Poole on 1 Kings 1:41-53: Adonijah Pardoned

Verse 41:[1]  And Adonijah and all the guests that were with him heard it as they had made an end of eating.  And when Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, Wherefore is this noise of the city being in an uproar?

[Adonijah heard]  See what great haste Nathan employed in this business.  For it was a plan not able to be commended unless accomplished with expedition (Grotius).

As they had made an end of eating; for Nathan having given wise counsel, took all due care to expedite the execution of it, that it might not be spoiled by delays, as frequently happens.

[What does the noise, etc., mean? ‎מַדּ֥וּעַ קֽוֹל־הַקִּרְיָ֖ה הוֹמָֽה׃ [2]]  Why the sound (or din [Munster], or that sound [Junius and Tremellius]) of the city making an uproar? (Montanus, Pagnine, Munster), or causing a din (Junius and Tremellius), or growling (Vatablus), understanding, either is? (Pagnine), or is emitted? (Junius and Tremellius), or is heard? (Munster, Vatablus).  What then is the cry of the city resounding? (Septuagint).  What then is this sound? the city is agitated (Jonathan).

Verse 42:[3]  And while he yet spake, behold, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came:  and Adonijah said unto him, Come in; for (2 Sam. 18:27) thou art a valiant man, and bringest good tidings.

Jonathan it seems was left at Jerusalem for a spy, as he had formerly been under Absalom.[4]  Thou art a valiant man; or, a man of virtue or worth,[5] as this Hebrew word is used, Proverbs 12:4;[6] and therefore a happy man, and hast good news for thyself and us.  Compare 2 Samuel 18:27.

Verse 43:[7]  And Jonathan answered and said to Adonijah, Verily our lord king David hath made Solomon king.

[Nowise, ‎אֲבָל]  Some render it, verily.  Others:  but, or nay but;[8] that is to say, is it verily good?  But our lord, etc.; I am so far from announcing favorable things, etc.  You could render it, sorrow;[9] that is, sorrow threatens thee and thine (Malvenda).

Verily, or, but, or, nay but, that is, the matter is not as thou expectest, but quite contrary.

Verse 44:[10]  And the king hath sent with him Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, and they have caused him to ride upon the king’s mule…

Verse 45:[11]  And Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king in Gihon:  and they are come up from thence rejoicing, so that the city rang again.  This is the noise that ye have heard.

Verse 46:[12]  And also Solomon (1 Chron. 29:23) sitteth on the throne of the kingdom.

Sitteth on the throne of the kingdom:  that is, Is put into actual possession of the kingdom.

Verse 47:[13]  And moreover the king’s servants came to bless our lord king David, saying, (1 Kings 1:37) God make the name of Solomon better than thy name, and make his throne greater than thy throne.  (Gen. 47:31) And the king bowed himself upon the bed.

[And entering]  Understanding, into the royal chamber (Vatablus).

[They blessed our lord the king, ‎לְ֠בָרֵךְ אֶת־אֲדֹנֵ֜ינוּ]  To bless with our Lord (Junius and Tremellius).  That is, so that all together might pray for blessing, or give thanks, for Solomon (Munster).  [The rest translate it otherwise:]  To bless our Lord (Montanus, Septuagint, Jonathan, Syriac, Piscator, Munster).  אֶת here does not mean with, but is the marker of the accusative case.  Compare verses 36, 37 (Piscator).  That is, as those about to pray for blessing, or to congratulate (Vatablus).

To bless our lord king David; to praise and thank him for his great and good care, in leaving them in the hands of so excellent a successor, under whom they might expect peace and all prosperity; and to congratulate with him for God’s great mercy to him, in giving him such a son and successor, and that his eyes had now seen the actual accomplishment of God’s promise made to him concerning this thing.

