21She said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as wife.”
22King Solomon answered his mother, “Why do you ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for him the kingdom also; for he is my elder brother; even for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah.”23Then king Solomon swore by Yahweh, saying, “God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah has not spoken this word against his own life.24Now therefore as Yahweh lives, who has established me, and set me on my father David’s throne, and who has made me a house as he promised, surely Adonijah shall be put to death today.”
21 She said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as wife.”
22 King Solomon answered his mother, “Why do you ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for him the kingdom also; for he is my elder brother; even for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah.”
23 Then king Solomon swore by Yahweh, saying, “God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah has not spoken this word against his own life.
24 Now therefore as Yahweh lives, who has established me, and set me on my father David’s throne, and who has made me a house as he promised, surely Adonijah shall be put to death today.”
KJVKing James Version
21 And she said, Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah thy brother to wife.
22 And king Solomon answered and said unto his mother, And why dost thou ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? ask for him the kingdom also; for he is mine elder brother; even for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah.
23 Then king Solomon sware by the LORD, saying, God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah have not spoken this word against his own life.
24 Now therefore, as the LORD liveth, which hath established me, and set me on the throne of David my father, and who hath made me an house, as he promised, Adonijah shall be put to death this day.
Show all 3 translations
JPSJPS Tanakh (1917)
21 And she said: 'Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah thy brother to wife.'
22 And king Solomon answered and said unto his mother: 'And why dost thou ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? ask for him the kingdom also; for he is mine elder brother; even for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah.'
23 Then king Solomon swore by the LORD, saying: 'God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah have not spoken this word against his own life.
24 Now therefore as the LORD liveth, who hath established me, and set me on the throne of David my father, and who hath made me a house, as He promised, surely Adonijah shall be put to death this day.'
Ruth 1:17(v23)Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May Yahweh do so to me, and more also, if anything but death parts you and me.”
1 Chronicles 22:10(v24)He shall build a house for my name; and he will be my son, and I will be his father; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over…
1 Chronicles 3:2(v22)the third, Absalom the son of Maacah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur; the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith;
Psalms 64:8(v23)Their own tongues shall ruin them. All who see them will shake their heads.
Psalms 140:9(v23)As for the head of those who surround me, let the mischief of their own lips cover them.
Show all 39 cross-references
Exodus 1:21(v24)Because the midwives feared God, he gave them families.
1 Samuel 14:44(v23)Saul said, “God do so and more also; for you shall surely die, Jonathan.”
1 Samuel 25:28(v24)Please forgive the trespass of your servant. For Yahweh will certainly make my lord a sure house, because my lord fights Yahweh’s battles.…
2 Samuel 3:9(v23)God do so to Abner, and more also, if, as Yahweh has sworn to David, I don’t do even so to him;
2 Samuel 3:35(v23)All the people came to urge David to eat bread while it was yet day; but David swore, saying, “God do so to me, and more also, if I taste…
2 Samuel 7:11-13(v24)and as from the day that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel. I will cause you to rest from all your enemies. Moreover Yahweh…
2 Samuel 7:27(v24)For you, Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel, have revealed to your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house.’ Therefore your servant has…
2 Samuel 12:8(v22)I gave you your master’s house, and your master’s wives into your bosom, and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that would…
2 Samuel 16:21-22(v21)Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Go in to your father’s concubines that he has left to keep the house. Then all Israel will hear that you are…
2 Samuel 19:13(v23)Say to Amasa, ‘Aren’t you my bone and my flesh? God do so to me, and more also, if you aren’t captain of the army before me continually…
1 Kings 1:3(v21)So they sought for a beautiful young lady throughout all the borders of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the…
1 Kings 1:5-7(v22)Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, “I will be king.” Then he prepared him chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to…
1 Kings 1:11(v22)Then Nathan spoke to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, “Haven’t you heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith reigns, and David our…
1 Kings 1:24-25(v22)Nathan said, “My lord, king, have you said, ‘Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne?’ For he has gone down today, and…
1 Kings 1:29(v24)The king swore, and said, “As Yahweh lives, who has redeemed my soul out of all adversity,
1 Kings 1:52(v24)Solomon said, “If he shows himself a worthy man, not a hair of his shall fall to the earth; but if wickedness is found in him, he shall…
1 Kings 3:6-7(v24)Solomon said, “You have shown to your servant David my father great loving kindness, because he walked before you in truth, in…
1 Kings 10:9(v24)Blessed is Yahweh your God, who delighted in you, to set you on the throne of Israel. Because Yahweh loved Israel forever, therefore he…
1 Kings 20:10(v23)Ben Hadad sent to him, and said, “The gods do so to me, and more also, if the dust of Samaria will be enough for handfuls for all the…
2 Kings 6:31(v23)Then he said, “God do so to me, and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat stays on him today.”
