1 kings 1 commentary

1 KIGS 1 COMMETARY
EDITED BY GLE PEASE
ITRODUCTIO
BESO, "THE FIRST BOOK OF THE KIGS,
COMMOLY CALLED THE THIRD BOOK OF THE KIGS.
ARGUMET.
THE two books of Samuel, as they relate the original of the royal government in
Saul, and of the royal family in David, are an introduction to the two books of
Kings. These two books give us an account of David’s successor, Solomon; of the
division of his kingdom, and of the several kings of Israel and Judah, down to the
captivity, including the space of 417 years. It cannot certainly be determined who it
was that collected the history of these two books, as they are now come to our hands.
The opinion of those learned men who ascribe this work to Ezra, as it is, indeed,
without any absolute objection against it, so has it not any clear demonstration to
raise it above a probable conjecture. But however that be, what is sufficient for us,
these books plainly appear to have been collected out of the ancient and undoubted
records of the two kingdoms of Israel and Judah. That such records, or annals, were
really written in every king’s reign, is not only highly credible, as it was agreeable to
the general usage of the eastern monarchies, but is very evident also, from
innumerable passages in these books themselves, compared with those of the
Chronicles, and other parts of Scripture; wherein (besides what might be written by
historians or record8keepers appointed by the several kings themselves) we find the
chief transactions of many particular reigns drawn up by such prophets as lived in,
and were witnesses of them. Thus, the acts of David were written by Samuel,
athan, and Gad, 1 Chronicles 29:29; the life of Solomon by athan, Ahijah, and
Iddo, 2 Chronicles 9:29; that of Rehoboam by Shemaiah and Iddo; that of Uzziah,
and a great part, if not the whole of Hezekiah’s, by Isaiah. And, to name no more,
the principal matters relating to Jehoiakin and Zedekiah stand incorporated in the
prophecy of Jeremiah. These several larger memoirs are what go under the name of
The Books of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel or Judah, so often mentioned and
referred to in these writings of the kings. For that those chronicles are not intended
of the two books of Chronicles which we now have, is most clear even from this
alone, that many transactions referred to in the books of the Kings, are so far from
being found more fully related in our Chronicles, that most of them are more short
than those in the Kings, and some of them not found there at all. But the books of
both Kings and Chronicles do refer us, for several larger accounts, to these writings
of the seers or prophets; which were the original large Chronicles, whereof those
which we now have are but abbreviations. It is sufficient, therefore, to establish the
authority and just esteem of these books, that by all circumstances compared
together, we find them to have been collected by persons of unsuspected ability,
care, and honesty, and handed down to us with as much purity and

uncorruptedness in the copies, as the nature of such things could possibly bear. And,
undoubtedly, we owe the handing of them down to us in this uncorrupted manner to
the especial providence of God, as being intended for our instruction.
A special regard is had in these books to the house of David, from which Christ
came. Some of his sons trod in his steps, and their reigns were usually long; whereas
those of the wicked kings were usually short: so that the state of Judah (in Israel all
the kings were wicked) was not so bad as it would otherwise have been.
In this first book we have, The death of David, chap. 1, 2. The glorious reign of
Solomon, chap. 3810. His defection, chap. 11. The division of the kingdom between
Rehoboam and Jeroboam, chap. 12814. The reigns of Abijah and Asa over Judah, of
Basha and Omri over Israel, chap. 15, 16. The history of Elijah, chap. 17819. Ahab’s
success, wickedness, and death, chap. 20822.
EXPOSITOR'S BIBLE COMMETARY, "THE BOOKS OF KIGS
THE "Two Books of Kings," as we call them, are only one book (Sepher Melakim),
and were so regarded not only in the days of Origen (ap. Euseb., H.E., 6:25) and of
Jerome (A.D. 420), but by the Jews even down to Bomberg’s Hebrew Bible of 1518.
They are treated as one book in the Talmud and the Peshito. The Western Bibles
followed the Alexandrian division into two books (called the third and fourth of
Kings), and Jerome adopted this division in the Vulgate (Regum, 3 et 4). But if this
separation into two books was due to the LXX translators, they should have made a
less awkward and artificial division than the one which breaks off the first book in
the middle of the brief reign of Ahaziah. Jerome’s version of the Books of Samuel
and Kings appeared first of his translations, and in his famous Prologus Galeatus he
mentions these facts.
The History was intended to be a continuation of the Books of Samuel. Some critics,
and among them Ewald, assign them to the same author, but closer examination of
the Book of Kings renders this more than doubtful. The incessant use of the prefix
"King," the extreme frequency of the description "Man of God," the references to
the law, and above all the constant condemnation of high places, counterbalance the
minor resemblance of style, and prove a difference of authorship.
What has the Higher Criticism, as represented in historic sequence by such writers
as Vatke, de Wette, Reuss, Graf, Ewald, Kuenen, Bleek, Wellhausen, Stade, Kittel,
Renan, Klostermann, Cheyne, Driver, Robertson Smith, and others, to tell us about
the structure and historic credibility of the Books of Kings? Has it in any way
shaken their value, while it has undoubtedly added to their intelligibility and
interest?
1. It emphasizes the fact that they are a compilation. In this there is nothing either
new or startling, for the fact is plainly and repeatedly acknowledged in the page of

the sacred narrative. The sources utilized are:8
(1) The Book of the Acts of Solomon. {1 Kings 11:41}
(2) The Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah (referred to fifteen times).
(3) The Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel (referred to seventeen times).
By comparing the authority referred to in 1 Kings 11:41 with those quoted in 2
Chronicles 9:29, we see that "the Book of the Acts of Solomon" must have been to a
large extent identical with the annals of that king’s reign contained in "the Book
(R.V, Histories) of athan the Prophet," the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and
"the story (R.V, commentary) or visions of Iddo the Seer." Similarly it appears that
the Acts of Rehoboam, Abijam, Jehoshaphat, Uzziah, were compiled, at any rate in
part, from the histories of Shemaiah, Jehu the son of Hanani, Isaiah the son of
Amoz, Hozai, {2 Chronicles 33:18, R.V} and other seers. In the narrative of a history
of 450 years (from B.C. 1016 to 562) the writer was of course compelled to rely for
his facts upon more ancient authorities. Whether he consulted the original
documents in the archives of Jerusalem, or whether he utilized some outline of them
which had previously been drawn up, cannot easily be determined. The work would
have been impossible but for the existence of the officials known as recorders and
historiographers (Mazkirim, Sopherim), who first made their appearance in the
court of David. But the original documents could hardly have survived the ravages
of Shalmanezer in Samaria and of ebuchadnezzar in Jerusalem, so that Movers is
probably right in the conjecture that the author’s extracts were made, not
immediately, but from the epitome of an earlier compiler.
1. Although no direct quotations are referred to other documents, it seems certain
from the style, and from various minor touches, that the compiler also utilized
detailed accounts of great prophets like Elijah, Elisha, and Micaiah son of Imliah,
which had been drawn up by literary students in the Schools of the Prophets. The
stories of prophets and men of God who are left unnamed were derived from oral
traditions so old that the names had been forgotten before they had been committed
to writing.
2. The work of the compiler himself is easily traceable. It is seen in the constantly
recurring formulae, which come almost like the refrain of an epic poem, at the
accession and close of every reign. They run normally as follows. For the Kings of
Judah:8
"And in the year of King of Israel reigned over Judah." "And years he reigned in
Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was the daughter of And did that which was
{right8evil} in the sight of the Lord."
"And slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the City of David his
father. And his son reigned in his stead."

In the formulae for the Kings of Israel "slept with his fathers" is omitted when the
king was murdered; and "was buried with his fathers" is omitted because there was
no unbroken dynasty and no royal burial8place. The prominent and frequent
mention of the queen8mother is due to the fact that as Gebira she held a far higher
rank than the favorite wife.
1. To the compiler is also due the moral aspect given to the annals and other
documents which he utilized. Something of this religious coloring he doubtless found
in the prophetic histories which he consulted; and the unity of aim visible
throughout the book is due to the fact that his standpoint is identical with theirs.
Thus, in spite of its compilation from different sources, the book bears the impress
of one hand and of one mind. Sometimes a passing touch in an earlier narrative
shows the work of an editor after the Exile, as when in the story of Solomon {1
Kings 4:20826} we read, "And he had dominion over all the region on the other side
of the river," i.e., west of the Euphrates, exactly as in Ezra 4:10. Here the rendering
of the A.V, "on this side of the river," is certainly inaccurate, and is surprisingly
retained in the R.V also.
2. To this high moral purpose everything else is subordinated. Like all his Jewish
contemporaries, the writer attaches small importance to accurate chronological
data. He pays little attention to discrepancies, and does not care in every instance to
harmonize his own authorities. Some contradictions may be due to additions made
in a later recension (2 Kings 15:30; 2 Kings 15:33; 2 Kings 8:25; 2 Kings 9:29), and
some may have arisen from the introduction of marginal glosses, or from
corruptions of the text which (apart from a miraculous supervision such as was not
exercised) might easily, and indeed would inevitably, occur in the constant
transcription of numeric letters closely resembling each other. "The numbers as
they have come down to us in the Book of Kings," says Canon Rawlinson, "are
untrustworthy, being in part self8contradictory, in part opposed to other Scriptural
notices, in part improbable, if not impossible."
1. The date of the book as it stands was after B.C. 542, for the last event mentioned
in it is the mercy extended by Evil8merodach, King of Babylon, to his unfortunate
prisoner Jehoiachin {2 Kings 25:27} in the thirty8seventh year of his captivity. The
language8later than that of Isaiah, and earlier than that of Ezra8confirms this
conclusion. That the book appeared before B.C. 536 is clear from the fact that the
compiler makes no allusion to Zerubbabel, Jeshua, or the first exiles who returned
to Jerusalem after the decree of Cyrus. But it is generally agreed that the book was
substantially complete before the Exile (about B.C. 600), though some exilic
additions may have been made by a later editor. "The writer was already removed
by at least six hundred years from the days of Samuel, a space of time as long as that
which separates us from the first Parliament of Edward I" This date of the book8
which cannot but have some bearing on its historic value8is admitted by all, since
the peculiarities of the language from the beginning to the end are marked by the
usages of later Hebrew. The chronicler lived some two centuries later "in about the
same chronological relation to David as Professor Freeman stands to William
Rufus."

2. Criticism cannot furnish us with the name of this great compiler. Jewish
tradition, as preserved in the Talmud, assigned the Books of Kings to the prophet
Jeremiah, and in the Jewish canon they are reckoned among "the earlier prophets."
This would account for the strange silence about Jeremiah in the Second Book of
Kings, whereas he is prominently mentioned in the Book of Chronicles, in the
Apocrypha, and in Josephus. But unless we accept the late and worthless Jewish
assertion that, after being carried to Egypt by Johanan, son of Kareah, Jeremiah
{Jeremiah 42:687} escaped to Babylon, he could not have been the author of the last
section of the book. {2 Kings 25:27830} Yet it is precisely in the closing chapters of
the second book (in and after chapter 17) that the resemblances to the style of
Jeremiah are most marked. That the writer was a contemporary of that prophet,
was closely akin to him in his religious attitude, and was filled with the same
melancholy feelings, is plain; but this, as recent critics have pointed out, is due to the
fact that both writers reflect the opinions and the phraseology which we find in the
Book of Deuteronomy.
3. The critics who are so often charged with rash assumptions have been led to the
conclusions which they adopt by intense and infinite labor, including the
examination of various books of Scripture phrase by phrase, and even word by
word. The sum total of their most important results as regards the Books of Kings is
as follows:8
i. The books are composed of older materials, retouched, sometimes expanded, and
set in a suitable framework, mostly by a single author who writes throughout in the
same characteristic phraseology, and judges the actions and characters of the kings
from the standpoint of later centuries.
The annals which he consulted, and in part incorporated, were twofold8prophetic
and political. The latter were probably drawn up for each reign by the official
recorder, who held an important place in the courts of all the greatest kings, {2
Samuel 8:16; 2 Samuel 20:24 1 Kings 4:3 2 Kings 18:18} and whose duty it was to
write the "acts" or "words" of the "days" of his sovereign.
ii. The compiler’s work is partly of the nature of an epitome, and partly consists of
longer narratives, of which we can sometimes trace the orthern Israelitish origin
by peculiarities of form and expression.
iii. The synchronisms which he gives between the reigns of the kings of Israel and
Judah are computed by himself, or by some redactor, and only in round numbers.
iv. The speeches, prayers, and prophecies introduced are perhaps based on
tradition, but, since they reflect all the peculiarities of the compiler, must owe their
ultimate form to him. This accounts for the fact that the earlier prophecies recorded
in these books resemble the tone and style of Jeremiah, but do not resemble such
ancient prophecies as those of Amos and Hoshea.

v. The numbers which he adopts are sometimes so enormous as to be grossly
improbable; and in these as in some of the dates, allowance must be made for
possible errors of tradition and transcription.
vi. "Deuteronomy," says Professor Driver, "is the standard by which the compiler
judges both men and actions; and the history from the beginning of Solomon’s reign
is presented, not in a purely ‘objective’ form" (as e.g. in 2 Samuel 9:1813; 2 Samuel
10:1819; 2 Samuel 11:1827; 2 Samuel 12:1831; 2 Samuel 13:1839; 2 Samuel 14:1833; 2
Samuel 15:1837; 2 Samuel 16:1823; 2 Samuel 17:1829; 2 Samuel 18:1833; 2 Samuel
19:1843; 2 Samuel 20:1826), but from the point of view of the Deuteronomic code.
The principles which, in his view, the history as a whole is to exemplify, are already
expressed succinctly in the charge which he represents David as giving to his son
Solomon; {1 Kings 2:384} they are stated by him again in 1 Kings 3:14, and more
distinctly in 1 Kings 9:189. Obedience to the Deuteronomic law is the qualification
for an approving verdict; deviation from it is the source of ill success, {1 Kings 11:98
13; 1 Kings 14:7811; 1 Kings 16:2; 2 Kings 17:7818} and the sure prelude to
condemnation. Every king of the orthern Kingdom is characterized as doing ‘that
which was evil in the eyes of Jehovah.’ In the Southern Kingdom the exceptions are
Asa, Jehoshaphat, Jehoash, Amaziah, Uzziah, Jotham, Hezekiah, Josiah8usually,
however, with the limitation that ‘the high places were not removed’ as demanded
by the Deuteronomic law.
The constantly recurring Deuteronomic phrases which most directly illustrate the
point of view from which the history is regarded are, ‘To keep the charge of
Jehovah’; ‘to walk in the ways of Jehovah’; ‘to keep (or execute) His
commandments, or statutes, and judgments’; "to do that which is right in the eyes
of Jehovah’; ‘to provoke Jehovah to anger’; ‘to cleave to Jehovah.’ If the reader will
be at the pains of underlining in his text the phrases here cited "(and many others of
which Professor Driver gives a list), "he will not only realize how numerous they
are, but also perceive how they seldom occur indiscriminately in the narrative as
such, but are generally aggregated in particular passages (mostly comments on the
history, or speeches) which are thereby distinguished from their context, and shown
to be presumably the work of a different hand."
vii. It must not be imagined that the late compilation of the book, or its subsequent
recensions, or the dogmatic coloring which it may have insensibly derived from the
religious systems and organizations of days subsequent to the Exile, have in the least
affected the main historic veracity of the kingly annals. They may have influenced
the omissions and the moral estimates, but the events themselves are in every case
confirmed when we are able to compare them with any records and monuments of
Phoenicia, Moab, Egypt, Assyria, or Babylon. The discovery and deciphering of the
Moabite stone, and of the painted vaults of Shishak at Karnak, and of the cuneiform
inscriptions, confirm in every case the general truth, in some cases the minute
details, of the sacred historian. In so passing an allusion as that in 2 Kings 3:16817
the accuracy of the narrative is confirmed by the fact that (as Delitzsch has shown)
the method of obtaining water is that which is to this day employed in the Wady el8
Hasa at the southern end of the Dead Sea.

viii. The Book of Kings consists, according to Stade, of,
(a) 1 Kings 1:1853; 1 Kings 2:1846, the close of a history of David, in continuation of
1 and 2 Samuel. The continuity of the Scriptures is marked in an interesting way by
the word "and," with which so many of the books begin. The Jews, devout believers
in the work of a Divine Providence, saw no discontinuities in the course of national
events.
(b) 1 Kings 3:1828; 1 Kings 4:1834; 1 Kings 5:1818; 1 Kings 6:1838; 1 Kings 7:1851; 1
Kings 8:1866; 1 Kings 9:1828; 1 Kings 10:1829; 1 Kings 11:1843, a conglomerate of
notices about Solomon; grouped round chaps, 6, 7, which narrate the building of the
Temple. They are arranged by the pre8exilic compiler, but not without later touches
from the Deuteronomic standpoint of a later editor. {e.g., 1 Kings 3:283}, 1 Kings
8:14,, 1 Kings 9:9 also belong to the later editor.
(c) 1 Kings 11:1843 8 2 Kings 23:29, an epitome of the entire regal period of Judah
and Israel, after the three first reigns over the undivided kingdom, compiled mainly
before the Exile.
(d) 2 Kings 23:30 8, 2 Kings 25:30, a conclusion, added, in its present form, after the
Exile.
Two positions arc maintained
(A) as regards the text, and
(B) as regards the chronology.
A. As regards the text no one will maintain the old false assertion that it has come
down to us in a perfect condition. There are in the history of the text three epochs:
1. The Prae8Talmudic;
2. The Talmudic8Masoretic up to the time when vowel8points were introduced;
3. The Masoretic traditions of a later period.
The marginal annotations known as Q’ri "read" (plural, Qarjan), consist of glosses
and euphemisms which were used in the service of the synagogue in place of the
written text (K’tib); the oral tradition of these variations was known as the Masora
(i.e., tradition). The Greek version (Septuagint, LXX), which is of immense
importance for the history of the text, was begun in Alexandria under Ptolemy
Philadelphus (B.C. 2838247). It presents many additions and variations in the Books
of Kings.
All Hebrew manuscripts, as is well known, are of comparatively recent date, owing

to the strict rule of the Jewish Schools that any manuscript which had in the
slightest degree suffered from time or use was to be instantly destroyed. The oldest
Hebrew manuscript is supposed to be the Codex Babylonicus at St. Petersburg (A.D.
916), unless one recently discovered by Dr. Ginsburg in the British Museum be
older. Most Hebrew manuscripts are later than the twelfth century.
The variations in the Samaritan Pentateuch, and in the Septuagint version8the latter
of which are often specially valuable as indications of the original text8furnish
abundant proof that no miracle has been wrought to preserve the text of Scripture
from the changes and corruptions which always arise in the course of constant
transcriptions.
A further and serious difficulty in the reproduction of events in their historic
exactitude is introduced by the certainty that many books of the Bible, in their
present form, represent the results arrived at after their recension by successive
editors, some of whom lived many centuries after the events recorded. In the Books
of Kings we probably see many nuances which were not introduced till after the
epoch8making discovery of the Book of the Law (perhaps the essential parts of the
Book of Deuteronomy) in the reign of Josiah, A.D. 621. {2 Kings 22:8814} It is, for
instance, impossible to declare with certainty what parts of the Temple service were
really coaeval with David and Solomon, and what parts had arisen in later days.
There appear to be liturgical touches, or alterations as indicated by the variations of
the text in 1 Kings 8:4; 1 Kings 8:12813. In 1 Kings 18:29836 the allusion to the
Minchah is absent from the LXX in 1 Kings 18:36, and in 2 Kings 3:20 another
reading is suggested.
B. As regards the difficult question of Chronology we need add but little to what has
been elsewhere said. Even the most conservative critics admit that
(1) the numbers of the Biblical text have often become corrupt or uncertain; and
(2) that the ancient Hebrews were careless on the subject of exact chronology.
The Chronology of the Kings, as it now stands, is historically true in its general
outlines, but in its details presents us with data which are mutually irreconcilable. It
is obviously artificial, and is dominated by slight modifications of the round number
40. Thus from the Exile to the Building of the Temple is stated at 480 years, and
from that period to the fiftieth year of the Exile also at 480 years. In the Chronicles
there are eleven high priests from Azariah ben8Ahimaaz to the Exile of Jozadak,
which, with the Exile period, gives twelve generations of 40 years each.
Again, from Rehoboam to the Fall of Samaria in the sixth year of Hezekiah,
following the 40 years’ reign of Saul, of David, and of Solomon, we have:
Rehoboam, Abijah 20 years,
Asa 41 years,

Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, Ahaziah, Athaliah 40 years,
Joash 40 years,
Amaziah, Uzziah 81 years,
Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah 38 years,
After the Fall of Samaria we have:
Hezekiah, Manasseh, Amon80 years,
8 and it can hardly be a mere accident that in these lists the number 40 is only
modified by slight necessary details.
The history of the orthern Kingdom seems to be roughly trisected into 80 years
before Ben8hadad’s first invasion, 80 years of Syrian war, 40 years of prosperity
under Jeroboam II, and 40 years of decline. This is probably a result of
chronological system, not uninfluenced by mystical considerations. For 480=40 X 12.
Forty is repeatedly used as a sacred number in connection with epochs of penitence
and punishment. Twelve (4X3) is, according to Bahr (the chief student of numerical
and other symbolism), "the signature of the people of Israel"8as a whole (4), in the
midst of which God (3) resides. Similarly Stade thinks that 16 is the basal number
for the reigns of kings from Jehu to Hoshea, and 12 from Jeroboam to Jehu.
It is possible that the synchronistic data did not proceed from the compiler of the
Book of Kings, but were added by the last redactor.
Are these critical conclusions so formidable? Are they fraught with disastrous
consequences? Which is really dangerous8truth laboriously sought for, or error
accepted with unreasoning blindness and maintained with invincible prejudice?
THE HISTORIA OF THE KIGS
"The hearts of kings are in Thy rule and governance, and Thou dost dispose and
turn them as it seemeth best to Thy godly wisdom."
WERE we to judge the compiler or epitomator of the Book of Kings from the
literary standpoint of modern historians, he would, no doubt, hold a very inferior
place; but so to judge him would be to take a mistaken view of his object, and to test
his merits and demerits by conditions which are entirely alien from the ideal of his
contemporaries and the purpose which he had in view.
It is quite true that he does not even aim at fulfilling the requirements demanded of
an ordinary secular historian. He does not attempt to present any philosophical
conception of the political events and complicated interrelations of the orthern and

Southern Kingdoms. His method of writing the story of the Kings of Judah and
Israel in so many separate paragraphs gives a certain confusedness to the general
picture. It leads inevitably to the repetition of the same facts in the accounts of two
reigns. Each king is judged from a single point of view, and that not the point of
view by which his own age was influenced, but one arrived at in later centuries, and
under changed conditions, religious and political. There is no attempt to show that
"God fulfils Himself in many ways, Lest one good custom should corrupt the
world."
The military splendor or political ability of a king goes for nothing. It has so little
interest for the writer that a brilliant and powerful ruler like Jeroboam II seems to
excite in him as little interest as an effeminate weakling like Ahaziah. He passes over
without notice events of such capital importance as the invasion of Zerah the
Ethiopian; {2 Chronicles 14:9815; 2 Chronicles 16:8} the wars of Jehoshaphat
against Edom, Ammon, and Moab; {2 Chronicles 20:1825} of Uzziah against the
Philistines; {2 Chronicles 26:688} and of the Assyrians against Manasseh. {2
Chronicles 33:11813} He neither tells us that Omri subdued Moab, nor that he was
defeated by Syria. He scarcely more than mentions events of such deep interest as
the conquest of Jerusalem by Shishak; {1 Kings 14:25826} the war between Abijam
and Jeroboam; {1 Kings 15:7} of Amaziah with Edom; {2 Kings 14:7} or even the
expedition of Josiah against Pharaoh8nechoh. {2 Kings 23:29} For these events he is
content to relegate us to the best authorities which he used, with the phrase "and the
rest of his acts, his wars, and all that he did." The fact that Omri was the founder of
so powerful a dynasty that the Kings of Israel were known to Assyria as "the House
of Omri," does not induce him to give more than a passing notice to that king. It did
not come within his province to record such memorable circumstances as that Ahab
fought with the Aramaean host against Assyria at the battle of Karkar, or that the
bloodstained Jehu had to send a large tribute to Shalmaneser II.
There is a certain monotony in the grounds given for the moral judgments passed on
each successive monarch. One unchanging formula tells us of every one of the kings
of Israel that "he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord," with exclusive
reference in most cases to "the sins of Jeroboam the son of ebat, wherewith he
made Israel to sin. "The unfavorable remark about king after king of Judah that
"nevertheless the high places were not taken away; the people offered and burnt
incense yet in the high places" {1 Kings 15:14; 1 Kings 22:43 2 Kings 12:3; 2 Kings
14:4} makes no allowance for the fact that high places dedicated to Jehovah had
been previously used unblamed by the greatest judges and seers, and that the feeling
against them had only entered into the national life in later days.
It belongs to the same essential view of history that the writer’s attention is so
largely occupied by the activity of the prophets, whose personality often looms far
more largely on his imagination than that of the kings. If we were to remove from
his pages all that he tells us of athan, Ahijah of Shiloh, Shemaiah, Jehu the son of
Hanani, Elijah, Elisha, Micaiah, Isaiah, Huldah, Jonah, and various nameless "men
of God," {1 Kings 13:1832; 1 Kings 20:13815; 1 Kings 20:28; 1 Kings 20:35; 1 Kings

20:42 2 Kings 21:10815} the residuum would be meager indeed. The silence as to
Jeremiah is a remarkable circumstance which no theory has explained; but we must
remember the small extent of the compiler’s canvas, and that, even as it is, we
should have but a dim insight into the condition of the two kingdoms if we did not
study also the extant writings of contemporary prophets. His whole aim is to exhibit
the course of events as so controlled by the Divine Hand that faithfulness to God
ensured blessing, and unfaithfulness brought down His displeasure and led to
national decline. So far from concealing this principle he states it, again and again,
in the most formal manner. {2 Kings 17:7823; 2 Kings 17:32; 2 Kings 17:41; 2 Kings
17:23826; 2 Kings 17:27}
These might be objections against the author if he had written his book in the spirit
of an ordinary historian. They cease to have any validity when we remember that he
does not profess to offer us a secular history at all. His aim and method have been
described as "prophetic8didactic." He writes avowedly as one who believed in the
Theocracy. His epitomes from the documents which he had before him were made
with a definite religious purpose. The importance or unimportance of kings in his
eyes depended on their relation to the opinions which had come home to the
conscience of the nation in the still recent reformation of Josiah. He strove to solve
the moral problems of Gods government as they presented themselves, with much
distress and perplexity, to the mind of his nation in the days of its decadence and
threatened obliteration. And in virtue of his method of dealing with such themes, he
shares with the other historical writers of the Old Testament a right to be regarded
as one of the Prophetoe priores.
What are those problems?
They were old problems respecting God’s moral government of the world which
always haunted the Jewish mind, complicated by the disappointment of national
convictions about the promises of God to the race of Abraham and the family of
David.
The Exile was already imminent8it had indeed partly begun in the deportation of
Jehoiakin and many Jews to Babylon (B.C. 598)8when the book saw the light. The
writer was compelled to look back with tears on "the days that were no more." The
epoch of Israel’s splendor and dominion seemed to have passed forever. And yet,
was not God the true Governor of His people? Had He not chosen Jacob for
Himself, and Israel for His own possession? Had not Abraham received the promise
that his seed should be as the sand of the sea, and that in his seed should all the
nations of the earth be blessed? Or was it a mere illusion that "when Israel was a
child I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son"? The writer clung with
unquenchable faith to his convictions about the destinies of his people, and yet every
year seemed to render their fulfillment more distant and more impossible.
The promise to Abraham had been renewed to Isaac, and to Jacob, and to the
patriarchs; but to David and his house it had been reiterated with special emphasis
and fresh details. That promise, as it stood recorded in 2 Samuel 7:12816, was

doubtless in the writer’s hands. The election of Israel as "God’s people" is "a
world8historic fact, the fundamental miracle which no criticism can explain away."
And, in addition God had sworn in His holiness that He would not forsake David.
"When thy days be fulfilled," He had said, "and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I
will set up thy seed after thee and will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house
for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever, I will be his
father, and he shall be My son. If he commit iniquity, I will chastise him with the
rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men. But My mercy shall not
depart from him, as I took it from Saul whom I put away before thee, and thy house
and thy kingdom shall be established forever before thee; thy throne shall be
established forever." This promise haunted the imagination of the compiler of the
Book of Kings. He repeatedly refers to it, and it is so constantly present to his mind
that his whole narrative seems to be a comment, and often a perplexed and half8
despairing comment, upon it. Yet he resisted the assaults of despair. The Lord had
made a faithful oath unto David, and He would not depart from it.
It is this that makes him linger so lovingly on the glories of the reign of Solomon. At
first they seem to inaugurate an era of overwhelming and permanent prosperity.
Because Solomon was the heir of David whom God had chosen, his dominion is
established without an effort in spite of a formidable conspiracy. Under his wise,
pacific rule the united kingdom springs to the zenith of its greatness. The writer
dwells with fond regret upon the glories of the Temple, the Empire, and the Court of
the wise king. He records God’s renewed promises to him that there should not be
any among the kings like unto him all his days. Alas! the splendid visions had faded
away like an unsubstantial pageant. Glory had led to vice and corruption. Worldly
policy carried apostasy in its train. The sun of Solomon set in darkness, as the sun of
David had set in decrepitude and blood. "And the Lord was angry with Solomon,
because his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel, who had appeared unto
him twice but he kept not that which the Lord commanded. Wherefore the Lord
said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept My
covenant, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee otwithstanding in thy day I
will not do it for David thy father’s sake. Howbeit I will not rend away all the
kingdom; but will give one tribe to thy son, for David My servant’s sake, and for
Jerusalem’s sake which I have chosen." {1 Kings 11:9813}
Thus at one blow the heir of "Solomon in all his glory" dwindles into the kinglet of a
paltry little province not nearly so large as the smallest of English counties. So
insignificant, in fact, do the fortunes of the kingdom become, that, for long periods,
it has no history worth speaking of. The historian is driven to occupy himself with
the northern tribes because they are the scene of the activity of two glorious though
widely different prophets. From first to last we seem to hear in the prose of the
annalist the cry of the troubled Psalmist, "Lord, where are thy old loving kindnesses
which Thou swarest unto David in Thy truth? Remember, Lord, the rebukes that
Thy servants have, and how I do bear in my bosom the rebukes of many people
wherewith thine enemies have blasphemed Thee, and slandered the footsteps of
Thine anointed." And yet, in spite of all, with invincible confidence, he adds,
"Praised be the Lord for evermore. Amen and Amen."

And this is one of the great lessons which we learn alike from Scripture and from
the experience of every holy and humble, life. It may be briefly summed up in the
words. Put thou thy trust in God, and be doing good, and He shall bring it to pass.
In multitudes of forms the Bible inculcates upon us the lesson, "Have faith in God,"
"Fear not; only believe." The paradox of the ew Testament is the existence of joy
in the midst of sorrow and sighing, of exultation even amid the burning fiery
furnaces of anguish and persecution. The secret of both Testaments alike is the
power to maintain an unquenchable faith, an unbroken peace, an indomitable trust
amid every complication of disaster and apparent overthrow. The writer of the
Book of Kings saw that God is patient, because He is eternal; that even the histories
of nations, not individual lives only, are but as one ticking of a clock amid the
eternal silence that God’s ways are not man’s ways. And because this is so8because
God sitteth above the water floods and remaineth a King forever8therefore we can
attain to that ultimate triumph of faith which consists in holding fast our profession,
not only amid all the waves and storms of calamity, but even when we are brought
face to face with that which wears the aspect of absolute and final failure. The
historian says in the name of his nation what the saint has so often to say in his own,
"Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him." Amos, earliest of the prophets whose
written utterances have been preserved, undazzled by the magnificent revival of the
orthern Kingdom under Jeroboam II, was still convinced that the future lay with
the poor fallen "booth" of David’s royalty: "And I will raise up his ruins, and I will
build it as in the days of old saith the Lord that doeth this." {Amos 9:11812} In
many a dark age of Jewish affliction this fire of conviction has still burned amid the
ashes of national hopes after it had seemed to have flickered out under white heaps
of chilly dust. {Psalms 89:48850}
GOD I HISTORY
"The Lord remaineth a King forever."
HAD the compiler of the Book of Kings been so incompetent and valueless a
historian as some critics have represented, it would indeed have been strange that
his book should have kindled so immortal an interest, or have taken its place
securely in the Jewish canon among the most sacred books of the world. He could
not have secured this recognition without real and abiding merits. His greatness
appears by the manner in which he grapples with, and is not crushed by, the
problems presented to him by the course of events to him so dismal.
1. He wrote after Israel had long been scattered among the nations. The sons of
Jacob had been deported into strange lands to be hopelessly lost and absorbed amid
heathen peoples. The district which had been assigned to the Ten Tribes after the
conquest of Joshua had been given over to an alien and mongrel population. The
worst anticipations of northern prophets like Amos and Hoshea had been terribly
fulfilled. The glory of Samaria had been wiped out, as when one wipeth a dish,
wiping and turning it upside down. From the beginning of Israel’s separate
dominion the prophets saw the germ of its final ruin in what is called the "calf8

worship" of Jeroboam. which prepared the way for the Baal8worship introduced by
the House of Omri. In the two and a half centuries of Samaria’s existence the
compiler of this history finds nothing of eternal interest except the activity of God’s
great messengers. In the history of Judah the better reigns of a Jehoshapat, of a
Hezekiah, of a Josiah, had shed a sunset gleam over the waning fortunes of the
remnant of God’s people. Hezekiah and Josiah, with whatever deflections, had both
ruled in the theocratic spirit. They had both inaugurated reforms. The reformation
achieved by the latter was so sweeping and thorough as to kindle the hope that the
deep wound inflicted on the nation by the manifold crimes of Manasseh had been
healed. But it was not so. The records of these two best kings end, nevertheless, in
prophecies of doom. {2 Kings 20:16818; 2 Kings 22:16820} The results of their
reforming efforts proved to be partial and unsatisfactory. A race of vassal weaklings
succeeded. Jehoahaz was taken captive by the Egyptians, who set up Jehoiakim as
their puppet. He submits to ebuchadnezzar, attempts a weak revolt, and is
punished. In the short reign of Jehoiachin the captivity begins, and the futile
rebellion of Zedekiah leads to tile deportation of his people, the burning of the Holy
City, and the desecration of the Temple. It seemed as though the ruin of the olden
hopes could not have been more absolute. Yet the historian will not abandon them.
Clinging to God’s promises with desperate and pathetic tenacity he gilds his last
page, as with one faint sunbeam struggling out of the stormy darkness of the exile,
by narrating how Evil Merodach released Jehoiachin from his long captivity, and
treated him with kindness, and advanced him to the first rank among the vassal
kings in the court of Babylon. If the ruler of Judah must be a hopeless prisoner, let
him at least occupy among his fellow8prisoners a sad pre8eminence!
2. The historian has been blamed for the perpetual gloom which enwraps his
narrative. Surely the criticism is unjust. He did not invent his story. He is no whit
more gloomy than Thucydides, who had to record how the brief gleam of Athenian
glory sank in the Bay of Syracuse into a sea of blood. He is not half so gloomy as
Tacitus, who is forced to apologize for the "hues of earthquake and eclipse" which
darken his every page. The gloom lay in the events of which he desired to be the
faithful recorder. He certainly did not love gloom. He lingers at disproportionate
length over the grandeur of the reign of Solomon, dilating fondly upon every
element of his magnificence, and unwilling to tear himself away from the one period
which realized his ideal expectations. After that period his spirits sink. He cared less
to deal with a divided kingdom of which only the smallest fragment was even
approximately faithful. There could be nothing but gloom in the record of short8
lived, sanguinary, and idolatrous dynasties, which succeeded each other like the
scenes of a grim phantasmagoria in Samaria and Jezreel. There could be nothing
but gloom in the story of that northern kingdom in which king after king was
dogged to ruin by the politic unfaithfulness of the rebel by whom it had been
founded. or could there be much real brightness in the story of humiliated Judah.
There also many kings preferred a diplomatic worldliness to reliance on their true
source of strength. Even in Judah there were kings who defiled God’s own temple
with heathen abominations; and a saint like Hezekiah had been followed by an
apostate like Manasseh. Had Judah been content to dwell in the defense of the Most
High and abide under the shadow of the Almighty, she would have been defended

under His wings and been safe beneath His feathers; His righteousness and truth
would have been her shield and buckler. He who protected her in the awful crisis of
Sennacherib’s invasion had proved that He never faileth them that trust Him. But
her kings had preferred to lean on such a bruised reed as Egypt, which broke under
the weight and pierced the hand of all who relied on her assistance. "But ye said,
ay, but we will flee upon horses; therefore shall ye flee: and, We will ride upon the
swift; therefore shall they that pursue you be swift." {Isaiah 30:16}
3. And has not gloom been the normal characteristic of many a long period of
human history? It is with the life of nations as with the life of men. With nations,
too, there is "a perpetual fading of all beauty into darkness, and of all strength into
dust." Humanity advances, but it advances over the ruins of peoples and the wrecks
of institutions. Truth forces its way into acceptance, but its progress is "from
scaffold to scaffold, and from stake to stake." All who have generalized on the
course of history have been forced to recognize its agonies and disappointments.
There, says Byron,
"There is the moral of all human tales;
‘Tis but the same rehearsal of the past;
First Freedom, and then Glory8when that fails,
Wealth, Vice, Corruption8Barbarism at last.
And History, with all her volumes vast,
Hath but one page: ‘tis better written here
Where gorgeous tyranny hath thus amassed
All treasures, all delights that eye or ear,
Heart, soul could seek, tongue ask."
Mr. J.R. Lowell, looking at the question from another side, sings:8
"Careless seems the Great Avenger; History’s pages but record
One death8grapple in the darkness ‘twixt all systems and the Word
Truth forever on the scaffold, Wrong forever on the throne8
Yet that scaffold sways the Future, and behind the dim unknown
Standeth God within the shadow, keeping watch above His own."

Mr. W.H. Lecky, again, considering the facts of national story from the point of
view of heredity, and the permanent consequences of wrongdoing, sings:8
"The voice of the afflicted is rising to the sun,
The thousands who have perished for the selfishness of one;
The judgment8seat polluted, the altar overthrown,
The sighing of the exile, the tortured captive’s groan,
The many crushed and plundered to gratify the few,
The hounds of hate pursuing the noble and the true."
Or, if we desire a prose authority, can we deny this painful estimate of Mr.
Ruskin?8"Truly It seems to me as I gather in my mind the evidence of insane
religion, degraded art, merciless war, sullen toil, detestable pleasure, and vain or
vile hope in which the nations of the world have lived since first they could bear
record of themselves, it seems to me, I say, as if the race itself were still half serpent,
not extricated yet from its clay; a lacertine brood of bitterness, the glory of it
emaciate with cruel hunger and blotted with venomous stain, and the track of it on
the leaf a glittering slime, and in the sand a useless furrow." Dark as is the story
which the author of the Book of Kings has to record, and hopeless as might seem to
be the conclusion of the tragedy, he is responsible for neither. He can but tell the
things that were, and tell them as they were; the picture is, after all, far less gloomy
than that presented in many a great historic record. Consider the features of such
an age as that recorded by Tacitus, with the "Iliad of woes" of which he was the
annalist. Does Jewish history offer us nothing but this horrible monotony of
delations and suicides? Consider the long ages of darkness and retrogression in the
fifth and following centuries; or the unutterable miseries inflicted on the seaboard
of Europe by the invasions of the orsemen8the mere thought of which drove
Charlemagne to tears; or the long complicated agony produced by hundreds of
petty feudal wars, and the cruel tyranny of marauding barons; or the condition of
England in the middle of the fourteenth century when the Black Death swept away
half of her population; or the extreme misery of the masses after the Thirty Years’
War; or the desolating horror of the wars of apoleon which filled Germany with
homeless and starving orphans. The annals of the Hebrew monarchy are less grim
than these; yet the House of Israel might also seem to have been chosen out for a
preeminence of sorrow which ended in making Jerusalem "a rendezvous for the
extermination of the race." When once the Jewish wars began8
"Vengeance! thy fiery wing their race pursued,
Thy thirsty poniard blushed with infant blood!
Roused at thy call and panting still for game

The bird of war, the Latin eagle came.
Then Judah raged, by ruffian discord led,
Drunk with the steamy carnage of the dead;
He saw his sons by dubious slaughter fall,
And war without, and death within the wall."
Probably no calamity since time began exceeded in horror and anguish the carnage
and cannibalism and demoniac outbreak of every vile and furious passion which
marked the siege of Jerusalem; and, in the dreary ages which followed, the world
has heard rising from the Jewish people the groan of myriads of broken hearts.
"The fruits of the earth have lost their savor," wrote one poor Rabbi, the son of
Gamaliel, "and no dew falls." In the crowded Ghettos of mediaeval cities, during
the foul tyranny of the Inquisition in Spain, and many a time throughout Europe,
amid the iron oppression of ignorant and armed brutality, the hapless Jews have
been forced to cry aloud to the God of their fathers:
"Thou feedest Thy people with the bread of tears, and givest them plenteousness of
tears to drink! Thou sellest Thy people for nought, and givest no money for them."
When the eccentric Frederic William I of Prussia ordered his Court chaplain to give
him in one sentence a proof of Christianity, the chaplain answered without a
moment's hesitation: "The Jews, your Majesty." Truly it might seem that the
fortunes of that strange people had been designed for a special lesson, not to them
only, but to the whole human race; and the general outlines of that lesson have
never been more clearly and forcibly indicated than in the Book of Kings.
HISTORY WITH A PURPOSE
"History, as distinguished from chronicles or annals, must always contain a theory
whether confessed by the writer or not. A sound theory is simply a general
conception which coordinates a multitude of facts. Without this, facts cease to have
interest except to the antiquarian."
8LAURIE.
THE prejudice against history written with a purpose is a groundless prejudice.
Herodotus, Thucydides, Livy, Sallust, had each his guiding principle, no less than
Ammianus Marcellinus, St. Augustine, Orosius, Bossuet, Montesquieu. Voltaire,
Kant, Turgot, Condorcet, Hegel, Fichte, and every modern historian worthy the
name. They have all, as Mr. Morley says, felt the intellectual necessity for showing
"those secret dispositions of events which prepared the way for great changes, as
well as the momentous conjunctures which more immediately brought them to

pass." Orosius, founding his epitome on the hint given by St. Augustine in his De
Civitate Dei, begins with the famous words, "Divina providentia agitur mundus et
homo." Other serious writers may vary the formula, but in all their annals the
lesson is essentially the same. "The foundation upon which, at all periods, Israel’s
sense of its national unity rested was religious in its character." "The history of
Israel," says Stade, "is essentially a history of religious ideas."
Of course the history is rendered valueless if, in pursuing his purpose, the writer
either falsifies events or intentionally manipulates them in such a way that they lead
to false issues. But the man who is not inspired by his subject, the man to whom the
history which he is narrating, has no particular significance, must be a man of dull
imagination or cold affections. o such man can write a true history at all. For
history is the record of what has happened to men in nations, and its events are
swayed by human passions, and palpitate with human emotions. There is no great
historian who may not be charged with having been in some respects a partisan. The
ebb and flow of his narrative, the "to8and8fro8conflicting waves" of the struggles
which he records, must be to him as idle as a dance of puppets if he feels no special
interest in the chief actors, and has not formed a distinct judgment of the sweep of
the great unseen tidal forces by which they are determined and controlled.
The greatness of the sacred historian of the Kings consists in his firm grasp of the
principle that God is the controlling power and sin the disturbing force in the entire
history of men and nations.
Surely he does not stand alone in either conviction. Both propositions are confirmed
by all experience. In all life, individual and national, sin is weakness; and human life
without God, whether isolated or corporate, is no better than
"A trouble of ants ‘mid a million million of suns."
"Why do the heathen so furiously rage together," sang the Psalmist, "and why do
the people imagine a vain thing? He that dwelleth in the heavens shall laugh them to
scorn; the Lord shall have them in derision." Even the oldest of the Greek poets, in
the first lines of the Iliad, declares that amid those scenes of carnage, and the tragic
fate of heroes:8
"Achilles’ wrath, to Greece the direful spring Of woes unnumbered, Heavenly
Goddess sing; That wrath which hurled to Pluto’s gloomy reign The souls of
countless chiefs untimely slain; Whose limbs, unburied on the naked shore,
Devouring dogs and hungry vultures tore: Since great Achilles and Atreides strove,
Such was the sovereign doom, and such the will of Jove!"
In the Odyssey the same conviction is repeated, where Odysseus says that it is the
fate8fraught decree of Zeus which stands by as arbiter, when it is meant that
"miserable men should suffer many woes." The heathen, too, saw clearly that,
"Though the mills of God grind slowly, Yet they grind exceeding small";

and that, alike for Trojans and Danaans, the chariot8wheels of Heaven roll onward
to their destined goal.
Such words express a belief in the hearts of pagans identical with that in the hearts
of the early disciples when they exclaimed: "Of a truth in this city against Thy holy
Servant Jesus, whom Thou didst anoint, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the
Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, were gathered together, to do whatsoever Thy
hand and Thy counsel foreordained to come to pass." {Acts 4:27828}
The ever8present intensity of these convictions leads the historian of the Kings to
many shorter or longer "homiletic excursuses," in which he develops his main
theme. And if he inculcates his high faith in the form of speeches and other
insertions which perhaps express his own views more distinctly than they could have
been expressed by the earlier prophets and kings of Judah, he adopts a method
which was common in past ages and has always been conceded to the greatest and
most trustworthy of ancient historians.
LESSOS OF THE HISTORY
"Great men are the inspired texts of that Divine Book of Revelation of which a
chapter is completed from epoch to epoch, and by some named History."
8CARLYLE.
THUS History becomes one of the most precious books of God. To speak vaguely of
"a stream of tendency not ourselves which makes for righteousness," is to endow "a
stream of tendency" with a moral sense. Philosophers may talk of "dass unbekannte
hohere Wesen das wir ahnen"; but the great majority alike of the wisest and the
humblest of mankind, will give to that moral "ot8ourselves" the name of God. The
truth was more simply and more religiously expressed by the American orator when
he said that "One with God is always in a majority," and "God is the only final
public opinion." Only thus can we account for the fact that events apparently the
most trivial have repeatedly been overruled to produce the most stupendous issues,
and opposition apparently the most overwhelming has been made to further the
very ends which it most fiercely resisted. "The fierceness of man shall turn to Thy
praise, and the fierceness of them shalt Thou restrain."
St. Paul expresses his sense of this fact when he says, "ot many wise after the flesh,
not many mighty, not many noble, are called: but God chose the foolish things of the
world, and the weak things of the world, and the base things of the world, and the
things that are despised did God choose, and the things that are not, that He might
bring to naught the things that are": {1 Corinthians 1:26828} and that "because the
foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than
men."
The most conspicuous instance of these laws in history is furnished by the victories

of Christianity. It was against all probability that a faith not only despised but
execrated8a faith whose crucified Messiah kindled unmitigated contempt, and its
doctrine of the Resurrection unmingled derision8a faith confined originally to a
handful of ignorant peasants drawn from the dregs of a tenth8rate and subjugated
people8should prevail over all the philosophy, and genius, and ridicule, and
authority of the world, supported by the diadems of all8powerful Caesars and the
swords of thirty legions. It was against all probability that a faith which, in the
world’s judgment, was so abject, should in so short a space of time achieve so
complete a triumph, not by aggressive force, but by meek nonresistance, and that it
should win its way through armed antagonism by the sole powers of innocence and
of martyrdoms "not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord of
Hosts."
But though the thoughtful Israelite had no such glorious spectacle as this before
him, he saw something analogous to it. The prophets had been careful to point out
that no merit or superiority of its own had caused the people to be chosen by God
from among the nations for the mighty functions for which it was destined, and
which it had already in part fulfilled. "And thou shalt answer before the Lord thy
God, and say, A Syrian ready to perish was my father; he went down to Egypt, and
sojourned there, few in number." {Deuteronomy 26:5} The chosen people could
boast of no loftier ancestry than that they sprang from a fugitive from the land of
Ur, whose descendants had sunk into a horde of miserable slaves in the hot valley of
Egypt. Yet from that degraded and sensuous serfdom God had led them into the
wilderness "through parted seas and thundering battles," and had spoken to them
at Sinai in a voice so mighty that its echoes have rolled among the nations for
evermore. If through their sins and shortcomings they had once more been reduced
to the rank of captive strangers in a strange land, the historian knew that even then
their lot was not so abject as it once had been. They had at least heroic memories
and an imperishable past. He believed that though God’s face was darkened to
them, the light of it was neither utterly nor finally withdrawn. othing could
henceforth shake his trust that, even when Israel walked in the valley of the shadow
of death, God would still be with His people; that "He would love their souls out of
the pit of destruction." {Isaiah 38:17} The vain8glorious efforts of the heathen were
foredoomed to final impotence, for God ruled the raging of the sea, the noise of his
waves, and the madness of the people.
If this high faith seemed so often to lead only to frustrate hopes, the historian saw
the reason. His philosophy of history reduced itself to the one rule that
"Righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is the reproach of any people." It is a
sublime philosophy, and no other is possible. It might be written as the comment on
every history in the world. The prophets write it large, and again and again, as in
letters of blood and fire. Upon their pages, even from the days of Balaam.
"In outline dim and vast
Their mighty shadows cast

