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Texts -- 1 Kings 1:1-53 (NET)

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Adonijah Tries to Seize the Throne
1:1 King David was very old ; even when they covered him with blankets , he could not get warm . 1:2 His servants advised him, “A young virgin must be found for our master , the king , to take care of the king’s needs and serve as his nurse . She can also sleep with you and keep our master , the king , warm .” 1:3 So they looked through all Israel for a beautiful young woman and found Abishag , a Shunammite , and brought her to the king . 1:4 The young woman was very beautiful ; she became the king’s nurse and served him, but the king did not have sexual relations with her. 1:5 Now Adonijah , son of David and Haggith , was promoting himself, boasting , “I will be king !” He managed to acquire chariots and horsemen , as well as fifty men to serve as his royal guard . 1:6 (Now his father had never corrected him by saying , “Why do you do such things ?” He was also very handsome and had been born right after Absalom .) 1:7 He collaborated with Joab son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest , and they supported him . 1:8 But Zadok the priest , Benaiah son of Jehoiada , Nathan the prophet , Shimei , Rei , and David’s elite warriors did not ally themselves with Adonijah . 1:9 Adonijah sacrificed sheep , cattle , and fattened steers at the Stone of Zoheleth near En Rogel . He invited all his brothers , the king’s sons , as well as all the men of Judah , the king’s servants . 1:10 But he did not invite Nathan the prophet , Benaiah , the elite warriors , or his brother Solomon . 1:11 Nathan said to Bathsheba , Solomon’s mother , “Has it been reported to you that Haggith’s son Adonijah has become king behind our master David’s back ? 1:12 Now let me give you some advice as to how you can save your life and your son Solomon’s life . 1:13 Visit King David and say to him, ‘My master , O king , did you not solemnly promise your servant , “Surely your son Solomon will be king after me; he will sit on my throne ”? So why has Adonijah become king ?’ 1:14 While you are still there speaking to the king , I will arrive and verify your report .” 1:15 So Bathsheba visited the king in his private quarters . (The king was very old , and Abishag the Shunammite was serving the king .) 1:16 Bathsheba bowed down on the floor before the king . The king said , “What do you want?” 1:17 She replied to him, “My master , you swore an oath to your servant by the Lord your God , ‘Solomon your son will be king after me and he will sit on my throne .’ 1:18 But now , look , Adonijah has become king ! But you, my master the king , are not even aware of it! 1:19 He has sacrificed many cattle , steers , 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 your servant Solomon . 1:20 Now, my master , O king , all Israel is watching anxiously to see who is named to succeed my master the king on the throne . 1:21 If a decision is not made, when my master the king is buried with his ancestors , my son Solomon and I will be considered state criminals .” 1:22 Just then , while she was still speaking to the king , Nathan the prophet arrived . 1:23 The king was told , “Nathan the prophet is here.” Nathan entered and bowed before the king with his face to the floor . 1:24 Nathan said , “My master , O king , did you announce , ‘Adonijah will be king after me; he will sit on my throne ’? 1:25 For today he has gone down and sacrificed many cattle , steers , and sheep and has invited all the king’s sons , the army commanders , and Abiathar the priest . At this moment they are having a feast in his presence , and they have declared , ‘Long live King Adonijah !’ 1:26 But he did not invite me – your servant – or Zadok the priest , or Benaiah son of Jehoiada , or your servant Solomon . 1:27 Has my master the king authorized this without informing your servants who should succeed my master the king on his throne ?”
