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1 Kings 1:11

in 1 Kings 1

Then Nathan said to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, “Have you not heard that Adonijah son of Haggith has become king, and our lord David does not know it?

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

Then Nathan spake unto Bath-sheba the mother of Solomon, saying, Hast thou not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith doth reign, and David our lord knoweth it not?

KJV

Wherefore Nathan spake unto Bath–sheba the mother of Solomon, saying, Hast thou not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith doth reign, and David our lord knoweth it not?

This verse in 1 Kings 1

Commentary

7 notes on this verse
The son of Haggith - Compare the margin reference. This expression was well chosen to touch the pride of Bath-sheba. “Adonijah; not thy son, but the son of thy rival, Haggith.”

This site's exposition

Adonijah son of Haggith has become king

on 1 Kings 1:11-12

Nathan learns of the feast and moves first, going to Bathsheba. This is the same Nathan who carried the dynastic promise of 2 Sam 7, now acting to secure the son that promise named. His warning is blunt: without action now, both her life and Solomon's are at risk.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

), and that it was not with David's consent or knowledge. He suggested to her that not only Solomon was in danger of losing the crown, but that he and she too were in danger of losing their lives if Adonijah prevailed.

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens

A commentator

John Wesley

1703–1791

Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)

proposed

Bathsheba - Who being retired and private in her apartment, was ignorant of what was done abroad: and, who was likely to be most zealous in the cause, and most prevalent with David.
Wherefore Nathan spake unto Bathsheba the mother of Solomon,....

The Nineteenth Century2 voices

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

Adonijah, in common with the people generally, expected that this natural arrangement should be followed in the Hebrew kingdom as in all others. Nathan, who was aware of the old king's solemn promise to Solomon, and, moreover, that this promise was sanctioned by the divine will, saw that no time was to be lost.

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

proposed

Hast thou not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith doth reign - He was now considered as being legally appointed to the regal office, and no doubt was about to begin to perform its functions.

How the passage was read

What the Jewish commentators add

On the verses either side of this one

And his brother Shlomo, he did not invite. For he knew that the prophet had prophesied about him that he would reign.
Rashi: France, 1040–1105 · Rashi on I Kings 1:10:1, via Sefaria, The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J
1 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
And you will save your life. From the rivalry which will follow the death of the king, for your son will wish to reign, as the Holy One Blessed Is He, had promised him.
Rashi: France, 1040–1105 · Rashi on I Kings 1:12:1, via Sefaria, The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J

This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.

Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 5 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.

The words behind it

19 Hebrew words

Every Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

  • וַיֹּ֣אמֶרand he said

    vaiyomerH559 →5305 times

  • נָתָ֗ןNathan

    natanH5416 →41 times

  • אֶל־to

    ʾel-H413 →5510 times

  • בַּת־Bath-

    bat-H1339 →20 times

  • שֶׁ֤בַע-sheba

    sheva'H1339 →20 times

  • אֵם־[the] mother of

    ʾem-H517 →220 times

  • שְׁלֹמֹה֙Solomon

    shelomohH8010 →291 times

  • לֵאמֹ֔ר<to> saying

    lemorH559 →5305 times

  • הֲל֣וֹא¿ not

    halo'H3808 →5168 times

  • שָׁמַ֔עַתְּhave you heard

    shamaatH8085 →1159 times

  • כִּ֥יthat

    kiH3588 →4482 times

  • מָלַ֖ךְhe has become king

    malakhH4427 →348 times

  • אֲדֹנִיָּ֣הוּAdonijah

    ʾadoniyahuH138 →26 times

  • בֶן־[the] son of

    ven-H1121 →4930 times

  • חַגִּ֑יתHaggith

    chagitH2294 →5 times

  • וַאֲדֹנֵ֥ינוּand lord<s> our

    vaadoneinuH113 →333 times

  • דָוִ֖דDavid

    davidH1732 →999 times

  • לֹ֥אnot

    lo'H3808 →5168 times

  • יָדָֽע׃he knows

    yada'H3045 →945 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

The walk

7 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    1 Chronicles 29:1

    Then King David said to the whole assembly, “My son Solomon, the one whom God has chosen, is young and inexperienced. The task is great because this palace is not for man, but for…

    it leads to

    • 1 Chronicles 22:5

      And David said, “My son Solomon is young and inexperienced, and the house to be built for the LORD must be exceedingly magnificent—famous and glorious throughout all lands. Therefore I must make preparations for…

    • 1 Kings 3:7

      And now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king in my father David’s place. But I am only a little child, not knowing how to go out or come in.

    • 2 Chronicles 13:7

      Then worthless and wicked men gathered around him to resist Rehoboam son of Solomon when he was young, inexperienced, and unable to resist them.

    • 2 Chronicles 2:4–5

      Behold, I am about to build a house for the Name of the LORD my God to dedicate to Him for burning fragrant incense before Him, for displaying the showbread continuously, and for making…

    • 1 Chronicles 28:1

      Now David summoned all the leaders of Israel to Jerusalem: the leaders of the tribes, the leaders of the divisions in the king’s service, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and the officials…

  • Through

    2 Samuel 3:4

    his fourth was Adonijah, the son of Haggith; his fifth was Shephatiah, the son of Abital;

    it leads to

    • 1 Kings 2:13–25

      Now Adonijah son of Haggith went to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, and she asked, “Do you come in peace?” “Yes, in peace,” he replied.

    • 1 Kings 1:5–18

      At that time Adonijah, David’s son by Haggith, began to exalt himself, saying, “I will be king!” And he acquired chariots and horsemen and fifty men to run ahead of him.

Where this verse is studied

About 1 Kings

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); F. W. Farrar, The First Book of Kings (Expositor's Bible); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.