1 Kings 1:30 - Exposition

Even as I sware unto thee by the Lord God of Israel, saying, Assuredly [Heb. כי that, often prefixed to the oratio directa; not lending any emphasis ( = immo ) , as Keil says the first and third כי of this verse do, but in English simply redundant. See on verses 13, 17] Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne [same words as in verses 13, 17, 24. These close repetitions are the habit of the East] in my stead, even so [Heb. that so ] will I

, suggested to David by the usus loquendi of the court. This expression seems at first a strange periphrasis for "my servants." But David naturally adopts the language those around him were always using. See verse 43; also 2 Samuel 11:11 , and 2 Samuel 20:6 . Note: The latter passage, which refers to the king, has the plur.; the former, referring to Joab, the sing.] and cause Solomon my son to ride upon mine own mule, [lit; "the she mule" (the most prized in the East. Cf. 5:10 , Hebrews) "which is mine." This was not merely a mark of honour (cf. Genesis 41:43 ; Esther 6:8 , Esther 6:9 ), but a public and very significant indication of David's will respecting his successor. The populace would perceive at once who was destined to sit in David's seat. "The Rabbins tell us that it was death to ride on the king's mule without his permission" (Rawlinson). פִרְדָּה , the fem. form is only found here and in verses 38, 44. The mule would seem to have been a recent importation into Palestine—we never read of them before the time of David—and the Israelites were forbidden to breed them (Le 2 Samuel 19:19 ). Their use, consequently, was naturally restricted to royal or distinguished personages ( 2 Samuel 13:29 ). Wordsworth sees in the word a proof that David had not disobeyed God by multiplying horses to himself], and bring him down to Gihon. [Not Gibeon, which Thenius most arbitrarily would substitute for the received text. Where was Gihon? The popular belief (accepted by Bähr and Keil, as well as by some geographers) is that it was in the valley of the Son of Hinnom, a part of which still bears the name of Gihon, i.e; to the west of Jerusalem, and not far from the Jaffa gate. By many indeed the present Birket-es-Sultan is identified with the Lower Pool of Gihon. But others (Ferguson, Rawlinson, etc.) see in it the ancient name of the Tyropaeon. Scripture does not speak of it as a spring, though the "source of the waters of Gihon" is mentioned 2 Chronicles 32:30 , Hebrews The text shows that it was below the city ("bring him down upon Gihon," verse 33. Cf. also verse 40). 2 Chronicles 33:14 , speaks of "Gihon in the valley," where it is very noticeable that the word used is Nachal ( i.e. Wady, watercourse). But this "is the word always employed for the valley of the Kedron, east of Jerusalem, the so called valley of Jehoshaphat; ge (ravine or glen) being as constantly employed for the valley of Hinnom, south and west of the town" (Grove," Dict. Bible," art. Gihon). It is also to be noticed that the text last cited mentions Gihon in connection with Ophel, which lies southeast of Jerusalem.. The Chald; Arab; and Syr. are probably right, therefore, in identifying Gihon here with Siloam (which lies at the foot of Ophel), in favour of which it may further be said that it would be admirably suited for David's purpose—of a counter demonstration—and that whether En-Rogel is to be found at the Well of the Virgin or the Well of Job. Siloam is at no great distance from either, and quite within earshot, whereas the traditional Gihon is altogether out of the way. It must be borne in mind that this procession to and from Gihon was ordained, not because there was any special reason for anointing Solomon there ― for it was not a holy place—but purely as a demonstration to the populace, and to checkmate the conspirators. It was probably a public place, and would accommodate a large concourse (Poole).