The establishment of the kingdom here intended is probably its universal acceptance both by the tribe of Judah and the other Israelites.<\/P> <\/p>\n
Being settled upon him with universal consent and approbation, and with the hearty affections of his people, which all wise men know to be a princes best and surest establishment. <\/P> <\/p>\n
12. Then sat Solomon upon the throneof David his father<\/B>His ascension to the royal dignity was madeunder the happiest auspices. Having been born after his father becamemonarch of the whole<\/I> kingdom, his claim, according to thenotions of Oriental people, was preferable to that of all, even<\/I>his elder brothers. The Hebrew kingdom enjoyed internal prosperity;it was respected and renowned abroad, and Solomon well knew how toimprove these advantages.<\/P><\/p>\nFuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible <\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Then sat Solomon on the throne of David his father<\/strong>,…. So he did in his lifetime, with his consent, and by his order, and now by the agreement of the whole people:<\/p>\n and his kingdom was established greatly<\/strong>; all submitting to it, and none opposing it.<\/p>\n Accession of Solomon and Establishment of his Government. – 1Ki 2:12<\/span> is a heading embracing the substance of what follows, and is more fully expanded in 1Ch 29:23-25<\/span>. Solomon established his monarchy first of all by punishing the rebels, Adonijah (1Ch 29:13-25<\/span>) and his adherents (1Ch 29:26<\/span> -35), and by carrying out the final instructions of his father (vv. 36-46).<\/p>\n 1Ki 2:13-18<\/span><\/p>\n <\/strong> Adonijah<\/em> forfeits<\/em> his<\/em> life<\/em>. – 1Ki 2:13-18<\/span>. Adonijah came to Bathsheba with the request that she would apply to king Solomon to give him Abishag of Shunem as his wife. Bathsheba asked him, “Is peace thy coming?” i.e., comest thou with a peaceable intention? (as in 1Sa 16:4<\/span>), because after what had occurred (1Ki 1:5<\/span>.) she suspected an evil intention. He introduced his petition with these words: “Thou knowest that the kingdom was mine, and all Israel had set its face upon me that I should be king, then the kingdom turned about and became my brother’s; for it became his from the Lord.” The throne was his, not because he had usurped it, but because it belonged to him as the eldest son at that time, according to the right of primogeniture. Moreover it might have been the case that many of the people wished him to be king, and the fact that he had found adherents in Joab, Abiathar, and others, confirms this; but his assertion, that all Israel had set its eyes upon him as the future king, went beyond the bounds of truth. At the same time, he knew how to cover over the dangerous sentiment implied in his words in a very skilful manner by adding the further remark, that the transfer of the kingdom to his brother had come from Jehovah; so that Bathsheba did not detect the artifice, and promised to fulfil his request (1Ki 2:16<\/span>.) to intercede with king Solomon for Abishag to be given him to wife. , “do not turn back my face,” i.e., do not refuse my request.<\/p>\n 1Ki 2:19<\/span><\/p>\n <\/strong> When Bathsheba came to Solomon, he received her with the reverence due to the queen-mother: “ he<\/em> rose up to meet her<\/em> ” (a pregnant expression for “he rose up and went to meet her”), made a low bow, then sat upon his throne again, and bade her sit upon a throne at his right hand. The seat at the right hand of the king was the place of honour among the Israelites (cf. Psa 110:1<\/span>), also with the ancient Arabian kings (cf. Eichhorn, Monumenta<\/em> Antiq<\/em>. Hist<\/em>. Arab<\/em>. p. 220), as well as among the Greeks and Romans.<\/p>\n 1Ki 2:20-22<\/span><\/p>\n <\/strong> To her request, “Let Abishag of Shunem be given to Adonijah thy brother for a wife” ( , cf. Ges. 143, 1, a.), which she regarded in her womanly simplicity as a very small one ( ), he replied with indignation, detecting at once the intrigues of Adonijah: “And why dost thou ask Abishag of Shunem for Adonijah? ask for him the kingdom, for he is my elder brother; and indeed for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah.” The repetition of in (1Ki 2:22<\/span>), for the purpose of linking on another clause, answers entirely to the emotional character of the words. “For him, and for Abiathar and Joab:” Solomon said this, because these two men of high rank had supported Adonijah’s rebellion and wished to rule under his name. There is no ground for any such alterations of the text as Thenius proposes. – 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 (see at 2Sa 12:8<\/span> and 2Sa 3:7-8<\/span>). According to 2Sa 16:21<\/span>, this cannot have been unknown even to Bathsheba; but as Adonijah’s wily words had disarmed all suspicion, she may not have thought of this, or may perhaps have thought that Abishag was not to be reckoned as one of David’s concubines, because David had not known her (1Ki 1:4<\/span>).