The giant forms of Empires on their way
To ruin: one by one
They tower, and they are gone!"
Balaam had uttered his denunciation on Moab and Amalek and the Kenite. Amos
hurled defiance on Moab, Ammon, and the Philistines. Isaiah taunted Egypt with
her splendid impotence, and had said of Babylon: "How art thou fallen from
heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!" As the sphere of national life enlarged,
ahum had poured forth his exultant dirge over the falling greatness of Assyria;
and Ezekiel had painted the desolation which should come on glorious Tyre. These
great prophets had read upon the palace walls of the mightiest kingdoms the
burning messages of doom, because they knew that (to quote the words of a living
historian) "for every false word and unrighteous deed, for cruelty and oppression,
for lust and vanity, the price has to be paid at last. Justice and truth alone endure
and live. Injustice and falsehood may be long8lived, but doomsday comes to them at
last."
Has the course of ages at all altered the incidence of these eternal laws? Do modern
kingdoms offer any exceptions to the universal experience of the past? Look at
Spain. Corrupted by her own vast wealth, by the confusion of religion with the
indolent acceptance of lies which paraded themselves as catholic orthodoxy, and by
the fatal disseverance of religion from the moral law, she has sunk into decrepitude.
Read in the utter collapse and ruin of her great Armada the inevitable emesis on
greed, indolence, and superstition. Look at modern France. When the inflated
bubble of her arrogance collapsed at Sedan as with a touch, two of her own writers,
certainly not prejudiced in favor of Christian conclusions8Ernest Renan and
Alexandre Dumas, fils8pointed independently to the causes of her ruin, and found
them in her irreligion and her debauchery. The warnings which they addressed to
their countrymen in that hour of humiliation, on the sanctity of family life and the
eternal obligations of national righteousness, were identical with those addressed to
the Israelites of old by Amos or Isaiah. The only difference was that the form in
which they were uttered was modern and came with incomparably less of
impassioned force.
The historian who, six hundred years before Christ, saw so clearly, and illustrated
with such striking conciseness, the laws of God’s moral governance of the world
stands far above the casual censure of those who judge him by a mistaken standard.
We owe him a debt of the deepest gratitude, not only because he has preserved for
us the national records which might otherwise have perished, but far more because
he has seen and pointed out their true significance. Imagine an English writer trying
to give a sketch of English history since the death of Henry VI in a thin volume of
sixty or seventy octavo pages! Is it conceivable that even the most gifted and
brilliant of our historians could in so short a space have rendered such a service as
this sacred historian has rendered to all mankind? Do we owe nothing to the vivid
insight which enabled him to set so many characters clearly before us with a few

strokes of the pen? It is true that it is the history which is inspired rather than the
record of the history; but the record itself is of quite exceptional value. It is true that
the prophetic historian and the scientific historian must be judged by wholly
different canons of criticism; but may not the prophetic historian be much the
greater of the two? By the light of his histories we can read all histories, and see the
common lesson taught us by the life of nations, as by the life of individuals which is,
that obedience to God’s law is the only path of safety, the only condition of
permanence. To fear God and keep His commandments is the end of the matter, and
is the whole duty of man. To one who follows the guiding clue of these convictions
history becomes "Providence made visible."
Bossuet, like St. Augustine, found the key to all events in a Divine Will controlling
and overruling the course of human destinies by a constant exercise of superhuman
power. Even Comte "ascribed a hardly less resistible power to a Providence of his
own construction, directing present events along a groove cut ever more and more
deeply for them by the past." And Mr. John Morley admits that "whether you
accept Bossuet’s theory or Comte’s8whether men be their own Providence, or no
more than instruments or secondary agents in other hands8this classification of
either Providence equally deserves study and meditation."
Thus, though the Jews were a small and insignificant people8though their kings
were mere local sheykhs in comparison with the Pharaohs, or the kings of Assyria
and Babylon; though they had none of that sense of beauty which gave immortality
to the arts of Greece; though their temple was an altogether trivial structure when
compared with the Parthenon or the Serapeum; though they had no drama which
can be distantly compared with the Oresteia of Aeschylus, and no epic which can be
put beside the Iliad or the ibelungen; though they had nothing which can be
dignified with the name of a system of Philosophy yet their influence on the human
race8rendered permanent by their literature, or by that fragment of it which we call
"The Books" as though there were none other in the world worth speaking of8has
been more powerful than that of all nations upon the development of humanity.
Millions have known the names of David or Isaiah, who never so much as heard of
Sesostris or of Plato. The influence of the Hebrew race upon mankind has been a
moral and a religious influence. Leaving Christianity out of sight8though
Christianity itself was nursed in the cradle of Judaism, and was the fulfillment of
the Messianic idea which was the most characteristic element in the ancient religion
of the Hebrews8the history of Israel is more widely known a million8fold than any
history of any people. Professor Huxley is an unsuspected witness to this truth. He
has declared that he knows of no other work in the world by the study of which
children could be so much humanized, and made to feel that each figure in that vast
historical procession fills, like themselves, but a momentary space in the interval
between the two eternities. What other nation has contributed to the treasure of
human thought elements so immeasurably important as the idea of monotheism, and
the Ten Commandments, and the high spiritual teaching by which the prophets
brought home to the consciousness of our race the nearness, the holiness, and the
love of God? We do not underrate the value of Eternal Inspiration in the "richly8
variegated wisdom" which "multifariously and fragmentarily" the Creator has

vouchsafed to man; but the Jews will ever be the most interesting of nations, chiefly
because to them were entrusted the oracles of God.
{e8Sword ote: This material was presented at the end of the printed edition. The
material is presented as a Book Comment in the e8Sword edition since the material
relates to the book as a whole.}
COCLUSIO
IT will have been seen that there are two main heroes of the First Book of Kings8
Solomon and Elijah. How vast is the gulf which separates those two ideals! In
Solomon we see man in all the adventitious splendor which he can derive from
magnificent surroundings and from exaltation to a dizzy height above his fellows.
Everything that the earth can give him he possesses from earliest youth, yet all turns
to dust and ashes under his touch. Wealth, rank, power, splendor cannot ever, or
under any circumstances, satisfy the soul. The soul can only be sustained by
heavenly food, by the manna which God sends it from heaven in the wilderness. Its
divineness can only be maintained by feeding on the Divine. If we think of Solomon,
even in his most dazzling hour, we see no element of happiness or of reality in his
lonely splendor or loveless home. It is nothing but a miserable pageant. The Book of
Ecclesiastes, though written centuries after he had passed away, yet shows
sufficiently, as the Eastern legends also show, that mankind was not misled by the
glamour which surrounded him into the supposition that he was to be envied, It was
felt, whether he uttered it or not, that "Vanity of vanities, vanity of vanities, all is
vanity," is the real echo of his weariness. In the famous fiction the Khaliph sees him
with the other giant shades on his golden throne at the banquet; but each and all
have on their faces an expression of solemn agony, and under the folds of their
purple a little flame is ever burning at their hearts.
How different is the rough Prophet of Gilead, the ascetic, in his sheepskin mantle
and leathern girdle, who can live for months on a little water and meal baked with
oil! In him we see the grandeur of manhood reduced to its simplest elements; we see
the dignity of man as simply man towering over all the adventitious circumstances
of royalty. One who, like Elijah, has no earthly desires, has no real fears. If he flies
from Jezebel to save his life, it is only because he is not justified in flinging it away;
otherwise he is as dauntless before the vultus instantis tyranni as before the civium
ardor prava jubentium. Hence, Elijah in his absolute poverty, in his despised
isolation8Elijah, hunted and persecuted, and living in dens and caves of the earth8is
immeasurably greater than Solomon, because he is the messenger of the living God
before whom he stands. And his work is immeasurably more permanent and more
valuable for humanity than that of all the kings and great men among whom he
moved. He believed in God, he fought for righteousness, and therefore he left behind
him an unperishable memorial, showing that he who would live for eternity rather
than for time is he who best achieves the high ends of his destiny. He may err as
Eijah erred, but with the blessing of the Lord he shall not miscarry. Though he go
forth weeping, he shall come again with joy, bringing his sheaves with him.
Solomon, after his death, almost vanished from the history of Israel into the legends

m4odMAb_Aho WoB’Fo-FuovF:BAEFWBo’Fo_:obLBobAMFRHoEFntioned. But Elijah still lives in,
and haunts, the memory of his nation. A chair is placed for his invisible presence at
every circumcision. A cup is set aside for him at sacred banquets, and all dubious
questions are postponed for solution "until the day when Elijah comes." He shone
with Moses on the Mount of Transfiguration; and St. James, the Lord’s brother,
appeals to him as the most striking example of the power of that prayer which
"Moves the arm of Him who moves the world."
JFZiumMIo-mBF9ov’_:oEABFM_ARouA:oPMF:FWBFIoABoB’FoFnd of the printed edition. The
material is presented as a Book Comment in the e8Sword edition since the material
relates to the book as a whole.}
Adonijah Sets Himself Up as King
1 When King David was very old, he could not
keep warm even when they put covers over him.
cdS-aiyosNow -Rather, “and.” The conjunction has here, probably, the same sort
of connecting force which it has at the opening of Joshua, Judges, 1 Samuel, etc., and
implies that the historian regards his work as a continuation of a preceding history.
King David -The expression “king David,” instead of the simpler “David,” is
characteristic of the writer of Kings. (See the introduction to the Book of Kings) The
phrase is comparatively rare in Chronicles and Samuel.
Stricken in, years -David was perhaps now in his first year. He was thirty years old
when he was made king in Hebron
2Sa_5:4; he reigned in Hebron seven years and six
months 2Sa_2:11; 1Ch_3:4; and he reigned thirty-three years at Jerusalem 2Sa_5:5. The
expression had here been used only of persons above eighty Gen_18:11; Gen_24:1; Jos_
13:1; Jos_23:1: but the Jews at this time were not long-lived. No Jewish monarch after
David, excepting Solomon and Manasseh, exceeded sixty years.
Clothes -Probably “bed-clothes.” The king was evidently bed-ridden 1Ki_1:47.

CLARKE, "Now King David was old- He was probably now about sixty-nine
years of age. He was thirty years old when he began to reign, reigned forty, and died in
the seventieth year of his age, 2Sa_5:4, and 1Ki_2:11; and the transactions mentioned
here are supposed to have taken place about a year before his death.
But he gat no heat- Sixty-nine was not an advanced age; but David had been
exhausted with various fatigues, and especially by family afflictions, so that he was much
older in constitution than he was in years. Besides he seems to have labored under some
wasting maladies, to which there is frequent reference in the Psalms.
GILL, "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,
2Sa_5:4; this was just the age of man, Psa_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 Hag_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.
Ca-StoNZpyosDavid, as recorded in the foregoing chapter, had, by the great mercy of
God, escaped the sword of the destroying angel. But our deliverances from or through
diseases and dangers are but reprieves; if the candle be not blown out, it will burn out of
itself. We have David here sinking under the infirmities of old age, and brought by them
to the gates of the grave. He that cometh up out of the pit shall fall into the snare; and,
one way or other, we must needs die.1. It would have troubled one to see David so
infirm. He as old, and his natural heat so wasted that no clothes could keep him warm,
1Ki_1:1. David had been a valiant active man and a man of business, and very vehement
had the flame always been in his breast; and yet now his blood is chilled and stagnated,
he is confined to his bed, and there can get no heat. He was now seventy years old. Many,
at that age, are as lively and fit for business as ever; but David was now chastised for his
former sins, especially that in the matter of Uriah, and felt from his former toils and the
hardships he had gone through in his youth, which then he made nothing of, but was
now the worse for. Let not the strong man glory in his strength, which may soon be
weakened by sickness, or at last will be weakened by old age. Let young people
remember their Creator in the days of their youth, before these evil days come. What
our hand finds to do for God, and our souls, and our generation, let us do with all our
might, because the night comes, the night of old age, in which no man can work; and,
when our strength has gone, it will be a comfort to remember that we used it well. 2. It
would have troubled one to see his physicians so weak and unskilful that they knew no
other way of relieving him than by outward applications. No cordials, no spirits, but, (1.)

They covered him with clothes, which, where there is any inward heat, will keep it in,
and so increase it; but, where it is not, they have none to communicate, no, not royal
clothing. Elihu makes it a difficulty to understand how our garments are warm upon us
(Job_37:17); but, if God deny his blessing, men clothe themselves, and there is none
warm (Hag_1:6), David here was not. (2.) They foolishly prescribed nuptials to one that
should rather have been preparing for his funeral (1Ki_1:2-4); but they knew what would
gratify their own corruptions, and perhaps were too willing to gratify his, under colour of
consulting his health. His prophets should have been consulted as well as his physicians
in an affair of this nature. However, this might be excused then, when even good men
ignorantly allowed themselves to have many wives. We now have not so learned of
Christ, but are taught that one man must have but one wife (Mat_19:5), and further that
it is good for a man not to touch a woman,1Co_7:1. That Abishag was married to David
before she lay with him, and was his secondary wife, appears from its being imputed as a
great crime to Adonijah that he desired to marry her (1Ki_2:22) after his father's death.
1מםֶַולזְד1Ki_1:1-4. Abishag cherishes David in his extreme age.
Now king David was old— He was in the seventieth year of his age (2Sa_5:4, 2Sa_
5:5). But the wear and tear of a military life, bodily fatigue, and mental care, had
prematurely, if we may say it, exhausted the energies of David’s strong constitution
(1Sa_16:12). In modern Palestine and Egypt the people, owing to the heat of the climate,
sleep each in a “separate” bed. They only depart from this practice for medical reasons
(Ecc_4:11). The expedient recommended by David’s physicians is the regimen still
prescribed in similar cases in the East, particularly among the Arab population, not
simply to give heat, but “to cherish,” as they are aware that the inhalation of young
breath will give new life and vigor to the worn-out frame. The fact of the health of the
young and healthier person being, as it were, stolen to support that of the more aged and
sickly is well established among the medical faculty. And hence the prescription for the
aged king was made in a hygienic point of view for the prolongation of his valuable life,
and not merely for the comfort to be derived from the natural warmth imparted to his
withered frame [Porter, Tent and Khan]. The polygamy of the age and country may
account for the introduction of this practice; and it is evident that Abishag was made a
concubine or secondary wife to David (see on 1Ki_2:22).
K&D, "When king David had become so old that they could no longer warm him by
covering him with clothes, his servants advised him to increase his vitality by lying with
a young and robust virgin, and selected the beautiful Abishag of Shunem to perform this
service. This circumstance, which is a trivial one in itself, is only mentioned on account
of what follows - first, because it shows that David had become too weak from age, and
too destitute of energy, to be able to carry on the government any longer; and, secondly,
because Adonijah the pretender afterwards forfeited his life through asking for Abishag
in marriage. - The opening of our book, Now - K inog (and the King), may be explained from the
fact that the account which follows has been taken from a writing containing the earlier
history of David, and that the author of these books retained the Vav cop. which he
found there, for the purpose of showing at the outset that his work was a continuation of
the books of Samuel. Da vdSt ir c Sr k e,Sy as in Jos_13:1; Jos_23:1; Gen_24:1, etc. “They covered
him with clothes, and he did not get warm.” It follows from this that the king was

bedridden, or at least that when lying down he could no longer be kept warm with bed-
clothes.nd .b Tl ao does not mean clothes to wear here, but large cloths, which were used as
bed-clothes, as in 1Sa_19:13and Num_4:6. ם ַח ִי is used impersonally, and derived from
ם ַמ ָח, cf. Ewald, §193, b., and 138, b. As David was then in his seventieth year, this
decrepitude was not the natural result of extreme old age, but the consequence of a
sickly constitution, arising out of the hardships which he had endured in his agitated
and restless life. The proposal of his servants, to restore the vital warmth which he had
lost by bringing a virgin to lie with him, is recommended as an experiment by Galen
(Method. medic. viii. 7). And it has been an acknowledged fact with physicians of all
ages, that departing vitality may be preserved and strengthened by communicating the
vital warmth of strong and youthful persons (compare Trusen, Sitten Gebräuche u.
Krankheiten der Hebräer, p. 257ff.). The singular suffix in יִנּדא ַל is to be explained on the
ground that one person spoke. ה ָלוּת ְב ה ָר ֲעַנ, a maid who is a virgin. יֵנ ְפ ִל ד ַמ ָע, to stand before
a person as servant = to serve (cf. Deu_1:38with Exo_24:13). תֶנ ֶכּס, an attendant or
nurse, from ן ַכ ָס = ן ַכ ָשׁ, to live with a person, then to be helpful or useful to him. With the
words “that she may lie in thy bosom,” the passage passes, as is frequently the case, from
the third person to a direct address.
jde,“epabmaewgatH_2aox5H:agxSaw(:aZajKH_2aH_afBKaK_d of his seventieth year.
They covered him with clothes, but he gat no heat — Which is not strange,
considering he was a person who had been exercised with so many hardships in war,
and with such tormenting cares, and fears, and sorrows for his own sins, (as divers
of his psalms witness,) and for the sins and miseries of his children and people.
Besides, this might be from the nature of his bodily distemper, which Dr. Lightfoot
thinks was a dead palsy. [David now began to feel the effects of old age, and
probably remembered with lively interest the words of his faithful friend Barzillai,
spoken some time before: “Can I discern between good and evil? can thy servant
taste what I eat or what I drink?”]
“yyn”epab.ldajdrheehera“ya.ldaTdhrea“ya,“u“n“e
This chapter gives an intimate glance into the intrigues, hatreds and deceptions
which invariably came about from the godless custom of ancient kings and their
harems of concubines and wives in constant competition with one another. We have
precious little respect for those scholars who pass over the wickedness and lustful
licentiousness of such arrangements on the basis of their being, "customary in those
times."
.ldau”,.ao”c,a“yatherao”§ho
bewga1H_2aox5H:agxSaw(:ax_:aSfCH41K_aH_a)KxCS3ax_:athey covered him with clothes,
but he gat no heat. Wherefore his servants said unto him, Let there be sought for my
lord the king a young virgin: and let her stand before the king, and cherish him;

and let her lie in thy bosom, that my lord the king may get heat. So they sought for a
fair damsel throughout all the borders of Israel, and they found Abishag the
Shunammite, and brought her to the king. And the damsel was very fair; and she
cherished the king, and ministered to him; but the king knew her not."
"They covered him with clothes" (1 Kings 1:1). This is a reference not to ordinary
garments but to bed8clothes.
"A young virgin ... and let her lie in thy bosom" (1 Kings 1:3). "This procedure was
an acceptable medical prescription even down to the Middle Ages."[1] "It was
prescribed by a Jewish physician for Frederick Barbarossa; and it is a practice still
followed in the East."[2]
"The Shunammite" (1 Kings 1:3). "Abishag was from a place called Shunem
(modern Solem) on the western slope of the hill of Moreh, northwest of Jezreel, in
the territory of Issachar (Joshua 19:18)."[3]
"The king knew her not" (1 Kings 1:4). This means that there was no sexual contact
between David and Abishag.
ADOIJAH'S ATTEMPT TO MAKE HIMSELF KIG
This event was important because it resulted in Solomon's elevation to the throne
prior to his father's death, indicating that David's state of physical health had led to
his nearly complete incompetence with regard to managing the affairs of the
kingdom. Adonijah's claim to be David's successor was probably founded upon his
being the oldest surviving son of the king, Absalom having been slain by Joab, and
Amnon have being murdered by Absalom.
COKE, "1 Kings 1:184. ow King David was old, &c.— It appears from 2 Samuel
5:485 that he was seventy years old. The strength of nature was so far abated in him,
that clothes could not keep him warm in his bed. His physicians therefore advised,
that a fair and youthful virgin should be sought for, who might cherish his vital
heat; the natural warmth of a young healthful human body being, as the physicians
observe, best fitted for that end, both in kind and degree. If it be asked, how the
beauty of the person to be employed for this purpose was concerned in David's
health; I answer, that the beauty here required, is evidently beauty of complexion,
which, as it indicates the health and temperament of the body, might be of
importance in this case. Possibly too, as David was very beautiful himself, they
sought for some person of complexion and constitution likest to his own, and, of
consequence, best suited, and most congenial to it. Scheuchzer, on the place, has
entered philosophically into the subject; to him, therefore, we refer. We should
remark, however, that concubinage was not at that time deemed criminal; and it
will I hope, says Dr. Delaney, be thought no wild paradox, to venture to surmise,
that a man can with less reluctance suffer his infirmities to be relieved by a wife,
than by any other mortal.

ote; (1.) They who come to old age, must expect the burden of infirmities which
attend it. (2.) Though the candle of life escape the furious blasts of disease or
accident, it must shortly burn out of itself. (3.) The view of approaching old age and
death should enliven our diligence to work for God, whilst life and strength are with
us.
ELLICOTT, "(1) ow king David.—“ow” is the simple illative conjunction “and,”
found at the beginning of all the historical books (Exodus, umbers, Joshua,
Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, &c.). It marks the general conception of the unity of the
whole history, but implies nothing of special connection of time or authorship with
the books of Samuel. In fact, although these books are in some sense the
continuation of the former, yet the narrative is hardly continuous. The history
passes at once to the closing scene of David’s life, leaving a comparative blank in the
period succeeding the restoration after the defeat of Absalom—a blank which is
partly filled up in the later books (1 Chronicles 22829).
Stricken in years—about seventy years old. Since “clothes” mean “bed8clothes,” the
meaning is that the King was now too feeble to rise from his bed. His life began its
responsibilities early; it had been hard and trying; and, as the history shows, not
wholly free from self8indulgence. Hence, at no excessive age, its complete
decrepitude.
WHEDO, "1. David was old — As he was thirty years old when he began to reign,
and reigned forty years, (2 Samuel 5:4,) he must now have been in his seventieth
year.
Stricken in years — Literally, as the margin, entered into days; far gone in days,
having reached an advanced period of life.
Clothes — Probably bedclothes are to be understood; coverlets.
He gat no heat — Literally, there was no heat to him. Abundance of clothes could
not restore animal heat to a decrepit system. The older expositors assign various
causes for this lack of animal heat: as, an attack of some disease of a chilling nature;
the loss of much blood by war and other ways; or the result of excessive labours in
earlier life. But the loss of animal warmth is a common experience of the old age of
persons who have spent a life of vicissitudes and anxious toils.
PARKER, "Usurpation
1 Kings 1
DAVID is "old and stricken in years." Round about him there are certain

proceedings which are almost always associated with the death of great men. There
are persons who are wondering who will succeed to the throne. One man has made
up his mind that he will be the king. Could we understand all that is going on in the
minds of our friends when we ourselves are approaching the hour and article of
death, we should be surprised by some revelations of character which we had little
suspected. Even now, when there is no sign of immediate dissolution upon us, there
are some who are appropriating what possessions we may have to bequeath: they
have already laid out our estate in new figures; they have in imagination sold part of
it, and given a new direction to many things which we thought permanently
established; and they have sometimes ventured to forecast the time, or thereabouts,
when we may die. ot a word of this do they say to us: they wish us well; they desire
for us on each birthday "Many happy returns." Oh! but human nature is a puzzle,
a problem, a mystery all darkness. Sometimes we think it is better to have nothing to
leave; then there will be more honesty in our contemporaries. Expectation of
property seems to destroy real affection. But it is singular altogether, so mixed and
involved and unworkable. The Lord grant us sincerity all round, that we may speak
to one another more frankly, and truthfully, and so make human intercourse into a
Christian sacrament.
Adonijah said, "I will be king" ( 1 Kings 1:5). How certainly, then, he will not!
"Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself." He did not hear the voice sounding
far away in the coming time which said, "Whosoever exalteth himself shall be
abased" always; by a sweet necessity. May we hearken unto this doctrine, and pray
God to incline our hearts to keep the law which it represents. Adonijah was the
fourth son of David born in Hebron, but probably he had become the eldest son by
the death of his three senior brothers. Even then there was a charm about
primogeniture, as there is about many long words. Adonijah said: I am the eldest,
therefore I ought to be the richest; Solomon is comparatively young: surely he ought
not to stand in the way; I will be king. Did he spring into this self8conceit all at once,
or is there a story behind it explaining this development of mischief? Certainly;
there always is such a story if we could find it out. You will find that Adonijah was a
spoiled child, for "his father had not displeased him at any time in saying, Why hast
thou done so?" ( 1 Kings 1:6). That is the explanation. Every will has to be. broken,
and it ought to be broken as soon as possible; it is not as if the will could go on
always having its own way, marching from conquering to conquer, going on from
throne to throne; it is the law of life, and it is the most solemn fact in personal
history, that the will must be broken, in the sense of being subdued, chastened,
made to feel that there are other wills in creation, and that peace can only come by
mutual understanding and concession. How cruel, then, are parents! They think
they are kind, but their kindness is the worst form of cruelty. How would it be in
physical matters? You say that a man"s hand is out of action, and the doctor says
that hand might have been as good as the other if the infirmity or accident had been
attended to when the child was young. That we call reason. A child does not see
straightly; its eye is somewhat askance; and the doctor again says that eye could
have been made perfectly right if it had been attended to when the child was young.
When the doctor says that, everybody looks upon him as a wise man. So many
things ought to have been done when we were young! Yet we ourselves will not do

them to those who are young, and who depend upon us for discipline, education,
and general training. When the preacher says, this will, so urgent, so self8regarding,
so selfish, might have been made better if the child had been taken in hand in time,
the preacher is thought to be a sentimentalist. The doctor was right about the hand,
and most learned about the eye; but when the preacher says the same thing about
the will he is smiled upon as a man who has certain nostrums by which he thinks the
world can be cured; and he knows of course how everybody"s children ought to be
trained; and generally he is a kind of decent and well8meaning gentleman who ought
to be borne with. It is in vain that he points to history. It goes for nothing that he
says, You are killing your children. David seems to have been the murderer of all his
children: a great public Prayer of Manasseh , but of no use at home; one of those
men who could fight a battle, but never broke the will of his own children; a great
man on the public rostrum; doing good upon a great scale, but neglecting the details
of domestic life. Adonijah, whose will had never been broken, said, "I will be king."
What more natural? This is the fruit of the tree which David planted. We wonder
that the harvest should not be of a different quality from the seed that was sown! Be
not deceived; nature is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also
reap. The logic sometimes takes abrupt and terrible forms, but it is logic still. Our
surprise is either a display of ignorance or a display of affectation. We can tell
perfectly well what the child will turn out. We know precisely whether we are on the
right8hand of God or on the left. These revelations are not matters of futurity: they
are in the essence of things which are now ruling us and directing our course. When
Adonijah said, "I will be king," he carried to its logical issue the training which he
had received, or lacked, at home.
How will he set about this business? Exactly like a spoiled child. There is a striking
consistency in all the parts of his character and action. If you ask for his
programme, you may yourself write it for him; there is no need to make inquiry as
to what he will do. Spoiled children can only do one thing. They are absolutely
destitute of originality. What, then, does Adonijah do? Just what Absalom did. He
copied Absalom whom in some degree he resembled, being also "a very goodly
man." That is to say, a well8favoured man physically; good to look upon, a
handsome, noble figure. What will Adonijah do? The answer is in the fifth
verse:—"He prepared him chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before
him." What a spoiled baby must do! It looked so pleasing, so striking; the popular
imagination would instantly take fire when such a display of chariots and horses
and forerunners was discovered. But the popular imagination is a more solid thing
than it is often accounted to be. We shall see that presently. Adonijah thought that if
he put on his best things he would be king by virtue of his garments. He thought
that fine binding makes fine books. He supposed that noble houses make noble
tenants. The abiding sophism: the continual mistake! Yet this was precisely in the
line of his training. What have not spoiled children at home? what wooden horses,
and banners, and drums, and toys of every kind! and they have only to cry long
enough in order to multiply what they have got by ten. They need not resort to
reason: it is enough that they resort to tears.
How will Adonijah proceed? quite consistently. In the seventh verse we find him still

pursuing the same level of thought and purpose:—"And he conferred with Joab the
son of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar the priest." What was Abiathar the priest? the
priest of the tent in which the ark of God was kept? or was he but some subordinate,
good and honest in his own way, but a little tempted to believe in chariots and
horses and forerunners and outriders? Alas! it is possible for a priest even to be so
demented. This was the bound of Adonijah"s counsel: the crafty Joab and Abiathar.
ot the people. ot a word was said to the people. The people were to be taken by a
storm of music. That was Adonijah"s great plan for taking the nation! Slay sheep
and oxen, create a great festival: at a given moment sound the trumpet, make a
display, and let the people come in under such glittering circumstances. But the
people are wiser than they are often thought to be. Have faith in the people. You
cannot easily measure them. Taken one by one, they do not seem to amount to
much; but when they touch one another, and feel the contagion of sympathy and the
inspiration of common interests; when they listen as one man to the voice of the
declaimer or the charmer, the reasoner and the statesman, they know who is right
and who is wrong. We shall see the lamentable position of Adonijah better when we
ask concerning the absences which mark his limited counsel. We have seen who was
there: now ask who was absent. The eighth verse is a melancholy answer:—"But
Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and athan the prophet, and
Shimei, and Rei [probably brothers of David] and the mighty men which belonged
to David were not with Adonijah." "athan the prophet,"—we read in the tenth
verse—"and Benaiah, and the mighty men, and Solomon his brother, he called not"
The absence was not fortuitous, but calculated. There are some men whom we
cannot invite to certain counsels of our life. And our wish is to be estimated quite as
much by the men who are not there as by the men who are present. Conceive the
possibility of entering into some scheme or venture that is not wholly of the nature
of daylight, that has in it flaws, breaks, bruises; and you dare not ask your wife to
hear the plan before you put it into action; you dare not ask your most honest friend
to review the case for you before you proceed any further. You make a noise in your
head, you slay sheep and oxen, and blow trumpets, and get up a great excitement,
hoping that the thing will turn out a success, and then you may invite your friends
to look upon it, and praise you for a longheaded man. There are some conversations
at which we dare not allow children to be present: suspect them—close them!
Sometimes a straightforward honest soul is as terrible to us as God Almighty. If he
only had kept out of the way, we might have perfected our plan and realised the
satisfaction of perdition. But the honest man spoiled everything! he came in at the
wrong moment. He came in blithely as the morning; his voice was pure music; there
was the resonance of a soldier"s heartiness in every tone. But he knew not that his
very voice was a judgment upon our hidden iniquity. Suspect any plan to which you
cannot invite athan and Zadok and Song of Solomon , taking these names
typically. We do not always want the minister to be present. We have many
laymen"s parties. The minister, poor soul, would spoil this game! so we have a side8
room in which we will go through it, and when all is over we will come in and look
upon the minister as if nothing out of the common had occurred. We will leave the
minister: we will withdraw: it is a bad scheme you are up to if he cannot join it. If he
is a man at all, a truly human soul, he will join any game that will bear
investigation. The very fact that you dare not have him present is a sign that you are

going to snatch thievishly at a crown or throne or joy which does not belong to you.
Why these signs of masonry? Why this desire to get away from the society of pure
women and frank children, question8asking youth, and unsuspecting love? Why did
you not call Zadok and athan and Solomon? Out of thine own mouth I condemn
thee. The honest man would have said, Let all come; this thing shall not be done in a
corner; it is right, sound, clear8hearted, through and through,—come one, come all,
and guide me if I am wrong. The right man need not be in any hurry. He will be sent
for in due time. Solomon need not discompose himself; the prophet will see after
him—that marvellous man who has a prophetic instinct, who reads the reality of
things, who knows God"s purpose and works out God"s harmonies. "He that
believeth shall not make haste." When the right man came, "all the people came up
after him, and the people piped with pipes, and rejoiced with great joy," so that the
earth, as if a sympathetic listener, vibrated, and was rent with the sound of a
festival. If nature will take no part with us, it is a poor coronation. If every little
flower on the wayside does not as it were leap as we pass by, saying in its allegorical
manner, God bless you: go on to your feast, for the victuals are honestly bought; if
every star that twinkles does not send us a message of light amounting to a
benediction, then depend upon it we are upon a wrong road, and we are forcing
ourselves to a wrong issue. All the people came up after Solomon. Then Solomon
must be king sooner or later; the other man must go down, whoever he Isaiah ,
however many chariots and horses and outrunners he has. There is a popular
instinct. But was not the popular instinct wrong in the case of Christ when it cried
out Crucify him! Crucify him!"? o; certainly not. or need we be surprised. The
idea which prevailed in the popular mind was that Christ was going to be what he
was not going to be; the purpose of Christ was not seized; a totally false conception
had got abroad concerning him, for want of instruction and illumination. The
popular instinct with regard to Christ is pledged. When the angel of the Lord covers
the earth as the waters cover the great deep, then all men shall call him their desire,
and he shall be fairest among ten thousand, and altogether lovely; because then he
will be understood: his kingdom will be seen to be not of this world; he is no small
king, no petty monarch; he rules in the spirit, he rules over the heart, he conquers
the will, he reigns over all the forgiven life: so spread the knowledge of his name;
show how this man receiveth sinners and eateth with them, and that he is a
shepherd seeking the lost; and when that idea is really perceived and grasped there
will come out of this great popular heart a grand acclaim, a burst of thankfulness, a
shout which will rend the earth and make the heavens vibrate. The seer beheld the
day in which all this took place. A prophet heard a voice as of many waters—a great
multitude without number. Judge the popular instinct by that Revelation , and not
by some intermediate and mistaken phases of passing events.
What became of Adonijah? He "feared because of Song of Solomon , and arose, and
went, and caught hold on the horns of the altar"—the projecting pieces of wood
overlaid with gold, to which the sacrifices were fastened with bands or ropes.
Laying hold of these, he thought he had the right of asylum; and he feared Song of
Solomon , "saying, Let king Solomon swear unto me today that he will not slay his
servant with the sword" ( 1 Kings 1:50851). "Whosoever exalteth himself shall be

abased." Adonijah, who began by saying, "I will be king," ended by saying, I am a
servant. See the end of all vanity, foolish conceit, mistaken and selfish ambition; so
Song of Solomon , being a king in very deed, said: He shall have a conditional
pardon—"If he will shew himself a worthy Prayer of Manasseh , there shall not an
hair of him fall to the earth: but if wickedness shall be found in him, he shall die" (
1 Kings 1:52). So Adonijah became a ticket8of8leave man. What a fame! but right.
Do not let us mistake this: for we are all ticket8of8leave men. Let there be no
boasting. We are all out of hell conditionally. "The wicked shall be turned into hell,
and all the nations that forget God." We have no respectability. Our supposed
respectability is a millstone round about our neck. Hear the word of the living God,
and mistake not the exact position which every man occupies. He is spared on
probation, he is watched; if he live as he ought to live, by the grace of God he will be
saved; if he serve himself, if he live the earthly life, if he deny the Lord that bought
him, if he endeavour to find some way of living without God, he will be lost. Do not
let us boast as if we were free men. We are only temporarily free; we are living by
permission; our breath is in our nostrils. Hear the word of the Lord: there is but a
step between thee and death!
EBC, "DAVID’S DECREPITUDE
1 Kings 1:184.
"Praise a fair day at night."
THE old age of good men is often a beautiful spectacle. They show us the example of
a mellower wisdom, a larger tolerance, a sweeter temper, a more unselfish
sympathy, a clearer faith.
The setting sun of their bright day tinges even the clouds which gather round it with
softer and more lovely hues.
We cannot say this of David’s age. After the oppressive splendor of his heroic youth
and manhood there was no dewy twilight of honored peace. We see him in a
somewhat pitiable decrepitude. He was not really old; the expression of our
Authorized Version, "stricken in years," is literally "entered into days," but the
Book of Chronicles calls him "old and full of days." {1 Chronicles 23:1} Josephus
says that when he died he was only seventy years old. He had reigned seven years
and a half in Hebron and thirty8three years in Jerusalem. {2 Samuel 5:5} At the age
of seventy many men are still in full vigor of strength and intellect, but the
conditions of that day were not favorable to longevity. Solomon does not seem to
have survived his sixtieth year; and it is doubtful whether any one of the kings of
Israel or Judah8excepting, strange to say, the wicked Manasseh8attained even that
moderate age. Threescore years and ten have always been the allotted space of
human life, and few who long survive that age find that their strength then is
anything but labor and sorrow.

But the decrepitude of David was exceptional. He was drained of all his vital force.
He took to his bed, but though they heaped clothes upon him he could get no
warmth. "He remained cold amid the torrid heat of Jerusalem." Then his
physicians recommended the only remedy they knew, to give heat to his chilled and
withered frame. It was the primitive and not ineffectual remedy8which was
suggested twenty8two centuries later to the great Frederic Barbarossa8of contact
with the warmth of a youthful frame. So they sought out the fairest virgin in all the
coasts of Israel to act as the king’s nurse, and their choice fell on Abishag, a maiden
of Shunem in Issachar. There was no question of his taking another wife. He had
already many wives and concubines, and what the bed8ridden invalid required was
a strong and youthful nurse to cherish him. We are surprised at such total failure of
life’s forces. But David had lived through a youth of toil and exposure, of fight and
hardship, in the days when his only home had been the dark and dripping limestone
caves, and he had been hunted like a partridge on the mountains by the furious
jealousy of Saul. The sun had smitten him by day and the moon by night, and the
chill dews had fallen on him in the midnight bivouacs among the crags of Engedi.
Then had followed the burdens and cares of royalty with guilty anxieties and deeds
which shook his pulses with wrath and fear. Coincident with these were the
demoralizing luxuries and domestic sensualism of a polygamous palace. Worst of all
he had sinned against God, and against light, and against his own conscience. For a
time his moral sense had slumbered, and retribution had been delayed. But when he
awoke from his sensual dream, the belated punishment burst over him in thunder
and his conscience with outstretched finger and tones of menace must often have
repeated to the murderous adulterer the doom of athan and the stern sentence,
"Thou art the man!" Many a vulgar Eastern tyrant would hardly have regarded
David’s sin as a sin at all; but when such a man as David sins, the fact that he has
been admitted into a holier sanctuary adds deadliness to the guilt of his sacrilege.
True he was forgiven, but he must have found it terribly hard to forgive himself.
God gave back to him the clean heart, and renewed a right spirit within him; but
the sense of forgiveness differs from the sweetness of innocence, and the remission of
his sins did not bring with it the remission of their consequences. From that
disastrous day David was a changed man. It might be said of him as of the Fallen
Spirit:8
"His face Deep scars of thunder had entrenched, and care Sat on his faded cheek."
The emesis of sin’s normal consequences pursued him to the end. Dark spirits
walked in his house. Joab knew his guilty secrets, and Joab became the tyrannous
master of his destiny. Those guilty secrets leaked out, and he lost his charm, his
influence, his popularity among his subjects. He was haunted by an ever8present
sense of shame and humiliation. Joab was a murderer, and went unpunished; but
was not he too an unpunished murderer? If his enemies cursed him, he sometimes
felt with a sense of despair, "Let them curse. God hath said unto them, Curse
David." His past carried with it the inevitable deterioration of his present. In the
overwhelming shame and horror which rent his heart during the rebellion of
Absalom, he must often have felt tempted to the fatalism of desperation, like that

guilty king of Greek tragedy who, burdened with the curse of his race, was forced to
exclaim, 8Curses in his family, a curse upon his daughter, a curse upon his sons, a
curse upon himself, a curse upon his people, 8there was scarcely one ingredient in
the cup of human woe which, in consequence of his own crimes, this unhappy king
had not been forced to taste. Scourges of war, famine, and pestilence8of a three
years’ famine, of a three years’ flight before his enemies, of a three days’ pestilence8
he had known them all. He had suffered with the sufferings of his subjects, whose
trials had been aggravated by his own transgressions. He had seen his sons
following his own fatal example, and he had felt the worst of all sufferings in the
serpent’s tooth of filial ingratitude agonizing a troubled heart and a weakened will.
It is no wonder that David became decrepit before his time.
Yet what a picture does it present of the vanity of human wishes, of the emptiness of
all that men desire, of the truth which Solon impressed on the Lydian king that we
can call no man happy before his death! David’s youth had been a pastoral idyll; his
manhood an epic of war and chivalry; his premature age becomes the chronicle of a
nursery. What different pictures are presented to us by David in his sweet youth
and glowing bloom, and David in his unloved and disgraced decline! We have seen
him a beautiful ruddy boy, summoned from his sheepfolds, with the wind of the
desert on his cheek and its sunlight in his hair, to kneel before the aged prophet and
feel the hands of consecration laid upon his head. Swift and strong, his feet like
hart’s feet, his arms able to bend a bow of steel, he fights like a good shepherd for
his flock, and single8handed smites the lion and the bear. His harp and song drive
the evil spirit from the tortured soul of the demoniac king. With a sling and a stone
the boy slays the giant champion, and the maidens of Israel praise their deliverer
with songs and dances. He becomes the armor8bearer of the king, the beloved
comrade of the king’s son, the husband of the king’s daughter. Then indeed he is
driven into imperiled outlawry by the king’s envy, and becomes the captain of a
band of freebooters; but his influence over them, as in our English legends of Robin
Hood, gives something of beneficence to his lawlessness, and even these wandering
years of brigandage are brightened by tales of his splendid magnanimity. The young
chieftain who had mingled a loyal tenderness and genial humor with all his wild
adventures8who had so generously and almost playfully spared the life of Saul his
enemy8who had protected the flocks and fields of the churlish abal8who, with the
chivalry of a Sydney, had poured on the ground the bright drops of water from the
well of Bethlehem for which he had thirsted, because they had been won by
imperiled lives8sprang naturally into the idolized hero and poet of his people. Then
God had taken him from the sheepfolds, from following the ewes great with young
ones, that he might lead Jacob His people and Israel His inheritance. Generous to
the sad memories of Saul and Jonathan, generous to the princely Abner, generous to
the weak Ishbosheth, generous to poor lame Mephibosheth, he had knit all hearts
like the heart of one man to himself, and in successful war had carried all before
him, north and south, and east and west. He enlarged the borders of his kingdom,
captured the City of Waters, and placed the Moloch crown of Rabbah on his head.
Then in the mid8flush of his prosperity, in his pride, fullness of bread, and
abundance of idleness, "the tempting opportunity met the susceptible disposition,"
and David forgot God who had done so great things for him.