[And the King worshipped]  Either, 1.  David worshipped Solomon; that is, by some external sign he acknowledged royal dignity in his son (Sanchez).  Or, 2.  David worshipped God, giving thanks to Him, etc. (Vatablus, thus Menochius, Junius, Piscator, Malvenda, Osiander, Martyr); as it is evident in the following verse (Menochius).  Compare Genesis 47:31 (Junius).  He prayed to God, that these undertakings might turn out well for Solomon, as well as for the people (Grotius).

The king bowed himself upon the bed; adoring God for this great mercy, and thereby declaring his hearty approbation and consent to this action.  Compare Genesis 47:31.

Verse 48:[14]  And also thus said the king, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which hath (1 Kings 3:6; Ps. 132:11) given one to sit on my throne this day, mine eyes even seeing it.

Verse 49:[15]  And all the guests that were with Adonijah were afraid, and rose up, and went every man his way.

[They were afraid]  These things had been previously foreseen.  Extrema gaudii luctus occupat, grief dwells in the extremes of joy[16] (that is, of the world and of the flesh).  Bold temperaments are so constituted that they boast of their courage Thrasonically[17] before dangers; but when it comes to actual perils, they are hares in helmets (Martyr).

[Each went his way]  To their own houses; so that there they might hide themselves, and dissimulate that they favored Adonijah (Menochius).

And went every man his way:  that is, The way to his own house, lest they should be discovered and taken.

Verse 50:[18]  And Adonijah feared because of Solomon, and arose, and went, and (1 Kings 2:28) caught hold on the horns of the altar.

[He caught hold on the horns of the altar]  Either, 1.  of that altar, which David had built in his city[19] (Vatablus, Mariana).  Or, 2.  he departed to Gibeon, where was the tabernacle of Moses, and the altar of burnt-offerings, 2 Chronicles 1:3 (Menochius, thus Malvenda).  It is not likely that a fixed altar was established at Jerusalem for the ark:  since ordinarily according to the law sacrifices were to be offered in only one place:  and David dismissed all the priests to Gibeon, to the altar and sacrifices, 1 Chronicles 16:39 (Malvenda).  There was another altar, namely, of incense; but to that the priests alone were able to approach (Martyr).  To the altar he fled, not by institution of the Law, but by custom of the nations, as did also Joab, 1 Kings 2:28.  See Concerning the Law of War and Peace 2:21:5, and the Comedies in many places[20] (Grotius).  The special right of immunity was especially attributed to the altar (Menochius).  He went there, so that he might be safe; for, when it is said that one that purposefully killed another is to be taken from the altar, Exodus 21:14, it is indicated clearly enough that there is some security at the altar for other crimes (Martyr).  [Others otherwise:]  He fled there, not so that he might be safe, until his cause is known:  but so that he might implore mercy on account of reverence for the Deity, as Joab did, 1 Kings 2:28, 29 (Junius, Piscator).

The altar:  Either that which was at Gibeon, as appears from 1 Chronicles 16:39; 2 Chronicles 1:3; and was made with four horns, Exodus 38:2; to which the sacrifices were bound Psalm 118:27.  Or rather, that which David had lately set up in the threshing-floor of Araunah, which doubtless was made after the same form as that at Gibeon; for, first, This was next at hand.  Secondly, The altar only is mentioned here, whereas in Joab’s case there is mention of the tabernacle and altar both, 1 Kings 2:28, 29, which seems to be noted to distinguish the two altars; for Adonijah being the king’s son, he might safely go to Araunah’s altar, and the people would not be forward to seize upon him, or bring him to justice:  but Joab truly thought it was not safe for him to venture himself there, and therefore he fleeth to Gibeon, as a place more remote from Jerusalem.  Hither he fled, either to implore God’s mercy; or rather, to avoid Solomon’s rage; supposing that his reverence to that sacred place would not permit him to pollute it with his brother’s blood; or that the consideration of God’s grace and mercy, which himself needed and begged of God, in pardoning his offences, and accepting the sacrifices which he should offer there, would engage and dispose him to show mercy to his offending and now penitent brother; or that his piety would not allow him violently to pluck him as it were out of the arms of God, into which he had put himself.  And for these or such-like reasons the altar was esteemed a kind of sanctuary or place of refuge, not only among the Gentiles, but also among the Hebrews, though it be not called by that name, as may be gathered from Exodus 21:14; 1 Kings 2:28.