<\/p>\n 1Ki 2:23-24<\/span><\/p>\n <\/strong> Solomon thereupon solemnly swore (the formula of an oath, and the introducing the oath, as in 1Sa 14:44<\/span>, etc.), “Adonijah has spoken this word against his own life.” , at the cost of his life, as in 2Sa 23:17<\/span>, i.e., at the hazard of his life, or to his destruction. 2Sa 23:24<\/span>. “And now, as truly as Jehovah liveth, who hath established me and set me on the throne of my father David, and hath made me a house, as He said ( verbatim<\/em>, 2Sa 7:11<\/span>): yea, to-day shall Adonijah be put to death.” Jehovah established Solomon, or founded him firmly, by raising him to the throne in spite of Adonijah’s usurpation. In the central has got into the text through a copyist’s error. , i.e., He has bestowed upon me a family or posterity. Solomon had already one son, viz., Rehoboam, about a year old (compare 1Ki 11:42<\/span> with 1Ki 14:21<\/span> and 2Ch 12:13<\/span>).<\/p>\n (Note: When Thenius denies this, and maintains that Rehoboam cannot have been 41 years old when he began to reign, referring to his discussion at 1Ki 14:21<\/span>, he answers himself, inasmuch as at 1Ki 14:21<\/span> he demonstrates the fallacy of the objections which Cappellus has raised against the correctness of the reading “ 41 years. ” ) <\/p>\n 1Ki 2:25<\/span><\/p>\n <\/strong> Solomon had this sentence immediately executed upon Adonijah by Benaiah, the chief of the body-guard, according to the oriental custom of both ancient and modern times. The king was perfectly just in doing this. For since Adonijah, even after his first attempt to seize upon the throne had been forgiven by Solomon, endeavoured to secure his end by fresh machinations, duty to God, who had exalted Solomon to the throne, demanded that the rebel should be punished with all the severity of the law, without regard to blood-relationship.<\/p>\n 1Ki 2:26-27<\/span><\/p>\n <\/strong> Deposition of Abiathar<\/em>. – The conduct of Solomon towards the high priest Abiathar is a proof how free his actions were from personal revenge or too great severity. Abiathar had also forfeited his life through the part he took in Adonijah’s conspiracy; but Solomon simply sent him to Anathoth (i.e., Anata; see at Jos 18:24<\/span>), to his own fields, i.e., to his property there, telling him, “Thou art indeed a man of death,” i.e., thou hast deserved to die, “but I will not put thee to death to-day, because thou hast borne the ark of Jehovah,” namely, both on the occasion of its solemn conveyance to Jerusalem (1Ch 15:11<\/span>.) and also on David’s flight from Absalom (2Sa 15:24<\/span>, 2Sa 15:29<\/span>), that is to say, because of his high-priestly dignity, and because thou didst endure all that my father endured, i.e., thou didst share all his afflictions and sufferings, both in the period of Saul’s persecution (1Sa 22:20<\/span>., 1Sa 23:8<\/span>.), and during the rebellion of Absalom (2Sa 15:24<\/span>.). (to-day) puts a limit upon the pardon, because Solomon could not foresee whether Abiathar would always keep quiet, and not forfeit his life again by fresh crimes.<\/p>\n (Note: There is no meaning in the objection of Thenius, that Abiathar did not carry the ark himself, since this was not the duty of the high priest. For, in the first place, it is questionable whether Abiathar did not lend a helping hand at the removal of the ark during Absalom ‘ s conspiracy. And, secondly, the duty binding upon the high priest, to superintend and conduct the removal of the ark, might very well be called carrying the ark. The conjecture, that for we should read , founders on the preterite ; for Abiathar had not only worn the ephod once before, but he wore it till the very hour in which Solomon deposed him from his office.) <\/p>\n 1Ki 2:27<\/span><\/p>\n <\/strong> The banishment of Abiathar to his own private possession involved his deposition from the priesthood. And, as the historian adds, thus was the word of the Lord concerning the house of Eli fulfilled ( 1Sa 2:30-33<\/span>). corresponds to the New Testament . For further remarks on this prophecy and its fulfilment, see at 1Sa 2:30<\/span>.