Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Kings 2:13
And Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bath-sheba the mother of Solomon. And she said, Comest thou peaceably? And he said, Peaceably.
13 25. Adonijah asks for Abishag to wife and is put to death by Solomon (Not in Chronicles)
13. Comest thou peaceably ] There was the same sort of alarm in Bath-sheba’s mind as was in those of the people of Bethlehem when Samuel came to visit Jesse before David was anointed (1Sa 16:4), when the elders of the town trembled. She expected no good from any scheme of Adonijah’s, and her question refers more to the national welfare than to her personal concerns.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Comest thou peaceably, or with some evil design upon me or my son? which she might well surmise, knowing his ambition and envy at Solomon, and his hatred against her, as the chief occasion of his dejection.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
13-18. Adonijah . . . came toBath-shebaHer question to him betrays an apprehension whichhis recent conduct might well warrant; but his pious acknowledgmentof the divine will seemed apparently to indicate so entire anacquiescence in the settlement of the succession [1Ki2:15], that, in her womanly simplicity, she perceived not thedeep cunning and evil design that was concealed under his request andreadily undertook to promote his wishes.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon,…. Into her apartment; Abarbinel thinks it was a few days after the death of David:
and she said, comest thou peaceably? in a friendly manner, with no ill design, only to pay a friendly visit; for she might fear he came to avenge himself on her, and destroy her, because she had been the instrument of disappointing him of the kingdom, and of getting her son Solomon set upon the throne, and established in it; and therefore could not tell what envy, rage, and disappointment, might prompt him to:
and he said, peaceably; he meant no harm unto her.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY NOTES.
1Ki. 2:13. Comest thou peaceably?After recent events, there was reason to suspect his design.
1Ki. 2:15. The kingdom is turned aboutHe prudently thus evades the charge on Bathsheba of having herself been accessory to this issue.
1Ki. 2:16. Deny me not; lit., turn not away my face.
1Ki. 2:18. Well, I will speak for theeShe saw not the cunning of Adonijah and might have thought this gratification would appease his disappointment.
1Ki. 2:22. Ask for him the kingdom alsoSolomon saw his crafty aim. The wives and concubines of a deceased king became the property of his successor to the throne (2Sa. 12:8); hence the possession of Abishag would have given to Adonijah an additional apparent right to the kingdom; it was treason, therefore, for him, a subject, to claim a member of the royal harem as his wife; and Solomon recognised it as one step towards the seizure of the crown, or as a scheme by which Adonijah sought to found a rival dynasty. Hence the summary justice (1Ki. 2:25), and hence, too, the religious oath (1Ki. 2:23), for the royal line of David might not be imperilled by intrigue.
HOMILETICS OF 1Ki. 2:13-25
THE DOOM OF A TREASONABLE SPIRIT
1Ki. 2:1. That a treasonable spirit is slow to learn a lesson from past misfortunes. One would have thought that after the lamentable and disgraceful failure of his recent enterprise Adonijah would not have had the hardihood to risk another defeat. His conduct at this time reveals his character as a restless, intriguing, ambitious man. There are some men who will not be taught. The advice of the wise is contemptuously thrown away: the most calamitous events and their obvious lessons are speedily forgotten. The love of plotting and scheming amounts in some men to a passion; they are often blinded by their own cunning, and caught in the snares they had laid for the feet of others. Envy and ambition are turbulent elements, difficult to allay, and often hurrying their victims to certain ruin.
II. That a treasonable spirit has no scruple as to the method adopted in gaining its end.
1. It will flatter a mothers vanity. Treason is a tortuous policy, and seeks to use others as tools to accomplish its designs. Instead of going direct to the king, Adonijah strove to influence the mother in his favour. He spoke of her son in a way to gratify the mothers heart, and to disguise the insincerity that lay beneath his words. Flattery is one of the most polished and effective weapons of the schemer.
2. It is regardless of veracity. Thou knowest that all Israel set their faces on me. This was a great exaggeration. He had really no very large following (see 1Ki. 1:39-40; 1Ki. 1:45; 1Ki. 1:49). It was well known the Lord had chosen Solomon. Accuracy as to matters of fact never troubles the conscience of some people. The liar is never at a loss for arguments, nor very particular as to their character. Says the proverbIt is an easy thing to find a staff to beat a dog with.
3. It can affect a mock saintliness. For it was his from the Lord. From such lips, this sounds very much like cant! The aim was evidently to deceive Bathsheba as to the real intention of securing her advocacy. Of all methods to attain sinister ends, the rle of the religious hypocrite is the most detestable. There are some natures over whom it exerts a potent charm.
III. That a treasonable spirit is prompted by base motives (1Ki. 2:17). The beauty of Abishag had made its impression on Adonijah. Blinded by sensual passion and the lust of power, he disregarded the incestuous proposal to marry his fathers widow. Such an union was directly contrary to positive law (Lev. 18:8). The darkest designs are the offspring of the lowest motives, and an ambitious zeal for place and the public weal often covers the desire for a wider scope in the personal indulgence of sensual instincts (Psa. 37:12).
IV. A treasonable spirit knows no bounds to its ambition. Nothing short of kingship could satisfy Adonijah. His possession of Abishag was intended as a means to that end. Her eminent beauty and near relation to David would give her a powerful interest at court. In the oriental mind a monarch was so sacred, such a divinity hedged him in, that whatever was brought near to him was thenceforth separate from common use. This sacred and separate character attached especially to the royal harem. The inmates either remained widows for the rest of their lives, or became the wives of the deceased kings successor. When a monarch was murdered or dethroned, or succeeded by one whose title was doubtful, the latter alternative was almost always adopted. The Pseudo Smerdis married all the wives of Cambyses (Herod. iii. 68); and Darius married all the wives of the Pseudo-Smerdis (ib. ch. 88). So David, when he succeeded Saul, had all the wives of Saul (2Sa. 12:8); and Absalom, when he seized the crown, by the advice of Ahitophel, went in unto his fathers concubines (ib. 1Ki. 16:22). These are examples of what seems to have been a universal practice; and the result was such a close connection in public opinion between the title of the crown and the possession of the deceased monarchs wives, that to have granted Adonijahs request would have been the strongest encouragement to his pretensions.Speakers Comm. Woman is often courted for the sake of the place and power to which she can introduce her suitor: the serpent addressed the woman first in order to gain the man. The ambition of a treasonable spirit is as avaricious and insatiable as it is reckless in the agencies it employs.
V. That a treasonable spirit is unexpectedly detected and exposed (1Ki. 2:22-23). Solomon at once saw through the design of Adonijah. He appears, too, to have discovered some indications of another attempt at rebellion, in which Abiathar and Joab were implicated (1Ki. 2:22). He showed Bathsheba how she had been deceived by the flattery of Adonijah; and we can conceive with what alarm she would start back from the dark pitfall into which she was about unwittingly to plunge herself and son! A course of villany may go on for a long time in uninterrupted prosperity; but detection is sure to come, and the exposure will be humiliating and complete. Be sure your sin will find you out. In these days of literary enterprise, the columns of a thousand journals will exhibit your disgrace to the world in unmistakeable characters. If the mask could be torn from the face of society, what a horrid index would be presented to the festering mass of deceit, envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness which is ever heaving and spreading there! A day is coming when the secrets of all hearts shall be revealed, and all wrongs redressed. But who can fathom the depth of that Divine patience that bears with the enormities of the wicked, and calmly waits for the hour of retribution? Better to find out and deplore our own sins before they are exposed and punished by omniscient and omnipotent justice.
VI. That a treasonable spirit meets with summary and unfaltering vengeance (1Ki. 2:24-25). Adonijah had before been pardoned, and his life spared, on condition that he acted worthily (1Ki. 1:52). That condition was violated; and now, without admitting any intercession for his life, he is solemnly doomed to death, and the sentence forthwith executed. The perils of the state sometimes demand the prompt and rigorous punishment of offenders. Sin entails a life of disappointment and misery, and a death of shame and infamy. The cunning of the wicked often overreaches itself, and the plot which is intended to gain a fortune terminates in a dishonoured grave. Many a head has been lost in the attempt to seize a crown. The ruin of the enemies of Christs kingdom is as sure as the unshakeable stability of that kingdom.
LESSONS:
1. A treasonable spirit demoralizes mans whole nature.
2. The cleverest plotter is no match for the simple wisdom of uprightness.
3. Persistency in sin intensifies the severity of the punishment.
GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES
1Ki. 2:13-25. Adonijahs attempt to gain the throne.
1. Wherein this attempt consisted (1Ki. 2:13-18).
2. How it ended (1Ki. 2:19-25). Adonijah and his faction show the truth of what is often foundnamely, that revolutionary men are not discouraged by the failure of their plans, and even disgraceful defeat, but always brood over the means of attaining their ambitious views and gratifying their thirst for power. Pardon and forbearance do not change them, but generally harden and embolden them. If they do not succeed by open force, they choose deceitful ways, notwithstanding all the promises they may have given; and they feign submission until they think their opportunity has arrived. Every one to whom God has confided the government should hear the words of David to Solomon: Be strong, therefore, and show thyself a man; for weakness is, in this respect, sin against God and man. As to Adonijah, the whole East knew but one punishment for such plans as he cherishedviz., death. Had his enterprise succeeded, he would doubtless have destroyed Solomon and his principal adherents, in accordance with the usual practice hitherto. Solomon, on the contrary, did not follow this custom, but showed forgiveness and generosity; in fact, he avoided all persecution of Adonijahs partisans. Only when Adonijah, contrary to his word, and notwithstanding his humble homage, again appeared as pretender to the throne, and sought to reach his end by deceit and hypocrisy, did he order the affixed punishment.Lange.
1Ki. 2:18. I will speak for thee unto the king. The Christian minister an ambassador.
1. He is divinely called and qualified.
2. He has influence with the court of heaven.
3. He pleads the cause of the needy.
4. He seeks to reconcile the rebellious to God.
5. He is appealed to for counsel by the distressed and penitent.
1Ki. 2:20. Bathsheba makes a petition against herself, and knows it not; her safety and life depend upon Solomons reign, yet she unwittingly moves for the advancement of Adonijah. In unfit supplications we are most heard when we are repelled. Thus doth our God many times answer our prayers with merciful denials, and most blesseth us in crossing our desires.Bishop Hall.
1Ki. 2:22. Ask for him the kingdom also. For that is it he gapes after, and seeks to strengthen his cracked title by marrying the late kings concubine, who was likely grown very gracious with the great ones, and as potent at court as was once here Dame Alice Pierce, King Edward III.s concubine, who did whatsoever she pleased.Trapp.