1 Chronicles 3:5(v22)and these were born to him in Jerusalem: Shimea, Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon, four, of Bathshua the daughter of Ammiel;
1 Chronicles 17:10(v24)and from the day that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel. I will subdue all your enemies. Moreover I tell you that Yahweh will…
1 Chronicles 17:17(v24)This was a small thing in your eyes, God; but you have spoken of your servant’s house for a great while to come, and have respected me…
1 Chronicles 17:23(v24)Now, Yahweh, let the word that you have spoken concerning your servant, and concerning his house, be established forever, and do as you…
1 Chronicles 29:23(v24)Then Solomon sat on the throne of Yahweh as king instead of David his father, and prospered; and all Israel obeyed him.
2 Chronicles 1:8-9(v24)Solomon said to God, “You have shown great loving kindness to David my father, and have made me king in his place. Now, Yahweh God, let…
Psalms 127:1(v24)Unless Yahweh builds the house, they who build it labor in vain. Unless Yahweh watches over the city, the watchman guards it in vain.
Proverbs 18:6-7(v23)A fool’s lips come into strife, and his mouth invites beatings. A fool’s mouth is his destruction, and his lips are a snare to his soul.
Ecclesiastes 8:11-13(v24)Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.…
Ecclesiastes 10:12(v23)The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious; but a fool is swallowed by his own lips.
Matthew 20:22(v22)But Jesus answered, “You don’t know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the…
Mark 10:38(v22)But Jesus said to them, “You don’t know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and to be baptized with the…
Luke 19:22(v23)“He said to him, ‘Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant! You knew that I am an exacting man, taking up that which I…
James 4:3(v22)You ask, and don’t receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (14 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
Geneva Bible translators1599 · Public DomainOn v22Meaning, that if he should have granted Abishag, which…
Meaning, that if he should have granted Abishag, which was so dear to his father, he would afterward have aspired to the kingdom.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp1656 · Public DomainOn vv21–241Ki 2:21 And she said, Let Abishag the Shunammite…
1Ki 2:21 And she said, Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah thy brother to wife.
Ver. 21. Let Abishag … be given to Adonijah to wife.] Overcome by Adonijah’s fair words and her own melting thoughts of compassion towards him, Bathsheba, not considering the consequents, proposeth the suit, and presseth it by the relation that was betwixt Solomon and Adonijah his brother. But was not David Adonijah’s father also? and will none serve his turn but his father’s concubine was not this to attempt against natural honesty and common decency? What if Abishag were καλη και σοφη - as Aelian saith Aspasia Milesia, Cyrus’s concubine, was - both fair and discreet, which is a rare mixture, yet she was not so fit for Adonijah; but he had a further fetch in this incestuous desire of his.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole1685 · Public DomainOn vv21–24Thy brother, by the father’s side, whom brotherly affection…
Thy brother, by the father’s side, whom brotherly affection and relation obligeth thee to gratify, at least, in small things.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill1763 · Public DomainOn vv21–24And she said, let Abishag the Shunammite be given…
And she said, let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah thy brother to wife. For so Adonijah was by his father's side; and Bathsheba makes use of the relation, the more to move upon him to grant the request.