<\/p>\n (Note: Nothing is related concerning the subsequent fate of Abiathar, since the death of a high priest who had been deprived of his office was a matter of no importance to the history of the kingdom of God. At any rate, he would not survive his deposition very long, as he was certainly eighty years old already ( see Comm. on Sam<\/em>. p. 267). – The inference which Ewald ( Gesch<\/em>. iii. pp. 269,270) draws from 1Sa 2:31-36<\/span> as to the manner of his death, namely, that he fell by the sword, is one of the numerous fictions founded upon naturalistic assumptions with which this scholar has ornamented the biblical history.) <\/p>\n Thus was the high-priesthood of the house of Eli extinguished, and henceforth this dignity passed through Zadok into the sole possession of the line of Eleazar.<\/p>\n 1Ki 2:28-33<\/span><\/p>\n <\/strong> Execution of Joab<\/em>. – When the report (of the execution of Adonijah and the deposition of Abiathar) came to Joab, he fled to the tent of Jehovah (not to the tabernacle, but to the holy tent upon Zion) to seek protection at the altar (see at 1Ki 1:50<\/span>). The words … are introduced as a parenthesis to explain Joab’s flight: “for Joab had leaned after Adonijah,” i.e., taken his side ( , as in Exo 23:2<\/span>; Jdg 9:3<\/span>), “but not after Absalom.” <\/p>\n (Note: Instead of the lxx (Cod. Vat.), Vulgate, Syr., and Arab. have adopted the reading , and both Thenius and Ewald propose to alter the text accordingly. But whatever plausibility this reading may have, especially if we alter the preterite into the participle after the of the lxx, as Thenius does, it has no other foundation than an arbitrary rendering of the lxx, who thought, but quite erroneously, that the allusion to Absalom was inapplicable here. For , to take a person ‘ s side, would suit very well in the case of Adonijah and Absalom, but not in that of Solomon, whose claim to the throne was not a party affair, but had been previously determined by God.) <\/p>\n There is no foundation in the biblical text for the conjecture, that Joab had given Adonijah the advice to ask for Abishag as his wife, just as Ahithophel had given similar advice to Absalom (2Sa 16:21<\/span>). For not only is there no intimation of anything of the kind, but Solomon punished Joab solely because of his crimes in the case of Abner and Amasa. Moreover, Abiathar was also deposed, without having any fresh machinations in favour of Adonijah laid to his charge. The punishment of Adonijah and Abiathar was quite sufficient to warn Joab of his approaching fate, and lead him to seek to save his life by fleeing to the altar. It is true that, according to Exo 21:13-14<\/span>, the altar could afford no protection to a man who had committed two murders. But he probably thought no more of these crimes, which had been committed a long time before, but simply of his participation in Adonijah’s usurpation; and he might very well hope that religious awe would keep Solomon from putting him to death in a holy place for such a crime as that. And it is very evident that this hope was not altogether a visionary one, from the fact that, according to Exo 21:30<\/span>, when Joab refused to leave the altar at the summons addressed to him in the name of the king, Benaiah did not give him the death-blow at once, but informed Solomon of the fact and received his further commands. Solomon, however, did not arrest the course of justice, but ordered him to be put to death there and afterwards buried. The burial of the persons executed was a matter of course, as, according to Deu 21:23<\/span>, even a person who had been hanged was to be buried before sunset. When, therefore, Solomon gives special orders for the burial of Joab, the meaning is that Benaiah is to provide for the burial with distinct reference to the services which Joab had rendered to his father. “And take away the blood, which Joab shed without cause, from me and my father’s house.” So long as Joab remained unpunished for the double murder, the blood-guiltiness rested upon the king and his house, on whom the duty of punishment devolved (cf. Num 35:30-31<\/span>; Deu 19:13<\/span>). , blood without cause, i.e., blood shed in innocence. On the connection of the adverb with the substantive, at which Thenius takes offence, comp. Ges. 151, 1, and Ewald, 287, d. – For V. 32, compare Deu 21:5<\/span>. The words of Solomon in v. 33a point back to the curse which David uttered upon Joab and his descendants after the murder of Abner ( 2Sa 3:28-29<\/span>). “But to David, and his seed, and his house, and his throne, let there be salvation for ever from Jehovah.” This wish sprang from a conviction, based upon 2Sa 7:14<\/span>, that the Lord would not fulfil His promise to David unless his successors upon the throne exercised right and justice according to the command of the Lord.<\/p>\n 1Ki 2:34<\/span><\/p>\n <\/strong> Benaiah went up ( ), inasmuch as the altar by the ark of the covenant stood higher up Mount Zion than Solomon’s house. Joab was buried “in his house” (i.e., in the tomb prepared in his house, either in the court or in the garden: cf. 1Sa 25:1<\/span>), “in the desert,” probably the wilderness of Judah, as Joab’s mother was a step-sister of David, and therefore probably dwelt in the neighbourhood of Bethlehem.