1 Kings 1

David in His Old Age

1 Now King David was old and advanced in years. And although they covered him with clothes, he could not get warm.

2 Therefore his servants said to him, "Let a young woman be sought for my lord the king, and let her wait on the king and be in his service. Let her lie in your arms,^[a] that my lord the king may be warm."

3 So they sought for a beautiful young woman throughout all the territory of Israel, and found Abishag the ¹Shunammite, and brought her to the king.

4 The young woman was very beautiful, and she was of service to the king and attended to him, but the king knew her not.

Adonijah Sets Himself Up as King

5 Now ²Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, "I will be king."³And he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him.

6 His father had never at any time displeased him by asking, "Why have you done thus and so?" He was also a very handsome man, ⁴and he was born next after Absalom.

7 He conferred with ⁵Joab the son of Zeruiah and with ⁶Abiathar the priest. And they followed Adonijah and helped him.

8 But ⁷Zadok the priest and ⁸Benaiah the son of Jehoiada and ⁹Nathan the prophet and ¹⁰Shimei and Rei and ¹¹David's mighty men were not with Adonijah.

9 Adonijah sacrificed sheep, oxen, and fattened cattle by the Serpent's Stone, which is beside ¹²En-rogel, and he invited all his brothers, the king's sons, and all the royal officials of Judah,

10 but he did not invite Nathan the prophet or Benaiah or the mighty men or ¹³Solomon his brother.

Nathan and Bathsheba Before David

11 Then Nathan said to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, "Have you not heard that ¹⁴Adonijah the son of Haggith has become king and David our lord does not know it?

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

13 Go in at once to King David, and say to him, 'Did you not, my lord the king, swear to your servant, saying, ¹⁵"Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne"? Why then is Adonijah king?'

14 Then while you are still speaking with the king, I also will come in after you and confirm^[b] your words."

15 So Bathsheba went to the king in his chamber (now the king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was attending to the king).

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, ¹⁶'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 ¹⁷He has sacrificed oxen, fattened cattle, and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the sons of the king, ¹⁸Abiathar the priest, and Joab the commander of the army, but ¹⁹Solomon 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.

21 Otherwise it will come to pass, when my lord the king ²⁰sleeps with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be counted offenders."

22 While she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet came in.

23 And they told the king, "Here is Nathan the prophet." And when he came in before the king, he bowed before the king, with his face to the ground.

24 And Nathan said, "My lord the king, have you said, 'Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne'?

25 For he has gone down this day and ²¹has sacrificed oxen, fattened cattle, and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king's sons, the commanders^[c] of the army, and Abiathar the priest. And behold, they are eating and drinking before him, and saying, ²²'Long live King Adonijah!'

26 ²³But me, your servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and your servant Solomon he has not invited.

27 Has this thing been brought about by my lord the king and you have not told your servants who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?"

Solomon Anointed King

28 Then King David answered, "Call Bathsheba to me." So she came into the king's presence and stood before the king.

29 And the king swore, saying, ²⁴"As the LORD lives, who has redeemed my soul out of every adversity,

30 ²⁵as I swore to you by the LORD, the God of Israel, saying, 'Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place,' even so will I do this day."

31 Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the ground and paid homage to the king and said, ²⁶"May my lord King David live forever!"

32 King David said, "Call to me Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada." So they came before the king.

33 And the king said to them, "Take with you ²⁷the servants of your lord and have Solomon my son ride on my own mule, and bring him down to ²⁸Gihon.

34 And let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet there ²⁹anoint him king over Israel. ³⁰Then blow the trumpet and say, ³¹'Long live King Solomon!'

35 You shall then come up after him, and he shall come and sit on my throne, for he shall be king in my place. And I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and over Judah."

36 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king, "Amen! May the LORD, the God of my lord the king, say so.

37 ³²As the LORD has been with my lord the king, even so may he be with Solomon, ³³and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David."

38 So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, ³⁴and the Cherethites and the Pelethites went down and had Solomon ride on King David's mule and brought him to Gihon.

