1 Kings 1 - Study the King James Bible

Now king David was old and stricken in years; and they 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 let her 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 coasts of Israel, and found Abishag a Shunammite, and brought her to the king.

And the damsel was very fair, and cherished the king, and ministered to him: but the king knew her not.

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.

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.

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.

And he conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar the priest: and they following Adonijah helped him.

But Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and Nathan the prophet, and Shimei, and Rei, and the mighty men which belonged to David, were not with Adonijah.

And Adonijah slew sheep and oxen and fat cattle by the stone of Zoheleth, which is by En-rogel, and called all his brethren the king's sons, and all the men of Judah the king's servants:

10.

But Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, and the mighty men, and Solomon his brother, he called not.

11.

Wherefore Nathan spake unto Bath-sheba the mother of Solomon, saying, Hast thou not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith doth reign, and David our lord knoweth it not?

12.

Now therefore come, let me, I pray thee, give thee counsel, that thou mayest save thine own life, and the life of thy son Solomon.

1 Kings 1:12. That thou mayest save thine own life, &c.— Both Solomon and Bath-sheba 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. Bath-sheba 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 Bath-sheba 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.

13.

Go and get thee in unto king David, 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? why then doth Adonijah reign?

14.

Behold, while thou yet talkest there with the king, I also will come in after thee, and confirm thy words.

15.

And Bath-sheba went in unto the king into the chamber: and the king was very old; and Abishag the Shunammite ministered unto the king.

16.

And Bath-sheba bowed, and did obeisance unto the king. And the king said, What wouldest thou?

17.

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.

And now, behold, Adonijah reigneth; and now, my lord the king, thou knowest it not:

19.

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.

20.

And thou, my lord, O king, 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.

21.

Otherwise it shall come to pass, when my lord the king shall sleep with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon shall be counted offenders.

22.

And, lo, while she yet talked with the king, Nathan the prophet also came in.

23.

And they told the king, saying, Behold Nathan the prophet. And when he was come in before the king, he bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground.

24.

And Nathan said, My lord, O king, hast thou said, Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne?

25.

For he is gone down this day, and hath slain oxen and fat cattle and sheep in abundance, and hath called all the king's sons, and the captains of the host, and Abiathar the priest; and, behold, they eat and drink before him, and say, God save king Adonijah.

26.

But me, even me thy servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and thy servant Solomon, hath he not called.

27.

Is this thing done by my lord the king, and thou hast not shewed it unto thy servant, who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?

28.

Then king David answered and said, Call me Bath-sheba. And she came into the king's presence, and stood before the king.

29.

And the king sware, and said, As the LORD liveth, that hath redeemed my soul out of all distress,

30.

Even as I sware unto thee by the LORD God of Israel, saying, Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne in my stead; even so will I certainly do this day.

31.

Then Bath-sheba bowed with her face to the earth, and did reverence to the king, and said, Let my lord king David live for ever.

32.

And king David said, Call me Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada. And they came before the king.

33.

The king also said unto them, Take with you the servants of your lord, and cause Solomon my son to ride upon mine own mule, and bring him down to Gihon:

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 of Jerusalem, not in the city, Zadok and Nathan anointed 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.
Note; (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.

34.

And let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there king over Israel: and blow ye with the trumpet, and say, God save king Solomon.

35.

Then ye shall come up after him, that he may come and sit upon my throne; for he shall be king in my stead: and I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and over Judah.

36.

And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king, and said, Amen: the LORD God of my lord the king say so too.

37.

As the LORD hath been with my lord the king, even so be he with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord king David.

38.

So Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, went down, and caused Solomon to ride upon king David's mule, and brought him to Gihon.

39.

And Zadok the priest took an horn of oil out of the tabernacle, and anointed Solomon. And they blew the trumpet; and all the people said, God save king Solomon.

40.

And all the people came up after him, and the people piped with pipes, and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth rent with the sound of them.

41.

And Adonijah and all the guests that were with him heard it as they had made an end of eating. And when Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, Wherefore is this noise of the city being in an uproar?

42.

And while he yet spake, behold, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came: and Adonijah said unto him, Come in; for thou art a valiant man, and bringest good tidings.

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 Pro 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.

43.

And Jonathan answered and said to Adonijah, Verily our lord king David hath made Solomon king.

44.

And the king hath sent with him Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, and they have caused him to ride upon the king's mule:

45.

And Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king in Gihon: and they are come up from thence rejoicing, so that the city rang again. This is the noise that ye have heard.

46.

And also Solomon sitteth on the throne of the kingdom.

47.

And moreover the king's servants came to bless our lord king David, saying, God make the name of Solomon better than thy name, and make his throne greater than thy throne. And the king bowed himself upon the bed.

48.

And also thus said 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.

49.

And all the guests that were with Adonijah were afraid, and rose up, and went every man his way.

50.

And Adonijah feared because of Solomon, and arose, and went, and caught hold on the horns of the altar.

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.
REFLECTIONS.—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. Note; 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. Note; (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. Note; (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.

51.

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 swear unto me to day that he will not slay his servant with the sword.

52.

And Solomon said, 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.

53.

So king Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and bowed himself to king Solomon: and Solomon said unto him, Go to thine house.