<\/p>\n 1Ki 2:35<\/span><\/p>\n <\/strong> Solomon appointed Benaiah commander-in-chief in the place of Joab, and put Zadok in Abiathar’s place (cf. 1Ki 1:8-9<\/span>).<\/p>\n 1Ki 2:36-37<\/span><\/p>\n <\/strong> Punishment of Shimei<\/em>. – Solomon thereupon ordered Shimei to come, probably from Bahurim, where his home was (2Sa 16:5<\/span>), and commanded him to build himself a house in Jerusalem to dwell in, and not to leave the city “any whither” ( ), threatening him with death if ever he should cross the brook Kidron. The valley of Kidron is mentioned as the eastern boundary of the city with an allusion to the fact, that Bahurim was to the east of Jerusalem towards the desert.<\/p>\n 1Ki 2:38<\/span><\/p>\n <\/strong> Shimei vowed obedience, and that on oath, as is supplementarily observed in 1Ki 2:42<\/span>, though it has been arbitrarily interpolated by the lxx here; and he kept his word a considerable time.<\/p>\n 1Ki 2:39-40<\/span><\/p>\n <\/strong> But after the lapse of three years, when two slaves fled to Gath to king Achish, with whom David had also sought and found refuge (1Sa 27:2<\/span>, compare 1Ki 21:11<\/span>.), he started for Gath as soon as he knew this, and fetched them back.<\/p>\n 1Ki 2:41-43<\/span><\/p>\n <\/strong> When this was reported to Solomon, he sent for Shimei and charged him with the breach of his command: “Did I not swear to thee by Jehovah, and testify to thee, etc.? Why hast thou not kept the oath of Jehovah (the oath sworn by Jehovah)…?” <\/p>\n 1Ki 2:44<\/span><\/p>\n <\/strong> He then reminded him of the evil which he had done to his father: “Thou knowest all the evil, which thy heart knoweth (i.e., which thy conscience must tell thee); and now Jehovah returns the evil upon thy head,” namely, by decreeing the punishment of death, which he deserved for blaspheming the anointed of the Lord (2Sa 16:9<\/span>).<\/p>\n 1Ki 2:45<\/span><\/p>\n <\/strong> “And king Solomon will be blessed, and the throne of David be established before Jehovah for ever,” namely, because the king does justice (compare the remark on 1Ki 2:33<\/span>).<\/p>\n 1Ki 2:46<\/span><\/p>\n <\/strong> Solomon then ordered him to be executed by Benaiah. This punishment was also just. As Solomon had put Shimei’s life in his own hand by imposing upon him confinement in Jerusalem, and Shimei had promised on oath to obey the king’s command, the breach of his oath was a crime for which he had no excuse. There is no force at all in the excuses which some commentators adduce in his favour, founded upon the money which his salves had cost him, and the wish to recover possession of them, which was a right one in itself. If Shimei had wished to remain faithful to his oath, he might have informed the king of the flight of his slaves, have entreated the king that they might be brought back, and have awaited the king’s decision; but he had no right thus lightly to break the promise given on oath. By the breach of his oath he had forfeited his life. And this is the first thing with which Solomon charges him, without his being able to offer any excuse; and it is not till afterwards that he adduces as a second fact in confirmation of the justice of his procedure, the wickedness that he practised towards his father. – The last clause, “and the kingdom was established by ( ) Solomon,” is attached to the following chapter in the Cod. Al. of the lxx (in the Cod. Vat. it is wanting, or rather its place is supplied by a long interpolation), in the Vulgate, and in the Syriac; and indeed rightly so, as Thenius has shown, not merely because of the in 1Ki 3:2<\/span>, but also because of its form as a circumstantial clause, to which the following account (1Ki 3:1<\/span>.) is appended.<\/p>\n Adonijah’s Impudent Request; Adonijah Put to Death.<\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/I><\/span><\/P> <\/TD> B. C.<\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN> 1015.<\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/FONT><\/P> <\/TD> <\/TR> <\/TABLE> 12 Then sat Solomon upon the throne of David his father; and his kingdom was established greatly. 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<\/I> 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<\/B>. 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,<\/I> 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<\/I> 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<\/B>, saying, God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah have not spoken this word against his own life. 24 Now therefore, as<\/I> the LORD<\/B> 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. 