Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents

1:2-4 let her wait on the king and be in his service. . . . lie in your arms. The Hebrew expression for "wait" appears in Lev. 18:23 (as "give herself"), where it refers to availability for sexual intercourse; "be in his service" leaves the precise nature of the service unstated; and "in your arms" has sexual overtones in Gen. 16:5 ("your embrace"); 2 Sam. 12:8; and Mic. 7:5. This beautiful young woman, Abishag, is no doubt intended to interest David sexually; and his impotence (the king knew her not) is all the encouragement that Adonijah needs to foment rebellion ("I will be king," 1 Kings 1:5).

1:5-6 Adonijah was the fourth of David's sons born in Hebron (2 Sam. 3:2-5), and the eldest surviving. The first, Amnon, and third, Absalom, have died by this point in the story (2 Samuel 13-18), and the second, Chileab, is presumably also dead (unmentioned after 2 Samuel 3). exalted himself. This implies that Adonijah is usurping David's (and God's) right to designate a successor (cf. the same term in Num. 16:3); this contrasts with David, who waited patiently for God to raise him to office, even refusing to take Saul's life (1 Samuel 16-31). Here, however, the authors recall Absalom in their reference to chariots and horsemen (or horses) and men (cf. 2 Sam. 15:1); and by their reference to the fact that Adonijah was a very handsome man (cf. 2 Sam. 14:25-26), they already hint that he too is heading for disaster. His father had never asked, "Why have you done thus and so?" Adonijah, like Absalom, was in part the product of parental negligence and indulgence; David never held him accountable for his actions (cf. notes on 2 Sam. 13:21; 14:24; 15:4).

1:7-9 The events of chs. 1-2 are to be understood in light of the Judah/Israel tensions already evident in the books of Samuel and soon to reappear in 1 Kings 12 (cf. 2 Sam. 20:1; 1 Kings 12:16). Joab and Abiathar were men with deep roots in David's Judean past (e.g., 1 Sam. 22:20-23; 2 Samuel 2-3). By contrast, only Benaiah and David's mighty men (special guard) in the opposing group had such a long-standing association with David (see 2 Sam. 23:8-39). Note that it was the royal officials of Judah who were invited to Adonijah's feast, not those of Israel. Shimei was an antagonist of David from the house of Saul (2 Sam. 16:5-14), while neither Nathan nor Zadok appear in the narrative before 2 Sam. 7:2 and 8:17, respectively (i.e., after David's move from Hebron to Jerusalem in 2 Sam. 5:6-10). En-rogel. The spring En-rogel was south of Jerusalem, at the juncture of the Hinnom and Kidron Valleys, and provided the city with a source of water additional to the important Gihon Spring (see 1 Kings 1:33) about half a mile to the north.

1:13 Did you not . . . swear? This oath is not mentioned anywhere in 2 Samuel, and Nathan himself does not mention it to David when he confronts him in 1 Kings 1:24-27. Perhaps it was a private assurance from David to Bathsheba that was not public knowledge.

1:18 you . . . do not know it. The play on the idea of "knowing" in ch. 1 underlines the extent of David's loss of power in his old age. He was not able to "know" Abishag sexually (v. 4) as he had once known Bathsheba, and now he does not know about Adonijah, even though he had previously had the reputation of possessing "wisdom like the wisdom of the angel of God to know all things that are on the earth" (2 Sam. 14:20).

1:20-21 Bathsheba is concerned that if David does not appoint Solomon as the next monarch prior to his death (sleeps with his fathers), she and her son will be treated as rivals for the throne (counted offenders) and their lives will be at risk.

1:22-27 Long live King Adonijah! While Adonijah's attempts to consolidate power and succeed David as king are evident (vv. 5-9), Nathan emphasizes the alarming purpose of the events to motivate David to quickly resolve the problem of royal succession.

1:31 May my lord King David live forever! As is clear from the context, Bathsheba uses the conventional form of speech that one would normally use in addressing a king (cf. Dan. 3:9; 6:21). The use of this convention, however, does not imply that Bathsheba is insincere, but that she is reaffirming her loyalty to David.

1:33 my own mule. Solomon's ride on David's mule marks him as David's favored son. More than this, the mule itself may also have been regarded as a symbol of kingship (see Zech. 9:9; Matt. 21:1-11).

1:38 Cherethites and . . . Pelethites. These are probably the "servants" of v. 33, apparently David's own personal troops (cf. 2 Sam. 8:18; 15:18; 20:7, 23). They were probably mercenaries drawn from among the non-Israelite population of Canaan, most likely (as the names imply) of Cretan and Philistine origin.

1:39 the tent. The most natural assumption might be that this is "the tent of the Lord" that appears also in 2:28-30, i.e., the tabernacle. The Chronicler, however (2 Chron. 1:1-6), differentiates David's tent in Jerusalem (the temporary location of the ark of the covenant) from the tabernacle in Gibeon, so the reference is in fact unclear.

1:41-49 guests . . . heard it. The location of Adonijah's party at En-rogel (v. 9), just south of Jerusalem in the Kidron Valley, prevented direct observation of Solomon's anointing (vv. 38-40), but they could hear the subsequent celebration. Adonijah's guests trembled and rose (v. 49), knowing that alignment with him may mean being designated rebels. Notice how carefully Jonathan the son of Abiathar expresses his personal loyalties to our lord King David (vv. 43, 47).

1:50 horns of the altar. Adonijah believes that the altar, as a holy place, protects him from Solomon's vengeance. This reflects a common ancient Near Eastern custom with regard to asylum at shrines (cf. Ex. 21:12-14).

