This, and the following book, properly are but one book, divided into two parts, and went with the Jews under the common name of Kings. This, in the Syriac version, is called the Book of Kings; and in the Arabic version, the Book of Solomon, the Son of David the Prophet, because it begins with his…

Now King David was old, and stricken in years Was seventy years of age; for he was thirty years of age when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years, ; this was just the age of man, ; and they covered him with clothes; not wearing apparel, but bed clothes; he seems to have been bedridden and…

Wherefore his servants said unto him His physicians; so Joseph’s physicians are called his servants, ; let there be sought for my lord the king a young virgin; not only a young woman, but a virgin, that has more natural heat than women that have bore children have, which is abated thereby: and let…

So they sought for a fair damsel throughout all the coasts of Israel Not only a damsel, but a beautiful one, that she might be the more acceptable to the king; who otherwise, if deformed and ugly, would not have endured her in his sight, or received at her hands, and much less suffered her to lie…

And the damsel was very fair And so very agreeable to the king to be in his presence, and wait upon him, and take things of her hand, as well as lie with him: and cherished the king; enlivened his spirits by her amiable countenance, her graceful behaviour, and tender care of him, and especially by…

Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself This was his mother’s name, ; his father David being old and infirm, and not like to live long, notable to oppose him; and he being the eldest son, and a comely person, was inspired with ambition to set up for king: saying, I will be king; though he…

And his father had not displeased him at any time Always humoured him in everything, let him have his own way and will, and granted him what he desired, and never corrected him for his faults, or made him ashamed, as the Targum, by telling him of them, and chastising him for them; this was not to…

And he conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar the priest About getting the kingdom into his hands: and they were very proper persons to consult with, who, if gained to his interest, might be of great service, the one being the general of the army, and so had a great interest in…

But Zadok the priest Who bid fair to be the high priest on Solomon’s coming to the throne as he was: and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; who was near David’s person, and over his bodyguards, the Cherethites and Pelethites: and Nathan the prophet; a very great intimate of David’s, and his seer, whom he…

And Adonijah slew sheep and oxen and fat cattle To make a feast of for those that were of his party, which was numerous, and some of them persons of the first rank, and therefore a large and elegant entertainment was provided for them: by the stone of Zoheleth, which is by Enrogel; or the fullers’…

But Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, and the mighty men, and Solomon his brother, he called not. ] Did not invite them to this feast; not Nathan, who he might know had prophesied of Solomon’s succession in the throne, and therefore it could not be thought he would be drawn over to him; nor “Benaiah…

Wherefore Nathan spake unto Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, &c.] Who not only had an interest in the king, being his wife, and an easy access to him, but had a special concern in this affair, as it affected her son, to whom the succession of the kingdom was designed and promised: saying, hast thou…

Now therefore come, let me, I pray thee, give thee counsel, &c.] How to conduct in this affair, which she being a woman, and no doubt surprised and confounded at this relation, might be at a loss what to do; wherefore Nathan, being a wise man, and a faithful friend, offers to give the best advice…

Go and get thee in unto King David That is, go into the chamber where the king lay, at once, without any ceremony: and say unto him, didst not thou, my lord, O king, swear unto thine handmaid, saying, assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne? though no mention…

Behold, while thou yet talkest there with the king Before, or by the time she could deliver the above words to him, or such as she should think fit to use, to awaken the king to a concern for the interest of her and her son: I will also come in after thee; directly into the king’s chamber: and…

And Bathsheba went in unto the king into the chamber Where he lay, being bedridden; she took Nathan’s advice, and directly went to the king’s apartment: and the king was very old: and decrepit, borne down with the infirmities of old age, though but seventy years of age: and Abishag the Shunammite…

And Bathsheba bowed, and did obeisance to the king Not only as being her husband, but her sovereign; and this behaviour might intimate, that she had something to say to him, and more than to inquire of his health: and the king said, wouldest thou? what hast thou to say to me? or to ask of me? what…

And she said unto him, my lord, thou swarest by the Lord thy God unto thine handmaid Which was a very solemn oath, and binding, and which she puts David in mind of, knowing that so conscientious a man as he was would religiously observe it: saying, assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me,…