25 And king Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he fell upon him that he died.<\/P> Here is, I. Solomon’s accession to the throne, v.<\/I><\/span> 12<\/span>. He came to it much more easily and peaceably than David did, and much sooner saw his government established. It is happy for a kingdom when the end of one good reign is the beginning of another, as it was here.<\/P> II. His just and necessary removal of Adonijah his rival, in order to the establishment of his throne. Adonijah had made some bold pretensions to the crown, but was soon obliged to let them fail and throw himself upon Solomon’s mercy, who dismissed him upon his good behaviour, and, had he been easy, he might have been safe. But here we have him betraying himself into the hands of Solomon’s justice, and falling by it, the righteous God leaving him to himself, that he might be punished for his former treason and that Solomon’s throne might be established. Many thus ruin themselves, because they know not when they are well off, or well done to; and sinners, by presuming on God’s patience, treasure up wrath to themselves. Now observe,<\/P> 1. Adonijah’s treasonable project, which was to marry Abishag, David’s concubine, not because he was in love with her, but because, by her, he hoped to renew his claim to the crown, which might stand him in stead, or because it was then looked upon as a branch of the government to have the wives of the predecessor,<\/I> 2 Sam. xii. 8<\/I><\/span>. Absalom thought his pretensions much supported by lying with his father’s concubines. Adonijah flatters himself that if he may succeed him in his bed, especially with the best of his wives, he may by that means step up to succeed him in his throne. Restless and turbulent spirits reach high. It was but a small game to play at, as it should seem, yet he hoped to make it an after-game for the kingdom, and now to gain that by a wife which he could not gain by force.<\/P> 2. The means he used to compass this. He durst not make suit to Abishag immediately (he knew she was at Solomon’s disposal, and he would justly resent it if his consent were not first obtained, as even Ishbosheth did, in a like case, 2 Sam. iii. 7<\/span>), nor durst he himself apply immediately to Solomon, knowing that he lay under his displeasure; but he engaged Bathsheba to be his friend in this matter, who would be forward to believe it a matter of love, and not apt to suspect it a matter of policy. Bathsheba was surprised to see Adonijah in her apartment, and asked him if he did not come with a design to do her a mischief, because she had been instrumental to crush his late attempt. “No,” says he, “I come peaceably<\/I> (v.<\/I><\/span> 13<\/span>), and to beg a favour” (v.<\/I><\/span> 14<\/span>), that she would use the great interest she had in her son to gain his consent, that he might marry Abishag (1Ki 2:16<\/span>; 1Ki 2:17<\/span>), and, if he may but obtain this, he will thankfully accept it, (1.) As a compensation for his loss of the kingdom. He insinuates (v.<\/I><\/span> 15<\/span>), “Thou knowest the kingdom was mine, as my father’s eldest son, living at the time of his death, and all Israel set their faces on me.<\/I>” This was false; they were but a few that he had on his side; yet thus he would represent himself as an object of compassion, that had been deprived of a crown, and therefore might well be gratified in a wife. If he may not inherit his father’s throne, yet let him have something valuable that was his father’s, to keep for his sake, and let it be Abishag. (2.) As his reward for his acquiescence in that loss. He owns Solomon’s right to the kingdom: “It was his from the Lord.<\/I> I was foolish in offering to contest it; and now that it is turned about to him I am satisfied.” Thus he pretends to be well pleased with Solomon’s accession to the throne, when he is doing all he can to give him disturbance. His words were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart.<\/I><\/P> 3. Bathsheba’s address to Solomon on his behalf. She promised to speak to the king for him (v.<\/I><\/span> 18<\/span>) and did so, v.<\/I><\/span> 19<\/span>. Solomon received her with all the respect that was due to a mother, though he himself was a king: He rose up to meet her, bowed himself to her,<\/I> and caused her to sit on his right hand,<\/I> according to the law of the fifth commandment. Children, not only when grown up, but when grown great, must give honour to their parents, and behave dutifully and respectfully towards them. Despise not thy mother when she is old.