John Gill Commentary 1 Kings 1

Now King David was old, [and] stricken in years
Was seventy years of age; for he was thirty years of age when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years, (2 Samuel 5:4); this was just the age of man, (Psalms 90:10);

and they covered him with clothes ;
not wearing apparel, but bed clothes; he seems to have been bedridden and paralytic:

but he got no heat ;
by them; having no natural heat in him, clothes could not communicate any to him, only keep the cold from him, see (Haggai 1:6).

There are many persons at the age he was, that are lively, healthful, and robust, comparatively speaking at least; but David's strength was impaired, and his natural force abated by his many wars, fatigues by night and day in campaigns, and the many sorrows and afflictions he met with from his family and his friends, as well as enemies; which exhausted his natural moisture, weakened his nerves, and drank up his spirits, and brought upon him the infirmities of a decrepit old age very soon.

Wherefore his servants said to him
His physicians; so Joseph's physicians are called his servants, (Genesis 50:2);

let there be sought for my lord the king a young virgin ;
not only a young woman, but a virgin, that has more natural heat than women who have borne children have, which is abated thereby:

and let her stand before the king :
minister to him, serve him with whatsoever he should want to eat or drink; and so by being in his presence, and taking things at her hand, she might be the more ingratiated into his affections:

and let her cherish him ;
as the husband the wife, so she her husband, as doubtless David was; and that by giving him cordials to cheer his spirits, and everything that was convenient for him, and particularly by lying with him.

Kimchi interprets the word of her being profitable to him, in which sense the word is used, (Job 22:2) (35:3) ; that is, by warming him; Ben Gersom understands it of her being made mistress of his treasures, according to the sense of the word in (Isaiah 22:15) ; that she might have the command of his purse, and provide anything proper for him, without being taken notice of or obstructed; but the Targum is better,``and let her be near to him,'' lie close to him, and even in his bosom, as in the next clause:

and let her lie in his bosom ;
which shows that it was proposed that he should marry her, at least that she should become his concubine wife, since this phrase is descriptive of a wife, (Micah 7:5) ; nor can it be thought his physicians would advise, or he agree to have a young woman admitted to his bed, without marriage; and if this had not been the case, it would not have answered the design of Adonijah in requesting her in marriage after his father's death, which was to make way to ascend the throne when opportunity should offer; nor would his request have been so much resented by Solomon as it was, (1 Kings 2:17–24) ;

that my lord the king may get heat :
and somewhat similar to this, Galen, that great physician, prescribed in like cases ^F4 .

FOOTNOTES:

• F4: Vid. Poli Synopsin in loc.

So they sought for a fair damsel throughout all the coasts of
Israel
Not only a damsel, but a beautiful one, that she might be the more acceptable to the king; who otherwise, ifdeformed and ugly, would not have endured her in his sight, or received at her hands, and much less sufferedher to lie in his bosom:

and found Abishag a Shunammite ;
a native of the city Shunem, a city in the tribe of Issachar, (Joshua 19:18) ;

and brought her to the king ;
for his approbation of her, and to make her his concubine wife, as he did.

And the damsel [was] very fair
And so very agreeable to the king to be in his presence, and wait upon him, and take things of her hand, as well as lie with him:

and cherished the king ;
enlivened his spirits by her amiable countenance, her graceful behaviour, and tender care of him, and especially by bedding with him:

and ministered to him ;
serving him with her own hands whatever he took for his sustenance:

but the king knew her not ;
as a man knows his wife; which shows that she was his wife, and that it would not have been criminal in him had he known her; but this is observed, not to point at the chastity of David, but his feebleness, and loss of desire after women, and that the damsel remained a virgin; and that was the ground of Adonijah's request, and his hope of succeeding.

Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself
This was his mother's name, (2 Samuel 3:4) ; his father David being old and infirm, and not like to live long, notable to oppose him; and he being the eldest son, and a comely person, was inspired with ambition to set up for king:

saying, I will be king ;
though he knew that Solomon was appointed of God, and promised by David, and expected by the people to be king, yet he was resolved to set up himself for king, and try if he could not get himself to the throne; on this he was bent and determined:

and he prepared him chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before
him ;
just as Absalom had done, when he had the same thing in view, to make him respectable among the people, see (2 Samuel 15:1) .