Bowed … and did obeisance: See the comments on verse 16.

May my lord King David live for ever!: These words of Bathsheba are probably not intended as a literal wish for health and long life since it was apparent that David was about to die. Rather, it was a stock phrase in praise of the king. Bathseba was expressing her loyalty to the king (see the comments on verse 25). Some have translated “Your Majesty, I pray that you will live for a long time.”

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 .