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| 1 And king David was old and advanced in age; and they covered him with clothes, but he obtained no warmth. |
David was old – Having brought order out of confusion, and having established peace and prosperity on a permanent footing. R2030:3
Stricken in years – 70 years of age. Absalom, his eldest son, had died in rebellion. R5701:1
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| 2 And his servants said to him, Let there be found for my lord the king a young virgin; and let her stand before the king, and let her cherish him, and let her lie in thy bosom, that my lord the king may get warm. |
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| 3 And they sought for a fair damsel throughout the territory of Israel, and found Abishag a Shunammite, and brought her to the king. |
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| 4 And the damsel was very fair; and cherished the king, and ministered to him; but the king knew her not. |
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| 5 And Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, I will be king; and he provided himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. |
Adonijah – Made heir-apparent to the throne by the death of Absalom. R5701:1
As with Absalom, the notes of discord came from within his own household. R2030:2, R4286:2
Exalted himself – Adonijah succeeded in gaining the friendship of Joab, the long-time military leader. R5701:1
I will be king – This attempted usurpation led to the immediate anointing and proclamation of Solomon. R2030:2
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| 6 And his father had not grieved him at any time in saying, Why doest thou so? and he was also a very comely man; and his mother bore him after Absalom. |
Not displeased him – He was a spoiled child never under the tutelage of the prophet Nathan. R4286:6
It is a mistake for parents to allow a child's early years to be wasted through inattention of training. R4286:6
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| 7 And he conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar the priest; and they helped Adonijah and followed him2. |
Joab – A long-time head of David's army, probably retired because of age and for disregarding King David's instructions that Absalom's life be not taken. R5701:1
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| 8 But Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and Nathan the prophet, and Shimei, and Rei, and the mighty men whom David had, were not with Adonijah. |
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| 9 And Adonijah sacrificed sheep and oxen and fatted cattle by the stone of Zoheleth, which is by En-rogel, and invited all his brethren, the king's sons, and all the men of Judah, the king's servants; |
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| 10 but Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, and the mighty men, and Solomon his brother, he did not invite. |
He called not – Members of The Christ must not wonder if they are excluded from the companionships and feastings of the Absalom and Adonijah types. R4287:1
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| 11 And Nathan spoke to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, Hast thou not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith is king, and David our lord does not know it? |
Nathan – Solomon was the ward and pupil of Nathan. R5701:5, R4286:5
Spake unto – Adonijah's disloyalty was thus brought to the notice of King David, resulting in Solomon's being publicly crowned. R2045:3, R5701:2
Bath-sheba – Solomon's mother was not a heathen, but an Israelite, and therefore more in sympathy with divine arrangements and laws. R5701:5
Solomon – Meaning, "The peaceful." Partook of his father David's religious disposition. We are handicapped or blessed by the disposition and traits we inherit. R2045:3, R5701:4
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| 12 And now, come, let me, I pray thee, give thee counsel, that thou mayest save thine own life, and the life of thy son Solomon. |
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| 13 Go and get thee in to king David, and say to him, Didst not thou, my lord, O king, swear to thy handmaid saying, Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne? why then does Adonijah reign? |
Assuredly Solomon – Having been selected by Jehovah. R2045:3, R2030:2, R5701:4
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| 14 Behold, while thou yet talkest there with the king, I also will come in after thee and confirm thy words. |
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| 15 And Bathsheba went in to the king into the chamber; and the king was very old; and Abishag the Shunammite ministered to the king. |
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| 16 And Bathsheba bowed and did obeisance to the king. And the king said, What wouldest thou? |
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| 17 And she said to him, My lord, thou hast sworn by Jehovah thy God to thy handmaid, saying, Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne. |
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| 18 And now behold, Adonijah is king; and now, my lord the king, thou knowest it not. |
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| 19 And he has sacrificed oxen and fatted cattle and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the sons of the king and Abiathar the priest and Joab the captain of the host; but Solomon thy servant has he not invited. |
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| 20 And thou, my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are upon thee, that thou shouldest tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. |
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| 21 Otherwise it shall come to pass when my lord the king shall sleep with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be counted offenders. |
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| 22 And behold, while she yet talked with the king, Nathan the prophet also came in. |
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| 23 And they told the king saying, Behold, Nathan the prophet. And when he was come in before the king, he bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground. |
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| 24 And Nathan said, My lord, O king, hast thou said, Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne? |
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| 25 For he is gone down this day, and has sacrificed oxen and fatted cattle and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king's sons, and the captains of the host, and Abiathar the priest; and behold, they eat and drink before him, and say, God save king Adonijah!