And she said, let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah thy brother to wife. For so Adonijah was by his father's side; and Bathsheba makes use of the relation, the more to move upon him to grant the request.
Read full note →
1 Kings 2:22
kg1 2:22
kg1 2:22
kg1 2:22And King Solomon answered and said unto his mother,.... With as much gentleness and mildness as he could, but inwardly fired at her request, and amazed at it, and could not forbear using some degree of tartness and resentment:
and why dost thou ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? is this a small petition? is this a fit and lawful one?
ask for him the kingdom also; for this is what he means by it, that by marrying the king's widow he may step into the throne whenever any opportunity offers, as any uneasiness, or insurrection in the kingdom, or the death of Solomon; for none but a king, the Jews say (b), might marry a king's widow, not any private man; and therefore for Adonijah to ask this was interpreted affecting the kingdom, and aspiring to it, and taking his measures to obtain it; yea, it is said (c), that none but another king, the successor, might make use of his servants, handmaids, and ministers; and it is observed, that Abishag was free to Solomon, but not to Adonijah:
for he is mine elder brother; and has that to plead in his favour, and if he could obtain this, it would strengthen his title, or at least be a plausible pretence, which he might make use of, when opportunity served, to gain the people to his interest:
even for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah; she might as well ask for them as for him; whose interest it was, and therefore desirous it might be that he should be king, that so the one might be continued in the office of high priest, and the other as general of the army; who, Solomon knew, bore him no good will, but were secretly his enemies; and he suspected that this was a scheme of theirs, and that it was by their advice Adonijah made this request; so the Targum,
"are not he, and Abiathar the priest, and Joab the son of Zeruiah, in the counsel?''
in this counsel; it is what they had consulted among themselves as a preparation to bring about a design they are contriving; probably Solomon had private notice that they were plotting against him, and this confirmed him in the truth of it; and therefore all of them were upon this punished with deprivation of office, or loss of life.
(b) Misn. Sanhedrin, c. 2. sect. 2. (c) Maimon. Hilchot Sanhedrin, c. 2. sect. 1.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Joseph Benson1811 · Public DomainOn vv22–241Ki 2:22. Ask for him the kingdom also —…
1Ki 2:22. Ask for him the kingdom also — His design is not upon Abishag, but upon the kingdom; which by this means he hopes to recover. “That Adonijah had such a design is very probable,” says Poole, “both from his temper, for he was an aspiring and designing man, highly discontented with Solomon’s government, and desirous of a change; and from the nature of the thing, because he would not have made so daring and presumptuous a request, if he had not had some great design in it.” For he is my elder brother — And therefore looks on the kingdom as his by birthright, and the law of nations, and thinks he may lawfully endeavour to recover his own, and cast me out as a usurper; to accomplish which the seeking Abishag to wife is the first step. Even for him, and for Abiathar and Joab — “It is very likely,” says the author last quoted, “though not expressed, that he, and Joab, and Abiathar, were engaged in some design against Solomon, and that Solomon had obtained information of it; and therefore he did, and reasonably might, take this attempt of Adonijah to obtain Abishag, for an indication, and the first overt act of his treason.”