David Picks Solomon as His Successor
1:28 King David responded , “Summon Bathsheba !” She came and stood before the king . 1:29 The king swore an oath: “As certainly as the Lord lives (he who has rescued me from every danger ), 1:30 I will keep today the oath I swore to you by the Lord God of Israel : ‘Surely Solomon your son will be king after me; he will sit in my place on my throne .’” 1:31 Bathsheba bowed down to the king with her face to the floor and said , “May my master , King David , live forever !” 1:32 King David said , “Summon Zadok the priest , Nathan the prophet , and Benaiah son of Jehoiada .” They came before the king , 1:33 and he told them, “Take your master’s servants with you, put my son Solomon on my mule , and lead him down to Gihon . 1:34 There Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet will anoint him king over Israel ; then blow the trumpet and declare , ‘Long live King Solomon !’ 1:35 Then follow him up as he comes and sits on my throne . He will be king in my place ; I have decreed that he will be ruler over Israel and Judah .” 1:36 Benaiah son of Jehoiada responded to the king : “So be it ! May the Lord God of my master the king confirm it! 1:37 As the Lord is with my master the king , so may he be with Solomon , and may he make him an even greater king than my master King David !” 1:38 So Zadok the priest , Nathan the prophet , Benaiah son of Jehoiada , the Kerethites , and the Pelethites went down , put Solomon on King David’s mule , and led him to Gihon . 1:39 Zadok the priest took a horn filled with olive oil from the tent and poured it on Solomon ; the trumpet was blown and all the people declared , “Long live King Solomon !” 1:40 All the people followed him up , playing flutes and celebrating so loudly they made the ground shake . 1:41 Now Adonijah and all his guests heard the commotion just as they had finished eating . When Joab heard the sound of the trumpet , he asked , “Why is there such a noisy commotion in the city ?” 1:42 As he was still speaking , Jonathan son of Abiathar the priest arrived . Adonijah said , “Come in, for an important man like you must be bringing good news .” 1:43 Jonathan replied to Adonijah : “No ! Our master King David has made Solomon king. 1:44 The king sent with him Zadok the priest , Nathan the prophet , Benaiah son of Jehoiada , the Kerethites , and the Pelethites and they put him on the king’s mule . 1:45 Then Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anointed him king in Gihon . They went up from there rejoicing , and the city is in an uproar . That is the sound you hear . 1:46 Furthermore , Solomon has assumed the royal throne . 1:47 The king’s servants have even come to congratulate our master King David , saying , ‘May your God make Solomon more famous than you and make him an even greater king than you!’ Then the king leaned on the bed 1:48 and said this : ‘The Lord God of Israel is worthy of praise because today he has placed a successor on my throne and allowed me to see it.’” 1:49 All of Adonijah’s guests panicked ; they jumped up and rushed off their separate ways . 1:50 Adonijah feared Solomon , so he got up and went and grabbed hold of the horns of the altar . 1:51 Solomon was told , “Look , Adonijah fears you; see , he has taken hold of the horns of the altar , saying , ‘May King Solomon solemnly promise me today that he will not kill his servant with the sword .’” 1:52 Solomon said , “If he is a loyal subject , not a hair of his head will be harmed , but if he is found to be a traitor , he will die .” 1:53 King Solomon sent men to bring him down from the altar . He came and bowed down to King Solomon , and Solomon told him, “Go home .”

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Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • The height of this altar was 5 feet. This height has led some commentators to suggest that a step-like bench or ledge may have surrounded it on which the priests stood when they offered sacrifices.463In view of the command pr...
  • The Book of Samuel covers the period of Israel's history bracketed by Samuel's conception and the end of David's reign. David turned the kingdom over to Solomon in 971 B.C.3David reigned for 40 and one-half years (2 Sam. 2:11...
  • The basic theme in Samuel, that blessing, and in particular fertility of all kinds, follows from faithful commitment to God's revealed will, continues in this section. However another major motif now becomes more prominent. W...
  • "Saul the king is dead, Jonathan the heir apparent is dead, Abinadab and Malki-Shua (two of Jonathan's brothers) are dead (1 Sam 31:2), Abner the commander of the army is dead--and no other viable claimants or pretenders cont...