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| 26 But me, even me thy servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and thy servant Solomon, he has not invited. |
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| 27 Is this thing done by my lord the king, and thou hast not shewn to thy servants who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him? |
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| 28 Then king David answered and said, Call me Bathsheba. And she came into the king's presence, and stood before the king. |
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| 29 And the king swore, and said, As Jehovah liveth, who has redeemed my soul out of all distress, |
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| 30 even as I swore to thee by Jehovah the God of Israel, saying, Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my stead; even so will I certainly do this day. |
Reign after me – In view of the fact that Solomon was the Lord's choice. R2045:3
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| 31 And Bathsheba bowed with her face to the earth, and did reverence to the king, and said, Let my lord king David live for ever. |
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| 32 And king David said, Call me Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada. And they came before the king. |
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| 33 And the king said to them, Take with you the servants of your lord, and cause Solomon my son to ride upon mine own mule, and bring him down to Gihon; |
Ride upon mine own mule – An act which would of itself proclaim Solomon as David's successor. R4286:5, R5701:2
Gihon – Near where Jesus later rode on the ass. R4286:5 In the Valley of Kidron. R1401:1
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| 34 and let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there king over Israel; and blow ye with the trumpet, and say, Long live king Solomon! |
Nathan the prophet – And Benaiah, another general. R4286:4
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| 35 And ye shall come up after him, that he may come and sit on my throne; for he shall reign in my stead, and I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and over Judah. |
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| 36 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king and said, Amen: Jehovah, the God of my lord the king, say so too. |
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| 37 As Jehovah has been with my lord the king, even so be he with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord king David. |
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| 38 And Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites went down, and caused Solomon to ride upon king David's mule, and brought him to Gihon. |
Cherethites and the Pelethites – Two companies of the king's special body-guard. R4286:5
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| 39 And Zadok the priest took the horn of oil out of the tabernacle, and anointed Solomon. And they blew the trumpet; and all the people said, Long live king Solomon! |
Anointed Solomon – The first time. The second time is recorded in 1 Chron. 29:22, 23. R2031:4
King Solomon – For his father David's sake. Of his posterity was to come the long-promised Messiah, King of the antitypical Kingdom of God. R2045:3
Solomon came to the throne at about 19 or 20 years of age and reigned jointly with his father David for some 6 months. R2045:3, R4286:5
It required the two reigns of David and Solomon to represent the great work of the Lord's Anointed: David's represented the work of the Church in the flesh, while Solomon's represented the work of the Church glorified. R1901:3
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| 40 And all the people came up after him, and the people piped with pipes, and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth rent with the sound of them. |
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| 41 And Adonijah and all the guests that were with him heard it as they were finishing their repast; and Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, and he said, Wherefore this noise of the city in an uproar? |
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| 42 While he yet spoke, behold, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came; and Adonijah said to him, Come in; for thou art a valiant man, and bringest good news. |
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| 43 And Jonathan answered and said to Adonijah, Indeed, our lord king David has made Solomon king. |
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| 44 And the king has sent with him Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites, and they have caused him to ride upon the king's mule; |
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| 45 and Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king at Gihon; and they are come up from thence rejoicing, so that the city is in an uproar. This is the noise which ye have heard. |
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| 46 And also Solomon is sitting on the throne of the kingdom. |
Sitteth on the throne – Reigning jointly with David for some 6 months. R4286:5
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| 47 And moreover the king's servants came to bless our lord king David, saying, Thy God make the name of Solomon more excellent than thy name, and make his throne greater than thy throne! And the king bowed himself on the bed. |
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| 48 And also thus said the king: Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Israel, who has given one to sit on my throne this day, mine eyes even seeing it. |
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| 49 And all Adonijah's guests were afraid, and rose up and went every man his way. |
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| 50 And Adonijah feared because of Solomon, and arose and went and caught hold of the horns of the altar. |
Adonijah feared – Because of the custom amongst other kingdoms that when a king was installed in office, others who might become rivals were put to death. R4287:4
Probably judging Solomon by himself, and concluding that his life would be in danger. R4287:4
On the horns – As a place of safety. R4287:4
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| 51 And it was told Solomon saying, Behold, Adonijah fears king Solomon; for behold, he has caught hold of the horns of the altar, saying, Let king Solomon swear to me this day that he will not put his servant to death with the sword. |
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| 52 And Solomon said, If he be a worthy man, there shall not one of his hairs fall to the earth; but if wickedness be found in him, he shall die. |
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| 53 And king Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and bowed himself to king Solomon; and Solomon said to him, Go to thy house. |
Go to thine house – Indicating that no punishment would be inflicted. R4287:4
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