1 Kings 3:7-9

3:7 Now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in my father David’s place, even though I am only a young man and am inexperienced. ¹  3:8 Your servant stands ²  among your chosen people; ³  they are a great nation that is too numerous to count or number. 3:9 So give your servant a discerning mind ⁴  so he can make judicial decisions for ⁵  your people and distinguish right from wrong. ⁶  Otherwise ⁷  no one is able ⁸  to make judicial decisions for ⁹  this great nation of yours.” ¹⁰ 

1 Kings 3:2

3:2 Now the people were offering sacrifices at the high places, ¹¹  because in those days a temple had not yet been built to honor the Lord. ¹² 

1 Kings 1:1

Adonijah Tries to Seize the Throne

1:1 King David was very old; ¹³  even when they covered him with blankets, ¹⁴  he could not get warm.

1 Kings 1:1-2

Adonijah Tries to Seize the Throne

1:1 King David was very old; ¹⁵  even when they covered him with blankets, ¹⁶  he could not get warm. 1:2 His servants advised ¹⁷  him, “A young virgin must be found for our master, the king, ¹⁸  to take care of the king’s needs ¹⁹  and serve as his nurse. She can also sleep with you ²⁰  and keep our master, the king, warm.” ²¹ 

1 Kings 1:5

1:5 Now Adonijah, son of David and Haggith, ²²  was promoting himself, ²³  boasting, ²⁴  “I will be king!” He managed to acquire ²⁵  chariots and horsemen, as well as fifty men to serve as his royal guard. ²⁶ 

1 Kings 1:9

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, ²⁷  as well as all the men of Judah, the king’s servants.

1 Kings 1:11

1:11 Nathan said to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother, “Has it been reported to you ²⁸  that Haggith’s son Adonijah has become king behind our master David’s back? ²⁹ 

Ecclesiastes 10:16

The Problem with Foolish Rulers

10:16 Woe to you, O land, when your king is childish, ³⁰ 

and your princes feast in the morning!

[3:7]  ¹ tn Heb “and I do not know going out or coming in.”

[3:8]  ² tn There is no verb expressed in the Hebrew text; “stands” is supplied in the translation for clarification.

[3:8]  ³ tn Heb “your people whom you have chosen.”

[3:9]  ⁴ tn Heb “a hearing heart.” (The Hebrew term translated “heart” often refers to the mental faculties.)

[3:9]  ⁵ tn Heb “to judge.”

[3:9]  ⁶ tn Heb “to understand between good and evil.”

[3:9]  ⁷ tn Heb “for”; the word “otherwise” is used to reflect the logical sense of the statement.

[3:9]  ⁸ tn Heb “who is able?” The rhetorical question anticipates the answer, “no one.”

[3:9]  ⁹ tn Heb “to judge.”

[3:9]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “your numerous people.”

[3:2]  ¹¹ sn Offering sacrifices at the high places. The “high places” were places of worship that were naturally or artificially elevated.

[3:2]  ¹² tn Heb “for the name of the Lord.” The word “name” sometimes refers to one’s reputation or honor (thus the translation here, “to honor the Lord”). The “name” of the Lord sometimes designates the Lord himself, being indistinguishable from the proper name.

[1:1]  ¹³ tn Heb “was old, coming into the days” (i.e., advancing in years).

[1:1]  ¹⁴ tn Or “garments.”

[1:1]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “was old, coming into the days” (i.e., advancing in years).

[1:1]  ¹⁶ tn Or “garments.”

[1:2]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “said to.”

[1:2]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “let them seek for my master, the king, a young girl, a virgin.” The third person plural subject of the verb is indefinite (see GKC 460 §144.f). The appositional expression, “a young girl, a virgin,” is idiomatic; the second term specifically defines the more general first term (see IBHS 230 §12.3b).

[1:2]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “and she will stand before the king.” The Hebrew phrase “stand before” can mean “to attend; to serve” (BDB 764 s.v. עָמַד).

[1:2]  ²⁰ tn Heb “and she will lie down in your bosom.” The expression might imply sexual intimacy (see 2 Sam 12:3 [where the lamb symbolizes Bathsheba] and Mic 7:5), though v. 4b indicates that David did not actually have sex with the young woman.

[1:2]  ²¹ tn Heb “and my master, the king, will be warm.”

[1:5]  ²² tn Heb “son of Haggith,” but since this formula usually designates the father (who in this case was David), the translation specifies that David was Adonijah’s father.

[1:5]  ²³ tn Heb “lifting himself up.”

[1:5]  ²⁴ tn Heb “saying.”

[1:5]  ²⁵ tn Or “he acquired for himself.”

[1:5]  ²⁶ tn Heb “to run ahead of him.”

[1:9]  ²⁷ tc The ancient Greek version omits this appositional phrase.

[1:11]  ²⁸ tn Heb “Have you not heard?”

[1:11]  ²⁹ tn Heb “and our master David does not know.”

[10:16]  ³⁰ tn Or “a child”; or “a servant.” The term נַעַר (na’ar) has a wide range of meanings (HALOT 707 s.v. נַעַר; BDB 654–55 s.v. II נַעַר). Used in reference to age, it may refer to an infant (Exod 2:6; Judg 13:5; 1 Sam 1:22; 4:21; 2 Sam 12:16), a child just weaned (1 Sam 1:24), an adolescent in puberty (1 Sam 16:11), or a young man of marriageable age (Gen 34:19; 2 Sam 14:21; 18:5, 12). Its technical or titular use denotes “servant” (Num 22:22; Judg 7:10-11; 19:3; 1 Sam 3:9; 2 Sam 16:1; 2 Kgs 4:12, 25; 19:6), “retainer; attendant; follower” (Gen 14:24; 1 Sam 25:5; 2 Sam 2:14; 2 Kgs 19:6; Isa 37:6; Job 1:15-17; Neh 4:10, 17) and “soldier” (1 Kgs 20:15-16). The parallel Ugaritic term is used in reference to physical age (lad; son; youth) and in a technical sense (guild members; servitors; soldiers); see UT 19.445. The LXX rendered it with νεώτερος (newteros, “youthful”). The English versions vary: “child,” (KJV, ASV, NASB, MLB, RSV, NRSV margin, NIV margin); “childish” (NIV margin); “servant” or “slave” (NEB, NAB, ASV margin, NRSV, NIV); and “lackey” (NJPS). When used in reference to rulers, it emphasizes incompetence, naiveté, inexperience, and immaturity (Isa 3:4, 9; 1 Kgs 3:7). This use must be understood in the light of the parallel antonym: “son of freemen” (בֶּן־חוֹרִים, ben-khorim). This suggests “servant,” that is, one who was not well trained and prepared by noble birth to ascend to the throne.