And now, behold, Adonijah reigneth Has set up himself as king, and is by some saluted as such; but lest it should be thought by David that she suggested by this that he was guilty of the breach of his oath, or on any account to be blamed, she adds: and now my lord, O king, thou knowest it not;…

And he hath slain oxen, and fat cattle, and sheep in abundance Has made a grand entertainment, and is feasting and rejoicing; which was another instance of irreverence and disrespect to his aged father, labouring under the infirmities of old age, and on his dying bed, and he carousing, and showing…

And thou, my lord, O king As for thee, or what concerns thee, or is incumbent on thee, will appear from the expectations of the people: the eyes of all Israel are upon thee, that thou shouldest tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him; this she said, to dissipate any…

Otherwise it shall come to pass, when my lord the king shall sleep with his fathers That is, shall die, and be buried in the sepulchre of his ancestors, where he shall lie till he awakes in the morning of the resurrection: that I and my son Solomon shall be counted offenders; or “sinners” [[6]];…

And, lo, while she yet talked with the king Just as she was concluding her speech to him: Nathan the prophet also came in; as he promised he would; perhaps was at the chamber door all the while Bathsheba was speaking, and when he perceived she was just finishing, he entered in without ceremony, as…

And they told the king Some that attended at the door, or were in the chamber: saying, behold, Nathan the prophet; or he is in the room, which the king through his infirmities might not be sensible of: and when he was come in before the king; nearer to him, and as to be properly in his presence: he…

And Nathan said, my lord, O king He addresses him as with great veneration and respect due to his office, so as if he knew noticing of Bathsheba’s application to him; and therefore begins and tells his story, as if the king had never heard anything relative to it: hast thou said, Adonijah shall…

For he is gone down this day From Jerusalem, which lay high, to the stone of Zoheleth, in Enrogel, which lay in the valley, ; and hath slain oxen, and fat cattle, and sheep in abundance; not by way of sacrifice, but for a feast, on account of his coming to the kingdom: and hath called all the…

But me, even me thy servant Meaning himself, Nathan the prophet, who was David’s servant, his seer, and counsellor: and Zadok the priest; for whom David had a great respect: and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; who was captain of his bodyguards; here Nathan observes more than Bathsheba had, and…

Is this thing done by my lord the king With his knowledge and consent, and by his orders: and thou hast not showed it unto thy servant; meaning himself, who had brought him a message from the Lord, signifying that Solomon should succeed him; and therefore if that had been countermanded, it seemed…

Then King David answered and said Observing that Nathan confirmed the account that Bathsheba had given, and that it must be a matter of fact that Adonijah had usurped the throne, gave orders to those about him, saying, call me Bathsheba; who either went out of the room when Nathan entered it, or…

And the king sware To his former oath, he added another for greater confirmation: and said, as the Lord liveth; which was the proper form of an oath, which ought to be taken by the living God; and as what would lay him under the greater obligation to observe it, he adds, that hath redeemed my soul…

Even as I sware unto thee by the Lord God of Israel And so owns and confirms the truth of what Nathan had suggested to Bathsheba, and she had asserted, (1 Kings 1:13, 1 Kings 1:17) ; saying, assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne in my stead; this was the…

Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the earth, and did reverence to the king Thereby expressing her veneration of him, and thankfulness to him for his favour to her and her son, in fulfilling his promise and oath: and said, let my lord King David live for ever; which though a common form of…

And King David said, call me Zadok the priest Not Abiathar the high priest, for he had joined Adonijah; and besides Zadok was David’s favourite priest, and for him the high priesthood was designed, as it was in a little time translated to him: and Nathan the prophet; who very probably went out of…

And the king said unto them, take ye the servants of your lord Meaning his own servants, his bodyguards, the Cherethites and Pelethites, as appears from ; the Jews [[0]] from hence gather, that a king is superior to an high priest, since David calls himself the lord of Zadok the priest and Nathan…

And let Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, anoint him there king over Israel For it might be done by either of them, as the unctions of Saul and David show: and blow ye the trumpet, and say, God save King Solomon; the blowing of the trumpet was to make it public; the proclamation of him as…

Then ye shall come up after him When anointed, proclaimed, and cheered, then he was to mount the mule, and ride before them as their king, at the head of them; they following after, in token of their subjection to him: that he may come and sit upon my throne; at Jerusalem, in the king’s palace, and…