  • "From the religious heights of chapter 7 we descend again to the everyday world of battles and bloodshed in chapter 8. The military action picks up where the story left off at the end of chapter 5."130Chapter 8 evidently desc...
  • Chapters 9-20 contrast with chapters 2-8 in that this later section is negative whereas the earlier one was positive. It records failure; the former records success. Compare the similar narrative of Saul's triumphs (1 Sam. 7-...
  • Evidently Joab (David's commander-in-chief and nephew by his half-sister, Zeruiah) concluded that it would be politically better for David and Israel if David brought Absalom back to Jerusalem from Geshur (cf. vv. 7, 13-15). ...
  • Two sub-sections each begin with a reference to time (vv. 1, 7) and form a literary "diptych"(i.e., two complementary panals).233The first six verses explain how Absalom undermined popular confidence in the Lord's anointed fo...
  • This is the central unit of chapters 5-20, and its central focus is the judgment that Hushai's advice was better than Ahithophel's (17:14). This advice is the pivot on which the fortunes of David swung in his dealings with Ab...
  • Achtemeier, Paul J., and Elizabeth Achtemeier. The Old Testament Roots of Our Faith. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1979.Ackerman, James S. "Knowing Good and Evil: A Literary Ananysis of the Court History in 2 Samuel 9-20 and ...
  • I. The reign of Solomon chs. 1-11A. Solomon's succession to David's throne 1:1-2:121. David's declining health 1:1-42. Adonijah's attempt to seize the throne 1:5-533. David's charge to Solomon 2:1-94. David's death 2:10-12B. ...
  • The Holy Spirit led the writer of Kings to give an interpretation of history, not just a chronologically sequential record of events. This is true of all the writers of the Old Testament historical books. Some of the events i...
  • The first segment of the writer's story (1:1-2:12) continues the history of Israel's monarchy where 2 Samuel ended. It records the final events in David's reign that led to Solomon's succession to the throne. It answers the q...
  • It was customary in ancient times to warm an elderly person not only by covering him or her with blankets, but also by putting a healthy person in bed with him or her.16The body heat of the well person would keep the older pe...
  • Adonijah was David's fourth son (2 Sam. 3:4) and the eldest one living at this time. Evidently he believed it was more important that the eldest son succeed David, as was customary in the Near East, than that the king of Yahw...
  • David and Saul each reigned for 40 years (cf. Acts 13:21). The differences in their personal lives and administrations were not due to any natural difference in the time they ruled. These differences sprang from God's respons...
  • Perhaps because Solomon had shown Adonijah mercy when he fled to the altar (1:50-52) Joab sought refuge from Solomon for participating in Adonijah's rebellion there too. Joab, however, was a murderer as well as a rebel. Conse...
  • David had warned Solomon to keep Shimei under close observation and to put him to death (vv. 8-9). Evidently David realized because of Shimei's past actions that it would only be a matter of time before he would do something ...
  • The flowing narrative of chapters 1-2 now gives way to reports and lists that catalogue facts about Solomon's reign.The writer constructed the Solomon narrative (chs. 3-11), like so many others in the Old Testament, to draw a...
  • We can explain the writer's unusual reference to Judah and Israel at this time, before the division of the kingdom. When he wrote Kings the nation had split, so probably the writer was using the designation that was common in...
  • Evidently this word from the Lord came to Solomon during temple construction. Note that this was a conditional promise based on obedience to the Mosaic Covenant. God would establish Solomon's kingdom forever (i.e., it would r...
  • Aharoni, Yohanan. "The Building Activities of David and Solomon."Israel Exploration Journal24:1(1974):13-16.Aharoni, Yohanan, and Michael Avi-Yonahl. The Macmillan Bible Atlas. Revised ed., New York: Macmillan Publishing Co.,...
  • God had told Elijah that he would anoint Jehu (1 Kings 19:16).55He did this through his successor Elisha who accomplished it by using one of his protégés (v. 1). Jehu would wipe out Omri's dynasty in Israel (v. 7-10...
