1 Kings 1:5-10

B. ADONIJAH'S DESIGNS 1:5-10

TRANSLATION

(5) Now Adonijah the son of Haggith was exalting himself, saying, Surely I will be king! And he prepared for himself a chariot, horses,[80] and fifty men who would run before him. (6) Now his father had not afflicted him all his days, saying, Why have you acted this way? And he also was very handsome, and furthermore he had been born after Absalom. (7) And he conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest; and they followed Adonijah and helped him. (8) But Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoida, and Nathan the prophet, and Shimei, and Rei and David's Gibborim were not with Adonijah. (9) And Adonijah slew sheep, cattle and fatlings at the stone of Zoheleth which is by En-rogel; and he summoned all his brothers, sons of the king, and all the men of Judah who were servants of the king. (10) But Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, and the Gibborim and Solomon his brother he did not summon.

[80] Heb. parashim. Scholars disagree as to whether the term here refers to the horses (Gray) which pulled the chariot, or to a mounted escort which accompanied Adonijah as he rode his chariot (Keil).

COMMENTS

Adonijah, the son of Haggith[81] was the fourth, and now apparently the eldest surviving son of David (2 Samuel 3:4). David's firstborn, Amnon, had been slain in a plot instigated by his younger brother (2 Samuel 13:28 f.) Absalom, the third son of David, was slain in battle when he led a rebellion against his father (2 Samuel 18:15). Of David's second son, Chileab (or Daniel as he is called in 1 Chronicles 3:1), little is known. It is likely that he died very young since nothing is recorded of him. According to the principle of primogeniture (that the oldest son should follow his father as king), Adonijah was now entitled to the throne. But God's ways are not man's ways, and the heavenly King had reserved for Himself the right to choose the earthly king. At his birth, God through His prophet had given a special name to SolomonJedidiah which means beloved of the LORD. David discerned in this that God had chosen Solomon to be his successor, and consequently he gave a solemn oath to Bathsheba that her son would follow him on the throne (cf. 1 Kings 1:13; 1 Kings 1:30).

[81] Haggith means dancer and perhaps is given to afford an indication of the weak and trifling character of the prince. Tuck, FTK, p. 72.

It must have been common knowledge about the palace that David desired Solomon to be his successor (cf. 1 Kings 1:13). His father's preferences notwithstanding, Adonijah was determined to make a bid for the crown. While David's physical condition became progressively worse, Adonijah was exalting himself. He boasted to himself and his confederates that one day he would be king. Confident in his claims to the crown, Adonijah made no effort to conceal his conspiracy. Borrowing a leaf from Absalom's book of subversive tactics (cf. 2 Samuel 15:1 ff.), Adonijah prepared for himself a chariot and horses and fifty men to run before him to herald his coming (1 Kings 1:5).[82] With this dazzling display of regal pomp, the prince hoped to capture the allegiance of the people, and win the backing of the royal court.

[82] Chariots and horses in the days of David were a comparative novelty. When David captured horses, he had all but a few hamstrung (2 Samuel 8:4).

In 1 Kings 1:6 the author attempts to explain the reasons for this reprehensible conduct on the part of Adonijah. In the first place, Adonijah, like Absalom before him, was a spoiled brat. While David was a success in most areas of life, abundant evidence exists that he was a failure as a father. He had never disciplined Adonijah, nor called him to account for his conduct. The young prince began to think of himself as his father's favorite and presumptive heir. Since Adonijah was born when David ruled in Hebron, he must have been between thirty-three and forty years of age at the time of David's grave illness. Still he acts like an arrogant and obnoxious brat. He had so little respect for his father that he would not allow the old man to go down to his grave without this last heartbreak. Bahr observes, a perverted parent love is self-punishment. If the father does not trouble the son, the son will trouble the father.[83]

[83] Bahr, LC, p. 27.

Secondly, because of his personal attractiveness Adonijah was bold in his pretensions to the throne. He, like Absalom, was a goodly man, i.e., a man of handsome physique. Josephus, the Jewish historian, makes mention of his stature. Perhaps Adonijah felt that his physical attributes made him the likely and logical candidate for the crown.

Then too, Adonijah's seniority among the sons of David carried considerable weight in many circles. He was born after Absalom, and, since the latter was dead, Adonijah was now next in line for the throne. So the argument went. No doubt many people considered it a grave injustice that Adonijah had been slighted and Solomon groomed for kingship. In his mid-thirties at this time, Adonijah must have seemed much more qualified than his younger brother Solomon who was scarcely more than a teenager.

Last but not least, Adonijah was encouraged in his pretensions by powerful and influential national leaders. The prestigious general of David's army, Joab, backed the claims of Adonijah. Throughout his career Joab, the son of David's sister Zeruiah (1 Chronicles 2:16), was known for his unwavering fidelity to David. Even when he had disobeyed royal commands, he always had the best interest of his king in mind. Some have conjectured that Joab's support of Adonijah was in his own best interest. According to this theory Joab knew that he was under David's displeasure for his two cold-blooded murders, and for the battlefield execution of Absalom. He feared that Solomon would mete out to him the vengeance which David could not bring himself to execute. So, the theory concludes, by backing Adonijah Joab was acting in his own self-interest. No one, of course, can know for sure what motivated Joab to cast his lot with Adonijah. The present writer feels that acting in his own self-interest would be out of character for Joab. He feared no one, and there does not appear to have been a selfish bone in his body. Whatever other faults Joab may have had, he never tried to use his powerful position for personal advantage. Probably Joab felt that Adonijah was legally the successor of David and logically the man best suited for the job.

