1 Kings 1:50 NIV

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

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 1:50

And Adonijah feared because of Solomon ,.... Lest he should seize him as an usurper and traitor, and put him to death: and arose, and went, and caught hold on the horns of the altar ; either that which was at Gibeon, where the tabernacle now was; see 1 Kings 3:4 ; so Jarchi; or rather that which was nearest, the altar that David had built in the threshingfloor of Araunah, 2 Samuel 24:25 ; the altar was a sort of asylum, or refuge, for such who had committed any crime worthy of death;... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Kings 1:50

Adonijah feared - He knew he had usurped the kingdom, and had not his father's consent; and, as he finds now that Solomon is appointed by David, he knows well that the people will immediately respect that appointment, and that his case is hopeless; he therefore took sanctuary, and, fleeing to the tabernacle, laid hold on one of the horns of the altar, as if appealing to the protection of God against the violence of men. The altar was a privileged place, and it was deemed sacrilege to... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 1:1-53

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 1:50

And Adonijah feared because of Solomon and he arose and went and caught hold of the horns of the altar. [Cf. 1 Kings 2:28 . Probably the altar of Mount Zion, 1 Kings 3:15 ; 2 Samuel 6:17 . Though it is impossible to say positively whether this or the altar at Gibeon ( 2 Samuel 3:4 ) or that recently erected on the threshing floor of Araunah ( 2 Samuel 24:25 ) is meant. For the "horns," see Exodus 27:2 ; Exodus 38:2 ; and compare Exodus 30:2 . They were of shittim ( i.e; ... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - 1 Kings 1:50

On the “horns” of the altar, see Exodus 27:2 note. The altar to which Adonijah fled was probably in the “tabernacle” already referred to 1 Kings 1:39. read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - 1 Kings 1:50-51

1 Kings 1:50-51. Adonijah feared, &c. He fled to the altar for protection and safety, it being a privileged place; not, indeed, by the appointment of the law, but by the custom of all nations. And caught hold on the horns of the altar With a resolution, it seems, of not stirring therefrom till Solomon had given his oath, or solemn word, not to take away his life. And by thus doing Adonijah appears to have hindered the offering of sacrifices on the altar till such time as Solomon... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 1:1-53

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

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - 1 Kings 1:50

1 Kings 1:50. And Adonijah—went, and caught hold on the horns of the altar— Conscious that he had committed a crime worthy of death, in usurping the kingdom without his father's consent, and against the known design of God, (chap. 1 Kings 2:15.) he fled for safety and protection to the altar, which was a privileged place, not by the appointment of the law, but in conformity to the custom of all nations. It is a question, to what altar Adonijah fled: but, as the horns of the altar are mentioned,... read more

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - 1 Kings 1:50

50-53. Adonijah . . . went, and caught hold on the horns of the altar—most probably the altar of burnt offering which had been erected on Mount Zion, where Abiathar, one of his partisans, presided as high priest. The horns or projections at the four corners of the altar, to which the sacrifices were bound, and which were tipped with the blood of the victim, were symbols of grace and salvation to the sinner. Hence the altar was regarded as a sanctuary (Exodus 21:14), but not to murderers,... read more