Bible Commentaries

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

1 Kings 1

Clinging to a Counterfeit Cross
Introduction

1  Abishag cherishes David in his extreme age.
5  Adonijah, David's darling, usurps the kingdom.
11  By the council of Nathan,
15  Bath-sheba moves the king,
22  and Nathan seconds her.
28  David renews his oath to Bath-sheba.
32  Solomon, by David's appointment, being anointed king by Zadok and Nathan, the people triumph.
41  Jonathan bringing the news, Adonijah's guests fly.
50  Adonijah, flying to the horns of the altar, upon his good behaviour, is dismissed by Solomon.

Verse 1

Now king David was old and stricken in years; and they covered him with clothes, but he gat no heat.
old
David was probably now about sixty-nine years of age. He was thirty years old when he began to reign, reigned forty, and died in his seventieth year; and the transactions mentioned here are supposed to have taken place about a year before his death. Sixty-nine was not an advanced age; but he had been exhausted with various fatigues, and especially family afflictions, so that he was much older in constitution than in years.
2 Samuel 5:4, 1 Chronicles 23:1, 29:27,28, Psalms 90:10
and stricken in years
Heb. and entered into days.
Genesis 18:11, 24:1, Joshua 23:1,2, Luke 1:7

Verse 2

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.
Let there be sought
Heb. Let them seek. a young virgin. Heb. a damsel, a virgin. stand.
Deuteronomy 10:8, 1 Samuel 16:21,22, 2 Chronicles 29:11
cherish him
Heb. be a cherisher unto him. lie.
Genesis 16:5, Deuteronomy 13:6, 2 Samuel 12:3, Micah 7:5
get heat
Ecclesiastes 4:11

Verse 3

So they sought for a fair damsel throughout all the coasts of Israel, and found Abishag a Shunammite, and brought her to the king.
So
Esther 2:2,4
Abishag
2:17-25
Shunammite
Joshua 19:18, 1 Samuel 28:4, 2 Kings 4:8,25

Verse 4

And the damsel was very fair, and cherished the king, and ministered to him: but the king knew her not.
knew her not
Matthew 1:25

Verse 5

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.
Adonijah
2 Samuel 3:4, 1 Chronicles 3:2
exalted
11, 2:24, Exodus 9:17, Proverbs 16:18, 18:12, Luke 14:11, 18:14
I will
Deuteronomy 17:15, Judges 9:2, 1 Chronicles 22:5-11, 28:5, 29:1
be king
Heb. reign. and he.
Deuteronomy 17:16, 2 Samuel 15:1, Isaiah 2:7

Verse 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.
had not
1 Samuel 3:13, Proverbs 22:15, 23:13,14, 29:15, Hebrews 12:5,6
at any time
Heb. from his days. very.
1 Samuel 9:2, 10:23, 2 Samuel 14:25
bare him
2 Samuel 3:3,4, 1 Chronicles 3:2

Verse 7

And he conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar the priest: and they following Adonijah helped him.
And he conferred
Heb. his words were.
2 Samuel 15:12, Psalms 2:2
Joab
2:28, 2 Samuel 8:16, 20:23
Abiathar
1 Samuel 22:20-23, 2 Samuel 15:24-29,35, 20:25
following Adonijah helped him
Heb. helped after Adonijah.
2:22,26-35

Verse 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.
Zadok
2:35, 2 Samuel 8:17,18, 20:25, 1 Chronicles 27:5,6, Ezekiel 44:15
Nathan
2 Samuel 7:2-4, 12:1-15
Shimei
4:18, Zechariah 12:13
the mighty
2 Samuel 23:8-39, 1 Chronicles 11:10-47

Verse 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, and all the men of Judah the king's servants:
Adonijah
The Oriental banquet, in consequence of the intense heat, is often spread upon the verdant turf, beneath the shade of a tree, where the streaming rivulet supplies the company with wholesome water, and excites a gentle breeze to cool their burning temples.
slew
2 Samuel 15:12, Proverbs 15:8
En-rogel
or, the well Rogel.
2 Samuel 17:17
called
2 Samuel 13:23-27, 15:11

Verse 10

But Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, and the mighty men, and Solomon his brother, he called not.
8,19, 2 Samuel 12:1-15

Verse 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?
Nathan
2 Samuel 7:12-17, 12:24,25, 1 Chronicles 22:9,10, 28:4,5, 29:1
Adonijah
Haggith
2 Samuel 3:4

Verse 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.
let me
Proverbs 11:14, 20:18, 27:9, Jeremiah 38:15
save
21, Genesis 19:17, Acts 27:31
the life
Judges 9:5, 2 Kings 11:1, 2 Chronicles 21:4, 22:10, Matthew 21:38

Verse 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?
Assuredly
11,17,30, 1 Chronicles 22:6-13
sit
17,24,30,35,48, 2:12, Deuteronomy 17:18, 1 Chronicles 29:23, Psalms 132:11,12, Isaiah 9:7, Jeremiah 33:21, Luke 1:32,33

Verse 14

Behold, while thou yet talkest there with the king, I also will come in after thee, and confirm thy words.
I also
17-27, 2 Corinthians 13:1
confirm
Heb. fill up.

