And the king hath sent with him ,.... To the fountain of Gihon: Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites ; over whom the latter was captain: and they have caused him to ride upon the king's mule ; by his order and direction. read more
And the king hath sent with Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites [see on 1 Kings 1:38 ] , and they have caused him to ride upon the king's mule. read more
1:1-4:34 SOLOMON ESTABLISHES HIS KINGDOMSolomon becomes king (1:1-53)David was old and his health was failing. He needed a nurse with him continually, one of her duties being to lie with him in bed to give him warmth. Although this nurse, Abishag, was not David’s concubine, many people apparently thought she was (1:1-4; see note on 2:22).Adonijah, David’s oldest surviving son, decided to establish himself as king while David was still alive, and so prevent any possible claim to the throne by... read more
Cherethites, &c. A bodyguard (1 Samuel 30:14 ). read more
2. Adonijah’s attempt to seize the throne 1:5-53Adonijah ("Yahweh is lord") was David’s fourth son (2 Samuel 3:4) and the eldest one living at this time. Evidently he believed it was more important that the eldest son succeed David, as was customary in the Near East, than that the king of Yahweh’s anointing occupy that position. God had identified Solomon as David’s successor even before Solomon was born (1 Chronicles 22:9-10). Adonijah’s revolt was primarily against the revealed will of God,... read more
An Intrigue for the SuccessionThis chapter relates Adonijah’s attempt to obtain the succession, its defeat through the agency of Nathan, and the enthronement of Solomon. The history contained in it is omitted in 1 Ch, where, however, mention is made of Solomon’s having been crowned not once only but twice (1 Chronicles 29:22). Probably the second occasion corresponds to what is related in 1 Kings 1:39 (cp. 1 Chronicles 29:24 with 1 Kings 1:53).1. Now] better, ’and,’ connecting this book with... read more
AN EASTERN COURT AND HOME1 Kings 1:1-53"Pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness."Ezekiel 16:49A MAN does not choose his own destiny; it is ordained for higher ends than his own personal happiness. If David could have made his choice, he might, indeed, have been dazzled by the glittering lure of royalty; yet he would have been in all probability happier and nobler had he never risen above the simple life of his forefathers. Our saintly king in Shakespeare’s tragedy says:-"My crown is... read more
ADONIJAH’S REBELLION1 Kings 1:5-53"The king’s word hath power; and who may say unto him, What doest thou?"- Ecclesiastes 8:4THE fate of Amnon and of Absalom might have warned the son who was now the eldest, and who had succeeded to their claims.Adonijah was the son of Haggith, "the dancer." His father had piously given him the name, which means "Jehovah is my Lord." He too, was "a very goodly man," treated by David with foolish indulgence, and humored in all his wishes. Although the rights of... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Kings 1:41-53
We have here, I. The tidings of Solomon's inauguration brought to Adonijah and his party, in the midst of their jollity: They had made an end of eating, and, it should seem, it was a great while before they made an end, for all the affair of Solomon's anointing was ordered and finished while they were at dinner, glutting themselves. Thus those who serve not our Lord Christ, but oppose him, are commonly such as serve their own belly (Rom. 16:18) and made a god of it, Phil. 3:19. Their long... read more