39 There Zadok the priest took the horn of ³⁵oil from the tent and ³⁶anointed Solomon. ³⁷Then they blew the trumpet, and all the people said, ³⁸"Long live King Solomon!"

40 And all the people went up after him, playing on pipes, and rejoicing with great joy, so that the earth was split by their noise.

41 Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they finished feasting. And when Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, "What does this uproar in the city mean?"

42 While he was still speaking, behold, ³⁹Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came. And Adonijah said, "Come in, ⁴⁰for you are a worthy man and bring good news."

43 Jonathan answered Adonijah, "No, for our lord King David has made Solomon king,

44 and the king has sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the ⁴¹Cherethites and the Pelethites. And they had him ride on the king's mule.

45 And Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king at ⁴²Gihon, and they have gone up from there rejoicing, so that the city is in an uproar. This is the noise that you have heard.

46 ⁴³Solomon sits on the royal throne.

47 Moreover, the king's servants came to congratulate our lord King David, saying, ⁴⁴'May your God make the name of Solomon more famous than yours, and make his throne greater than your throne.' And the king ⁴⁵bowed himself on the bed.

48 And the king also said, 'Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, ⁴⁶who has granted someone^[d] to sit on my throne this day, my own eyes seeing it.'"

49 Then all the guests of Adonijah trembled and rose, and each went his own way.

50 And Adonijah feared Solomon. So he arose and went ⁴⁷and took hold of ⁴⁸the horns of the altar.

51 Then it was told Solomon, "Behold, Adonijah fears King Solomon, for behold, he has laid hold of the horns of the altar, saying, 'Let King Solomon swear to me first that he will not put his servant to death with the sword.'"

52 And Solomon said, "If he will show himself a worthy man, ⁴⁹not one of his hairs shall fall to the earth, but if wickedness is found in him, he shall die."

53 So King Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and paid homage to King Solomon, and Solomon said to him, "Go to your house."

1 Kings 1 Commentary

Chapter 1

The history now before us accounts for the affairs of the kingdoms of Judah and Israel, yet with special regard to the kingdom of God among them; for it is a sacred history. It is earlier as to time, teaches much more, and is more interesting than any common histories.

David's declining age. (1-4) Adonijah aspires to the throne. (5-10) David makes Solomon king. (11-31) Solomon is anointed king, and Adonijah's usurpation stopped. (32-53)

Verses 1-4 We have David sinking under infirmities. He was chastised for his recent sins, and felt the effects of his former toils and hardships.

Verses 5-10 Indulgent parents are often chastised with disobedient children, who are anxious to possess their estates. No worldly wisdom, nor experience, nor sacredness of character, can insure the continuance in any former course of those who remain under the power of self-love. But we may well wonder by what arts Joab and Abiathar could be drawn aside.

Verses 11-31 Observe Nathan's address to Bathsheba. Let me give thee counsel how to save thy own life, and the life of thy son. Such as this is the counsel Christ's ministers give us in his name, to give all diligence, not only that no man take our crown, Re. 3:11 , but that we save our lives, even the lives of our souls. David made a solemn declaration of his firm cleaving to his former resolution, that Solomon should be his successor. Even the recollection of the distresses from which the Lord redeemed him, increased his comfort, inspired his hopes, and animated him to his duty, under the decays of nature and the approach of death.

Verses 32-53 The people expressed great joy and satisfaction in the elevation of Solomon. Every true Israelite rejoices in the exaltation of the Son of David. Combinations formed upon evil principles will soon be dissolved, when self-interest calls another way. How can those who do evil deeds expect to have good tidings? Adonijah had despised Solomon, but soon dreaded him. We see here, as in a glass, Jesus, the Son of David and the Son of God, exalted to the throne of glory, notwithstanding all his enemies. His kingdom is far greater than that of his father David, and therein all the true people of God cordially rejoice. The prosperity of his cause is vexation and terror to his enemies. No horns of the altar, nor forms of godliness, nor pretences to religion, can profit those who will not submit to His authority, and accept of his salvation; and if their submission be hypocritical, they shall perish without remedy.

