References (24)
and the fourth Adonijah – son of Haggith;
and the fifth Shephatiah – son of Avital,
And Adonijah (Hebr. adónijah), the son of Haggith, exalted himself and said, "I will be king." And he prepared chariots (several horse-drawn carriages – Hebr. rechev) and horsemen and 50 men to run [as bodyguards/soldiers] before him.
[He prepared a royal procession through the city for his coronation as king. His older brother Avshalom had done similarly when he took power, see . At that time, there was one chariot; Adonijah had several horse-drawn chariots. Adonijah broke with the tradition of allowing God to choose the king of Israel and then confirming this choice through the prophetic ministry. Neither Saul nor David had sought the throne themselves, see ; . Now follow three reasons for his arrogance:]
So he consulted with [David's army commander] Joab, the son of Zeruiah, and with the priest Abiathar, and they supported Adonijah [took his side].
But Zadok the priest [David's second high priest, see ; ] and [the commander of David's bodyguard] Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, and the prophet Nathan, and Shimei, and Rei, and the mighty men (Hebr. gever) who belonged to David, did not side with Adonijah.
And Adonijah slaughtered sheep and oxen and fattened cattle at the stone of Zoheleth, which is beside Ein-Rogel [a spring just south of the Gihon Spring in the Kidron Valley, on the border between Benjamin and Judah], and he called all his brothers, the king's sons, and all the men of Judah, the king's servants. [Adonijah follows the same pattern as his brother Absalom did in his coup, see .]
Then [the prophet] Nathan spoke to [David's wife] Bathsheba, Solomon's mother, and said, "Have you not heard that Adonijah, the son of Haggith, is reigning (has made himself king), and David, our lord (Hebr. adón), does not know it?
Go in to King David and say to him, 'Did you not, my lord the king, swear (take an oath) to your servant and say, "Surely your son Solomon shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne"? Why then is Adonijah reigning?
And now, behold, Adonijah reigns, and you, my lord the king, do not know it.
And Nathan said, "My lord the king, have you said, 'Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne'?
For he has gone down today and has slaughtered oxen and fattened cattle and sheep in abundance, and has called 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 saying, 'Long live King Adonijah.
And Adonijah and all his guests who were with him heard it when they had finished eating. And when Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, "Why does it sound like the city is in an uproar?"
While he was still speaking, behold, Jonathan, the son of Abiathar the priest, came, and Adonijah said, "Come, for you are an honest man, and give us good news."
And Jonathan answered and said, "Truly, our lord King David has made Solomon king.
And all Adonijah's guests were afraid (panicked) and rose and went each his way.
And Adonijah feared Solomon and rose up and went and took hold of the horns of the altar.
And it was told to Solomon, saying, "Behold, Adonijah fears King Solomon, for he has taken hold of the horns of the altar, saying, 'Let King Solomon swear to me that he will not slay his servant with the sword.
And Adonijah, the son of Haggith, came to Bathsheba, Solomon's mother, and she said, "Do you come in peace?"
And he said, "Peace." [Here Bathsheba uses the word shalom in the definite form, and Adonijah responds with shalom in the indefinite form.]
And Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him on behalf of Adonijah. And the king rose and bowed down to her, and sat on his throne, and had a throne set for the king's mother, and she sat on his right hand.
And she said, "Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as his wife."
And King Solomon answered his mother and said, "Why do you ask for Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for the kingdom for him also, for he is my older brother, and for him and for Abiathar the priest and for Joab the son of Zeruiah."
And King Solomon swore by the Lord (Yahweh), saying, "May God (Elohim) do so to me and more, if Adonijah has not spoken these words against his own soul.
And now, as the Lord (Yahweh) lives, who has established me and set me on the throne of my father David, and who has made me a house as he promised, Adonijah shall be put to death today." []
And the report came to Joab, for Joab had followed Adonijah, but had not followed Absalom. And Joab fled to the tent of the Lord (Yahweh) and took hold of the horns of the altar.
Absalom, the third – son of Maacah, daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur,
Adonijah (Hebr. Adonijah), the fourth – son of Haggith,