<\/I> As a further instance of the deference he paid to his mother’s wisdom and authority, when he understood she had a petition to present to him, he promised not to say her nay, a promise which both he and she understood with this necessary limitation, provided it be just and reasonable and fit to be granted; but, if it were otherwise, he was sure he should convince her that it was so, and that then she would withdraw it. She tells him her errand at last (v.<\/I><\/span> 21<\/span>): Let Abishag be given to Adonijah thy brother.<\/I> It was strange that she did not suspect the treason, but more strange that she did not abhor the incest, that was in the proposal. But either she did not take Abishag to be David’s wife, because the marriage was not consummated, or she thought it might be dispensed with to gratify Adonijah, in consideration of his tame submission to Solomon. This was her weakness and folly: it was well that she was not regent. Note, Those that have the ear of princes and great men, as it is their wisdom not to be too prodigal of their interest, so it is their duty never to use it for the assistance of sin or the furtherance of any wicked design. Let not princes be asked that which they ought not to grant. It ill becomes a good man to prefer a bad request or appear in a bad cause.<\/P> 4. Solomon’s just and judicious rejection of the request. Though his mother herself was the advocate, and called it a small petition,<\/I> and perhaps it was the first she had troubled him with since he was king, yet he denied it, without violation of the general promise he had made, v.<\/I><\/span> 20<\/span>. If Herod had not had a mind to cut off John Baptist’s head, he would not have thought himself obliged to do it by a general promise, like this, made to Herodias. The best friend we have in the world must not have such an interest in us as to bring us to do a wrong thing, either unjust or unwise. (1.) Solomon convinces his mother of the unreasonableness of the request, and shows her the tendency of it, which, before, she was not aware of. His reply is somewhat sharp: “Ask for him the kingdom also,<\/I> v.<\/span> 22<\/span><\/U><\/I><\/span>. To ask that he may succeed the king in his bed is, in effect, to ask that he may succeed him in his throne; for that is it he aims at.” Probably he had information, or cause for a strong suspicion, that Adonijah was plotting with Joab and Abiathar to give him disturbance, which warranted him to put this construction upon Adonijah’s request. (2.) He convicts and condemns Adonijah for his pretensions, and both with an oath. He convicts him out of his own mouth, v.<\/I><\/span> 23<\/span>. His own tongue shall fall upon him; and a heavier load a man needs not fall under. Bathsheba may be imposed upon, but Solomon cannot; he plainly sees what Adonijah aims at, and concludes, “He has spoken this word against his own life;<\/I> he is snared in the words of his own lips; now he shows what he would be at.” He condemns him to die immediately: He shall be put to death this day,<\/I> v.<\/span> 24<\/span><\/U><\/I><\/span>. God had himself declared with an oath that he would establish David’s throne (Ps. lxxxix. 35<\/span>), and therefore Solomon pledges the same assurance to secure that establishment, by cutting off the enemies of it. “As God liveth, that establisheth the government, Adonijah shall die, that would unsettle it.” Thus the ruin of the enemies of Christ’s kingdom is as sure as the stability of his kingdom, and both are as sure as the being and life of God, the founder of it. The warrant is immediately signed for his execution, and no less a man than Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, general of the army, is ordered to be the executioner, v.<\/I><\/span> 25<\/span>. It is strange that Adonijah may not be heard to speak for himself: but Solomon’s wisdom did not see it needful to examine the matter any further; it was plain enough that Adonijah aimed at the crown, and Solomon could not be safe while he lived. Ambitious turbulent spirits commonly prepare for themselves the instruments of death. Many a head has been lost by catching at a crown.<\/P> <\/p>\n Adonijah Executed, <\/strong>1Ki 2:12-25<\/span> AND <\/strong>1Ch 29:23-25<\/span> AND <\/strong>2Ch 1:1<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n From his father’s death Solomon began the establishment of his kingdom, <\/em>prospered greatly, and was magnified exceedingly by the presence of the Lord with him. He was accepted by all Israel; the princes and the mighty men, along with the sons of David submitted themselves to his rule. As the’ Lord had promised He made Solomon great in the eyes of the people, and his majesty exceeded that of any previous king. From the very beginning the Lord made it apparent that His word was reliable, so that Solomon should never have doubted it (Pro 30:5<\/span>).