Cross References

• 1. Joshua 19:18
• 2. 2 Samuel 3:4
• 3. 2 Samuel 15:1
• 4. 2 Samuel 3:3, 4; 1 Chronicles 3:2
• 5. 2 Samuel 2:13, 18
• 6. 2 Samuel 20:25
• 7. [See ver. 7 above]
• 8. 2 Samuel 8:18
• 9. 2 Samuel 12:1
• 10. 1 Kings 4:18
• 11. See 2 Samuel 23:8-39
• 12. Joshua 15:7; 2 Samuel 17:17
• 13. 2 Samuel 12:24
• 14. [See ver. 5 above]
• 15. ver. 30; [1 Chronicles 22:9]
• 16. [See ver. 13 above]
• 17. ver. 9
• 18. [See ver. 7 above]
• 19. [See ver. 10 above]
• 20. 1 Kings 2:10; 2 Samuel 7:12; [Deuteronomy 31:16]
• 21. [See ver. 19 above]
• 22. See 1 Samuel 10:24
• 23. ver. 8, 10, 32
• 24. See Ruth 3:13
• 25. ver. 13, 17
• 26. Nehemiah 2:3; Daniel 2:4; Daniel 3:9; Daniel 5:10; Daniel 6:6, 21
• 27. 2 Samuel 11:11; 2 Samuel 20:6
• 28. 2 Chronicles 32:30; 2 Chronicles 33:14
• 29. See 1 Samuel 10:1
• 30. 2 Samuel 15:10; 2 Kings 9:13; 2 Kings 11:14
• 31. [ver. 25]; See 1 Samuel 10:24
• 32. See 1 Samuel 20:13
• 33. ver. 47
• 34. See 2 Samuel 8:18
• 35. [Psalms 89:20]; See Exodus 30:23-32
• 36. 1 Chronicles 29:22
• 37. [See ver. 34 above]
• 38. [See ver. 34 above]
• 39. 2 Samuel 15:27, 36; 2 Samuel 17:17
• 40. 2 Samuel 18:27
• 41. [See ver. 38 above]
• 42. [See ver. 33 above]
• 43. 1 Chronicles 29:23
• 44. ver. 37
• 45. [Genesis 47:31]
• 46. 1 Kings 3:6; [Psalms 132:11, 12]
• 47. 1 Kings 2:28
• 48. Exodus 27:2
• 49. See 1 Samuel 14:45

Footnotes

• [a]. Or in your bosom
• [b]. Or expand on
• [c]. Hebrew; Septuagint Joab the commander
• [d]. Septuagint one of my offspring