And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king In the name of the rest: and said, Amen; they all assented to it, and expressed their satisfaction in it: the Lord God of my lord the king say so too; let it appear, by the prosperity and success that shall by divine Providence attend the new king,…

As the Lord hath been with my lord the king, even so be he with Solomon To guide and direct him, protect and defend him, succeed and prosper him the Targum is, “as the Word of the Lord has been the help of my lord the king, so let him be for the help of Solomon:” and make his throne greater than…

So Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada The three men that David sent for on this occasion: and the Cherethites and the Pelethites; not the sanhedrim, as Ben Gersom, but David’s guards, over whom Benaiah was: these went down; from Jerusalem; and caused Solomon…

And Zadok the priest took an horn of oil out of the tabernacle Not out of the tabernacle of Moses, for that was at Gibeon; see ; and if the oil had been there, it would have been too far to have fetched it, since haste was now required; but this was taken out of the tabernacle David had built for…

And all the people came up after him Following him from the fountain to the city, with their loud acclamations: and the people piped with pipes; which were hollow instruments, and full of holes which they blew with their mouths, and upon with their fingers; Jarchi says they were and very probably:…

And Adonijah and all the guests that were with him Or that were “called” [[7]]; that is, invited to the entertainment he had made: heard it, as they had made an end of eating; the shouting of the people, which reached their ears just as they had finished their meal, and before they had risen from…

And while he yet spake, behold, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came Whom his father had left in the city, to observe what passed there, and give him notice of it: and Adonijah said unto him, come in, for thou art a valiant man, and bringest good tidings; which seems to be not a very wise…

And Jonathan answered and said to Adonijah, verily Or, “nay, but” [[9]] it is not so as you imagine; it is not good tidings, but bad tidings to thee I bring: our lord King David hath made Solomon king; of which he gives the following account in proof of it. 10: (אבל) “nequaquam”, V. L.

And the king hath sent with him To the fountain of Gihon: Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites; over whom the latter was captain: and they have caused him to ride upon the king’s mule; by his order and direction.

And Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, have anointed him king in Gihon Or at Gihon; that is, Siloah, according to the Targum; here the act of anointing is ascribed to them both, as in ; Zadok very probably applied the oil to him, and Nathan might be some way or other assisting in it; however…

And also Solomon sitteth on the throne of the kingdom. ] Where he was placed to exercise his regal power when returned to Jerusalem, as a further token and confirmation of his being really and actually king.

And moreover the king’s servants came to bless our lord the king To give him thanks for the wise and good provision he had made before his death for the welfare of the kingdom, by making Solomon his son king in his stead, and to congratulate him upon it; which showed that they highly approved of…

And also thus said the king Being in a proper posture for an address to God: blessed be the Lord God of Israel, which hath given one to sit on my throne this day, mine eyes seeing it; he ascribes this whole affair to God, and his kind providence, though all things were done according to his own…

And all the guests that were with Adonijah were afraid, &c.] Though many of them were military men, the general of the army, and the captains thereof, (1 Kings 1:19, 1 Kings 1:25) ; yet they were struck with a panic, their courage failed them, they had no spirit left in them, their hearts became as…

And Adonijah feared because of Solomon Lest he should seize him as an usurper and traitor, and put him to death: and arose, and went, and caught hold on the horns of the altar; either that which was at Gibeon, where the tabernacle now was; see ; so Jarchi; or rather that which was nearest, the…

And it was told Solomon By some of his courtiers: saying, behold, Adonijah feareth King Solomon; lest he should take away his life: for, lo, he hath caught hold on the horns of the altar; which was the last resort of the guilty when they despaired of mercy otherwise: saying, let King Solomon swear…

And Solomon said, if he will show himself a worthy man Will behave himself well as a good subject, and be careful not to offend for the future, or appear to be one that fears sin, as the Targum; particularly the crimes of sedition, rebellion, and treason: there shall not an hair of him fall to the…

So King Solomon sent, and they brought down Adonijah from the altar It being built upon an hill, as both that at Gibeon, and in Araunah’s threshing floor, were: and he came and bowed himself to King Solomon; in a way of reverence and subjection, acknowledging him to be king, and himself his…