1 Kings 2:15
in 1 Kings 2“You know that the kingship was mine,” he said. “All Israel expected that I should reign, but the kingship has turned to my brother, for it has come to him from the LORD.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And he said, Thou knowest that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel set their faces on me, that I should reign: howbeit the kingdom is turned about, and is become my brother’s; for it was his from Jehovah.
KJV
And he said, Thou knowest that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel set their faces on me, that I should reign: howbeit the kingdom is turned about, and is become my brother’s: for it was his from the Lord.
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This verse in 1 Kings 2
Commentary
5 notes on this verseThou knowest that the kingdom was mine - It certainly was his by the right of primogeniture, and it was his by the voice of the people, and the consent of the high priest. But there was a right paramount to all these, the right of God; it was his kingdom; the kings were his lieutenants, and he had a right to give the crown to whomsoever he pleased, and he was pleased to give it to Solomon.
This site's exposition
Comest thou peaceably
on 1 Kings 2:13-15
Comest thou peaceably is the same question Jehu will ask twice at 2 Kings 9:17-22, and in both settings it answers a threat rather than a greeting. The kingdom was mine, and it was his from the Lord is Adonijah's own confession to the queen mother, that his claim failed because the Lord had already given the throne to Solomon at 1 Kings 1:29-30. He raises no objection to that outcome here; the scene turns instead on the request that follows.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
(2.) As his reward for his acquiescence in that loss. He owns Solomon's right to the kingdom: " It was his from the Lord. I was foolish in offering to contest it; and now that it is turned about to him I am satisfied." Thus he pretends to be well pleased with Solomon's accession to the throne, when he is doing all he can to give him disturbance.
And he said, thou knowest that the kingdom was mine,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
The right hand is the place of honor; and as it expressly said to have been assigned to "the king's mother," it is necessary to remark that, when a husband dies, his widow acquires a higher dignity and power, as a mother over her son, than she ever possessed before. Besides, the dignity of "king's mother" is a state office, to which certain revenues are attached.
The words behind it
21 Hebrew wordsEvery 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.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּ֗אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| אַ֤תְּ | ʾat | you | H859 → | 1094 times |
| יָדַ֙עַתְּ֙ | yadaat | you know | H3045 → | 945 times |
| כִּי־ | ki- | that | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| לִי֙ | li | to me | ||
| הָיְתָ֣ה | hayetah | it belonged | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| הַמְּלוּכָ֔ה | hamelukhah | the kingship | H4410 → | 24 times |
| וְעָלַ֞י | vealai | and on me | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| שָׂ֧מוּ | samu | they set | H7760 → | 584 times |
| כָֽל־ | khol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| פְּנֵיהֶ֖ם | peneihem | faces their | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| לִמְלֹ֑ךְ | limlokh | to become king | H4427 → | 348 times |
| וַתִּסֹּ֤ב | vatiso | and it has turned round | H5437 → | 161 times |
| הַמְּלוּכָה֙ | hamelukhah | the kingship | H4410 → | 24 times |
| וַתְּהִ֣י | vatehi | and it has belonged | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| לְאָחִ֔י | leachi | to brother my | H251 → | 630 times |
| כִּ֥י | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| מֵיְהוָ֖ה | meyahweh | from Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| הָ֥יְתָה | hayetah | it belonged | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| לּֽוֹ׃ | lo | to him |
וַיֹּ֗אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
אַ֤תְּyou
ʾatH859 →1094 times
יָדַ֙עַתְּ֙you know
yadaatH3045 →945 times
כִּי־that
ki-H3588 →4482 times
לִי֙to me
li
הָיְתָ֣הit belonged
hayetahH1961 →3559 times
הַמְּלוּכָ֔הthe kingship
hamelukhahH4410 →24 times
וְעָלַ֞יand on me
vealaiH5921 →5755 times
שָׂ֧מוּthey set
samuH7760 →584 times
כָֽל־all
khol-H3605 →5413 times
יִשְׂרָאֵ֛לIsrael
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
פְּנֵיהֶ֖םfaces their
peneihemH6440 →2123 times
לִמְלֹ֑ךְto become king
limlokhH4427 →348 times
וַתִּסֹּ֤בand it has turned round
vatisoH5437 →161 times
הַמְּלוּכָה֙the kingship
hamelukhahH4410 →24 times
וַתְּהִ֣יand it has belonged
vatehiH1961 →3559 times
לְאָחִ֔יto brother my
leachiH251 →630 times
כִּ֥יfor
kiH3588 →4482 times
מֵיְהוָ֖הfrom Yahweh
meyahwehH3068 →6520 times
הָ֥יְתָהit belonged
hayetahH1961 →3559 times
לּֽוֹ׃to him
lo
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach 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 1:5At 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.
it leads to
- 2 Samuel 15:1
Some time later, Absalom provided for himself a chariot with horses and fifty men to run ahead of him.
- 2 Samuel 3:4
his fourth was Adonijah, the son of Haggith; his fifth was Shephatiah, the son of Abital;
- 1 Kings 1:11
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?
- 2 Samuel 15:1
Through
1 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.…
it leads to
- 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!”
- 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…
- 1 Kings 1:19
And he has sacrificed an abundance of oxen, fattened calves, and sheep, and has invited all the other sons of the king, as well as Abiathar the priest and Joab the commander of the…
- 1 Chronicles 29:13
Now therefore, our God, we give You thanks, and we praise Your glorious name.
- 1 Samuel 11:14–15
Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let us go to Gilgal and renew the kingship there.”
- 1 Samuel 10:24
About 1 Kings

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil, The Books of the Kings and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.