1Ki. 2:24. Adonijah shall be put to death this day. This day, before to-morrow, lest delay should breed danger. Who knoweth what a great-bellied day may bring forth? We are used to sayA day breaketh no square; but that is not always true. Oh, that we would be as quick in slaying our arch rebelsthose predominant sins that threaten our precious souls!Trapp.
1Ki. 2:25. And he fell upon him that he died. This was another piece of the punishment of Davids two great sins, the small and short pleasure whereof behold what a train and tail of calamities it draweth after it!Trapp.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
II. ADONIJAHS SECOND CONSPIRACY AGAINST SOLOMON 2:1335
At the collapse of his first conspiracy, Solomon had magnanimously spared the life of Adonijah. The traitor was spared on condition that he show himself a worthy man and not get involved in any political intrigue again. Adonijah should have learned his lesson. But apparently he never relinquished his claim to the throne, nor overlooked any possibility of undermining his brother. The present paragraph describes (1) the subtle plot devised by Adonijah (1Ki. 2:13-18); (2) the innocent petition made on his behalf by Bathsheba (1Ki. 2:19-21); and (3) the stern punishment meted out by Solomon (1Ki. 2:22-25).
A. THE PLOT DEVISED BY ADONIJAH 2:1318
TRANSLATION
(13) Now Adonijah son of Haggith came unto Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. And she said, In peace do you come? And he said, In peace. (14) Then he said, I have a matter to discuss with you. And she said, Speak it. (15) And he said, You certainly know that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel set their faces upon me that I should rule; but the kingdom has turned about and has become my brothers, for it was his from the LORD. (16) But now one favor I am about to ask of you; do not deny me. And she said unto him, Speak it. (17) And he said, Speak, I pray you, to Solomon the king (for he will not deny you) that he give to me Abishag the Shunammite for a wife. (18) And Bathsheba said, Fine! I will surely speak on your behalf to the king.
COMMENTS
It is generally agreed among commentators that Adonijah was making a second and more subtle bid for the throne in requesting the hand of Abishag. By means of Abishag the former concubine of the king he hoped to accomplish what his chariots, horsemen and banquets had not accomplished. In order to gain a favorable disposition from the young king, Adonijah spoke to and won the sympathies of the most powerful woman in the land, Bathsheba the queen mother. She naturally was surprised at a visit from her former antagonist and so she questioned him as to his intentions (1Ki. 2:13). Adonijah responded that he had come peaceably, and that he simply had a matter he wished to discuss with her (1Ki. 2:14).
Adonijah prefaced his petition with a statement designed to win the womanly sympathies of Bathsheba. First, he affirmed that the throne of Israel was legally his: You know that mine was the kingdom! The words in italics are emphasized in the Hebrew. Because of his seniority among the sons of David, Adonijah still thought that the throne was rightfully his. To his initial statement Adonijah added And upon me all Israel had set their faces that I should reign. That Adonijah exaggerated his acceptance among the general populace is obvious. If all Israel had backed Adonijah, there was no way that Solomon could have gained the crown. But this shrewd prince was not interested in an accurate assessment of his earlier bid for power. This was psychological ply.
Now the implication in what Adonijah had said thus far was that he should have and could have had the throne but for the part taken by Bathsheba in thwarting his efforts. Seeing that he had by these assertions and insinuations aroused the ire of the queen mother, Adonijah hastily added: But it was Gods will that the kingdom be transferred to my brother (1Ki. 2:15). By this statement Adonijah led Bathsheba to believe that he had resigned himself to his fate and that he now acquiesced in Solomons supremacy. But had not Adonijah known of the divine appointment of Solomon long before his attempted usurpation? It is hard to believe otherwise. Bathsheba should have realized that she was being manipulated, and that Adonijah had not relinquished his claim to be rightful king. But Bathsheba listened with a mothers heart instead of with a queen mothers head. Poor Adonijah, she thought. On the verge of stepping through the threshold of greatness to the crown of Israel he had been thwarted by the hand of God!
Having gained the sympathy of Bathsheba, Adonijah was ready to present his petition (1Ki. 2:16). I have only one request, he pleaded, and I beg you not to deny it to me (lit., turn not away my face, i.e., repulse me). He then asked Bathsheba to speak to her son on his behalf that he might be permitted to marry Abishag. He spiced up his request with a bit of flattery when he remarked parenthetically that the king would never deny a request by his mother (1Ki. 2:17). The argument implied in Adonijahs request is that possession of Abishag was but slight compensation for the loss of the kingdom which was rightfully his.
Apparently Bathsheba did not question Adonijah about his motives for wanting to marry the Shunammite. Her womans intuition told her that Adonijah had fallen in love with this most beautiful young maiden. That love (or lust) might possibly have motivated Adonijahs request cannot be denied. But higher aspirations were certainly involved as Solomon instantly recognized (cf. 1Ki. 2:22). Taken in by Adonijahs self-pity, his hypocritical piety and his flattery, Bathsheba without hesitation agreed to act as his agent before the king (1Ki. 2:18).
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(13) And Adonijah . . . came.The application of Adonijah to Bath-sheba, and the signs of honour paid to her by the kingof which there is no trace in her approach to the presence of David (1Ki. 1:15-16; 1Ki. 1:28; 1Ki. 1:31)illustrate the universal custom of Eastern monarchies; by which, while the wives of the king, being many, are seldom held to be of any great political account, the mother of the reigning king is a person of great dignity and influence. We may notice how constantly the name of each kings mother is recorded in the history.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
13. Came to Bathsheba As Nathan had succeeded through the powerful influence of this woman in securing the throne to Solomon, (see 1Ki 1:11-31,) so Adonijah now hopes through her to gain his ends.
Comest thou peaceably With no hostile or sinister designs? (Compare 1Sa 16:4.) His recent usurpation was a sufficient reason for her to imagine some new evil design.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Adonijah, Abiathar And Joab Plot Against Solomon Who Brings Judgment On Them By Removing Them ( 1Ki 2:13-25 ).
At first sight we have here what appears to us to be a quite innocent, and even rather romantic episode. Initially it even appears to be rather sweet, and we begin to wonder why it is mentioned at all. But then, all of a sudden, we discover that underneath the surface things are not quite as they seem. For beneath what appears to us at first sight to be an almost trivial request, we discover that deep plots are to be discerned, which have behind them some of the most powerful figures in the kingdom.
Had just Adonijah and Joab been involved we might have taken what happened ‘at face value’ and have seen it simply as an indication that Solomon was willing to use any expedient in order to get rid of them. But the involvement of Abiathar as well as them, and his subsequent banishment, indicates that much more lies beneath the surface, for apart from his initial support for Adonijah, (a support also demonstrated by the king’s sons and many Judean officials), there had been no hint of any wrongdoing by him. After all Adonijah had appeared to be the natural and genuine successor to David in many people’s eyes. Why then should Solomon suddenly speak out and act against Abiathar so strongly, an Abiathar who was certainly not without considerable religious influence (removing him from acting as priest at the Tabernacle was a huge step) and was an old friend of his father’s? The answer can surely only lie in the fact that Solomon knew more than we do, and that his secret agents were keeping him informed of what was going on, with the result that he was aware of more than appears to lie on the surface and was already on his guard in readiness for a coup, knowing many of the names involved.
There is much to confirm this suggestion. After all Adonijah was no fool. He must therefore have been quite well aware that in asking for Abishag to be his wife he was going outside reasonable bounds and taking a great risk. To seek to marry a dead king’s concubine would undoubtedly be seen by most as an attempt to establish a position from which he could make another bid for the throne. Compare Abner’s similar action in 2Sa 3:7-10, and its repercussion, and note Absalom’s action in 2Sa 16:21-22. It would seem that he was depending on the young Solomon not being as wise as everyone was saying, and not recognising the sinister motive behind his action, for the fact that he was still dissatisfied at the state of things comes out in his rather bitter words to Bathsheba, ‘you know that the kingdom was mine and all Israel set their faces on me that I should reign’. It was a rather optimistic assessment, for he had not been supported by all Israel, but he seemingly did himself believe it, and clearly felt very disgruntled about the situation. His comment that Solomon had been granted the throne by YHWH was really bringing out that in his view most humans saw the situation otherwise, and was simply a necessary palliative to Bathsheba. To have even made these comments in the circumstances brings out the bitterness of his feelings.
As we soon discover, Bathsheba suspected nothing, and she probably felt even a little sorry for Adonijah. She would not be aware of the undercurrents that Solomon was constantly being primed about by his intelligence service. The writer was also in the same position as Bathsheba. He had only the king’s annals to go by, and they would not necessarily reveal what information had been received by Solomon from his intelligence service. But that Solomon had that intelligence comes out in the fact that the moment that Adonijah’s request was made known to him he linked it without hesitation with the names of Joab and Abiathar. It appears therefore that he had good cause to know that they were involved in the plot.
Adonijah’s guilt is suggested by the following:
1). His very attempt to marry the wife with whom David had been closest in his last days, a woman who had been privy to many state secrets, and whom all the people associated with David, was a prime target for suspicion. In the thinking of those days it could only enhance his right to the throne in the eyes of the people.
2). His approaching of Solomon through Bathsheba. Had he not suspected that Solomon would not approve he would surely have approached Solomon himself and made clear that his request was totally innocent. Thus it would appear that he was fully aware of the incongruity of his request, and was hoping to take advantage of Bathsheba’s innocence and influence in order to get his way without raising suspicions. He could not possibly not have known how significant what he was attempting to do was.
3). The bitterness that he seemingly could not help revealing when he claimed that everyone but YHWH thought that he should have been king brought out what was in his inner thoughts. Had he simply been wanting to marry a beautiful woman he would have been much more conciliatory. He had no need to reveal his open resentment at the situation. It indicated that it was clearly eating him up.
4). The way in which Solomon immediately connected Joab and Abiathar with the attempt suggests that Solomon had intelligence that linked them with the request. It would appear that Joab was still in position as commander-in-chief of the armies of Israel, and that Abiathar was still an acting High Priest. This would suggest that Solomon was continuing to take them at face value and considered that he had no overt reason for acting against them, otherwise he would certainly have moved earlier to replace Joab as commander-in-chief. It was precisely because Solomon had no firm grounds to present to the people that these two still enjoyed their positions. Outwardly therefore they both appeared to the majority of people to be loyal to Solomon. Thus it must have been something out of the ordinary which had alerted Solomon to their present guilt.
