1 Kings 1:18

18 And now, behold, Adonijah is king, although you, my lord the king, do not 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 and paid homage to the king, and the king said, "What do you desire?"
17 She said to him, "My lord, you swore to your servant by the LORD your God, saying, 'Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne.'
18 And now, behold, Adonijah is king, although you, my lord the king, do not know it.
19 He has sacrificed oxen, fattened cattle, and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the sons of the king, Abiathar the priest, and Joab the commander of the army, but Solomon your servant he has not invited.
20 And now, my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, to tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him.
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.