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1 Kings 1:9

in 1 Kings 1

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 the king.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

And Adonijah slew sheep and oxen and fatlings by the stone of Zoheleth, which is beside En-rogel; and he called all his brethren, the king’s sons, and all the men of Judah, the king’s servants:

KJV

And Adonijah slew sheep and oxen and fat cattle by the stone of Zoheleth, which is by En–rogel, and called all his brethren the king’s sons, and all the men of Judah the king’s servants:

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This verse in 1 Kings 1

Commentary

5 notes on this verse
Adonijah’s feast was probably of a sacrificial character, and intended to inaugurate him as king. Compare the “sacrifices” of Absalom 2Sa 15:12. Zoheleth - No satisfactory explanation has been given of this name. Large blocks of stone always attract attention in the East, and receive names which are often drawn from some trivial circumstance. Sinai and Palestine are full of such “Hajars,” which correspond to the “Ebens” or “stones” of Holy Scripture. (Compare Gen 28:22; Jos 4:9; 1Sa 6:14.) For En-Rogel, see the margin reference.

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.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

) at En-rogel, not far from Jerusalem; his guests were the king's sons, and the king's servants, whom he feasted and caressed to bring them over to his party; but Solomon was not invited, either because he despised him or because he despaired of him,

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

And Adonijah slew sheep and oxen and fat cattle,....

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

proposed

Slew sheep and oven - Making a royal feast, in reference to his inauguration. As he had Abiathar the priest with him, no doubt these animals were offered sacrificially, and then the guests fed on the flesh of the victims. He had not only a splendid feast, but a great sacrifice; and he gave by this a popular color to his pretensions, by affecting to receive his authority from God.

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

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

23 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.

  • וַיִּזְבַּ֣חand he sacrificed

    vaiyizbachH2076 →134 times

  • אֲדֹנִיָּ֗הוּAdonijah

    ʾadoniyahuH138 →26 times

  • צֹ֤אןsheep

    tzonH6629 →274 times

  • וּבָקָר֙and cattle

    uvakarH1241 →183 times

  • וּמְרִ֔יאand fatling

    umeri'H4806 →8 times

  • עִ֚םnear

    ʾimH5973 →1050 times

  • אֶ֣בֶן[the] stone of

    ʾevenH68 →273 times

  • הַזֹּחֶ֔לֶת<the> Zoheleth

    hazocheletH2120 →

  • אֲשֶׁר־which

    ʾasher-H834 →5497 times

  • אֵ֖צֶל[was] beside

    ʾetzelH681 →61 times

  • עֵ֣יןEn

    ʾeinH5883 →

  • רֹגֵ֑לRogel

    rogelH5883 →

  • וַיִּקְרָ֗אand he invited

    vaiyikra'H7121 →733 times

  • אֶת־<obj.>

    ʾet-H853 →10935 times

  • כָּל־all

    kol-H3605 →5413 times

  • אֶחָיו֙brothers his

    ʾechavH251 →630 times

  • בְּנֵ֣י[the] sons of

    beneiH1121 →4930 times

  • הַמֶּ֔לֶךְthe king

    hamelekhH4428 →2525 times

  • וּלְכָל־and <to> all

    ulekhol-H3605 →5413 times

  • אַנְשֵׁ֥י[the] men of

    ʾansheiH582 →566 times

  • יְהוּדָ֖הJudah

    yehudahH3063 →819 times

  • עַבְדֵ֥י[the] servants of

    ʾavdeiH5650 →799 times

  • הַמֶּֽלֶךְ׃the king

    hamelekhH4428 →2525 times

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

Related verses

8 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

2 Samuel 17:17Now 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 seen entering the city.5 worksJoshua 15:7Then the border went up to Debir from the Valley of Achor, turning north to Gilgal, which faces the Ascent of Adummim south of the ravine. It continued along the waters of En-shemesh and came out at En-rogel.4 works1 Kings 1:25For 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!’3 works2 Chronicles 18:2And some years later he went down to visit Ahab in Samaria, where Ahab sacrificed many sheep and cattle for him and the people with him, and urged him to march up to Ramoth-gilead.3 worksProverbs 15:8The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable to the LORD, but the prayer of the upright is His delight.2 works2 Samuel 13:23–27Two years later, when Absalom’s sheepshearers were at Baal-hazor near Ephraim, he invited all the sons of the king.2 works
The other 2 cross-references, with their words ▾
2 Samuel 15:11–12Two hundred men from Jerusalem accompanied Absalom. They had been invited as guests and they went along innocently, for they knew nothing about the matter.2 worksJoshua 18:16Then it went down to the foot of the hill that faces the Valley of Hinnom at the northern end of the Valley of Rephaim and ran down the Valley of Hinnom toward the southern slope of the Jebusites and downward to En-rogel.2 works

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

    Proverbs 15:8

    The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable to the LORD, but the prayer of the upright is His delight.

    it leads to

    • Proverbs 15:29

      The LORD is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous.

    • 1 Chronicles 29:17

      I know, my God, that You test the heart and delight in uprightness. All these things I have given willingly and with an upright heart, and now I have seen Your people who are…

    • Proverbs 21:27

      The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable—how much more so when brought with ill intent!

    • Isaiah 1:10–15

      Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom; listen to the instruction of our God, you people of Gomorrah!

    • Jeremiah 6:20

      What use to Me is frankincense from Sheba or sweet cane from a distant land? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable; your sacrifices do not please Me.”

  • Through

    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…

    it leads to

    • 2 Samuel 15:36

      Indeed, their two sons, Ahimaaz son of Zadok and Jonathan son of Abiathar, are there with them. Send them to me with everything you hear.”

    • 2 Samuel 15:27

      The king also said to Zadok the priest, “Are you not a seer? Return to the city in peace—you with your son Ahimaaz, and Abiathar with his son Jonathan.

    • Joshua 15:7

      Then the border went up to Debir from the Valley of Achor, turning north to Gilgal, which faces the Ascent of Adummim south of the ravine. It continued along the waters of En-shemesh and…

Where this verse is studied

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Studies2

On this verse

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About 1 Kings

The Judgment of Solomon, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
The Judgment of Solomon, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
1 Kings: the study guide →Read 1 Kings 1 →

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.

Read on in 1 Kings 1 →