Verse 51:[21]  And it was told Solomon, saying, Behold, Adonijah feareth king Solomon:  for, lo, he hath caught hold on the horns of the altar, saying, Let king Solomon swear unto me to day that he will not slay his servant with the sword.

[Let him swear to me today (thus the Septuagint, Syriac, Arabic, Pagnine, similarly Munster, Tigurinus), ‎כַיּוֹם]  As today (Montanus, Jonathan), as if he had said, from the present day.  He asks that he be judged henceforth, not according to his past deeds, but according to those that will follow.  The same expression is found in Genesis 25:31, sell from this day, ‎כַיּוֹם, so that henceforth I might be esteemed the firstborn from this day (Martyr out of the Hebrews).

[His servant]  Humble speech, and suitable for obtaining pardon (Menochius).

King Solomon…his servant:  He owns Solomon as his king, and himself as his servant and subject; and being sensible of his great guilt, and of the jealousy which kings have of their competitors, could not be satisfied without Solomon’s oath.

Verse 52:[22]  And Solomon said, If he will shew himself a worthy man, (1 Sam. 14:45; 2 Sam. 14:11; Acts 27:34) there shall not an hair of him fall to the earth:  but if wickedness shall be found in him, he shall die.

[And Solomon said]  Whether he also swore, it is not evident, but it appears so (Sanchez).

[If he be a good man, ‎לְבֶן־חַיִל]  A man of virtue (Pagnine).  It is a Hebraism, for furnished with virtue and fortitude of mind, and loving virtue; that is, good/honest.  The Chaldean:  if he be a man fearing to sin (Vatablus); for a son of strength (Piscator); a vigorous man (Junius and Tremellius).  Fortitude is needed to conquer sin.  One that is able to rule over himself.[23]  חַיִל is πολύσημον, a term having multiple meanings, like virtus/virtue to the Latins, signifying both fortitude, and honesty (Mariana).

A worthy man; Hebrew, a man of strength or courage; for it requires great strength of mind and resolution to resist all temptations of vice, and to do virtuously.

[There shall not fall an hair]  There shall not fall anything from his mane (hair) (Vatablus).  From the very beginning, Solomon’s wisdom shows itself great, undoubtedly supported by the counsels of great men, namely, Nathan, Zadok, and Benaiah.  For, he pardons the crime of revolution, which had been odious enough to punish in a brother, especially the eldest; but on this condition, that he do nothing hereafter, whereby he might be able to make himself suspect; which condition would be either a bridle for the future to Adonijah, or an honest πρόφασις/pretext for Solomon.  What Solomon arranges in the case of Shimei below,[24] is not dissimilar.  Ἀεὶ γὰρ εὖ πίπτουσιν οἱ θεῶν κύβοι, for the lots of the gods always fall rightly[25] (Grotius).

There shall not an hair of him fall to the earth:  herein Solomon manifests his clemency and brotherly affection, and withal his prudence in sparing him, whom, being his brother, and his eldest brother too, it would have been invidious to have slain.  If wickedness shall be found in him; not only if he shall be guilty of some capital crime, but of any great wickedness or evil design; for as this pardon was Solomon’s free act, so he might justly qualify it as he pleased.

Verse 53:[26]  So king Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar.  And he came and bowed himself to king Solomon:  and Solomon said unto him, Go to thine house.

[He bowed]  By which symbol, he abdicated his right to the kingdom (Martyr).

