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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadPaul Kretzmann Commentary - 1 Kings 1:1 - 1:27
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Adonijah Attempts to Seize the Kingdom
v. 1. Now, King David was old and stricken in years, advanced in days, being about seventy years old at that time; and they covered him with clothes, but he gat no heat. The extraordinary cares and overexertions of his earlier years had sapped his strength and weakened his resistance, so that his blood no longer had the power to warm him; his vital powers were so chilled and enfeebled that the thickest of covers did not give him warmth.
v. 2. Wherefore his servants said unto him, Let there be sought for my lord the king a young virgin, literally, "a young woman, a virgin," and let her stand before the king, as a servant and nurse, and let her cherish him, be his constant attendant, and let her lie in thy bosom, this manner of warming chilled and enfeebled bodies by contact with young, vigorous, full-blooded bodies being advocated in ancient times, that my lord the king may get heat. This was the only object of this arrangement, which must be looked upon from the standpoint of the time, when polygamy, especially in the case of kings, was altogether in order.
v. 3. So they sought for a fair damsel throughout all the coasts of Israel, and found Abishag, a Shunammite, of Shunem, a city in the Plain of Jezreel, near the foot of the Little Hermon, and brought her to the king, her relation to him being looked upon as that of a wife.
v. 4. And the damsel was very fair, exceedingly beautiful, and cherished the king, she was his nurse and attendant, and ministered to him; but the king knew her not, did not enter into the usual marital relations with her. This remark serves to make clear how it was possible afterwards for Adonijah to seek Abishag for his wife.
v. 5. Then Adonijah, the son of Haggith, exalted himself, saying, I will be king. Amnon having been murdered, Chileab, or Daniel, having apparently died in childhood, and Absalom having perished in the insurrection begun by him, Adonijah believed himself to be the rightful claimant to the throne. And he prepared him chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him, to be his body-guard, all in an overexaltation which did not become him. Cf 2Sa_16:1.
v. 6. And his father had not displeased him at any time, had never rebuked him for this show of ambition during his whole life, this being another indication of David's weakness toward his children, in saying, Why hast thou done so? This indulgence had encouraged Adonijah very considerably. And he also was a very goodly man, very handsome in appearance and bearing; and his mother bare him after Absalom, after the latter had been born of Maachah.
v. 7. And he conferred with Joab, the son of Zeruiah, in order to win over the army through its commander-in-chief, and with Abiathar, the priest, the high priest who was stationed at Jerusalem; and they, following Adonijah, helped him, the latter probably out of jealousy on account of Zadok's position.
v. 8. But Zadok, the priest, the high priest, stationed at Gibeon, 1Ch_16:39, and Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, the captain of the king's body-guard, and Nathan, the prophet, and Shimei, 1Ki_4:18, and Rei, and the mighty men which belonged to David, the corps of David's heroes, 2Sa_23:8-9, were not with Adonijah.
v. 9. And Adonijah slew sheep and oxen and fat cattle, in preparing a great sacrificial feast, by the stone of Zoheleth, which is by En-rogel, a well southeast of Jerusalem, at the junction of the Valley of Hinnom with that of Jehoshaphat, and called all his brethren, the king's sons, and all the men of Judah, the king's servants, all those who had positions at court;
v. 10. but Nathan, the prophet, and Benaiah, and the mighty men, whom he had not been able to interest, and Solomon, his brother, he called not, he purposely omitted him from the invitation, since he was informed of David's plans for his successor, and his design was to render null the purpose of his father and to possess himself of the throne.
v. 11. Wherefore Nathan, who wanted to prevent a repetition of the history of Absalom, spake unto Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon, saying, Hast thou not heard that Adonijah, the son of Haggith, doth reign, that he had practically usurped the royal power, and David, our lord, knoweth it not? David was, for obvious reasons, ignorant of the plans of Adonijah.
v. 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, for according to Oriental custom the opposing pretenders to the crown, together with their nearest relatives, were put to death by him who forcibly seized the throne.
v. 13. Go and get thee in unto King David, with whom she, his favorite wife, still had great influence, 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? The plan was to arouse David's mind to the danger of the situation.
v. 14. Behold, while thou yet talkest there with the king, I also will come in after thee, to follow up the effect of the first announcement, and confirm thy words, by making the same statements and thus inciting the king to action.
v. 15. And Bathsheba went in unto the king, into the chamber, for the aged king could no longer leave his apartments; and the king was very old; and Abishag the Shunammite ministered unto the king, who needed constant nursing and attention.
v. 16. And Bathsheba bowed and did obeisance unto the king. And the king said, What wouldest thou? literally, "What to thee?" What bothers or worries thee?
v. 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.
v. 18. And now, behold, Adonijah reigneth, he was even now usurping the royal authority; and now, my lord the king, thou knowest it not. Note the vividness of Bathsheba's speech.
v. 19. And he hath slain oxen and fat cattle and sheep in abundance, and hath called all the sons of the king, invited them to a sacrificial meal, and Abiathar, the priest, and Joab, the captain of the host; but Solomon, thy servant, hath he not called.
v. 20. And thou, my lord, O king, the eyes of all Israel are upon thee, the decision rested with David alone, that thou shouldest tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him, they were all anxiously awaiting an official declaration.
v. 21. Otherwise it shall come to pass, when my lord the king shall sleep with his fathers, in the sleep awaiting the great day of resurrection, that I and my son Solomon shall be counted offenders, treated as traitors and offenders guilty of death for having aspired to the throne unlawfully.
v. 22. And, lo, while she yet talked with the king, Nathan, the prophet, who had carefully watched his opportunity, also came in.
v. 23. And they told the king, saying, Behold Nathan, the prophet; his name was announced to the king. And when he was come in before the king, he bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground, while Bathsheba retired from the king's presence.
v. 24. And Nathan said, My lord, O king, hast thou said, Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne? It was a direct challenge, which conveyed a slight reproach to David.
v. 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, of the regular army, and Abiathar, the priest; and, behold, they eat and drink before him and say, God save King Adonijah! literally, "May King Adonijah live!"
v. 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. Every movement of Adonijah showed his hostile sentiment toward the friends of the king.
v. 27. Is this thing done by my lord the king, and thou hast not showed it unto thy servant who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him? It was not wounded vanity which was here speaking, but honest doubt, which was sure that the king would not have sanctioned such a move in secret. Note: In the kingdom of Christ also men arise who would usurp the rule of Christ, false Christs, false prophets; and it is a sad fact that so many who call themselves Christians yield to their blandishments and forsake the truth of the Gospel.