of Joshua is an important exception. It opens "after the death of Moses," but it does not begin like Judges. Instead of a leadership vacuum, God immediately appoints Joshua, Moses's servant.

So, where does this leave us with 1 & 2 Kings?

Let's take a look.

Commentary

The book opens with a startling notice.

David is old and… apparently cold. His servants try to warm him with blankets, but it doesn’t work (1 Kings 1:1).

After the servants realize the blankets aren’t working, they come up with another plan: they’ll find a young, virgin woman to lay down with David and warm him up (1 Kings 1:2).

So, they look throughout the land of Israel and find a young girl from a town called Shunem. Her name is Abishag (1 Kings 1:3).

They bring her to the king and have her lay down with him to warm him up (1 Kings 1:3).

Now, this seems strange… even scandalous to us but ancient sources report that this wasn’t an unusual remedy for people in their old age.

Even so, the narrator goes out of the way to make sure the reader knows that nothing sexual happened between David and Abishag (1 Kings 1:4).

Why?

If this was a common, non-sexual practice, why did the author feel the need to make sure we know nothing happened?

Well, if you think back over David’s life, you’ll know that he was… shall we say a vivacious man.

Remember, David had multiple wives and his worst moment happened when he took Bathsheba and had her husband murdered (2 Samuel 11).

And so, it seems this story emphasizes that David is no longer the lively man he once was.

Instead, Israel’s greatest king has lost his physical warmth and his sexual vigor. Neither are good signs for a monarch.

Significance

So, that’s the story.

And like I said, it’s strange.

Now, you may be asking yourself…how does this story establish themes for the rest of 1 and 2 Kings?

Well, I’m glad you asked. Let’s talk about that.

1 and 2 Kings is written from the perspective of Judah's exile to Babylon (See this blog post for 5 Important Facts About 1 & 2 Kings).

Which raises the question...

What will happen to the David’s dynasty?

This is a huge problem, because God promised David that his throne would last forever (2 Samuel 7).

How can that be true in the face of the Judaean exile?

So, the central question explored by 1 and 2 Kings is whether or not the davidic dynasty will survive.

1 Kings 1:1-4 wastes no time in setting up this conflict.

David, Israel’s greatest king, is on death’s doorstep. He’s old, cold, and unable to be with a woman.

As we’ll see in the next story, this paves the way for a family battle over David’s throne.

Recommended Resources

This blog post is a part of the Passage of the Week. Join the email list to get guided study notes sent to your inbox every Monday and Friday.

Check out the notes for this passage here and here.

Here are a couple of commentaries you might find helpful on the book of Kings.

Wray Beal, Lissa M. 1 & 2 Kings. Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 2014.

Leithart, Peter J. 1 & 2 Kings. Grand Rapids, Mich: Brazos Press, 2006.

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