The people must have felt how deep was the debt of gratitude which they owed to
him. He had given them a consciousness of power yet undeveloped; a sense of the
unity of their national life perpetuated by the possession of a capital which has been
famous to all succeeding ages. To David the nation owed the conquest of the
stronghold of Jebus, and they would feel that "as the hills stand about Jerusalem, so
standeth the Lord round about them that fear Him." {Psalms 122:385} The king
who associates his name with a national capital8as ebuchadnezzar built great
Babylon, or Constantine chose Byzantium8secures the strongest claim to
immortality. But the choice made by David for his capital showed an intuition as
keen as that which had immortalized the fame of the Macedonian conqueror in the
name of Alexandria. Jerusalem is a city which belongs to all time, and even under
the curse of Turkish rule it has not lost its undying interest. But David had rendered
a still higher service in giving stability to the national religion. The prestige of the
Ark had been destroyed in the overwhelming defeat of Israel by the Philistines at
Aphek, when it fell into the hands of the uncircumcised. After that it had been
neglected and half forgotten until David brought it with songs and dances to God’s
holy hill of Zion. Since then every pious Israelite might rejoice that, as in the
Tabernacle of old, God was once more in the midst of His people. The merely
superstitious might only regard the Ark as a fetish8the fated Palladium of the
national existence. But to all thoughtful men the presence of the Ark had a deeper
meaning, for it enshrined the Tables of the Moral Law; and those broken Tables,
and the bending Cherubim which gazed down upon them, and the blood8sprinkled
gold of the Mercy8Seat were a vivid emblem that God’s Will is the Rule of
Righteousness, and that if it be broken the soul must be reconciled to Him by
repentance and forgiveness. That meaning is beautifully brought out in the Psalm
which says, "Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord, or who shall rise up into the
holy place? Even he that hath clean bands and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up
his mind into vanity, nor sworn to deceive his neighbor."
To David more than to any man that conviction of the supremacy of righteousness
must have been keenly present, and for this reason his sin was the less pardonable.
It "tore down the altar of confidence" in many hearts. It caused the enemies of the
Lord to blaspheme, and was therefore worthy of a sorer punishment. And God in
His mercy smote, and did not spare.
He sinned: then came earthquake and eclipse. His earthly life was shipwrecked in
that place where two seas meet8where the sea of calamity meets the sea of crime.
Then followed the death of his infant child; the outrage of Amnon; the blood of the
brutal ravisher shed by his brother’s hands; the flight of Absalom; his insolence, his
rebellion, his deadly insult to his father’s household; the long day of flight and
shame and weeping and curses, as David ascended the slope of Olivet and went
down into the Valley of Jordan; the sanguinary battle; the cruel murder of the
beloved rebel; the insolence of Joab; the heartrending cry. "O Absalom, my son, my
son Absalom; would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!"
ot even then had David’s trials ended. He had to endure the fierce quarrel between

Israel and Judah; the rebellion of Sheba; the murder of Amasa, which he dared not
punish. He had to sink into the further sin of pride in numbering the people, and to
see the Angel of the Plague standing with drawn sword over the threshing8floor of
Araunah, while his people8those sheep who had not offended8died around him by
thousands. After such a life he was made to feel that it was not for blood8stained
hands like his to rear the Temple, though he had said, "I will not suffer mine eyes to
sleep nor mine eyelids to slumber, neither the temples of my head to take any rest
tilt I find a place for the tabernacle of the Lord, a habitation for the mighty God of
Jacob." And now we see him surrounded by intrigues; alienated from the friends
and advisers of his youth; shivering in his sickroom; attended by his nurse; feeble,
apathetic, the ghost and wreck of all that he had been, with little left of his life but
its "glimmerings and decays."
It is an oft8repeated story. Even so we see great Darius
"Deserted at his utmost need
By those his former bounty fed;
On the bare ground exposed he lies
Without a friend to close his eyes."
So we see glorious Alexander the Great, dying as a fool dieth, remorseful, drunken,
disappointed, at Babylon. So we see our great Plantagenet:8
"Mighty victor, mighty lord,
Low on his funeral couch he lies!
o pitying heart, no eye afford
A tear to grace his obsequies."
So we see Louis XIV, le grand monarque, peevish, ennuye, fortunate no longer, an
old man of seventy, seven left in his vast lonely palace with his great8grandson, a
frivolous child of five, and saying to him, "J’ai trop aime la guerre; ne m’imitez
point. "So we see the last great conqueror of modern times, embittering his
dishonored island8exile by miserable disputes with Sir Hudson Lowe about etiquette
and champagne. But among all the "sad stories of the deaths of kings" none ends a
purer glory with a more pitiful decline than the poet8king of Israel, whose songs
have been to so many thousands their delight in the house of their pilgrimage. Truly
David’s experience no less than his own may have added bitterness to the traditional
epitaph of his son on all human glory: "Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity
of vanities; all is vanity."
Verses 1853

A EASTER COURT AD HOME
1 Kings 1:1853
"Pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness."
Ezekiel 16:49
A MA does not choose his own destiny; it is ordained for higher ends than his own
personal happiness. If David could have made his choice, he might, indeed, have
been dazzled by the glittering lure of royalty; yet he would have been in all
probability happier and nobler had he never risen above the simple life of his
forefathers. Our saintly king in Shakespeare’s tragedy says:8
"My crown is in my heart, not on my head; ot decked with diamonds and Indian
stones, or to be seen. My crown is called Content; And crown it is which seldom
kings enjoy."
David assuredly did not enjoy that crown. After his establishment at Jerusalem it is
doubtful whether he could count more happy days than Abderrahman the
Magnificent, who recorded that amid a life honored in peace and victorious in war
he could not number more than fourteen.
We admire the generous freebooter more than we admire the powerful king. As time
went on he showed a certain deterioration of character, the inevitable result of the
unnatural conditions to which he had succumbed. Saul was a king of a very simple
type. o pompous ceremonials separated him from the simple intercourse of natural
kindliness. He did not tower over the friends of his youth like a Colossus, and look
down on his superiors from the artificial elevation of his inch8high dignity. "In
himself was all his state," and there was something kinglier in his simple majesty
when he stood under his pomegranate at Migron, with his huge javelin in his hand,
than in
"The tedious pomp which waits On princes, when their rich retinue long Of horses
led, and grooms besmeared with gold Dazzles the crowd and sets them all agape."
We should not have presumed beforehand that there was anything in David’s
character which rendered external pomp and ceremony attractive to him. But the
inherent flunkeyism of Eastern servility made his courtiers feed him with adulation,
and approach him with genuflections. Apparently he could not rise superior to the
slowly corrupting influences of autocracy which gradually assimilated the court of
the once simple warrior to that of his vulgar compeers on the neighboring thrones.
There is something startling to see what a chasm royalty has cleft between him and
the comrades of his adversity, and even the partner of his guilt who had become his
favorite queen. We see it throughout the story of the last scenes in which he plays a
part. He can only be addressed with periphrases and in the third person. "Let there

be sought for my lord the king a young virgin; and let her stand before the king, and
let her lie in thy bosom that my lord the king may get heat. Bathsheba can only
speak to him in such terms as, Didst not thou, my lord, O king, swear unto thy
handmaid?" and even she, when she enters the sick8chamber of his decrepitude,
prostrates herself and does obeisance. Every other word of her speech is interlarded
with "my lord the king," and "my lord, O king"; and when she leaves "the
presence" she again bows herself with her face to the earth, and does reverence to
the king with the words, "May my lord, King David, live forever." The anointed
dignity of the prophet who had once so boldly rebuked David’s worst crime does not
exempt him from the same ceremonial, and he too goes into the inner chamber
bowing his face before the king to the earth.
Insensibly David must have come to require it all, and to like it. Yet the
unsophisticated instincts of his more natural youth would surely have revolted from
it. He would have deprecated it as sternly as the Greek conqueror in the mighty
tragedy who hates to walk to his throne on purple tapestries, and says to his queen:8
"Open not the mouth to me, nor cry amain
As at the footstool of a man of the East,
Prone on the ground: so stoop not thou to me";
or, as another has more literally rendered it:8
"or like some barbarous man
Gape thou upon me an earth8groveling howl."
But the royal position of David brought with it a surer curse than that which follows
the extreme exaltation of a man above his fellows. It brought with it the permitted
luxury or imaginary necessity for polygamy, and the man8enervating, woman8
degrading paraphernalia of an Eastern harem. Jesse and Boaz, in their paternal
fields at Bethlehem, had been content with one wife, and had known the true joys of
love and home. But monogamy was thought unsuitable to the new grandeur of a
despot, and under the curse of polygamy the joy of love, the peace of home, are
inevitably blighted. In that condition man gives up the sweetest sources of earthly
blessing for the meanest gratifications of animal sensuousness. Love, when it is pure
and true, gilds the life of man with a joy of heaven, and fills it with a breath of
Paradise. It renders life more perfect and more noble by the union of two souls, and
fulfills the original purpose of creation. A home, blessed by life’s most natural
sanctities, becomes a saving ark in days of storm, 8
"Here Love his golden shafts employs, here lights His constant lamp, and waves his
purple wings, Reigns here and revels."
But in a polygamous household a home is exchanged for a troubled establishment,

and love is carnalized into a jaded appetite, The Eastern king becomes the slave of
every wandering fancy, and can hardly fail to be a despiser of womanhood, which
he sees only on its ignoblest side. His home is liable to be torn by mutual jealousies
and subterranean intrigues, and many a foul and midnight murder has marked, and
still marks, the secret history of Eastern seraglios. The women8idle, ignorant,
uneducated, degraded, intriguing8with nothing to think of but gossip, scandal, spite,
and animal passion; hating each other worst of all, and each engaged in the fierce
attempt to reign supreme in the affection which she cannot monopolize8spend
wasted lives of ennui and slavish degradation. Eunuchs, the vilest products of the
most corrupted civilization, soon make their loathly appearance in such courts, and
add the element of morbid and rancorous effeminacy to the general ferment of
corruption. Polygamy, as it is a contravention of God’s original design, enfeebles the
man, degrades the woman, corrupts the slave, and destroys the home. David
introduced it into the Southern Kingdom, and Ahab into the orthern; 8both with
the most calamitous effects.
Polygamy produces results worse than all the others upon the children born in such
families. Murderous rivalry often reigns between them, and fraternal affection is
almost unknown. The children inherit the blood of deteriorated mothers, and the
sons of different wives burn with the mutual animosities of the harem, under whose
shadowing influence they have been brought up. When apoleon was asked the
greatest need of France, he answered in the one laconic word, "Mothers"; and when
he was asked the best training ground for recruits, he said, "The nurseries, of
course." Much of the manhood of the East shows the taint and blight which it has
inherited from such mothers and such nurseries as seraglios alone can form.
The darkest elements of a polygamous household showed themselves in the unhappy
family of David. The children of the various wives and concubines saw but little of
their father during their childish years. David could only give them a scanty and
much8divided attention when they were brought to him to display their beauty.
They grew up as children, the spoiled and petted playthings of women and debased
attendants, with nothing to curb their rebellious passions or check their imperious
wills. The little influence over them which David exercised was unhappily not for
good. He was a man of tender affections. He repeated the errors of which he might
have been warned by the effects of foolish indulgence on Hophni and Phinehas, the
sons of Eli, and even on the sons of the guide of his youth, the prophet Samuel. The
wild careers of David’s elder sons show that they had inherited his strong passion,
and eager ambition, and that in their case, as well as Adonijah’s he had not
displeased them at a time in saying, "Why hast thou done so?"
The consequences which followed had been frightful beyond precedent. David must
have learnt by experience the truth of the exhortation "Desire not a multitude of
unprofitable children neither delight in ungodly sons Though they multiply, rejoice
not in them, except the fear of the Lord be with them: for one that is just is better
than a thousand; and better it is to die without children, than to have those that are
ungodly."

David’s eldest son was Amnon, the son of Ahinoam of Jezreel; his second Daniel or
Chileab, son of Abigail, the wife of abal of Carmel; the third Absalom, son of
Maacah, daughter of Talmal, King of Geshur; the fourth Adonijah, the son of
Haggith. Shephatiah and Ithream were the sons of two other wives, and these six
sons were born to David in Hebron. When he became king in Jerusalem he had four
sons by Bathsheba, born after the one that died in his infancy, and at least nine
other sons by various wives, besides his daughter Tamar, sister of Absalom. He had
other sons by his concubines. Most of these sons are unknown to fame. Some of
them probably died in childhood. He provided for others by making them priests.
His line down to the days of Jeconiah, was continued in the descendants of Solomon,
and afterwards in those of the otherwise unknown athan. The elder sons, born to
him in the days of his more fervent youth, became the authors of the tragedies which
laid waste his house. "They were youths of splendid beauty, and as they bore the
proud title of the king’s sons," they were from their earliest years encircled by
luxury and adulation.
Amnon regarded himself as the heir to the throne and his fierce passions brought
the first infamy into the family of David. By the aid of his cousin Jonadab, the wily
son of Shimmeah, the king’s brother, he brutally dishonored his half sister Tamar
and then as brutally drove the unhappy princess from his presence. It was David’s
duty to inflict punishment on his shameless heir, but he weakly condoned the crime.
Absalom dissembled his vengeance for two whole years, and spoke to his brother
neither good nor evil. At the end of that time he invited David and all the princes to
a joyous sheep8shearing festival at Baal Hazor. David, as he anticipated, declined
the invitation, on the plea that his presence would burden his son with needless
expense. Then Absalom asked that, as the king could not honor his festival, at least
his brother Amnon, as the heir to the throne, might be present. David’s heart
misgave him, but he could refuse nothing to the youth whose magnificent and
faultless beauty filled him with an almost doting pride, and Amnon and all the
princes went to the feast. o sooner was Amnon’s heart inflamed with wine, than, at
a preconcerted signal, Absalom’s servants fell on him and murdered him. The feast
broke up in tumultuous horror, and in the wild cry and rumor which arose the
heart of David was torn with the intelligence that Absalom had murdered all his
brothers. He rent his clothes, and lay weeping in the dust surrounded by his
weeping servants. But Jonadab assured him that only Amnon had been murdered in
revenge for his unpunished outrage, and a rush of people along the road, among
whom the princes were visible riding on their mules, confirmed his words. But the
deed was still black enough. Bathed in tears, and raising the wild cries of Eastern
grief, the band of youthful princes stood round the father whose incestuous
firstborn had thus fallen by a brother’s hand, and the king also and all his servants
"wept greatly with a great weeping."
Absalom fled to his grandfather the King of Geshur; but his purpose had been
doubly accomplished. He had avenged the shame of his sister, and he was now
himself the eldest son and heir to the throne. His claim was strengthened by the
superb physique and beautiful hair of which he was so proud, and which won the
hearts both of king and people. Capable, ambitious, secure of ultimate pardon, the

son and the grandson of a king he lived for three years at the court of his
grandfather. Then Joab, perceiving that David was consoled for the death of
Amnon, and that his heart was yearning for his favorite son, obtained the
intercession of the wise woman of Tekoah, and got permission for Absalom to
return. But his offence had been terrible, and to his extreme mortification the king
refused to admit him. Joab, though he had maneuvered for his return, did not come
near him, and twice refused to visit him when summoned to do so. With
characteristic insolence the young man obtained an interview by ordering his
servants to set fire to Joab’s field of barley. By Joab’s request the king once more
saw Absalom, and, as the youth felt sure would be the case, raised him from the
ground, kissed, forgave, and restored him to favor.
For the favor of his weakly8fond father he cared little; what he wanted was the
throne. His proud beauty, his royal descent on both sides, fired his ambition.
Eastern peoples are always ready to concede pre8eminence to splendid men. This
had helped to win the kingdom for stately Saul and ruddy David; for the Jews, like
the Greeks, thought that "loveliness of person involves the blossoming promises of
future excellence, and is, as it were, a prelude of riper beauty." It seemed intolerable
to this prince in the zenith of glorious life that he should be kept out of his royal
inheritance by one whom he described as a useless dotard. By his personal
fascination, and by base intrigues against David, founded on the king’s imperfect
fulfillment of his duties as judge, "he stole the hearts of the children of Israel." After
four years, everything was ripe for revolt. He found that for some unexplained
reason the tribe of Judah and the old capital of Hebron were disaffected to David’s
rule. He got leave to visit Hebron in pretended fulfillment of a vow, and so
successfully raised the standard of revolt that David, his family, and his followers
had to fly hurriedly from Jerusalem with bare feet and cheeks bathed in tears along
the road of the Perfumers. Of that long day of misery8to the description of which
more space is given in Scripture than to that of any other day except that of the
Crucifixion8we need not speak, nor of the defeat of the rebellion. David was saved
by the adhesion of his warrior8corps (the Gibborim) and his mercenaries (the Krethi
and Plethi). Absalom’s host was routed. He was in some strange way entangled in
the branches of a tree as he fled on his mule through the forest of Rephaim. As he
hung helpless there, Joab, with needless cruelty, drove three wooden staves through
his body in revenge for his past insolence, leaving his armor8bearer to dispatch the
miserable fugitive. To this day every Jewish child flings a contumelious stone at the
pillar in the King’s Dale, which bears the traditional name of David’s Son, the
beautiful and bad.
The days which followed were thickly strewn with calamities for the rapidly ageing
and heartbroken king. His helpless decline was yet to be shaken by the attempted
usurpation of another bad son.
GUZIK, "1 KIGS 1 8 SOLOMO IS MADE KIG
The books of 1 and 2 Kings were originally joined in one book. We don’t know who

the human author of this book was; Jewish traditions say it was Jeremiah and it
may very well be so. Wiseman gives a good summary of the books of 1 and 2 Kings:
“The narrative covers almost five hundred years from the initiation to the eclipse of
their kingship. It is the story of the rise and fall of kingdoms, of high promise and
abject failure, of tragedy and yet of hope.”
A. Adonijah’s bid for the throne.
1. (1 Kings 1:184) King David’s weak condition.
ow King David was old, advanced in years; and they put covers on him, but he
could not get warm. Therefore his servants said to him, “Let a young woman, a
virgin, be sought for our LORD the king, and let her stand before the king, and let
her care for him; and let her lie in your bosom, that our LORD the king may be
warm.” So they sought for a lovely young woman throughout all the territory of
Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king. The young
woman was very lovely; and she cared for the king, and served him; but the king
did not know her.
a. King David was old, advanced in years: This was the twilight of a glorious reign.
David is now so old that he can’t even keep himself warm, much less rule the nation.
i. David was about 70 at this time. He seems even older than his years; but for
David, it wasn’t just the years 8 it was the mileage. He seemed to live the lives of four
or five men in his lifetime.
b. Let her lie in your bosom, that our LORD the king may be warm: This sounds
strange 8 perhaps even immoral 8 to us, but this was proper of David to allow. This
did not bring a moral cloud over the last days of David’s life.
i. It was proper because it was a recognized medical treatment in the ancient world,
mentioned by the ancient Greek doctor Galen. When Josephus describes this in his
Antiquities of the Jews, he says that this was a medical treatment and he calls the
servants of 1 Kings 1:2 “physicians.”
ii. It was proper because David almost certainly made this young woman his
concubine. While it was unwise for David to take more than one wife, it was not at
that time illegal or specifically prohibited by God. Later, Adonijah will condemn
himself to death for asking for Abishag as a wife. His request would only be so
outrageous if Abishag had belonged to David as a concubine.
iii. Therefore they chose someone eligible for marriage or concubinage (a virgin),
and a lovely young woman. “Whose beauty might engage his affections, and refresh
his spirits, and invite him to those embraces which might communicate some of her
natural heat to him, as was designed.” (Poole)
c. Abishag the Shunammite: From ancient times, many have wanted to associate this

beautiful young woman with the Shulamite addressed in the Song of Solomon (Song
of Song of Solomon 6:13 and throughout). “According to the theory, as she
ministered to David, she became romantically involved with his son Solomon and
was later the subject of his love poem.” (Dilday)
i. Yet we must say that this conjecture at best 8 and Shumen is not the same as
Shulam. “Shunem, the modern Solem, lay eleven kilometers south8east of azareth
and five kilometers north of Jezreel in Issachar territory, and was visited by Elijah
(2 Kings 4:8). There is no need to identify Abishag with the Shulammite of Song of
Song of Solomon 6:13.” (Wiseman)
d. She cared for the king: This scene of David’s diminished ability shows that
question of David’s successor must be addressed. King David cannot last much
longer, and his family history has been marked by treachery and murder. At this
point, it is worth wondering if there can be a bloodless transition from David to the
next king.
PULPIT, "THE REVOLT OF ADOIJAH AD THE ACCESSIO O F
SOLOMO.—The first chapter of this book is occupied with the accession of
Solomon and with the circumstances which preceded, marked, and followed that
event. The author, or compiler, evidently considered that his work properly began
with the reign of Israel's third king, and David's illness and death are only
introduced into the narrative because they necessitated a hasty and premature
coronation of Solomon, and exercised an important influence on the beginning of his
reign (1 Kings 2:1846). In the natural order of events, Solomon would not have
succeeded until his father's death, but Adonijah's attempt to possess himself of the
kingdom required the immediate elevation of Solomon to the throne, and this
attempt having been suggested by David's extreme feebleness, the author is
compelled to begin his history with an account of David's decay and death. In the
opening verses, consequently, he introduces us into the chamber of sickness. His
materials for this part of the history were no doubt derived from the "Book of
athan the prophet" (1 Chronicles 29:29; 2 Chronicles 9:29). The date of these
events is B.C. 1015.
1 Kings 1:1
ow [Hebrews and, but "now" more nearly expresses the import of the original, for
ו has here little or no connecting force. It is commonly found at the beginning of a
book (as in Exodus, Leviticus, Joshua, Judges, 2 Samuel, Ruth, etc.), and that where
there is no connection whatever with any earlier writing (as in Esther, Ezekiel,
Jonah, etc.) It can hardly imply, therefore, "that the historian regards his work as a
continuation of a preceding history" (Rawlinson), nor is there any need to suppose
that it has been taken from a writing containing the earlier history of David." Keil]
King [Hebrews the king. The frequent use of this title, "King David," "King
Solomon," "King Asa," etc; is characteristic of our author. The expression is not
unknown in 2 Samuel, but it occurs so rarely as to constitute a distinction (not a

link, as Wordsworth) between that book and the Kings.] David was old [yet 2
Samuel 5:4, 2 Samuel 5:5, shows that he cannot have been more than seventy. (He
was thirty at his accession; his reign at Hebron lasted seven years and a half; at
Jerusalem thirty8three years.) Rawlinson says, "the Jews at this time were not long
lived." Certainly, the Jewish kings were not. Only David, Solomon, and Manasses
exceeded threescore] and stricken [Hebrews gone, i.e; advanced] in years. [A
common expression, only found with ןֵקָז as in Genesis 18:11; Genesis 24:1; Joshua
13:1, etc.] And they covered him with clothes [lit. coverings. דֶגֶבּ is used of any
covering, whether of the person (Genesis 39:12; 1 Kings 22:10), or the bed (1 Samuel
N'9NG7yomMoFfFWoAoBAbRFoJ-LEbFM:op957ho WIFFIyoB’Foouter garment was used, at least
by the poor, for a covering at night (Exodus 22:27). The context (verse 47) shows
that bedclothes are intended here] but he gat no heat. [A common experience of the
aged. David's early hardships and later sorrows and anxieties appear to have aged
him prematurely. Possibly he was also afflicted with disease.]
MEYER, "
From a worldly point of view Naboth might have done a good stroke of
business by selling his estate to. Ahab. A royal price and assured favor might have been
his-but he had a conscience! Above the persuasive tones of the monarch’s offer sounded
the voice of God: “The land shall not be sold for ever, for the land is mine.” See
Lev_
25:23; Num_36:7; Eze_46:18.
Ahab knew perfectly well that Jezebel could not give him the property of another except
by foul means, but he took pains not to inquire. Though the direct orders for Naboth’s
death did not come from him, yet, by his silence, he was an accomplice and an accessory;
and divine justice penetrates all such specious excuses. God holds us responsible for
wrongs which we do not arrest, though we have the power. The crime was blacker
because of the pretext of religion, as suggested by a fast. See also 2Ki_9:26. The blood of
murdered innocence cries to God, and his requital, though delayed, is inevitable. See
Rev_6:9-10.
1 Kings 1:1-14
A SELF-SEEKER’S SCHEME
1Ki_1:1-14
Adonijah was the fourth son of David, but probably the oldest of those who survived. He
was born after Absalom, and like him was goodly in appearance, ambitious in spirit, and
equally spoiled by his father’s indulgence, 1Ki_1:6. His attempt to usurp the kingdom
reminds us of another great usurper. Satan, we know, in one last desperate effort, will try
to secure the empire of the world. But when the people rage and the rulers devise, Psa_
2:1-2; Psa_2:4, Heaven will laugh at them. The Lamb that was slain is the destined King
of men, Rev_11:15. The book of destiny is in the pierced hand. The government is upon
Christ’s shoulders. He declares the decree, “The Lord saith unto my Lord, Sit thou at my
right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool,” Psa_110:1.
We look out on the world which is rent by revolt. The prince of this world is attracting to
himself the Joabs and Abiathars. They make merry, but do not realize that the hour is at
hand when they shall cry to the rocks and the hills to fall on them and hide them from

the wrath of the Lamb, Rev_6:16. Remember the counsel of Augustine, “If you would
flee from God, flee to Him!”
BI 184, "Now King David was old and stricken in years.
The Winter of Life
I. Overtakes men in the highest rank.
II. Chills the vital sources of the naturally robust. “And they covered him with clothes,
and he gat no heat.”
III. Is but temporarily alleviated by the best considered human devices. The cherishing
of Abishag was—
1. Advised by the court physicians. An expedient not unusual in similar cases, when
internal cordials failed, and with the limited skill of the faculty in the use of warmth-
creating potions.
2. Was innocent. Suggested for no other than purely medical reasons. Sophocles
lauded old age as a deliverance from the tyranny of the passions, as an escape from
some furious and savage master.
3. Suspended only for a brief season the inevitable progress of decay. Medical skill is
no more efficacious for the monarch than for the humblest subject. David died
within the year. A moment comes in the winter of life when the warm pulse is stilled,
and the once stalwart frame is locked in the icy embrace of death. (J. Barlow.)
2 So his attendants said to him, “Let us look for a
young virgin to serve the king and take care of
him. She can lie beside him so that our lord the
king may keep warm.”
cdS-aiyosSince the Jewish law allowed polygamy, David’s conduct in following -
what has been said to have been - physician’s advice, was blameless.
CLARKE, "Let there be sought - a young virgin- This was the best remedy
which in his state could be prescribed. His nearly exhausted frame would infallibly
absorb from her young and healthy body an additional portion of animal heat, and

consequently trim and revive the flame of animal life. This is properly, as I have
elsewhere expressed it, Friar Bacon’s secret for the cure of old age.
GILL, "Wherefore his servants said unto him,.... His physicians; so Joseph's
physicians are called his servants,
Gen_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 that have bore 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; 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 Isa_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 him,''
lie close unto 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, Mic_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, 1Ki_2:17;
that my lord the king may get heat: and somewhat similar to this, Galen, that great
physician, prescribed in like cases (d).
ca-ig-yosNow_WT:oN98hoE’FMF4mMFo’_:o:FMfAWB:oQoC_:ophysicians; said, Let there
be sought for the king a young virgin — Whose natural heat is fresh and
wholesome, and not impaired with bearing or breeding children. The same counsel
is given by Galen for the cure of some cold and dry distempers. Let her stand before
the king — That is, minister unto him, or wait upon him in his sickness, as occasion
requires. And let her lie in his bosom — As his wife; for that she was so, may appear
by divers arguments. 1st, Otherwise this had been a wicked course; which,
therefore, neither his servants would have dared to prescribe, nor would David have
used, especially being now in a dying condition. 2d, It appears from this phrase of

lying in his bosom, which is everywhere in Scripture mentioned as the privilege of a
wife. 3d, This made Adonijah’s crime, in desiring her to wife, so heinous in
Solomon’s account, because he saw, that by marrying the king’s wife, he designed to
revive his pretence to the kingdom.
ECarg-yos8hoC_:o:FMfAWB:oQojm:FP’L:o.ARR:oB’FEo’_:ophysicians.
Let her cherish him — Literally, let her be to him a female nurse. It was one part of
her service to attend to his private wants, to perform the various little items of
nursing expected of a familiar attendant. All this is comprehended in the word תנכס,
a female attendant. Another part of her service was to lie in the king’s bosom, that
is, sleep with him, and thus communicate to him animal heat and vigour. This
method of recruiting the wasted vigour of age is natural and well known; but while
it benefits the old, it must needs take away from the strength of the young. The too
common practice of young persons sleeping with aged aunts, uncles, or
grandparents is the ruin of many a naturally vigorous and healthy constitution.
PULPIT, "Wherefore [Heb. and] his servants [according to Josephus (Antiq. 7.14,
3), his physicians] said unto him, Let there be sought [lit. as marg; "let them seek"]
for my lord the king [the singular pronoun is used as representing the servant who
was spokesman for the rest] a young virgin [marg; "a damsel, a virgin." She must
be young, to impart heat, and a virgin, as befitted a king. Though she was
recommended as a nurse, they would naturally suppose she might be taken as a
concubine] and let her stand before the king [i.e; as servant (Verse 4). Cf. 1 Kings
12:6, 1 Kings 12:8; Genesis 41:46; Daniel 1:5; Deuteronomy 1:38 (with Joshua 1:1) 1
Kings 10:8. In the East, servants still stand and wait their masters' pleasure. Cf. 2
Kings 5:25], and let her cherish him [So also the LXX; καὶ ἔσται αὐτὸν θάλπουσα.
But Gesenius, al, "be a companion to him"] and let her lie in thy [or "his," LXX.
αυτοῦ, Vulg. sue] bosom [the expression is generally, but not invariably (see 1 Kings
3:20; Ruth 4:16) used de complexu venereo] that my lord the king may get heat.
[This close embrace of youth was an obvious way of imparting animal heat to age
("Color a corpore juvenili ac sane maxime prodest senibus." Grotius), and was the
more favoured because other and internal remedies were not then known. It is
recognized by Galen, and is said to have been prescribed by a Jewish physician to
the Emperor Frederick Bar8baressa (Bähr). It is stated by Roberts that it is still
largely followed in the East.
BI 184, "
Now King David was old and stricken in years.
The Winter of Life
I. Overtakes men in the highest rank.
II. Chills the vital sources of the naturally robust. “And they covered him with clothes,
and he gat no heat.”
III. Is but temporarily alleviated by the best considered human devices. The cherishing

of Abishag was—
1. Advised by the court physicians. An expedient not unusual in similar cases, when
internal cordials failed, and with the limited skill of the faculty in the use of warmth-
creating potions.
2. Was innocent. Suggested for no other than purely medical reasons. Sophocles
lauded old age as a deliverance from the tyranny of the passions, as an escape from
some furious and savage master.
3. Suspended only for a brief season the inevitable progress of decay. Medical skill is
no more efficacious for the monarch than for the humblest subject. David died
within the year. A moment comes in the winter of life when the warm pulse is stilled,
and the once stalwart frame is locked in the icy embrace of death. (J. Barlow.)
3 Then they searched throughout Israel for a
beautiful young woman and found Abishag, a
Shunammite, and brought her to the king.
GILL, "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, if deformed and ugly, would not have endured her in his sight, or
received at her hands, and much less suffered her to lie in his bosom:
and found Abishag a Shunammite ; a native of the city Shunem, a city in the tribe of
Issachar,
Jos_19:18;
and brought her to the king; for his approbation of her, and to make her his
concubine wife, as he did.
jdD ig-yosa Shunammite— Shunem, in the tribe of Issachar (
Jos_19:18), lay on
an eminence in the plain of Esdraelon, five miles south of Tabor. It is now called Sulam.
K&D 384, "
They then looked about for a beautiful girl for this purpose, and found Abishag of
Shunem, the present Sulem or Solam, at the south-eastern foot of the Duhy of Little
Hermon (see at
Jos_19:18), who became the king's nurse and waited upon him. The

further remark, “and the king knew her not,” is not introduced either to indicate the
impotence of David or to show that she did not become David's concubine, but simply to
explain how it was that it could possibly occur to Adonijah (1Ki_2:17) to ask for her as
his wife. Moreover, the whole affair is to be judged according to the circumstances of the
times, when there was nothing offensive in polygamy.
ELLICOTT, "(3) A Shunammite.—Shunem is in the territory of Issachar (Joshua
19:18), and in the plain of Jezreel (1 Samuel 28:4), near Mount Gilboa. As Eusebius,
describing its position carefully, calls it “Sulem,” and as this variation of name is
confirmed by its ready identification with the modern village of Solam, it has been
conjectured (see Smith’s Dictionary of the Bible, SHULAMITE), ingeniously and
not improbably, that Abishag is the “fair Shulamite” of the Song of Solomon (1
Kings 6:13). The conjecture certainly throws some light on the occurrences of 1
Kings 2:13825. Probably the whole notice of Abishag is only introduced on account
of her subsequent connection with the fate of Adonijah.
[ldo“epabIma”JHSBx2axa,Bv_xDDHfKaZa,wa4x((K:akCwDaBer native city Shunem, in
the tribe of Issachar, the modern Solam, at the base of the Little Hermon. See on
Joshua 19:18. A needless controversy has been raised as to whether Abishag really
became the acknowledged wife or concubine of David. In what respects she served
the king is here precisely told, and all beyond this is fruitless speculation. The fact,
however, that she slept in the king’s bosom placed her virtually in the position of a
concubine, so that Adonijah’s subsequent effort to obtain her as his wife was
construed by Solomon into an attempt to invade the royal harem, and thus establish
a claim to the throne.
PULPIT, "So [Heb. and] they sought (cf. Esther 2:2), for a fair [this word points to
the same conclusion as "virgin" in per. 2] damsel throughout all the coasts [i.e;
borders (costa = rib, side). An old writer speaks of the "coasts and quarters of
heaven"] of Israel, and found Abishag [= "Father ofaKCCwCmbaexDKSa4wDGwv_:K:a
with Ab, "father," were and are very common in the East. We have, e.g; Ab8salom
in Per. 6, and Abi8athar in Per. 7] a [Heb. the] Shunammite [Shunem, a town of
Issachar (Joshua 19:18), now called Solam, "a flourishing village encompassed by
gardens" (Porter), and "in the midst of the finest cornfields in the,world" (Grove),
lies on the lower slope of "Little Hermon," and has before it the wide plain of
Esdraelon. Another Shunammite appears in the sacred history (2 Kings 4:8)] and
brought her to the king.
4 The woman was very beautiful; she took care of

the king and waited on him, but the king had no
sexual relations with her.
CLARKE, "The king knew her not- The maxim of Bacon in his enigmatical cure
is, “Take all you can from the medicine, but give nothing to it; if you give any thing, it
increases the disease and hastens death.” I have seen this abundantly verified; but it is a
subject on which it would be improper to dilate except in a medical work. An extract
from Friar Bacon’s Cure of Old Age may be found at the end of the chapter.
GILL, "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.
ca-ig-yosNow_WT:oN9phov’Fo1_WTo1WFuo’FMoWmBoQor_IoWot enjoy her as his wife, but
she remained still a virgin: which is mentioned to signify the continuance and
progress of the king’s malady.
ECarg-yosphov’Fo1_WTo1WFuo’FMoWmBoQov’_:oFFPR_._Bo:tatement, as well as all that
goes before, is a sufficient vindication of David from the charge of taking a fair
young concubine in his old age in order to gratify lewd passions. The whole
procedure was in perfect accordance with the moralsom4oB’FoB_EFho-momWFoRmm1FIo
upon it as a scandal, and Bath8sheba herself evidently found no fault.
PULPIT, "And the damsel was very fair [lit. ,fair to exceeding] and cherished [see

on 1 Kings 1:2] the king, and ministered to him; but the king knew her not. [This is
mentioned to explain the history of 1 Kings 2:13825. Had it been otherwise,
Adonijah could never have presumed to seek her in marriage, and Bathsheba would
never have promised her help in his suit. Such an incestuous alliance would not only
have been contrary to the law (Le 1 Kings 18:8), but abhorrent to all true Israelites
(cf. 1 Corinthians 5:1). In this fact, which the court knew, and which the nation at
large did not know—they could only suppose that such a "search" for one so
exceeding "fair" meant the increase of the seraglio—Adonijah found his point
d'appui for a second attempt on the throne. The older expositors and some of the
modern, notably Wordsworth, assume that Abishag was David's wife, in the sense of
being legally married to him. (Corn. A Lap. discusses the question at considerable
length, and with needless pruriency.) But this idea finds no support in Scripture,
which represents her as simply an attendant. It is idle to remark, consequently, that
"the Jewish law allowed polygamy" (Rawlinson).
“o-muodImW_6A’you’m:FoEmB’FMouA:oCATT_B’yoPLBo
himself forward and said, “I will be king.” So he
got chariots and horses[a] ready, with fifty men to
run ahead of him.
cdS-aiyosThe narrative concerning -Abishag, the Shunammite (see the margin
reference “a”), is introduced as necessary for a proper understanding of Adonijah’s later
history (see
1Ki_2:13-25.) But even as it stands, it heightens considerably the picture
drawn of the poor king’s weak and helpless condition, of which Adonijah was not
ashamed to take advantage for his own aggrandizement. Adonijah was born while David
reigned at Hebron, and was therefore now between thirty-three and forty years of age.
He was David’s fourth son, but had probably become the eldest by the death of his three
older brothers. He claimed the crown by right of primogeniture 1Ki_2:15, and secretly to
his partisans (compare 1Ki_1:10) announced his intention of assuming the sovereignty.
It was well known to him, and perhaps to the Jews generally, that David intended to
make Solomon his successor 1Ki_1:13.
To run before him -That is, he assumed the same quasi-royal state as Absalom had
done, when he contemplated rebellion 2Sa_15:1.
CLARKE, "Adonijah the son of Haggith- Who this woman was we know not;

Adonijah was evidently David’s eldest son now living, and one of whom his father was
particularly fond; see 1Ki_1:6.
Prepared himchariots and horsemen- He copied the conduct of his brother
Absalom in every respect. See 2Sa_15:1.
GILL, "Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself,.... This was his
mother's name, 2Sa_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
HAWKER, "(5) ¶ Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, I will be
king: and he prepared him chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. (6)
And his father had not displeased him at any time in saying, Why hast thou done so? and
he also was a very goodly man; and his mother bare him after Absalom.
New afflictions arise to David. But Reader! observe how the divine sentence is fulfilled in
them; Evil shall arise against thee out of thine own house. The afflictions of David, from
the commission of his sin with Bath-sheba, always carried with them this mark. See
2Sa_12:10-11. It is somewhat very singular that David should call a son of his by such a
name as Adonijah, which is a compound of two sacred names of Jehovah, Adonai, Lord,
and Jah, which is the incommunicable name, implying the divine essence of God. We
find indeed, in the Old Testament scriptures, the saints of God giving names to their
children of somewhat significant, to denote their views of divine grace and favor. It is
very profitable and becoming to call our children by such names as every time we look
upon them may refresh the memory with the recollection of God’s mercies. Hannah’s
Samuel, and Leah’s, Judah; furnished out continued occasions of this sort. See 1Sa_
1:20; Gen_29:35. But there seems somewhat unbecoming in taking the divine names for
our children. The messengers and servants of the Lord are perhaps exceptions to this;
for we find Elijah distinguished by a name similar to Adonijah. Elijah, or as it is in the
original, Elijahu; being a compound word also, and signifying "My God, Jehovah, is he; "
which may be considered as if it expressed the authority of his commission; My God
Jehovah is he that hath sent me. With respect to Adonijah, most undeserving was he of
such a distinction; and justly proved himself a second Absalom, whose brother he was,
both in nature and in folly.
Ca-StyosDavid had much affliction in his children. Amnon and Absalom had both
been his grief; the one his first-born, the other his third,
2Sa_3:2, 2Sa_3:3. His second,
whom he had by Abigail, we will suppose he had comfort in; his fourth was Adonijah
(2Sa_3:4); he was one of those that were born in Hebron; we have heard nothing of him
till now, and here we are told that he was a comely person, and that he was next in age,
and (as it proved) next in temper to Absalom, 1Ki_1:6. And, further, that in his father's

eyes he had been a jewel, but was now a thorn.
-”nh,“epab
K&D, "
jde,“epabRatH_2SaR6Lma.BK_aZasGw_a_wfH4KawkafBKa:KSperateness of the king’s
disease, and the approach of his death; Adonijah exalted himself — Entertained
high thoughts and designs; saying, I will be king — As the right of the kingdom is
mine, (1 Kings 1:6,) so I will now take possession of it. And he prepared him
chariots, &c. — As Absalom had done upon the like occasion, 1 Samuel 15:1.
“yyn”epabhfaHSa4(KxCakCwDafBHSaGxCx2CxGBafBxfa”:w_ijah was well aware of the
fact that David had chosen Solomon to succeed him; and that alone can account for
the fact that Solomon and other powerful persons closely associated with David
gKCKae“.aH_5HfK:afwafBKaJH2aJxCJK4vKm
Another revelation which we should observe here is the fact of Adonijah's copying
the procedure of Absalom by getting a chariot, horsemen, and fifty runners ahead of
his carriage. Also, David's customary failure to discipline members of his family was
a primary feature that aided the early stages of Adonijah's attempted coup d'etat. If
he had succeeded, his very first action, no doubt, would have been the murder of
Solomon.
The reason why Joab joined in this venture is not hard to discern. David had
pronounced a curse upon him; and, he, no doubt, hoped to avoid any ultimate
punishment by supporting Adonijah. Why Abiathar joined the Adonijah party is
not so apparent. Some suppose that he was jealous of the preference David seemed
to have conferred upon Zadok, a rival High Priest.
ELLICOTT, "(5) Adonijah (my Lord is Jehovah), David’s fourth son, born in
Hebron (2 Samuel 3:4), at least thirty8three years before. From the words of
Solomon in 1 Kings 2:22, we may gather that he claimed the throne as being now the
eldest son. Hence it is probable that Chileab (or Daniel, see 2 Samuel 3:3; 1
Chronicles 3:1), the second son, was dead, as well as Amnon and Absalom. The
similarity between Adonijah and Absalom, in respect of personal beauty, favour
with a too8indulgent father, ambition and trust in popularity, is evidently suggested
by the narrative, which places them in close connection, although born of different
mothers. The means, moreover, which Adonijah employed, the body8guard of fifty
men, and the maintenance of “chariots and horsemen,” are exactly imitated from
the example of Absalom (2 Samuel 15:1); and we note that the festal sacrifice, with
the support of two important leaders in peace and war, recalls the same model. But
Adonijah hardly shows the craft and ruthless determination of the elder rebel. His
attempt on the crown seems crude and ill8planned in conception, and wanting in
promptitude of action.

GUZIK, "2. (1 Kings 1:5) Adonijah’s presumption.
Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, “I will be king”; and he
prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him.
a. Exalted himself: 2 Samuel 3:285 describes the sons of David and lists Adonijah as
the fourth son. We know that two of the three sons older than Adonijah are dead
(Amnon and Absalom), and we suspect that the other older son (Chileab) either also
died or was unfit to rule because he is never mentioned after 2 Samuel 3:3. As the
oldest living son of David, by many customs Adonijah would be considered the heir
to the throne. But the throne of Israel was not left only to the rules of hereditary
succession; God determined the next king.
i. Adonijah violated a basic principle in the Scriptures 8 that we should let God exalt
us and not exalt ourselves.
For exaltation comes neither from the east
or from the west nor from the south.
But God is the Judge: He puts down one,
And exalts another. (Psalms 75:687)
Humble yourselves in the sight of the LORD, and He will lift you up. (James 4:10)
b. He prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him:
Adonijah had a good marketing campaign, and knew how to present himself as
king. He hoped that if he put for the image of a king, he would become king in
reality.
i. “In effect this was a personal military force designed to anticipate Solomon’s
claim by a coup d’etat. (Out) runners were part of a close royal bodyguard.”
(Wiseman)
ii. Adonijah was the brother of Absalom, and a look at 2 Samuel 15:1 shows, “He
copied the conduct of his brother Absalom in every respect.” (Clarke)
EBC, "ADOIJAH’S REBELLIO
1 Kings 1:5853
"The king’s word hath power; and who may say unto him, What doest thou?"8
Ecclesiastes 8:4
THE fate of Amnon and of Absalom might have warned the son who was now the

eldest, and who had succeeded to their claims.
Adonijah was the son of Haggith, "the dancer." His father had piously given him
the name, which means "Jehovah is my Lord." He too, was "a very goodly man,"
treated by David with foolish indulgence, and humored in all his wishes. Although
the rights of primogeniture were ill8defined, a king’s eldest son, endowed as
Adonijah was, Would naturally be looked on as the heir; and Adonijah was
impatient for the great prize. Following the example of Absalom "he exalted
himself, saying, I will be king" and, as an unmistakable sign of his intentions,
prepared for himself fifty runners with chariots and horsemen. David, unwarned by
the past or perhaps too ill and secluded to be aware of what was going on put no
obstacle in his way. The people in general were tired of David, though the spell of
his name was still great. Adonijah’s cause seemed safe when he had won over Joab,
the commander of the forces, and Abiathar, the chief priest. But the young man’s
precipitancy spoiled everything. David lingered on. It was perhaps a palace8secret
that a strong court8party was in favor of Solomon, and that David was inclined to
leave his kingdom to this younger son by his favorite wife. So Adonijah, once more
imitating the tactics of Absalom, prepared a great feast at the Dragon8stone by the
Fullers’ Well in the valley below Jerusalem. He sacrificed sheep and fat oxen and
cattle, and invited all the king’s fifteen sons, omitting Solomon, from whom alone he
had any rivalry to fear. To this feast he also invited Joab and Abiathar, and all the
men of Judah, the king’s servants, by which are probably intended "all the captains
of the host" who formed the nucleus of the militia forces. {1 Kings 1:9825} At this
feast Adonijah threw off the mask. In open rebellion against David, his followers
shouted, "God save king Adonijah!"
The watchful eye of one man8the old prophet8statesman, athan8saw the danger.
Adonijah was thirty8five; Solomon was comparatively a child. "Solomon, my son,"
says David, "is young and tender." What his age was at the date of Adonijah’s
rebellion we do not know, Josephus says that he was only twelve, and this would
well accord with the fact that he seems to have taken no step on his own behalf,
while athan and Bathsheba act for him. It accords less well with the calm
magnanimity and regal decisiveness which he displayed from the first day that he
was seated on the throne. The Greek proverb says, "Power shows the man."
Perhaps Solomon, hitherto concealed in the seclusion of the harem, was, up to this
time, ignorant of himself as well as unknown to the people. Being unaware of the
boy’s capacity, many were taken in by the more showy gifts of the handsome
Adonijah, whose age might seem to promise greater stability to the kingdom.
But Solomon from his birth upwards had been athan’s special charge. o sooner
had he been born than David had entrusted the infant to the care of the man who
had awakened his slumbering conscience to the heinousness of his offence, and had
prophesied his punishment in the death of the child of adultery. An oracle had
forbidden him to build the Temple because his hands were stained with blood, but
had promised him a son who should be a man of rest, and in whose days Israel
should have peace and quietness. {1 Chronicles 22:689} Long before, in Hebron,
David, yearning for peace, had called his eldest son Absalom ("the father of peace").

