1 Now king David was old and stricken in years; and they covered him with clothes, but he got no heat.

2 Why his servants said to 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 your bosom, that my lord the king may get heat.

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.

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

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.

6 And his father had not displeased him at any time in saying, Why have you done so? and he also was a very goodly man; and his mother bore him after Absalom.

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

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 brothers 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 Why Nathan spoke to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, Have you not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith does reign, and David our lord knows it not?

12 Now therefore come, let me, I pray you, give you counsel, that you may save your own life, and the life of your son Solomon.

13 Go and get you in to king David, and say to him, Did not you, my lord, O king, swear to your handmaid, saying, Assuredly Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne? why then does Adonijah reign?

14 Behold, while you yet talk there with the king, I also will come in after you, and confirm your words.

15 And Bathsheba went in to the king into the chamber: and the king was very old; and Abishag the Shunammite ministered to the king.

16 And Bathsheba bowed, and did obeisance to the king. And the king said, What would you?

17 And she said to him, My lord, you swore by the LORD your God to your handmaid, saying, Assuredly Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne.

18 And now, behold, Adonijah reigns; and now, my lord the king, you know it not:

19 And he has slain oxen and fat cattle and sheep in abundance, and has called all the sons of the king, and Abiathar the priest, and Joab the captain of the host: but Solomon your servant has he not called.

20 And you, my lord, O king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, that you should 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, see, 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, have you said, Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne?

25 For he is gone down this day, and has slain oxen and fat cattle and sheep in abundance, and has 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 your servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and your servant Solomon, has he not called.

27 Is this thing done by my lord the king, and you have not showed it to your 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 swore, and said, As the LORD lives, that has redeemed my soul out of all distress,

30 Even as I swore to you by the LORD God of Israel, saying, Assuredly Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on 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 to them, Take with you the servants of your lord, and cause Solomon my son to ride on my 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 you with the trumpet, and say, God save king Solomon.

35 Then you shall come up after him, that he may come and sit on 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 has 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 on 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, Why is this noise of the city being in an uproar?

42 And while he yet spoke, behold, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came; and Adonijah said to him, Come in; for you are a valiant man, and bring good tidings.

43 And Jonathan answered and said to Adonijah, Truly our lord king David has made Solomon king.

44 And the king has 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 on 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 there rejoicing, so that the city rang again. This is the noise that you have heard.

46 And also Solomon sits 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 your name, and make his throne greater than your throne. And the king bowed himself on the bed.

48 And also thus said the king, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which has given one to sit on my throne this day, my 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.

51 And it was told Solomon, saying, Behold, Adonijah fears king Solomon: for, see, he has caught hold on the horns of the altar, saying, Let king Solomon swear to me today that he will not slay his servant with the sword.

52 And Solomon said, If he will show 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 to him, Go to your house.

An Intrigue for the Succession

This chapter relates Adonijah’s attempt to obtain the succession, its defeat through the agency of Nathan, and the enthronement of Solomon. The history contained in it is omitted in 1 Ch, where, however, mention is made of Solomon’s having been crowned not once only but twice ( 1Ch 29:22). Probably the second occasion corresponds to what is related in 1Ki 1:39 (cp. 1Ch 29:24 with 1Ki 1:53).

1. Now] better, ’and,’ connecting this book with the history contained in the preceding.

5. Adonijah] The fourth son of David ( 2Sa 3:4). Of his three elder brothers, two, Amnon and Absalom, were certainly by this time dead; and the indulgence with which Adonijah was treated by his father ( 1Ki 1:6) makes it probable that he was the eldest surviving son.

6. His mother bare him after Absalom] RV ’he was born after Absalom’; Adonijah and Absalom were sons of different mothers ( 2Sa 3:3-4).

7. Joab] David’s nephew, and at this time captain of the host or national militia ( 2Sa 8:16). His support of Adonijah was probably due to the latter’s being the eldest surviving son of David, and to his active character. Abiathar] son of Ahimelech the priest of Nob, who had been put to death by Saul ( 1Sa 22:20). He was a descendant of Aaron’s son Ithamar.

8. Zadok] a descendant of Aaron’s son Eleazar ( 1Ch 6:4-8). It is not clear what were the relative positions of Abiathar and Zadok to one another. In 1Ch 16:39; Zadok is stated to have ministered at the sanctuary at Gibeon, but in 2Sa 15:24 both Abiathar and Zadok are represented as being at Jerusalem. In the LXX of 1Ki 2:35 it is implied that Abiathar was the first, or principal, priest, and Zadok presumably the second. Benaiah] son of Jehoiada ( 1Ki 1:36) and commander of the bodyguard of Cherethites, Pelethites and Gittites (see further on 1Ki 1:38). For his early exploits see 2Sa 23:20-23. Nathan] For other notices of Nathan see 2Sa 7:2.; 2Sa 12:1.; The mighty men] This was a body of distinguished warriors, nominally 30 in number, who were perhaps officers either of the bodyguard or of the host, and whose names are given in 2Sa 23:24-39; 1Ch 11:26-47.

9. Slew sheep and oxen] probably a sacrificial feast is meant, whereby Adonijah intended to solemnise his succession: cp. 2Sa 15:12. The stone of Zoheleth.. Enrogel] Enrogel is probably to be identified with the modern Bîr-eyûb, a well (not a spring) situated at the junction of the valley of Hinnom and the gorge of the Kidron, S. of Jerusalem (cp. Jos 15:8; Jos 18:16).

13. Didst not thou.. swear?] That this was true is acknowledged by David in 1Ki 1:29, 1Ki 1:30.

20. The eyes of all Israel are upon thee] Though the right of the firstborn to succeed was beginning to be recognised, the sovereign still possessed the power of nominating his successor.

33. Gihon] probably the modern Virgin’s Fountain, in the ravine of the Kidron, about half-a-miie from Enrogel (Bîr-eyûb).

36. Amen] an expression of assent or concurrence: cp. Num 5:22; Jer 28:6.

38. Cherethites] a bodyguard of foreign extraction, like the Swiss guards of the French kings or the Varangians of the Byzantine sovereigns. The Cherethites came from the S. of Philistia ( 1Sa 30:14), the name being generally supposed to be connected with Crete, and the Pelethites were perhaps likewise Philistines. David may have enrolled this force after the conclusion of his Philistine wars.

39. The tabernacle] RV ’the Tent’; probably the tent erected by David to shelter the ark ( 2Sa 6:17). According to 1Ch 16:39 the Tabernacle made by Moses was at Gibeon. For the anointing oil see Exo 30:22-33.

42. Valiant] RV ’worthy.’

46. Solomon sitteth on the throne] similarly Jotham ruled during the lifetime of his father ( 2Ki 15:5).

47. Bowed himself] i.e. in worship: cp. Gen 47:31.

50. The horns of the altar] The altar intended was probably one erected in or before the tent that sheltered the ark: see on 1Ki 1:39 and cp. 1Ki 2:29; 1Ki 3:15. The horns were projections at the four corners ( Exo 27:2), to which the victim to be sacrificed may have been attached ( Psa 118:27), and which were sometimes smeared with its blood ( Exo 29:12). It was customary for homicides to seek refuge at the altar of the Lord from the avengers of blood, but deliberate murderers might be dragged from it ( Exo 21:14). A similar right of asylum belonged to heathen temples in classical times and to Christian churches in the middle ages.

51. To day] RM ’first of all.’