And she said, Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah thy brother to wife. [For the construction ( אֵת with a nominative, or, as some think, יֻתַּן used impersonally— man gebe ), cf. Genesis 27:42 ; Exodus 10:8 ; and especially Numbers 32:5 ; and see Gesen; Lex. s.v. אֵת , and Ewald, Syntax, 295 b.] read more
And king Solomon answered and said unto his mother, And why dost thou ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? [Professor Plumptre (Dict. Bib; art. "Solomon") says this "narrative is not a little perplexing." He then specially remarks on the strangeness of Bathsheba's interceding for Adonijah, and also on Solomon's "flashing into fiercest wrath" at her request. He explains the facts, however, by "Mr. Grove's ingenious theory identifying Abishag with the Shulamite ( Song of Solomon 6:13 ... read more
The Brothers. It may be instructive if, after the manner of ancient writers, we draw out a comparison between the two brothers whose history is recorded in part in this section, and who here appear as rivals. Their careers were very different. The one reigned with almost unparalleled magnificence for forty years; the other fell in the very May-morn of his life by the sword of the executioner. What were the causes which produced such different results? Let us consider some few of them. ... read more
Then king Solomon sware by the Lord, saying, God do so to me, and more also [a common form of adjuration ( Ruth 1:17 ; 1 Samuel 14:44 ; 1 Samuel 20:13 ; 2 Samuel 3:9 ; 2 Samuel 19:13 , etc.) = Gott soil mich fort und fort strafen. Bähr], if [or "that." כִי constantly follows formulae of swearing, as in all the passages just cited. Cf. the use of ὅτι in New Testament. The order of the next words in the Hebrew is noticeable] against his life spake Adonijah this word. ... read more
Now therefore [Heb. and now ] , as the Lord liveth, which hath established me, and set me [a י has here crept into the text; obviously owing to the fact that this same letter both precedes and follows] on the throne of David my father, and who hath made me an house [Keil and Wordsworth understand by this expression, "hath given me issue." "Solomon," says Keil, "had already one son, viz; Rehoboam, about a year old." But some doubt seems to attach to the "forty and one years"... read more
And King Solomon sent by the hand [ i.e; the instrumentality; not necessarily eigenhandig, as Thenius. Cf. Exodus 4:13 ; 1 Samuel 16:20 , Hebrews; 1 Kings 12:15 ; 1 Kings 14:18 ; Jeremiah 37:2 ("which he spake by the hand of Jeremiah"), etc. The same expression is found in verse 46 of this chapter] of Benaiah [in the East the captain of the king's bodyguard has always been the "chief of the executioners," the title given to Potiphar, Genesis 37:36 , Hebrews; in 2 Kings... read more
EXPOSITION THE DEPOSITION OF ABIATHAR AND THE DEATH OF JOAB . And unto Abiathar the priest [see note on 1 Kings 1:8 . The historian now relates the end of Adonijah's confederates] said the king, get thee to Anathoth [The Heb. is extremely curt and authoritative, corresponding well with the anger and determination of the speaker. Anathoth, the home of Abiathar, was also the residence of another high priest, Hilkiah ( Jeremiah 1:1 ). It was in Benjamin, a... read more
The Degraded High Priest. We may find in this section a sermon on Caesarism. The relations of the world power to the Church; the province of the State and the prerogatives of the clergy; what are the proper limits of the temporal power and what is the exclusive domain of the spiritual; these have been vexed questions for many centuries. They are prominent topics at the present day. We may perhaps find in this history a few principles to guide us. For we learn I. THAT PRIESTS HAD... read more
The Death of Joab. "Know ye not that there is a prince and great man fallen this day in Israel"—so might men say as they heard, so may we say as we read, the history of Joab's death. After David, he was by far the greatest man—the ablest general, the bravest soldier, the most capable statesman—of that age. He was "the Marlborough, the Belisarius of the Jewish empire." He had fought David's battles, won his conquests, captured his citadel, and twice preserved for him his crown. It is a sad... read more
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The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 2:20
Then she said, I desire one small petition of thee. [So it seemed, no doubt, to her, in her inexperience and ignorance of Adonijah's real motives. She thought she held the threads of a love story in her hands, and that it would be a small thing for Solomon to make these handsome lovers happy]: I pray thee, say me not nay. And the king said unto her, Ask on, my mother: for I will not say thee nay. [The readiness of the king to grant whatever she asked proves that the reasons which induced... read more