2:2-3 Be strong, and show yourself a man. David's parting words to Solomon echo God's words to Joshua upon his "succession" to the leadership of Israel after Moses' death (Josh. 1:6-9). This injunction begins by using the language of warriorship before moving on immediately to define the framework within which this strength must be exercised (obedience to God, in accordance with the Law of Moses). Particularly in view here (as in Joshua) is the law code of Deuteronomy, as the language of 1 Kings 2:3-4 indicates (cf. Deut. 4:29; 6:2; 8:6; 9:5; 11:1; 29:9). "Show yourself a man" seems to be an idiom that refers primarily to conducting oneself bravely (cf. 1 Sam. 4:9; 1 Cor. 16:13), as defined specifically here within the framework of faithful adherence to the Mosaic law; it will take bravery for Solomon to lead the people faithfully.

2:4 his word that he spoke concerning me. The reference is apparently to 2 Sam. 7:11b-16, although that passage does not explicitly mention any conditions attached to the promise (If your sons pay close attention to their way). It is in fact plainly stated (2 Sam. 7:14-15) that wrongdoing on the part of David's successors will not lead to the end of the dynasty, and this is reflected also in 1-2 Kings (cf. 1 Kings 11:36; 15:4; 2 Kings 8:19). Kings thus carries a degree of tension as to the precise implications of the Davidic promise, a tension that remains even by the end of 2 Kings 25.

2:5 what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me. Joab is to be killed so as to clear David's house of "the guilt for the blood" that he "shed without cause" (v. 31). It is curious, however, that David himself had apparently not been sufficiently concerned about this bloodguilt to take action against someone who had been so useful to him (e.g., 2 Sam. 11:15; 14:1-33; 19:1-8). Perhaps beneath David's words is more of a political than a religious concern. Joab is too dangerous to be allowed to live in Solomon's united kingdom once David is gone because he is too much a man of the Judean past (as Shimei is too much a man of the Israelite past, 1 Kings 2:8-9). Between these disruptive elements from Judah and Israel, elements that are hostile to harmony, stands Barzillai (v. 7; cf. 2 Sam. 17:27-29; 19:31-39) from Gilead in Transjordan. He is a model of dutiful service to his king, which is rewarded in peaceful fellowship for his sons around the king's table.

2:6 according to your wisdom. Solomon must not act rashly, but must find some clever justification for removing Joab from the scene (see also v. 9 in reference to Shimei) so that he does not die a peaceful and natural death in old age (do not let his gray head go down to Sheol in peace). For "Sheol," see note on 1 Sam. 2:6. Solomon's wisdom (Hb. khokhmah) will be highlighted in the following chapters (1 Kings 3:1-28; 4:29-34; 10:1-13), but it will never again be used to such ruthless effect.

2:10 David slept with his fathers. The metaphor of sleep hints at the expectation of awakening sometime in the future, and "with his fathers" hints that previous generations also join in this hope, and that David is somehow now with them. This phrase will be repeated many times in Kings and Chronicles.

2:11 David reigned over Israel for forty years, and died in 970 b.c.

2:12 his kingdom was firmly established. The Hebrew kun ("established") is strategically positioned at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end of vv. 12-46 (vv. 12, 24, 45-46), recalling 2 Sam. 7:11b-16, where it appears on three occasions (2 Sam. 7:12, 13, 16) in relation to God's action in ensuring for David an everlasting dynasty. God has done for Solomon what he had done earlier for David (2 Sam. 5:12), in accordance with his promise to David (1 Kings 2:24).

2:17 give me Abishag the Shunammite as my wife. Second Samuel 16:20-22 suggests that sexual liaison with the king's concubines amounted to a claim to the throne; and although Abishag was not strictly a concubine, she was intimately associated in people's minds with David. Certainly Solomon appears to interpret Adonijah's request as a revival of the conspiracy of 1 Kings 1--as precisely the "wickedness" against which Solomon had warned him in 1:52 (cf. 2:22).

2:22 my older brother. It is not clear to what extent the eldest son was normally expected in Israel to succeed his father to the throne, but at least some Israelites would certainly have regarded the eldest as having a particular claim on the throne.

2:26 you deserve death. There is no evidence that Abiathar and Joab had anything to do with Adonijah's initiative in regard to Abishag, but both are pronounced guilty by association.

2:27 the word of the Lord . . . in Shiloh. Cf. 1 Sam. 2:27-36. Abiathar is identified as a member of Eli's house in 1 Sam. 22:20, and the "faithful priest" of 1 Sam. 2:35 is now discovered to be Zadok (1 Kings 2:35). The books of Kings are very interested in this idea of prophecy and fulfillment, which is one of the themes that binds the books together and gives them their distinctive atmosphere.

2:28-34 Heeding David's instructions (see vv. 5-6 and notes), Solomon moves to have Joab eliminated. horns of the altar. See note on 1:50. Benaiah . . . struck him down. Joab does not think that Solomon will be as ruthless as Joab had shown himself to be, that is, prepared even to have someone killed in the place of sanctuary. Though this was not strictly in compliance with Ex. 21:12-14 (which states that a murderer is to be taken away from the altar and put to death), taking refuge in the sanctuary applied only to the case of accidental death (Ex. 21:13), not intentional murder; the point of Ex. 21:14 was that the altar provided no protection for a willful murderer. David's view (see note on 1 Kings 2:5) was that Joab deserved death for the murder of both Abner (2 Sam. 3:27) and Amasa (2 Sam. 20:10).

2:36-46 Solomon moves next to eliminate Shimei, who had cursed David as he fled from Absalom (see vv. 7-8; cf. 2 Sam. 16:5-13). When Shimei ignores Solomon's order not to go from Jerusalem to any other place (1 Kings 2:36, cf. v. 42), Solomon orders his execution (v. 46). He thus proves himself to be a "wise" king (vv. 6, 9), but it is a dubious kind of wisdom.