[Go to thine house]  Look to thy private affairs, and thou shalt no longer arrogate to thyself the authority of going out and coming in before the people (Junius, Piscator, similarly Sanchez, Martyr).  Thus in divorces the form was, Take thine own things to thyself; care for thine own affairs; etc. (Sanchez).  Put off the pomp of chariots and those running before.  Beware, lest thou disturb the public peace (Martyr).  [Others thus:]  With this word he does not send him away from court, but promises to him security in his own house (Menochius).

Go to thine house:  Lead a private or retired and quiet life, without noise and numerous attendants, and meddle not with the affairs of the court and kingdom.

[1] Hebrew: ‎וַיִּשְׁמַ֣ע אֲדֹנִיָּ֗הוּ וְכָל־הַקְּרֻאִים֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר אִתּ֔וֹ וְהֵ֖ם כִּלּ֣וּ לֶאֱכֹ֑ל וַיִּשְׁמַ֤ע יוֹאָב֙ אֶת־ק֣וֹל הַשּׁוֹפָ֔ר וַיֹּ֕אמֶר מַדּ֥וּעַ קֽוֹל־הַקִּרְיָ֖ה הוֹמָֽה׃

[2] הָמָה signifies to murmur, growl, or roar, or to be boisterous.

[3] Hebrew:  ‎עוֹדֶ֣נּוּ מְדַבֵּ֔ר וְהִנֵּ֧ה יוֹנָתָ֛ן בֶּן־אֶבְיָתָ֥ר הַכֹּהֵ֖ן בָּ֑א וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֲדֹנִיָּ֙הוּ֙ בֹּ֔א כִּ֣י אִ֥ישׁ חַ֛יִל אַ֖תָּה וְט֥וֹב תְּבַשֵּֽׂר׃

[4] See 2 Samuel 15:27.

[5] Hebrew:  ‎אִ֥ישׁ חַ֛יִל אַ֖תָּה.

[6] Proverbs 12:4:  “A virtuous woman (‎אֵשֶׁת־חַיִל) is a crown to her husband:  but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones.”

[7] Hebrew:  ‎וַיַּ֙עַן֙ יוֹנָתָ֔ן וַיֹּ֖אמֶר לַאֲדֹנִיָּ֑הוּ אֲבָ֕ל אֲדֹנֵ֥ינוּ הַמֶּֽלֶךְ־דָּוִ֖ד הִמְלִ֥יךְ אֶת־שְׁלֹמֹֽה׃

[8] אֲבָל, as an adverb, can signify verily, or nay but.

[9] אֵבֶל signifies mourning, grief, or sorrow.

[10] Hebrew: ‎וַיִּשְׁלַ֣ח אִתּֽוֹ־הַ֠מֶּלֶךְ אֶת־צָד֙וֹק הַכֹּהֵ֜ן וְאֶת־נָתָ֣ן הַנָּבִ֗יא וּבְנָיָ֙הוּ֙ בֶּן־יְה֣וֹיָדָ֔ע וְהַכְּרֵתִ֖י וְהַפְּלֵתִ֑י וַיַּרְכִּ֣בוּ אֹת֔וֹ עַ֖ל פִּרְדַּ֥ת הַמֶּֽלֶךְ׃

[11] Hebrew: ‎וַיִּמְשְׁח֣וּ אֹת֡וֹ צָד֣וֹק הַכֹּהֵ֣ן וְנָתָן֩ הַנָּבִ֙יא לְמֶ֜לֶךְ בְּגִח֗וֹן וַיַּעֲל֤וּ מִשָּׁם֙ שְׂמֵחִ֔ים וַתֵּהֹ֖ם הַקִּרְיָ֑ה ה֥וּא הַקּ֖וֹל אֲשֶׁ֥ר שְׁמַעְתֶּֽם׃