5). The removal of Abiathar from the revered position of High Priest, something totally unprecedented apart from in the case of a maddened Saul (and even he did it by execution) demands a very serious cause, especially in view of Solomon’s own genuine expression of appreciation for him. It could only have been brought about by something extremely serious and damaging, certainly more damaging than simply having been involved in Adonijah’s attempt to gain popular support prior to David having made his position clear. It was something that Solomon would certainly have found difficult to do unless he was able to demonstrate very specific grounds for it. And it will be noted that Abiathar made no attempt to defend himself. It suggests that he knew perfectly well why he was being treated in this way.
On these grounds it is our view that Solomon was justified in his actions, and that to suggest that he was just finding an excuse for getting rid of them is to seriously misjudge him.
Analysis.
a
b He said moreover, “I have something to say to you.” And she said, “Say on.” And he said, “You know that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel set their faces on me, that I should reign. However, the kingdom is turned about, and has become my brother’s, for it was his from YHWH” (1Ki 2:14-15).
c “And now I ask one petition of you. Do not deny me.” And she said to him, “Say on.” And he said, “Speak, I pray you to Solomon the king (for he will not say you nay), that he give me Abishag the Shunammite to wife” (1Ki 2:16-17).
d And Bath-sheba said, “Well. I will speak for you to the king.” Bath-sheba therefore went to king Solomon, to speak to him for Adonijah (1Ki 2:18).
e And the king rose up to meet her, and bowed himself to her, and sat down on his throne, and caused a throne to be set for the king’s mother, and she sat on his right hand. Then she said, “I ask one small petition of you, deny me not.” And the king said to her, “Ask on, my mother, for I will not deny you” (1Ki 2:19-20).
d And she said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother to wife” (1Ki 2:21).
c And king Solomon answered and said to his mother, “And why do you ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for him the kingdom also, for he is my elder brother, even for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah” (1Ki 2:22).
b Then king Solomon swore by YHWH, saying, “God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah has not spoken this word against his own life. Now therefore as YHWH lives, who has established me, and set me on the throne of David my father, and who has made me a house, as he promised, surely Adonijah shall be put to death this day” (1Ki 2:23-24).
a And king Solomon sent by Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he fell on him, so that he died (1Ki 2:25).
Note that in ‘a’ Adonijah claimed to have come peaceably while in the parallel he was executed because his approach had not been seen as peaceable at all. In ‘b’ Adonijah expressed his bitterness at the fact that the kingdom has been taken from him, and in the parallel Solomon sentenced him to death because he recognised that he was out to get it back. In ‘c’ Adonijah asked Bathsheba to request from Solomon that he be given Abishag as his wife, and in the parallel Solomon asked her why she made that request, and pointed out that she might as well have asked for the kingdom for him as well. In ‘d’ Bathsheba promised to make the request, and in the parallel she made the request. Centrally in ‘e’ Solomon revealed his compassionate heart when he assured his mother that he would not withhold anything from her.
1Ki 2:13
‘ Then Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bath-sheba the mother of Solomon. And she said, “Do you come peaceably?” And he said, “Peaceably.”
Adonijah’s approach to Solomon’s mother clearly indicated that he was wanting to obtain something that he knew that Solomon on his own would not grant. In Israel the queen mother seemingly had great influence, as is evident from the fact that later the queen mother’s name is given at the accession of kings of Judah (e.g. 1Ki 15:2). But he should have considered that such an approach could only antagonise Solomon and suggest to him that something nefarious was going on. Even Bathsheba was somewhat surprised at his approach and was not sure how peaceable his intentions in approaching her were. It is apparent that harmony had not yet been fully restored in the royal family.
1Ki 2:14
‘ He said moreover, “I have something to say to you.” And she said, “Say on.”
Then he explained to her that he had a request to make, to which she replied that she was willing to hear what he had to say.
1Ki 2:15
‘ And he said, “You know that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel set their faces on me, that I should reign. However, the kingdom is turned about, and has become my brother’s, for it was his from YHWH.”
His next words were hardly conciliatory. They revealed how bitterly he felt the situation. The suggestion that all Israel thought that he should have been king and had supported his cause (certainly an exaggeration) could hardly have been seen by him as likely to endear him to Bathsheba as it reflected on her son. Nor would the thought that Solomon had only become king because it was YHWH’s will, and in spite of the people, have pleased her. Furthermore we have not in the past gained the impression that YHWH’s will was of first importance in Adonijah’s life, and Bathsheba would have known that. It would not therefore have been likely to impress her. It was not really the best way of gaining her sympathy.
His point was, that in his view, the kingdom was due to him because he was the oldest living son of the king, and secondly because the people themselves had accepted him as the natural and rightful heir, and that all had been going swimmingly, until it was all suddenly turned about by David’s action in putting Solomon forward as his heir. But he now wanted her to know that he humbly accepted that that was YHWH’s will, and that it had been given to him by YHWH.
This statement was, of course, intended by the writer to make clear that that was precisely the position. He wanted all to know that in the enthronement of Solomon it was YHWH’s will that had been done, and that Solomon was the chosen and beloved of YHWH (2Sa 12:24-25).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
King Solomon Firmly Establishes His Rule By Removing All known Rebellion From His Kingdom ( 1Ki 2:13-46 ).
Having been warned by his father David as to who had to be watched as he sought to establish his kingdom (the powerful but unreliable Joab, the son of his sister Zeruiah, and the belligerent but influential Shimei, the son of Gera, the Benjaminite – 1Ki 2:5-9), and having himself given sufficient warnings to them which were not heeded, Solomon proceeded to eliminate Adonijah, Joab and Shimei, while at the same time removing Abiathar from any sphere of influence. Such removal of men who were a danger to the peace of the kingdom were a regular feature in the Ancient Near East when a new king succeeded to the throne, for it was a time when powerful men became over ambitious. It is to Solomon’s credit that he did not act until their subversion was openly revealed, having previously issued warnings to Adonijah and Shimei.
There is a reminder in this to us that with the Kingly Rule of God firmly established in our own hearts we also should proceed to remove from our lives all that is contrary to God, for if we do not it will surely bring us down.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Solomon Slays Adonijah 1Ki 2:13-25 records the story of King Solomon slaying his brother Adonijah. One ancient tradition was for a king who takes the throne is to inherit his father’s possessions, including his wives. David took Saul’s harem (2Sa 12:8), and Herodotus tells us that this was an ancient Persian tradition ( The Histories 3.68). [17] This was why Adonijah’s brother, Absalom, lay with King David’s concubines (2Sa 16:22). Adonijah saw this pretty young virgin named Abishag and desired her. His request for her also meant that he had not given up his desire to be king, for he was asking for a part of the king’s inheritance.
[17] Herodotus writes, “Suspicious of the imposture, he took these measures: he had a daughter named Phiedyma, who had been married to Cambyses, and whom, with the other Avives of the late king, the usurper had taken to himself.” See Herodotus, Herodotus, vol. 2, trans. William Beloe (London: A. J. Valpy, 1803), 59-60.
2Sa 12:8, “And I gave thee thy master’s house, and thy master’s wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things.”
2Sa 16:22, “So they spread Absalom a tent upon the top of the house; and Absalom went in unto his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel.”
Solomon saw into the heart of Adonijah through this request. He saw the elder brother as someone who would continue to compete with Solomon for leadership of the kingdom and one day make a violent attempt to seize the throne as his brother Absalom had done. This is why Solomon says to Bathsheba in 1Ki 2:22, “Ask him for the kingdom also?” Solomon well remembered the tactics of Adonijah’s brother, Absalom, who tried to take over the kingdom.
Solomon had given Adonijah one chance to show his loyalty after calling himself king in the place of Solomon. Now his lack of loyalty was revealed, and Solomon’s kingship would always be in jeopardy unless Adonijah was judged. So judgment was the king’s decision.
1Ki 2:27 So Solomon thrust out Abiathar from being priest unto the LORD; that he might fulfil the word of the LORD, which he spake concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.
1Ki 2:27
This word was prophesied by an unnamed man of God to Eli, the high priest.
1Sa 2:27, “And there came a man of God unto Eli, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Did I plainly appear unto the house of thy father, when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh’s house?”
The specific words of the lengthy prophecy that relate to this passage in 1 Kings are found in 1Ki 2:31 of this same prophecy.
1Sa 2:31, “Behold, the days come, that I will cut off thine arm, and the arm of thy father’s house, that there shall not be an old man in thine house.”
1Ki 2:28 Then tidings came to Joab: for Joab had turned after Adonijah, though he turned not after Absalom. And Joab fled unto the tabernacle of the LORD, and caught hold on the horns of the altar.
1Ki 1:50
1Ki 1:50 And Adonijah feared because of Solomon, and arose, and went, and caught hold on the horns of the altar.”
1Ki 2:29 And it was told king Solomon that Joab was fled unto the tabernacle of the LORD; and, behold, he is by the altar. Then Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, Go, fall upon him.
1Ki 2:29
Exo 21:14, “But if a man come presumptuously upon his neighbour, to slay him with guile; thou shalt take him from mine altar, that he may die.”
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
C.Solomons course with the opposers of his accession to the throne
1Ki 2:13-46
13And Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bath-sheba the mother of Solomon.10 14And she said, Comest thou peaceably? And he said, Peaceably. He said moreover, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And she said,11 Say on. 15And he said, Thou knowest that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel set their faces on me, that I should reign: howbeit the kingdom is turned about, and is become my brothers: for it was his from the Lord [Jehovah]. 16And now I ask one petition of thee, deny me not. And she said unto him, Say on. 17And he said, Speak, I pray thee, unto Solomon the king, (for he will not say thee nay,) that 18he give me Abishag the Shunammite to wife. And Bath-sheba said, Well; I will speak for thee unto the king.
19Bath-sheba therefore went unto king Solomon, to speak unto him for Adonijah. And the king rose up to meet her, and bowed himself unto her, and sat down on his throne, and caused a seat to be set for the kings mother; and she sat on his right hand. 20Then she said, I desire one small petition of thee; I pray thee, say me not nay. And the king said unto her, Ask on, my mother; for I will not say thee nay. 21And she said, Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah thy brother to wife. 22And king Solomon answered and said unto his mother, And why dost thou ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? ask for him the kingdom also; for he is mine elder brother; even for him, and for12 Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah. 23Then king Solomon sware by the Lord [Jehovah], saying, God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah 24hath not spoken this word against his own life. Now therefore, as the Lord [Jehovah] liveth, which hath established me, and set me on the throne of David my father, and who hath made me a house, as he promised, Adonijah shall be put to death this day. 25And king Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he fell upon him that he died.