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes1834 · Public DomainOn vv22–24Ask for him the kingdom also - Bath-sheba had…
Ask for him the kingdom also - Bath-sheba had not seen anything dangerous or suspicious in Adonijah’s request. Solomon, on the contrary, takes alarm at once. To ask for Abishag was to ask for the kingdom. To the Oriental mind a monarch was so sacred, that whatever was brought near to him was thenceforth separate from common use. This sacred and separate character attached especially to the Royal harem. The inmates either remained widows for the rest of their lives, or became the wives of the deceased king’s successor. When a monarch was murdered, or dethroned, or succeeded by one whose title was doubtful, the latter alternative was almost always adopted (compare 2Sa 12:8; 2Sa 16:22). Public opinion so closely connected the title to the crown and the possession of the deceased monarch’s wives, that to have granted Adonijah’s request would have been the strongest encouragement to his pretensions. Solomon, seeing this, assumes that Adonijah cherishes a guilty purpose, that there has been a fresh plot, that Abiathar and Joab - Adonijah’s counselors in the former conspiracy 1Ki 1:7 - are privy to it, and that the severest measures are necessary to crush the new treason.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary1859 · Public DomainOn vv22, 24The kingdom. It was a maxim in most of…
The kingdom. It was a maxim in most of the oriental courts, that the things which had belonged to the king, should not be enjoyed by any but his successor. (Grotius) --- Hence Adonias might be suspected of ambitious projects, as his party was still formidable. (Calmet) --- The marriage seems also to be unlawful. (Menochius) See chap. i. 4. --- Yet, if the aforesaid custom subsisted at that time; or, if the marriage had been evidently prohibited, both Adonias and Bethsabee must have acted in a very inconsistent manner, so that we must hesitate before we pronounce sentence. (Haydock) --- Many condemn Solomon of precipitation and cruelty in his judgment; (Cajetan) while others approve of his conduct, (Theodoret, q. 7.) and think any delay might have proved dangerous. Ubi facto magis quam consulto opus. (Tacitus) (Calmet)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown1871 · Public DomainOn vv22–23why dost thou ask Abishag . . . ask…
why dost thou ask Abishag . . . ask for him the kingdom also--(See on Sa2 16:5; also see on Sa2 12:8). Solomon's indignation was roused; he in a moment penetrated the artful scheme, and from his associating the names of Abiathar and Joab, he seems to have suspected or known that those deep schemers had been the prompters of Adonijah.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon1874 · Public DomainOn vv22, 2422. Ask for him the kingdom also — To…
22. Ask for him the kingdom also — To marry Abishag, who was virtually a concubine of the deceased king, (see note on chap. 1Ki_1:3,) was ostensibly to invade the royal harem, and thus assume royal prerogatives. So in the case of Absalom. See note on 2Sa_12:8; 2Sa_16:21. The wary Solomon detects at once the far-reaching plot of his rival brother, and at once implicates him with Joab and Abiathar in a conspiracy against his throne. We have, indeed, no evidence that these three had entered together into such conspiracy, but it is not improbable that they had concerted with each other, and concluded if Abishag were but granted in marriage to Adonijah, the right of the latter to the kingdom would be tacitly acknowledged, and the way opened for successful rebellion.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges1878 · Public DomainOn vv22–2422. and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab…
22. and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah] These two having aided Adonijah in his attempt on the throne, would naturally have been his chief ministers and advisers had he succeeded. So Solomon includes them with him, and thus Bath-sheba may see whither the design of Adonijah is tending.
The Vulgate renders the clause ‘even for him’ (literally and for him) in a different sense, ‘et habet Abiathar, &c.’ making the words imply that Adonijah is already equipped with advisers for the kingdom at which he is aiming.
