1 Kings 1:27
ESV
Has this thing been brought about by my lord the king and you have not told your servants who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?"
NIV
Is this something my lord the king has done without letting his servants know who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?"
NASB
Has this thing been done by my lord the king, and you have not let your servants know who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?'
CSB
I’m certain my lord the king would not have let this happen without letting your servant know who will sit on my lord the king’s throne after him."
NLT
Has my lord the king really done this without letting any of his officials know who should be the next king?'
KJV
Is this thing done by my lord the king, and thou hast not shewed it unto thy servant, who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?
NKJV
Has this thing been done by my lord the king, and you have not told your servant who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?”
What does 1 Kings 1:27 mean?
God has used Nathan, His prophet, to deliver messages to David. This time, it seems, he's acting under his own wisdom. He's trying to get David to act. David is old and infirm; apparently, he rarely leaves his chambers (1 Kings 1:1–4). This very moment, David's son Adonijah is crowning himself king just outside the city (1 Kings 1:5–10). Nathan already sent in Bathsheba to warn David about the dangers she and Solomon would face if Adonijah succeeded (1 Kings 1:11–21). Nathan has entered to tell David the same information and push him into crowning Solomon before it's too late (1 Kings 1:22–26).The fact that Nathan must ask David the question in this verse reveals David's lapse in leadership. He should have been preparing the kingdom for the inevitable transfer of power. Nathan reports that Adonijah has consolidated most of the influential people in Israel to stand with him as he crowns himself the nation's next ruler (1 Kings 1:24–26). Nathan knows that David had promised Bathsheba that their son Solomon would be Israel's next king (1 Kings 1:13). But a promise made to a wife and mother is different from an official declaration to the nation.
So, Nathan prompts David to action by pointedly asking a question, despite already knowing the answer. Has David privately agreed that Adonijah should be king without telling Nathan? This suggestion cuts deeper than the words might suggest. When Solomon was born, the Lord sent David a message through the prophet, letting David know that God favored Solomon (2 Samuel 12:24–25). Nathan isn't just accusing David of changing his own plans without telling loyal servants. He's accusing David of changing God's plan.
David, of course, has not done so and recognizes at once the urgency of the moment.