To the second son of Bathsheba, whom he regarded as the heir of oracular promise,
he gave the sounding name of Shelomoh ("the peaceful"). But athan, perhaps with
reference to David’s own name of "the Beloved" had called the child Jedidiah ("the
beloved of Jehovah").
The secret of his destiny was probably known to few, though it was evidently
suspected by Adonijah. To have proclaimed it in a crowded harem would have been
to expose the child to the perils of poison, and to have doomed him to certain death
if one of his unruly brothers succeeded in seizing the royal authority. The oath to
Bathsheba that her son should succeed must have been a secret known at the time to
athan only. It is evident that David had never taken any step to secure its
fulfillment.
The crisis was one of extreme peril. athan was now old. He had perhaps sunk into
the courtly complaisance which, content with one bold rebuke, ceased to deal
faithfully with David. He had at any rate left it to Gad the Seer to reprove him for
numbering the people. ow, however, he rose to the occasion, and by a prompt coup
d’etat caused the instant collapse of Adonijah’s conspiracy.
Adonijah had counted on the jealousy of the tribe of Judah, on the king’s seclusion
and waning popularity, on the support of "all the captains of the host," on the
acquiescence of all the other princes, and above all on the favor of the ecclesiastical
and military power of the kingdom as represented by Abiathar and Joab. To
Solomon himself, as yet a shadowy figure and so much younger, he attached no
importance. He treated his aged father as a cipher, and athan as of no particular
account. He overlooked the influence of Bathsheba, the prestige which attached to
the nomination of a reigning king, and above all the resistance of the bodyguard of
mercenaries and their captain Benaiah.
athan had no sooner received tidings of what was going on at Adonijah’s feast
than he shook off his lethargy and hurried to Bathsheba. She seems to have retained
the same sort of influence over David that Madame de Maintenon exercised over the
aged Louis XIV "Had she heard," asked athan, "that Adonijah’s coronation was
going on at that moment? Let her hurry to King David, and inquire whether he had
given any sanction to proceedings which contravened the oath which he had given
her that her son Solomon should be his heir." As soon as she had broken the
intelligence to the king, he would come and confirm her words.
Bathsheba did not lose a moment. She knew that if Adonijah’s conspiracy succeeded
her own life and that of her son might not be worth a day’s purchase. The
helplessness of David’s condition is shown by the fact that she had to make her way
into "the inner chamber" to visit him. In violation of the immemorial etiquette of an
Eastern household, she spoke to him without being summoned, and in the presence
of another woman, Abishag, his fair young nurse. With profound obeisances she
entered, and told the poor old hero that Adonijah had practically usurped the
throne, but that the eyes of all Israel were awaiting his decision as to who should be
his successor. She asked whether he was really indifferent to the peril of herself and

of Solomon, for Adonijah’s success would mean their doom.
While she yet spoke athan was announced, as had been concerted between them,
and he repeated the story of what was going on at Adonijah’s feast. It is remarkable
that he says nothing to David either about consulting the Urim, or in any way
ascertaining the will of God. He and Bathsheba rely exclusively on four motives8
David’s rights of nomination, his promise, the danger to Solomon, and the contempt
shown in Adonijah’s proceedings. "The whole incident," says Reuss, "is swayed by
the ordinary movements of passion and interest." The news woke in David a flash of
his old energy. With instant decision he summoned Bathsheba, who, as custom
required, had left the chamber when athan entered. Using his strong and favorite
adjuration, "As the Lord liveth, that hath redeemed my soul out of all distress,"
{Comp. 2 Samuel 4:9, Psalms 19:14} he pledged himself to carry out that very day
the oath that Solomon should be his heir. She bowed her face to the earth in
adoration with the words, "Let my lord, King David, live forever." He then
summoned Zadok, the second priest, athan, and Benaiah, and told them what to
do. They were to take the body8guard which was under Benaiah’s command, to
place Solomon on the king’s own she8mule {Genesis 41:43, 1 Kings 1:33, Ezra 6:8}
(which was regarded as the highest honor of all honors), to conduct him down the
Valley of Jehoshaphat to Gihon, where the pool would furnish the water for the
customary ablutions, to anoint him king, and then to blow the consecrated ram’s
horn (shophar) {2 Kings 9:13} with the shout, "God save King Solomon!" After this
the boy was to be seated on the throne, and proclaimed ruler over Israel and Judah.
Benaiah was one of David’s twelve chosen captains, who was placed at the head of
one of the monthly courses of 24,000 soldiers in the third month. The chronicler
calls him a priest. His available forces made him master of the situation, and he
joyfully accepted the commission with, "Amen! So may Jehovah say!" and with the
prayer that the throne of Solomon might be even greater than the throne of David.
Joab was commander8in8chief of the army, but his forces had not been summoned
or mobilized. Accustomed to a bygone state of things he had failed to observe that
Benaiah’s palace8regiment of six hundred picked men could strike a blow long
before he was ready for action. These guards were the Krethi and Plethi,
"executioners and runners," perhaps an alien body of faithful mercenaries
originally composed of Cretans and Philistines. They formed a compact body of
defenders, always prepared for action. They resemble the Germans of the Roman
Emperors, the Turkish Janissaries, the Egyptian Mamelukes, the Byzantian
Varangians, or the Swiss Guard of the Bourbons. Their one duty was to be ready at
a moment’s notice to carry out the king’s behests. Such a picked regiment has often
held in its hands the prerogative of Empire. They were, originally at any rate,
identical with the Gibborim, and had been at first commanded by men who had
earned rank by personal prowess. But for their intervention on this occasion
Adonijah would have become king.
While Adonijah’s followers were wasting time over their turbulent banquet, the
younger court8party were carrying out the unexpectedly vigorous suggestions of the
aged king. While the eastern hills echoed with "Long live King Adonijah!" the

western hills resounded with shouts of "Long live King Solomon!" The young
Solomon had been ceremoniously mounted on the king’s mule, and the procession
had gone down to Gihon. There, with the solemnity which is only mentioned in cases
of disputed succession, athan the prophet and Zadok as priest anointed the son of
Bathsheba with the horn of perfumed oil which the latter had taken from the sacred
tent at Zion. These measures had been neglected by Adonijah’s party in the
precipitation of their plot, and they were regarded as of the utmost importance, as
they are in Persia to this day. Then the trumpets blew, and the vast crowd which
had assembled shouted, "God save King Solomon!" The people broke into
acclamations, and danced, and played on pipes, and the earth rang again with the
mighty sound. Adonijah had fancied, and he subsequently asserted, that "all Israel
set their faces on me that I should reign." But his vanity had misled him. Many of
the people may have seen through his shallow character, and may have dreaded the
rule of such a king. Others were still attached to David, and were prepared to accept
his choice. Others were struck with the grave bearing and the youthful beauty of the
son of Bathsheba. The multitude were probably opportunists ready to shout with
the winner whoever he might be.
The old warrior Joab, perhaps less dazed with wine and enthusiasm than the other
guests of Adonijah, was the first to catch the sound of the trumpet blasts and of the
general rejoicing, and to portend its significance. As he started up in surprise the
guests caught sight of Jonathan, son of Abiathar, a swift8footed priest who had
acted as a spy for David in Jerusalem at Absalom’s rebellion, {2 Samuel 15:27, 2
Samuel 17:17} but who now, like his father Abiathar and so many of his betters, had
gone over to Adonijah. The prince welcomed him as a "man of worth," one who was
sure to bring tidings of good omen; but Jonathan burst out with, "ay, but our
Lord king David hath made Solomon king." He does not seem to have been in a
hurry to bring this fatal intelligence; for he had not only waited until the entire
ceremony at Gihon was over, but to the close of the enthronization of Solomon in
Jerusalem. He had seen the young king seated on the throne of state in the midst of
the jubilant people. David had been carried out upon his couch, and, bowing his
head in worship before the multitude, had said, "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
which hath given one to sit on my throne this day, mine eyes even seeing it."
This intelligence fell like a thunderbolt among Adonijah’s unprepared adherents. A
general flight took place, each man being only eager to save himself. The straw fire
of their enthusiasm had already flared itself away.
Deserted by every one and fearing to pay the forfeit of his life, Adonijah fled to the
nearest sanctuary, where the Ark stood on Mount Zion under the care of his
supporter the high priest Abiathar. {1 Kings 1:50} There he caught hold of the
horns of the altar8wooden projections at each of its corners, overlaid with brass.
When a sacrifice was offered the animal was tied to these horns of the altar. {1
Kings 1:50, Psalms 118:27, Exodus 27:2 ff., Exodus 29:12, Exodus 30:10} Comp.
Exodus 21:14, and they were smeared with the victim’s blood just as in after days
the propitiatory was sprinkled with the blood of the bull and the goat on the Great
Day of Atonement. The mercy8seat thus became a symbol of atonement, and an

appeal to God that He would forgive the sinful priest and the sinful nation who
came before Him with the blood of expiation. The mercy8seat would have furnished
an inviolable sanctuary had it not been enclosed in the Holiest Place,
unapproachable by any feet but that of the high priest once a year. The horns of the
altar were, however, available for refuge to any offender, and their protection
involved an appeal to the mercy of man as to the mercy of God.
There in wretched plight clung the fallen prince, hurled down in one day from the
summit of his ambition. He refused to leave the spot; unless King Solomon would
first of all swear that he would not slay his servant with the sword. Adonijah saw
that all was over with his cause. "God," says the Portuguese proverb, "can write
straight on crooked lines"; and as is so often the case, the crisis which brought
about His will was the immediate result of an endeavor to defeat it.
Solomon was not one of those Eastern princes who
"Bear like the Turk no brother near the throne."
Many an Eastern king has begun his reign as Baasha, Jehu, and Athaliah did, by
the exile, imprisonment, or execution of every possible rival. Adonijah, caught red8
handed in an attempt at rebellion, might have been left with some show of justice to
starve at the horns of the altar, or to leave his refuge and face the penalty due to
crime. But Solomon, unregarded and unknown as he had hitherto been, rose at once
to the requirements of his new position, and magnanimously promised his brother a
complete amnesty so long as he remained faithful to his allegiance. Adonijah
descended the steps of the altar, and having made sacred obeisance to his new
sovereign was dismissed with the laconic order, "Go to thine house." If, as some
have conjectured, Adonijah had once urged on his father the condign punishment of
Absalom, he might well congratulate himself on receiving pardon.
WHEDO, "ADOIJAH’S USURPATIO, 1 Kings 1:5810.
5. Adonijah the son of Haggith — The fourth son of David, born at Hebron, while
his father reigned over Judah only. 2 Samuel 3:485.
Exalted himself — Became puffed up with a proud ambition, and urged his right
and title to the kingdom. He was now the oldest living child of David, for Amnon
and Absalom had perished, and Chileab seems to have been also dead, for we have
no mention of him after his birth; so Adonijah could justly plead the rights of
primogeniture. But the kingdom of Israel had not yet attained established usages as
to regnal succession; and as Jehovah designated both Saul and David to the royal
honours, and lifted them from obscurity to the highest position in the nation, so also
he designated Solomon as David’s successor on the throne. 1 Chronicles 22:9810; 1
Chronicles 28:586. In the face of this Divine interposition, how vain must be
Adonijah’s ambition!

He prepared him chariots — Affected royal dignity, as the rebellious Absalom had
done before him. 2 Samuel 15:1. His action was all the more culpable from the fact
that a full knowledge of Absalom’s miserable end did not deter him from following
in his steps.
PULPIT, "Then Adonijah [="Jehovah is my Lord." The fourth son of David, and
now apparently the eldest surviving. It seems probable that Chileab, or Daniel (1
Chronicles 3:1), David's second son, died in infancy. For Amnon's death, see 2
Samuel 13:29; for Absalom's, 2 Samuel 18:14. He must now have been between
thirty8three and forty years of age (having been born in Hebron)] the son of Haggith
[= "Festive" (Gesen.) "the dancer" (Stanley)] exalted himself, saying [to him self
and his confederates], I will be king. [It is not difficult to trace this resolve to its
sources. They were
BI 5853, "
Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself.
Usurpation
David is “old and stricken in years.” Round about him there are certain proceedings
which are almost always associated with the death of great men. There are persons who
are wondering who will succeed to the throne. One man has made up his mind that he
will be the king. Could we understand all that is going on in the minds of our friends
when we ourselves arc approaching the hour and article of death, we should be surprised
by some revelations of character which we had little suspected. Adonijah said, “I will be
king” (
1Ki_1:5). How certainly, then, he will not! “Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted
himself.” He did not hear the voice sounding far away in the coming time which said,
“Whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased.” You will find that Adonijah was a spoiled
child, for “his father had not displeased him at any time in saying, Why hast thou done
so?” (1Ki_1:6). That is the explanation. Every will has to be broken, and it ought to be
broken as soon as possible; it is not as if the will could go on always having its own way,
marching from conquering to conquer, going on from throne to throne; it is the law of
life, and it is the most solemn fact in personal history, that the will must be broken, in
the sense of being subdued, chastened, made to feel that there are other wills in creation,
and that peace can only come by mutual understanding and concession. How cruel, then,
are parents! They think they are kind, but their kindness is the worst form of cruelty.
How would it be in physical matters? You say that a man’s hand is out of action, and the
doctor says that hand might have been as good as the other if the infirmity or accident
had been attended to when the child was young. That we call reason. A child does not see
straightly; its eye is somewhat askance; and the doctor again says that eye could have
been made perfectly right if it had been attended to when the child was young. When the
doctor says that, everybody looks upon him as a wise man. So many things ought to have
been done when we were young! Yet we ourselves will not do them to those who are
young, and who depend upon us for discipline, education, and general training. When
Adonijah said, “I will be king,” he carried to its logical issue the training which he had
received, or lacked, at home. How will he set about this business? Exactly like a spoiled
child. There is a striking consistency in all the parts of his character and action. If you
ask for his programme, you may yourself write it for him; them is no need to make
inquiry as to what he will do. Spoiled children can only do one thing. They are absolutely
destitute of originality. What, then, does Adonijah do? He copied, Absalom,. whom in

some degree he resembled, being also “a very goodly man.” That is to say, a well-
favoured man physically; good to look upon, a handsome, noble figure. What will
Adonijah do? The answer is in the fifth verse: “He prepared him chariots and horsemen,
and fifty men to run before him.” How will Adonijah proceed? quite consistently. In the
seventh verse we find him still pursuing the same level of thought and purpose: “And he
conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar the priest.” What was
Abiathar the priest? the priest of the tent in which the ark of God was kept? or was he
but some subordinate, good and honest in his own way, hut a little tempted to believe in
chariots and horses and forerunners and outriders? Alas! it is possible for a priest even
to be so demented. This was the bound of Adonijah’s counsel; the crafty Joab and
Abiathar. Not the people. The people were to be taken by a storm of music. That was
Adonijah’s great plan for taking the nation! But the people are wiser than they are often
thought to be. Have faith in the people. You cannot easily measure them. Taken one by
one, they do not seem to amount to much; but when they touch one another, and feel the
contagion of sympathy and the inspiration of common interests; when they listen as one
man to the voice of the declaimer or the charmer, the reasoner and the statesman, they
know who is right and who is wrong. Why these signs of masonry? Why this desire to get
away from the society of pure women and frank children, question-asking youth, and
unsuspecting love! Why did you not call Zadok and Nathan and Solomon? Out of thine
own month I condemn thee. The honest man would have said, Let all come; this thing
shall not he done in a corner; it is right, sound, clear-hearted, through and through—
come one, come all, and guide me if I am wrong. The right man need not be in any hurry.
He will be sent for in due time. What became of Adonijah? He “feared because of
Solomon, and arose, and went, and caught hold on the horns of the altar”—the
projecting pieces of wood overlaid with gold, to which the sacrifices were fastened with
bands or ropes. Laying hold of these, he thought he had the right of asylum; and he
feared Solomon, saying, “Let King Solomon swear unto me to-day that he will not slay
his servant with the sword” (1Ki_1:50-51). “Whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased.”
Adonijah, who began by saying, “I will be king,” ended by saying, I am a servant. See the
end of all vanity, foolish conceit, mistaken and selfish ambition; so Solomon, being a
king in very deed, said: He shall have a conditional pardon—If he will shew himself a
worthy man, there shall not an hair of him fall to the earth: but if wickedness shall be
found in him, he shall die” (1Ki_1:52-53). So Adonijah became a ticket-of-leave man.
What a fame! but right. Do not let us mistake this: for we are all ticket-of-leave men. Let
there be no boasting. We are all out of hell conditionally. (J. Parker, D. D.)
Adonijah
I. Beware of ambition. When regulated, restrained, and guided, ambition serves a good
end. It rouses to activity, and it tends to produce a generous and noble character. But
when it is inspired only by selfishness, by the desire simply to attain to a certain
position, so that vanity may be indulged and pride gratified—by the determination to
outstrip your fellows and win certain prizes for which they too are toiling;—when, in
short, there is nothing but self to be consulted and flattered and appeased, it is
dangerous. It may lead you to do much that is evil, to trample on that which is sacred, to
break through and cast down the barriers which God’s law has erected around you, to
despise the nearest and dearest relationships of human life. Under its withering
influence he loses sight of the eternal in the temporal, ignores the spiritual in the carnal,
and forgets God in self! There is no ban laid by God on advancement or “getting on.” You
are not forbidden to attain earthly honours, to acquire what are called the world’s “good

things.” But then, recollect, you must regard them only as subordinate to higher things.
“Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things shall be
added unto you.”
II. Beware of disobedience to parents. It may be an old, but it is a permanent command,
“Honour thy father and thy mother,” etc.
III. Beware of evil associations. The unholy alliance at Enrogel broke up, immediately
on the arrival of adverse tidings. Joab, Abiathar, and their confederates disappeared,
and left Adonijah to his own devices. There was no deep affection, and no bond of pure
love to keep them together; selfishness was at the root of the association. They fawned,
and flattered, and fled. Wicked men do not care for their companions beyond the point
of advantage. They have no interest in each other’s welfare, and they are suspicious of
each other’s designs and of each other’s fidelity. Accomplices and partners in guilt
indulge in mutual accusations and revelations which show the slender nature of the tie
which binds them together. There is no love—no true, deep, self-sacrificing love—such as
dwells in the hearts of Christian brethren, united in Jesus Christ. (A. Williamson.)
When the play is out
Honour must put off the robes when the play is done, make it never so glorious a show
on this world’s stage; it hath but a short part to act. A great name of worldly glory is but
like a peal rung on the bells, the common people are the clappers, the rope that moves
them is popularity; if you once let go your hold and leave pulling, the clapper lies still,
and farewell honour. (T. Adams.)
Ambition, destructive
The principal thing that excited the public hatred, and at last caused the death of Julius
Caesar was his passion for the title of king. It was the first thing that gave offence to the
multitude, and it afforded his inveterate enemies a very plausible plea. (Plutarch.)
6 (His father had never rebuked him by asking,
“Why do you behave as you do?” He was also
very handsome and was born next after Absalom.)
cdS-aiyosHad not displeased him -i. e. “His father had never checked or
thwarted him all his life.”

A very goodly man -Here, too, Adonijah resembled Absalom 2Sa_14:25. The Jews,
like the other nations of antiquity, regarded the physical qualities of rulers as of great
importance, and wished their kings to be remarkable for strength, stature, and beauty
1Sa_9:2. Adonijah’s personal advantages no doubt helped to draw the people to him.
His mother ... -i. e. Haggith bare Adonijah after Maacah bare Absalom 2Sa_3:3-4.
The words in italics are not in the original; hence, some, by a slight alteration, read
“David begat him.”
GILL, "And his father had not displeased him at any time,.... Always humoured
him in everything, let him have his own way and will, and granted him what he desired,
and never corrected him for his faults, or made him ashamed, as the Targum, by telling
him of them, and chastising him for them; this was not to the credit of David, being
guilty of the same sin with Eli; and on this Adonijah presumed much, that he would not
contradict and countermand in this as he had not in other things before:
in saying, why hast thou done so? never so much as asked a reason of his conduct,
so far was he from reproving him for it:
and he
also was a very goodly man; of a comely countenance, tall and well
proportioned, as his brother Absalom, and which was another thing on which he built
his hopes of succeeding in his enterprise; for in those times, as in later times, and other
nations, a comely aspect and personable appearance recommended a man to the choice
of the people for a supreme magistrate; see Gill on 1Sa_9:2;
and his mother bare him after Absalom; not that the same woman bore him as did
Absalom; for Absalom's mother was Maachah, this man's Haggith; but she bore him
after Absalom's mother had bore him, so that he was next son; and now Amnon, Chileab,
or Daniel, and Absalom, being all dead, he was the eldest son living, and upon this he
founded his claim to the throne, and his hope of succeeding.
Ca-StyosI. His father had made a fondling of him,
1Ki_1:6. He had not displeased
him at any time. It is not said that he never displeased his father; it is probably that he
had done so frequently, and his father was secretly troubled at his misconduct and
lamented it before God. But his father had not displeased him, by crossing him in his
humours, denying him any thing he had a mind to, or by calling him to an account as to
what he had done and where he had been, or by keeping him to his book or his business,
or reproving him for what he saw or heard of that he did amiss; he never said to him,
Why hast thou done so? because he saw it was uneasy to him, and he could not bear it
without fretting. It was the son's fault that he was displeased at reproof and took it for
affront, whereby he lost the benefit of it; and it was the father's fault that, because he saw
it displeased him, he did not reprove him; and now he justly smarted for indulging him.
Those who honour their sons more than God, as those do who keep them not under
good discipline, thereby forfeit the honour they might expect from their sons.
K&D, "
1Ki_1:6
“And (= for) his father had never troubled him in his life (ga SdSt vd, a diebus ejus, i.e., his
whole life long), saying, “Why hast thou done this?” Such weak oversight on the part of

his father encouraged him to make the present attempt. Moreover, he “was very
beautiful,” like Absalom (see at 2Sa_14:25), and born after Absalom, so that after his
death he appeared to have the nearest claim to the throne. The subject to ה ָד ְלָֽי is left
indefinite, because it is implied in the idea of the verb itself: “she bare,” i.e., his mother,
as in Num_26:59(vid., Ewald, §294, b.). There was no reason for mentioning the
mother expressly by name, as there was nothing depending upon the name here, and it
had already been given in Num_26:5.
jde,“epabRatH_2SaR6EqNmalHSakxfBKCaBx:a_wfa:HSG(KxSed him at any time — This is
mentioned as David’s great error, and the occasion of Adonijah’s presumption. In
saying, Why hast thou done so? — He had neither restrained him from, nor
reproved him for his miscarriages, which David knew was a great sin. He also was a
very goodly man — This was a second ground of his confidence, because his great
comeliness made him amiable in the people’s eyes. His mother bare him after
Absalom — This is mentioned as a third reason why he expected the crown.
Absalom being dead, he was next to him in order of birth. See 2 Samuel 3:384. He
conferred with Joab and with Abiathar — Whom it is likely he knew to be two
discontented persons; the former on account of David’s putting Amasa in his place,
and the other because he saw Zadok in greater favour than himself. They helped
him — Probably, not so much because they thought the right of the crown was his,
as with a view to oppose Solomon, and to secure and advance their own interest. It
seems that God left them to themselves, to correct them for former miscarriages,
with a rod of their own making.
COKE, "1 Kings 1:6. And his father had not displeased him at any time— Strange
weakness in parents and cruelty to their children, to suffer them to become
incorrigible in error, or inveterate in vice, rather than restrain and correct them
while correction is kindness! An extreme indulgence to his children, seems to have
been one of David's greatest failings. Houbigant renders the last clause of the verse,
and he was born to, or begotten by David after Absalom: for not Haggith, but
Maacah, was the mother of Absalom. 2 Samuel 3:3.
[ldo“epabEmalHSakxfBKCaBx:a_wfa:HSG(KxSK:aBHDaZaj)aattempting to correct his
youthful follies and ambitious actions. Here was one of David’s weaknesses. His
parental tenderness ran away with his judgment, and caused him many sorrows.
At any time — וימימ, from his days; that is, from Adonijah’s days. All his life David
had allowed him to have his own way. Schmidt, Keil, and others understand “from
his days” to refer to the days of Adonijah’s ambitious movements to attain the
throne; but if that were the meaning, the phrase in question would seem entirely
superfluous.
A very goodly man — That is, good8looking. Like Absalom his brother, whose
beauty was praised in all the gates of Israel. 2 Samuel 14:25.

His mother bare him after Absalom — His mother Haggith bore him after Maacah
had borne Absalom.
GUZIK, "3. (1 Kings 1:6) Adonijah’s character.
(And his father had not rebuked him at any time by saying, “Why have you done
so?” He was also very good8looking. His mother had borne him after Absalom.)
a. His father had not rebuked him at any time: Sadly, David did not do a very good
job raising his own sons. David failed to restrain his passions in some areas of his
life; his sons showed a much greater inability to restrain their passions. In part this
was because David did not discipline his own sons well.
i. David did not seem to have a very good relationship with his father (1 Samuel
16:11). The godly influence in his life seems to be more from his mother than from
his father. Twice in the Psalms he refers to his mother as a maidservant of the
LORD (Psalms 86:16; Psa_116:16). It is likely that David did not have a good
example of parenting from his father.
ii. Yet, this does not excuse David’s deficiencies as a father. He knew how his
Heavenly Father treated him 8 how he was comforted and helped by the correcting
rod and staff of his Shepherd (Psalms 23:4). He could have learned how to be a good
father from his Father in heaven. Even before it was written, David could have
known the counsel of Proverbs 29:17 : Correct your son, and he will give you rest;
yes, he will give delight to your soul.
iii. “David was ever too fond a father, and he smarted for it.” (Trapp)
b. He was also very good8looking: David was a handsome man and was attracted to
beautiful women. It doesn’t surprise us that David’s children were very good8
looking. This gave them an unfair and unfortunate advantage.
PULPIT, "And his father had not displeased [or pained, afflicted. The LXX. has
ἀπεκώλυσεν] him at any time [Hebrews from his days, i.e; all his days, LXX.
οὐδέποτε, Vulg. a diebus ejus. Sein Lebtage (Bähr). Some (Seb. Schmiat, e.g.) would
understand since the days of his ambition and display"] in saying, Why hast thou
done so? and he also [i.e; he also, as well as Absalom, mentioned presently; or,
possibly, he as well as Abishag just mentioned. Bähr's rendering, "Und dazu war er
sehr schon," etc. "And moreover he" was, etc. will not stand] was a very goodly
man [cf. 2 Samuel 14:25. This accounted in part not only for his ambition, but also
for his following]; and his mother [the two last words are not in the original, which
simply has "and she bare," הָדְלָי . There is no need, Thenius, to read, דַלָי genuit, or
with others, דיִלוֹה . We have a similar ellipsis in umbers 26:59. The meaning is
quite clear, viz; that Haggith bare Adonijah to David next after Maachah bore him
Absalom. This fact is mentioned to show that he was the eldest surviving son; and it

shows therefore that seniority counted for something (cf. 1 Kings if. 25)] bare him
after Absalom.
7 Adonijah conferred with Joab son of Zeruiah
and with Abiathar the priest, and they gave him
their support.
cdS-aiyosJoab’s defection on this occasion, after his faithful adherence to David
during the troubles caused by Absalom 2 Sam. 18:2-17, may be accounted for by his fear
that Solomon would be a “man of rest”
1Ch_22:9and by his preference for the character
of Adonijah. He may also have thought that Adonijah, as the eldest son 1Ki_1:5, had
almost a right to succeed.
Abiathar’s defection is still more surprising than Joab’s. For his history, see 1Sa_
22:20note. Hereto, David and he had been the firmest of friends. It has been
conjectured that he had grown jealous of Zadok, and feared being supplanted by him.
CLARKE, "And he conferred with Joab- Joab well knew, if he made the new
king, he would necessarily be continued in the command of the army, and so govern
him.
GILL, "And he conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar
the priest,.... About getting the kingdom into his hands: and they were very proper
persons to consult with, who, if gained to his interest, might be of great service, the one
being the general of the army, and so had a great interest in the soldiery, with whom he
could make way for him, and defend him, and the other was the high priest, who might
be thought to have a great share in the affections of the people, and whose office it was to
anoint the king; and he might the rather apply to them, knowing them to be, on some
accounts, discontented persons:
and they following Adonijah, helped
him; they took on his side; Joab knowing
David's hatred of him on account of his murder of Abner and Amasa, and especially for
his slaying his son Absalom, and his insolent behaviour towards him, and perhaps he
might fear, or had an him of what he had charged Solomon with concerning him; and
Abiathar, who saw plainly that the priesthood in Eli's family was declining, and that
Zadok was the favourite priest with David, and in all probability would be with Solomon;
all which might influence these two persons to join Adonijah, and who, by so doing,
greatly encouraged him, and many others to flock to him, which much helped and served

his cause.
ldeTcaNqRUpabII. He, in return, made a fool of his father. Because he was old, and
confined to his bed, he thought no notice was to be taken of him, and therefore exalted
himself, and said, I will be king,1Ki_1:5. Children that are indulged learn to be proud
and ambitious, which is the ruin of a great many young people. The way to keep them
humble is to keep them under. Observe Adonijah's insolence. 1. He looked upon the days
of mourning for his father to be at hand, and therefore he prepared to succeed him,
though he knew that by the designation both of God and David Solomon was to be the
man; for public notice had been given of it by David himself, and the succession settled,
as it were by act of parliament, in pursuance of God's appointment, 1Ch_22:9; 1Ch_23:1.
This entail Adonijah attempted by force to cut off, in contempt both of God and his
father. Thus is the kingdom of Christ opposed, and there are those that say, “We will not
have him to reign over us.” 2. He looked upon his father as superannuated and good for
nothing, and therefore he entered immediately upon the possession of the throne. He
cannot wait till his father's head be laid low, but it must now be said, Adonijah reigns
(1Ki_1:18), and, God save king Adonijah,1Ki_1:25. His father is not fit to govern, for he
is old and past ruling, nor Solomon, for he is young, and not yet able to rule; and
therefore Adonijah will take the government upon him. It argues a very base and wicked
mind for children to insult over their parents because of the infirmities of their age. 3. In
pursuance of this ambitious project, (1.) He got a great retinue (1Ki_1:5), chariots and
horsemen, both for state and strength, to wait on him, and to fight for him. (2.) He made
great interest with no less than Joab, the general of the army, and Abiathar the high
priest, 1Ki_1:7. That he should make his court to those who by their influence in church
and camp were capable of doing him great service is not strange; but we may well
wonder by what arts they could be drawn to follow him and help him. They were old
men, who had been faithful to David in the most difficult and troublesome of his times,
men of sense and experience, who, one would think, would not easily be wheedled. They
could not propose any advantage to themselves by supporting Adonijah, for they were
both at the top of their preferment and stood fast in it. They could not be ignorant of the
entail of the crown upon Solomon, which it was not in their power to cut off, and
therefore it was their interest to oblige him. But God, in this matter, left them to
themselves, perhaps to correct them for some former misconduct with a scourge of their
own making. We are told (1Ki_1:8) who those were that were of such approved fidelity to
David that Adonijah had not the confidence so much as to propose his project to them -
Zadok, Benaiah, and Nathan. A man that has given proofs of his resolute adherence to
that which is good shall not be asked to do a bad thing. (3.) He prepared a great
entertainment (1Ki_1:9) at En-rogel, not far from Jerusalem; his guests were the king's
sons, and the king's servants, whom he feasted and caressed to bring them over to his
party; but Solomon was not invited, either because he despised him or because he
despaired of him, 1Ki_1:10. Such as serve their own belly, and will be in the interest of
those that will feast them what side soever they are of, are an easy prey to seducers,
Rom_16:18. Some think that Adonijah slew these sheep and oxen, even fat ones, for
sacrifice, and that it was a religious feast he made, beginning his usurpation with a show
of devotion, as Absalom under the colour of a vow (2Sa_15:7), which he might do the
more plausibly when he had the high priest himself on his side. It is a pity that any
occasion should ever be given to say, In nomine Domini incipit omne malam-In the
name of the Lord begins all evil, and that all religious exercises should be made to
patronise all religious practices.

1מםֶַולזְדhe conferred with Joab— The anxiety of Adonijah to secure the
influence of a leader so bold, enterprising, and popular with the army was natural, and
the accession of the hoary commander is easily accounted for from his recent grudge at
the king (see on 2Sa_19:13).
and with Abiathar the priest— His influence was as great over the priests and
Levites - a powerful body in the kingdom - as that of Joab over the troops. It might be
that both of them thought the crown belonged to Adonijah by right of primogeniture,
from his mature age and the general expectations of the people (1Ki_2:15).
K&D, "1Ki_1:7
He conferred (for the expression, compare 2Sa_3:17) with Joab and Abiathar the
priest, who supported him. י ֵר ֲה& רַז ָע, to lend a helping hand to a person, i.e., to support
him by either actually joining him or taking his part. Joab joined the pretender, because
he had fallen out with David for a considerable time (cf. 1Ki_2:5-6), and hoped to secure
his influence with the new king if he helped him to obtain possession of the throne. But
what induced Abiathar the high priest (see at 2Sa_8:17) to join in conspiracy with
Adonijah, we do not know. Possibly jealousy of Zadok, and the fear that under Solomon
he might be thrown still more into the shade. For although Zadok was only high priest at
the tabernacle at Gibeon, he appears to have taken the lead; as we may infer from the
fact that he is always mentioned before Abiathar (cf. 2Sa_8:17; 2Sa_20:25, and 2Sa_
15:24.). For we cannot imagine that Joab and Abiathar had supported Adonijah as
having right on his side (Thenius), for the simple reason that Joab did not trouble
himself about right, and for his own part shrank from no crime, when he thought that he
had lost favour with the king.
ELLICOTT, "(7) Joab.—The books of Samuel have brought out clearly the career
and character of Joab, as being (in some degree like Abner) a professed soldier,
raised to a formidable and half8independent power by the incessant wars of Saul
and David. He stands out in consistent portraiture throughout, as a bold, hard, and
unscrupulous man; in his relations to the king often imperious and disobedient; but
nevertheless an absolutely loyal servant, to whom, in great degree, the establishment
of David’s throne was due, and who, moreover (as is shown by his remonstrance
against the numbering of the people, recorded in 2 Samuel 24:3; 1 Chronicles 21:3;
1 Chronicles 21:6), was not without some right instincts of policy and of duty to
God.
Abiathar the priest.—Of Abiathar we also know that he had been the companion of
all David’s adversity, and of his reign at Hebron (1 Samuel 22:20; 1 Samuel 23:6; 1
Samuel 23:9; 1 Samuel 30:7; 2 Samuel 2:184); that he was in8installed (with Zadok)
as high priest at Jerusalem, and remained faithful to David in the rebellion of
Absalom (2 Samuel 8:17; 2 Samuel 15:24829).
The adhesion of these two faithful servants of David, as also of “the king’s sons,”
and “the men of Judah, the king’s servants,” to the rash usurpation of Adonijah,
seems strange at first sight. Probably Joab had never recovered his position in the

king’s favour since the death of Absalom; and it is possible that the evident growth
of despotic power and state in David’s latter years may have alienated from him the
trusty friends of earlier and simpler days. But the true explanation would seem to
be, that the attempt of Adonijah was not viewed as an actual rebellion. Solomon was
young; David’s designation of him for the succession might be represented as the
favouritism of dotage; and the assumption of the crown by the eldest son, a man in
the prime of life and of popular qualities, might seem not only justifiable, but even
right and expedient.
WHEDO, "7. He conferred with Joab — Joab doubtless felt that he had lost the
favour of David, (compare 2 Samuel 19:13,) but hoped to continue captain of the
host if his help raised Adonijah to the throne, and therefore readily entered into the
conspiracy.
And with Abiathar — To many it has seemed strange that this priest, the friend of
David in his wanderings, should have countenanced such conspiracy. His action
probably grew out of jealousy towards Zadok, his associate in office, who received
so much favour from David.
GUZIK, "4. (1 Kings 1:7810) Adonijah’s banquet.
Then he conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest, and
they followed and helped Adonijah. But Zadok the priest, Benaiah the son of
Jehoiada, athan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and the mighty men who belonged to
David were not with Adonijah. And Adonijah sacrificed sheep and oxen and
fattened cattle by the stone of Zoheleth, which is by En Rogel; he also invited all his
brothers, the king’s sons, and all the men of Judah, the king’s servants. But he did
not invite athan the prophet, Benaiah, the mighty men, or Solomon his brother.
a. They followed and helped Adonijah: Sadly, Joab (David’s chief general) and
Abiathar (the high priest of Israel) each supported Adonijah. They did not consult
the LORD or David in giving their support to this unworthy son of David.
i. It is sad to see these once trusted associates of David turning on him late in his life.
Joab may have sought revenge for David’s choice of Amasa over him (2 Samuel
19:13), and because Benaiah now had more authority over military affairs. Abiathar
might have been jealous of Zadok the high priest (2 Samuel 8:17). “Professional
rivalry had darkened into bitter hate.” (Maclaren)
ii. “Joab, the most powerful of Adonijah’s supporters, had always been fiercely
loyal to David, but not to David’s wishes. In supporting Adonijah’s pretentions to
the throne, Joab was acting characteristically.” (Patterson and Austel)
iii. “Joab and Abiathar tarnished a life’s devotion and broke sacred bonds, because
they thought of themselves rather than of God’s will.” (Maclaren)

b. athan . . . Zadok . . . and the mighty men who belonged to David were not with
Adonijah: Fortunately, there were some prominent people in Israel who did not
support Adonijah.
c. Sacrificed sheep and oxen and fattened cattle: The idea is that Adonijah will burn
the fat of these animals as a sacrifice to the LORD, and use the meat to hold a
dinner honoring and blessing his supporters.
i. Yet it was important that this was both a sacrifice and a feast. “He had not only a
splendid feast, but a great sacrifice; and he gave by this a popular colour to his
pretensions, by affecting to receive his authority from God.” (Clarke)
PULPIT, "And he conferred [Hebrews "his words were" (2 Samuel 3:17, Hebrews)]
with Joab [Joab's share in this conspiracy, despite his hitherto unwavering fidelity
to David, is easily accounted for. He must have known that he was under David's
displeasure, and he must have feared, too, that he would be an object of dislike and
distrust to a successor trained, as Solomon had been, under David's and athan's
immediate influence. He could hardly be unconscious that under a new reign his
position—unless he took measures to assure it—would be a precarious one. He
resolved, therefore, to secure himself by helping Adonijah to his throne. It is also
highly probable that Adonijah's ambitious character was much more to his liking
than that of the pious and pacific Solomon. Adonijah's physical qualities, again,
would no doubt commend him to this rough soldier, who may also have sympathised
with him as the eldest son. And there may have been other circumstances (such, e.g;
as close personal friendship), of which we know nothing] the son of Zeruiah, and
with Abiathar [in 2 Samuel 8:17, we read that "Ahimelech son of Abiathar" was
priest. Similarly, 1 Chronicles 24:6. An obvious transposition] the priest.
["Abiathar's defection is still more surprising" than Joab's (Rawlinson). It is
certainly remarkable, when we consider the close ties which subsisted between
Abiathar and David, ties which were cemented by the blood of eighty8five persons (1
Samuel 22:18), and strengthened by the many afflictions which they had shared in
common (ibid. 1 Chronicles 24:23 to 1 Kings 28.; 2 Samuel 15:24829), that he should
have joined in a plot to defeat David's cherished hopes and plans—plans, too, which
he must surely have known, had the sanction of religion (1 Chronicles 28:5), and
there must have been some powerful motive to account for this. May we not find one
in jealousy of Zadok, who had for some time been associated with him in the
priesthood, who is generally mentioned first (2 Samuel 8:17; 2 Samuel 15:29, 2
Samuel 15:35, 2 Samuel 15:36; 2 Samuel 20:25). as if he were the more important
and influential, and whose advancement, after the prophecy of 1 Samuel 2:33836,
Abiathar could not contemplate without suspicion and dread. Is it not highly
probable that among the "words" Adonijah had with him was a promise to restore
the priesthood to his family exclusively, as the reward of his allegiance]: and they
following Adonijah helped him.

8 But Zadok the priest, Benaiahson of Jehoiada,
-AB’AWoB’FoPMmP’FByoi’_EF_oAWIoSF_oAWIorAf_I2:o
special guard did not join Adonijah.
cdS-aiyosThere is some difficulty in understanding how Zadok and Abiathar came
to be both “priests” at this time, and in what relation they stood to one another. The best
explanation seems to be that Abiathar was the real high priest, and officiated at the
sanctuary containing the ark of the covenant in Zion, while Zadok performed the offices
of chief priest at the tabernacle of Witness at Gibeon
1Ch_16:39.
For Benaiah, see 2Sa_8:18; 2Sa_20:23; 2Sa_23:20-21. For Nathan, see 2Sa_7:2-3,
2Sa_7:17; 2Sa_12:1-15, 2Sa_12:25. As privy to all David’s plans 1Ki_1:24, he had no
doubt fully approved the order of succession which the king was known to intend.
Shimei and Rei -Shimei and Rei are perhaps David’s two brothers, Shimma and
Raddai 1Ch_2:13-14.
Mighty men -Probably the company of 600, originally formed during David’s early
wanderings 1Sa_25:13; 1Sa_27:2, and afterward maintained as the most essential
element of his standing army.
CLARKE, "And Nathan- Some suppose that he was the preceptor of Solomon.
GILL, "But Zadok the priest,.... Who bid fair to be the high priest on Solomon's
coming to the throne as he was:
and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; who was near David's person, and over his
bodyguards, the Cherethites and Pelethites:
and Nathan the prophet; a very great intimate of David's, and his seer, whom he
consulted on all occasions:
and Shimei; who, according to Abarbinel, was Shimei the son of Gera, who had cursed
David, and was afraid of entering into the conspiracy, lest he should be involved in
trouble again: though some think this may be that Shimei, one of Solomon's twelve
officers, as after constituted,
1Ki_4:18;
and Rei; whom the same writer takes to be Hushai the Archite, David's friend:

and the mighty men which belonged to David; that were about his person, his
guards, the Cherethites and Pelethites:
were not with Adonijah; they did not join him, and indeed were not invited by him.
jdD ig-yosBut Zadok the priest— He had been high priest in the tabernacle at
Gibeon under Saul (
1Ch_16:39). David, on his accession, had conjoined him and
Abiathar equal in the exercise of their high functions (2Sa_8:17; 2Sa_15:24, 2Sa_15:29,
2Sa_15:35). But it is extremely probable that some cause of jealousy or discord between
them had arisen, and hence each lent his countenance and support to opposite parties.
Benaiah— Distinguished for his bravery (1Sa_23:20), he had been appointed
captain of the king’s bodyguard (2Sa_8:18; 2Sa_20:23; 1Ch_18:17), and was regarded
by Joab as a rival.
Nathan the prophet— He was held in high estimation by David, and stood on the
most intimate relations with the royal family (2Sa_12:25).
Shimei— probably the person of this name who was afterwards enrolled among
Solomon’s great officers (1Ki_4:18).
Rei— supposed to be the same as Ira (2Sa_20:26).
and the mighty men— the select band of worthies.
K&D, "
1Ki_1:8
If Adonijah had powerful supporters in Joab the commander-in-chief and the high
priest Abiathar, the rest of the leading officers of state, viz., Zadok the high priest (see at
2Sa_8:17), Benaiah, captain of the king's body-guard (see at 2Sa_8:18and 2Sa_23:20-
21), the prophet Nathan, Shimei (probably the son of Elah mentioned in 1Ki_4:18), and
Rei (unknown), and the Gibborim of David (see at 2Sa_23:8.), were not with him.
ca-ig-yosNow_WT:oN9DZNOhov’FoE_T’BHoEFWouFMFoWmBou_th Adonijah — That is,
those named 2 Samuel 23., and the guards, who had served under David so long,
and had done such mighty acts in his reign and under his conduct. Adonijah had no
hope of drawing them to his party, and therefore did not confer with them as he did
with Joab and Abiathar. And called all his brethren and all the men of Judah —
Except those mentioned 1 Kings 1:8, and again excepted, 1 Kings 1:10. But all the
rest of the family of David, and the principal persons of the tribe of Judah, with the
high8priest and captain of the host, being present, there seemed to be nothing
wanting to the making of him king, but only his anointing. For this appears to have
been a federal feast, in which they swore allegiancFoBmodImW_6A’hocLBo-AB’AWoB’Fo
prophet, and Benaiah, &c., he called not — Because he knew they favoured
Solomon.
ELLICOTT, "(8) Zadok the priest (son of Ahitub) was the representative of the
family of Eleazar, elder son of Aaron, as Abiathar of the family of Ithamar, the
younger son (1 Chronicles 24:3). As a “young man of valour,” under “Jehoiada,
leader of the Aaronites,” he joined David at Hebron with 3,700 men (1 Chronicles

12:28), and had been left in charge of the Tabernacle at Gibeon (1 Chronicles 16:39)
after the removal of the Ark to Jerusalem. On his relation to Abiathar, see 1 Kings
2:35.
Benaiah, the son of “Jehoiada, a chief priest,” and therefore of Levitical origin. (See
2 Samuel 8:18; 2 Samuel 23:20823; 1 Chronicles 27:586.) His rank is given in 2
Samuel 23:23, as intermediate between the “three mighty men” and “the thirty,”
and in 1 Chronicles 27:5, as “the third captain of the host for the third month”; but
his command of the bodyguard gave him special importance, second only to that of
Joab (2 Samuel 20:23), and perhaps of even greater importance for immediate
action. (It is notable that there is no mention of Abishai, who is named as prior to
Benaiah among “the mighty men” in 2 Samuel 23:18822. It may be inferred that he
was dead; otherwise he could hardly have been omitted here.)
athan the prophet.—See 2 Samuel 7:2; 2 Samuel 12:1; 2 Samuel 12:25. In the
whole chapter he appears rather as a chief officer and counsellor of David, than in
the loftier aspect of the prophetic character. He was also the royal chronicler of the
reigns of David and Solomon (1 Chronicles 29:29; 2 Chronicles 9:29).
Shimei, and Rei.—Ewald conjectures that these were two brothers of David, called
Shimma and Raddai in 1 Chronicles 2:13814. These, however, being older than
David, would now be in extreme old age. Of Rei, we have no mention elsewhere; but
there is a Shimei (in 1 Kings 4:18), a high officer of Solomon; a “Shimea,” brother of
Solomon (in 1 Chronicles 3:5), and a “Shammah,” one of the “mighty men” (in 2
Samuel 23:11).
The mighty men.—See 2 Samuel 23:8839. The name Gibbôrim is a technical name,
and is thought to designate a picked body of troops, the standing nucleus of the
armies of Israel. It is commonly inferred that they were the successors of the six
hundred men of David’s band during his life of wandering and exile, and that “the
three” and “the thirty” (2 Samuel 23) were their officers. They are mentioned as
attached to the person of David in 2 Samuel 10:7; 2 Samuel 16:6; 2Sa_20:7.
WHEDO, "8. Zadok — This priest probably still officiated at Gibeon. See note on
2 Samuel 6:17; 2 Samuel 8:17.
Shimei, and Rei — This Shimei is perhaps the same with the one mentioned 1 Kings
4:18; but there is nothing sufficiently positive to identify either of these names with
any person mentioned elsewhere.
Were not with Adonijah — This statement contains a tacit intimation that these
mighty men of David had been approached by Adonijah, or by some of his abettors,
and solicited to join the party, and help carry out the treasonable projects of that
aspiring youth.

