What does 1 Kings 1:46 mean?

Jonathan, son of the priest Abiathar, is telling David's son Adonijah that his conspiracy to become king has failed. Adonijah convinced Abiathar, Joab the military commander, the officials of Judah, and his brothers to make him king. He planned a feast with great sacrifices, legitimized by the great men from David's court (1 Kings 1:5–10). Now, what moments before was a celebration is now treason against the king.

Jonathan's words also serve as a turning point in the story of the unified nation of Israel. First, Saul became king of a loose confederation of tribes. Next, David used charm, deference, and the promise of military protection to unify those tribes—for the most part.

Now, it's Solomon's time. Israel will experience its greatest era. For much of the next forty years, it will experience peace and prosperity it had never known and has not known since. Foreign rulers will travel hundreds of miles to give honor to their king (1 Kings 10:1–13). The great temple will rise above Jerusalem, joining the ark, the altar, and the throne for the first time (1 Kings 8:1–11).

And yet, Solomon will also usher in the most heartbreaking shift in Israel's history. He will legitimize the practice of pagan worship (1 Kings 11:1–8). He will worship Ashtoreth, Milcom, Chemosh, and Molech—the very demons-gods that YHWH told the Israelites to expel from the land. The people will not recover from their idolatry until the Babylonian Exile.

In judgment, when Solomon dies, God will allow the nation to split (1 Kings 12). And yet the Lord will remain faithful to His covenant with David (2 Samuel 7:4–17). The kings of the southern kingdom of Judah will all be Solomon's descendants. As is Jesus, the Messiah (Matthew 1:7–16). Even though Solomon and the nation will be faithless, God's word will stand.