<\/em><\/p>\n But there was still trouble <\/em>to be dealt with before the young king was entirely secure on his throne. The Adonijah party, contrary to appearances and their own profession, had not given up their intentions to subvert the kingdom to him. However, they evidently intended to do so by gradual, subtle subversion. The initial step was taken by Adonijah himself, who did so by a seemingly innocent request through Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon.<\/em><\/p>\n Bathsheba suspected the purpose <\/em>of Adonijah when he came, but he declared that he came peaceably, and she agreed to hear his petition. Bathsheba appears a bit naive in the matter, but it seemed no great thing Adonijah asked. He asked for Solomon’s permission to marry Abishag, the pretty little nurse who attended David in his last days. Then, too, the cunning Adonijah played on Bathsheba’s sympathy, claiming that he was the choice of the people to be their king and that he failed only because the Lord Himself pre-empted him. This appears to have been altogether false in light of the universal acclaim Solomon received once it was announced that he should be king.<\/em><\/p>\n So Bathsheba agreed to intercede with Solomon for Adonijah. <\/em>Solomon received his mother with great re-sped, rising from the throne and bowing before her, then having a seat brought to put her beside him. She asked of him “one small petition,” and Solomon said he could not say, “No,” to her requests, though he had not an inkling of what she would ask. Therefore he was astonished, and taken aback, when she asked for Abishag for Adonijah. He could not grant such a request, and answered Bathsheba curtly, “Ask for him the kingdom,” for he claimed the right of the elder brother. Why not ask it for Abiathar and Joab? Solomon swore that this attempt of Adonijah should seal his death warrant.<\/em><\/p>\n Why was the request for Abishag considered a covert attempt to undermine Solomon’s kingdom? <\/em>Adonijah could not have been so much in love with the pretty little nurse. As a handsome, charismatic man he must have already had many wives. Why should he wish to take Abishag? Then, legally, Abishag was also the widow of his father, the late king, <\/em>and such a marriage could be considered incestuous. Also, according to custom, the new king succeeded to all that had been possessed by the old king. The concubines were included in this custom, and rightfully Solomon could claim Abishag as a part of his harem. It appears that this is exactly what he did, and may well have been the deciding factor in the death sentence. If Adonijah could procure one right out of his brother’s harem it would become known by the people, and Solomon would suffer in.their esteem. It would imply his weakness and enhance the prestige of Adonijah, who would then have the choice member of the harem.<\/em><\/p>\n Solomon recognized the trick <\/em>and immediately sent Benaiah to execute the wicked rebel brother. That brave warrior fell upon the upstart prince and slew him. Adonijah had brought his fate on his own head. Solomon had sworn to show him mercy so long as Adonijah showed himself a worthy man, or until wickedness appeared on him. Solomon had kept his part of the agreement, and Adonijah was justly condemned (Jas 1:14-15<\/span>).<\/em><\/p>\n (12) His kingdom was established greatly<\/strong>.From the notice in the closing verse of the chapter, that after the deaths of Adonijah, Joab, and Shimei, and the degradation of Abiathar, the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon, it would seem that, under the smooth surface of apparent loyalty, there lurked some elements of disaffection and dangerperhaps aggravated by enmity from without; for we gather from 1Ki. 11:14-25<\/span> that the death of David was the signal for some attempts at rebellion in the conquered nations. But these are apparently crushed without the slightest effort, though with no little fierceness and severity; and the royalty of Solomon rises at once to a colossal greatness.<\/p>\n FALL OF ADONIJAH, 1Ki 2:12-25<\/span>.<\/p>\n 12<\/strong>. <\/strong> His <\/strong> (Solomon’s) kingdom was established greatly <\/strong> By the fact that he was chosen of God, and inaugurated and anointed in his father’s lifetime, and instructed by the wise counsels of David. He was also confirmed in his kingdom, as the writer proceeds to show, by the destruction of those who had conspired against him, and were at heart his enemies. Adonijah, Abiathar, Joab, and Shimei could not be trusted; and the kingdom was not safe with them at liberty. So the sacred writer at once informs us how these dangerous persons were taken out of the way.<\/p>\nFuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n