1 Kings 1:5-53

1 Kings 1:5-53

[5] Then Adonijah  the son  of Haggith  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.  [7] And he conferred  with Joab  the son  of Zeruiah,  and with Abiathar  the priest:  and they following  Adonijah  helped  [8] 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.  [9] And Adonijah  slew  sheep  and oxen  and fat cattle  by the stone  of Zoheleth,  which is by  Enrogel,  and called  all his brethren  the king's  sons,  of Judah  the king's  servants:  [10] But Nathan  the prophet,  and Benaiah,  and the mighty men,  and Solomon  his brother,  he called  [11] Wherefore Nathan  spake  unto Bathsheba  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] let me, I pray thee, give thee counsel,  that thou mayest save  thine own life,  of thy son  Solomon.  [13] 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 Bathsheba  went in  unto the king  into the chamber:  and the king  was very  old;  and Abishag  the Shunammite  ministered  unto the king.  [16] And Bathsheba  bowed,  and did obeisance  unto 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  [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 Bathsheba.  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 Bathsheba  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:  [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  [37] As the LORD  hath been with my lord  the king,  even so be he with Solomon,  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 Pelethites,  went down,  and caused Solomon  to ride  upon king  David's  mule,  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  [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,  good  tidings.  [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,  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  [49] And all the guests  that were with Adonijah  were afraid,  and rose up,  every man  his way.  [50] And Adonijah  feared  because  of Solomon,  and arose,  and caught hold  on the horns  of the altar.  [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:  said  to thine house. 