PULPIT, "But Zadok the priest [2 Samuel 8:17. It is generally said to be difficult to
explain "how Zadok and Abiathar came both to be "priests at this time."
Rawlinson, who adds that "the best explanation is that Abiathar was the real high
priest," officiating in Zion, while Zadok acted as chief priest at the tabernacle at
Gibeon. (Bähr, by a strange oversight, assigns to Zadok the care of the ark on
Mount Zion, whereas 1 Chronicles 16:39, distinctly connects his ministry with the
tabernacle of witness at Gibeon.) But the precedence (see on 2 Samuel 8:7) generally
assigned to Zadok is hardly consistent with the idea that Abiathar was "the real
high priest." The fact is that a duality of high priests, associated, apparently, on
pretty equal terms, was not unknown in Jewish history. The cases of Eleazer and
Ithamar, Hophni and Phinehas, Annas and Caiaphas, will occur to all. 2 Kings
25:18, speaks of "the chief priest" and "the second priest;" 2 Chronicles 31:10, of
the "chief priest of the house of Zadok." And a dual priesthood would be the more
necessary in David's days, because of the two sanctuaries, Zion and Gibeon. We
find, however, from 1 Chronicles 15:11, that Zadok was already priest at the time of
the bringing up of the ark. And the true explanation, no doubt, is that Zadok had
succeeded some member of his family, in all probability Jehoiada, called in 1
Chronicles 12:27, "the leader of Aaron" (Hebrews), who had certainly been high
priest in the time of Saul (1 Chronicles 27:5), and who would hardly be degraded
when, with 3700 followers, he joined David at Hebron. On his decease, or cession of
orifice, Zadok, who had joined at the same time with a large contingent,was
associated with Abiathar in the priest's office. This dual arrangement, consequently,
was the result of David's having taken over a high priest from Saul, together with
the kingdom, when he had Abiathar as priest already,] and Benaiah the son of
Jehoiada, [i.e; Jehoiada the high priest (1 Chronicles 27:5). Benaiah was
consequently a Levite, and of the family of Aaron; set, however, by David, because
of his prowess (2 Samuel 23:20, 2 Samuel 23:21; 1 Chronicles 11:22) over the
bodyguard (2 Samuel 8:18; 1 Chronicles 18:17). Probably he was a near relative of
Zadok.], and athan the prophet [a Jewish tradition makes athan the eighth son
of Jesse. He comes before us 2 Samuel 7:2, 2 Samuel 7:3, 2 Samuel 7:17; 2 Samuel
12:1812, 2 Samuel 12:25] and Shimei [by Ewald identified with Shammah (1 Samuel
16:9), or Shimeah, David's brother (2 Samuel 13:3; 2 Samuel 21:21). Others suppose
him to be the Shimei of 1 Kings 4:18. But see note on 1 Kings 2:8. Josephus calls
Shimei (not Rei, as Bähr states) ὁ δαυίδου φίλος], and Rei [this name occurs here
only. Ewald would identify him with Raddai (1 Chronicles 2:14), another brother of
David, but on very slender grounds], and the mighty men [or heroes. Gesen.
"chiefs." ot the 600 men who formed David's band in his wanderings (1 Samuel
25:13; 1 Samuel 27:2) (Rawlinson), but the 30 (or 37) to whom this name of
Gibborim is expressly given, 2 Samuel 23:8; 1 Chronicles 11:15, 1 Chronicles 11:25;
1 Chronicles 29:24. Comp. 2 Kings 10:25, Hebrews] which belonged to David [same
expression as in 2 Samuel 23:8] were not with Adonijah.
9 Adonijah then sacrificed sheep, cattle and

fattened calves at the Stone of Zoheleth near En
Rogel. He invited all his brothers, the king’s
sons,and all the royal officials of Judah,
cdS-aiyosAdonijah’s feast was probably of a sacrificial character, and intended to
inaugurate him as king. Compare the “sacrifices” of Absalom
2Sa_15:12.
Zoheleth -No satisfactory explanation has been given of this name. Large blocks of
stone always attract attention in the East, and receive names which are often drawn from
some trivial circumstance. Sinai and Palestine are full of such “Hajars,” which
correspond to the “Ebens” or “stones” of Holy Scripture. (Compare Gen_28:22; Jos_
4:9; 1Sa_6:14.) For En-Rogel, see the margin reference.
CLARKE, "Slew sheep and oven- Making a royal feast, in reference to his
inauguration. As he had Abiathar the priest with him, no doubt these animals were
offered sacrificially, and then the guests fed on the flesh of the victims. He had not only a
splendid feast, but a great sacrifice; and he gave by this a popular color to his
pretensions, by affecting to receive his authority from God.
GILL, "And Adonijah slew sheep and oxen and fat cattle,.... To make a feast of
for those that were of his party, which was numerous, and some of them persons of the
first rank, and therefore a large and elegant entertainment was provided for them:
by the stone of Zoheleth, which
is by Enrogel; or the fullers' fountain, as the
Targum, where the fullers washed their clothes, using their feet in doing it, from whence
it had its name; and which they laid upon this stone for the water to drain out of them,
"Zoheleth" signifying a slow motion of waters, or on which they beat them to get out the
spots; the Targum calls it the stone of a watchtower, on which they could stand and look
to a great distance; or, as Jarchi and Ben Gersom suggest, it was a large smooth stone,
which young men used to come to, and cast to and fro to try and exercise their strength;
it was, as Josephus (e) says, in or near the king's gardens:
and called all his brethren the king's sons: which David by his wives and
concubines had in Hebron and Jerusalem; who were all younger than he, and so had not
the pretension he had, and who might be displeased at the appointment of Solomon as
well as he; see 1Ch_3:4;
and all the men of Judah the king's servants; excepting those in 1Ki_1:8.
jdD ig-yosEn-rogel— situated (Jos_15:7-10) east of Jerusalem, in a level place,
just below the junction of the valley of Hinnom with that of Jehoshaphat. It is a very

deep well, measuring one hundred twenty-five feet in depth; the water is sweet, but not
very cold, and it is at times quite full to overflowing. The Orientals are fond of enjoying
festive repasts in the open air at places which command the advantage of shade, water,
and verdure; and those fetes champetres are not cold collations, but magnificent
entertainments, the animals being killed and dressed on the spot. Adonijah’s feast at En-
rogel was one of this Oriental description, and it was on a large scale (2Sa_3:4, 2Sa_3:5;
2Sa_5:14-16; 1Ch_14:1-7). At the accession of a new king there were sacrifices offered
(1Sa_11:15). But on such an occasion it was no less customary to entertain the grandees
of the kingdom and even the populace in a public manner (1Ch_12:23-40). There is the
strongest probability that Adonijah’s feast was purely political, to court popularity and
secure a party to support his claim to the crown.
K&D, "
1Ki_1:9-10
Adonijah commenced his usurpation, like Absalom (2Sa_15:2), with a solemn
sacrificial meal, at which he was proclaimed king, “at the stone of Zocheleth by the side
of the fountain of Rogel,” i.e., the spy's fountain, or, according to the Chaldee and Syriac,
the fuller's fountain, the present fountain of Job or Nehemiah, below the junction of the
valley of Hinnom with the valley of Jehoshaphat (see at 2Sa_7:17and Jos_15:7). E. G.
Schultz (Jerusalem, eine Vorlesung, p. 79) supposes the stone or rock of Zocheleth to be
“the steep, rocky corner of the southern slope of the valley of Hinnom, which casts so
deep a shade.” “The neighbourhood (Wady el Rubâb) is still a place of recreation for the
inhabitants of Jerusalem.” To this festal meal Adonijah invited all his brethren except
Solomon, and “all the men of Judah, the king's servants,” i.e., all the Judaeans who were
in the king's service, i.e., were serving at court as being members of his own tribe, with
the exception of Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, and the Gibborim. The fact that Solomon
and the others mentioned were not included in the invitation, showed very clearly that
Adonijah was informed of Solomon's election as successor to the throne, and was also
aware of the feelings of Nathan and Benaiah.
ELLICOTT, "(9) The stone of Zoheleth.—The meaning is uncertain. The derivation
seems to be from a root, meaning to “crawl,” or “steal on.” Some interpreters
render, the “stone of the serpents;” the Targums make it “the rolling stone;” other
authorities “the stone of the conduit,” which would suit well its position as here
described.
En8rogel.—“The spring of the fuller.” (See Joshua 15:7; Joshua 18:16; 2 Samuel
17:17.) Its proximity would be useful for the purposes of sacrifice; for it appears to
be the only natural spring near Jerusalem, situated not far from Siloam.
ECarg-yos'hodImW_6A’o:RFuo:’FFPoQoSv’L:oAR:mo_E_BABing Absalom, who, in order
to cover his sin with the cloak of religion, and to ingratiate himself with those whom
he invited to the banquet, began his rebellion with a sacrificial feast. 2 Samuel
15:12.” — Wordsworth.
Stone of Zoheleth — Hebrew, stone of the serpent, perhaps so called from the
slaughter of a serpent by it. Or, stone of the conduit, so called from its proximity to

some conduit where water flowed. It is identified by Mr. Ganneau with a rock in the
Kedron valley near to the Fountain of the Virgin, which the Arabs still call Zehwele.
Like the stone Ezel, (1 Samuel 20:19,) it was a spot familiar to the writer and his
contemporaries.
Enrogel — Probably identical with the “Fountain of the Virgin,” in the valley of the
Kedron. See note on Joshua 15:7.
PULPIT, "And Adonijah slew [or sacrificed, LXX. ἐθυσίασεν. It was a sacrificial
feast, like Absalom's, 2 Samuel 15:12 (where see Speaker's note). Religious festivity,
i.e; was the apparent object of their assembling: religion was invoked, not merely to
cloke their designs, but to cement them together] sheep and oxen and fat cattle by
[Hebrews with; same expression, 2 Samuel 20:8] the stone of Zoheleth, [i.e.,"the
serpent" (Gesen.) "o satisfactory explanation has been given of this name"
(Rawlinson). See Smith's "Dict. Bible" sub voc; where the various interpretations
are given. The stone, which served as "a natural altar for the sacrificial feast," the
spring, which afforded "water for the necessary ablutions," and the situation with
respect to the adjoining city recommended this place as a rendezvous] which is by
En8Rogel [Joshua 15:7; Joshua 18:16; 2 Samuel 17:17. Perhaps "the spring of the
spy." The Chald; Arab; and Syr. render "the spring, of the fuller"—the Orientals
wash clothes, etc; by treading (rogel) them. Josephus says it was without the city, in
the royal garden ( ἐν βασιλικῷ παραδείσῳ). The authorities are divided between the
"Fountain of the virgin" (Ain um ed8Deraj), and the "Well of Job" (Bir Eyub.) See
the arguments in Bonar's "Land of Promise," App. 5; Thomson's "Land and
Book," vol. 2 p. 528; and Mr. Grove's Art. in Smith's "Dict. Bib." Porter
("Handbook of Palestine ") identifies En8Rogel with Bir Eyub without remark.
There is much to be said on either side. The pool of Siloam ("Bib. Museum") has
nothing in its favour] and called all his brethren the king's sons [including, it would
seem, even the elder sons of David and Bathsheba, who would bring up the number
to fifteen (1 Chronicles 3:5). They too, if living, would naturally resent the
preference of the youngest brother], and all the men of Judah, the king's servants
["all the Judeans who were serving at court, as being members of his own tribe"
(Keil). The fierce jealousy between Ephraim and Judah would almost compel the
king to surround himself with soldiers and attendants of the latter tribe. Some of the
invited guests, no doubt, like Absalom's two hundred, "went in their simplicity and
knew not anything" (2 Samuel 15:11).
10 but he did not invite athan the prophet or
Benaiah or the special guard or his brother
Solomon.

GILL, "But Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, and the mighty men, and
Solomon his brother, he called not. Did not invite them to this feast; not Nathan,
who he might know had prophesied of Solomon's succession in the throne, and therefore
it could not be thought he would be drawn over to him; nor "Benaiah and the mighty
men"; David's bodyguards, over whom this officer was; and still less Solomon, his
competitor and rival.
e,ke vyoscLBo-AB’AWoB’FoPMmP’FByoAWIocFWA_A’yoAWIoBhe mighty men, and Solomon
his brother, he called not. [It is clear from this verse that Adonijah perfectly
understood that he had in Solomon a rival. The intentions and promises (1 Kings
1:13) of his father can hardly have been unknown to him. The name "Jedidiah, too,
bF:BmuFIoLPmWoimRmEmWobHo-AB’AWoJ8oiAELFRoN898“7yoBaken in connexion with the
PMmP’F.Hom4o-AB’AWoJ_b_IhoNow_WT:ox9N83o.4hoNon’MmWicles 22:9, 1 Chronicles 22:10),
must have proved to him that Solomon was marked out for David's successor. He
seems to have been well aware also who were Solomon's supporters. To some of
them he may have made indirect overtures.
The historian having recorded Adonijah's preparations for a coup d'etat, now
relates the manner in which the plot was frustrated. The prophet, who had been the
guardian and preceptor of Solomon's youth, and who knew the Divine will
respecting the succession (1 Chronicles 22:9, 1 Chronicles 22:10), takes prompt and
energetic measures to defeat the conspiracy.
NNov’FWo-AB’AWoA:1FIocAB’:’FbAyoimRmEmW2:o
mother, “Have you not heard that Adonijah, the
son of Haggith, has become king, and our lord
David knows nothing about it?
cdS-aiyosThe son of Haggith -Compare the margin reference. This expression
was well chosen to touch the pride of Bath-sheba. “Adonijah; not thy son, but the son of

thy rival, Haggith.”
CLARKE, "Hast thou not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith doth
reign- He was now considered as being legally appointed to the regal office, and no
doubt was about to begin to perform its functions.
GILL, "Wherefore Nathan spake unto Bathsheba the mother of Solomon,....
Who not only had an interest in the king, being his wife, and an easy access to him, but
had a special concern in this affair, as it affected her son, to whom the succession of the
kingdom was designed and promised:
saying, hast thou not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith doth reign? has
usurped the throne, and is proclaimed king by a party, who at least have drank his health
as such; has taken the title, and is about to exercise the power of a king; this Bathsheba
might not have heard of, and which he expresses in this manner to quicken her to make
an immediate application to the king:
and David our Lord knoweth
it not; being so infirm, and in his bed, and nobody
about him to inform him of it; it was done without his knowledge, and far from being
Ca-StoNNZNpyosWe have here the effectual endeavours that were used by Nathan
and Bathsheba to obtain from David a ratification of Solomon's succession, for the
crushing of Adonijah's usurpation. 1. David himself knew not what was doing.
Disobedient children think that they are well enough off if they can but keep their good
old parents ignorant of their bad courses; but a bird of the air will carry the voice.2.
Bathsheba lived retired, and knew nothing of it either, till Nathan informed her. Many
get very comfortably through this world that know little how the world goes. 3. Solomon,
it is likely, knew of it, but was as a deaf man that heard not. Though he had years, and
wisdom above his years, yet we do not find that he stirred to oppose Adonijah, but
quietly composed himself and left it to God and his friends to order the matter. Hence
David, in his Psalm for Solomon, observes that while men, in pursuit of the world, in
vain rise early and sit up late, God giveth his beloved (his Jedidiahs) sleep, in giving
them to be easy, and to gain their point without agitation,
Psa_127:1, Psa_127:2. How
then is the design brought about?
I. Nathan the prophet alarms Bathsheba by acquainting her with the case, and puts
her in a way to get an order from the king for the confirming of Solomon's title. He was
concerned, because he knew God's mind, and David's and Israel's interest; it was by him
that God had named Solomon Jedidiah (2Sa_12:25), and therefore he could not sit still
and see the throne usurped, which he knew was Solomon's right by the will of him from
whom promotion cometh. When crowns were disposed of by immediate direction from
heaven, no marvel that prophets were so much interested and employed in that matter;
but now that common providence rules the affairs of the kingdom of men (Dan_4:32)
the subordinate agency must be left to common persons, and let not prophets
intermeddle in them, but keep to the affairs of the kingdom of God among men. Nathan
applied to Bathsheba, as one that had the greatest concern for Solomon, and could have

the freest access to David. He informed her of Adonijah's attempt (1Ki_1:11), and that it
was not with David's consent or knowledge. He suggested to her that not only Solomon
was in danger of losing the crown, but that he and she too were in danger of losing their
lives if Adonijah prevailed. A humble spirit may be indifferent to a crown, and may be
content, notwithstanding the prospect of it, to sit down short of the possession of it. But
the law of self-preservation, and the sixth commandment, obliges us to use all possible
endeavours to secure our own life and the life of others. Now, says Nathan, let me give
thee counsel how to save thy own life and the life of thy son,1Ki_1:12. Such as this is the
counsel that Christ's ministers give us in his name, to give all diligence, not only that no
man take our crown (Rev_3:11), but that we save our lives, even the lives of our souls.
He directs her (1Ki_1:13) to go to the king, to remind him of his word and oath, that
Solomon should be his successor; and to ask him in the most humble manner, Why doth
Adonijah reign? He thought David was not so cold but this would warm him.
Conscience, as well as a sense of honour, would put life into him upon such an occasion
as this; and he promised (1Ki_1:24) that, while she was reasoning with the king in this
matter, he would come in and second her, as if he came accidentally, which perhaps the
king might look upon as a special providence (and he was one that took notice of such
evidences, 1Sa_25:32, 1Sa_25:33), or, at least, it would help to awaken him so much the
more.
jdD ig-oNNZ8xyosNathan spake unto Bath-sheba ... let me ... give thee
counsel, etc.— The revolt was defeated by this prophet, who, knowing the Lord’s will
(
2Sa_7:12; 1Ch_22:9), felt himself bound, in accordance with his character and office, to
take the lead in seeing it executed. Hitherto the succession of the Hebrew monarchy had
not been settled. The Lord had reserved to Himself the right of nomination (Deu_17:15),
which was acted upon in the appointments both of Saul and David; and in the case of the
latter the rule was so far modified that his posterity were guaranteed the perpetual
possession of the sovereignty (2Sa_7:12). This divine purpose was known throughout
the kingdom; but no intimation had been made as to whether the right of inheritance
was to belong to the oldest son. Adonijah, in common with the people generally,
expected that this natural arrangement should be followed in the Hebrew kingdom as in
all others. Nathan, who was aware of the old king’s solemn promise to Solomon, and,
moreover, that this promise was sanctioned by the divine will, saw that no time was to
be lost. Fearing the effects of too sudden excitement in the king’s feeble state, he
arranged that Bath-sheba should go first to inform him of what was being transacted
without the walls, and that he himself should follow to confirm her statement. The
narrative here not only exhibits the vivid picture of a scene within the interior of a
palace, but gives the impression that a great deal of Oriental state ceremonial had been
established in the Hebrew court.
ca-ig-yosNow_WT:oN9NNho-AB’AWo:PA1FoLWBmocAB’Z:’FbA — Who, being private and
retired in her apartment, was ignorant of what was done abroad; and who was
likely to be most zealous in the cause, and most prevalent with David. To her
-AB’AWouA:o_WIL.FIoBmo:PFA1yobmB’obHo’_:oP_FBHyoB’At he might fulfil the will of God
declared to him concerning Solomon’s succession, 2 Samuel 7:13; and by his
prudence, knowing that Adonijah hated him for being the principal instrument of
Solomon’s advancement. That Adonijah doth reign — It seems they were so bold as
to proclaim him king.

COFFMA, ""Adonijah the son of Haggith" (1 Kings 1:11). athan's mention here
of `Haggith' the mother of Adonijah was a skillful appeal by athan to arouse in
Bathsheba that jealousy and hatred common in every harem. He certainly knew
how to motivate Bathsheba.
"Save thine own life ... and the life of ... Solomon" (1 Kings 1:12). This was no false
alarm. Unless Adonijah's kingship could be prevented, there was no way that
Bathsheba and Solomon would have been spared alive.
"Didst thou not sware that Solomon shall reign?" (1 Kings 1:13). The fact of this
oath by David not having previously been mentioned in the Bible is the inadequate
premise upon which Montgomery accused athan in this passage of having made,
"An impromptu invention of such a promise."[4] However, as we pointed out above,
Adonijah's failure to invite Solomon and his partisans to his impressive feast is the
only proof needed that he knew full well of David's intentions regarding Solomon.
ELLICOTT, "(11) Wherefore athan.—The initiative taken by athan is especially
natural, since he had been the medium both of the prophecy to David of the son who
should build the Lord’s house (2 Samuel 7:12815), and also of the blessing on
Solomon, embodied in the name Jedidiah (“beloved of Jehovah,” 2 Samuel 12:25).
Perhaps for this very reason the conspirators had altogether held aloof from him.
WHEDO, "SOLOMO MADE KIG, 1 Kings 1:11840.
11. athan spake unto Bathsheba — That devout prophet had his eye upon the
movements of Adonijah, and be took timely measures to frustrate his seditious
projects. He was thoroughly acquainted with the private history of David’s relation
and pledges to Bathsheba, and was well aware that no one could have such power
over the king as she whom he loved above all women.
GUZIK, "1. (1 Kings 1:11814) athan tells his plan to Bathsheba.
So athan spoke to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, “Have you not heard
that Adonijah the son of Haggith has become king, and David our LORD does not
know it? Come, please, let me now give you advice, that you may save your own life
and the life of your son Solomon. Go immediately to King David and say to him,
‘Did you not, my LORD, O king, swear to your maidservant, saying, “Assuredly
your son Solomon shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne”? Why then
has Adonijah become king?’ Then, while you are still talking there with the king, I
also will come in after you and confirm your words.”
a. And David our LORD does not know it: This shows both the wrong of Adonijah’s

attempt to take the throne and how far removed from power David really was. He
didn’t know what was going on around him in the kingdom.
b. That you may save your own life and the life of )wvCaSw_a,w(wDw_6aexfBx_a1_Kga
that if Adonijah became king he would immediately kill every potential rival to his
throne, including Bathsheba and Solomon.
c. Your son Solomon shall reign after me: David made this promise to Bathsheba.
The specific promise is not recorded before, but we know from 1 Chronicles 22:589
that David did in fact intend for Solomon to succeed him as king.
i. It is a remarkable display of grace 8 that a son of the wife David took through
adultery and murder in the most infamous scandal of his life should be his heir.
d. While you are still talking there with the king, I also will come in after you and
4w_kHCDa)wvCagwC:S6aexfBx_a1_KgafBxfaox5H:agxSa2K_Krally indulgent towards his
sons and would find it hard to believe that Adonijah would do such a thing. He
arranged it so the message would be presented in a convincing way.
isuih.pab[BKCKkwCKaexfBx_aSGx1Kav_fwajxfBSBKJxafBKamother of Solomon [the
person after Solomon most directly concerned and also best fitted to approach the
king] saying, Hast thou not heard that Adonijah tile son of Haggith [possibly there
is a touch of worldly wisdom here, as Rawlinson suggests, "Haggith, thy rival." We
may be sure David's harem was not without its fierce jealousies. But (see 1 Kings
1:5, and 1 Kings 2:13) the patronymic is so common in Hebrews that we cannot
safely found an argument upon it. See on Hebrews 2:5] doth reign [Hebrews did
reign. LXX. ἐβασίλευσαεν, aor. = "succeeded." "Schon so gut wie Konig geworden
ist." Bähr and Keil] and David our Lord knoweth it not.
R9aewgafBK_pa(KfaDKax:5HSKa)wvaBwga)wva4x_aSx5Ka
your own life and the life of your son Solomon.
j”Ted,pabIt would have been in accordance with general Eastern custom for
Solomon to suffer death, if Adonijah had succeeded in his attempt. But to have executed
his mother also would have been an unusual severity. Still, such cases sometimes
occurred: Cassander put to death Roxana, the widow of Alexander the Great, at the same
time with her son, the young Alexander.

CLARKE, "Save thine own life, and the life of thy son- Nathan took for
granted that Adonijah would put both Bath-sheba and Solomon to death as state
criminals, if he got established on the throne. O cursed lust of rule! a father will destroy
his son, a son depose his father, and a brother murder a brother, in order to obtain a
crown! At this time the monarchy of Israel was unsettled; no man knew who was to
succeed to the crown, and the minds of the people were as unsettled as the succession. I
have examined both systems, and find that, with all its alleged disadvantages, hereditary
monarchy has a high balance of evidence in its favor beyond that which is elective, and is
every way more safe for the state and more secure for the subject.
GILL, "Now therefore come, let me, I pray thee, give thee counsel,.... How to
conduct in this affair, which she being a woman, and no doubt surprised and
confounded at this relation, might be at a loss what to do; wherefore Nathan, being a
wise man, and a faithful friend, offers to give the best advice he could, and desires her
attention to it: says he,
that thou mayest save thine own life, and the life of thy son Solomon; which
would be the usurper's first care to take away, that he might have no rival, and none to
disturb him in his government; which step has been often taken by usurpers to secure
themselves, see
Jdg_9:5.
jdD ig-oNNZ8xyosNathan spake unto Bath-sheba ... let me ... give thee
counsel, etc.— The revolt was defeated by this prophet, who, knowing the Lord’s will
(2Sa_7:12; 1Ch_22:9), felt himself bound, in accordance with his character and office, to
take the lead in seeing it executed. Hitherto the succession of the Hebrew monarchy had
not been settled. The Lord had reserved to Himself the right of nomination (Deu_17:15),
which was acted upon in the appointments both of Saul and David; and in the case of the
latter the rule was so far modified that his posterity were guaranteed the perpetual
possession of the sovereignty (2Sa_7:12). This divine purpose was known throughout
the kingdom; but no intimation had been made as to whether the right of inheritance
was to belong to the oldest son. Adonijah, in common with the people generally,
expected that this natural arrangement should be followed in the Hebrew kingdom as in
all others. Nathan, who was aware of the old king’s solemn promise to Solomon, and,
moreover, that this promise was sanctioned by the divine will, saw that no time was to
be lost. Fearing the effects of too sudden excitement in the king’s feeble state, he
arranged that Bath-sheba should go first to inform him of what was being transacted
without the walls, and that he himself should follow to confirm her statement. The
narrative here not only exhibits the vivid picture of a scene within the interior of a
palace, but gives the impression that a great deal of Oriental state ceremonial had been
established in the Hebrew court.
COKE, "1 Kings 1:12. That thou mayest save thine own life, &c.— Both Solomon
and Bath8sheba would have been an immediate sacrifice, if Adonijah had succeeded
in his treasonable usurpation, that he might have rid himself of a dangerous rival to
the throne. Bath8sheba herself foresaw this, as appears from her address to the king,

1 Kings 1:21. There is not any other mention of the oath of David which Bath8sheba
speaks of in the 13th verse. But there can be no reason to doubt that he had given
her such an oath, as he well knew of God's immediate appointment of Solomon to
the throne. See 2 Samuel 7:12.
ELLICOTT, "(12) The life of . . . Solomon.—The usurpation of Adonijah would, as
a matter of course, be sealed by the blood of his rival Solomon. (Comp. 2 Chronicles
21:4.) Bath8sheba herself need hardly have been sacrificed; but her position of
favour with David would excite jealousy, and Solomon, being still young, might well
be thought only an instrument in her hands.
WHEDO, "12. Save thine own life — If Adonijah became king, he would
doubtless, according to the barbarous custom of Oriental monarchs, destroy all
persons suspected of claiming a title to the kingdom, and therefore the lives of
Solomon and his mother would be in peril.
PULPIT, "ow therefore come, let me give [Hebrews counsel] thee counsel, that
thou mayest save [Hebrews and save, i.e; by acting upon it] thine own life, and the
life of thy son Solomon. The custom of Eastern kings—to secure their thrones by a
massacre of their rivals—has received many illustrations, notably among the
Ottomans, and is receiving one in Burmah at the present moment. We have
Scripture instances in 9:5; 1 Kings 15:29; 2 Kings 10:7, 2 Kings 10:14; 2 Kings 11:1
(cf. 1 Samuel 24:21). To put a royal mother to death, along with her offspring,
though perhaps unusual, was not unknown. Rawlinson cites the instances of
Cleopatra, widow of Philip of Macedon, who was murdered with her infant son
Caranus by Olympias; and Roxana, widow of Alexander the Great, who, with her
son, was put to death by Cassander. athan does not say this will be, but may be,
Bathsheba's fate.
13 Go in to King David and say to him, ‘My lord
the king, did you not swear to me your servant:
“Surely Solomon your son shall be king after me,
and he will sit on my throne”? Why then has
Adonijah become king?’

CLARKE, "Go and get thee in unto King David- He knew that this woman had
a sovereign influence over the king. If Bath-sheba was a source of pleasure to David,
must she not also have been a source of pain to him? For could he ever forget the guilty
manner in which he acquired her?
Didst not thou-swear- It is very likely that David made such an oath, and that was
known only to Bath-sheba and Nathan. It is nowhere else mentioned.
GILL, "Go and get thee in unto King David,.... That is, go into the chamber where
the king lay, at once, without any ceremony:
and say unto him, didst not thou, my lord, O king, swear unto thine
handmaid, saying, assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he
shall sit upon my throne? though no mention is elsewhere made of such an oath,
there undoubtedly was one, of which Nathan had knowledge, either from David or
Bathsheba, or from them both, or might be present himself at the making of it; for not
only Bathsheba affirms it,
1Ki_1:17; but David owns it and confirms it, 1Ki_1:30;
why then doth Adonijah reign? surely it cannot be with the king's knowledge and
consent, so manifestly contrary to his promise and oath.
ca-ig-yosNow_WT:oN9NGZN“hor_I:BoB’mLoWmByogo1_WTyo:wear unto thy handmaid? —
We do not read anywhere else of this oath: but, no doubt, David had solemnly
sworn to her that he would make her son his successor, knowing that God himself
had designed him to that honour. And it is probable that Adonijah was not an entire
:BMAWTFMoBmou’ABoKmIo’AIoIF.RAMFIoBmo-AB’AWoAWIorAfid on this subject: and if so,
his crime was the greater in setting himself to oppose the decree of heaven. Indeed
he acknowledges as much, 1 Kings 2:15. The king was very old — And therefore,
probably, could not see so as to discern who had entered the chamber till Abishag,
who ministered unto him, informed him.
ELLICOTT, "(13) Didst not thou . . . swear.—Of this oath we have no mention
elsewhere. It may have belonged to the time of Solomon’s birth (2 Samuel 12:24825).
In 1 Chronicles 22:6813, we find a designation of Solomon for succession, apparently
earlier than this time—it being clearly understood (see 1 Kings 1:20), according to
Oriental custom, that such designation, without strict regard to priority of birth, lay
in the prerogative of the reigning king.
ECarg-yosNGhor_I:BoWmBoB’mL•o:uFAMoQod..mMI_WToBmoN Chronicles 22:9, the
Lord had foretold to David the birth and name and destiny of Solomon. Before his

birth, then, this child of Bathsheba had been chosen of God to succeed David on the
throne of Israel, and it is therefore but natural to suppose, though we find no
express record of it, that in accordance with the Divine oracle, David had sworn to
Bathsheba as is here stated.
PULPIT, "Go and get thee in [Hebrews come] unto king David, and say unto him,
Didst not thou, my lord, O king swear unto thine handmaid [this oath of David's to
Bathsheba (see verses 17, 30) is not elsewhere recorded, but it was evidently well
1WmuWoBmo-AB’AWyoAWIoPMmbAbRHyoB’FMF4mMFyoBmomB’FM: also] saying, Assuredly
[Hebrews that, יִכ, recitantis] Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he
[emphatic] shall sit upon my throne? why therefore doth Adonijah reign?
14 While you are still there talking to the king, I
will come in and add my word to what you have
said.”
cdS-aiyosConfirm thy words - “Establish” them, by giving a second testimony.
Nathan thinks it best to move David’s affections first through Bath-sheba, before he
comes in to discuss the matter as one of state policy, and to take the king’s orders upon
it.
GILL, "Behold, while thou yet talkest there with the king,.... Before, or by the
time she could deliver the above words to him, or such as she should think fit to use, to
awaken the king to a concern for the interest of her and her son:
I will also come in after thee; directly into the king's chamber:
and confirm thy words; as he could very well do, if he was present as a witness of the
oath he had made to her, as well as he could confirm the truth of Adonijah's usurpation;
nay, could plead the will and promises of God he had formerly notified to him: or, "fill
up thy words"
(f), make up what might be wanting in her address to him, in her account
of things, or in the arguments used by her; he means, that he would second her in her
motion in favour of Solomon, and press the king to take some steps for the security of
the succession to him. Nathan knew it was the will of God that Solomon should succeed
in the kingdom, he had promised it by him, see 2Sa_7:12; yet, as a wise and good man,

he thought it right to make use of all proper means to attain the end.
K&D, "1Ki_1:14
While she was still talking to the king, he (Nathan) would come in after her and
confirm her words. ר ָב ָ' א ֵ( ִמ, to make a word full, i.e., not to supply what is wanting, but
to make full, like πληρο.ν, either to fill by accomplishing, or (as in this case) to confirm it
by similar assertion.
ELLICOTT, "(14) While thou yet talkest.—The whole history seems to indicate a
growth of royal state and Oriental reverence for the king’s person since the defeat of
Absalom, contrasted with the comparative simplicity of intercourse with him in
earlier days, and preparatory to the still greater development of majesty and
despotism under Solomon. Bath8sheba’s entrance into the bedchamber seems to be
looked upon as an intrusion, to be ventured upon only in the humble attitude of a
ֲסֽ́́πפηּנְלפּ&פηְοתשְֲׁηתְּ́(שֲׁסכשְּׁתְפ́́(תפ.&ְּ&שְׁking with remonstrance, till the
maternal anxiety of Bath8sheba has paved the way. (Comp, in Esther 4:10816, the
picture of the still more unapproachable royalty of Persia.)
PULPIT, "Behold, while thou yet talkest there [the original is more graphic, "thou
art yet talking… and I"] with the king, I also win come after thee and confirm
[marg; "fill up," of. πληρώσω, LXX. Still an idiom of the East. Roberts (quoted in
the "Biblical Museum") cites many illustrations. The meaning is, not to add to,
amplify, but to corroborate. See 1 Kings 2:27; 1 Kings 8:15, 1 Kings 8:24) thy words.
15 So Bathsheba went to see the aged king in his
room, where Abishagthe Shunammite was
attending him.
אמָליַזְדInto the chamber -The “bed-chamber” or “inner chamber.” Abishag
was a disinterested witness present, who heard all that Bath-sheba said to David.
GILL, "And Bathsheba went in unto the king into the chambe r,.... Where he
lay, being bedridden; she took Nathan's advice, and directly went to the king's
apartment:
and the king was very old: and decrepit, borne down with the infirmities of old age,
though but seventy years of age:

and Abishag the Shunammite ministered unto the king ; she was then waiting
upon the king, and serving him with what was necessary and proper for him; and
perhaps there was no other in the chamber at that time.
Ca-StoN“Z8NyosII. Bathsheba, according to Nathan's advice and direction, loses no
time, but immediately makes her application to the king, on the same errand on which
Esther came to king Ahasuerus, to intercede for her life. She needed not wait for a call as
Esther did, she knew she should be welcome at any time; but it is remarked that when
she visited the king Abishag was ministering to him (
1Ki_1:15), and Bathsheba took no
displeasure either at him or her for it, also that she bowed and did obeisance to the king
(1Ki_1:16), in token of her respect to him both as her prince and as her husband; such a
genuine daughter was she of Sarah, who obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. Those that
would find favour with superiors mush show them reverence, and be dutiful to those
whom they expect to be kind to them. Her address to the king, on this occasion, is very
discreet. 1. She reminded him of his promise made to her and confirmed with a solemn
oath, that Solomon should succeed him, 1Ki_1:17. She knew how fast this would hold
such a conscientious man as David was. 2. She informed him of Adonijah's attempt,
which he was ignorant of (1Ki_1:18): “Adonijah reigns, in competition with thee for the
present and in contradiction to thy promise for the future. The fault is not thine, for thou
knewest it not; but now that thou knowest it thou wilt, in pursuance of thy promise, take
care to suppress this usurpation.” She told him who were Adonijah's guests, and who
were in his interest, and added, but “Solomon thy servant has he not called, which
plainly shows he looks upon him as his rival, and aims to undermine him, 1Ki_1:19. It is
not an oversight, but a contempt of the act of settlement, that Solomon is neglected.” 3.
She pleads that it is very much in his power to obviate this mischief (1Ki_1:20): The eyes
of all Israel are upon thee, not only as a king, for we cannot suppose it the prerogative of
any prince to bequeath his subjects by will (as if they were his goods and chattels) to
whom he pleases, but as a prophet. All Israel knew that David was not only himself the
anointed of the God of Jacob, but that the Spirit of the Lord spoke by him (2Sa_23:1,
2Sa_23:2), and therefore waiting for and depending upon a divine designation, in a
matter of such importance, David's word would be an oracle and a law to them; this
therefore (says Bathsheba) they expect, and it will end the controversy and effectually
quash all Adonijah's pretensions. A divine sentence is in the lips of the king. Note,
Whatever power, interest or influence, men have, they ought to improve it to the utmost
for the preserving and advancing of the kingdom of the Messiah, of which Solomon's
kingdom was a type. 4. She suggested the imminent peril which she and her son would
be in if this matter was not settled in David's life-time, 1Ki_1:21. “If Adonijah prevail, as
he is likely to do (having Joab the general and Abiathar the priest on his side) unless
speedily suppressed, Solomon and all his friends will be looked upon as traitors and
dealt with accordingly.” Usurpers are most cruel. If Adonijah had got into the throne, he
would not have dealt so fairly with Solomon as Solomon did with him. Those hazard
everything who stand in the way of such as against right force their entrance.
K&D 15821, "
1Ki_1:15-21
Bathsheba followed this advice, and went to the king into the inner chamber (ה ָר ְד ַח ַה),
since the very aged king, who was waited upon by Abishag, could not leave his room
(ת ַר ָשׁ ְמ for ת ֶת ֶר ָשׁ ְמ; cf. Ewald, §188, b., p. 490), and, bowing low before him, communicated

to him what Adonijah had taken in hand in opposition to his will and without his
knowledge. The second ה ָ0 ַעְו is not to be altered into ה ָ0&ְו, inasmuch as it is supported by
the oldest codices and the Masora,
(Note: Kimchi says: “Plures scribae errant in hoc verbo, scribentesהתאוcum
Aleph, quia sensui hoc conformius est; sed constat nobis ex correctis MSS et
masora, scribendum esseהתעוcum Ain.” Hence both Norzi and Bruns have taken
התעו under their protection.Compare de Rossi, variae lectt. ad h. l.)
although about two hundred codd. contain the latter reading. The repetition of ה ָ0 ַעְו
(“And now, behold, Adonijah has become king; and now, my lord king, thou knowest it
not”) may be explained from the energy with which Bathsheba speaks. “And Solomon
thy servant he hath not invited” (1Ki_1:19). Bathsheba added this, not because she felt
herself injured, but as a sign of Adonijah's feelings towards Solomon, which showed that
he had reason to fear the worst if Adonijah should succeed in his usurpation of the
throne. In 1Ki_1:20, again, many codd. have ה ָ0 ַעְו in the place of ה ָ0&ְו; and Thenius, after
his usual fashion, pronounces the former the “only correct” reading, because it is
apparently a better one. But here also the appearance is deceptive. The antithesis to what
Adonijah has already done is brought out quite suitably by ה ָ0&ְו: Adonijah has made
himself king, etc.; but thou my lord king must decide in the matter. “The eyes of all Israel
are turned towards thee, to tell them who (whether Adonijah or Solomon) is to sit upon
the throne after thee.” “The decision of this question is in thy hand, for the people have
not yet attached themselves to Adonijah, but are looking to thee, to see what thou wilt
do; and they will follow thy judgment, if thou only hastenest to make Solomon king.” -
Seb. Schmidt. To secure this decision, Bathsheba refers again, in 1Ki_1:21, to the fate
which would await both herself and her son Solomon after the death of the king. They
would be םי ִא ָ1 ַה, i.e., guilty of a capital crime. “We should be punished as though guilty of
high treason” (Clericus)
rs'htpab9ma7RatH_2SaR6RLq9NWajxfBSBKJxax_:aexfBx_afell David of Adonijah’s bid
for the throne.
ַתְאפּ&ֲ&שׁבפְוּשׁηְּπηּתְּ&שְׁ.&פכבשׁ(ְּתְּ&שְׁרπηλנְcלתw the king was very old, and
Abishag the Shunammite was serving the king.) And Bathsheba bowed and did
homage to the king. Then the king said, “What is your wish?” Then she said to him,
“My LORD, you swore by the LORD your God to your maidservant, saying,
‘Assuredly Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne.’ So
now, look! Adonijah has become king; and now, my LORD the king, you do not
know about it. He has sacrificed oxen and fattened cattle and sheep in abundance,
and has invited all the sons of the king, Abiathar the priest, and Joab the
commander of the army; but Solomon your servant he has not invited. And as for
you, my LORD, O king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, that you should tell them
who will sit on the throne of my LORD the king after him. Otherwise it will happen,
when my LORD the king rests with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be
counted as offenders.” And just then, while she was still talking with the king,
לפּ&פηְּ&שְׁ́(ת́&שְּׁפֲֽתְ.פכשְׁπηנְַתְּ&שׁ'ְּתֽοְּ&שְׁרπηλזְֲפ'πηλזְ)גשׁ(שְׁπְֲלפּ&פηְּ&שְׁ
prophet.” And when he came in before the king, he bowed down before the king
וּπּ&ְ&πְֲעפ.שְּׁתְּ&שְׁλ(תסηοנְמηοְלפּ&פηְֲפποזְ)ם'ְןORD, O king, have you said,

‘Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne’? For he has gone
down today, and has sacrificed oxen and fattened cattle and sheep in abundance,
and has invited all the king’s sons, and the commanders of the army, and Abiathar
the priest; and look! They are eating and drinking before him; and they say, ‘Long
live King Adonijah!’ But he has not invited me; me your servant; nor Zadok the
priest, nor Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, nor your servant Solomon. Has this thing
been done by my LORD the king, and you have not told your servant who should sit
on the throne of my LORD the king after him?”
a. ow the king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was serving the king:
This is included to remind us of David limited capabilities as king. He needed the
help Bathsheba and athan bring to him in the following verses.
b. I and my son Solomon will be counted as offenders: Bathsheba begins by telling
David the facts about Adonijah’s actions. Then she used this tender appeal,
reminding David that her life and the life of Solomon were in grave danger is
Adonijah should become king.
c. athan the prophet came in: The last place we saw athan was in 2 Samuel 12,
where he rebuked his friend David over the scandal with Bathsheba and murder of
Uriah. Yet now, at the end of his days, David receives athan and the sense is that
he remains a trusted friend. David did not treat athan as an enemy when he
confronted him with a painful truth.
i. “So far was David from hatred of the truth, that he loved athan the better for his
plain dealing while he lived, gave him free access to his bed8chamber, and now
nameth him a commissioner for the declaring of his successor.” (Trapp)
d. Has this thing been done by my LORD the king, and you have not told your
servant: athan also stated the facts about Adonijah, and then gave a personal
appeal. He asked David 8 who was his dear and trusted friend 8 “Is it possible you
have chosen Adonijah to be king and have not told me?”
PULPIT, "And Bathsheba went In unto the king into the chamber [lit. inner
chamber, θάλα?ος, cubiculum penetrale, Buxtorf. Same word 2 Samuel 4:7; 2
Samuel 13:1839 :0] and the king was very old [the repetition (see 2 Samuel 13:1) is
not idle or unmeaning. Here the word refers to feebleness rather than age. It is
mentioned to explain David's confinement to his chamber] and Abishag the
Shunammite ministered unto the king. [This is introduced to show the king's
helplessness. It does not prove that "there was a disinterested witness present"
(Rawlinson), for she may have withdrawn, as Bathsheba did presently (2 Samuel
13:23), and athan (2 Samuel 13:32). It is a graphic touch, painted probably from
the life, and by the hand of athan, from whom this narrative is derived.

16 Bathsheba bowed down, prostrating herself
before the king.
“What is it you want?” the king asked.
cdS-aiyosBath-sheba bowed, like the woman of Tekoah
2Sa_14:4, with the humble
prostration of a suppliant. Hence, the king’s question, “What wouldest thou?”
GILL, "And Bathsheba bowed, and did obeisance to the king,.... Not only as
being her husband, but her sovereign; and this behaviour might intimate, that she had
something to say to him, and more than to inquire of his health:
and the king said, wouldest thou? what hast thou to say to me? or to ask of me?
what is thy will and pleasure, or thine errand to me?
ECarg-yosN5hocAB’:’FbAobmuFIyoAWIoI_IombF_:AW.FoQovhough the wife of his
fondest love, she is careful to observe the etiquette of those who appear in the royal
PMF:FW.Fho-AB’AWoB’FoPMmP’FBo:’mu:oB’Fo:AEFoMF:PF.B and reverence. 1 Kings 1:23.
What wouldest thou — There was something in the manner of her presenting
herself that impressed the king that she had a request to make.
PULPIT, "And Bathsheba bowed, and did obeisance [cf. 2 Samuel 14:4. But we are
hardly justified in seeing here "more than the ordinary Eastern salutation"
(Rawlinson). The Jewish court seems to have been very ceremonious and stately (1
Samuel 24:8; 2 Samuel 19:24). The king was the representative of Heaven]. And the
king said, What wouldest thou [marg; What to thee? -mBoWF.F::AM_RHyoE’ABoB’Ho
supplication? (as Rawlinson). It rather means generally, "What thy business?"
Quid tibi, not quid petis.
17 She said to him, “My lord, you yourself swore
to me your servant by the Lord your God:
‘Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he

will sit on my throne.’
GILL, "And she said unto him, my lord, thou swarest by the Lord thy God
unto thine handmaid,.... Which was a very solemn oath, and binding, and which she
puts David in mind of, knowing that so conscientious a man as he was would religiously
observe it:
saying, assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and shall sit upon
my throne; be his successor in it, and established on it.
PULPIT, "And she said unto him, My Lord, thou swarest by the Lord thy God unto
thine handmaid, saying, Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he
shall sit upon my throne.
18 But now Adonijah has become king, and you,
my lord the king, do not know about it.
GILL, "And now, behold, Adonijah reigneth,.... Has set up himself as king, and is
by some saluted as such; but lest it should be thought by David that she suggested by
this that he was guilty of the breach of his oath, or on any account to be blamed, she
adds:
and now my lord, O king, thou knowest
it not; which as it acquitted him from all
blame, so it made the sin of Adonijah the more heinous, that he should do this without
consulting his father about it; and was not only neglect of him as a father, and an act of
disrespect and disobedience to him as such, but even of high treason, to assume the
throne in his father's lifetime, without his consent.
19 He has sacrificed great numbers of cattle,
fattened calves, and sheep, and has invited all the
king’s sons, Abiathar the priest and Joab the

commander of the army, but he has not invited
Solomon your servant.
GILL, "And he hath slain oxen, and fat cattle, and sheep in abundance,....
Has made a grand entertainment, and is feasting and rejoicing; which was another
instance of irreverence and disrespect to his aged father, labouring under the infirmities
of old age, and on his dying bed, and he carousing, and showing all the tokens of
pleasure in the view of his death, and wishing for it:
and hath called all the sons of the king; invited them to his entertainment, in order
to gain them to his interest:
and Abiathar the priest, and Joab the captain of the host; two persons, though
of eminent rank, she knew David had no respect for, and therefore it would not be
pleasing to him to hear that they were invited, had this affair been more acceptable than
it was; Bathsheba, considering the shortness of the time she had to think, and the flurry
she must be in, very artfully threw together the most material things that might work
upon the mind of David in her favour:
but Solomon thy servant hath he not called; which made it a plain case that it was
not a feast of a peace offering, nor a common friendly entertainment, but a feast made on
account of his accession to the throne; and that he looked upon Solomon as his rival, and
bore an ill will to him on that account, and bad a design upon him.
ca-ig-yosNow_WT:oN9N'Z8OhoimRmEmWoB’Ho:FMfAWBoQoi’F speaks very submissively,
and calls herself his handmaid, and her son his servant. The eyes of all Israel are
upon thee — This she said that she might free him from all fear of such a rebellion
as Absalom raised; the people not being yet joined to Adonijah, but continuing in
suspense till the king had declared his mind about his successor.
PULPIT, "And he hath slain oxen and fat cattle and sheep in abundance, and hath
called all the sons of the king, and Abiathar the priest, and Joab the captain of the
host; but Solomon thy servant hath he not called. [Said, not to "show that Solomon
had reason to fear the worst if Adonijah should succeed" (Keil), but to prove that
there was a plot. It showed the cloven foot.]

20 My lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are on
you, to learn from you who will sit on the throne
of my lord the king after him.
cdS-aiyosTell them who shall sit on the throne -Side by side with what may
be called the natural right of hereditary succession, there existed in the old world, and
especially in the East, a right, if not of absolutely designating a successor, yet at any rate
of choosing one among several sons. Thus, Cyrus designated Cambyses; and Darius
designated Xerxes; and a still more absolute right of nomination was exercised by some
of the Roman emperors.
CLARKE, "That thou shouldest tell-who shall sit on the throne- This was a
monarchy neither hereditary nor elective; the king simply named his successor. This
obtained less or more, anciently, in most countries.
GILL, "And thou, my lord, O king,.... As for thee, or what concerns thee, or is
incumbent on thee, will appear from the expectations of the people:
the eyes of all Israel
are upon thee, that thou shouldest tell them who shall
sit on the throne of my lord the king after him; this she said, to dissipate any
fears that might possess his mind on hearing what Adonijah had done, that the people in
general had assented to it, and encouraged him to it; whereas the body of the people
were waiting to hear what was the will and determination of David: for they not only
considered him as having a power to name a successor, as was afterwards done by
Rehoboam, but as one that had the mind of God revealed to him who should be his
successor, to which they should pay a regard.
jdD ig-yosthe eyes of all Israel are upon thee, that thou shouldest tell
them who shall sit on the throne— When the kings died without declaring their
will, then their oldest son succeeded. But frequently they designated long before their
death which of their sons should inherit the throne. The kings of Persia, as well as of
other Eastern countries, have exercised the same right in modern and even recent times.
PULPIT, "And thou [instead of הָתַּאְו, the Chald; Syr; and Vulg; with many MSS,
read הָתַּעְו "and now;" but this looks like an emendation, and "proclivi lectioni
praestat ardua." Similarly, the second "now" in 1 Kings 1:18 appears as "thou" in
200 MSS. These variations are of very little consequence, but the received text, in
both cases, is somewhat the more spirited] my lord, O king [the repetition (see 1

Kings 1:18, 1 Kings 1:21, 1 Kings 1:24, 1 Kings 1:27) illustrates the profound
deference and court paid to the Hebrew monarch (see on 1 Kings 1:16), especially
when we remember that these are the words of a wife], the eyes of all Israel are
upon thee (cf. 1 Kings 2:15) that thou shouldest ten them who shall sit on the throne
of my lord the king after him. This shows that there was no "right of
primogeniture." The kings of the East have always designated their successor
amongst their sons. "Alyattes designated Croesus; Cyrus designated Cambyses, and
Darius designated Xerxes" (Rawlinson). "The Shah of Persia, at the eginning of this
century, had sixty sons, all brought up by their mothers, with the hope of
succeeding" (Holier, quoted by Stanley). And the kings of Israel claimed and
exercised a similar right (2 Chronicles 11:22; 2 Chronicles 21:3).
21 Otherwise, as soon as my lord the king is laid
to restwith his ancestors, I and my son Solomon
will be treated as criminals.”
cdS-aiyosShall sleep -This euphemism for death, rare in the early Scriptures -
being found only once in the Pentateuch (margin reference.), and once also in the
historical books before Kings
2Sa_7:12- becomes in Kings and Chronicles the ordinary
mode of speech (see 1Ki_2:10; 1Ki_11:43, etc.; 2Ch_9:31; 2Ch_12:16, etc.). David uses
the metaphor in one psalm Psa_13:3. In the later Scriptures it is, of course, common.
(Jer_51:39; Dan_12:2; Mat_9:24; Joh_11:11; 1Co_11:30; 1Co_15:51; 1Th_4:14, etc.)
CLARKE, "Shall be counted offenders- When Adonijah and his party shall find
that I and my son have had this promise from thee by oath, he will slay us both.
GILL, "Otherwise it shall come to pass, when my lord the king shall sleep
with his fathers,.... That is, shall die, and be buried in the sepulchre of his ancestors,
where he shall lie till he awakes in the morning of the resurrection:
that I and my son Solomon shall be counted offenders; or "sinners"
(g); not as if
she would be reckoned an adulteress, and her son as illegitimate, as some think, and so
be branded and treated as such; but as being traitors, making pretensions to the throne,
she on the behalf of her son, and he for himself, when he had no right to it, being the
younger son, and not declared successor by his father.