  • Two years after David's blessing Solomon mounted the throne as sole king of Israel.86The events surrounding Adonijah's rebellion (1 Kings 1) were of no significance to the Chronicler since they had no bearing on his purpose. ...
  • The Chronicler's main interest in David's reign, as we have seen, focused on the Davidic Covenant with its promises to David and his descendants. In recounting the events of Solomon's reign he proceeded to emphasize the templ...
  • The Chronicler did not have much interest in Athaliah because she was not of the Davidic line. She was the daughter of Ahab. His concern in this chapter was with the events that brought the next Davidic king to the throne, Jo...
  • The events we read in chapter 3 took place four years after Esther became queen (cf. 2:16; 3:7).Agag was the name of an area in Media that had become part of the Persian Empire.54However, Agag was also the name of the Amaleki...
  • "Here the early bird is gotten by the worm."85Haman's pride preceded his fall (v. 6; cf. Prov. 16:18). He wanted to appear as much like the king himself as possible in the honors he recommended for the person he thought would...
  • In this verse David described God as a host rather than as a shepherd. As a gracious host God provides hospitality for His people. He supplies us with what we need and desire lavishly, and He does so not by removing us from t...
  • Verses 2-7 are full of figures of speech that picture old age and death.7912:2-3 Solomon likened the evil days first to an approaching rainstorm (v. 2) that is fearful and uncertain (cf. 11:7-8). The Hebrews regarded any decl...
  • As the book begins, the young woman and young man have already met and "fallen in love."In verses 2-4a the girl voices her desire for her boyfriend's physical affection."It is significant to this work that the girl speaks fir...
  • 3:6 The marriage procession of King (or Prince) Solomon would have been unusually splendid, as this description portrays."The pomp and beauty of this procession were wholly appropriate in light of the event's significance. Th...
  • Isaiah next described the remnant who will stream to Zion praising God at the beginning of Messiah's reign. Notice the many triadic formations in the structure of this chapter, creating a feeling of the completeness of joy. T...
  • "The setting of the Mesopotamian dream-visions--which occurred in both the Assyrian period and the Babylonian period . . . --consisted of four elements: (1) the date, (2) the place of reception, (3) the recipient, and (4) the...
  • There were two rooms for singers in the inner court. One of them stood beside the north inner gate, and its door faced south. It also accommodated the needs of the priests who were responsible for the care of the temple. The ...
  • 2:4 The Chaldeans took the lead in replying to the king. They responded in the Aramaic language that was widely used in business and in government throughout the empire. This reference to Aramaic introduces the section of the...
  • Amos' announcement of Israel's coming judgment came in three waves (vv. 11, 12, and 13-15).3:11 Sovereign Yahweh announced that an enemy that would surround the land of Israel would destroy and loot its impressive fortresses....
  • "This text is one of the most messianically significant passages of all the Bible, in both the Jewish and Christian traditions. Judaism sees in it a basis for a royal messianic expectation, whereas the NT and Christianity see...
  • 21:1-2 Jesus and his disciples travelled the 17 miles from Jericho to Bethany along the Roman road. They climbed about 3,000 feet in elevation between those towns. Bethphage ("house of figs") lay slightly farther west than Be...
  • 23:1 As we have seen, there were three groups of people present in the temple courtyard. These were the disciples of Jesus, His critics, namely the various groups of Israel's leaders, and the crowds of ordinary Israelites. Je...
  • Luke did not record Jesus' actual entrance into the city of Jerusalem. He stressed Jesus' approach to Jerusalem and His lamentation over it (vv. 41-44). This presentation has the effect of eliminating the triumphant spirit of...
  • 8:2 John saw someone, perhaps God, give seven trumpets to a group of seven angels standing before the heavenly throne (cf. 1:4; 3:1; 8:6; 15:1). Exactly who these angels were is not clear. Some interpreters have identified th...
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