26And unto Abiathar the priest said the king, Get thee to Anathoth, unto thine own fields; for thou art worthy of death: but I will not at this time13 put thee to death, because thou barest the ark of the Lord [Jehovah] God before David my father, and because thou hast been afflicted in all wherein my father was afflicted. 27So Solomon thrust out Abiathar from being priest unto the Lord [Jehovah]; that he might fulfil the word of the Lord [Jehovah], which he spake concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.
28Then tidings came to Joab: for Joab had turned after Adonijah, though he turned not after Absalom.14 And Joab fled unto the tabernacle of the Lord [Jehovah], and caught hold on the horns of the altar. 29And it was told king Solomon that Joab was fled unto the tabernacle of the Lord [Jehovah]; and, behold, he is by the altar.15 Then Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, Go, fall upon him.16 30And Benaiah came to the tabernacle of the Lord [Jehovah], and said unto him, Thus saith the king, Come forth. And he said, Nay;17 but I will die here. And Benaiah brought the king word again, saying, Thus said Joab, and thus he answered me. 31And the king said unto him, Do as he hath said, and fall upon him, and bury him; that thou mayest take away18 the innocent 32[omit] blood, which Joab shed [without cause], from me, and from the house of my father. And the Lord [Jehovah] shall return his blood19 upon his own head, who fell upon two men more righteous and better than he, and slew them with the sword, [and] my father David not knowing thereof [knew it not20], to wit, Abner the son of Ner, captain of the host of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, captain of the host of Judah. 33Their blood shall therefore return upon the head of Joab, and upon the head of his seed for ever: but upon David, and upon his seed, and upon his house, and upon his throne, shall there be peace for ever from the Lord [Jehovah]. 34So Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up, and fell upon him, and slew him: and he was buried in his own house in the wilderness.
35And the king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada in his room over the host:21 and Zadok the priest did the king put in the room of Abiathar.22
36And the king sent and called for Shimei, and said unto him, Build thee an house in Jerusalem, and dwell there, and go not forth thence any whither. 37For it shall be, that on the day thou goest out, and passest over the brook Kidron, thou shalt know for certain that thou shalt surely die: thy blood shall be upon thine own head.23 38And Shimei said unto the king, The saying is good: as my lord the king hath said, so will thy servant do. And. Shimei dwelt in Jerusalem many days. 39And it came to pass at the end of three years, that two of the servants of Shimei ran away unto Achish son of Maachah king of Gath. And they told Shimei, saying, Behold, thy servants be in Gath. 40And Shimei arose, and saddled his ass, and went to Gath to Achish to seek his servants: and Shimei went, and brought his servants from Gath. 41And it was told Solomon that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath, and was come again. 42And the king sent and called for Shimei, and said unto him, Did I not make thee to swear by the Lord [Jehovah], and protested unto thee, saying, Know for a certain, on the day thou goest out, and walkest abroad any whither, that thou shalt surely die?24 and thou saidst unto me, The word that I have heard is good. 43Why then hast thou not kept the oath of the Lord [Jehovah], and the commandment that I have charged thee with? 44The king said moreover to Shimei, Thou knowest all the wickedness which thine heart is privy to, that thou didst to David my father; therefore the Lord [Jehovah] shall return thy wickedness upon thine own head: 45and king Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before the Lord [Jehovah] for e1 Kings 1Ki 2:46 So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; which went out, and fell upon him, that he died. And the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.25
Exegetical and Critical
1Ki 2:13. And Adonijah to Bath-Sheba, &c. What Adonijah really aimed at in his petition to Bath-Sheba is made apparent in 1Ki 2:22. He did not care about the fair Abishag, but about the kingdom, which he hoped to acquire through possession of her. In the ancient East, after a king died, or his kingdom passed from him, the harem fell to the new ruler. On the other hand, also, he who took to himself the kings wives, was regarded as having taken to himself the rights of the king. The claim to the possession of the women of the harem was understood to mean the claim to the throne. It was so also with the Persians (Herodot. 3:68; Justin 10:2 : occiso Cyro Aspasiam pellicem ejus rex Artaxerxes in matrimonium acceperat. Hanc patrem cedere sibi, sicuti regnum Darius postulaverat). When Absalom went, according to Ahithophels advice, into the kings harem and to his concubines in the sight of all the people, it was a public, practical announcement that he had assumed the kings rights (2Sa 16:20-23; comp. 1Ki 12:11). When, therefore, Adonijah demanded Abishag for his wife, ostensibly from love to her, it was a secret claim to the throne; for Abishag was looked on by the nation as Davids last wife, although he had not known her. He did not venture to make his request personally to Solomon, but, as Grotius says: aggreditur mulierem, ut regnandi ignaram, ita amoribus facilem. He plays, before Bath-Sheba, the part of an humble saint who has been set asidewho is resigned to Gods will, thus softening her womans heart. His assertion that all Israel wished him for their king, if not exactly a lie, showed great self-deception and boasting. He very wisely and prudently says, instead of: through thy intercession my brother became king (1Ki 1:17)the kingdom is turned about, and it was his from the Lord, which he of course did not believe, because he wished himself to be king. Bath-Sheba may have thought that a discontented subject might be satisfied by granting his request, and the kingdom made thus more secure to her son.
1Ki 2:19-21. Bath-Sheba therefore went unto king Solomon, &c., 1Ki 2:19. Solomon received his mother as (1Ki 15:13). The queen-mother was in great honor; and therefore the name of the kings mother is always expressly given in the account of the commencement of a new kings reign (1Ki 14:21; 1Ki 15:2, &c.). The offered her was not literally a throne, but only a particular seat of honor. The seat at the right hand was the one of highest distinction (Psa 110:1; Joseph., Antiq. vi.xi. 9). Bath-Sheba calls her petition a small one, because she thought it was only about a love-affair, and did not think of its political results.
1Ki 2:22-25. And King Solomon answered, &c. Solomon instantly detected the intrigue. He says, in asking Abishag for Adonijah, you indirectly request the kingdom for him too. He is my elder brother, and thinks that the kingdom belongs to him on that account; if he gets Abishag as wife, he will be further strengthened in his imaginary claims, and his entire party will have a firm footing. The beginning the concluding statement in 1Ki 2:22, cannot be understood otherwise than the preceding , and the in the following words must consequently mean the same. The meaning is this then: In asking the kingdom for him, thou askest it at the same time for Abiathar and Joab; they who have joined themselves to him, would reign with and through him; but they are well known to be my enemies. It follows, then, that both are included in Adonijahs plan. We cannot, therefore, translate like the Sept.: , or with the Vulg.: et habet Abiathar et Joab; there is therefore no reason to strike out, with Thenius, the before Abiathar and Joab. Solomons anger, which appears in 1Ki 2:23, was the more natural, because Adonijah had dared to gain over and abuse the queen-mother. The oath, which means: may God punish me continually if Adonijah be not, &c., is a usual one (Rth 1:17; 1Sa 14:44; 1Sa 20:13; Jer 22:5).The words of 1Ki 2:24 : and who hath made me an house, are not to be understood, with Keil and others, as if Solomon had then had issue (his marriage did not occur till afterwards, 1Ki 3:1); the meaning is this rather: Adonijah demands Abishag to wife, to found a dynasty through his union with her; but Jehovah has determined that Davids dynasty and line of kings shall come from me (2Sa 7:11 sq.).The execution of Adonijah was performed by Benaiah, as captain of the Cherethites and Pelethites (1Ki 1:38). does not mean exactly with his own hand (Thenius), but only that Benaiah was charged with the execution. Comp. 1Ki 2:34-46. Capital punishment was executed in Egypt, and also in Babylon, by the kings guard, the captain of which was therefore called () , Gen 37:36; 2Ki 25:8; Dan 2:14.
1Ki 2:26-27. And unto Abiathar the priest, &c. The proceedings now commenced against Abiathar and Joab, were no doubt caused by the share both had taken in the new plans of Adonijah to usurp the kingdom.Anathoth, a priests town in the tribe of Benjamin (Jos 21:18; 1Ch 6:45), about one hour and a quarters distance northeast of Jerusalem (Robinson, Palestine, vol. i. p. 4378). Abiathar had possessions there.To strike out the before with Thenius (according to the Sept.), and place it before , is unnecessary: the meaning remains the same.Bearing the Ark, on the occasion of Davids flight from Absalom (2Sa 15:24). That Abiathar and Zadok went with David then, bearing the ark of the covenant, showed great veneration and fidelity, upon their part, to him. Of course they did not carry the ark themselves; but it was borne by the levites, whose office it was to do so (Num 4:15; 1Ch 16:15), and who did it at their command. It is therefore quite unnecessary to read, with Thenius, instead of .It does not follow from the banishment of Abiathar, that every king has the right to set up and depose a high-priest at pleasure. This case was a peculiar one. A high-priest who had repeatedly conspired against the anointed of Jehovah, had thereby become incapable of filling his office, and, strictly speaking, deserved death. is an addition of the narrator, not the intention of Solomon; it is the of the New Testament. The divine threatenings upon Elis house, from which Abiathar was (through Ithamar) descended, were now fulfilled; for when Saul slew the priests, Abiathar alone, of all his house, escaped (1Sa 22:20). With his deposition the hereditary high-priesthood passed over to Eleazars house, to which Zadok belonged (Num 25:13; 1Ch 24:5-6).
1Ki 2:28-35. Then tidings came to Joab, &c. The parenthesis means that Joab, who was formerly such a decided enemy of Absalom, who promised much more than his brother, had twice conspired with the pretender, Adonijah, and now feared for his own life, as he heard of his death, and of Abiathars punishment. All old translations, except the Chaldee, have Solomon instead of Absalom, and Ewald and Thenius declare the former to be the right reading; this, however, is not sustained by any Hebrew MS., and would, besides, make the sentence superfluous; for when Joab was on Adonijahs side, it follows of course that he was not on that of Solomon.If Joab, who had been unpunished for his share in the first conspiracy, had felt free from all share in the second, he would not have fled to a place of refuge (1Ki 1:50).The Sept. adds, before Solomons words, 1Ki 2:29 : What has happened to thee, that thou hast fled to the altar? And Joab said: I was afraid of thee, and have fled to Lord. Surely this is only a gloss; but it explains the passage. When Joab saw that Benalah did not venture to kill him at the altar, he defied him, either because he hoped that Solomon would not dare to give the order, or that if he did, he (Solomon) would be guilty of desecrating the altar. But according to the law (Exo 21:14; Deu 19:11-13), the altar was only an asylum for those who had killed unwittingly, and Joab was no such person. He had sinned grievously against Israel and Judah by a double assassination (1Ki 2:32), and yet had gone hitherto unpunished. This guilt could not rest upon David and his house, if the kingdom was to continue in his line (1Ki 2:33). Not to add the utmost disgrace to the punishment (1Ki 14:11; 2Ki 9:35; Jer 7:33; Jer 22:19), and in consideration of his military achievements, Solomon commanded that Joab should be buried with his fathers in the wilderness of Judah, which was not far from Bethlehem, near Tekoa, and was a rocky district containing some towns (Jos 15:61; Jdg 1:16).
