1 Kings 1:18

18 Now look, Adonijah has become king. And,[a] my lord king, you didn't know [it].

1 Kings 1:18 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 1:18

And now, behold, Adonijah reigneth
Has set up himself as king, and is by some saluted as such; but lest it should be thought by David that she suggested by this that he was guilty of the breach of his oath, or on any account to be blamed, she adds:

and now my lord, O king, thou knowest [it] not;
which as it acquitted him from all blame, so it made the sin of Adonijah the more heinous, that he should do this without consulting his father about it; and was not only neglect of him as a father, and an act of disrespect and disobedience to him as such, but even of high treason, to assume the throne in his father's lifetime, without his consent.

1 Kings 1:18 In-Context

16 Bathsheba bowed down and paid homage to the king, and he asked, "What do you want?"
17 She replied, "My lord, you swore to your servant by the Lord your God, 'Your son Solomon is to become king after me, and he is the one who is to sit on my throne.'
18 Now look, Adonijah has become king. And, my lord king, you didn't know [it].
19 He has lavishly sacrificed oxen, fattened cattle, and sheep. He invited all the king's sons, Abiathar the priest, and Joab the commander of the army, but he did not invite your servant Solomon.
20 Now, my lord king, the eyes of all Israel are on you to tell them who will sit on the throne of my lord the king after him.

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. Many Hb mss, LXX, Vg, Syr; MT reads And now
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