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1 Kings 1:10

in 1 Kings 1

But he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the mighty men, or his brother Solomon.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV

ASV

but Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, and the mighty men, and Solomon his brother, he called not.

KJV

But Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, and the mighty men, and Solomon his brother, he called not.

This verse in 1 Kings 1

Commentary

5 notes on this verse
But Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, and the mighty men, and Solomon his brother, he called not. Did not invite them to this feast; not Nathan, who he might know had prophesied of Solomon's succession in the throne, and therefore it could not be thought he would be drawn over to him; nor "Benaiah and the mighty men"; David's bodyguards, over whom this officer was; and still less Solomon, his competitor and rival.

This site's exposition

by the stone of Zoheleth

on 1 Kings 1:9-10

Adonijah slaughters sheep, oxen and fat cattle by the stone of Zoheleth near En-rogel and invites all his brethren the king's sons and all the men of Judah, a coronation feast staged outside the city gates. The guest list is also a verdict: Nathan, Benaiah and Solomon are pointedly not called, the same three names left off Adonijah's side in verse eight. A feast this size announces a king already crowned in his own mind, before Zadok's horn of oil ever touches Solomon.

This site's exposition

he did not invite Nathan the prophet

John Gill gives a reason for each omission. Nathan had prophesied Solomon's succession, Benaiah commanded David's bodyguard, and Solomon was the rival himself. Matthew Henry recalls that it was through Nathan that God had given the child Solomon the name Jedidiah in 2 Samuel 12.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

How then is the design brought about? Nathan the prophet alarms Bathsheba by acquainting her with the case, and puts her in a way to get an order from the king for the confirming of Solomon's title. He was concerned, because he knew God's mind, and David's and Israel's interest; it was by him that God had named Solomon Jedidiah ( 2 Sam. xii.

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

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

14 ), intimating hereby that he durst not stand a trial, but threw himself upon the mercy of his prince, in suing for which he relied upon no other plea than the mercy of God, which was manifested in the institution and acceptance of the sacrifices that were offered on that altar and the remission of sin thereupon.

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

How the passage was read

What the Jewish commentators add

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

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

11 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.

  • וְֽאֶת־and <obj.>

    veetH85310935 times

  • נָתָן֩Nathan

    natanH541641 times

  • הַנָּבִ֨יאthe prophet

    hanavi'H5030314 times

  • וּבְנָיָ֜הוּand Benaiah

    uvenayahuH114142 times

  • וְאֶת־and <obj.>

    veetH85310935 times

  • הַגִּבּוֹרִ֛יםthe mighty [men]

    hagiborimH1368158 times

  • וְאֶת־and <obj.>

    veetH85310935 times

  • שְׁלֹמֹ֥הSolomon

    shelomohH8010291 times

  • אָחִ֖יוbrother his

    ʾachivH251630 times

  • לֹ֥אnot

    lo'H38085168 times

  • קָרָֽא׃he invited

    kara'H7121733 times

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

The walk

8 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 Kings 1:8

    But Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and David’s mighty men would not join Adonijah.

    it leads to

    • 1 Kings 4:18

      Shimei son of Ela in Benjamin;

    • 2 Samuel 20:25

      Sheva was the scribe; Zadok and Abiathar were priests;

    • 2 Samuel 23:8–39

      These are the names of David’s mighty men: Josheb-basshebeth the Tahchemonite was chief of the Three. He wielded his spear against eight hundred men, whom he killed at one time.

    • 1 Chronicles 27:5–6

      The third army commander, as chief for the third month, was Benaiah son of Jehoiada the priest. There were 24,000 men in his division.

    • 2 Samuel 7:2–4

      he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.”

  • Through

    2 Samuel 12:24

    Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba, and he went to her and lay with her. So she gave birth to a son, and they named him Solomon. Now the LORD loved the child

    it leads to

    • Matthew 1:6

      and Jesse the father of David the king. Next: David was the father of Solomon by Uriah’s wife,

    • 1 Chronicles 28:5–6

      And of all my sons—for the LORD has given me many sons—He has chosen Solomon my son to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the LORD over Israel.

    • 1 Chronicles 22:9–10

      But a son will be born to you who will be a man of rest. I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side; for his name will be Solomon, and…

Where this verse is studied

On this page

Studies2

On this chapter

About 1 Kings

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.