1Ki 2:36-46. And the king sent and called for Shimei, &c., 1Ki 2:36. As Adonijah and his faction had made such repeated efforts to seize the helm of state, Solomon deemed it needful to keep a watch on all suspected persons. Now the restless Shimei was the principal of these; he was a close adherent of the house of Saul, and a bitter foe of Davids house. Solomon, therefore, in order to keep him in sight, and test his obedience, ordered him to settle in Jerusalem, and to leave it only under penalty of death. The brook Kidron is scarcely named as the exact limit of his confinement (Ewald); but Shimei was not to cross it, because, in doing so, he went towards Bahurim, in his native district, where he had most influence (2Sa 19:16 sq.).Thy blood, &c.the usual mode of the death sentence, Lev 20:9-16.Shimei declared he was satisfied to observe the kings command, for he knew right well that according to the ideas of that time, no king, not even Solomon, need feel himself bound by the promise of his predecessor (2Sa 19:23), (Ewald, Gesch. Isr., iii. s. 271).The Philistine king Achish, of Gath (Jos 13:3; 1Sa 5:8), may be the same who is mentioned in 1Sa 21:11; 1Sa 27:2; he must have certainly attained a great age; if so, Shimei, then, in spite of his solemn vow, not only left Jerusalem for his native place, not distant, but even went into the far-off land of the Philistines, thus giving proof of his disobedience and obstinacy. Solomon now reproaches him with his old crime, and says to him: thy measure is full; the Lord has turned thy curse into a blessing, as David hoped (2Sa 16:12).The Vulgate, Thenius, Bunsen, and others place the concluding sentence of 1Ki 2:46 at the commencement of 1 Kings 3 : and when the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon, he made affinity, &c.; it seems, however, to refer back to 1Ki 2:12, and in the manner of Semitic histories, as Keil remarks, concludes the whole section of Solomons throne-ascension. Thus the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon, i.e., under him.
Historical and Ethical
1. The repeated attempt of Adonijah to gain the throne throws real light on his character. Though his enterprise came to a lamentable and disgraceful end, he immediately began to concoct new plans in spite of the favor and the warning he had received. As he once sought to obtain his purpose by collecting chariots, horsemen, and soldiers, through making fortified places, in short, by grand and showy preparations, he now pursued the opposite plan of fawning and artifice. He steals alone to Bath-sheba, placing his hopes on womans influence. When she is astonished at his visit, he utters the most peaceful sentiments, acts as one deeply disappointed, but now humbly and piously resigned to Gods will, and as an unhappy lover. If anything deserves the name of a harem intrigue, through which, according to Duncker, Solomon came to the throne (see above), it is Adonijahs device. He could not have shown more clearly that he was not the chosen of Jehovah (Deu 17:15). What would have become of the kingdom which David had at last brought to tranquillity and its proper position, if a man like Adonijah had succeeded him?
2. Adonijah and his faction show the truth of what is often found, namely, that revolutionary men are not discouraged by the failure of their plans, and even disgraceful defeat, but they always brood over the means of attaining their ambitious views and gratifying their thirst for power. Pardon and forbearance do not change them, but generally harden and embolden them. If they do not succeed by open force, they choose deceitful ways, notwithstanding all the promises they may have given; and they feign submission until they think their opportunity has arrived. Every one, however, to whom God has confided the government, should hear the words of David to Solomon (1Ki 2:2): be thou strong, therefore, and show thyself a man! for weakness is, in this respect, sin against God and man. The old Wrtemburg summaries say: let authorities learn from Solomon to punish such crimes severely, if they wish to have a happy, peaceful, and lasting reign. If they wink at such things, Gods anger and punishments come down on them, on their land and people.
3. Solomons treatment of his foes, has often been called great cruelty, or at least extreme severity. Solomon, says Duncker, began his reign with bloody deeds. He first promised Adonijah he should be spared, then had him slain by Benaiah. Joab fled to the sanctuary and caught hold of the horns of the altar. Benaiah trembled to stain the altar with blood, but Solomon tells him to go and stab him there! Benaiah also killed Shimei at Solomons command. In reading this imperfect and detestable view of the circumstances, we must remember that there is not to be found in the forty years of Solomons reign, one single trace of baroarous tyranny or cruelty, such as are here said to have characterized him, though these qualities rather strengthen than otherwise with age. We cannot judge Solomon any more than David in the light of the sermon on the mount, but should recollect what the time and circumstances were. The vital point was to establish the kingdom, and in order to avert the dangers that threatened it, every firm and sagacious ruler had to act so, for the artificial means now used in similar cases, for instance, imprisonment for life, were wholly unknown (Ewald). As to Adonijah, the whole East knew but one punishment for such plans as he cherished, viz., death. Had his enterprise succeeded he would doubtless (see above, on 1Ki 1:11) have destroyed Solomon and his principal adherents, in accordance with the usual practice hitherto. Solomon, on the contrary, did not follow this custom, but showed forgiveness and generosity; in fact, he avoided all persecution of Adonijahs partisans. Only when Adonijah, contrary to his word, and notwithstanding his humble homage (1Ki 1:51), again appeared as pretender to the throne, and sought to reach his end by deceit and hypocrisy, did he order the affixed punishment. He had allowed Abiathar, too, to go unpunished at first, which scarcely any other eastern prince would have done. But when the repeated attempt of Adonijah to seize the kingdom was discovered, Abiathar could no longer be passed over. Yet instead of inflicting death on him, he deprived him of his influential office, and let him live at liberty on his estate, on account of his former good behavior. Here was no severity, but gratitude, kindness, and generosity. Joab was the most formidable opponent, because of his position at the head of the entire army, and his well-known military roughness and unscrupulousness; he was also unpunished after Adonijahs first attempt, and the last was certainly not planned without his consent, but more likely, as some suppose, originated by him. The fact that he instantly fled to the horns of the altar, on hearing of Adonijahs death, shows that he knew himself to have deserved death. Besides this, the guilt of a double murder rested on him, and should be washed out. When this was superadded, says Ewald (s. 271), Solomon did not venture to show him any further grace, and adds in the note with great truth: A superficial observer alone can charge Solomon with needless cruelty here. Finally, with regard to Shimei, nothing was more natural than that Solomon, in the circumstances attending the beginning of his reign, should have kept especial guard over such a restless, suspected person, who one day cursed the king, calling him a bloody man, and the next fawned upon and flattered him, and who besides was not without partisans (2Sa 16:7, comp. with 1Ki 19:16-20). Shimei was himself quite content with his confinement to Jerusalem, and Solomon let him live there many days (1Ki 2:38), placing his fate in his own hand. After three years (not before), (1Ki 2:39), when Shimei broke his solemn promise, what his king had threatened him with upon oath came upon him. Surely, every one must at that time have seen in such fatal oblivion of the oath which the old arch-traitor had sworn against David, a divine sign, that that old sin still rested on him and that he must be punished; otherwise he would not have acted with such defiance of God and with such madness. Solomon had him also executed, evidently not out of revenge nor any other passion, but from the belief that the last of those who had sinned greatly against David, should fall under divine Providence (Ewald, s. 272). How weak and forgetful of his word would the king have seemed to all the people if he had let Shimei now go free, particularly with the notions then entertained about a king! (Pro 16:12-15; Pro 20:2; Pro 20:26). It is worthy of remark that the settlement of Shimei at Jerusalem was coincident with Solomons elevation to the throne; that his punishment did not at once follow that of Adonijah and Joab, but was three years later. We cannot therefore possibly reckon this among the bloody deeds with which Solomon is said to have begun his reign. The union of mildness and firmness, generosity and official justice, in the conduct of the young sovereign, must have deeply impressed the people, have increased his authority, and established his rule.
4. The establishment of Solomons kingdom (1Ki 2:46) is the result of all that chapters 1 and 2 relate, and is therefore expressly stated again at their close. Our author evidently does this, not only from purely historical, but also from religious and theocratic grounds. In fact, throughout the whole of the genuine Old Testament history of Solomons succession to the throne, the guiding hand of the living God is made apparent, far above the ferment of human passions and inclinations. He knows how to fulfil his threatenings, and to lead the way which each chooses for himself, to a goal where he shall find retribution of his deeds (Job 34:11).
Homiletical and Practical
1Ki 2:13-25. Adonijahs repeated attempt to gain the throne: (a) Wherein this attempt consisted (1Ki 2:13-18); (b) how it ended (1Ki 2:19-25).
1Ki 2:13-18. Adonijah before Bath-sheba: (a) The feigned sentiment, in which he comes (1Ki 2:13-15); (b) the request he brings (1Ki 2:16-17); (c) the answer he receives (1Ki 2:18).
1Ki 2:13. Ambitious and power-loving people do not scruple to reach the ends which they cannot obtain by open force, by means that are mortifying to their pride; when they can no longer demand, they beg.Those are least to be trusted who have proved themselves enemies, and suddenly appear with tokens of peace. Joab met Amasa with the words: Peace be to thee! and while kissing him, ran him through the body (2Sa 20:9). Judas betrayed the Lord with a greeting and a kiss (Luk 22:48).
1Ki 2:15. Adonijahs boast and hypocrisy: (a) He boasts, like most rebels, of having all the people on his side, but his few adherents were some faithless men, who were won over by good eating and drinking, and who would desert him with the first change of the wind (1Ki 1:41; 1Ki 1:49). (b) He speaks and acts as a pious man, who humbles himself under Gods hand (Job 1:21), while he resists His will in his heart, and seeks to overthrow His purpose (Mat 7:21; Pro 12:22).
1Ki 2:16 sq. The most presumptuous character is often hid under the mask of unassuming deportment.