What does 1 Kings 1:5-53 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Adonijah ("Yahweh is lord") was David"s fourth son ( 2 Samuel 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 Yahweh"s anointing occupy that position. God had identified Solomon as David"s successor even before Solomon was born ( 1 Chronicles 22:9-10). Adonijah"s revolt was primarily against the revealed will of God, secondarily against David, and finally against Solomon.
"His father had never interfered with him or "crossed him" (NASB) is more descriptive than "displeased him" (RSV), for this comment by the author (cf. 1 Kings 1:8; 1 Kings 1:10) betrays David"s weakness in his unwillingness to cause his children any physical or mental discomfort ..." [1]
Adonijah prepared to seize David"s throne as Absalom had attempted to do (cf. 2 Samuel 15:1). Joab had long since demonstrated his disregard for God"s will in many instances ( 2 Samuel 3:22-30; 2 Samuel 18:5-15; 2 Samuel 20:8-10). He evidently sided with Adonijah now because he realized he was out of favor with David. If Solomon succeeded to the throne, he would probably demote Joab at least.
Abiathar had been the leading priest in Israel until David began to give Zadok priority. He had fled from Nob, after Saul massacred the priests there, to join David in the wilderness ( 1 Samuel 22:18-20). He had also offered sacrifices at David"s tabernacle in Jerusalem while Zadok served at the Mosaic tabernacle at Gibeon. However, David had been showing increasing favor to Zadok (cf. 1 Chronicles 15:11; 2 Samuel 15:24; 2 Samuel 20:25). Abiathar was one of Eli"s descendants whom God had doomed with removal from the priesthood ( 1 Samuel 2:30-36; cf. 1 Kings 2:27). Probably Abiathar saw in Adonijah"s rebellion a promising opportunity to retain his position that he must have seen he would lose if Solomon came to power.
Shimei ( 1 Kings 1:8; cf. 2 Samuel 16:5-13; 2 Samuel 19:16-23) may have been truly loyal to David at this time, or he may have simply supported David for the sake of personal advantage (cf. 1 Kings 2:36-38).
Adonijah"s banquet at En-rogel, just a few hundred yards southeast of the City of David, was probably a covenant meal at which his supporters pledged their allegiance to David"s eldest living son. If David"s other supporters had attended and eaten with Adonijah, custom would have bound them to support and protect one another. [2]
As a prophet, Nathan spoke for God. The term "prophet" occurs94times in Kings, and "man of God," a prophetic title, 60 times. There are four varieties of prophets in Kings: lone figures who spoke for God (e.g, Elijah), court prophets (e.g, Nathan), writing prophets (writers of the inspired OT books), and prophetic groups (e.g, schools of prophets, and sons of the prophets). [3] Some prophets also served as worship leaders ( 1 Chronicles 25:1).
Evidently God moved Nathan to do what he did here. It was certainly in harmony with God"s will (cf. 2 Samuel 12:1). Adonijah had become king ( 1 Kings 1:11) only in the sense that he was the people"s choice at that moment. Perhaps Nathan was trying to shock Bathsheba and David by referring to Adonijah as the king.
David had undoubtedly assured Bathsheba that Solomon would succeed him after God had revealed that to David ( 1 Chronicles 22:9-10). Nathan wanted to make sure at least two witnesses would hear David"s promise that Solomon was his choice (cf. Numbers 35:30; Deuteronomy 17:6; Deuteronomy 19:15). This was especially important since Adonijah"s rebellion against the Lord"s anointed was a capital offense.
We should probably interpret Bathsheba"s request ( 1 Kings 1:20) as a desire that David would appoint Solomon co-regent rather than that he should step down and let Solomon rule in his place. [4]
Normally in the ancient Near East a new king would purge his political enemies when he came to power (cf. 1 Kings 2:13-46). This was the basis for Bathsheba"s fear ( 1 Kings 1:21). Nathan"s news that Adonijah"s feast was taking place at that very moment ( 1 Kings 1:25) would have encouraged David to act at once. Nathan"s words to David ( 1 Kings 1:24-27) were very diplomatic and appropriate for a man in his position.
The clause, "May the king live forever," ( 1 Kings 1:31; 1 Kings 1:34; et al.) occurs often in the Old Testament. It expresses the wish that, because the king had acted or would act righteously, God would bless him with long life. God had promised righteous Israelites long life under the Mosaic Law. It also expressed the desire that David might live forever through the lives of his descendants.
Zadok, Nathan, and Benaiah were the highest ranking priest, prophet, and soldier respectively. Their leadership in the events David ordered ( 1 Kings 1:32-35) would have shown the people that they were acting as King David"s representatives. Kings often rode on mules in the ancient Near East, symbolizing their role as servants of the people ( 1 Kings 1:33). The Gihon spring ( 1 Kings 1:33) was the other main water source for Jerusalem besides En-rogel. It was one-half mile north of En-rogel on the eastern side of Zion, and it was visible from En-rogel. [5]
Zadok the high priest anointed (consecrated) Solomon king of Israel there ( 1 Kings 1:34; 1 Kings 1:39) with oil from David"s tabernacle ( 1 Kings 1:39), symbolizing Solomon"s endowment with God"s Spirit for service (cf. 1 Samuel 10:1; 1 Samuel 16:3; 1 Samuel 16:12). At the same time someone anointed Zadok as high priest ( 1 Chronicles 29:22). A trumpet blast ( 1 Kings 1:34; 1 Kings 1:39) often announced God"s activity in Israel throughout its history ( Exodus 19:16; et al.), as it did here.
"Two terms are used for the royal office: "king" ( 1 Kings 1:34-35 a) and "ruler" ( 1 Kings 1:35 b). "King" (melek) had a long history of usage and carried with it associations of autocracy and despotism from the practice of kingship among Israel"s neighbors. "Ruler" (nagid, translated elsewhere as "prince" or "leader"), a term unique to Israelite tradition, emphasizes that one rules at God"s appointment and pleasure (cf. 1 Samuel 9:16; 1 Samuel 10:1; 1 Samuel 13:14; 1 Samuel 25:30; 2 Samuel 7:8; 1 Kings 14:7; 1 Kings 16:2). These two terms anticipate the long struggle between the ideal and the practice of kingship in Israel." [6]
By anointing Solomon ( 1 Kings 1:39, in973 B.C.), the high priest identified him as David"s successor. Solomon now took his seat on Israel"s throne as David"s co-regent ( 1 Kings 1:46).
"The exact relationship between David and Solomon during the period of coregency is not made clear. Normally in such coregencies, the father remained in supreme command as long as he lived, with the son more or less carrying out his directives. This probably was true with David and Solomon also, though the fact that David was bedridden during this time suggests such an arrangement may have been more theoretical than actual." [7]
David thanked God for allowing him to live to see Solomon"s coronation ( 1 Kings 1:48).
"The placing of Solomon on the throne signals the beginning of the Davidic dynasty, a royal lineage that will eventually produce Jesus Christ. God has begun to keep the promises made to David in 2 Samuel 7:7-17." [8]
Some commentators believed this was Solomon"s second anointing, when he became the sole king over Israel (in971 B.C.). [9] It seems more likely, however, that David did not die for some time after the events described in chapter1 (i.e, for two years; cf. 1 Kings 2:10-12).
Adonijah fled to the sanctuary courtyard, evidently the one in Jerusalem, and took hold of the horns on the brazen altar. In the ancient Near East and in Israel, people customarily regarded the central sanctuary as a place of refuge ( Exodus 21:14; cf. Ezekiel 21:1-3). The name "sanctuary" to describe a church originated in the Middle Ages. [10] The idea behind this custom seems to have been that God had been gracious to people by accepting their offerings. Consequently, people should be gracious to the refugee who had offended his fellow man. Song of Solomon , like David and like Yahweh, showed mercy ( 1 Kings 1:52). [11]
"The central truth for the throne-succession historian is that Yahweh was at work to frustrate Adonijah and to establish Solomon." [12]
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