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1 KINGS 1

PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS *

* Although they are not inspired, paragraph divisions are the key to understanding and following the original author's intent. Each modern translation has divided and summarized the paragraphs. Every paragraph has one central topic, truth, or thought. Each version encapsulates that topic in its own distinct way. As you read the text, ask yourself which translation fits your understanding of the subject and verse divisions.

In every chapter we must read the Bible first and try to identify its subjects (paragraphs), then compare our understanding with the modern versions. Only when we understand the original author's intent by following his logic and presentation can we truly understand the Bible. Only the original author is inspired - readers have no right to change or modify the message. Bible readers do have the responsibility of applying the inspired truth to their day and their lives.

Note that all technical terms and abbreviations are explained fully in the following documents: Hebrew Grammatical Tems, Textual Criticism, and Glossary.

READING CYCLE THREE (see "Bible Interpretation Seminar")

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT THE PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects. Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one subject.

1. First paragraph
2. Second paragraph
3. Etc.

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 1:1-8
  ¹Now King David was old, advanced in age; and they covered him with clothes, but he could not keep warm. ²So his servants said to him, "Let them seek a young virgin for my lord the king, and let her attend the king and become his nurse; and let her lie in your bosom, that my lord the king may keep warm." ³So they searched for a beautiful girl throughout all the territory of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king. ⁴The girl was very beautiful; and she became the king's nurse and served him, but the king did not cohabit with her. ⁵Now Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, "I will be king." So he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen with fifty men to run before him. ⁶His father had never crossed him at any time by asking, "Why have you done so?" And he was also a very handsome man, and he was born after Absalom. ⁷He had conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest; and following Adonijah they helped him. ⁸But Zadok the priest, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and the mighty men who belonged to David, were not with Adonijah.

1:1 "David was old, advanced in age" David was 30 years old when he began to reign in Hebron (2 Sam. 5:4). He reigned in

1. Hebron 7½ years (2 Sam. 2:11; 1 Chr. 3:4)
2. Jerusalem 33 years (2 Sam. 5:5)

SPECIAL TOPIC: HUMAN AGING

1:2 "a young virgin" She will fit into a conspiracy later, but unknown to her (i.e., 1 Kgs. 2:21).

This (BDB 698, KB 755, Qal ACTIVE PARTICIPLE) basically means "to be of service." Nothing is implied in the word about being a wife or concubine. But the fact that she slept with David to keep him warm implied she was part of the royal harem.

The practice of a young person providing warmth to an old person was known.

1. Galen, Method of Medicine 8.7
2. Josephus, Antiq. 7.14.3.

The VERB "know" (BDB 393, KB 390, Qal PERFECT) has several connotations.

SPECIAL TOPIC: KNOW 5. d.

1:5 Absalom did this very thing (cf. 2 Sam. 15:1), when he attempted to become king.

1:6 "His father had never crossed him at any time" David was a wonderful King but a poor father.

▣ "he was also a very handsome man, and he was born after Absalom" His appearance (i.e., 1 Sam. 9:2; 2 Sam. 14:25) and his birth order made Adonijah the apparent heir to the throne.

1:7 Two powerful people supported Adonijah.

1. Joab, the military leader
2. Abiathar, the priestly leader (he was a descendant of Eli and the only survivor of the slaughter at Nob, cf. 1 Sam. 22:20; NIDOTTE, vol. 4, pp. 348-349)

1:8 This lists the supporters of David who did not participate in Adonijah's presumption.

▣ "Zadok" He is first mentioned in 2 Sam. 8:17. His ancestry is given in 1 Chr. 6:4-6. He carried the ark in 2 Samuel 15 and became one of two High Priests under David (see NIDOTTE, vol. 4, pp. 1300-1302).

▣ "Shimei" This person is unknown but obviously not the same as the Shimei of 2 Sam. 16:5-8; 1 Kgs. 2:36-46.

Some scholars have suggested that Shimei and Rei are two of David's brothers mentioned in 1 Chr. 2:13-14 (i.e., Shimea, Raddai).

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 1:9-10
  ⁹Adonijah sacrificed sheep and oxen and fatlings by the stone of Zoheleth, which is beside En-rogel; and he invited all his brothers, the king's sons, and all the men of Judah, the king's servants. ¹⁰But he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the mighty men, and Solomon his brother.

1:9 This was a coronation banquet (i.e., 1 Kgs. 1:25; 2 Sam. 15:12) close to Jerusalem (cf. Josh. 18:16).

Notice the guest list.

1. all his brothers, the king's sons
2. all the men of Judah
3. the king's servants

The MT has "Serpent's Stone" (BDB 6 CONSTRUCT BDB 267; ABD, vol. 5, pp. 1116-1117). The question is, was it

1. a rock shaped like a snake
2. a place where a god symbolized by a snake was worshiped
3. a reference to Saturn (Arabic root)
4. a sliding stone (Targums, NJB)

It apparently was a well known place where sacrifices were offerred.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 1:11-14
  ¹¹Then Nathan spoke to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, "Have you not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith has become king, and David our lord does not know it? ¹²So now come, please let me give you counsel and save your life and the life of your son Solomon. ¹³Go at once to King David and say to him, 'Have you not, my lord, O king, sworn to your maidservant, saying, "Surely Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne"? Why then has Adonijah become king?' ¹⁴"Behold, while you are still there speaking with the king, I will come in after you and confirm your words."

