So: The common Hebrew conjunction here is rightly understood by Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation as indicating a logical and temporal transition. As a result of what Nathan had said to Bathsheba, she went immediately to speak to King David.

The Hebrew word for chamber refers in general to a dark inner room. In this context it refers more specifically to the room where the king slept. In some languages the most natural equivalent will, in fact, be “sleeping room.” In other cases it will be better to say something like “private place.”

Now the king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was ministering to him: For the name Abishag the Shunammite and the verb ministering, see the comments on verses 3 and 4. It is not clear from the Hebrew how the reader is to understand this reference to Abishag. Perhaps she was present with David when Bathsheba came (so New American Bible “Bathseba visited the king in his room, while Abishag the Shunamite was attending him…”).

Or, more likely, the comment about Abishag may be intended as a general statement of the fact that David was now old and was regularly cared for by Abishag. This statement serves to explain why it was necessary for Bathsheba to go to David’s bedroom: he was old and feeble, needing help, and was unable to leave his room. Revised Standard Version, New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh, Moffatt, An American Translation (An American Translation), and New Jerusalem Bible follow this second understanding; that is, Abishag was not necessarily with David at this moment but David was now very old and needed to be taken care of. The use of parentheses in Revised Standard Version, Moffatt, An American Translation, and New Jerusalem Bible is an attempt to reflect this understanding. New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh and Anchor Bible use dashes to set off the information about Abishag. If this interpretation is followed, it may be better to restructure the whole verse and say something like the following:

• So Bathsheba went to see the king in his bedroom. David was now very old and Abishag the Shunammite was responsible for taking care of him.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Kings, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .