1 Kings 1:18

18 But now suddenly Adonijah has become king, though 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 did obeisance to the king, and the king said, "What do you wish?"
17 She said to him, "My lord, you swore to your servant by the Lord your God, saying: Your son Solomon shall succeed me as king, and he shall sit on my throne.
18 But now suddenly Adonijah has become king, though you, my lord the king, do not know it.
19 He has sacrificed oxen, fatted cattle, and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the children of the king, the priest Abiathar, and Joab the commander of the army; but your servant Solomon he has not invited.
20 But you, 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.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.