1 Kings 1:9

9 Therefore when rams were offered, and calves, and all fat things, beside the stone [of] Zoheleth, that was nigh the well of Rogel (And when rams, and calves, and all the fat things, were offered beside the stone of Zoheleth, that was near Enrogel), Adonijah called all his brethren, the sons of the king, and all the men of Judah, (the) servants of the king.

1 Kings 1:9 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 1:9

And Adonijah slew sheep and oxen and fat cattle
To make a feast of for those that were of his party, which was numerous, and some of them persons of the first rank, and therefore a large and elegant entertainment was provided for them:

by the stone of Zoheleth, which [is] by Enrogel;
or the fullers' fountain, as the Targum, where the fullers washed their clothes, using their feet in doing it, from whence it had its name; and which they laid upon this stone for the water to drain out of them, "Zoheleth" signifying a slow motion of waters, or on which they beat them to get out the spots; the Targum calls it the stone of a watchtower, on which they could stand and look to a great distance; or, as Jarchi and Ben Gersom suggest, it was a large smooth stone, which young men used to come to, and cast to and fro to try and exercise their strength; it was, as Josephus F5 says, in or near the king's gardens:

and called all his brethren the king's sons:
which David by his wives and concubines had in Hebron and Jerusalem; who were all younger than he, and so had not the pretension he had, and who might be displeased at the appointment of Solomon as well as he; see ( 1 Chronicles 3:4 1 Chronicles 3:9 ) ;

and all the men of Judah the king's servants;
excepting those in ( 1 Kings 1:8-10 ) .


FOOTNOTES:

F5 Antiqu. l. 7. c. 14. sect. 4.

1 Kings 1:9 In-Context

7 and his word was with Joab, the son of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar, priest, that helped the parts of Adonijah. (and he talked with Joab, the son of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar, the priest, and they supported Adonijah.)
8 But Zadok, the priest, and Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, and Nathan, the prophet, and Shimei, and (the) Cherethites and Pelethites, and all the strength of the host of David, were not with Adonijah. (But Zadok, the priest, and Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, and Nathan, the prophet, and Shimei, and Rei, and all the strong men who were David's bodyguards, were not with Adonijah.)
9 Therefore when rams were offered, and calves, and all fat things, beside the stone [of] Zoheleth, that was nigh the well of Rogel (And when rams, and calves, and all the fat things, were offered beside the stone of Zoheleth, that was near Enrogel), Adonijah called all his brethren, the sons of the king, and all the men of Judah, (the) servants of the king.
10 Soothly he called not Nathan, the prophet, and Benaiah, and all the strong men, and Solomon, his brother.
11 And so Nathan said to Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon, Whether thou hast heard, that Adonijah, the son of Haggith, hath reigned, and our lord David knoweth not this? (And so Nathan said to Bathsheba, Solomon's mother, Hast thou heard, that Adonijah, the son of Haggith, hath made himself king, and our lord David knoweth it not?)
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.