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO FIRST KINGS

This, and the following book, properly are but one book, divided into two parts, and went with the Jews under the common name of Kings. This, in the Syriac version, is called the Book of Kings; and in the Arabic version, the Book of Solomon, the Son of David the Prophet, because it begins with his reign upon the death of his father; and, in the Vulgate Latin version, the Third Book of Kings, the two preceding books of Samuel being sometimes called the First and Second Books of Kings, they containing the reigns of Saul and David; and in the Septuagint version both this and the following book are called Kingdoms, because they treat of the kingdom of Israel and Judah, after the division in the times of Rehoboam, son of Solomon, and of the several kings of them; as of Solomon before the division, so afterwards of the kings of Judah; Rehoboam, Abijam, Asa, Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, Ahaziah, Jehoash, Amaziah, Uzziah or Azariah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Amon, Josiah, Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah; and of the kings of Israel, Jeroboam, Nadab, Baasha, Elah, Zimri, Omri, Ahab, Ahaziah, Jehu, Jehoahaz, Jehoash, Jeroboam the son of Joash, Zachariah, Shallum, Menahem, Pekahiah, Pekah, and Hoshea; so that these books may, with great propriety, be called the books or histories of the kings in the two kingdoms of Judah and Israel: who they were written by, is not easy to say; some think they were written by piecemeal by the prophets that lived in the several reigns successively, as Nathan, Ahijah the Shilonite, Iddo, Isaiah, and Jeremiah, and afterwards put together by an inspired writer. The Jews commonly say {a}, that Jeremiah wrote the book of the Kings, by which they mean this, and the following book; though very probably they were written by Ezra, since the history in them is carried down to the liberty granted to Jehoiachin in Babylon; but that Ezra was the writer of all the preceding historical books, and even of the Pentateuch, cannot be admitted, which is the conceit of Spinosa {b}; part of whose tract is just now republished by somebody, word for word, under a title as in the margin {c}; but that Ezra was not the writer of the Pentateuch is clear, since he refers to it as written by Moses, and as the rule of religion and worship in his times, Ezr 3:2-4, 6:18; and it is certain these writings were in being in the times of Josiah, Amaziah, Joash, yea, of David, and even of Joshua, \2Ch 34:14 25:4 23:18 1Ki 2:3 Jos 8:34\; and as for the book of Joshua, that also was written long before Ezra's time; it must be written long before the times of David, before the Jebusites were expelled from Jerusalem, since the writer of it says, that they dwelt there in his days, Jos 15:63; the book of Judges must be written before the times of Samuel and David, since the former refers to the annals of it, 1Sa 12:9,10; and the latter alludes to some passages in it, Ps 68:7,8; see Jud 5:4,5; and a speech of Joab's, 2Sa 11:21, shows it to be an history then extant: to which may be added, that in it Jerusalem is called Jebus, Jud 19:10,11; which it never was, after it was taken by David out of the hands of the Jebusites, 2Sa 5:6; the book of Ruth very probably was written by Samuel; had it been of a later date, or written by Ezra, the genealogy with which it concludes, would doubtless have been carried further than to David: the Book of Samuel, and particularly the song of Hannah in it, were written in all probability before the penning of the hundred thirteenth psalm, Ps 113:1-9, in which some expressions seem to be taken from it wherefore, though the two books of Kings may be allowed to be written or compiled by Ezra, the ten preceding ones cannot be assigned to him: however, there is no room to doubt of the divine authority of these two books, when the honour our Lord has done them is observed, by quoting or referring to several histories in them; as to the account of the queen of Sheba coming to hear the wisdom of Solomon; of the famine in the times of Elijah; and of that prophet being sent to the widow of Sarepta, and of the cleansing of Naaman the Syrian in the times of Elisha, Mt 12:42, Lu 4:25-28 from 1Ki 17:1-10 2Ki 5:10-14; to which may be added, the quotations and references made by the apostles to passages in them, as by the Apostle Paul in Ro 11:2-4 from 1Ki 19:14,18; where this book is expressly called the Scripture; and by the Apostle James, Jas 5:17,18; who manifestly refers to 1Ki 17:1-24; and there are various things in this part of Scripture, which are confirmed by the testimonies of Heathen writers, as will be observed in the exposition of it. The use of these books is to carry on the history of the Jewish nation, to show the state of the church of God in those times, and his providential care of it amidst all the changes and vicissitudes in the state; and, above all, to transmit to us the true genealogy of the Messiah, which serves to confirm the Evangelist Matthew's account of it.

{a} T. Bab. Bava Bathra, fol. 15. 1. {b} Tractat. Theolog. Politic. c. 8. & 9. p. 150 {c} Tractatus de Primis 12. Vet. Test. Lib. &c. Londini 1763.

\\INTRODUCTION TO FIRST KINGS 1\\

This chapter gives an account of the infirmities of David in his old age, and the method used to relieve him under them, 1Ki 1:1-4; of the preparation his son Adonijah made to usurp the throne, 1Ki 1:5-10; of Bathsheba's address to the king upon it, in favour of her son Solomon, on which she was put by, Nathan the prophet, and seconded in it by him, 1Ki 1:11-27; when the king with an oath confirmed the succession of Solomon in the kingdom, and ordered Nathan the prophet, and Zadok the priest, to anoint him, which was accordingly done with great ceremony, to the satisfaction of the king and his servants, 1Ki 1:28-40; the news of which being brought to Adonijah and his friends, struck them with terror, and on which they dispersed, 1Ki 1:41-50; and upon the promise of Adonijah, that he would behave well to Solomon, he was pardoned and dismissed, having fled and lain hold on the horns of the altar, 1Ki 1:51-53.