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The LXX. has ‘And he has Abiathar and Joab the son of Zeruiah, the chief captain as his friend’ (ἑταῖρος). The last word of the Hebrew text is צרויה. It would seem as though the LXX. had read after this רעהו or רעו, = his friend, which is not very unlike the final letters of the present Hebrew. Whether there was some word there which has fallen out or the version is the result of a misreading we cannot be sure. There is, without doubt, some awkwardness in the text as it now stands.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers1878 · Public DomainOn vv22–24(22) And why dost thou ask?—In Solomon’s answer there…
(22) And why dost thou ask?—In Solomon’s answer there is a certain bitterness, venting itself in irony, which seems to argue the mingling with kingly dignity and policy of some passionate feeling, not unlike the bursts of passion in his father, as in the case of Nabal (1Sa_25:21-22). It certainly gives some probability to the conjecture (see Note on 1:3) that Abishag was the “fair Shulamite” of the Song of Solomon, already loved by the youthful king. In his wrath he infers, rightly or wrongly, that the hand of the conspirators is seen in this petition, and executes vengeance accordingly, summarily and without giving them any trial or opportunity of excusing themselves.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary1880 · Public DomainOn vv21–24And she said, Let Abishag the Shunammite be given…
And she said, Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah thy brother to wife. For the construction (tae with a nominative, or, as some think, T"yu used impersonallyman gebe), cf. Gen_27:42; Exo_10:8; and especially Num_32:5; and see Gesen., Lex. s.v. tae, and Ewald, Syntax, 295 b.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0On vv22, 24General Information:
General Information:
King Solomon gives an answer to Adonijah's request.
Read full note →
Why do you ask ... Adonijah? Why do you not ask the kingdom for him also ... Zeruiah?
King Solomon was angered by his mother's request. AT: "You are wrong to ask ... Adonijah! This is the same as asking the kingdom for him also ... Zeruiah!" (See: Rhetorical Question)
May God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah has not spoken this word against his own life
This is an idiom. AT: "God will have every right to execute me—and to do even worse things to me—if I do not execute Adonijah because he has made this request" (See: Idiom)
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On v22 Meaning, that if he should have granted Abishag, which…
Meaning, that if he should have granted Abishag, which was so dear to his father, he would afterward have aspired to the kingdom.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv21–24 1Ki 2:21 And she said, Let Abishag the Shunammite…
1Ki 2:21 And she said, Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah thy brother to wife.
Ver. 21. Let Abishag … be given to Adonijah to wife.] Overcome by Adonijah’s fair words and her own melting thoughts of compassion towards him, Bathsheba, not considering the consequents, proposeth the suit, and presseth it by the relation that was betwixt Solomon and Adonijah his brother. But was not David Adonijah’s father also? and will none serve his turn but his father’s concubine was not this to attempt against natural honesty and common decency? What if Abishag were καλη και σοφη - as Aelian saith Aspasia Milesia, Cyrus’s concubine, was - both fair and discreet, which is a rare mixture, yet she was not so fit for Adonijah; but he had a further fetch in this incestuous desire of his.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv21–24 Thy brother, by the father’s side, whom brotherly affection…
Thy brother, by the father’s side, whom brotherly affection and relation obligeth thee to gratify, at least, in small things.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv21–24 And she said, let Abishag the Shunammite be given…
And she said, let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah thy brother to wife. For so Adonijah was by his father's side; and Bathsheba makes use of the relation, the more to move upon him to grant the request.
And she said, let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah thy brother to wife. For so Adonijah was by his father's side; and Bathsheba makes use of the relation, the more to move upon him to grant the request.
Read full note →
1 Kings 2:22
kg1 2:22
kg1 2:22
kg1 2:22And King Solomon answered and said unto his mother,.... With as much gentleness and mildness as he could, but inwardly fired at her request, and amazed at it, and could not forbear using some degree of tartness and resentment:
and why dost thou ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? is this a small petition? is this a fit and lawful one?
ask for him the kingdom also; for this is what he means by it, that by marrying the king's widow he may step into the throne whenever any opportunity offers, as any uneasiness, or insurrection in the kingdom, or the death of Solomon; for none but a king, the Jews say (b), might marry a king's widow, not any private man; and therefore for Adonijah to ask this was interpreted affecting the kingdom, and aspiring to it, and taking his measures to obtain it; yea, it is said (c), that none but another king, the successor, might make use of his servants, handmaids, and ministers; and it is observed, that Abishag was free to Solomon, but not to Adonijah:
for he is mine elder brother; and has that to plead in his favour, and if he could obtain this, it would strengthen his title, or at least be a plausible pretence, which he might make use of, when opportunity served, to gain the people to his interest:
even for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah; she might as well ask for them as for him; whose interest it was, and therefore desirous it might be that he should be king, that so the one might be continued in the office of high priest, and the other as general of the army; who, Solomon knew, bore him no good will, but were secretly his enemies; and he suspected that this was a scheme of theirs, and that it was by their advice Adonijah made this request; so the Targum,
"are not he, and Abiathar the priest, and Joab the son of Zeruiah, in the counsel?''