1Ki 2:17. He who has an honest and just request to make seeks no roundabout ways, but goes openly and courageously with it to the person who can grant it. The serpent addresses the woman first, in order to gain the man, in paradise (Gen 3:1; Gen 3:6; 1Ti 2:14).
1Ki 2:18. Bath-shebas consent to Adonijahs request shows want of sagacity, experience, and knowledge of human nature, but at the same time shows that her heart was free from revenge and bitterness, and was willing to serve even one who had caused her great anxiety and sorrow (1Ki 1:21).Kind and unsuspicious persons are apt to yield to their first feelings and impressions rather than reflect calmly and deliberately; it is therefore the more needful for them to guard against being led away by flattering speeches into promises and actions that may greatly injure themselves and others.We ought not to refuse to intercede for others, but to take great care not to do it for the unworthy, thus injuring those who are deserving.Those who are high in favor with the powerful are often used, without their wish or knowledge, for unworthy ends.
1Ki 2:19-25. Bath-sheba before the king: (a) How she was received by him (1Ki 2:19-20), but (b) was refused her petition (1Ki 2:22-24).
1Ki 2:19. Solomon, when on the throne, did not forget what he owed his mother. How often do children forget their parents and nearest relations, and even become ashamed of them, when they attain to great riches and honor; but no position or rank dispenses with our observance of the fourth commandment, the first with promise (Ephes. 1Ki 6:2; Pro 19:26).
1Ki 2:21. Starke: Even pious Christians are often ignorant of what they ask (Rom 8:26), and are therefore often unheard (Mat 20:22).
1Ki 2:22. Kings and princes should not grant even an apparently small petition, that interferes with the welfare of the kingdom and people committed to their charge. Seeming severity is in such cases sacred duty.Hall: Considerations arising from personal relationship must be laid aside in the official acts of rulers.
1Ki 2:25. Punishment of Adonijah, how far it was (a) according to law, (b) just and deserved.
1Ki 2:26-46. Solomons treatment of his enemies (see Historical).
1Ki 2:26-27. Ecclesiastical office can be no protection from just punishment of crime (see Luk 12:47; 1Co 9:27).Former fidelity cannot efface later treachery. It is most lamentable that a man who was faithful in times of trouble should end his career as a sinner (1Co 10:12).[Bp. Hall: No man held so close to David, yet now is he called to reckon for his old sins, and must repay blood to Amasa and Abner.E. H.] When circumstances permit, mildness and forgiveness should go hand in hand with justice.Children should not forget kindness shown to their parents, but look on it as done to themselves; this is fulfilling the fourth commandment.The promises of God are yea and amen; but so are also His threatenings, which are often executed when men have forgotten them.
1Ki 2:28-34. The terrible end of Joab: (a) He dies conscious of his guilt, without peace and pardon; (b) even in the very jaws of death he is defiant, rough, and proud; (c) he does not leave the world like a hero, but like a criminal. How differently David dies! (1Ki 2:2).
1Ki 2:28. An evil conscience can put to flight a hero who never yielded to the enemy in a single bloody field.Starke: It is thus the wicked act when they get into danger; though they never before cared about God and His children, they will seek their protection then.
1Ki 2:30. What good is there in dying in a sacred place if one has not a sanctified heart and pure conscience? Pro 3:21-26.
1Ki 2:31 sq. Starke: God has no sanctuary or city of refuge for an intentional murderer (Exo 21:14).Lange: If a ruler leaves shed blood unavenged, the guilt attaches to himself; through just revenge it is averted.
1Ki 2:33. Only that throne stands firm upon which justice, without respect of persons, is exercised (Pro 25:5).
1Ki 2:36-46. Shimeis fate plainly proves the truth of the word Job 34:11; Psa 141:10; Pro 5:22.
1Ki 2:39. Avarice, i.e., covetousness, is the root of all evil. The loss of two servants led Shimei to disobedience, even to forget his oath and to risk his life. [1Ki 2:40 sq. Bp. Hall: Covetousness, and presumption of impunity, are the destruction of many a soul: Shimei seeks his servants and loses himself.E. H.]
1Ki 2:41 sq. Divine justice at length overtakes those whose crimes have long been unpunished, and when they least expect it.Those also who have cursed the anointed of the Lord, the eternal king of Gods realm, and who have shot their poisoned shafts at Him, shall hereafter say to the mountains: Fall on us! and to the hills: cover us! (Luk 23:30).
Footnotes:
[10]1Ki 2:13.[The Sept. adds (Al. ).
[11]1Ki 2:14.[Two MSS. and some editions (followed by the Sept., Vulg., and Syriac) add = to him.
[12]1Ki 2:22.[All the VV. here give a sense which seems based on the supposition that before Abiathar and before Joab is pleonastic; but for this there is no authority. Thus the Vulg.: et habet Abiathar, etc. Sept.: … Similarly Syr. and Arab. The Chald.: nonne in consilio fuerunt ille et Abiathar, etc.
[13]1Ki 2:26.[The Sept., without authority, alters the place of the conjunction so as to read , .
[14]1Ki 2:28.[The Vulg., Sept.. (Vatican) and Syr. curiously substitute here the name of Solomon for that of Absalom. The Arab. attempts to reconcile both by translating neither did he love Solomon.
[15]1Ki 2:29.[The Sept. and And king (Alex. omit king) Solomon sent to Joab, saying, What has been done to thee that thou hast fled to the altar? And Joab said, Because I was afraid of thee, and I fled to the Lord.
[16]1Ki 2:29.[The Sept. add and bury him. See 1Ki 2:31.
[17]1Ki 2:30.[One MS., followed by the Sept., Vulg., and Syr., adds after .
[18]1Ki 2:31.[The Sept. add and translate accurately without cause. The Chald. gives both senses. The Vatican Sept. omits the name of Joab.
[19]1Ki 2:32.[Sept. = the blood of his iniquity.
[20]1Ki 2:32.[There is no reason for omitting the conjunction and changing the preterite of the Hebr. which are preserved in the Sept. and the Chald.
[21]1Ki 2:35.[The Sept. add . Cf. 1Ki 2:46.
[22]1Ki 2:35[The Sept. add .. (Thus far Alex. Omits) . (See 1Ki 4:29.) Then follows the first verse of chap. 3 much altered, and a long interpolation which may he thus translated: And the wisdom of Solomon was increased greatly above the wisdom of all the ancients and above all the wise men of Egypt (see 1Ki 4:30), and he (1Ki 3:1) took Pharaohs daughter, and brought her into the city of David, until ho had made an end of building his own house and the house of the Lord in the first place, and the wall of Jerusalem round about: in seven years he made and finished them. V. 15 follows then And Solomon made the sea and the bases and the great levers and the pillars and the fountain of the court and the brazen sea. And he built the citadel and battlements upon it, he divided the city of David. So Pharaohs daughter went up from the city of David into her own house which he built for her. Then he built the citadel. And three times in the year Solomon offered whole, burnt-offerings and peace-offerings upon the altar which he built to the Lord, and he offered incense before the Lord, and finished the house. And these were the chiefs (1Ki 5:16) which were set over the works of Solomon: three thousand and six hundred rulers of the people that wrought in the work. And he built Asshur and Magdo and Gezer (1Ki 9:15; 1Ki 9:17-18) and Bethhoron the upper and Ballath. Besides his building the house of the Lord and the wall of Jerusalem round about, after these he built these cities. Then follows, with some variations, 1Ki 2:8-9, which form the junction again with 1Ki 2:36.
[23]1Ki 2:37.[The Sept. add . Cf. 1Ki 2:42-43.
[24]1Ki 2:42.[The Vatican Sept. omits the rest of 1Ki 2:42. The last clause is sometimes pointed, The word is good: I have heard.
[25]1Ki 2:46.[Here follows in the Sept. a passage made up of extracts from chap. 4 and containing about one-fourth of that chapter, most of which is omitted from its place.F. G.]
Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange
(13) And Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. And she said, Comest thou peaceably? And he said, Peaceably. (14) He said moreover, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And she said, Say on. (15) And he said, Thou knowest that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel set their faces on me, that I should reign: howbeit the kingdom is turned about, and is become my brother’s: for it was his from the LORD. (16) And now I ask one petition of thee, deny me not. And she said unto him, Say on. (17) And he said, Speak, I pray thee, unto Solomon the king, (for he will not say thee nay,) that he give me Abishag the Shunammite to wife. (18) And Bathsheba said, Well; I will speak for thee unto the king. (19) Bathsheba therefore went unto king Solomon, to speak unto him for Adonijah. And the king rose up to meet her, and bowed himself unto her, and sat down on his throne, and caused a seat to be set for the king’s mother; and she sat on his right hand. (20) Then she said, I desire one small petition of thee; I pray thee, say me not nay. And the king said unto her, Ask on, my mother: for I will not say thee nay. (21) And she said, Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah thy brother to wife. (22) And king Solomon answered and said unto his mother, And why dost thou ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? ask for him the kingdom also; for he is mine elder brother; even for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah. (23) Then king Solomon sware by the LORD, saying, God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah have not spoken this word against his own life. (24) Now therefore, as the LORD liveth, which hath established me, and set me on the throne of David my father, and who hath made me an house, as he promised, Adonijah shall be put to death this day. (25) And king Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he fell upon him that he died.
Unless we take into our account certain circumstances which very probably operated on the mind of Adonijah, as well as the probability that this Shunammite had been really married to David, by which the intention of Adonijah was incestuous, the great displeasure of Solomon cannot be well explained. Solomon was appointed by the Lord to the kingdom, as the successor of his father, and therefore we find that during the rebellion of Adonijah he appeared as one not anxious for the event. But now he is king, and his throne fully established, wherefore doth he take alarm at Adonijah’s request? But it will throw a light upon the subject if we suppose, as hath been conjectured by some, that the Shunammite was betrothed to David, though, from his age and imbecility, it is said he knew her not. Yet the proposed alliance with his son Adonijah, if granted, would have led to incest. But, beside this, the object put on another appearance, as it respected the kingdom. When Absalom usurped the crown, it was the advice of Ahithophel that he should go in unto his father’s concubines, by way of intimating publicly that he and his father were in hatred. See 2Sa 16:20-21 . Hence this attempt of Adonijah to do the same respecting Abishag, Solomon considered as implying the same. And as Solomon was so eminent for wisdom, he discovered this design, and crushed it in the bud. But, Reader, let you and I gather improvement from it, and consider how much it behoves us to bring every enemy, both secret and open, under the feet of Jesus.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
1Ki 2:13 And Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. And she said, Comest thou peaceably? And he said, Peaceably.