Verse 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.
very old

Verse 16

And Bathsheba bowed, and did obeisance unto the king. And the king said, What wouldest thou?
bowed
23, 1 Samuel 20:41, 24:8, 25:23
And the
2:20, Esther 7:2, Matthew 20:21,32
What wouldest thou? Heb
What to thee?

Verse 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.
My lord
Genesis 18:12, 1 Peter 3:6
thou swarest
It is not recorded when or upon what occasion David sware to Bathsheba that Solomon should succeed him; but it is supposed, with some degree of probability, that it took place after Absalom's rebellion; and as God himself had settled the succession, he might very properly give her this assurance.
13,30

Verse 18

And now, behold, Adonijah reigneth; and now, my lord the king, thou knowest it not:
Adonijah
5,24, 2 Samuel 15:10
thou knowest
11,24,27, Acts 3:17

Verse 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.
7-10,25

Verse 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.
the eyes
2 Chronicles 20:12, Psalms 25:15, 123:2, Zechariah 3:9
that thou
At this time the monarchy of Israel was unsettled; no man knew who was to succeed to the crown; and the minds of the people were as unsettled as the succession. It was neither hereditary nor elective: the king, as was anciently the case in most countries, named his successor; but in this instance, God had already assigned the throne to Solomon.
2 Samuel 23:2, 1 Chronicles 22:8-10, 28:5,6,10, 29:1

Verse 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.
sleep
2:10, Genesis 15:15, Deuteronomy 31:16
that I
That is, when Adonijah is established on the throne, I and my son Solomon shall be put to death as state criminals. The history of the world demonstrates, that the lust of dominion has tempted men to commit the most enormous crimes. A father has destroyed his son, a son deposed a father, and a brother murdered a brother, in order to obtain a crown!
offenders
Heb. sinners.
2:15,22-24

Verse 22

And, lo, while she yet talked with the king, Nathan the prophet also came in.
Genesis 24:15, Job 1:16-18, Daniel 9:20

Verse 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.
he bowed
16, Romans 13:7, 1 Peter 2:17

Verse 24

And Nathan said, My lord, O king, hast thou said, Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne?
hast thou
14,18
reign
5,13,17

Verse 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.
slain
9,19, 1 Samuel 11:14,15, 1 Chronicles 29:21-13
God save king Adonijah
Heb. Let king Adonijah live.
34, 1 Samuel 10:24, 2 Samuel 16:16, 2 Kings 11:12, 2 Chronicles 23:11; *margins; Matthew 21:9, Mark 11:9,10, Luke 19:38

Verse 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.
8,19, 2 Samuel 7:2,12-17, 12:25

Verse 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?
and thou
24, 2 Kings 4:27, John 15:15

Verse 28

Then king David answered and said, Call me Bathsheba. And she came into the king's presence, and stood before the king.
Call me
She appears to have gone out when Nathan entered; and he retired when she was readmitted.
into the king's presence
Heb. before the king.

Verse 29

And the king sware, and said, As the LORD liveth, that hath redeemed my soul out of all distress,
As the
2:24, 17:1, 18:10, Judges 8:19, 1 Samuel 14:39,45, 19:6, 20:21, 2 Samuel 12:5, 2 Kings 4:30, 5:16,20
hath
Genesis 48:16, 2 Samuel 4:9, Psalms 34:19-22, 72:14, 136:24, 138:7

Verse 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.
Even as I sware
13,17

Verse 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.
did reverence
2 Samuel 9:6, Esther 3:2, Matthew 21:37, Ephesians 5:33, Hebrews 12:9
Let my
25, Nehemiah 2:3, Daniel 2:4, 3:9, 5:10, 6:6,21

Verse 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.
Zadok
8,26,38

Verse 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:
Take
2 Samuel 20:6
and cause
Maimonides informs us, that it was a capital offence for any one to ride on the king's mule, to sit on his throne, or to handle his sceptre, without permission; and as David ordered Solomon to ride on his own mule, etc., it was ample evidence that he had appointed him his successor.
to ride
5,38,44, Genesis 41:43, Esther 6:6-11
mine own mule
Heb. the mule which belongeth to me.
Leviticus 19:19
Gihon
38,45, 2 Chronicles 32:30

Verse 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.
Zadok
19:16, 1 Samuel 10:1, 16:3,12,13, 2 Samuel 2:4, 5:3, 2 Kings 9:3,6, 11:12, 2 Chronicles 23:11, Psalms 45:7, 89:20,36, Isaiah 45:1, Acts 10:38, 2 Corinthians 1:21,22
blow ye
2 Samuel 15:10, 2 Kings 9:13, 11:14, Psalms 98:5-7
God
25, 2 Kings 11:12

Verse 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.
sit
13,17, 2:12
I have
2:15, 1 Chronicles 23:1, 28:4,5, Psalms 2:6, 72:1; *title; Psalms 72:1,2