in this counsel; it is what they had consulted among themselves as a preparation to bring about a design they are contriving; probably Solomon had private notice that they were plotting against him, and this confirmed him in the truth of it; and therefore all of them were upon this punished with deprivation of office, or loss of life.
(b) Misn. Sanhedrin, c. 2. sect. 2. (c) Maimon. Hilchot Sanhedrin, c. 2. sect. 1.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv22–24 1Ki 2:22. Ask for him the kingdom also —…
1Ki 2:22. Ask for him the kingdom also — His design is not upon Abishag, but upon the kingdom; which by this means he hopes to recover. “That Adonijah had such a design is very probable,” says Poole, “both from his temper, for he was an aspiring and designing man, highly discontented with Solomon’s government, and desirous of a change; and from the nature of the thing, because he would not have made so daring and presumptuous a request, if he had not had some great design in it.” For he is my elder brother — And therefore looks on the kingdom as his by birthright, and the law of nations, and thinks he may lawfully endeavour to recover his own, and cast me out as a usurper; to accomplish which the seeking Abishag to wife is the first step. Even for him, and for Abiathar and Joab — “It is very likely,” says the author last quoted, “though not expressed, that he, and Joab, and Abiathar, were engaged in some design against Solomon, and that Solomon had obtained information of it; and therefore he did, and reasonably might, take this attempt of Adonijah to obtain Abishag, for an indication, and the first overt act of his treason.”
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv22–24 Ask for him the kingdom also - Bath-sheba had…
Ask for him the kingdom also - Bath-sheba had not seen anything dangerous or suspicious in Adonijah’s request. Solomon, on the contrary, takes alarm at once. To ask for Abishag was to ask for the kingdom. To the Oriental mind a monarch was so sacred, that whatever was brought near to him was thenceforth separate from common use. This sacred and separate character attached especially to the Royal harem. The inmates either remained widows for the rest of their lives, or became the wives of the deceased king’s successor. When a monarch was murdered, or dethroned, or succeeded by one whose title was doubtful, the latter alternative was almost always adopted (compare 2Sa 12:8; 2Sa 16:22). Public opinion so closely connected the title to the crown and the possession of the deceased monarch’s wives, that to have granted Adonijah’s request would have been the strongest encouragement to his pretensions. Solomon, seeing this, assumes that Adonijah cherishes a guilty purpose, that there has been a fresh plot, that Abiathar and Joab - Adonijah’s counselors in the former conspiracy 1Ki 1:7 - are privy to it, and that the severest measures are necessary to crush the new treason.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv22, 24 The kingdom. It was a maxim in most of…
The kingdom. It was a maxim in most of the oriental courts, that the things which had belonged to the king, should not be enjoyed by any but his successor. (Grotius) --- Hence Adonias might be suspected of ambitious projects, as his party was still formidable. (Calmet) --- The marriage seems also to be unlawful. (Menochius) See chap. i. 4. --- Yet, if the aforesaid custom subsisted at that time; or, if the marriage had been evidently prohibited, both Adonias and Bethsabee must have acted in a very inconsistent manner, so that we must hesitate before we pronounce sentence. (Haydock) --- Many condemn Solomon of precipitation and cruelty in his judgment; (Cajetan) while others approve of his conduct, (Theodoret, q. 7.) and think any delay might have proved dangerous. Ubi facto magis quam consulto opus. (Tacitus) (Calmet)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv22–23 why dost thou ask Abishag . . . ask…
why dost thou ask Abishag . . . ask for him the kingdom also--(See on Sa2 16:5; also see on Sa2 12:8). Solomon's indignation was roused; he in a moment penetrated the artful scheme, and from his associating the names of Abiathar and Joab, he seems to have suspected or known that those deep schemers had been the prompters of Adonijah.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv22, 24 22. Ask for him the kingdom also — To…