Ver. 13. And Adonijah came to Bathsheba.] Being put on and advised thereunto, as it is thought, by Joab and Abiathar.
Comest thou peaceably?
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Adonijah: 1Ki 1:5-10, 1Ki 1:50-53
Comest: 1Sa 16:4, 1Sa 16:5, 2Ki 9:18-22, 1Ch 12:17, 1Ch 12:18, Luk 10:5, Luk 10:6
Reciprocal: 2Sa 3:4 – Adonijah
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
1Ki 2:13-15. She said, Comest thou peaceably? Or with some evil design against me or my son? which she might well suspect, knowing his ambition and envy at Solomon, and his hatred against her, as the chief cause of his being cast down from his aspiring views and high hopes. He said, Thou knowest that the kingdom is mine Both by right of primogeniture and actual inauguration. And all Israel set their faces on me They looked on me as their king and my fathers successor, and expected that he would confirm my election. He pretends that the generality of the people favoured his views, and wished him to be king. Howbeit the kingdom is turned about, and is become my brothers Is translated from me to him by the vicissitude of human affairs, and the changeable humour of the people. For it was his from the Lord Either, 1st, By Gods providence so disposing Davids mind, and the peoples hearts: or rather, 2d, By Gods appointment, and particular designation: wherein he seems to acquiesce, affectionately terming Solomon his brother, that he might deceive both her and him into a belief that he was far from any design of usurping the government.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
2:13 And Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. And she said, {h} Comest thou peaceably? And he said, Peaceably.
(h) For she was afraid lest he would work treason against the king.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
1. Solomon’s purges 2:13-46
Solomon wrote that the fear of Yahweh is the beginning of knowledge (Pro 1:7; cf. Ecc 12:13; Psa 111:10). At the very beginning of his reign he gave evidence of being wise by the way he dealt with his political enemies. His wise decisions at this time resulted in peace and prosperity for Israel for the next 40 years (971-931 B.C.).
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
B. The Foundation of Solomon’s Reign 2:13-4:34
The writer noted that Solomon’s sole reign began well. The things most responsible were God’s gift of wisdom to Solomon (the central section), his political decisions (the first section), and his administrative ability (the third section).
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
Adonijah’s execution 2:13-25
Adonijah’s professed acceptance of Solomon’s succession overcame Bathsheba’s initial fear of him. He convinced her that he only wanted permission to marry King David’s former nurse. But Solomon saw deeper into Adonijah’s intent. Even though David had not had sexual relations with Abishag, she was part of his harem, one of the women who ministered to his most intimate needs.
"Although Abishag had been only David’s nurse, in the eyes of the people she passed as his concubine; and among the Israelites, just as with the ancient Persians (Herod. iii. 68), taking possession of the harem of a deceased king was equivalent to an establishment of the claim to the throne . . ." [Note: C. F. Keil, The Books of the Kings, p. 32.]
Adonijah would also have found popular support among the people because he was David’s oldest living son (cf. 1Ki 2:22). Solomon correctly regarded Adonijah’s request as an act of treason worthy of death.
1Ki 2:24 makes it very clear that Solomon, like David, had a proper view of his role under God as Israel’s king. Adonijah’s rebellion was not just against Solomon personally but against the Lord and His anointed whom He had placed on the throne.
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
AVENGING JUSTICE
1Ki 2:13-46.
The wrath of a king is “as messengers of death.”- Pro 16:14
THE reign of Solomon began with a threefold deed of blood. An Eastern king, surrounded by the many princes of a polygamous family, and liable to endless jealousies and plots, is always in a condition of unstable equilibrium; the death of a rival is regarded as his only safe imprisonment. On the other hand, it must be remembered that Solomon allowed his other brethren and kinsmen to live; and, in point of fact, his younger brother Nathan became the ancestor of the Divine Messiah of his race.
It was the restless ambition of Adonijah which again brought down an avalanche of ruin. He and his adherents were necessarily under the cold shadow of royal disfavor, and they must have known that they had sinned too deeply to be forgiven. They felt the position intolerable. “In the light of the kings countenance is life, and his favor is as a cloud of the latter rain”; but Adonijah, in the prime of strength and the heyday of passion, beautiful and strong, and once the favorite of his father, could not forget the banquet at which all the princes and nobles and soldiers had shouted, “Long live King Adonijah!” That the royalty of one delirious day should be succeeded by the dull and suspected obscurity of dreary years was more than he could endure, if, by any possible subtlety or force, he could avert a doom so unlike his former golden dreams. Was not Solomon at least ten or fifteen years younger than himself? Was not his seat on the throne of his kingdom still insecure? Were not his own followers powerful and numerous?
Perhaps one of those followers-the experienced Joab, or Jonathan, son of Abiathar-whispered to him that he need not yet acquiesce in the ruin of his hopes, and suggested a subtle method of strengthening his cause, and keeping his claim before the eyes of the people.
Every one knew that Abishag, the fair damsel of Shunem, the ideal of Hebrew maidenhood, was the loveliest virgin who could be found throughout all the land of Israel. Had she been in the strict sense Davids wife or concubine, it would have been regarded as a deadly contravention of the Mosaic law that she should be wedded to one of her stepsons. But as she had only been Davids nurse, what could be more suitable than that so bright a maiden should be united to the handsome prince?
It was understood in all Eastern monarchies that the harem of a predecessor belonged to the succeeding sovereign. The first thing that a rival or a usurper aimed at was to win the prestige of possessing the wives of the royal house. Nathan reminds David that the Lord had given his masters wives into his bosom. Ishbosheth, weak as he was, had been stung into indignation against his general and great-uncle the mighty Abner, because Abner had taken Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah, Sauls concubine, to wife, which looked like a dangerously ambitious encroachment upon the royal prerogative. Absalom, by the vile counsel of Ahithophel, had openly taken possession of the ten concubines whom his father, in his flight from Jerusalem, had left in charge of the palace. The pseudo-Smerdis, when he revolted against the absent Cambyses, at once seized his seraglio. It is noted even in our English history that the relations between the Earl of Mortimer and Queen Isabella involved danger to the kingdom; and when Admiral Seymour married Queen Catharine Parr, widow of Henry VIII, he at once entered into treasonable conspiracies. Adonijah knew well that he would powerfully further his ulterior purpose if he could secure the hand of the lovely Shunamite.
Yet he feared to make the request to Solomon, who had already inspired him with wholesome awe. With pretended simplicity he sought the intercession of the Gebira Bathsheba, who, being the queen-mother, exercised great influence as the first lady of the land. She it was who had placed the jeweled bridal crown with her own hand on the head of her young son (Son 3:11).
Alarmed at his visit she asked, “Comest thou peaceably?” He came, he humbly assured her, to ask a favor. Might she not think of his case with a little pity? He was the elder son; the kingdom by right of primogeniture was his; all Israel, so he flattered himself, had wished for his accession. But it had all been in vain, Jehovah had given the kingdom to his brother. Might he not be allowed some small consolation, some little accession to his dignity? at least some little source of happiness in his home?
Flattered by his humility and his appeal, Bathsheba encouraged him to proceed, and he begged that, as Solomon would refuse no request to his mother, would she ask that Abishag might be his wife?
With extraordinary lack of insight, Bathsheba, ambitious as she was, failed to see the subtle significance of the request, and promised to present his petition.
She went to Solomon, who immediately rose to meet her, and seated her with all honor on a throne at his right hand. She had only come, she said, to ask “a small petition.”
“Ask on, my mother,” said the king tenderly, “for I will not say thee nay.”
But no sooner had she mentioned the “small petition” than Solomon burst into a flame of fury. “Why did she not ask for the kingdom for Adonijah at once? He was the elder. He had the chief priest and the chief captain with him. They must be privy to this new plot. But by the God who had given him his fathers kingdom, and established him a house, Adonijah had made the request to his own cost, and should die that day.”
The command was instantly given to Benaiah, who, as captain of the bodyguard, was also chief executioner. He slew Adonijah that same hour, and so the third of Davids splendid sons died in his youth a death of violence.
We pause to ask whether the sudden and vehement outburst of King Solomons indignation was only due to political causes? If, as seems almost certain, Abishag is indeed the fair Shulamite of the Song of Songs, there can be little doubt that Solomon himself loved her, and that she was “the jewel of his seraglio.” The true meaning of Canticles is not difficult to read, however much it may lend itself to mystical and allegorical applications. It represents a rustic maiden, faithful to her shepherd lover, resisting all the allurements of a kings court, and all the blandishments of a kings affection. It is the one book of Scripture which is exclusively devoted to sing the glory of a pure love. The king is magnanimous; he does not force the beautiful maiden to accept his addresses. Exercising her freedom, and true to the dictates of her heart, she rejoicingly leaves the perfumed atmosphere of the harem of Jerusalem for the sweet and vernal air of her country home under the shadow of its northern hills. Solomons impetuous wrath would not be so unaccountable if an unrequited affection added the sting of jealousy to the wrath of offended power. The scene is the more interesting because it is one of the very few personal touches in the story of Solomon, which is chiefly composed of external details, both in Scripture and in such fragments as have been preserved of the pagan historians Dios, Eupolemos, Nicolas Polyhistor, and those referred to by Josephus, Eusebius, and Clemens of Alexandria.
The fall of Adonijah involved his chief votaries in ruin. Abiathar had been a friend and follower of David from his youthful days. When Doeg, the treacherous Edomite, had informed Saul that the priests of Nob had shown kindness to David in his hunger and distress, the demoniac king had not shrunk from employing the Edomite herdsman to massacre all on whom he could lay his hands. From this slaughter of eighty-five priests who wore linen ephods, Abiathar had fled to David, who alone could protect him from the kings pursuit. {1Sa 22:23} In the days when the outlaw lived in dens and caves, the priest had been constantly with him, and had been afflicted in all wherein he was afflicted, and had inquired of God for him. David had recognized how vast was his debt of gratitude to one whose father and all his family had been sacrificed for an act of kindness done to himself. Abiathar had been chief priest for all the forty years of Davids reign. In Absaloms rebellion he had still been faithful to the king. His son Jonathan had been Davids scout in the city. Abiathar had helped Zadok to carry the Ark to the last house by the ascent to the Mount of Olives, and there he had stood under the olive tree by the wilderness (2Sa 15:18 (LXX)) till all the people had passed by. If his loyalty had been less ardent than that of his brother-priest Zadok, who had evidently taken the lead in the matter, he had given no ground for suspicion. But, perhaps secretly jealous of the growing influence of his younger rival, the old man, after some fifty years of unswerving allegiance, had joined his lifelong friend Joab in supporting the conspiracy of Adonijah, and had not even now heartily accepted the rule of Solomon. Assuming his complicity in Adonijahs request, Solomon sent for him, and sternly told him that he was “a man of death,” i.e., that death was his desert. But it would have been outrageous to slay an aged priest, the sole survivor of a family slaughtered for Davids sake, and one who had so long stood at the head of the whole religious organization, wearing the Urim and carrying the Ark. He was therefore summarily deposed from his functions, and dismissed to his paternal fields at Anathoth, a priestly town about six miles from Jerusalem. We hear no more of him; but Solomons warning, “I will not at this time put thee to death,” was sufficient to show him that, if he mixed himself with court intrigues again, he would ultimately pay the forfeit with his life. Solomon, like Saul, paid very little regard to benefit of the clergy.