Verse 36

And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king, and said, Amen: the LORD God of my lord the king say so too.
Amen
Deuteronomy 27:15-26, Psalms 72:19, Jeremiah 11:5, 28:6, Matthew 6:13, 28:20, 1 Corinthians 14:16
the Lord
1 Samuel 25:29, 1 Chronicles 17:27, Psalms 18:2, 63:1, 89:20,26

Verse 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.
As the
3:7-9, Exodus 3:12, Joshua 1:5,17, 1 Samuel 20:13, 1 Chronicles 28:20, 2 Chronicles 1:1, Psalms 46:7, Psalms 46:11, Isaiah 8:10, Matthew 1:23, Romans 8:31
and make
47, 2 Samuel 24:3, 2 Kings 2:9, Psalms 72:8,17-19, 89:27, Daniel 7:14

Verse 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.
Zadok
8,26
the Cherethites
1 Samuel 30:14, 2 Samuel 8:18, 15:18, 20:20-23, 1 Chronicles 18:17, Zephaniah 2:5
king David's

Verse 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.
an horn
1 Samuel 16:13
out
Exodus 30:23-33, Psalms 89:20
anointed
1 Chronicles 29:22
all the people
25, 1 Samuel 10:24, 2 Kings 11:12, 2 Chronicles 23:11,13

Verse 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.
pipes
or, flutes.
Daniel 3:5
rejoiced
1 Samuel 11:15, 2 Kings 11:14,20, 1 Chronicles 12:38-40, Psalms 97:1, Zechariah 9:9, Luke 19:37, Revelation 11:15-18
the earth rent
We use a similar expression in precisely the same sense: "They rent the air with their cries."

Verse 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?
as they
Job 20:5, Proverbs 14:13, Ecclesiastes 7:4-6, Matthew 24:38,39, Luke 17:26-29
Wherefore
Exodus 32:17, Job 15:21,22, Psalms 73:18-20
the city
Matthew 21:9-11,15, Acts 21:31

Verse 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.
Jonathan
2 Samuel 15:36, 17:17
a valiant
22:18, 2 Samuel 18:27, 2 Kings 9:22, Isaiah 57:21, 1 Thessalonians 5:2,3

Verse 43

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

Verse 44

44


Verse 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.
Gihon
This was a fountain on the west of Jerusalem, (consequently in an opposite direction to En-rogel on the east, where Adonijah was proclaimed king,) of which there were two pools, an upper and a lower. (2Ch 32:30.) There is a large square cistern in the ravine west of the city, mentioned by Dr. Richardson as a little to the south of the Jaffa gate, which Dr. Pococke describes as a basin about 250 paces long and 100 broad. It is commonly called the pool of Bathsheba, but seems to be the lower pool of Gihon. "Nearly a mile to the N.N.W. is the pool of Gihon, which I suppose to be the upper pool. It is a very large basin, and, if I mistake not, is cut down about ten feet into the rock, there being a way down to it by steps. It was almost dry at that time, and seems designed to receive the rain waters which come from the hills about it. There is a canal from the pool to the city, which is uncovered part of the way, and, it is said, goes to the pool in the streets near the holy sepulchre. The fountain of Gihon arose either in the upper pool, or out of the high ground above it."--Travels, book i. ch. 6.
the city
40, 1 Samuel 4:5, Ezra 3:13
This is
14:6, 1 Samuel 28:14, Daniel 5:26-28

Verse 46

And also Solomon sitteth on the throne of the kingdom.
13, 1 Chronicles 29:23, Psalms 132:11, Haggai 2:22

Verse 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.
bless
Exodus 12:32, 2 Samuel 8:10, 21:3, Ezra 6:10, Psalms 20:1-4
God
37, Luke 19:38
bowed
Genesis 47:31, Hebrews 11:21

Verse 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.
Blessed
Genesis 14:20, 1 Chronicles 29:10,20, Nehemiah 9:5, Psalms 34:1, 41:13, 72:17-19, 103:1,2, Psalms 145:2, Daniel 4:34, Luke 1:46,47,68,69, Ephesians 1:3, 1 Peter 1:3
which
3:6, 1 Chronicles 17:11-14,17, Psalms 132:11,12, Proverbs 17:6
mine eyes
2 Samuel 24:3, Psalms 128:5,6

Verse 49

And all the guests that were with Adonijah were afraid, and rose up, and went every man his way.
Proverbs 28:1, Isaiah 21:4,5, Daniel 5:4-6

Verse 50

And Adonijah feared because of Solomon, and arose, and went, and caught hold on the horns of the altar.
caught
2:28, Exodus 21:14, 38:2, Psalms 118:27

Verse 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.
there shall
1 Samuel 14:45, 2 Samuel 14:11, Matthew 10:30, Luke 21:18, Acts 27:34
wickedness
2:21-25, Job 15:22, Proverbs 13:6, 21:12

Verse 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.
bowed himself
16,31, 2 Samuel 1:2
Go to
2:36, 2 Samuel 14:24,28, Proverbs 24:21

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