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1 Kings 1:25

in 1 Kings 1

For today he has gone down and sacrificed an abundance of oxen, fattened calves, and sheep, and has invited all the sons of the king, the commanders of the army, and Abiathar the priest. And behold, they are eating and drinking before him, saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV

ASV

For he is gone down this day, and hath slain oxen and fatlings and sheep in abundance, and hath called all the king’s sons, and the captains of the host, and Abiathar the priest; and, behold, they are eating and drinking before him, and say, Long live king Adonijah.

KJV

For he is gone down this day, and hath slain oxen and fat cattle and sheep in abundance, and hath called all the king’s sons, and the captains of the host, and Abiathar the priest; and, behold, they eat and drink before him, and say, God save king Adonijah.

This verse in 1 Kings 1

Commentary

6 notes on this verse

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.

This site's exposition

Adonijah shall reign after me

on 1 Kings 1:24-27

Nathan's report matches Bathsheba's in every detail and adds one line she did not use, that the guests are eating and drinking before Adonijah and crying God save king Adonijah, the same acclamation formula that will greet Solomon at Gihon within the hour. He frames his own exclusion, with Zadok's, Benaiah's and Solomon's, as a question rather than an accusation, asking whether this was done by David's own order. The question forces David to either own the coronation or disown it, and he answers in the next verse.

This site's exposition

the commanders of the army

Where Bathsheba named Joab, Nathan names the commanders of the army. Matthew Henry gives the reasoning Adonijah acted on. David was too old to rule and Solomon too young, so Adonijah took the government into his own hands.

The record, by era

The Church Fathers1 voice

A commentator

Athanasius of Alexandria

296–373

Discourses Against the Arians 2.3-4 · Written before 373.

proposed

Thus fathers often call their sons their servants, yet without denying the genuineness of their nature. In fact, they often affectionately call their own servants children, yet without losing sight of the fact they did purchase them originally. For they use the one appellation from their authority as fathers, but in the other they speak from affection. Thus Sara called Abraham lord, although she was not a servant but a wife.

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

For he is gone down this day,....

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

His father is not fit to govern, for he is old and past ruling, nor Solomon, for he is young, and not yet able to rule; and therefore Adonijah will take the government upon him.

The words behind it

24 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.

  • כִּ֣י׀for

    kiH35884482 times

  • יָרַ֣דhe has gone down

    yaradH3381381 times

  • הַיּ֗וֹםthis day

    haiyomH31172304 times

  • וַ֠יִּזְבַּחand he has sacrificed

    vaiyizbachH2076134 times

  • שׁ֥וֹרox[en]

    shorH7794

  • וּֽמְרִיא־and fatling

    umeri'-H48068 times

  • וְצֹאן֮and sheep

    vetzonH6629274 times

  • לָרֹב֒to abundance

    laroH7230149 times

  • וַיִּקְרָא֩and he has invited

    vaiyikra'H7121733 times

  • לְכָל־<to> all

    lekholH36055413 times

  • בְּנֵ֨י[the] sons of

    beneiH11214930 times

  • הַמֶּ֜לֶךְthe king

    hamelekhH44282525 times

  • וּלְשָׂרֵ֤יand <to> [the] commanders of

    ulesareiH8269421 times

  • הַצָּבָא֙the army

    hatzava'H6635485 times

  • וּלְאֶבְיָתָ֣רand <to> Abiathar

    uleevyatarH5430 times

  • הַכֹּהֵ֔ןthe priest

    hakohenH3548750 times

  • וְהִנָּ֛םand there they

    vehinamH2009843 times

  • אֹכְלִ֥ים[are] eating

    ʾokhelimH398810 times

  • וְשֹׁתִ֖יםand drinking

    veshotimH8354217 times

  • לְפָנָ֑יו<to> before him

    lefanavH64402123 times

  • וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּand they have said

    vaiyomeruH5595305 times

  • יְחִ֖יmay he live

    yechiH2421282 times

  • הַמֶּ֥לֶךְthe king

    hamelekhH44282525 times

  • אֲדֹנִיָּֽהוּ׃Adonijah

    ʾadoniyahuH13826 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

    Matthew 21:9

    The crowds that went ahead of Him and those that followed were shouting: “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest!”

    it leads to

    • Psalms 118:24–26

      This is the day that the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

    • Luke 2:14

      “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests!”

    • John 12:13–15

      They took palm branches and went out to meet Him, shouting: “Hosanna!” “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the King of Israel!”

    • Matthew 23:39

      For I tell you that you will not see Me again until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

    • Luke 19:37–38

      And as He approached the descent from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of disciples began to praise God joyfully in a loud voice for all the miracles they had seen:

  • Through

    1 Kings 1:9

    And Adonijah sacrificed sheep, oxen, and fattened calves near the stone of Zoheleth, which is next to En-rogel. He invited all his royal brothers and all the men of Judah who were servants of…

    it leads to

    • 2 Samuel 17:17

      Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying at En-rogel, where a servant girl would come and pass along information to them. They in turn would go and inform King David, for they dared not be…

  • Through

    1 Samuel 10:24

    Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the one the LORD has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people.” And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!”

    it leads to

    • 2 Samuel 21:6

      let seven of his male descendants be delivered to us so that we may hang them before the LORD at Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of the LORD.” “I will give them to you,”…

    • 1 Kings 1:39

      Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the tabernacle and anointed Solomon. Then they blew the ram’s horn, and all the people proclaimed, “Long live King Solomon!”

Where this verse is studied

On this page

Studies2

On this chapter

About 1 Kings

The Judgment of Solomon, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
The Judgment of Solomon, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.

This page draws on Athanasius of Alexandria, Discourses Against the Arians 2.3-4; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil, The Books of the Kings and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.