1מםֶַולזְדI and my son ... shall be counted offenders— that is, slain,
according to the barbarous usage of the East towards all who are rivals to the throne.
ngllDd-yosrAf_IC:oPMmEPBoAWIof_TmMmL:oMF:PmW:FoBmoBhis situation indicates that
he was still in full possession of his mental ability, denying, absolutely, that the
mention of his oath that Solomon should succeed him was anything other than the
exact truth.
"I and my son Solomon shall be counted offenders" (1 Kings 1:21). The word for
"offenders" here is often translated "sinners." "It is a common word, but used here
secularly as in 2 Kings 18:14 for treason against the throne."[5]
ELLICOTT, "(21) Shall sleep with his fathers.—Here this phrase, so constantly
used in the record of the death of the kings, occurs in these books for the first time.
cְֶּπְֲפֲֽתְעתסηοְπηְּ&שְׁכשֲֲׁפλשְׁתעְ́(תכπֲשְׁב'ְלפּ&an. 2 Samuel 7:12, relating to the
succession of the son who should build the Temple.) We find corresponding
expressions in Genesis 15:15; Deuteronomy 31:16. Without connecting with the use
of this phrase anything like the fulness of meaningְוּ&π.&ְπηְּ&שְׁלשׁוְִּשֲּׁפכשׁηְּ
attaches to “the sleep” of the departed servants of God (as known to be a “sleep in
Jesus”), it seems not unreasonable to recognise in it, at least, a rudimentary belief in
death as rest and not extinction. The addition, “with his fathers,” has probably a
reference to “the tombs of the kings;” especially as we find that it is not adopted in
the cases of Jehoram (2 Chronicles 21:20) and Joash. (2 Chronicles 24:25), who were
not buried therein.
PULPIT, "Otherwise [there is no corresponding word in the Hebrews] it shall come
to pass, when my lord the king shall sleep [strictly, "lie down:" see on 1 Kings 2:10]
with his fathers [this phrase, so common in the books of Kings and Chronicles, only
occurs "once in the Pentateuch (Deuteronomy 31:16) and once in the historical
books before Kings" (Rawlinson). It was evidently the product of an age when the
nation was settled, and men had their family sepulchres] that I and my son Solomon
shall be counted [Hebrews be] offenders [Hebrews as marg; sinners. The primary
meaning of אָטָח is "to miss the mark." Like םיום́בפסבלʇבםיום́בפסבלʇבםיום́בפסבלʇבDagDPbALb-pbxNU6NJZ78N6'N98N0G8ON'“NZ55NxNU6NJZ78N6'N98N0G8ON'“NZ55NxNU6NJZ78N6'N98N0G8ON'“NZ55NxNU6NJZ78N6'N98N0G8ON'“NZ55N
8VVUCDNZCON6VZCGDV8GGU'CENFZ6GGG89ZNZCONH'5'7'CNI'05ON98N'9C'JU'0GN6'NKO'CULZGxNZGN8VVUCDNZCON6VZCGDV8GGU'CENFZ6GGG89ZNZCONH'5'7'CNI'05ON98N'9C'JU'0GN6'NKO'CULZGxNZGN8VVUCDNZCON6VZCGDV8GGU'CENFZ6GGG89ZNZCONH'5'7'CNI'05ON98N'9C'JU'0GN6'NKO'CULZGxNZGN8VVUCDNZCON6VZCGDV8GGU'CENFZ6GGG89ZNZCONH'5'7'CNI'05ON98N'9C'JU'0GN6'NKO'CULZGxNZGN
V8MV8G8C6UCDNZNVUNZ5NJZ0G8ONM'GGU95PNZ5G'NZGND0U56PN'“NGUDGN6V8ZG'CNQR58VUJ0GxNFV8MV8G8C6UCDNZNVUNZ5NJZ0G8ONM'GGU95PNZ5G'NZGND0U56PN'“NGUDGN6V8ZG'CNQR58VUJ0GxNFV8MV8G8C6UCDNZNVUNZ5NJZ0G8ONM'GGU95PNZ5G'NZGND0U56PN'“NGUDGN6V8ZG'CNQR58VUJ0GxNFV8MV8G8C6UCDNZNVUNZ5NJZ0G8ONM'GGU95PNZ5G'NZGND0U56PN'“NGUDGN6V8ZG'CNQR58VUJ0GxNFnההnGVxNZ5ESGVxNZ5ESGVxNZ5ESGVxNZ5ES
22 While she was still speaking with the king,

לפּ&פηְּ&שְׁ́(ת́&שְּׁפ((πρשׁοנְ
אמָליַזְדNathan came into the palace, not into the chamber, where he might not
enter unannounced. Bath-sheba retired before Nathan entered, in accordance with
Oriental ideas of propriety. So, when Bath-sheba was again sent for 1Ki_1:28, Nathan
retired (compare 1Ki_1:32).
GILL, "And, lo, while she yet talked with the king,.... Just as she was concluding
her speech to him:
Nathan the prophet also came in; as he promised he would; perhaps was at the
chamber door all the while Bathsheba was speaking, and when he perceived she was just
finishing, he entered in without ceremony, as he had used to do, being the king's seer
and counsellor, and a prophet, who had admittance to the king at any time.
K&D, "
1Ki_1:22-27
While Bathsheba was still speaking, Nathan came. When he was announced to the
king, Bathsheba retired, just as afterwards Nathan went away when the king had
Bathsheba called in again (cf. 1Ki_1:28with 1Ki_1:32). This was done, not to avoid the
appearance of a mutual arrangement (Cler., Then., etc.), but for reasons of propriety,
inasmuch as, in audiences granted by the king to his wife or one of his counsellors, no
third person ought to be present unless the king required his attendance. Nathan
confirmed Bathsheba's statement, commencing thus: “My lord king, thou hast really
said, Adonijah shall be king after me...? for he has gone down to-day, and has prepared a
feast, ... and they are eating and drinking before him, and saying, Long live king
Adonijah!” And he then closed by asking, “Has this taken place on the part of my lord the
king, and thou hast not shown thy servants (Nathan, Zadok, Benaiah, and Solomon) who
is to sit upon the throne of my lord the king after him?” The indirect question introduced
with ם ִא is not merely an expression of modesty, but also of doubt, whether what had
occurred had emanated from the king and he had not shown it to his servants.
PULPIT, "And lo, while she yet talked with the kingזְלפּ&פηְּ&שְׁ́(ת́&שְּׁפֲֽתְ.פכשְׁ
in. [Heb. came, i.e; to the palace. "Came in" almost implies that he entered the
room, which he did not till summoned (verse 23). Obֲשׁ(ρשׁזְלפּ&פηnְֲוּת(οְֲ.תηρשׁ'ְ
no suggestio falsi. He does not deny a previous interview with Bathsheba, nor does
he confess it. If there is an appearance of artifice, there was no intention to deceive.
And the artifice, such as it was, was not only harmless, but for the public good.

TUNTUNTUNTUNKCON6G8NVUCDNIZGN6'5OxNWXZ6GZCN6G8NMV'MG86NUGNKCON6G8NVUCDNIZGN6'5OxNWXZ6GZCN6G8NMV'MG86NUGNKCON6G8NVUCDNIZGN6'5OxNWXZ6GZCN6G8NMV'MG86NUGNKCON6G8NVUCDNIZGN6'5OxNWXZ6GZCN6G8NMV'MG86NUGN
G8V8EYNH'NG8NI8C6N98“'V8N6G8NVUCDNZCON9'I8ONIU6GNG8V8EYNH'NG8NI8C6N98“'V8N6G8NVUCDNZCON9'I8ONIU6GNG8V8EYNH'NG8NI8C6N98“'V8N6G8NVUCDNZCON9'I8ONIU6GNG8V8EYNH'NG8NI8C6N98“'V8N6G8NVUCDNZCON9'I8ONIU6GN
GUGN“ZJ8N6'N6G8NDV'0COEGUGN“ZJ8N6'N6G8NDV'0COEGUGN“ZJ8N6'N6G8NDV'0COEGUGN“ZJ8N6'N6G8NDV'0COE
Z[\\xN]Z[\\xN]Z[\\xN]Z[\\xN]And they told the king,.... Some that attended at the door, or were in the
chamber:
saying, behold, Nathan the prophet; or he is in the room, which the king through
his infirmities might not be sensible of:
and when he was come in before the king; nearer to him, and as to be properly in
his presence:
he bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground; showing him the
same reverence, though in bed, as if on his throne.
^_X`aN^_X`aN^_X`aN^_X`aNTU232323bbbb272727TcxN]xN]xN]xN] III. Nathan the prophet, according to his promise, seasonably
stepped in, and seconded her, while she was speaking, before the king had given his
answer, lest. if he had heard Bathsheba's representation only, his answer should be
dilatory and only that he would consider of it: but out of the mouth of two witnesses, two
such witnesses, the word would be established, and he would immediately give positive
orders. The king is told that Nathan the prophet has come, and he is sure to be always
welcome to the king, especially when either he is not well or has any great affair upon his
thoughts; for, in either case, a prophet will be, in a particular manner, serviceable to
him. Nathan knows he must render honour to whom honour is due, and therefore pays
the king the same respect now that he finds him sick in bed as he would have done if he
had found him in his throne: He bowed himself with his face to the ground,
1Ki_1:23.
He deals a little more plainly with the king than Bathsheba had done. In this his
character would support him, and the present languor of the king's spirits made it
necessary that they should be roused. 1. He makes the same representation of Adonijah's
attempt as Bathsheba had made (1Ki_1:25, 1Ki_1:26), adding that his party had already
got to such a height of assurance as to shout, God save king Adonijah, as if king David
were already dead, taking notice also that they had not invited him to their feast (Me thy
servant has he not called), thereby intimating that they resolved not to consult either
God or David in the matter, for Nathan was secretioribus consiliis-intimately
acquainted with the mind of both.2. He makes David sensible how much he was
concerned to clear himself from having a hand in it: Hast thou said, Adonijah shall
reign after me? (1Ki_1:24), and again (1Ki_1:27), “Is this thing done by my lord the

king? If it be, he is not so faithful either to God's word or to his own as we all took him to
be; if it be not, it is high time that we witness against the usurpation, and declare
Solomon his successor. If it be, why is not Nathan made acquainted with it, who is not
only in general, the king's confidant, but is particularly concerned in this matter, having
been employed to notify to David the mind of God concerning the succession; but, if my
lord the king knows nothing of the matter (as certainly he does not), what daring
insolence are Adonijah and his party guilty of!” Thus he endeavoured to incense David
against them, that he might act the more vigorously for the support of Solomon's
interest. Note, Good men would do their duty if they were reminded of it, and put upon
it, and told what occasion there is for them to appear; and those who thus are their
remembrancers do them a real kindness, as Nathan here did to David.
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FK`X_HxN]FK`X_HxN]FK`X_HxN]FK`X_HxN]Hast thou said -Thou hast said. In the original no question is asked.
Nathan assumes, as far as words go, that the king has made this declaration. He wishes
to draw forth a disclaimer.
Z[\\xN]Z[\\xN]Z[\\xN]Z[\\xN]And Nathan said, my lord, O king,.... He addresses him as with great
veneration and respect due to his office, so as if he knew noticing of Bathsheba's
application to him; and therefore begins and tells his story, as if the king had never
heard anything relative to it:
hast thou said, Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my
throne? surely it can never be, because of the notice which he himself had given him
from the Lord, that one to be born should succeed him, plainly pointing to Solomon; and
also because of the oath which he had sworn, to which Nathan was privy, that Solomon
should reign after him; and yet if he had not given such orders, it was exceeding strange
that Adonijah should presume to do what he had done.
ELLICOTT, "(24) Hast thou said.—The question here and in 1 Kings 1:27 is, of
course, merely intended to draw out denial; but it is singularly true to nature that it
does so by the assumption (natural in court language) that nothing of such a kind
could be even conceived as done without the king’s will. There is something striking
πηְּ&שְׁ.תηּ(פְֲּתעְּ&שְׁοשׁעשׁ(שׁη.שְׁתעְלפּ&פηְפְֲפְ.תסnsellor on state business with the
bold superiority of his tone in the discharge of his true prophetic office (as in 2
Samuel 7:2817; 2 Samuel 12:1814).
ֵקןִֵֶזְדמηοְלפּ&פηְֲפποזְם'ְןת(οזְוְרπηλזְ&פְֲּּ&תu said [the Hebrews has no
question, but a strong affirmation: "thou hast said," i.e; "thou must have said (Du
&פְֲּוּת&ְֽλשֲׁפλּנדְאף&(mנְלפּ&פήְסְֲּπְּּ&סְֲעת(.πbly, in order to draw from the
king a disclaimer], Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne?
[Same words as in 1 Kings 1:13, 1 Kings 1:17, and possibly designedly so. The
coincidence conveys the meaning, "Thou hast sworn Solomon shall reign," etc.
"Thou hast said, Adonijah shall reign," etc.]
25 Today he has gone down and sacrificed great
numbers of cattle, fattened calves, and sheep. He
has invited all the king’s sons, the commanders of
the army and Abiathar the priest. Right now they

are eating and drinking with him and saying,
‘Long live King Adonijah!’
GILL, "For he is gone down this day,.... From Jerusalem, which lay high, to the
stone of Zoheleth, in Enrogel, which lay in the valley,
1Ki_1:9;
and hath slain oxen, and fat cattle, and sheep in abundance; not by way of
sacrifice, but for a feast, on account of his coming to the kingdom:
and hath called all the king's sons; invited them to the entertainment:
and the captains of the host; or army; not only Joab, it seems, the general of it, but
the captains of thousands and hundreds under him, being desirous of engaging the
militia in his favour, and which was not an impolitic step:
and Abiathar the priest; to consult with by Urim and Thummim, and to anoint him,
and use his interest with the populace for him, who might be supposed a man of
influence, being the high priest of the nation:
and, behold, they eat and drink before him; they were now at it, at this time, they
were not only invited, but they accepted the invitation, and came; which is afore than
what was before related:
and say, God save King Adonijah; they proclaimed and saluted him as king, and
drank his health, and wished him all prosperity; and so the Targum,
"may King Adonijah prosper!''
PULPIT, "For [proof that the king must have decreed that Adonijah should succeed
him. There appears to be an undertone of reproof inoB’F:FoumMI:ho-AB’AWoA::LEF:o
that Adonijah cannot have done all this without David's knowledge and sanction,
because "his father had not displeased him at any time" (1 Kings 1:6). This uprising
was the result of David's over indulgence and. want of firmness] he is gone down
this day, and hath slain [see on 1 Kings 1:9] oxen and fat cattle and sheep in
abundance, and hath called all the king's sons, and the captains of the host [Joab
was the captain (1 Kings 1:19). The plural shows that other high officers had
followed his lead. "Under the captains of the host (1 Kings 1:25), the servants of the
king (1 Kings 1:10) are included" (Bהhr). Bהhr's accidental miscitation (1 Kings
1:10 for 1 Kings 1:9) has apparently led his American translator to the serious
mistake of identifying these "captains of the host" with "the mighty men"
(Gibborim) of 1 Kings 1:10, who, it is distinctly said, "were not with Adonijah] and
Abtathar the priest, and behold, they eat and drink before him [convivia apta

conjurationibus. Grotius] and say, God save king Adonijah. [Hebrews "let the king
Adonijah live," or better, "live the king," etc. (comp. the vivat rex, and the vives
and vivas of later days.) This was the customary acclamation wherewith the Jews
greeted their kings (cf. verse 39; 1 Samuel 10:24; 2 Samuel 16:16 : 2 Kings 11:12; 2
Chronicles 23:11).
26 But me your servant, and Zadok the priest,
and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and your servant
Solomon he did not invite.
GILL, "But me,
even me thy servant,.... Meaning himself, Nathan the prophet, who
was David's servant, his seer, and counsellor:
and Zadok the priest; for whom David had a great respect:
and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; who was captain of his bodyguards; here Nathan
observes more than Bathsheba had, and supplies what she had omitted, and so filled up
her words, as in 1Ki_1:14;
and thy servant Solomon, hath he not called; which showed his ill intention.
ca-ig-yosNow_WT:oN985Z8xhocLBoEFo’AB’o’FoWmBo.ARRFI — Whom he knew to be
acquainted with thy mind, and with the mind of God in this matter; and therefore
his neglect of me herein gives me cause to suspect that this is done without thy
knowledge. Thou hast not showed it to thy servant — Who, having been an
instrument in delivering God’s message to thee concerning thy successor, might
reasonably expect that if thou hadst changed thy mind, thou wouldest have
acquainted me with it, as being both a prophet of the Lord, and one whom thou hast
found faithful to thee. He insinuates that, in a matter of such importance, he could
not believe the king would act without his advice, whom he was wont to consult on
other occasions, and who had acquainted him with the mind of God concerning
imRmEmWho-AB’AWo1WFuoB’ABorAf_Io’AIoT_fFWoWmomMIFM: about this thing, but thought
it prudent to introduce in this manner a relation of what Adonijah had done.
e,ke vyoscLBoEFyoFfFWoEFoRCFbho UoB’Ho:FMfAWBoRBmo-athan this omission was most

significant. He seems to say that he had not been called because he had been
concerned in the appointment of a successor 2 Samuel 7:13] and Zadok the priest,
and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and thy servant Solomon [Bהhr thinks that "we
have in the order of these names a climax, in which Solomon, as the highest
personage, is named last"] hath he not called.
27 Is this something my lord the king has done
without letting his servants know who should sit
on the throne of my lord the king after him?”
Z[\\xN]Z[\\xN]Z[\\xN]Z[\\xN]Is this thing done by my lord the king,.... With his knowledge and consent,
and by his orders:
and thou hast not showed
it unto thy servant; meaning himself, who had brought
him a message from the Lord, signifying that Solomon should succeed him; and
therefore if that had been countermanded, it seemed strange that he should not have
acquainted him with it: or "to thy servants", as the Arabic version; for the word has a
plural ending, though pointed as singular; and so it may mean not only himself, but the
rest of David's faithful servants that were about him at court, as Kimchi observes:
who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him? if he had altered his
mind, or had had any direction from the Lord to make any change, he wondered at it
that he should neither acquaint him, nor any of his trusty friends, with it.
de\d[fxN][GN6GUGN6GUCDNO'C8NgNde\d[fxN][GN6GUGN6GUCDNO'C8NgNde\d[fxN][GN6GUGN6GUCDNO'C8NgNde\d[fxN][GN6GUGN6GUCDNO'C8NgNםִא = an, or perhaps, num, "Is it then the ease that,"
etc.] by [lit; from with] my lord the king [i.e; with his privity and by his
appointment], and thou hast not showed it unto thy servant [Hebrews "made thy
ֲשׁ(ρפηְּרηתוּנדְלפּ&פηְֲסבכπְֲּּ&פְּ&שְׁ&פְֲפְֲּ(תηλְclaim (2 Samuel 12:25) to be
informed, should there be any change in the king's plans], who should sit upon the
throne of my lord the king after him? [Same expression as in verse 20. The
repetition was well calculated to impress upon the king the importance of
nominating a successor at once.

David Makes Solomon King
28 Then King David said, “Call in Bathsheba.” So
she came into the king’s presence and stood
before him.
CLARKE, "Call me Bath-sheba- She had gone out when Nathan came in, and he
retired when she was re-admitted. Each had a separate audience, but to Nathan the king
did not express any will.
GILL, "Then King David answered and said,.... Observing that Nathan confirmed
the account that Bathsheba had given, and that it must be a matter of fact that Adonijah
had usurped the throne, gave orders to those about him, saying,
call me Bathsheba; who either went out of the room when Nathan entered it, or
however removed to some distant part of it, out of the sight of David:
and she came into the king's presence, and stood before the king; came to the
side or foot of his bed, hearkening to what he had to say to her.
Ca-Sto8DZGNyosIV. David, hereupon, made a solemn declaration of his firm
adherence to his former resolution, that Solomon should be his successor. Bathsheba is
called in (
1Ki_1:28), and to her, as acting for and on behalf of her son, the king gives
these fresh assurances. 1. He repeats his former promise and oath, owns that he had
sworn unto her by the Lord God of Israel that Solomon would reign after him,1Ki_
1:30. Though he is old, and his memory begins to fail him, yet he remembers this. Note,
An oath is so sacred a thing that the obligations of it cannot be broken, and so solemn a
thing that the impressions of it, one would think, cannot be forgotten. 2. He ratifies it
with another, because the occasion called for it: As the Lord liveth, that hath redeemed
my soul out of all distress, even so will I certainly do this day, without dispute, without
delay. His form of swearing seems to be what he commonly used on solemn occasions,
for we find it, 2Sa_4:9. And it carries in it a grateful acknowledgment of the goodness of
God to him, in bringing him safely through the many difficulties and hardships which
had lain in his way, and which he now makes mention of to the glory of God (as Jacob,
when he lay a dying, Gen_48:16), thus setting to his seal, from his own experience, that
that was true which the Spirit of the Lord spoke by him. Psa_34:22, The Lord redeemeth

the soul of his servants. Dying saints ought to be witnesses for God, and speak of him as
they have found. Perhaps he speaks thus, on this occasion, for the encouragement of his
son and successor to trust in God in the distresses he also might meet with.
V. Bathsheba receives these assurances (1Ki_1:31), 1. With great complaisance to the
king's person; she did reverence to him; while Adonijah and his party affronted him. 2.
With hearty good wishes for the king's health; Let him live. So far was she from thinking
that he lived too long that she prayed he might live for ever, if it were possible, to adorn
the crown he wore and to be a blessing to his people. We should earnestly desire the
prolonging of useful lives, however it may be the postponing of any advantages of our
own.
jdD ig-o8DZGNyosThen king David answered and said, Call me Bath-she ba
— He renews to her the solemn pledge he had given, in terms of solemnity and
impressiveness which show that the aged monarch had roused himself to the duty the
emergency called for.
K&D 28830, "
1Ki_1:28-30
The king then sent for Bathsheba again, and gave her this promise on oath: “As truly
as Jehovah liveth, who hath redeemed my soul out of all distress (as in 2Sa_4:9), yea, as
I swore to thee by Jehovah, the God of Israel, saying, Solomon thy son shall be king after
me, ... yea, so shall I do this day.” The first and third י ִt serve to give emphasis to the
assertion, like imo, yea (cf. Ewald, §330, b.). The second merely serves as an
introduction to the words.
ca-ig-yosNow_WT:oN98DZ8'how_WTorAf_Io:A_IyonARRocABh8sheba — Who, upon
לפּ&פηνְֲפ́́(תפ.&ְּתְּ&שְׁרπηλזְ&פοְכתοשֲּֽׁ'ְוּπּ&ο(פwn. That hath redeemed my
soul out of all distress — The words contain a grateful acknowledgment of the
goodness of God to him, in bringing him safe through the many difficulties that had
lain in his way, and which he now mentions to the glory of God, (as Jacob when he
lay a dying,) thus setting to his seal, from his own experience, that the Lord
redeemeth the souls of his servants.
ngllDd-yoscHorAf_IC:o:FWI_WTo4mMocAB’:’FbAyo_Bo_:oFvident that when the prophet
לפּ&פηְ.פכשְׁπηְֲ&שְׁ&פοְ(שּׁπ(שׁοְע(תכְּ&שְׁרπηλńְֲ(שֲׁence.
Zadok would soon be named High Priest by Solomon. We reject the popular theory
of some liberal commentators who identify him as, "A priest8king in the pre8Davidic
Jebusite period of Jerusalem's history."[6] He was a descendant of Aaron, just like
Abiathar, his ancestor having been Eleazar (1 Chronicles 24:3), whereas Abiathar
was descended through Ithamar.
The support which Abiathar gave Adonijah here resulted in his removal from the
priesthood, just as God had prophesied regarding the descendants of Eli.

SOLOMO BECAME CO8REGET WITH DAVID
What is revealed here is of very great importance, because it removes forever any
possibility of understanding key passages in 2 Samuel 7 as having any application
whatever to Solomon. The Great One prophesied there was to be raised up at a time
after David slept with his fathers, but Solomon actually became a co8regent with
David during his lifetime. So Solomon was not the Great One of 2 Samuel 7.
WHEDO, "28. Call me Bathsheba — She had withdrawn from the king’s presence
at the entrance of athan, and, as we see from 1 Kings 1:32, he in turn retired when
she was readmitted. This was done in accordance with the rules of court propriety,
and also to avoid the appearance of mutual concert between them.
GUZIK, "C. Solomon is made king.
1. (1 Kings 1:28830) David vows to set things aright for his succession.
Then King David answered and said, “Call Bathsheba to me.” So she came into the
king’s presence and stood before the king. And the king took an oath and said, “As
the LORD lives, who has redeemed my life from every distress, just as I swore to
you by the LORD God of Israel, saying, ‘Assuredly Solomon your son shall be king
after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place,’ so I certainly will do this day.”
a. As the LORD lives: This introduces a solemn oath. David will confirm the
previous promise he made to Bathsheba, that her sons Solomon would be the next
king.
b. Solomon your son shall be king after me: David promised to settle the issue that
very day. He would abdicate the throne and give it unto Solomon.
PULPIT, "Then king David [see on verse I] answered and said, Call me Bathsheba
[she evidently left the chamber when athan entered it. "This was done, not to
avoid the appearance of a mutual arrangement (Cler; Then. al.), but for reasons of
propriety, inasmuch as in audiences granted by the king to his wife or one of his
counsellors, no third person ought to be present unless the king required his
assistance." Keil.] And she came into the king's presence, and stood before the king.
[Here, as in numberless other instances, our translators have disregarded literalness
in favour of euphony. The Hebrew has here an exact repetition, "came before the
king, and stood before the king." The Authorized Version rendering was adopted as
the more spirited and rhythmical.

DdnkdSa-o8DZG'yosDAVID APPOINTING SOLOMON
The earlier part of this chapter must be taken into account in order to get the right view
of this incident. David’s eldest surviving son, Adonijah, had claimed the succession, and
gathered his partisans to a feast. Nathan, alarmed at the prospect of such a successor,
had arranged with Bathsheba that she should go to David and ask his public
confirmation of his promise to her that Solomon should succeed him, and that then
Nathan should seek an audience while she was with the king, and, as independently,
should prefer the same request.
The plan was carried out, and here we see its results. The old king was roused to a flash
of his ancient vigour, confirmed his oath to Bathsheba, and promptly cut the ground
from under Adonijah’s feet by sending for the three who had remained true to him-
Nathan, Benaiah, and Zadok-and despatching them without a moment’s delay to
proclaim Solomon king, and then to bring him up to the palace and enthrone him. The
swift execution of these decisive orders, and the burst of popular acclamation which
welcomed Solomon’s accession, shattered the nascent conspiracy, and its supporters
scattered in haste, to preserve their lives. The story may be best dealt with, for our
purpose, by taking this brief summary and trying to draw lessons from it.
I. It points anew the truth that ‘whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.’ As
Absalom, so Adonijah, had been spoiled by David’s over-indulgence (1Ki_1:6), and
having never had his wishes checked, was now letting his unbridled wishes hurry him
into rebellion. Nor was that fault of David’s the only one which brought about the
miserable squabbles round his deathbed, as to who should wear the crown which had
not yet fallen from his head. Eastern monarchies are familiar with struggles for the
crown between the sons of different mothers when their father dies. David had indulged
in a multitude of wives, and his last days were darkened by the resulting intrigues of his
sons. No doubt, too, Solomon was disliked by his brethren as the child of Bathsheba, and
the shame of David’s crime was an obstacle in his younger son’s way. Thus, as ever, his
evil deeds came home to roost, and the poisonous seed which he had sown grew up and
waved, a bitter harvest, which he had to reap. Repentance and forgiveness did not
neutralise the natural consequences of his sin. Nor will they do so for us. God often
leaves them to be experienced, that the experience may make us hate the sins the more.
II. The sad defection to Adonijah of such tried friends as Joab and Abiathar has its
lesson. The reason for Joab’s treachery is plain. He had been steadily drifting away from
David for years. His fierce temper could not brook the king’s displeasure on account of
his murders of Abner and Amasa, and his slaying of Absalom had made the breach
irreparable. No doubt, David had made him feel that he loved and trusted him no longer;
and his old comrade in many a fight, Benaiah, had stepped into the place which he had
once filled. Professional rivalry had darkened into bitter bate. Joab commanded the
native-born Israelites; Benaiah, the ‘Cherethites and Pelethites,’ who are now generally
regarded as foreign mercenaries. They were David’s bodyguard, and were probably as
heartily hated by Joab and the other Israelite soldiers as they were trusted by David. So
there were reasons enough for Joab’s abetting an insurrection which would again make
him the foremost soldier. He wanted to be indispensable, and would prop the throne as
long as its occupant looked only to him as its defender. Besides, he probably felt that he
would have little chance of winning distinction in a kingdom which was to be a peaceful
one.
Abiathar’s motives are unexplained, but if we notice that he had been obliged to
acquiesce in the irregular arrangement of putting the high-priest’s office into

commission, we can understand that he bore no goodwill to Zadok, his colleague, or to
David for making the latter so. Self was at the bottom of these two renegades’ action. The
fair fellowship, which had been made the closer because of dangers and privations faced
together, crumbled away before the disintegrating influences of petty personal
jealousies. When once self-regard gets in, it is like the trickle of water in the cracks of a
rock, which freezes in winter and splits the hardest stone. No common action for a great
cause is possible without the suppression of sidelong looks towards private advantage.
Joab and Abiathar tarnished a life’s devotion and broke sacred bonds, because they
thought of themselves rather than of God’s will. Surely they must have had some pangs
as they sat at Adonijah’s feast, when they thought of the decrepit old king lying in his
chamber up on Zion, and remembered what he and they had come through together.
III. We may note the pathetic picture of decaying old age which is seen in David. He was
not very old in years, being about seventy, but he was a worn-out man. His early
hardships had told on him, and now he lay in the inner chamber, the shadow of himself.
His love for Bathsheba had died down, as would appear both from her demeanour
before him, and from her ignorance of his intentions as to his successor. She was little or
nothing to him now. He seems to have been torpidly unaware of what was going on. The
noise of Adonijah’s revels had not disturbed his quiet. He had not even taken the trouble
to designate his successor, though ‘the eyes of all Israel were upon him that he should
tell who was to sit on his throne after him’ (1Ki_1:20). Such neglect was criminal in the
circumstances, and brings out forcibly the weary indifference which had crept over him.
Contrast that picture with the early days of swift energy and eager interest in all things.
Is this half-comatose old man the David who flashed like a meteor and struck swift as a
thunderbolt but a few years before? Yes, and a like collapse of power befalls us all, if life
is prolonged. Those who most need the lesson will be least touched by it; but let not the
young glory in their strength, for it soon fades away; and let them give the vigour of their
early days to God, that, when the years come in which they shall say, ‘I have no pleasure
in them,’ they may be able, like David, to look back over a long life and say, with him,
that the Lord ‘hath redeemed my soul out of all adversity.’
IV. We note the flash of fire which blazed up in the dying embers of David’s life. The old
lion could be roused yet, and could strike when roused. It took much to shake him out of
his torpor. Nathan’s plan of bringing the double influence of Bathsheba and himself to
bear was successful beyond what he had hoped. All that they desired was a formal
declaration of Solomon as successor. They knew that the king’s name was still dear
enough to all Israel to ensure that his wish would settle the succession; and they would
have been content to have left the actual entrance of Solomon on office till after David’s
death, so sure were they that his word was still a spell. But the old king, shaking off his
languor, as a lion does the drops from his mane, goes beyond their wishes, and strikes
one decisive blow as with a great paw, and no second is needed. Without a moment’s
delay, he sends for the trusty three, and bids them act on the instant. So down to Gihon
goes the procession, with the youthful prince seated on his father’s mule, in token of his
accession, the trusty bodyguard round him with Benaiah at their head, and the great
prophet Nathan, side by side with the high-priest Zadok, representing the divine
sanction of the solemn act.
It would take stronger men than the spoiled Adonijah and his revellers to upset anything
which that determined company resolved to do. The lad is anointed with the holy oil
which Zadok as high-priest had the right to bring forth from the temporary sanctuary.
That signified and effected the communication from above of qualifications for the
kingly office, and indicated divine appointment. Then out blared the trumpets, and the
glad people shouted ‘God save the king!’ What thoughts filled the young heart of

Solomon as he stood silent there his vision in Gibeon may partly tell. But the distant roar
of acclaim reached Adonijah and his gang as they sat at their too hasty banquet.
They had begun at the wrong end. The feast should have closed, not inaugurated, the
dash for the crown. They who feast when they should fight are likely to end their mirth
with sorrow. David’s one stroke was enough. They were as sure as Nathan and
Bathsheba had been that the declaration of his wish would carry all Israel with it, and so
they saw that the game was up, and there was a rush for dear life. The empty
banqueting-hall proclaimed the collapse of a rebellion which had no brains to guide it,
and no reason to justify it. Let us learn that, though ‘the race is not always to the swift,’
promptitude of action, when we are sure of God’s will, is usually a condition of success.
Life is too short, and the work to be done too pressing and great, to allow of dawdling. ‘I
made haste, and delayed not, but made haste to keep Thy commandments.’ Let us learn,
too, from Adonijah’s fiasco, to see the end of a thing before we commit ourselves to it,
and to have the work done first before we think of the feast.
Nathan and Bathsheba and David all believed that God had willed Solomon’s succeeding
to the throne. No doubt, the reason for their belief was the divine word to David through
Nathan (2Sa_7:12), which designated a son not yet born as his successor, and therefore
excluded Adonijah as well as Absalom. But, while they believed this, they did not
therefore let Adonijah work his will, and leave God to carry out His purposes. Their
belief animated their action. They knew what God willed, and therefore they worked
strenuously to effect that will. We may bewilder our brains with speculations about the
relation between God’s sovereignty and man’s freedom, but, when it comes to practical
work, we have to put out the best and most that is in us to prevent God’s will from being
thwarted by rebellious men, and to ensure its being carried into effect through our
efforts, ‘for we are God’s fellow-workers.’
29 The king then took an oath: “As surely as the
Lord lives, who has delivered me out of every
trouble,
cdS-aiyos“As the Lord liveth” was the most common form of oath among the
Israelites (e. g.
Jdg_8:19; 1Sa_14:39; 1Sa_19:6). It was unique to David to attach a
further clause to this oath - a clause of thankfulness for some special mercy 1Sa_25:34,
or for God’s constant protection of him (here and in 2Sa_4:9).
GILL, "And the king sware,.... To his former oath, he added another for greater
confirmation:

and said, as the Lord liveth; which was the proper form of an oath, which ought to
be taken by the living God; and as what would lay him under the greater obligation to
observe it, he adds,
that hath redeemed my soul out of all distress; saved his life when in the most
imminent danger; delivered him out of the hand of Goliath, and from the Philistines and
other enemies, in his wars with them; and from Saul and his persecuting rage and fury,
and from the rebellion of his son Absalom, and the insurrection of Sheba.
ELLICOTT, "(29) As the Lord liveth, that hath redeemed my soul.—A
characteristic adjuration of David, found also in 2 Samuel 4:9; but now peculiarly
appropriate in the old man, who was so near the haven of rest, after all the storms of
life. “O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer,” is the climax of his address to God,
as the Creator of all things and the ruler of all men, in Psalms 19:14.
ECarg-yos8'hoCAB’oMFIFFEFIoEHo:mLRomLBom4oARRoI_:BMess — Many had been
David’s deliverances from danger; but here, as he reaffirms this oath before that
woman with whom, and for whose sake, he had perpetrated the darkest sins of his
life, we should understand a special allusion to the bitter soul8agonies which
resulted from those crimes: for it was at the time of his redemption and deliverance
from those agonies that Jehovah had foretold to him the birth and destiny of
Solomon. 2 Samuel 12.
PULPIT, "And the king sware [see on 1 Kings 1:51] and said, As the Lord liveth [or
"by the life of Jehovah." Cf. "by the life of Pharaoh" (Genesis 42:15). This was the
common form of oath. See, e.g; 1 Kings 2:24; 8:19; Ruth 3:13; 1 Samuel 14:39; 1
Samuel 19:6; 1 Samuel 20:24; 1 Samuel 29:6; and especially Jeremiah 4:2; Jeremiah
5:2; Hosea 4:15. It is characteristic of David to introduce into the formula some such
clause as the following], that hath redeemed my soul [i.e; life] out of all distress.
Same expression as in 2 Samuel 4:9. Similar expressions are found in Psalms 25:22,
and Psalms 34:22. The repeated deliverance out of straits and danger—"out of the
hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul"—was one of the most
remarkable features of David's life, and it is no wonder that he repeatedly
commemorates it, converting every adjuration into an act of thanksgiving.
Similarly, Jacob (Genesis 48:16.)
30 I will surely carry out this very day what I
swore to you by the Lord, the God of Israel:

Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he
will sit on my throne in my place.”
GILL, "Even as I sware unto thee by the Lord God of Israel,.... And so owns and
confirms the truth of what Nathan had suggested to Bathsheba, and she had asserted,
1Ki_1:13;
saying, assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon
my throne in my stead; this was the substance of the oath:
even so will I certainly do this day; perform this oath, and set Solomon on the
throne.
PULPIT, "Even as I sware unto thee by the Lord God of Israel, saying, Assuredly
[Heb. יכ that, often prefixed to the oratio directa; not lending any emphasis ( =
immo), as Keil says the first and third יכ of this verse do, but in English simply
redundant. See on verses 13, 17] Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall
sit upon my throne [same words as in verses 13, 17, 24. These close repetitions are
the habit of the East] in my stead, even so [Heb. that so] will I
, suggested to David by the usus loquendi of the court. This expression seems at first
a strange periphrasis for "my servants." But David naturally adopts the language
those around him were always using. See verse 43; also 2 Samuel 11:11, and 2
iAELFRo8O95ho-mBF9ov’FoRABBFMoPA::ATFyou’_.’oMF4FM: to the king, has the plur.; the
former, referring to Joab, the sing.] and cause Solomon my son to ride upon mine
own mule, [lit; "the she mule" (the most prized in the East. Cf. 5:10, Hebrews)
"which is mine." This was not merely a mark of honour (cf. Genesis 41:43; Esther
6:8, Esther 6:9), but a public and very significant indication of David's will
respecting his successor. The populace would perceive at once who was destined to
sit in David's seat. "The Rabbins tell us that it was death to ride on the king's mule
without his permission" (Rawlinson). הָדּ ְרִפ, the fem. form is only found here and in
verses 38, 44. The mule would seem to have been a recent importation into
Palestine—we never read of them before the time of David—and the Israelites were
forbidden to breed them (Le 2 Samuel 19:19 ). Their use, consequently, was
naturally restricted to royal or distinguished personages (2 Samuel 13:29).
Wordsworth sees in the word a proof that David had not disobeyed God by
multiplying horses to himself], and bring him down BmoK_’mWhoR-mBoK_bFmWyou’_.’o
Thenius most arbitrarily would substitute for the received text. Where was Gihon?
The popular belief (accepted by Bהhr and Keil, as well as by some geographers) is

that it was in the valley of the Son of Hinnom, a part of which still bears the name of
Gihon, i.e; to the west of Jerusalem, and not far from the Jaffa gate. By many
indeed the present Birket8es8Sultan is identified with the Lower Pool of Gihon. But
others (Ferguson, Rawlinson, etc.) see in it the ancient name of the Tyropaeon.
Scripture does not speak of it as a spring, though the "source of the waters of
Gihon" is mentioned 2 Chronicles 32:30, Hebrews The text shows that it was below
the city ("bring him down upon Gihon," verse 33. Cf. also verse 40). 2 Chronicles
33:14, speaks of "Gihon in the valley," where it is very noticeable that the word
L:FIo_:o-A.’ARoJ_hFhoEAIHyouABFM.mLM:F7hocLBoB’_:osis the word always employed for
the valley of the Kedron, east of Jerusalem, the so called valley of Jehoshaphat; ge
(ravine or glen) being as constantly employed for the valley of Hinnom, south and
west of the town" (Grove," Dict. Bible," art. Gihon). It is also to be noticed that the
text last cited mentions Gihon in connection with Ophel, which lies southeast of
Jerusalem.. The Chald; Arab; and Syr. are probably right, therefore, in identifying
Gihon here with Siloam (which lies at the foot of Ophel), in favour of which it may
further be said that it would be admirably suited for David's purpose—of a counter
demonstration—and that whether En8Rogel is to be found at the Well of the Virgin
or the Well of Job. Siloam is at no great distance from either, and quite within
earshot, whereas the traditional Gihon is altogether out of the way. It must be borne
in mind that this procession to and from Gihon was ordained, not because there was
any special reason for anointing Solomon there ― for it was not a holy place—but
purely as a demonstration to the populace, and to checkmate the conspirators. It
was probably a public place, and would accommodate a large concourse (Poole).
31 Then Bathsheba bowed down with her face to
the ground, prostrating herself before the king,
and said, “May my lord King David live forever!”
cdS-aiyosA lower and humbler obeisance than before
1Ki_1:16. In the Assyrian
sculptures ambassadors are represented with their faces actually touching the earth
before the feet of the monarch.
GILL, "Then Bathsheba bowed with
her face to the earth, and did reverence
to the king,.... Thereby expressing her veneration of him, and thankfulness to him for
his favour to her and her son, in fulfilling his promise and oath:

and said, let my lord King David live for ever; which though a common form of
salutation of kings, not only in Israel, but in other nations, is not to be considered as a
mere compliment, but as expressing the real desires and affection of her heart to the
king; signifying hereby that her solicitations on the behalf of her son did not arise from
any desire of the king's death; she heartily wished him health to live long and easy; and
all her request was, that Solomon her son might succeed him, whenever it pleased God
to remove him; or seeing he was now a dying man as it were, her prayer was that his soul
might live for ever in happiness in the world to come; so Kimchi interprets it.
K&D, "
1Ki_1:31
Bathsheba then left the king with the deepest prostration and the utterance of a
blessing, as an expression of her inmost gratitude. The benedictory formula, “May the
king live for ever,” was only used by the Israelites on occasions of special importance;
whereas the Babylonians and ancient Persians constantly addressed their kings in this
way (cf. Dan_2:4; Dan_3:9; Dan_5:10; Dan_6:22; Neh_2:3. Aeliani var. hist. i. 32, and
Curtius de gestis Alex. vi. 5).
ca-ig-yosNow_WT:oN9GNhokFBoEHoRmMIow_WTorAf_IoR_fFofor ever — Though I desire
thy oath may be kept, and the right of succession confirmed to my son, yet I am far
from thirsting after thy death, and should rather rejoice, if it were possible, for thee
to live and enjoy thy crown for ever. There could be no higher expression of love
and thankfulness, than to desire never to see Solomon on the throne, if it were
possible for David always to enjoy it.
GUZIK, "2. (1 Kings 1:31837) Arrangements are made for the anointing of Solomon
as king.
Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the earth, and paid homage to the king, and
said, “Let my LORD King David live forever!” And King David said, “Call to me
0AIm1oB’FoPM_F:Byo-AB’AWoB’FoPMmP’FByoAWIocFWA_A’oBhe son of Jehoiada.” So they
came before the king. The king also said to them, “Take with you the servants of
your LORD, and have Solomon my son ride on my own mule, and take him down to
K_’mWhov’FMFoRFBo0AIm1oB’FoPM_F:BoAWIo-AB’AWoB’FoPMophet anoint him king over
Israel; and blow the horn, and say, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ Then you shall come
up after him, and he shall come and sit on my throne, and he shall be king in my
place. For I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and Judah.” Benaiah the son
of Jehoiada answered the king and said, “Amen! May the LORD God of my LORD
the king say so too. As the LORD has been with my LORD the king, even so may He
be with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my LORD King
David.”
a. Let my LORD King David live forever: This was a customary expression of
thanks and honor. Since David knew that death was near, it must have sounded
strange in his ears.
bhonARRoBmoEFo0AIm1oB’FoPM_F:Byo-AB’AWoB’FoPMmP’FBy and Benaiah: These were three

prominent leaders in Israel who did not support Adonijah as king. David knew who
was loyal to him.
c. Let Zadok the priest and athan the prophet anoint him king: We have a rare
glimpse of all three offices in cooperation 8 prophet, priest, and king. Each of these
offices was gloriously fulfilled in Jesus.
i. David wanted the proclamation of Solomon as successor to be persuasive. He had
five points to the plan:
· Ride on my own mule
· Let Zadok the priest and athan the prophet anoint him
· Blow the horn
· Say, “Long live King Solomon!”
· He shall come and sit on my throne
ii. We might say that God is just as concerned that we know that we are destined for
a throne, that we are His sons, heirs, and will reign with King Jesus.
d. Amen! May the LORD God of my LORD the king say so too: Benaiah understood
an important principle 8 that unless the LORD God said “Amen!” to the selection of
Solomon, he would not stand. Benaiah sensed that this was the LORD’s will, and
offered the prayer that God would in fact say so too.
e. May He be with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my
LORD King David: This pious wish of Benaiah had an interesting fulfillment. On a
human level, Solomon’s reign was indeed greater than David’s. But on a spiritual,
eternal level, it was not.
32 King David said, “Call in Zadok the priest,
athan the prophet and Benaiah son of
Jehoiada.” When they came before the king,

cdS-aiyosThe combination of the high priest, the prophet, and the captain of the
bodyguard (the Cherethites and Pelethites, 1Ki_1:38), would show the people that the
proceedings had the king’s sanction. The order of the names marks the position of the
persons with respect to the matter in hand.
GILL, "And King David said, call me Zadok the priest,.... Not Abiathar the high
priest, for he had joined Adonijah; and besides Zadok was David's favourite priest, and
for him the high priesthood was designed, as it was in a little time translated to him:
and Nathan the prophet; who very probably went out of the room when Bathsheba
was called in: and
Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; the captain of his guards:
and they came before the king; who it is very likely sat up in his bed, and they stood
around him.
Ca-StoG8ZGxyosWe have here the effectual care David took both to secure Solomon's
right and to preserve the public peace, by crushing Adonijah's project in the bud.
Observe,
I. The express orders he gave for the proclaiming of Solomon. The persons he
entrusted with this great affair were Zadok, Nathan, and Benaiah, men of power and
interest whom David had always reposed a confidence in and found faithful to him, and
whom Adonijah had passed by in his invitation,
1Ki_1:10. David orders them forthwith,
with all possible solemnity, to proclaim Solomon. They must take with them the
servants of their lord, the lifeguards, and all the servants of the household. They must
set Solomon on the mule the king used to ride, for he kept not such stables of horses as
his son afterwards did. He appoints them whither to go (1Ki_1:33and 1Ki_1:34, 1Ki_
1:35), and what to do. 1. Zadok and Nathan, the two ecclesiastical persons, must, in
God's name, anoint him king; for though he was not the first of his family, as Saul and
David were, yet he was a younger son, was made king by divine appointment, and his
title was contested, which made it necessary that hereby it should be settled. This
unction was typical of the designation and qualification of the Messiah, or Christ, the
anointed one, on whom the Spirit, that oil of gladness, was poured without measure,
Heb_1:9, Psa_89:20. And all Christians, being heirs of the kingdom (Jam_2:5), do from
him receive the anointing,1Jo_2:27. 2. The great officers, civil and military, are ordered
to give public notice of this, and to express the public joy upon this occasion by sound of
trumpet, by which the law of Moses directed the gracing of great solemnities; to this
must be added the acclamations of the people: “Let king Solomon live, let him prosper,
let his kingdom be established and perpetuated, and let him long continue in the
enjoyment of it;” so it had been promised concerning him. Psa_72:15, He shall live.3.
They must then bring him in state to the city of David, and he must sit upon the throne
of his father, as his substitute now, or viceroy, to despatch public business during his
weakness and be his successor after his death: He shall be king in my stead. It would be
a great satisfaction to David himself, and to all parties concerned, to have this done
immediately, that upon the demise of the king there might be no dispute, or agitation, in
the public affairs. David was far from grudging his successor the honour of appearing
such in his life-time, and yet perhaps was so taken up with his devotions on his sick-bed
that, if he had not been put in mind of it by others, this great good work, which was so

necessary to the public repose, would have been left undone.
II. The great satisfaction which Benaiah, in the name of the rest, professed in these
orders. The king said, “Solomon shall reign for me, and reign after me.” “Amen” (says
Benaiah heartily); “as the king says, so say we; we are entirely satisfied in the
nomination, and concur in the choice, we give our vote for Solomon, nemine
contradicente-unanimously, and since we can bring nothing to pass, much less
establish it, without the concurrence of a propitious providence, The Lord God of my
lord the king say so too!” 1Ki_1:36. This is the language of his faith in that promise of
God on which Solomon's government was founded. If we say as God says in his word, we
may hope that he will say as we say by his providence. To this he adds a prayer for
Solomon (1Ki_1:37), that God would be with him as he had been with David, and make
his throne greater. He knew David was not one of those that envy their children's
greatness, and that therefore he would not be disquieted at this prayer, nor take it as an
affront, but would heartily say Amen to it. The wisest and best man in the world desires
his children may be wiser and better than he, for he himself desires to be wiser and
better than he is; and wisdom and goodness are true greatness.
ELLICOTT, "(32) Call me Zadok.—This sudden flash of the old energy in David,
and the clear, terse directions which he gives for carrying out all the necessary parts
of the inauguration of Solomon’s royalty, striking enough in themselves, are still
more striking in contrast with the timidity and despondency with which, when far
younger, he had received the news of Absalom’s rebellion. For then he felt the
coming of God’s threatened chastisement; now he knows that this is passed, and
that God is on his side.
33 he said to them: “Take your lord’s servants
with you and have Solomon my son mount my
own mule and take him down to Gihon.
cdS-aiyosMules and horses seem to have been first employed by the Israelites in
the reign of David, and the use of the former was at first confined to great personages
2Sa_13:29; 2Sa_18:9. The rabbis tell us that it was death to ride on the king’s mule
without his permission; and thus it would be the more evident to all that the proceedings
with respect to Solomon had David’s sanction.
Gihon -Probably the ancient name of the valley called afterward the Tyropoeum,
which ran from the present Damascus Gate, by Siloam, into the Kedron vale, having the
temple hill, or true Zion, on the left, and on the right the modern Zion or ancient city of
the Jebusites. The upper “source” of the “waters of Gihon,” which Hezekiah stopped (see
the margin reference), was probably in the neighborhood of the Damascus Gate.

