1 Kings 2:18

 1 Kings 2:18

And Bathsheba said, Well; I will speak for thee unto the king.

a. ASV: And Bath-sheba said, Well; I will speak for thee unto the king.  [Thomas Nelson & Sons first published the American Standard Version in 1901. This translation of the Bible is in the public domain.]

b. YLT: And Bath-Sheba saith, 'Good; I do speak for thee unto the king.'   [The Young's Literal Translation was translated by Robert Young, who believed in a strictly literal translation of God's word. This version of the Bible is in the public domain.]

c. Classic Amplified: And Bathsheba said, Well; I will speak for thee unto the king.  [Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation]

d. The Rubin Edition, The Early Prophets, 1 & 2 Kings, Rabbinic Commentary: Bathsheba said, “Very well. I shall speak to the king on your behalf.”  [The ArtScroll Series/Rubin Edition THE PROPHETS: KINGS Copyright 2006 by MESORAH PUBLICATIONS, Ltd.]

f. ESV: Bathsheba said, “Very well; I will speak for you to the king.” [Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001, 2007, 2011, 2016 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.]

1. “And Bathsheba said, Well; I will speak for thee unto the king.”

a. [and] Bathsheba [Strong: 1339 Bath-Shebaʻ, bath-sheh'-bah; from H1323 and H7651 (in the sense of H7650); daughter of an oath; Bath-Sheba, the mother of Solomon:—Bath-sheba.]

b. [Strong: 1339 Bath-Shebaʻ, bath-sheh'-bah; from H1323 and H7651 (in the sense of H7650); daughter of an oath; Bath-Sheba, the mother of Solomon:—Bath-sheba.]

c. said [Strong: 559 ʼâmar, aw-mar'; a primitive root; to say (used with great latitude):—answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, × desire, determine, × expressly, × indeed, × intend, name, × plainly, promise, publish, report, require, say, speak (against, of), × still, × suppose, talk, tell, term, × that is, × think, use (speech), utter, × verily, × yet.]

d. Well [Strong: 2896 ṭôwb, tobe; from H2895; good (as an adjective) in the widest sense; used likewise as a noun, both in the masculine and the feminine, the singular and the plural (good, a good or good thing, a good man or woman; the good, goods or good things, good men or women), also as an adverb (well):—beautiful, best, better, bountiful, cheerful, at ease, × fair (word), (be in) favour, fine, glad, good (deed, -lier, -liest, -ly, -ness, -s), graciously, joyful, kindly, kindness, liketh (best), loving, merry, × most, pleasant, pleaseth, pleasure, precious, prosperity, ready, sweet, wealth, welfare, (be) well(-favoured).]

e. I [Strong: 595 ʼânôkîy, aw-no-kee'; sometimes, אָנֹכִי ʼânôkîy; a primitive pronoun; I:—I, me, × which.]

f. [will] speak [Strong: 1696 dâbar, daw-bar'; a primitive root; perhaps properly, to arrange; but used figuratively (of words), to speak; rarely (in a destructive sense) to subdue:—answer, appoint, bid, command, commune, declare, destroy, give, name, promise, pronounce, rehearse, say, speak, be spokesman, subdue, talk, teach, tell, think, use (entreaties), utter, × well, × work.]

g. [for thee] [Strong: 5921 ʻal, al; properly, the same as H5920 used as a preposition (in the singular or plural often with prefix, or as conjunction with a particle following); above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications:—above, according to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, × as, at, because of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, × both and, by (reason of), × had the charge of, concerning for, in (that), (forth, out) of, (from) (off), (up-) on, over, than, through(-out), to, touching, × with.]

h. unto [Strong: 413 ʼêl, ale; (but used only in the shortened constructive form אֶל ʼel, el); a primitive particle; properly, denoting motion towards, but occasionally used of a quiescent position, i.e. near, with or among; often in general, to:—about, according to, after, against, among, as for, at, because (-fore, -side), both...and, by, concerning, for, from, × hath, in (-to), near, (out) of, over, through, to (-ward), under, unto, upon, whether, with (-in).]

i. [the] king [Strong: 4428 melek, meh'-lek; from H4427; a king:—king, royal.]

1). Some commentators remark that this was a well known custom. I have a hard time believing Bathsheba would not be aware of it.

2). The Rubin Edition, The Early Prophets, 1 & 2 Kings, Rabbinic Commentary: David had never married Abishag, so the prohibitions against marrying one’s stepmother (Leviticus 18:8) or marrying the widow of a king (Sanhedrin 18a) did not apply. Neverthe less, it is forbidden for a commoner to take the king’s scepter or any other personal object for his own use.Since Abishag had served David, the same prohibition applied to her, so that Adonijah could not marry her, unless he too was a king (Sanhedrin 22a). Thus, his request to be allowed to marry Abishag was tantamount to saying that he should have the status of a king (Rashi, Radak). This explains his opening remarks (1 Kings 2:15), that his position as the oldest, and as the choice of the people shoul earn him recognition as royalty. Abarbanel comments that it was this that convinced Solomon that Adonijah still had designs on the throne.    [The ArtScroll Series/Rubin Edition THE PROPHETS: KINGS Copyright 2006 by MESORAH PUBLICATIONS, Ltd.]