The doom fell next on the arch-offender Joab, the white-haired hero of a hundred fights, “the Douglas of the House of David.” He had, if the reading of the ancient versions be correct, “turned after Adonijah, and had not turned after Solomon.” Solomon could hardly have felt at ease when a general so powerful and so popular was disaffected to his rule, and Joab read his own sentence in the execution of Adonijah. On hearing the news the old hero fled up Mount Zion, and clung to the horns of the altar. But Abiathar, who might have asserted the sacredness of the asylum, was in disgrace, and Joab was not to escape. “What has happened to thee that thou hast fled to the altar?” was the message sent to him by the king. “Because,” he answered, “I was afraid of thee, and fled unto the Lord.” It was Solomon s habit to give his autocratic orders with laconic brevity. “Go fall upon him” he said to Benaiah.
The scene which ensued was very tragic.
The two rivals were face to face. On the one side the aged general, who had placed on Davids head the crown of Rabbah, who had saved him from the rebellions of Absalom and of Sheba, and had been the pillar of his military glory and dominion for so many years; on the other the brave soldier-priest, who had won a chief place among the Gibborim by slaying a lion in a pit on a snowy day, and “two lion-like men of Moab,” and a gigantic Egyptian whom he had attacked with only a staff, and out of whose hand he had plucked a spear like a weavers beam and killed him with his own spear. As David lost confidence in Joab he had reposed more and more confidence in this hero. He had placed him over the bodyguards, whom he trusted more than the native militia.
The Levite-soldier had no hesitation about acting as executioner, but he did not like to slay any man, and above all such a man, in a place so sacred, {2Ki 11:15}-in a place where his blood would be mingled with that of the sacrifices with which the horns of the altar were besmeared.
“The king bids thee come forth,” he said. “Nay,” said Joab, “but I will die here.” Perhaps he thought that he might be protected by the asylum, as Adonijah had been; perhaps he hoped that in any case his blood might cry to God for vengeance, if he was slain in the sanctuary of Mount Zion, and on the very altar of burnt offering.
Benaiah naturally scrupled under such circumstances to carry out Solomons order, and went back to him for instruction. Solomon had no such scruples, and perhaps held that this act was meritorious. {Deu 19:13} “Slay him,” he said, “where he stands; he is a twofold murderer; let his blood be on his head.” Then Benaiah went back and killed him, and was promoted to his vacant office. Such was the dismal end of so much valor and so much glory. He had taken the sword, and he perished by the sword. And the Jews believed that the curse of David clung to his house forever, and that among his descendants there never lacked one that was a leper, or a lame man, or a suicide, or a pauper. {2Sa 3:28-29}
Shimeis turn came next. A watchful eye was fixed implacably on this last indignant representative of the ruined House of Saul. Solomon had sent and ordered him to leave his estate at Bahurim, and build a house at Jerusalem, forbidding him to go “any whither,” and telling him that if on any pretence he passed the wady of Kidron he should be put to death. As he could not visit Bahurim, or any of his Benjamite connections, without passing the Kidron, all danger of further intrigues seemed to be obviated. To these terms the dangerous man had sworn, and for three years he kept them faithfully. At the end of that time two of his slaves fled from him to Achish, son of Maachah, King of Gath. When informed of their whereabouts, Shimei, apparently with no thought of evil, saddled his mule and went to demand their restoration. As he had not crossed the Kidron, and had merely gone to Gath on private business, he thought that Solomon would never hear of it, or would at any rate treat the matter as harmless. Solomon, however, regarded his conduct as a proof of retributive dementation. He sent for him, bitterly upbraided him, and ordered Benaiah to slay him. So perished the last of Solomons enemies; but Shimei had two illustrious descendants in the persons of Mordecai and Queen Esther. {Est 2:5}
Solomon perhaps conceived himself to be only acting up to the true kingly ideal. “A king that sitteth on the throne of judgment scattereth away all evil with his eyes.” “A wise king scattereth the wicked, and bringeth the wheel over them.” “An evil man seeketh only rebellion; therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him.” “The fear of a king is as the roaring of a lion, whoso provoketh him to anger endangereth his own soul.” {Pro 19:11, Pro 20:2; Pro 19:8; Pro 19:26} On the other hand, he continued hereditary kindness to Chimham, son of the old chief Barzillai the Gileadite, who became the founder of the Khan at Bethlehem in which a thousand years later Christ was born. {1Ki 2:7; Jer 41:17}
The elevation of Zadok to the high priesthood vacated by the disgrace of Abiathar restored the priestly succession to the elder line of the House of Aaron. Aaron had been the father of four sons: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. The two eldest had perished childless in the wilderness apparently for the profanation of serving the tabernacle while in a state of intoxication and offering “strange fire” upon the altar. The son of Eleazar was the fierce priestly avenger Phinehas. The order of succession was as follows:-
AARON
Eleazar Ithamar
Phinehas (gap.)
Abishua Eli
Bukki Phinehas
Uzzi Ahitub
Zerahiah Ahiah {1Sa 14:3}
Meraioth Ahimelech
Amariah Abiathar {1Sa 22:20}
Ahitub
Zadok
The question naturally arises how the line of succession came to be disturbed, since to Eleazar, and his seed after him, had been promised “the covenant of an everlasting priesthood.” {Num 25:13} As the elder line continued unbroken, how was it that, for five generations at least, from Eli to Abiathar, we find the younger line of Ithamar in secure and lineal possession of the high priesthood? The answer belongs to the many strange reserves of Jewish history. It is clear from the silence of the Book of Chronicles that the intrusion, however caused, was an unpleasant recollection. Jewish tradition has perhaps revealed the secret, and a very curious one it is. We are told that Phinehas was high priest when Jephthah made his rash vow, and that his was the hand which carried out the human sacrifice of Jephthahs daughter. But the inborn feelings of humanity in the hearts of the people were stronger than the terrors of superstition, and arising in indignation against the high priest who could thus imbrue his hands in an innocent maidens blood, they drove him from his office and appointed a son of Ithamar in his place. The story then offers a curious analogy to that told of the Homeric hero Idomeneus, King of Crete. Caught in a terrible storm on his return from Troy, he too, owed that if his life were saved he could offer up in sacrifice the first living thing that met him. His eldest son came forth with gladness to meet him. Idomeneus fulfilled his vow, but the Cretans rose in revolt against the ruthless father, and a civil war ensued, in which a hundred cities were destroyed and the king was driven into exile. The Jewish tradition is one which could hardly have been invented. It is certain that Jephthahs daughter was offered up in sacrifice, in accordance with his rash vow. This could hardly have been done by any but a priest, and the ferocious zeal of Phinehas would not perhaps have shrunk from the horrible consummation. Revolting, even abhorrent, as is such a notion from our views of God, and decisively as human sacrifice is condemned by all the highest teaching of Scripture, the traces of this horrible tendency of human guilt and human fear are evident in the history of Israel as of all other early nations. Some thought akin to it must have lain under the temptation of Abraham to offer up his son Isaac. Twelve centuries later Manasseh “made his son pass through the fire,” and kindled the furnaces of Moloch at Tophet in Gehenna, the valley of the sons of Hinnom. His grandfather Ahaz had done the same before him, offering sacrifice and burning his children in the fire. Surrounded by kindred tribes, to which this worship was familiar, the Israelites, in their ignorance and backsliding, were not exempt from its fatal fascination. Solomon himself “went after,” and built a high place for Milcom, the abomination of the Ammonites, on the right hand of “the hill that is before Jerusalem,” which from this desecration got the name of “The Mount of Corruption.” These high places continued, and it must be supposed, had their votaries on “that opprobrious hill,” until good Josiah dismantled and defiled them about the year 639, some three centuries after they had been built.
But whether this legend about Phinehas be tenable or not, it is certain that the House of Ithamar fell into deadly disrepute and abject misery. In this the people saw the fulfillment of an old traditional curse, pronounced by some unknown “man of God” on the House of Eli, that there should be no old man in his house forever; that his descendants should die in the flower of their age; and that they should come cringing to the descendants of the priest whom God would raise up in his stead, to get some humble place about the priesthood for a piece of silver and a morsel of bread.
The prolongation of the curse in the House of Joab and of Eli furnishes an illustration of the menacing appendix to the second commandment. “For I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the sins of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me, and showing mercy unto thousands (of generations) of them that love Me and keep My commandments.”
There is in families, as in communities, a solidarity alike of blessing and curse. No man perishes alone in his iniquity, whether he be an offender like Achan or an offender like Joab. Families have their inheritance of character, their prerogative examples of misdoing, their influence of the guilty past flowing like a tide of calamity over the present and the future! The physical consequences of transgression remain long after the sins which caused them have ended. Three things, however, are observable in this. as in every faithfully recorded history. One is that mercy boasteth over justice, and the area of beneficent consequence is more permanent and more continuous than that of the entailed curse, as right is always more permanent than wrong. A second is that though man at all times is liable to troubles and disabilities, no innocent person who suffers temporal afflictions from the sins of his forefathers shall suffer one element of unjust depression in the eternal interests of life. A third is that the ultimate prosperity of the children, alike of the righteous and of sinners, is in their own control; each soul shall perish, and shall only perish, for its own sin. In this sense, though the fathers have eaten sour grapes, the teeth of the children shall not be set on edge. In the long generations the line of David no less than the line of Joab, the line of Zadok no less than that of Abiathar, was destined to feel the Nemesis of evil-doing, and to experience that, of whatever parentage men are born, the law remains true-“Say ye of the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. Woe unto the wicked; it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him.” {Isa 3:10}