CLARKE, "Take with you the servants of your lord- By these we may
understand the kings guards, the guards of the city, the Cherethites and Pelethites, who
were under the command of Benaiah; and in short, all the disposable force that was at
hand.
Solomon-to ride upon mine own mule- No subject could use any thing that
belonged to the prince, without forfeiting his life. As David offered Solomon to ride on
his own mule, this was full evidence that he had appointed him his successor.
GILL, "And the king said unto them, take ye the servants of your lord,....
Meaning his own servants, his bodyguards, the Cherethites and Pelethites, as appears
from
1Ki_1:38; the Jews (a) from hence gather, that a king is superior to an high priest,
since David calls himself the lord of Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet:
and cause Solomon my son to ride upon mine own mule ; for it seems on such a
creature David used to ride, as did his sons; horses not being so common in Judea as
they were afterwards. Some of the Jews (b) say it was not lawful to ride upon a mule, and
that this case of David is to be excepted; for they pretend that this was a peculiar mule;
and if the instance of his son urged, they reply, an argument from what kings and their
sons used to do is of no force. Now this was one way of testifying that it was his will that
Solomon should reign in his stead; for no private person might ride upon the beast the
king was wont to ride on; this is now one of the Jewish canons (c),
"no one may ride on the king's horse, nor sit on his throne, nor use his sceptre:''
and bring him down to Gihon; a fountain near Jerusalem, on the west side of it,
which flowed from Mount Gihon, 2Ch_32:30; the same with Siloah according to the
Targum, of which mention is made, Joh_9:7. The reason for this order is not easily
given; whether it was to denote the peaceableness and gentleness of Solomon's
government, the waters of Shiloah moving softly, Isa_8:6, or the spread, constancy,
firmness, and perpetuity of it, as the Jews say (d), since the water of a fountain is ever
running; or because there might be a concourse of people there, and so he would be
anointed and proclaimed king in a public manner, and be attended to the city with great
pomp and solemnity.
(a) Bemidbar Rabba, sect. 6. fol. 186. 3. (b) Vid. Bartenoram in Misn. Celaim, c. 8. sect.
1. (c) Misn. Sanhedrin,
jdD ig-yos1Ki_1:33-49. Solomon, by David’s appointment, is anointed king.
cause Solomon my son to ride upon mine own mule — Directions were
forthwith given for the immediate coronation of Solomon. A procession was to be
formed by the “servants of their lord” - that is, the king’s bodyguard. Mules were then
used by all the princes (2Sa_13:29); but there was a state mule of which all subjects were
forbidden, under pain of death, to make use, without special permission; so that its
being granted to Solomon was a public declaration in his favor as the future king (see on
Est_6:8, Est_6:9).
bring him down to Gihon— a pool or fountain on the west of Jerusalem (see on

2Ch_32:30), chosen as equally public for the counter proclamation.
jde,“epabRatH_2SaR6IIma.x1KagHfBa)wvafBKaSKC5x_fSawf your lord — His constant
guards, the Cherethites and Pelethites, 1 Kings 1:38. Cause Solomon to ride upon
mine own mule — As a token that the royal dignity is transferred upon him, and
that by my consent. The rest of David’s sons were wont to ride upon mules when
they went abroad, 2 Samuel 13:29. And Absalom rode on a mule when he was
hanged in the oak. But David had a mule peculiarly reserved for himself alone; on
which Solomon’s being set, was considered as the beginning of his kingly power, no
private person whatsoever being permitted to ride upon the king’s mule. “It was
capital,” says Maimonides, “to ride on the king’s ass or mule, to sit upon his throne,
or to handle his sceptre without his order.” On the contrary, it appears from the
story of Mordecai, (Esther 6.,) that to have the honour to ride on the king’s beast by
his appointment, was accounted the highest dignity among the Persians. Bring him
down to Gihon — A little river or brook near Jerusalem, on the west side, which
discharged itself into the brook Kidron, and in the Chaldee is called by its modern
name, Siloa. If we may credit Maimonides, and other rabbis, the kings of the house
of David were all obliged, to be anointed by the side of a fountain or river; which,
they say, was the reason why David commanded his servants to bring his son down
to Gihon, and anoint him there. Such a situation for anointing their kings, the Jews
say, was chosen to show the perpetuity of their kingdom, because rivers run always,
though the cities which they wash are continually decaying, and liable to
destruction. But it is much more probable that this place was fixed on, because it
was near Jerusalem, and a place of great resort, and capable of containing and
displaying that numerous company, which David knew would follow Solomon
thither. And being on the west side of the city, it was remote from Adonijah, who
was inaugurated on the east side, and from his company, and therefore the people
could assemble here without fear of tumults or bloodshed.
COKE, "1 Kings 1:33. Cause Solomon—to ride upon mine own mule— See 1 Kings
1:44. Maimonides tells us, that it was a capital offence to ride upon the king's ass of
mule, to sit upon his throne, or to handle his sceptre, without his order; and, on the
contrary, to have the honour to ride on the king's beast by his appointment, was
accounted the highest dignity among the Persians, as appears from the history of
Mordecai, in the 6th chapter of Esther. Gihon was a little river or brook near
Jerusalem, which discharged itself into the brook Kidron, and in the Chaldee is
called by its modern name Siloa; it was afterwards rendered famous by the noble
work of Hezekiah, 2 Chronicles 32:30. Maimonides and other rabbis assert, that the
kings of the house of David were all obliged to be anointed by the side of a fountain
or river; which, they say, was the reason why David commanded his servants to
bring his son down to Gihon, and anoint him there. At this place, without the walls
wka-KCvSx(KDpa_wfaH_afBKa4Hf)pa'x:w1ax_:aexfBx_ax_winted Solomon; that is, one of
them poured out the oil, and the other anointed his head; drawing a circle round
about it with oil, according to the maxim, that their kings were anointed in the form
of a crown, to denote their delegation to the royal dignity. We shall add another

reason, assigned by the Jews, for choosing such a situation for anointing their kings;
namely, to shew the perpetuity of their kingdom, because rivers run always, though
the cities which they wash are continually decaying, and liable to destruction.
Probably Gihon was more particularly chosen on this occasion, as being near
Jerusalem, the most public place of resort in the whole kingdom. Hence, from the
principles of the Jews themselves, we are able to draw the reason why our blessed
Saviour was anointed by the Holy Ghost as he came out of the waters of Jordan;
and we may hence infer, that Jordan was preferred to any other place, to shew that
HE was not only the king of Israel, who should sit on the throne of his father David,
but likewise, as the angel adds, should sit upon it for ever; Luke 1:33. See Bishop
Patrick's Witnesses, and Schickhard Jus Regium, cap. 1: theor. 4. Concerning the
anointing of Solomon, the oil, &c. the reader who may be curious in these matters
will find full satisfaction in the Mirothec. of Schacchus.
ote; (1.) The King of Peace, whom Solomon represented, was anointed (not with
the oil of the Jewish sanctuary, but) with the oil of gladness above his fellows, and
appointed and qualified for the administration of that kingdom which is an
everlasting kingdom, by the Spirit, which the Father gave not by measure unto him.
(2.) They are kings indeed, who reign in the affections of their subjects. (3.) When
the believer shall ascend to his throne of glory, it shall be amidst the joyful
acclamations of angels, and with the trump of God.
ELLICOTT, "(33) Gihon (“breaking forth”) is clearly a place in the valley, under
the walls of Jerusalem, mentioned as having a watercourse, or torrent, diverted by
Heżekiah in his preparation of the city for siege (2 Chronicles 32:30), and as
forming one end of a new wall “up to the fish gate,” built by Manasseh; but whether
it is on the west of the city, near the present Jaffa gate, or (as seems more probable)
on the south, at the end of the valley called the Tyropœon, running through the city,
has been doubted. The Targums here read Siloam; and this agrees with the latter
supposition, which is also supported by the proximity to Adonijah’s feast at En8
rogel, implied in the narrative.
WHEDO, "33. Mine own mule — To ride upon the king’s mule was almost
equivalent to being crowned. In the Eastern mind it was an honour ever associated
with that of wearing the royal apparel and the crown. Thus Mordecai received the
highest marks of honour the king of Persia could bestow. Esther 6:889. See cut of
mules and note. 2 Samuel 13:29.
Gihon — A reservoir at the head of the valley of Hinnom, about seven hundred
yards northwest of the Yaffa gate of Jerusalem. Its length from east to west is about
three hundred feet; its breadth about two hundred. This reservoir is, doubtless,
identical with “the upper watercourse of Gihon,” or, more literally, “the outflow of
the waters of the upper Gihon,” which, according to 2 Chronicles 32:30, Hezekiah
“brought straight down to the west side of the city of David.” At the present time,
when in the rainy season this reservoir becomes full, its waters are conducted by an

aqueduct to the vicinity of the Yaffa gate, and so to the pool of Hezekiah within the
city. It is no valid objection to this view of the Gihon here named that it is on such
high ground, as regards the city of David, that it would be incorrect to speak of
bringing Solomon down to it, or coming up from it after him, (1 Kings 1:35,) for any
locality outside the holy city might be spoken of as down from that place, and from
whatsoever quarter an Israelite came to Jerusalem he was accustomed to speak of it
as a going up. Besides, being situated in the basin at the head of the Hinnom valley,
it was naturally called “Gihon in the valley.” 2 Chronicles 33:14. The “lower pool,”
mentioned by Isaiah, (Isaiah 22:9,) is probably the large broken reservoir still seen
lower down in the same valley, and on the west side of the city, called by the Arabs
Birket es8Sultan.
Gpov’FMFo’AfFo0AIm1oB’FoPM_F:BoAWIo-AB’AWoB’Fo
prophet anoint him king over Israel. Blow the
trumpet and shout, ‘Long live King Solomon!’
cdS-aiyosAnoint him -Inauguration into each of the three offices (those of
prophet, priest, and king) typical of the Messiah or Anointed One, was by anointing with
oil. Divine appointment had already instituted the rite in connection with the kingly
office
2Sa_2:4; but after Solomon we have no express mention of the anointing of kings,
except in the three cases of Jehu, Joash, and Jehoahaz 2Ki_9:6; 2Ki_11:12; 2Ki_23:30,
who were all appointed irregularly. At the time of the captivity, kings, whose anointing
has not been related in the historical books, still bear the title of “the anointed of the
Lord.” Lam_4:20; Psa_89:38, Psa_89:51.
CLARKE, "Blow ye with the trumpet- After he has been anointed, make
proclamation that he is king.
GILL, "And let Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, anoint him there
king over Israel,.... For it might be done by either of them, as the unctions of Saul and
David show:
and blow ye the trumpet, and say, God save King Solomon; the blowing of the
trumpet was to make it public; the proclamation of him as king was to be made by the
sound of it, and the acclamation of the people was to express their concurrence with it,
their loyal affection to the new king, and their hearty wishes for his health, prosperity,
and long life.

jdD ig-yosanoint him— done only in the case of a new dynasty or disputed
succession (see on 1Sa_16:13; see on 2Sa_2:1).
K&D, "The blowing of the trumpet and the cry “Long live the king” (cf. 1Sa_10:24)
were to serve as a solemn proclamation after the anointing had taken place.
ca-ig-yosNow_WT:oN9GphokFBo0AIm1oB’FoPM_F:BoAWIo-ABhan the prophet anoint him
— That is, say the Jews, one of them poured out the oil, and the other anointed his
head, drawing a circle round about it with oil, according to their maxim that their
kings were anointed in the form of a crown, to denote their delegation to the royal
dignity. It is of more importance to observe, that this unction signified not only the
designation of the person anointed to his office, but the gifts and graces which were
necessary to qualify him for it, and which, seeking them sincerely of God, he might
expect to receive. “We do not find,” says Henry, “that Abiathar pretended to anoint
Adonijah: he was made king by a feast, not by unction. Whom God calls, he will
qualify, which was signified by the anointing: usurpers had it not. Christ signifies
anointed, and he is the king whom God hath set upon his holy hill of Zion,
according to the decree, Psalms 2:687. Christians, also, are made to our God, and by
him, kings, and they have an unction from the Holy One, 1 John 2:20.”
ELLICOTT, "(34) Anoint him . . . king.—It is notable that of this solemn
inauguration of royalty, marked emphatically as a religious consecration by the
common phrase “the Lord’s anointed”—then especially in use (1 Samuel 16:6; 1
Samuel 24:6; 1 Samuel 26:9; 2 Samuel 1:14; 2 Samuel 19:21), though found also
occasionally in the later books (Lamentations 4:20)—there is no mention of the
tumultuous usurpation of Adonijah. Probably, as in the appointment of Saul and
David himself, the right to anoint was recognised as belonging to the prophetic
order (see 1 Kings 19:16), inasmuch as it signified the outpouring of the Holy Spirit
of the Lord. (Comp. Acts 10:38.) Hence, in the abseW.Fom4o-AB’AWyo_Bo.mLRIoWmBobFo
attempted. In the case of David, such anointing had marked (1 Samuel 16:13) his
first private designation for the kingdom by Samuel, and his public accession to
royalty, first over Judah (2 Samuel 2:4), then over all Israel (2 Samuel 5:3).
The completeness of the old King’s provision is especially to be noticed. The “riding
on the King’s mule,” attended by the body8guard, marked the royal sanction; the
anointing, the sanction of priest and prophet; and the acclamation the adhesion of
the people. Then are to follow the enthronement and homage.
e,ke vyosdWIoRFBo0AIm1oB’FoPM_F:BoAWIo-AB’AWoB’FoPMophet [Bהhr sees in the fact
B’ABo-AB’AWouA:oA::m._ABFIou_B’o0AIm1o_WoB’FoAWm_WBing, "the high significance
David attributed to the prophetic office in Israel" But the prophets constantly

performed this ceremony. Samuel anointed both Saul and David; Elisha anointed
Jehu (2 Kings 9:1), and was commissioned to anoint Hazael (1 Kings 19:15, 1 Kings
19:16) ] anoint him [the king, being a sacred personage, was set apart to the office,
like the priest and prophet, by anointing. Saul was probably anointed twice (1
Samuel 10:1; 1 Samuel 11:15. Cf. 1 Samuel 12:3). David was anointed thrice (1
Samuel 16:13; 2 Samuel 2:4; 2 Samuel 5:3. Solomon was anointed twice (verse 39; 1
Chronicles 29:22). The Rabbins have always held that subsequent kings were not
anointed, where the succession was regular. But this opinion must be taken
quantum valet. It is true that we only read of the anointing of Jehu (2 Kings 9:6),
Joash (2 Kings 11:12), and Jehoahaz (2 Kings 23:30), and that in these three cases
the accession was irregular. But it is obvious that other kings may have been
anointed as well, though the fact is not recorded. There would be no reason for
recording it in ordinary cases It seems hardly likely, too, that any king would
readily dispense with an ordinance which would so much strengthen his title] there
king over Israel: and blow ye with the trumpet [the sound of the trumpet would
almost seem to have been a necessary accompaniment of coronations, or the
proclamation of a new king. See 2 Samuel 15:10; 2 Kings 9:13; 2 Kings 11:14], and
say, God cave king Solomon. [See on verse 25.]
35 Then you are to go up with him, and he is to
come and sit on my throne and reign in my place.
I have appointed him ruler over Israel and
Judah.”
cdS-aiyosOver Israel and over Judah -There is no anticipation here of the
subsequent division of the kingdom; the antithesis between Judah and Israel already
existed in the reign of David
2Sa_2:9; 2Sa_19:11.
GILL, "Then ye shall come up after him,.... When anointed, proclaimed, and
cheered, then he was to mount the mule, and ride before them as their king, at the head
of them; they following after, in token of their subjection to him:
that he may come and sit upon my throne; at Jerusalem, in the king's palace, and
there exercise his kingly power he would now be invested with:
for he shall be king in my stead; even during David's life, as well as after his

decease:
and I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel, and over Judah; that is, over
all the twelve tribes of Israel Judah may be particularly mentioned, though included in
Israel, because Adonijah had invited the men of Judah to his feast and party, 1Ki_1:9;
and therefore had they not been named, might think he had no power over them.
jdD ig-yosThen ye shall come up after him, that he may come and sit
upon my throne— The public recognition of the successor to the throne, during the
old king’s lifetime, is accordant with the customs of the East.
K&D, "After the anointing they were to conduct Solomon up to Zion again; Solomon
was then to ascend the throne, as David was about to appoint him prince over Israel and
Judah in his own stead. Both the anointing and the appointment of Solomon as prince
over the whole of the covenant nation were necessary, because the succession to the
throne had been rendered doubtful through Adonijah's attempt, and the aged king was
still alive. In cases where there was no question, and the son followed the father after his
death, the unanimous opinion of the Rabbins is, that there was no anointing at all. Israel
and Judah are mentioned, because David had been the first to unite all the tribes under
his sceptre, and after the death of Solomon Israel fell away from the house of David.
ca-ig-yosNow_WT:oN9G“ZG5hov’FWoHFo:’ARRo.mEFoLPoA4Ber him, that he may sit on my
throne — Ye shall attend upon him to Jerusalem, and give him actual possession of
the throne. For he shall be king in my stead — My deputy and vice8king while I live,
and absolutely king when I die. Over Israel and over Judah — The latter clause is
added, lest the men of Judah, who were in a special manner invited by Adonijah, (1
Kings 1:9,) should think themselves exempted from his jurisdiction. And Benaiah
said, Amen — They all said the same, (1 Kings 1:47,) not doubting but God would
establish his authority.
ELLICOTT, "(35) Over Israel and over Judah.—The phrase clearly refers to the
distinction, already tending to become a division, between Israel and Judah in
relation to the monarchy. In the case of David himself, it may be observed that the
record of his accession to royalty over Israel contains the notice of “a league” made
by him with the elders of Israel (2 Samuel 5:3), to which there is nothing to
correspond in the account of his becoming king over Judah (2 Samuel 2:4). This
perhaps indicates from the beginning a less absolute rule over the other tribes.
Certainly the history of the rebellion of Absalom (2 Samuel 15:10; 2 Samuel 15:13; 2
Samuel 18:687), the disputes about the restoration of David (2 Samuel 19:41843), and
the attempt of Sheba to take advantage of them (2 Samuel 20:182), show a looser
allegiance of Israel than of Judah to the house of David.
PULPIT, "Then ye shall come up. Besides, we can hardly suppose that the historian
has in every case, though he probably has in this, preserved the exact words of the

speaker; and it need cause us no surprise had he put into David's mouth the
phraseology of a later age. In the nature of things he can only give us the substance
of conversations such as these.
36 Benaiah son of Jehoiada answered the king,
“Amen! May the Lord, the God of my lord the
king, so declare it.
CLARKE, "Sit upon my throne- The matter of conducting a business of this kind
seems to have been this:
1. The king elect was placed on the mule of his predecessor, and caused to ride
abroad to one of the public wells, or to a river where there was the greatest
concourse of people, that they might see who he was that was appointed. Solomon
was here taken to the river Gihon, in order to be anointed; the continual stream or
constantly running fountain, denoting the perpetuity of the kingdom.
2. The priest and the prophet anointed him in the name of the Lord; and thereby
signified that he should be endued with all the kingly virtues; that he should reign
by, under, and for the Lord.
3. The trumpet was then to be blown, and solemn proclamation made, that he was
anointed king.
4. He was then brought and solemnly placed on the throne, to signify that he had
now assumed the reins of government, and was about to administer justice and
judgement to the people.
GILL, "And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king ,.... In the name of
the rest:
and said, Amen; they all assented to it, and expressed their satisfaction in it:
the Lord God of my lord the king say so
too; let it appear, by the prosperity and
success that shall by divine Providence attend the new king, that this is according to the
will of God.
K&D 36837, "Benaiah responded to the utterance of the royal will with the

confirmatory “Amen, thus saith Jehovah the God of my lord the king;” i.e., may the word
of the king become a word of Jehovah his God, who fulfils what He promises (Psa_
33:9); and added the pious wish, “May Jehovah be with Solomon, as He was with David,
and glorify his throne above the throne of David,” - a wish which was not merely “flattery
of his paternal vanity” (Thenius), but which had in view the prosperity of the monarchy,
and was also fulfilled by God (cf. 1Ki_3:11.).
PULPIT, "And Benaiah the son of Johoiada [probably he spoke, not because the
execution of the order depended upon him (Bהhr); foMobmB’o0AIm1oAWIo-AB’AWo’AIo
a much more important part to perform, but as a blunt soldier who was accustomed
to speak his mind] answered the king and said, Amen: the Lord God [lit; "Jehovah,
he God," etc.] of my lord the king say so too.
37 As the Lord was with my lord the king, so may
he be with Solomon to make his throne even
greater than the throne of my lord King David!”
cdS-aiyosAs the Lord hath been with my lord -This phrase expresses a very
high degree of divine favor. It occurs first in the promises of God to Isaac
Gen_26:3,
Gen_26:24and Jacob Gen_28:13. See further margin reference.
CLARKE, "Make his throne greater than the throne of-David- A wish of
this kind a king will suffer in behalf of his son, but it is never in ordinary cases
considered a compliment to say, “I hope this child will make a better man than his
father,” because it seems to insinuate some reflections on his father’s conduct or
character. Many foolish people deal in such compliments, and they may rest assured, for
the reasons given above, that they are far from being either welcome or agreeable.
Claudian, in his panegyric De Quarto Consulatu Honorii Augusti, ver. 428, has words
something similar to those of Benaiah, when he describes a father, worn out with toils
and difficulties, committing the reins of government to the hands of his son: -
Adspice, completur votum: jam natus adaequat
Te meritis; et, quod magis est optabile, vincit.
“Behold, thy desire is accomplished.
Even now thy son equals thee in worth;
and what is still more desirable, surpasses thee.

GILL, "As the Lord hath been with my lord the king, even so be he with
Solomon,.... To guide and direct him, protect and defend him, succeed and prosper him
the Targum is,
"as the Word of the Lord has been the help of my lord the king, so let him be for the help
of Solomon:''
and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David: which he
knew would not displease David, who not only had an affectionate regard for Solomon
his son, but wished heartily the prosperity of the kingdom of Israel; and the wish on all
accounts was grateful to him, though to an envious and ambitious prince it might have
been disagreeable.
ECarg-yosGxhoDA1Fo’_:oB’MmWFoTMFABFMoB’AWoB’FoB’MmWe of… David — Such words
as these would have stirred up jealousy and anger in many kings; but, as Theodoret
remarks, Benaiah “knew that no one having a true father’s tenderness would be
jealous of a child, and that it is characteristic of devoted fathers to wish their sons to
appear more illustrious than themselves.”
PULPIT, "As the Lord hath been with my lord the king [cf. 1 Samuel 20:13. "This
phrase expresses a very high degree of the Divine favour" (Rawlinson). See Genesis
26:3, Genesis 26:4; Genesis 28:15; Genesis 39:2,Genesis 39:21; Exodus 3:12; Joshua
1:5; 1 Chronicles 22:11, etc.], even so be he with Solomon, and make has throne
greater than the throne of my lord king David. [This was said from a full and honest
heart, not to flatter David's vanity (Thenius). It is thoroughly characteristic of the
man so far as we know him. And the prayer was fulfilled (1 Kings 3:11,1 Kings
3:12).]
GDoimo0AIm1oB’FoPM_F:Byo-AB’AWoB’FoPMmP’FByo
Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the Kerethites and the
Pelethites went down and had Solomon mount
King David’s mule, and they escorted him to
Gihon.

GILL, "So Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of
Jehoiada,.... The three men that David sent for on this occasion:
and the Cherethites and the Pelethites; not the sanhedrim, as Ben Gersom, but
David's guards, over whom Benaiah was: these
went down; from Jerusalem;
and caused Solomon to ride upon King David's mule ; as he had ordered:
and brought him to Gihon; or Siloah, as the Targum; hence the Jews say (e), they do
not anoint a king but at a fountain; but this is the only instance of it.
Ca-StoGDZpOyosIII. The immediate execution of these orders,
1Ki_1:38-40. No time
was lost, but Solomon was brought in state to the place appointed, and there Zadok
(who, though he was not as yet high priest, was, we may suppose, the suffragan, the Jews
called him the
sagan, or second priest) anointed him by the direction of Nathan the
prophet and David the king,
1Ki_1:39. In the tabernacle, where the ark was now lodged,
was kept among other sacred things, the holy oil for many religious services thence
Zadok took a horn of oil, which denotes both power and plenty, and therewith anointed
Solomon. We do not find that Abiathar pretended to anoint Adonijah: he was made king
by a feast, not by an unction. Whom God calls, he will qualify, which was signified by the
anointing; usurpers had it not. Christ signifies anointed, and he is the king whom God
hath set upon his holy hill of Sion, according to decree, Psa_2:6, Psa_2:7. Christians also
are made to our God (and by him) kings, and they have an unction from the Holy One,
1Jo_2:20. The people, hereupon, express their great joy and satisfaction in the elevation
of Solomon, surround him with their Hosannas -God save king Solomon, and attend
him with their music and shouts of joy, 1Ki_1:40. Hereby they declared their
concurrence in the choice, and that he was not forced upon them, but cheerfully
accepted by them. The power of a prince can be little satisfaction to himself, unless he
knows it to be a satisfaction to his people. Every Israelite indeed rejoices in the
exaltation of the Son of David.
K&D 38839, "The anointing of Solomon was carried out immediately, as the king had
commanded. On the Crethi and Plethi see at
2Sa_8:18. “The oil-horn out of the tent”
(i.e., a vessel made of horn and containing oil) was no doubt one which held the holy
anointing oil, with which the priests and the vessels of the sanctuary were anointed (see
Exo_30:22.). The tent (ל ֶהּא ָה), however, is not the tabernacle at Gibeon, but the tent set
up by David for the ark of the covenant upon Mount Zion (2Sa_6:17). For even though
Zadok was appointed high priest at the tabernacle at Gibeon, and Abiathar, who held
with Adonijah, at the ark of the covenant, the two high priests were not so unfriendly
towards one another, that Zadok could not have obtained admission to the ark of the
covenant in Abiathar's absence to fetch away the anointing oil.
הוחחםמלזְד.שֽֽׁזְּ&πְֲοποְπּ;ְִ&πְֲוּפְֲηתְּפְכשׁ(שְׁοשׁmonstration of David's

intention. Solomon was now sitting upon the throne itself. He had even ridden
publicly upon the king's own mule, a symbolical maneuver of the very greatest
importance in the eyes of the people. He had been formally anointed by Zadok the
priest and with the full approval of the great prophet athan as "King over all
Israel." Benaiah and the mighty men of David rallied strong sections of the army
around them and began blowing the trumpet and shouting up and down the streets
of Jerusalem, "Long live king Solomon"! The practiced ear of Joab quickly picked
up the sound of the trumpet.
JOAB AD ADOIJAH GOT THE BAD EWS
Josephus tells us that Joab and others were about to begin eating when they heard
the sound of the trumpet and that they at once lost all desire to take any food.[7]
ELLICOTT, "(38) The Cherethites, and the Pelethites.—See 2 Samuel 8:18; 2
Samuel 15:28; 2 Samuel 20:7; 2 Samuel 20:23. The body8guard8perhaps of foreign
troops—“the executioners and runners” (as some render them) to carry out the
King’s commands.
GUZIK, "3. (1 Kings 1:38840) Solomon is anointed and proclaimed as king.
So Zadok the priest, athan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the
Cherethites, and the Pelethites went down and had Solomon ride on King David’s
mule, and took him to Gihon. Then Zadok the priest took a horn of oil from the
tabernacle and anointed Solomon. And they blew the horn, and all the people said,
“Long live King Solomon!” And all the people went up after him; and the people
played the flutes and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth seemed to split with
their sound.
a. And had Solomon ride on King David’s mule: Apparently, this was the Old
Testament equivalent to a presidential motorcade.
i. The mule was something special in ancient Israel. “Since Hebraic law forbade
crossbreeding (Leviticus 19:19), mules had to be imported and were therefore very
expensive. So while the common people rode donkeys, the mule was reserved for
royalty.” (Dilday)
ii. “o subject could use any thing that belonged to the prince, without forfeiting his
life. As David offered Solomon to ride on his own mule, this was full evidence that
he had appointed him his successor.” (Clarke)
b. And took him to Gihon: “Gihon, the site of the anointing, was just outside the city
in the Kidron Valley, on the east bank of Ophel. It was at this time Jerusalem’s
major source of water and was therefore a natural gathering place of the populace.”
(Patterson and Austel)

c. A horn of oil from the tabernacle: Literally, it is the horn of oil. This was a
specific container of oil kept in the tabernacle for special anointings.
d. The people . . . rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth seemed to split with their
sound: Though Adonijah put forth his best marketing campaign, he could not win
the hearts of the people. They sensed that Solomon was the man, not Adonijah.
ֵקןִֵֶזְדַתְuפοתרְּ&שְׁ́(πשֲּׁזְפηοְלפּ&פηְּ&שְׁ́(ת́&שׁt, and Benaiah the son of
Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites [these were the royal bodyguard—
עוךבכ́ץצןפבלשףJosephus calls them—who were commanded by Benaiah (2 Samuel
8:18; 2 Samuel 15:18; 2 Samuel 20:23; 2 Samuel 23:28). But while their functions
are pretty well understood, great difference of opinion exists as to the origin or
meaning of the words. By some they are supposed to be Gentile names. A tribe of
Cherethites is mentioned 1 Samuel 30:14. (Cf. Ezekiel 25:16; Zephaniah 2:5), and in
close connexion with the Philistines (1 Samuel 30:16). Hence Cherethite has been
thought to be another name for Philistine; and as the LXX. and Syr. render the
word "Cretans," it has been conjectured that the Philistines had their origin from
Crete. They did come from Caphtor, and that is probably Crete (see Genesis 10:14;
Jeremiah 47:4; Amos 9:7; Deuteronomy 2:23). יִתֵלְפּ again, is not unlike יִת ְשִּׁלְפּ In
favor of this view is the fact that David certainly had a bodyguard of foreign
mercenaries (2 Samuel 15:18, where the "Gittites" are connected with the
ה&שׁ(שּׁ&πּשֲׁmנְלת(ְοתשְֲׁπְּכפרשְׁפλפπηְֲּπְּּ&פְּדּוּת designations" would thus "be
employed side by side for one and the same people"—as if we should speak of
Britons and Englishmen (Bהhr). For the names look like a paronomasia—of which
the Jews were very fond—and a trick of this kind would at once account for the
tautology. [Since writing this, I find the same idea has already occurred to Ewald.]
But the other view, adopted by Gesenius, is that the names are names of office and
function. Cherethite he would derive from ך ַרָת, cut, slay; and by Cherethites he
would understand "executioners," which the royal bodyguard were in ancient
despotisms (Genesis 39:1, Hebrews; Daniel 2:14, etc. See on 1 Kings 2:25 ). In the
Pelethites ( תֶלֶפּ, swiftness) he would see the public couriers ( יןסבדד́ʆביןסבדד́ʆביןסבדד́ʆבELub""päb“1951בּ83j2X'1)2'W1“1951בּ83j2X'1)2'W1“1951בּ83j2X'1)2'W1“1951בּ83j2X'1)2'W1
8X(Vz231—3221ג2X90W18X(Vz231—3221ג2X90W18X(Vz231—3221ג2X90W18X(Vz231—3221ג2X90W1νιיν8:988:98νιיν18'0118'0118'0118'01”22”1[VX9'z(62311[VX9'z(62311[VX9'z(62311[VX9'z(6231]ὐιπ30:630:6]ὐιπ“W1מ213221jV218Z8X010z3(V8X8z'81jV21“W1מ213221jV218Z8X010z3(V8X8z'81jV21“W1מ213221jV218Z8X010z3(V8X8z'81jV21“W1מ213221jV218Z8X010z3(V8X8z'81jV21
5Z'(jz9'15zX3j1'8)201z'15Z'(jz9'15zX3j1'8)201z'15Z'(jz9'15zX3j1'8)201z'15Z'(jz9'15zX3j1'8)201z'1”22”1τz'8311τz'8311τz'8311τz'831σὐι”θ10:2510:25σὐι”θ!1!1!1!1”22”1τz'8311τz'8311τz'8311τz'831σσιὸ11:411:4σσιὸ71717171”22”1τz'8311τz'8311τz'8311τz'831σσιν11:811:8σσιν!18'01jV2168jj2X1z'1!18'01jV2168jj2X1z'1!18'01jV2168jj2X1z'1!18'01jV2168jj2X1z'1σ111
τz'831τz'831τz'831τz'831σὸι”ס14:2714:27σὸι”ס1—)8X8W“ά1?2'j109?'1ἔzW2!15X9)1jV21Q868(219'1_9Z'j1ἀz9'ά18'01(8Z32011—)8X8W“ά1?2'j109?'1ἔzW2!15X9)1jV21Q868(219'1_9Z'j1ἀz9'ά18'01(8Z32011—)8X8W“ά1?2'j109?'1ἔzW2!15X9)1jV21Q868(219'1_9Z'j1ἀz9'ά18'01(8Z32011—)8X8W“ά1?2'j109?'1ἔzW2!15X9)1jV21Q868(219'1_9Z'j1ἀz9'ά18'01(8Z3201
q969)9'1j91Xz021ZQ9'1τz'81ο8=z0ε31)Z62718'01:X9Z8Vj1Vz)1j91ἔ1q969)9'1j91Xz021ZQ9'1τz'81ο8=z0ε31)Z62718'01:X9Z8Vj1Vz)1j91ἔ1q969)9'1j91Xz021ZQ9'1τz'81ο8=z0ε31)Z62718'01:X9Z8Vj1Vz)1j91ἔ1q969)9'1j91Xz021ZQ9'1τz'81ο8=z0ε31)Z62718'01:X9Z8Vj1Vz)1j91ἔ1לַע : cf. 1 Kings 2:26]
Gihon [Chald; Syr; Arab; Shiloha].
39 Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the

sacred tent and anointed Solomon. Then they
sounded the trumpet and all the people shouted,
“Long live King Solomon!”
cdS-aiyosThe tabernacle -Probably that which David had made for the ark of the
covenant on Mount Zion
2Sa_6:17. For the holy oil, see the margin reference. That it was
part of the regular furniture of the tabernacle appears from Exo_31:11; Exo_39:38.
CLARKE, "Zadok-took a horn of oil- Pottery and glass were little in use in
those times; and horns were frequently used to hold oil and wine. The oil used here was
the holy anointing oil, which was laid up in the tabernacle, and which was used for the
anointing of both priests and kings.
GILL, "And Zadok the priest took an horn of oil out of the tabernacle,.... Not
out of the tabernacle of Moses, for that was at Gibeon; see
1Ch_21:29; and if the oil had
been there, it would have been too far to have fetched it, since haste was now required;
but this was taken out of the tabernacle David had built for the ark, 2Sa_6:17; where the
ark was, and before which the pot of oil was; so Jarchi; but Kimchi indeed says, that
though it was at this time at Gibeon, Zadok went thither, or sent thither to fetch it; and
though it is said, the pot of oil was set before the ark, this was when the ark was in the
tabernacle; but when they took it out from thence at the war with the Philistines, that
and the pot of manna were left in the tabernacle; and they took nothing but the ark; but
if they brought the pot afterwards, and put it before the ark in Jerusalem, then it may be
understood of the tabernacle David pitched for it; but that he disapproves of. Here
Zadok is only said to take the oil, and anoint with it; which he did either as the deputy of
the high priest, or he was made use of because the high priest was on the side of
Adonijah:
and anointed Solomon; whether it was by pouring it on his head, as Saul was
anointed, 1Sa_10:1; or, as the Jews say (f), by putting it round about his head in the form
of a crown, and then between his eyebrows, is not very material; and they also say (g),
that it is not usual to anoint the son of a king that has been anointed; and that the reason
of the anointing of Solomon was, because of the sedition of his brother Adonijah, and to
confirm the kingdom to him; this anointing was an emblem of the gifts, graces, and
virtues, necessary to qualify a king for the discharge of his office:
and they blew the trumpet; and proclaimed him king:
and all the people said, God save King Solomon; wished him long life and
happiness, and gave him a general huzza or shouting.

jdD ig-yosan horn of oil out of the tabernacle— It was the sacred oil (Exo_
30:25) with which the kings were anointed.
ca-ig-yosNow_WT:oN9G'ZpOho0AIm1oBmm1oAo’mMWom4om_Ro— A vessel of oil, as the
Arabic translates it; which vessel was made of an ox’s horn, as Bochart observes;
out of the tabernacle, and anointed Solomon — It rendered his unction more
solemn, and his person more sacred, that he was anointed with holy oil taken out of
the tabernacle: though the Jews are generally of opinion, that it was not necessary to
anoint their kings with this holy oil made by Moses. So that the earth rent — An
hyperbolical expression, to signify the very loud noise which the people made with
their shouts and their pipes.
ELLICOTT, "(39) An horn of oil out of the tabernacle.—The sacred oil, the making
of which is described in Exodus 30:22830, was to be used for anointing the
Tabernacle itself, and the altars and vessels as well as the priests. It was this oil, no
doubt, which was used in this case. The Tabernacle proper was still at Gibeon (see 2
Chronicles 1:3); but a tent or tabernacle had been set up in Zion over the ark (2
Chronicles 1:4), and the haste with which all was done would necessitate the taking
the oil from the nearer source, in spite of the fact that Abiathar presided in Zion,
and Zadok only in Gibeon.
PULPIT, "And Zadok the priest took an horn of oil [Hebrews the oil. The "holy
anointing oil," Exodus 30:25, Exodus 30:31, compounded as directed in Exodus
30:23825, was evidently part of the furniture of the tabernacle (Exodus 31:11;
Exodus 39:38). Eleazer was charged with its preservAB_mWoJ-LEbFM:op9N57yoAWIoB’Fo
Rabbins say it lasted till the captivity] out of the tabernacle [the tabernacle on
Mount Zion, containing the ark (2 Samuel 6:17; 1 Chronicles 15:1) must be meant
here. There was not time to have gone to the tabernacle at Gihon (Stanley), which
was three hours distance from Jerusalem (Keil). Though Abiathar had charge of
this sanctuary, yet Zadok would readily gain access to it, especially in the king's
name] and anointed Solomon. And they blew the trumpet [cf. 2 Samuel 15:10; 2
Kings 9:13; 2 Kings 11:14]; and all the people saidyoKmIo:AfFo1_WToimRmEmWhoR-mB_.Fo
the exact fulfilment of the threefold charge of verse 34 and its result. Solomon was
confirmed in his office by the suffrages of the people.]
40 And all the people went up after him, playing
pipes and rejoicing greatly, so that the ground
shook with the sound.

