1 Kings 1:51

The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible

Contextual Overview

⁴¹Now Adonijah and all his guests were finishing their feast when they heard the sound of the trumpet. "Why is the city in such a loud uproar?" asked Joab. ⁴²As he was speaking, suddenly Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest arrived. "Come in," said Adonijah, "for you are a man of valor. You must be bringing good news." ⁴³"Not at all," Jonathan replied. "Our lord King David has made Solomon king. ⁴⁴And with Solomon, the king has sent Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, along with Cherethites and Pelethites, and they have set him on the king's mule. ⁴⁵Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king at Gihon, and they have gone up from there with rejoicing that rings out in the city. That is the noise you hear. ⁴⁶Moreover, Solomon has taken his seat on the royal throne. ⁴⁷The king's servants have also gone to congratulate our lord King David, saying, 'May your God make the name of Solomon more famous than your own name, and may He make his throne greater than your throne.' And the king has bowed in worship on his bed, ⁴⁸saying, 'May the LORD God of Israel be praised! Today He has provided one to sit on my throne, and my eyes have seen it.'" ⁴⁹At this, all the guests of Adonijah arose in terror and scattered. ⁵⁰But Adonijah, in fear of Solomon, got up and went to take hold of the horns of the altar.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Reciprocal: Exodus 21:14 - take him

Gill's Notes on the Bible

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 unto me this day that he will not slay his servant with the sword; he owns Solomon to be king, and himself his subject and servant; this no doubt he did to conciliate his favour, nor did he think his life safe, unless Solomon promised with an oath, that he would not take it away.