1:11-14 This shows palace intrigue and planning to force David to act. He had promised Bathsheba about the succession of her son, Solomon (cf. 1 Kgs. 1:13,17,30), but had not officially acted on it (i.e., vv. 20,27).

1:13 David promising Bathsheba that her son would be king is not recorded earlier in Samuel.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 1:15-21
  ¹⁵So Bathsheba went in to the king in the bedroom. Now the king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was ministering to the king. ¹⁶Then Bathsheba bowed and prostrated herself before the king. And the king said, "What do you wish?" ¹⁷She said to him, "My lord, you swore to your maidservant by the Lord your God, saying, 'Surely your son Solomon shall be king after me and he shall sit on my throne.' ¹⁸Now, behold, Adonijah is king; and now, my lord the king, you do not know it. ¹⁹He has sacrificed oxen and fatlings and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the sons of the king and Abiathar the priest and Joab the commander of the army, but he has not invited Solomon your servant. ²⁰As for you now, my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, to tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. ²¹Otherwise it will come about, as soon as my lord the king sleeps with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be considered offenders."

1:25 Wives could not enter the king's presence without an invitation. This was an act of faith on Bathsheba's part.

1:21 "sleeps with his fathers" This is an idiom for death and burial in the family tomb. It is not meant to convey the state of the dead. The Hebrews believed in a conscious but joyless afterlife until the new age. The state of the dead is a matter of "progressive revelation." The NT gives a much clearer picture.

SPECIAL TOPIC: WHERE ARE THE DEAD?

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 1:22-27
  ²²Behold, while she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet came in. ²³They told the king, saying, "Here is Nathan the prophet." And when he came in before the king, he prostrated himself before the king with his face to the ground. ²⁴Then Nathan said, "My lord the king, have you said, 'Adonijah shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne'? ²⁵For he has gone down today and has sacrificed oxen and fatlings and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king's sons and the commanders of the army and Abiathar the priest, and behold, they are eating and drinking before him; and they say, 'Long live King Adonijah!' ²⁶But me, even me your servant, and Zadok the priest and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada and your servant Solomon, he has not invited. ²⁷Has this thing been done by my lord the king, and you have not shown to your servants who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?"

1:25 "Long live King Adonijah" This is an affirmation of loyalty to the king (cf. 1 Sam. 10:24; 1 Kgs. 1:25,34,39).

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 1:28-31
  ²⁸Then King David said, "Call Bathsheba to me." And she came into the king's presence and stood before the king. ²⁹The king vowed and said, "As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life from all distress, ³⁰surely as I vowed to you by the Lord the God of Israel, saying, 'Your son Solomon shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place'; I will indeed do so this day." ³¹Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the ground, and prostrated herself before the king and said, "May my lord King David live forever."

1:28 Bathsheba must have left David's bed chamber when Nathan arrived.

1:29 "As the Lord lives" This is an oath using YHWH's name (cf. v. 30). The name is a word play on the VERB "to be."

SPECIAL TOPIC: NAMES FOR DEITY, D.

▣ "who has redeemed my life from all distress" This is obviously a hyperbolic statement. David recognized that YHWH had blessed him but his life had many stressful moments (cf. 2 Sam. 4:9).

SPECIAL TOPIC: RANSOM/REDEEM

1:31 "forever" See SPECIAL TOPIC: FOREVER ('olam).

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 1:32-37
  ³²Then King David said, "Call to me Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada." And they came into the king's presence. ³³The king said to them, "Take with you the servants of your lord, and have my son Solomon ride on my own mule, and bring him down to Gihon. ³⁴Let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there as king over Israel, and blow the trumpet and say, 'Long live King Solomon!' ³⁵Then you shall come up after him, and he shall come and sit on my throne and be king in my place; for I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and Judah." ³⁶Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king and said, "Amen! Thus may the Lord, the God of my lord the king, say. ³⁷As the Lord has been with my lord the king, so may He be with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David!"

1:32 Notice the people David wanted to acknowledge Solomon.

1. the High Priest (Zadok)
2. a prophet (Nathan)
3. a military leader (Benaiah)

1:33-37, 38-40 This contains a series of acts that acknowledge Solomon as king.