אמָליַזְדPiped with pipes -Some prefer “danced with dances” - a meaning
which the Hebrew would give by a change in the pointing, and the alteration of one
letter. But the change is unnecessary. (Flutepipes were known to the Israelites 1Sa_10:5;
they were very ancient in Egypt, and were known also to the Assyrians.
The earth rent -If the present Hebrew text is correct we have here a strong instance
of Oriental hyperbole. But it is suspected that there is a slight corruption, and that the
verb really used meant “resounded.”
CLARKE, "The people piped with pipes- They danced, sang, and played on
what instruments of music they possessed.
The earth rent- We use a similar expression in precisely the same sense: They rent
the air with their cries.
GILL, "And all the people came up after him,.... Following him from the fountain
to the city, with their loud acclamations:
and the people piped with pipes; which were hollow instruments, and full of holes
which they blew with their mouths, and upon with their fingers; Jarchi says they were
and very probably:
and rejoiced with great joy; which they expressed by such loud shouts:
so that the earth rent with the sound thereof; an hyperbolical expression,
showing the great numbers gathered together on this occasion, and the sonorous
acclamations they made.
1מםֶַולזְדall the people came up after him— that is, from the valley to the
citadel of Zion.
K&D, "All the people, i.e., the crowd which was present at the anointing, went up
after him, i.e., accompanied Solomon to the citadel of Zion, with flutes and loud
acclamation, so that the earth nearly burst with their shouting.
4 i, Sr v3, “to burst in pieces”
(as in 2Ch_25:12), is a hyperbolical expression for quaking.
ELLICOTT, "(40) Piped with pipes.—The Greek Version has “danced in dances,”
by a slight variation of reading. The graphic description of the acclamation of the
people indicates something more than conventional loyalty. The attempt of

Adonijah relied on the support only of the great men, and perhaps the army, but
had no popular following.
WHEDO, "40. Pipes — See note and cuts on 1 Samuel 10:5.
The earth rent with the sound — A hyperbolical expression to indicate the
boundless joyfulness of the people on that occasion. From many facts recorded in
the last half of the Second Book of Samuel it is not difficult to infer that the closing
years of David’s reign were not popular in Israel. The growing infirmities of age
prevented his appearing any more among the people; and though he held a large
place in the nation’s heart, his voluntary resignation of the crown to Solomon, who
had doubtless, by reason of his many amiable qualities, already become endeared to
all who knew him, and the enthronization of that youthful prince, were an occasion
of great rejoicings throughout the royal city. It was also a matter of rejoicing that
there was no violent break in the succession. David enthrones Solomon by his own
proclamation, so that, as Wordsworth beautifully say
s, “Solomon’s reign is to be regarded as a continuation of the reign of David his
father. David’s reign did not end with David’s life, but it flowed on in the life of
Solomon his son, for which it was a preparation. Thus the union of David and
Solomon, as forming by their conjunction a typical representation of CHRIST, the
king of the spiritual Zion, as a conqueror like David, and yet as the prince of peace
like Solomon, is made more manifest.” So in the harmony of the Divine
dispensations the kingdom of Israel was continued, and is perpetuated in the more
glorious kingdom of the Messiah.
PULPIT, "And all the people came up after him [same expression as 1 Kings 1:35.
The procession, the sound of the trumpets, etc; had collected a large crowd, which
followed Solomon on his return], and the people piped [Heb. were piping] with pipes
[pipes or flutes were used on occasions of rejoicing (Isaiah 5:12; Isaiah 30:29. Cf. 1
Samuel 10:5), and so of mourning (Jeremiah 48:36; Matthew 9:23). It is true that a
very slight change ( םיִלחְבּ ףיִלְלֹ חְמ instead of םיִלִלֲחַבּ םיִלְלַּחִמ) will give the meaning,
"dancing with dances," which Ewald prefers, on the ground that "all the people"
could not have produced their pipes at a moment's notice. But the objection loses its
force when it is observed (Rawlinson) that the text implies that only some of the
people piped. "All the people came up … and the people," etc. Besides, even if it
were not so, some allowance is surely to be made for Eastern hyperbole. And the
received text is to be preferred on other grounds. The LXX; however, has 1MäO1MLώOupLUäO1MäO1MLώOupLUäO1MäO1MLώOupLUäO1MäO1MLώOupLUäO
ע|יןסןקע|יןסןקע|יןסןקfδELuLUά718'01X2‘9z(201?zjV18X28j1‘9&1ἔג2:X2?31ֶ?2X21X2‘9z(z'81818X28j1‘9&ֶά718'01jV2128XjV1ά718'01X2‘9z(201?zjV18X28j1‘9&1ἔג2:X2?31ֶ?2X21X2‘9z(z'81818X28j1‘9&ֶά718'01jV2128XjV1ά718'01X2‘9z(201?zjV18X28j1‘9&1ἔג2:X2?31ֶ?2X21X2‘9z(z'81818X28j1‘9&ֶά718'01jV2128XjV1ά718'01X2‘9z(201?zjV18X28j1‘9&1ἔג2:X2?31ֶ?2X21X2‘9z(z'81818X28j1‘9&ֶά718'01jV2128XjV1
X2'j1ἔjVz31z31(2Xj8z'6&1813jX8'86&1V&Q2X:96z(8612{QX233z9'W1έ9X1X2'j1ἔjVz31z31(2Xj8z'6&1813jX8'86&1V&Q2X:96z(8612{QX233z9'W1έ9X1X2'j1ἔjVz31z31(2Xj8z'6&1813jX8'86&1V&Q2X:96z(8612{QX233z9'W1έ9X1X2'j1ἔjVz31z31(2Xj8z'6&1813jX8'86&1V&Q2X:96z(8612{QX233z9'W1έ9X1עַקָבּ strictly means to
cleave asunder, tear open (see, e.g; umbers 16:31; Amos 1:13; 2 Chronicles 25:12).
And Thenius suggests a slight emendation of the text, viz; עַקָתִּתַּו (i.e; "resounded")
for עַקָבִּתַּו which would obviate this difficulty. He points out that while the LXX.
Cod. Vat. has חד́בססʆוחד́בססʆוחד́בססʆוF"pbuuäO7139)21=2X3z9'31V8=217139)21=2X3z9'31V8=217139)21=2X3z9'31V8=217139)21=2X3z9'31V8=21MOהFUpäFםוףחק́ʆחםוףחק́ʆחMOהFUpäF718'01jV21ְZ68W1z'39'ZzjW1xZj1Q2XV8Q31718'01jV21ְZ68W1z'39'ZzjW1xZj1Q2XV8Q31718'01jV21ְZ68W1z'39'ZzjW1xZj1Q2XV8Q31718'01jV21ְZ68W1z'39'ZzjW1xZj1Q2XV8Q31

BxWB>W>N@qBWx”WVqqMWx”WxGqWAq?xB”WNB?GNoWIBxGWxGqW>”GC?W”@WxGq“Wg^qHEW]IBxGWxGqBBWN”B?q>]oEBxWB>W>N@qBWx”WVqqMWx”WxGqWAq?xB”WNB?GNoWIBxGWxGqW>”GC?W”@WxGq“Wg^qHEW]IBxGWxGqBBWN”B?q>]oEBxWB>W>N@qBWx”WVqqMWx”WxGqWAq?xB”WNB?GNoWIBxGWxGqW>”GC?W”@WxGq“Wg^qHEW]IBxGWxGqBBWN”B?q>]oEBxWB>W>N@qBWx”WVqqMWx”WxGqWAq?xB”WNB?GNoWIBxGWxGqW>”GC?W”@WxGq“Wg^qHEW]IBxGWxGqBBWN”B?q>]oE
41 Adonijah and all the guests who were with him
heard it as they were finishing their feast. On
hearing the sound of the trumpet, Joab asked,
“What’s the meaning of all the noise in the city?”
אמָליַזְד
CLARKE, "
GILL, "
'Tadnlem
We have here,
I. The tidings of Solomon's inauguration brought to Adonijah and his party, in the midst of
their jollity: They had made an end of eating, and, it should seem, it was a great while before
they made an end, for all the affair of Solomon's anointing was ordered and finished while they
were at dinner, glutting themselves. Thus those who serve not our Lord Christ, but oppose him,
are commonly such as serve their own belly (
Rom_16:18) and made a god of it,Phi_3:19. Their
long feast intimates likewise that they were very secure and confident of their interest, else they
would not have lost so much time. The old world and Sodom were eating and drinking, secure
and sensual, when their destruction came, Luk_17:26, etc. When they made an end of eating, and
were preparing themselves to proclaim their king, and bring him in triumph into the city, they
heard the sound of the trumpet (1Ki_1:41), and a dreadful sound it was in their ears,Job_15:21.
Joab was an old man, and was alarmed at it, apprehending the city to be in an uproar; but
Adonijah was very confident that the messenger, being a worthy man, brought good tidings,1Ki_
1:42. Usurpers flatter themselves with the hopes of success, and those are commonly least
timorous whose condition is most dangerous. But how can those who do evil deeds expect to
have good tidings? No, the worthiest man will bring them the worst news, as the priest's son did
here to Adonijah, 1Ki_1:43. “Verily, the best tidings I have to bring you is that Solomon is made
king, so that your pretensions are all quashed.” He relates to them very particularly, 1. With what
great solemnity Solomon was made king (1Ki_1:44, 1Ki_1:45), and that he was now sitting on
the throne of the kingdom,1Ki_1:46. Adonijah thought to have stepped into the throne before
him, but Solomon was too quick for him. 2. With what general satisfaction Solomon was made
king, so that that which was done was not likely to be undone again. (1.) The people were
pleased, witness their joyful acclamations, 1Ki_1:45. (2.) The courtiers were pleased: The kings
servants attended him with an address of congratulation upon this occasion, 1Ki_1:47. We have
here the heads of their address: They blessed king David, applauded his prudent care for the
public welfare, acknowledged their happiness under his government, and prayed heartily for his
recovery. They also prayed for Solomon, that God would make his name better than his father's,
which it might well be when he had his father's foundation to build upon. A child, on a giant's

shoulders, is higher than the giant himself. (3.) The king himself was pleased: He bowed himself
upon the bed, not only to signify his acceptance of his servants' address, but to offer up his own
address to God (1Ki_1:48): “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who, as Israel's God, for Israel's
good, has brought this matter to such a happy issue, my eyes even seeing it.” Note, It is a great
satisfaction to good men, when they are going out of the world, to see the affairs of their families
in a good posture, their children rising up in their stead to serve God and their generation, and
especially to see peace upon Israel and the establishment of it.
II. The effectual crush which this gave to Adonijah's attempt. It spoiled the sport of his party,
dispersed the company, and obliged every man to shift for his own safety. The triumphing of the
wicked is short. They were building a castle in the air, which, having no foundation, would soon
fall and crush them. They were afraid of being taken in the fact, while they were together
hatching their treason, and therefore each one made the best of his way.
Ji.hrIalem
K&D, "
,Iuu.ialemt81eA1FAe81P1ewA(A1weA8(AeA81ekp3w1epce21lebrating Solomon's coronation
came, "as they made an end of eating" (1 Kings 1:41), but we do not view this as a
contradiction of what Josephus said; because, it is very likely that the whole crowd
of Adonijah's supporters finished that meal in a hurry when they heard what had
happened!
This entire paragraph is merely a recapitulation in the mouth of Jonathan of all that
had been related previously regarding the coronation of Solomon.
ELLICOTT, "(41) When Joab heard.—It is one of the many life8 like touches of the
narrative that it is the old warrior Joab who, amidst the revelry of his companions,
notices the sound of the trumpet, and the acclamation following. Adonijah affects to
disregard it.
GUZIK, "D. Solomon’s mercy to Adonijah.
1. (1 Kings 1:41849) Adonijah hears that Solomon is made king.
apjei7pk3x(8e(k7e(66eA81e9_1wAwej8pej1P1ej3A8e83Re8eard it as they finished eating.
And when Joab heard the sound of the horn, he said, “Why is the city in such a
noisy uproar?” While he was still speaking, there came Jonathan, the son of
Abiathar the priest. And Adonijah said to him, “Come in, for you are a prominent
man, and bring good news.” Then Jonathan answered ak7ew(37eApei7pk3x(8leSapOe
Our LORD King David has made Solomon king. The king has sent with him Zadok
A81e5P31wAlea(A8(keA81e5Pp581Ales1k(3(8eA81ewpkepceJehoiada, the Cherethites, and
the Pelethites; and they have made him ride on the king’s mule. So Zadok the priest
(k7ea(A8(keA81e5Pp581Ae8(L1e(kp3kA17e83Re:3k9e(Aev3hon; and they have gone up
from there rejoicing, so that the city is in an uproar. This is the noise that you have
heard. Also Solomon sits on the throne of the kingdom. And moreover the king’s
servants have gone to bless our LORD King David, saying, ‘May God make the
name of Solomon better than your name, and may He make his throne greater than
your throne.’ Then the king bowed himself on the bed. Also the king said thus,

‘Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who has given one to sit on my throne this day,
while my eyes see it!’” So all the guests who were with Adonijah were afraid, and
arose, and each one went his way.
a. As they finished eating: The banquet wasn’t even over before Solomon was
proclaimed king. Bathsheba and athan acted quickly and it was rewarded.
i. “Adonijah’s feast, as all wicked men’s, endeth in horror; for the last dish, is
served up astonishment and fearful expectation of just revenge.” (Trapp)
b. So that all the city is in an uproar: This was very distressing to Adonijah. He had
the support of some important powerful men (those attending his banquet), but now
he knew that the heart of the people belonged to Solomon.
c. Also the king said thus, “Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who has given one to
sit on my throne this day, while my eyes see it!” This told Adonijah that even King
David was completely behind Solomon. There was no hope for his future as king.
d. All the guests who were with Adonijah were afraid, and arose, and each one
went: The came for a nice dinner, and to support Adonijah. They left quickly as
soon as it was clear that he would not and could not be king. ow it was dangerous
to say that you supported Adonijah as king.
2. (1 Kings 1:50853) Solomon’s mercy to Adonijah.
ow Adonijah was afraid of Solomon; so he arose, and went and took hold of the
horns of the altar. And it was told Solomon, saying, “Indeed Adonijah is afraid of
King Solomon; for look, he has taken hold of the horns of the altar, saying, ‘Let
King Solomon swear to me today that he will not put his servant to death with the
sword.’” Then Solomon said, “If he proves himself a worthy man, not one hair of
him shall fall to the earth; but if wickedness is found in him, he shall die.” So King
Solomon sent them to bring him down from the altar. And he came and fell down
before King Solomon; and Solomon said to him, “Go to your house.”
a. Took hold of the horns of the altar: According to almost universal custom in the
ancient world, a religious altar was a place of sanctuary against justice or
vengeance. An accused man might find safety if he could flee to an altar before he
was apprehended. This is why Adonijah took hold of the horns of the altar.
i. It is important to understand that this ancient custom was not used in Israel to
protect a guilty man. But if a man acts with premeditation against his neighbor, to
kill him by treachery, you shall take him from My altar, that he may die. (Exodus
21:14)
b. If he proves himself a worthy man, not one hair of him shall fall to the earth:
Solomon gives Adonijah a limited reprieve. This went against all custom in the
ancient world. It was common 8 even expected 8 that when a new king assumed the

throne that he would execute every potential rival. Solomon not only let a potential
rival live, but one who openly tried to subvert his reign. This was a large measure of
grace and mercy on the part of Solomon, and a good start to his reign.
i. At the same time, Solomon wanted Adonijah to know that if he should show the
slightest inclination towards rebellion, he would be killed instantly. Mercy would be
withdrawn and justice would be delivered quickly.
c. He came and fell down before King Solomon: Adonijah knew he received great
mercy from Solomon, and he wanted to show his gratitude for it and reliance upon
Solomon’s mercy.
PULPIT, "And Adonijah and all the guests that were with him heard it [it is
probable they "were listening with some anxiety to hear if anything would occur."
Rawlinson] as they had made an end [Heb. "and they had finished"] of eating, And
when Joab heard the sound of the trumpet [the original almost implies that Joab's
practised ear was the first to catch the note of the trumpet. He seems to have been
the first to suspect its significance], he said, Wherefore is this noise of the city being
in an uproar? [More exactly, "in commotion." הָמוֹה, an onomatopoetic word, like
our English "hum." We speak of the "hum of the city," "the buzz of business," etc.]
42 Even as he was speaking, Jonathan son of
Abiathar the priest arrived. Adonijah said,
“Come in. A worthy man like you must be
bringing good news.”
cdS-aiyosJonathan had acted in a similar capacity, as a carrier of intelligence, in the
time of Absalom’s attempt
2Sa_15:36; 2Sa_17:17; but at that time, like his father, he was
faithful to David, and “a valiant man,” “a virtuous man,” or “a man of worth.” (See 1Ki_
1:52; Pro_12:4.)
GILL, "And while he yet spake, behold, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the
priest came,.... Whom his father had left in the city, to observe what passed there, and
give him notice of it:
and Adonijah said unto him, come in, for thou art a valiant man, and

bringest good tidings; which seems to be not a very wise speech, as if there was a
connection between being valiant, and bringing good news, or that the one had any
influence upon the other; though perhaps it means no more than a good man, "a man of
virtue" (i), as it may be rendered; one that fears sin, as the Targum, and so would report
nothing but what was true, and therefore might be depended on; see 2Sa_18:27; the
same phrase is rendered "a worthy man", 1Ki_1:52.
Ca-Stop8Z“OyosIII. The terror Adonijah himself was in, and the course he took to
secure himself. he was now as much depressed as he had been elevated, 1Ki_1:42, 1Ki_
1:50. He had despised Solomon as not worthy to be his guest (1Ki_1:10), but now he
dreads him as his judge: He feared because of Solomon. Thus those who oppose Christ
and his kingdom will shortly be made to tremble before him, and call in vain to rocks
and mountains to shelter them from his wrath. He took hold on the horns of the altar,
which was always looked upon as a sanctuary, or place of refuge (Exo_21:14), intimating
hereby that he durst not stand a trial, but threw himself upon the mercy of his prince, in
suing for which he relied upon no other plea than the mercy of God, which was
manifested in the institution and acceptance of the sacrifices that were offered on that
altar and the remission of sin thereupon. Perhaps Adonijah had formerly slighted the
service of the altar, yet now he courts the protection of it. Many who in the day of their
security neglect the great salvation, under the arrests of the terrors of the Lord would
gladly be beholden to Christ and his merit, and, when it is too late, will catch hold of the
horns of the altar.
COKE, "1 Kings 1:42. For thou art a valiant man— His being a valiant man was no
great argument of recommendation in the present case. The original word is
rendered virtuous in Proverbs 12:4 and would be so rendered with much greater
propriety here. The Targum has it, thou art a man who fearest to sin. The marginal
reference confirms this interpretation.
ELLICOTT, "(42) Jonathan the son of Abiathar.—See 2 Samuel 15:27; 2 Samuel
17:17821, where he is named, with Ahimaaz, as a swift runner, fit to be a messenger.
It is curious that a similar greeting to his companion Ahimaaz is used by David in 2
Samuel 18:27—possibly as a kind of omen of good fortune.
ECarg-yosp8hojmWAB’AWoB’Fo:mWom4odb_AB’AMoQov’Fo4RFet messenger that in the
time of Absalom’s rebellion had been the bearer of important tidings. See 2 Samuel
15:27828; 2 Samuel 15:36; 2 Samuel 17:16821. He announces his tidings most vividly,
and with greatest accuracy of detail.
PULPIT, "And while he yet spake, behold, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest
[Cf. 2 Samuel 15:36; 2 Samuel 17:17. His experience had marked him out for the
post of watchman] came [That he bad not arrived before shows how prompt, and
even hurried, had been the measures taken by Solomon's party] and Adonijah said
unto him [Hebrews and LXX. omit "unto him"] Come in [Heb. come. See on verse
22. "Come in" suggests the idea of a house or tent, whereas the feast was al fresco];

for thou art a valiant man [it is Adonijah (not Joab, as Bהhr—of course by an
oversight—says) who speaks thus. Perhaps "able," "honest," or "worthy man" (cf.
verse 52; same word in Hebrews; also Proverbs 12:4) would be nearer the mark.
"Valiant" is clearly out of place] and bringest good tidings. [A similar expression 2
Samuel 18:27. It was evidently a familiar saying. The idea, "a good man will bring
good news" corresponds with that of the proverb of 1 Samuel 24:13. Adonijah's
misgivings reveal themselves in these words. He fears the worst, but strives to put on
a cheerful face and to encourage his guests.]
ʇsְ)לתְּפְּפֽֽ;2ְ1תηפּ&פηְפηֲוּשׁ(שׁοנְ)וס(ְֽת(οְ
King David has made Solomon king.
CLARKE, "Jonathan answered- He was properly a messenger about the court;
we have met with him and Ahimaaz before,
2Sa_15:36. He had now been an observer, if
not a spy, on all that was doing, and relates the transactions to Adonijah, in the very
order in which they took place.
1. David has nominated Solomon his successor.
2. Zadok, Nathan, and Benaiah, have been appointed to set him on the king’s mule.
3. They have taken him to Gihon, and anointed him there.
4. They have brought him up to Jerusalem and placed him on the throne of the
kingdom.
GILL, "And Jonathan answered and said to Adonijah, verily,.... Or, "nay, but"
(k) it is not so as you imagine; it is not good tidings, but bad tidings to thee I bring:
our lord King David hath made Solomon king ; of which he gives the following
account in proof of it.
K&D 43848, "Jonathan replied:
ל ָב ֲא, “yea but,” corresponding to the Latin imo vero,
an expression of assurance with a slight doubt, and then related that Solomon had been
anointed king by David's command, and the city was in a joyous state of excitement in
consequence (םּה ֵ0 as in Rth_1:19), and that he had even ascended the throne, that the

servants of the king had blessed David for it, and that David himself had worshipped and
praised Jehovah the God of Israel that he had lived to see his son ascend the throne. The
repetition of םַגְו three times (1Ki_1:46-48) gives emphasis to the words, since every new
point which is introduced with םַגְו raises the thing higher and higher towards absolute
certainty. The fact related in 1Ki_1:47refers to the words of Benaiah in 1Ki_1:36and
1Ki_1:37. The ChethibNSwa nB- €c is the correct reading, and the Keriםי ִהּל ֱא an unnecessary
emendation. The prayer to God, with thanksgiving for the favour granted to him, was
offered by David after the return of his anointed son Solomon to the royal palace; so that
it ought strictly to have been mentioned after 1Ki_1:40. The worship of grey-headed
David upon the bed recalls to mind the worship of the patriarch Jacob after making
known his last will (Gen_47:31).
ELLICOTT, "(46) And also Solomon sitteth.—Jonathan’s announcement here takes
up the narrative of events after 1 Kings 1:40. The public enthronement in the palace
(ordered by David in 1 Kings 1:35) follows the anointing and acceptance by the
acclamations of the people, as an integral part of the inauguration of royalty.
PULPIT, "And Jonathan answered and said to Adonijah, Verily [Rather, "nay
but," "on the contrary" (immo vero). See Genesis 179N'yoCFb3os-AHyobLBoiAMA’oB’Ho
wife," etc; and Gesen; Thesaurus, sub voce לָבֲא . This particle has not "always an
objecting force" (Rawlinson)—see Genesis 42:21, and especially 2 Samuel 14:5; 2
Kings 4:14—but only in the later Hebrew, e.g; 2 Chronicles 19:3; 2 Chronicles
33:17] our Lord king David hath made Solomon king.
44 The king has sent with him Zadok the priest,
לפּ&פηְּ&שְׁ́(ת́&שּׁזְאשׁηפπפ&ְֲתηְתעְ1שׁ&תπפοפזְּ&שְׁ
Kerethites and the Pelethites, and they have put
him on the king’s mule,
GILL, "And the king hath sent with him,.... To the fountain of Gihon:
Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada,
and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites; over whom the latter was captain:
and they have caused him to ride upon the king's mule; by his order and
direction.

p“oAWIo0AIm1oB’FoPM_F:BoAWIo-AB’AWoB’FoPMmP’FBo
have anointed him king at Gihon. From there they
have gone up cheering, and the city resounds with
it. That’s the noise you hear.
GILL, "And Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, have anointed him
king in Gihon,.... Or at Gihon; that is, Siloah, according to the Targum; here the act of
anointing is ascribed to them both, as in
1Ki_1:34; Zadok very probably applied the oil to
him, and Nathan might be some way or other assisting in it; however he was here
present, not only as approving of it, but declaring it as a prophet, that it was according to
the will of God, as well as of the king:
and they are come up from thence rejoicing; with a multitude of people along
with them:
so that the city rang again; with the blowing of trumpets, the sound of pipings, and
the shouts of the people:
this is the noise which ye have heard; which had so alarmed them.
e,ke vyosdWIo0AIm1oB’FoPM_F:BoAWIo-AB’AWoB’FoPMmP’Ft have anointed him king in
Gihon: and they are come up from thence rejoicing, so that the city [ הָי ְרִק same word
as in 1 Kings 1:41. Elsewhere almost exclusively found in poetry] rang again [rather,
"is in commotion." Same expression in 1 Kings 1:41 and Ruth 1:19, where it is
translated, "the city was moved"]. This is the noise [Heb. voice] that ye have heard.
46 Moreover, Solomon has taken his seat on the
royal throne.

GILL, "And also Solomon sitteth on the throne of the kingdom. Where he was
placed to exercise his regal power when returned to Jerusalem, as a further token and
confirmation of his being really and actually king.
cdS-aiyosNow_WT:oN9p5ZpDhodR:moimRmEmWo:_BBFB’omWoBhe throne — Being in actual
possession of the kingdom, though his father be alive. For to sit upon the throne was
proper to the king; and none else, on pain of death, might be placed there. The king
bowed himself upon the bed — Adoring God for this great mercy, and thereby
declaring his hearty consent to this action. And also thus said the king, Blessed be
the Lord, &c. — He gave his solemn thanks to God for the happiness of seeing
Solomon begin his reign, with such affection of his people as they expressed by their
joy at his inauguration. It is a great satisfaction to good men, when they are going
out of the world, to see their children rising up in their stead, to serve God in their
generation: and especially to see peace upon Israel, and the establishment of it.
PULPIT, "And also [the same two words are found at the beginning of 1 Kings 1:47,
68. They accord well with the breathless and excited state of the speaker, and
suggest how each successive detail told on the hearers] Solomon sitteth [rather,
"sate, took his seat," וףיטבך̓ו(LXX.) aorist. See 1 Kings 1:35] on the throne of the
kingdom [rather, "the royal throne." So Gesen. All David's directions were now
fulfilled].
47 Also, the royal officials have come to
congratulate our lord King David, saying, ‘May
your God make Solomon’s name more famous
than yours and his throne greater than yours!’
And the king bowed in worship on his bed
cdS-aiyosThe king bowed himself -The king worshipped God and prayed that it
might be so. Compare
Gen_47:31, with margin reference, Heb_11:21.
CLARKE, "Moreover, the king’s servants came- The king himself was at this
time confined to his own house, and probably to his bed, and could not possibly see
these ceremonies; therefore his confidential servants came and told him. We know not
how Jonathan, in so short a time, possessed himself of so much information.

GILL, "And moreover the king's servants came to bless our lord the king,....
To give him thanks for the wise and good provision he had made before his death for the
welfare of the kingdom, by making Solomon his son king in his stead, and to
congratulate him upon it; which showed that they highly approved of it, and were ready
to swear allegiance to Solomon, and therefore Adonijah had nothing to hope for from
them:
saying, God make the name of Solomon better than th y name; that is, may he
be more famous, and his name be more celebrated in the world than his was, or be more
respectable and valued among his people Israel:
and make his throne greater than thy throne; see 1Ki_1:37;
and the king bowed himself upon the bed; signifying not only his approbation of
what was done, but also of their prayers and wishes; as well as he bowed himself to give
thanks to God that he had lived to see this work done, as follows.
ELLICOTT, "(47) The king bowed himself, that is, in worship (comp. Genesis
47:31), at once joining in the prayer of his servants, and thanking God for the
fulfilment of His promise.
PULPIT, "And moreover [ םַגְו as before] the king's servants [see on 1 Kings 1:33]
came to bless our lord king David [Jonathan here refers in all probability to the
words of Benaiah, 1 Kings 1:36, 1 Kings 1:37. He does not know the exact
particulars, and ascribes to the "servants" the words of their commander. Of course
it is possible that "the bodyguard took up the words of Jehoiada (Benaiah?) their
captain and repeated them with some slight alteration." Rawlinson] saying, God [so
the Keri. The Cethib has "thy God"] make the name of Solomon better than thy
name and make his throne greater than thy throne [This prayer was fulfilled (1
Kings 3:12; 1 Kings 4:21824]. And the king bowed himself [in worship. Cf. Genesis
47:31] upon the bed.
48 and said, ‘Praise be to the Lord, the God of
Israel, who has allowed my eyes to see a successor
on my throne today.’”

GILL, "And also thus said the king,.... Being in a proper posture for an address to
God:
blessed be the Lord God of Israel, which hath given one to sit on my throne
this day, mine eyes seeing it; he ascribes this whole affair to God, and his kind
providence, though all things were done according to his own orders; and gives thanks
to him, who had directed him to take such steps as these were, and that the business was
finished without any obstruction, and to the great joy and satisfaction of the people; and
that there was such a prospect of Solomon's having a happy and peaceable reign.
PULPIT, "And also thus saith the king, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, which
hath given one to sit on my throne this day, mine eyes even seeing it. [These last
words are added because it is quite an exceptional thing for a king to see his
successor on the throne.]
49 At this, all Adonijah’s guests rose in alarm and
dispersed.
GILL, "And all the guests that
were with Adonijah were afraid,.... Though
many of them were military men, the general of the army, and the captains thereof, 1Ki_
1:19; yet they were struck with a panic, their courage failed them, they had no spirit left
in them, their hearts became as weak as water; had they exerted themselves according to
their character, betaken themselves to arms, and put themselves at the head of their
troops in favour of Adonijah, it would have given Solomon and his friends a great deal of
trouble; no doubt this panic was of God:
and rose up, and went every man his way; or to his house, as the Arabic version;
on hearing what Jonathan reported, they immediately rose up from table in great haste,
and made the best of their way to their houses, that it might not be known that they had
been with Adonijah.
K&D 49-50, "The news spread terror. All the guests of Adonijah fled, every man his
way. Adonijah himself sought refuge from Solomon at the horns of the altar. The altar
was regarded from time immemorial and among all nations as a place of refuge for
criminals deserving of death; but, according to Exo_21:14, in Israel it was only allowed
to afford protection in cases of unintentional slaying, and for these special cities of
refuge were afterwards provided (Num 35). In the horns of the altar, as symbols of
power and strength, there was concentrated the true significance of the altar as a divine
place, from which there emanated both life and health (see at Exo_27:19). By grasping
the horns of the altar the culprit placed himself under the protection of the saving and

helping grace of God, which wipes away sin, and thereby abolishes punishment (see
Bähr, Symbolik des Mos. Cult. i. p. 474). The question to what altar Adonijah fled,
whether to the altar at the ark of the covenant in Zion, or to the one at the tabernacle at
Gibeon, or to the one built by David on the threshing-floor of Araunah, cannot be
determined with certainty. It was probably to the first of these, however, as nothing is
said about a flight to Gibeon, and with regard to the altar of Araunah it is not certain that
it was provided with horns like the altars of the two sanctuaries.
“yyn”epabb”:w_HPxBa4xv2BfaBw(:aw_afBKaBwC_SawkafBK altar" (1 Kings 1:50).
"Originally the horns of the altar were appointed as a place of asylum for those who
had accidentally committed homicide; but later on, other transgressors sought and
received refuge there."[8]
"For a brief period David and Solomon were co8regents, but following the death of
David, the power was soon consolidated in the hands of Solomon, under whom
Israel had her most glorious era of peace and prosperity."[9]
duuh “..pab780Wa”_:ax((afBKa2vKSfSmZewfBH_2aHSaDwCK striking than the sudden
and humiliating collapse of the attempt of Adonijah, strongly supported as it was by
Joab and Abiathar, in contrast with the formidable character of the rebellion of
Absalom. This is another indication that the royal power had been greatly
consolidated during the last peaceful years of David’s reign. Perhaps, moreover, the
usurpation of Adonijah, not being viewed as a rebellion against David, but only a
presumption on his favour, was accordingly crushed at once by the expression of his
will. It is strange that of all the conspirators Adonijah alone seems to have feared
punishment at this time; his accomplices, the other conspirators, are apparently
allowed to disperse in safety, and their rebellion is ignored.
PULPIT, "And all the guests [Heb. called, LXX. ̀יןפחכך] that were with [Heb. to]
Adonijah were afraid [Heb. trembled] and rose up [LXX. omits] and went every
man his way. [This fear and flight betray a consciousness of guilt. They cannot have
believed in the right of primogeniture.]
50 But Adonijah, in fear of Solomon, went and
took hold of the horns of the altar.

cdS-aiyosOn the “horns” of the altar, see Exo_27:2note. The altar to which
Adonijah fled was probably in the “tabernacle” already referred to 1Ki_1:39.
CLARKE, "Adonijah feared- He knew he had usurped the kingdom, and had not
his father’s consent; and, as he finds now that Solomon is appointed by David, he knows
well that the people will immediately respect that appointment, and that his case is
hopeless; he therefore took sanctuary, and, fleeing to the tabernacle, laid hold on one of
the horns of the altar, as if appealing to the protection of God against the violence of
men. The altar was a privileged place, and it was deemed sacrilege to molest a man who
had taken refuge there. See 1Ki_2:28.
GILL, "And Adonijah feared because of Solomon ,.... Lest he should seize him as
an usurper and traitor, and put him to death:
and arose, and went, and caught hold on the horns of the altar; either that
which was at Gibeon, where the tabernacle now was; see 1Ki_3:4; so Jarchi; or rather
that which was nearest, the altar that David had built in the threshingfloor of Araunah,
2Sa_24:25; the altar was a sort of asylum, or refuge, for such who had committed any
crime worthy of death; not by divine appointment, but by custom, it being supposed that
none would presume to defile with blood that which was sacred to the Lord; or shed the
blood of men where the blood of beasts was poured; or use severity and strict justice, but
mercy, where sacrifices were offered to atone for sin, and mercy was shown on account
of them; these were notions, and this a custom, which obtained very early, and even
among the Jews; see Exo_21:14; as well as among Gentiles; with whom it was usual, as
to flee to the statues of their emperors, and to the temples of their deities, so likewise to
their altars; this was customary among the Molossians, Samothracians, Crotoniatae, and
Messenians; and particularly the altar of Jupiter Servator was an asylum, or place of
refuge, to the Ithacians (l). Cornelius Nepos (m) has given us an instance of one that fled
to a temple of Neptune, and sat upon the altar for his security, as here Adonijah laid hold
on the horns of this, that none might force him from it.
jdD ig-o“OZ“Gyos
1Ki_1:50-53. Adonijah, fleeing to the horns of the Altar, is
dismissed by Solomon.
Adonijah ... went, and caught hold on the horns of the altar— most probably
the altar of burnt offering which had been erected on Mount Zion, where Abiathar, one
of his partisans, presided as high priest. The horns or projections at the four corners of
the altar, to which the sacrifices were bound, and which were tipped with the blood of
the victim, were symbols of grace and salvation to the sinner. Hence the altar was
regarded as a sanctuary (Exo_21:14), but not to murderers, rebels, or deliberate
perpetrators. Adonijah, having acted in opposition to the will of the reigning king, was
guilty of rebellion, and stood self-condemned. Solomon spared his life on the express
condition of his good behavior - living in strict privacy, leading a quiet, peaceable life,
and meddling with the affairs of neither the court nor the kingdom.

BARES, "1 Kings 1:50851. Adonijah feared, &c. — He fled to the altar for
protection and safety, it being a privileged place; not, indeed, by the appointment of
the law, but by the custom of all nations. And caught hold on the horns of the altar
— With a resolution, it seems, of not stirring therefrom till Solomon had given his
oath, or solemn word, not to take away his life. And by thus doing Adonijah appears
to have hindered the offering of sacrifices on the altar till such time as Solomon
granted his pardon. Let King Solomon swear that he will not slay his servant — He
owns Solomon as his king, and himself as his servant and subject; and being sensible
of his guilt, and of the jealousy which kings have of their competitors, could not be
satisfied without Solomon’s oath.
COKE, "1 Kings 1:50. And Adonijah—went, and caught hold on the horns of the
altar— Conscious that he had committed a crime worthy of death, in usurping the
kingdom without his father's consent, and against the known design of God, (chap.
1 Kings 2:15.) he fled for safety and protection to the altar, which was a privileged
place, not by the appointment of the law, but in conformity to the custom of all
nations. It is a question, to what altar Adonijah fled: but, as the horns of the altar
are mentioned, it was probably the same with that in the tabernacle, to which Joab
fled also. See the next chapter, 1 Kings 1:28.
REFLECTIOS.—When sin spreads the table of riotous feasting, the end of that
mirth will be heaviness.
1. Tidings are brought to Adonijah and his guests, in the midst of their
entertainment, of what had passed in Jerusalem. At first he promises himself good
news for his party; but he is quickly undeceived. They who do ill, must not expect
messages of peace. Jonathan, who had been present at what had passed, relates the
coronation of Solomon, the persons employed in it, the zeal of the king's servants for
him, the universal satisfaction of the people, and especially David's own great joy
and thankfulness at seeing his son on his throne, and his hearty consent and
approbation of the loyal wishes of his servants, that Solomon's throne might be
greater than his own. ote; The greatest satisfaction that an aged Christian knows,
is to see the peace of God's Israel established, and his own children happily settled,
and walking in the fear of God.
2. Adonijah and his company are thunderstruck with the news: every man instantly
shifts for himself, afraid to be caught in so treasonable an assembly; and Adonijah,
who just now sat as a king, flies to the horns of the altar to secure his life, which was
forfeited by his treason. ote; (1.) There is yet hope for the sinner, even after his
deepest provocation, if he flies to Jesus Christ for refuge, who is the true altar, on
the horns of which that atoning blood is sprinkled, which cleanseth from all sin. (2.)
Traitors are generally cowards, from the consciousness of a bad cause.
3. He humbly sues to Solomon, as his king, for pardon, which he as graciously
grants; and, requiring an oath for his security, Solomon assures him, if he approves

himself for the future a loyal subject, his past attempt shall not be his death; but if
he should be found turbulent or seditious, then he must no longer expect the
clemency that he had abused. ote; (1.) They who cry earnestly to the Prince of
Peace for pardon, may hope to find an answer of peace. (2.) We are, by our loyalty
to our king, to prove the reality of our subjection to him. If we still retain the love of
sin in our hearts, or indulge it in our practice, it is not saying Lord, Lord, that will
secure us from eternal death.
ELLICOTT, "(50) The horns of the altar.—The horns were projections from the
altar, to which (see Psalms 118:27) the victims were fastened, and on which the
blood was sprinkled (Exodus 29:12). To take hold of them was, of course, to claim
the right of sanctuary—a right, however, which the Law, ruled as usual by moral
considerations, formally denied to wilful murder (Exodus 21:14), and which
accordingly (see 1 Kings 2:30831) was refused hereafter to Joab. Adonijah, by the
acknowledgment of “King Solomon,” seems to represent his usurpation as one of
those acts of haste and inadvertency, to which alone sanctuary was conceded.
WHEDO, "50. Adonijah feared — For he judged Solomon by himself, and had he
obtained the kingdom, Solomon would doubtless speedily have been destroyed. He
also knew that he was guilty of conspiracy against the lawful authority of the king,
his father.
Caught hold on the horns of the altar — The altar in the tabernacle on Zion, where
Abiathar officiated, who, according to 1 Kings 1:7, was in sympathy with the
ambitious prince, and whose friendly services Adonijah probably expected to
receive. The horns of the altar were the emblems of security, and indicated the
saving strength and grace of God, so that it was sacrilege to commit violence on any
person who fled there for safety, unless he were guilty of the most flagrant crime.
Compare Exodus 21:14.
PULPIT, "And Adonijah feared because of Solomon and he arose and went and
caught hold of the horns of the altar. [Cf. 1 Kings 2:28. Probably the altar of Mount
Zion, 1 Kings 3:15; 2 Samuel 6:17. Though it is impossible to say positively whether
this or the altar at Gibeon (2 Samuel 3:4) or that recently erected on the threshing
floor of Araunah (2 Samuel 24:25) is meant. For the "horns," see Exodus 27:2;
Exodus 38:2; and compare Exodus 30:2. They were of shittim (i.e; acacia) wood
overlaid with brass, and served a double purpose. Victims were bound to them
(Psalms 118:27), and blood was put upon them, Exodus 29:12. As to the altar as a
place of sanctuary, see on 1 Kings 2:28. Evidently a right of sanctuary existed
amongst both Jews and Gentiles at the time of the Exodus, and probably from time
immemorial. It is referred to in Exodus 21:14, but it was much circumscribed by the
appointment of the cities of refuge (umbers 35:10 sqq.) By "laying hold of the
horns the offender thereby placed himself under the protection of the saving and
helping grace of God" (Bהhr, "Symbolik," 1:474)

51 Then Solomon was told, “Adonijah is afraid of
King Solomon and is clinging to the horns of the
altar. He says, ‘Let King Solomon swear to me
today that he will not put his servant to death with
the sword.’”
cdS-aiyosAnd it was told Solomon,.... By some of his courtiers:
saying, behold, Adonijah feareth King Solomon; lest he should take away his life:
for, lo, he hath caught hold on the horns of the altar; which was the last resort of
the guilty when they despaired of mercy otherwise:
saying, let King Solomon swear unto me this day that he will not slay his
servant with the sword; he owns Solomon to be king, and himself his subject and
servant; this no doubt he did to conciliate his favour, nor did he think his life safe, unless
Solomon promised with an oath, that he would not take it away.
GILL, "And it was told Solomon,.... By some of his courtiers:
saying, behold, Adonijah feareth King Solomon; lest he should take away his life:
for, lo, he hath caught hold on the horns of the altar; which was the last resort of
the guilty when they despaired of mercy otherwise:
saying, let King Solomon swear unto me this day that he will not slay his
servant with the sword; he owns Solomon to be king, and himself his subject and
servant; this no doubt he did to conciliate his favour, nor did he think his life safe, unless
Solomon promised with an oath, that he would not take it away.
Ca-Sto“NZ“GyosIV. His humble address to Solomon for mercy. By those who
brought Solomon tidings where he was, he sent a request for his life (
1Ki_1:51): Let king
Solomon swear to me that he will not slay his servant. He owns Solomon for his prince,
and himself his servant, dares not justify himself, but makes supplication to his judge. It
was a great change with him. He that in the morning was grasping at a crown is before
night begging for his life. Then Adonijah reigned, now Adonijah trembles, and cannot

think himself safe unless Solomon promise, with an oath, not to put him to death.
V. The orders Solomon gave concerning him. He discharges him upon his good
behaviour, 1Ki_1:52, 1Ki_1:53. He considered that Adonijah was his brother, and that it
was the first offence. Perhaps, being so soon made sensible of his error and then not
persisting in his rebellion, he might prove not only a peaceable, but a serviceable subject,
and therefore, if he will conduct himself well for the future, what is past shall be
pardoned: but if he be fond disaffected, turbulent, and aspiring, this offence shall be
remembered against him, he shall be called up upon his former conviction (as our law
speaks), and execution shall be awarded against him. Thus the Son of David receives
those to mercy that have been rebellious: if they will return to their allegiance, and be
faithful to their Sovereign, their former crimes shall not be mentioned against them; but,
if still they continue in the interests of the world and the flesh, this will be their ruin.
Adonijah is sent for, and told upon what terms he stands, which he signifies his grateful
submission to, and then is told to go to his house and live retired there. Solomon not
only gave him his life, but his estate, thus establishing his throne by mercy.
K&D 51852, "When this was reported to Solomon, together with the prayer of
Adonijah that the king would swear to him that he would not put him to death with the
sword (
ם ִא before תי ִמָי, a particle used in an oath), he promised him conditional impunity:
“If he shall be brave (e .d ,y•u ho, vir probus), none of his hair shall fall to the earth,”
equivalent to not a hair of his head shall be injured (cf. 1Sa_14:45); “but if evil be found
in him,” i.e., if he render himself guilty of a fresh crime, “he shall die.”
PULPIT, "And it was told Solomon, saying, Behold Adonijah feareth King
Solomon, for lo, he hath caught hold on the horns of the altar, saying, let king
Solomon [this repetition of the title is striking. Both courtiers and criminals hasten
to give the young king his new honours. In Adonijah's mouth it is also a virtual
abdication of his claim to the throne and a direct acknowledgment of the new
monarch. But see on 1 Kings 1:1 and 1 Kings 1:35.] swear unto me today [Cf. 2
Samuel 19:23. This is one of many passages which show how lightly the Jews
esteemed promises in comparison with oaths. The sentiment possibly took its rise in
the oaths sworn by the Divine Being (Genesis 22:16; Genesis 24:7; Exodus 16:16,
etc.), though it is possible, on the other hand, that these asseverations were made in
deference to the popular sentiment. Be that as it may, the oath held a much more
conspicuous and important place in the Jewish than the Christian economy. See
rK_KSHSa9R69I3arK_KSHSaIR69I3aevDJKCSaR8693aevDJKCS 30:2; 15:12; 21:1; 1 Samuel
14:28; Jeremiah 5:2, and, to omit other passages, 1 Kings 1:13; 1 Kings 2:8, 1 Kings
2:23, 1 Kings 2:42. Even our Lord, who rebuked the habit (Matthew 5:34837;
Matthew 23:16822) respected the adjuration of Caiaphas, and St. Paul frequently
appeals to God (Acts 26:29; 2 Corinthians 1:23; 2 Corinthians 11:31; Philippians
1:8.) The Christian religion, as it has gradually begotten a reverence for truth, has
made the simple word into a bond] that he will not slay his servant [Cf. "I will be
King," 1 Kings 2:5.] with the sword [the usual form of capital punishment, 1 Kings
if. 8, 25, 31, 46. Adonijah indirectly confesses that he had merited death].

1 Kings 1:51
And Solomon said [i.e; he refused to swear], If he will shew himself a worthy man
[ לִיַח־ןֶבּ, cf. לִיַח־שיִא ,1 Kings 1:42 ], there shall not an hair of him fall to the earth [i.e;
not a single hair shall be injured. Same expression 1 Samuel 14:45; 2 Samuel 14:11;
Acts 27:34. It was evidently a familiar saying] but if wickedness shall be found in
him, [i.e; if he shall commit any fresh crime] he shall die [Hebrew תֵמָו, "then he shall
die," emphatic.]
52 Solomon replied, “If he shows himself to be
worthy, not a hair of his head will fall to the
ground; but if evil is found in him, he will die.
cdS-aiyosThere shalt not an hair ... -This was a proverbial expression, meaning
“he shall suffer no hurt at all.” Solomon’s clemency in pardoning Adonijah is very
remarkable. In the East not only are pretenders almost always punished with death, but
it has often been the custom for each king upon his accession to put to death all his
brothers as mere possible pretenders.
CLARKE, "If he will show himself a worthy man- If, from henceforth, he
behave well, show himself to be contented, and not endeavor to make partisans, or stir
up insurrections among the people, he shall be safe; but if wickedness be found in him -
if he act at all contrary to this - he shall die; his blood shall be upon him.
GILL, "And Solomon said, if he will show himself a worthy man,.... Will
behave himself well as a good subject, and be careful not to offend for the future, or
appear to be one that fears sin, as the Targum; particularly the crimes of sedition,
rebellion, and treason:
there shall not an hair of him fall to the earth; not the least harm should be done
him:
but if wickedness shall be found in him, he shall die; that is, if any crime worthy
of death be committed by him, or any overt act of treason, and the like, he should surely
be put to death, and find no mercy, notwithstanding the present general pardon. This
was very wisely done by Solomon, to begin his reign without shedding blood even of

delinquents; and especially of his brother, and his elder brother too; and by granting his
life for the future on his good
cdS-aiyosNow_WT:oN9“8Z“GhodWIoimRmEmWo:A_IyoP.hoQoiolomon did not swear unto
him, as he desired, but only declared that he gave him a full pardon for what was
past, on condition that he behaved himself as became a good subject for the time to
come. But if wickedness be found in him, he shall die — That is, if he did any thing
in future which manifested that he had still a rebellious mind, the pardon, now
granted, should signify nothing, because he had broken the condition of it. He came
and bowed himself to King Solomon — Thereby owning him for his sovereign, such
respect not being otherwise due from one brother to another. And Solomon said
unto him, Go to thy house — There to lead a private life, without noise, equipage, or
numerous attendants, and not meddling with the affairs of the kingdom.
ELLICOTT, "(52) There shall not a hair of him fall.—Solomon’s pardon, though
according to Oriental ideas, an act of extraordinary grace, was yet characteristically
cautious and conditional, to be withdrawn accordingly on the first symptom of any
renewal of Adonijah’s pretensions.
ECarg-yos“8hoi’muo’_E:FR4oAoumMB’HoEAWoQodBmWFo4mMohis past misconduct by
showing henceforth a thorough loyalty to Solomon.
There shall not a hair of him fall — Thus the first official act of the new king’s reign
is one of magnanimity, and indicative of a gracious and peaceful rule.
If wickedness… be found in him — Especially, any attempts upon the rights,
prerogatives, or authority of the reigning king. But Adonijah’s restless spirit soon
led him to ruin. See 1 Kings 2:13825.
”53 Then King Solomon sent men, and they
brought him down from the altar. And Adonijah
came and bowed down to King Solomon, and
Solomon said, “Go to your home.”
CLARKE, "Go to thine house- Intimating that he should have no place about the

king’s person, nor under the government. Adonijah must have seen that he stood
continually on his good behavior.
Friar Bacon’s method of restoring and strengthening the Natural Heat
“I have read many volumes of the wise: I find few things in physic
which restore the natural heat, weakened by dissolution of the innate
moisture, or increase of a foreign one.
“But certain wise men have tacitly made mention of some medicine,
which is likened to that which goes out of the mine of the noble animal.
They affirm that in it there is a force and virtue which restores and
increases the natural heat. As to its disposition, they say it is like youth
itself, and contains an equal and temperate complexion.
“And the signs of a temperate complexion in men are when their color
is made up of white and red, when the hair is yellow, inclined to redness
and curling.
“This medicine indeed is like to such a complexion, for it is of a
temperate heat: its flame is temperate and sweet, and grateful to the
smell. When it departs from this temperature, it departs so far from its
virtue and goodness.
“This medicine therefore temperately heats, because it is temperately
hot; it therefore heals because it is whole. When it is sick, it makes a man
sick; when it is distempered, it breeds distempers, and changes the body
to its own disposition, because of the similitude it has with the body.
“For the infirmity of a brute animal rarely passes into a man, but into
another animal of the same kind; but the infirmity of man passes into
man; and so does health, because of likeness.
“This thing is seldom found; and although sometimes it be found, yet it
cannot commodiously be had of all men.
“Now, when this thing is like to youth, that is, of temperate complexion,
it has good operations; if its temperature be better, it produces better
effects: sometimes it is even in the highest degree of its perfection, and
then it operates best; and then there is that property whereof we have
spoken before.
“This differs from other medicines and nutriments, which heat and
moisten after a certain temperate manner, and are good for old men. For
other medicines principally heat and moisten the body; and, secondarily,
they strengthen the native heat, and after that refresh the body, by
moistening and heating it. For it brings back this heat in old men, who
have it but weakly and deficient, to a certain stronger and more vehement
power.
“If a plaster be made hereof, and applied to the stomach, it will help
very much, for it will refresh the stomach itself, and excite an appetite; it
will very much recreate an old man, and change him to a kind of youth;
and will make complexions, by what means soever depraved or corrupted,
better. But it is to be observed, that Venus doth weaken and diminish the
power and virtue of this thing!
“And it is very likely that the son of the prince, in his second canon of

the Operations of Simple Medicines spoke of this thing, where he saith,
that there is a certain medicine, concealed by wise men, lest the
incontinent should offend their Creator. There is such a heat in this thing,
as is in young men of sound complexion; and if I durst declare the
properties of this heat, this most hidden secret should presently be
revealed. For this heat doth help the palsical, it restores and preserves the
wasted strength of the native heat, and causeth it to flourish in all the
members, and gently revives the aged.
“But the simple medicine which restores the native heat, when wasted
and weakened, is that which is likened to the complexion of a healthy
young man.”
All this covered and enigmatical description is intended simply to point out that very
medicine recommended by the Jewish physicians to restore and invigorate the dying
king. I could show the bearing of every sentence, but I must leave something to the good
sense of my readers. By attending to the words in italics, the sense will be more easily
discovered. See my note on Rth_4:16(note).
GILL, "So King Solomon sent, and they brought down Adonija h from the
altar,.... It being built upon an hill, as both that at Gibeon, and in Araunah's threshing
floor, were:
and he came and bowed himself to King Solomon ; in a way of reverence and
subjection, acknowledging him to be king, and himself his subject:
and Solomon said to him, go to thine house; in peace; signifying that he pardoned
him, and he might go home, and enjoy his family and substance; and by this intimating
that he should only regard the affairs of his family, and not trouble himself with those of
the kingdom and state, Abarbinel fancies, that because Solomon said, that if he showed
himself to be a worthy man, or a man of fortitude and valour, that Adonijah thought that
his meaning was, that he should go before him as a man of war, and minister to him;
which made him so ready to come and stand before him; in which he was mistaken,
Solomon meant no such thing; nor would he take him into his court and service, but sent
him home to his own house.
1מםֶַולזְדthey brought him down from the altar— from the ledge around
the altar on which he was standing.
he bowed himself— that is, did homage to Solomon as king.
K&D, "He then had him fetched down from the altar (
sa v1gBnQNVZ65, inasmuch as the
altar stood upon an eminence); and when he fell down before the king, i.e., did homage
to him as king, he gave him his life and freedom in the words, “Go to thy house.” The
expression NSw ma eb o- Now e- does not imply his banishment from the court (compare 1Ki_2:13
and 2Sa_14:24). Solomon did not wish to commence his own ascent of the throne by
infliction of punishment, and therefore presented the usurper with his life on the

condition that he kept himself quiet.
PULPIT, "So King Solomon sent and they brought him down [The altar was
elevated: probably a slope, not steps (Exodus 20:26) led to it] from [Hebrew from
upon. He was still clinging to it] the altar. And he came and bowed himself to king
Solomon [i.e; made obeisance to him as king. Cf. 1 Kings 1:16, 1 Kings 1:23, 1 Kings
1:31] and Solomon said unto him, Go to thine house. This was not a sentence of
banishment from court, but merely a dismissal to a private life, involving a tacit
admonition to live quietly and be thankful that his life was spared him. "Vade in
domum tuam, ibi quiesce et res tuas age, nec te publicis regni mei negotiis
immisceas" (Corn. A Lapide).

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