No less significant was the support which Adonijah received from Abiathar the priest (1 Kings 1:7). Abiathar was the sole survivor when Saul massacred the priests at Nob (1 Samuel 22:20). He shared the afflictions of David when the latter fled from the insane Saul (1 Samuel 22:23) and was rewarded under the reign of David by being named to a position of leadership in the priesthood. Zadok, who shared the priesthood with Abiathar, is usually mentioned first (2 Samuel 15:29; 2 Samuel 15:35-36; 2 Samuel 20:25) as though he were the more important and influential. Probably Zadok was the chief priest[84] and Abiathar the slightly less prestigious second priest. To secure the support of this influential religious leader, Adonijah may have promised to restore the high priesthood to the family of Abiathar exclusively. This, of course, is mere speculation. Once again it may have been simply that Abiathar felt that Adonijah had a legitimate claim to the throne.

[84] Zadok likely became high priest by succeeding Jehoiada who certainly had been high priest in the days of Saul. He and thirty-seven hundred followers joined David at Hebron after the death of Saul. See 1 Chronicles 12:27; 1 Chronicles 27:5.

While Adonijah was successful in enlisting the support of Joab and Abiathar, other prominent military and religious leaders remained steadfastly loyal to the express wishes of their dying king. Five are named in 1 Kings 1:8. (1) Zadok, the high priest, during the reign of David remained faithful as did (2) Benaiah, the commander of the royal bodyguard. Benaiah was the son of Jehoiada the high priest (1 Chronicles 27:5) and consequently a priest in his own right. But because of his military skill (2 Samuel 23:20-21; 1 Chronicles 11:22), he was given command of the bodyguard (II S8:18; 1 Chronicles 18:17). He probably was a near relative of Zadok. (3) Nathan, the prophetic conscience of David's reign, did not budge in his loyalty to the wishes of the king. Nathan is famous for two prophetic oracles: In the first oracle (2 Samuel 7), Nathan promised David that his descendants would rule Israel forever. Jesus Christ, David's greater son, is now ruling over His kingdom in ultimate fulfillment of this promise. Nathan is also famous for his fearless condemnation of David's sin with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 12). A Jewish tradition identifies Nathan as the eighth son of Jesse. Various suggestions have been made as to the identity of (4) Shemi. Some think he may have been David's brother Shammah (1 Samuel 16:9) or Shimeah as it is spelled in 2 Samuel 13:3; 2 Samuel 21:21. Others think he is the Shimei, son of Elah, in 1 Kings 4:18. A third view is that this is the same Shimei who once had cursed David, but who now was with Solomon (1 Kings 2:8). (5) Rei is completely unknown except for this passage.

Along with the five individuals named as being loyal to David, the author takes note of the fact that David's mighty men refused to be swayed by the charm and charisma of Adonijah. The Gibborim (mighty men) seems to have been a military order for those who had performed valiant deeds on the field of battle. Thirty men had attained this honor and their names and exploits are recorded in 2 Samuel 23 and 1 Chronicles 11.

Undeterred by the lack of support from the key leaders mentioned in 1 Kings 1:8, Adonijah proceeded with plans to seize the throne. A great communal feast was to be the occasion at which Adonijah would have himself proclaimed king. En-rogel (lit., spring of treading)[85] was chosen as the location for the clandestine coronation. This spring, known today as the well of Job,[86] was located outside Jerusalem's walls at about the point where the Kidron and Hinnom valleys meet southeast of the city. The spot was chosen because (1) it was politically advantageous for Adonijah to conduct his shady business outside Jerusalem which was literally the city of David; (2) the spring furnishes the best water available around Jerusalem; and (3) the spring was located in or very near the shady and cool king's garden or paradise.[87] Even in modern times this area has been described as the prettiest and most fertile spot around Jerusalem.[88] The stone of Zoheleth (lit., stone of the serpent) mentioned in connection with En-rogel appears to be nothing more than a geographical landmark mentioned by the author to further pinpoint the spot where the feast took place.[89]

[85] Perhaps En-rogel was a spring where clothes would be washed by treading upon them with the feet. Several other possible explanations of the name are listed in Gray, OTL, pp. 81-82.
[86] The oldest travelers to Palestine identified the well of Job as En-rogel and most modern scholars concur in their judgment.
[87] Josephus (Ant. VII, 14.4) states that Adonijah feasted in the king's paradise.

[88] Robinson, BRP, 1,419.
[89] Perhaps the stone was used to allow the blood to drain from the slaughtered animals. Others think it may have been a huge overhanging rock that provided additional shade.

Animals in abundance were slaughtered[90] in order to provide meat for the numerous guests. All the king's sons (except Solomon) and all the men of the tribe of Judah (Adonijah's tribe) who served in David's court were invited to the festivities (1 Kings 1:9). Of course those who opposed Adonijah were not invited (1 Kings 1:10). The fact that Solomon was excluded proves that Adonijah knew him to be David's choice as successor.

[90] The Hebrew verb zabach means primarily to slaughter and does not necessarily carry the implication of sacrifice as some commentators wrongly suggest.

THE THRONE OF DAVID CONTESTED

Supporting Adonijah

Supporting Solomon

Joab (Captain)

Benaiah (Captain)

Abiathar (Priest) of house of Ithamar

Zadok (Priest) of house of Eleazar

Sons of the King

Nathan (Prophet)

King's Servants (Men of Judah)

Bathsheba

King's Servants

Jonathan

Shimei

Rei

Cherethites and Pelethites

Behold, a son shall be born to you. and his name shall be Solomon. and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 1 Chronicles 22:9-10