22. Ask for him the kingdom also — To marry Abishag, who was virtually a concubine of the deceased king, (see note on chap. 1Ki_1:3,) was ostensibly to invade the royal harem, and thus assume royal prerogatives. So in the case of Absalom. See note on 2Sa_12:8; 2Sa_16:21. The wary Solomon detects at once the far-reaching plot of his rival brother, and at once implicates him with Joab and Abiathar in a conspiracy against his throne. We have, indeed, no evidence that these three had entered together into such conspiracy, but it is not improbable that they had concerted with each other, and concluded if Abishag were but granted in marriage to Adonijah, the right of the latter to the kingdom would be tacitly acknowledged, and the way opened for successful rebellion.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv22–24 22. and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab…
22. and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah] These two having aided Adonijah in his attempt on the throne, would naturally have been his chief ministers and advisers had he succeeded. So Solomon includes them with him, and thus Bath-sheba may see whither the design of Adonijah is tending.
The Vulgate renders the clause ‘even for him’ (literally and for him) in a different sense, ‘et habet Abiathar, &c.’ making the words imply that Adonijah is already equipped with advisers for the kingdom at which he is aiming.
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The LXX. has ‘And he has Abiathar and Joab the son of Zeruiah, the chief captain as his friend’ (ἑταῖρος). The last word of the Hebrew text is צרויה. It would seem as though the LXX. had read after this רעהו or רעו, = his friend, which is not very unlike the final letters of the present Hebrew. Whether there was some word there which has fallen out or the version is the result of a misreading we cannot be sure. There is, without doubt, some awkwardness in the text as it now stands.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv22–24 (22) And why dost thou ask?—In Solomon’s answer there…
(22) And why dost thou ask?—In Solomon’s answer there is a certain bitterness, venting itself in irony, which seems to argue the mingling with kingly dignity and policy of some passionate feeling, not unlike the bursts of passion in his father, as in the case of Nabal (1Sa_25:21-22). It certainly gives some probability to the conjecture (see Note on 1:3) that Abishag was the “fair Shulamite” of the Song of Solomon, already loved by the youthful king. In his wrath he infers, rightly or wrongly, that the hand of the conspirators is seen in this petition, and executes vengeance accordingly, summarily and without giving them any trial or opportunity of excusing themselves.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv21–24 And she said, Let Abishag the Shunammite be given…
And she said, Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah thy brother to wife. For the construction (tae with a nominative, or, as some think, T"yu used impersonallyman gebe), cf. Gen_27:42; Exo_10:8; and especially Num_32:5; and see Gesen., Lex. s.v. tae, and Ewald, Syntax, 295 b.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv22, 24 General Information:
General Information:
King Solomon gives an answer to Adonijah's request.
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Why do you ask ... Adonijah? Why do you not ask the kingdom for him also ... Zeruiah?
King Solomon was angered by his mother's request. AT: "You are wrong to ask ... Adonijah! This is the same as asking the kingdom for him also ... Zeruiah!" (See: Rhetorical Question)
May God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah has not spoken this word against his own life
This is an idiom. AT: "God will have every right to execute me—and to do even worse things to me—if I do not execute Adonijah because he has made this request" (See: Idiom)
translationWords
Adonijah
kingdom
brother
Abiathar
priest
Joab
oath
life
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v22 2:22-25 Because Adonijah violated his terms of submission to…
2:22-25 Because Adonijah violated his terms of submission to Solomon (1:52-53), the king ordered Benaiah (see 1:8, 26, 38) to execute him.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.