1. the servants of David march with Solomon (v. 47)
2. Solomon rides on the king's mule (cf. v. 44; NIDOTTE, vol. 3, p. 675), as would the Messiah, cf. Zech. 9:9; Matt. 21:5
3. Solomon goes to the Gihon Spring
4. Zadok anoints him (v. 45)
5. trumpet blown
6. loyalty oath given by priest and prophet
7. Solomon sits on David's throne (v. 46)
8. affirmation of loyalty given by David's Mighty Men
   1. amen (see SPECIAL TOPIC: AMEN)
   2. may YHWH be with Solomon as He was with David
   3. may Solomon's reign be greater than David's

1:35 "to be ruler over Israel and Judah" Why are these listed separately?

1. The author of Kings, probably Jeremiah, lived during the Divided Monarchy.
2. Even this early, there was tension between Judah (the largest tribe, the tribe predicted in Gen. 49:10 to bring forth the king) and Israel

The term "ruler" (BDB 617) is used of royal leaders approved by God. Here, it denotes Solomon as heir apparent (cf. 2 Chr. 11:22). It is used of

1. Saul ‒ 1 Sam. 9:16; 10:1
2. David ‒ 1 Sam. 13:14; 2 Sam. 7:8
3. Solomon ‒ here
4. Jeroboam ‒ 1 Kgs. 14:7
5. Baasha ‒ 1 Kgs. 16:2
6. Hezekiah ‒ 2 Kgs. 20:5

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 1:38-40
  ³⁸So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites went down and had Solomon ride on King David's mule, and brought him to Gihon. ³⁹Zadok the priest then took the horn of oil from the tent and anointed Solomon. Then they blew the trumpet, and all the people said, "Long live King Solomon!" ⁴⁰All the people went up after him, and the people were playing on flutes and rejoicing with great joy, so that the earth shook at their noise.

1:38 "the Cherethites, and the Pelethites" These were the Philistine, or at least Aegean, mercenary soldiers who had followed David (cf. 2 Sam. 8:18; 15:18; 20:7,23).

▣ "from the tent" This was probably the tent that David had made for the ark in Jerusalem (cf. 2 Sam. 6:17; 1 Chr. 15:1; 16:1; 17:1).

▣ "anointed" See SPECIAL TOPIC: "ANOINTING" IN THE BIBLE.

▣ "trumpet" See SPECIAL TOPIC: HORNS USED BY ISRAEL.

1:40 "so that the earth shook at their noise" The MT has "the earth was split" (BDB 131, KB 149, Niphal IMPERFECT with waw), which is an obvious hyperbolic statement. It is meant to convey that the coronation of Solomon was heard by those supporting Adonijah (v. 41).

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 1:41-48
  ⁴¹Now Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they finished eating. When Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, "Why is the city making such an uproar?" ⁴²While he was still speaking, behold, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came. Then Adonijah said, "Come in, for you are a valiant man and bring good news." ⁴³But Jonathan replied to Adonijah, "No! Our lord King David has made Solomon king. ⁴⁴The king has also sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites; and they have made him ride on the king's mule. ⁴⁵Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king in Gihon, and they have come up from there rejoicing, so that the city is in an uproar. This is the noise which you have heard. ⁴⁶Besides, Solomon has even taken his seat on the throne of the kingdom. ⁴⁷Moreover, the king's servants came to bless our lord King David, saying, 'May your God make the name of Solomon better than your name and his throne greater than your throne!' And the king bowed himself on the bed. ⁴⁸The king has also said thus, 'Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who has granted one to sit on my throne today while my own eyes see it.'"

1:43 The practice of co-regency was common in the ANE. It does cause problems for modern scholars who try to date the reigns of Israel's and Judah's kings.

1:47 "the king bowed himself on the bed" This was a symbolic act of David in his bed acknowledging King Solomon on his throne (v. 48).

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 1:49-53
  ⁴⁹Then all the guests of Adonijah were terrified; and they arose and each went on his way. ⁵⁰And Adonijah was afraid of Solomon, and he arose, went and took hold of the horns of the altar. ⁵¹Now it was told Solomon, saying, "Behold, Adonijah is afraid of King Solomon, for behold, he has taken hold of the horns of the altar, saying, 'Let King Solomon swear to me today that he will not put his servant to death with the sword.'" ⁵²Solomon said, "If he is a worthy man, not one of his hairs will fall to the ground; but if wickedness is found in him, he will die." ⁵³So King Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and prostrated himself before King Solomon, and Solomon said to him, "Go to your house."

1:50 "took hold of the horns of the altar" This refers to the Sacrificial Altar, which had horns (symbol of power) on each corner. This was where part of the blood of the sacrifice was placed (cf. Exod. 27:2; 30:10). It was a special place of refuge (cf. Exod. 21:14; 1 Kgs. 2:28-29).

SPECIAL TOPIC: THE ALTAR OF SACRIFICE

1:52 "not one of his hairs will fall to the ground" This is an idiom meaning "no harm at all will come to him" (cf. 1 Sam. 14:45; 2 Sam. 14:11).

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

This is a study guide commentary which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.

1. Explain the significance of 1 Kgs. 1:6.
2. Why, after so many years, did Joab and Abiathar rebel against David?
3. Why did David bow on his bed (v. 47)?
4. Explain the significance of "the horns of the altar."

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