[12] Hebrew:  ‎וְגַם֙ יָשַׁ֣ב שְׁלֹמֹ֔ה עַ֖ל כִּסֵּ֥א הַמְּלוּכָֽה׃

[13] Hebrew: ‎וְגַם־בָּ֜אוּ עַבְדֵ֣י הַמֶּ֗לֶךְ לְ֠בָרֵךְ אֶת־אֲדֹנֵ֜ינוּ הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ דָּוִד֘ לֵאמֹר֒ יֵיטֵ֙ב אֱלֹהֶ֜יךָ אֶת־שֵׁ֤ם שְׁלֹמֹה֙ מִשְּׁמֶ֔ךָ וִֽיגַדֵּ֥ל אֶת־כִּסְא֖וֹ מִכִּסְאֶ֑ךָ וַיִּשְׁתַּ֥חוּ הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ עַל־הַמִּשְׁכָּֽב׃

[14] Hebrew:  ‎וְגַם־כָּ֖כָה אָמַ֣ר הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ בָּר֙וּךְ יְהוָ֜ה אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל אֲשֶׁ֙ר נָתַ֥ן הַיּ֛וֹם יֹשֵׁ֥ב עַל־כִּסְאִ֖י וְעֵינַ֥י רֹאֽוֹת׃

[15] Hebrew:  ‎וַיֶּֽחֶרְדוּ֙ וַיָּקֻ֔מוּ כָּל־הַ֙קְּרֻאִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֖ר לַאֲדֹנִיָּ֑הוּ וַיֵּלְכ֖וּ אִ֥ישׁ לְדַרְכּֽוֹ׃

[16] Proverbs 14:13:  “Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful; and the end of that mirth is heaviness (‎וְאַחֲרִיתָ֖הּ שִׂמְחָ֣ה תוּגָֽה׃; et extrema gaudii luctus occupat, in the Vulgate).”

[17] In Terence’s Eunuchus, Thraso is a boastful soldier.

[18] Hebrew:  ‎וַאֲדֹ֣נִיָּ֔הוּ יָרֵ֖א מִפְּנֵ֣י שְׁלֹמֹ֑ה וַיָּ֣קָם וַיֵּ֔לֶךְ וַֽיַּחֲזֵ֖ק בְּקַרְנ֥וֹת הַמִּזְבֵּֽחַ׃

[19] 2 Samuel 24:25.

[20] See, for example, Æschylus’ The Suppliants; Euripides’ Heracles; Plautus’ The Rope 3:664-760; The Haunted House 5:1094-1096.

[21] Hebrew:  ‎וַיֻּגַּ֤ד לִשְׁלֹמֹה֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר הִנֵּה֙ אֲדֹ֣נִיָּ֔הוּ יָרֵ֖א אֶת־הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹ֑ה וְ֠הִנֵּה אָחַ֞ז בְּקַרְנ֤וֹת הַמִּזְבֵּ֙חַ֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר יִשָּֽׁבַֽע־לִ֤י כַיּוֹם֙ הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹ֔ה אִם־יָמִ֥ית אֶת־עַבְדּ֖וֹ בֶּחָֽרֶב׃

[22] Hebrew:  ‎וַיֹּ֣אמֶר שְׁלֹמֹ֔ה אִ֚ם יִהְיֶ֣ה לְבֶן־חַ֔יִל לֹֽא־יִפֹּ֥ל מִשַּׂעֲרָת֖וֹ אָ֑רְצָה וְאִם־רָעָ֥ה תִמָּצֵא־ב֖וֹ וָמֵֽת׃

[23] See Proverbs 16:32; 25:28.

[24] 1 Kings 2:8, 9, 36-46.

[25] A fragment from a lost play of Sophocles.

[26] Hebrew: ‎וַיִּשְׁלַ֞ח הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹ֗ה וַיֹּרִדֻ֙הוּ֙ מֵעַ֣ל הַמִּזְבֵּ֔חַ וַיָּבֹ֕א וַיִּשְׁתַּ֖חוּ לַמֶּ֣לֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹ֑ה וַיֹּֽאמֶר־ל֥וֹ שְׁלֹמֹ֖ה לֵ֥ךְ לְבֵיתֶֽךָ׃ פ