1 Kings 1:50
ESV
And Adonijah feared Solomon. So he arose and went and took hold of the horns of the altar.
NIV
But Adonijah, in fear of Solomon, went and took hold of the horns of the altar.
NASB
Adonijah also was afraid of Solomon, and he got up, and went, and took hold of the horns of the altar.
CSB
Adonijah was afraid of Solomon, so he got up and went to take hold of the horns of the altar.
NLT
Adonijah was afraid of Solomon, so he rushed to the sacred tent and grabbed on to the horns of the altar.
KJV
And Adonijah feared because of Solomon, and arose, and went, and caught hold on the horns of the altar.
NKJV
Now Adonijah was afraid of Solomon; so he arose, and went and took hold of the horns of the altar.
What does 1 Kings 1:50 mean?
Adonijah is in trouble. In deliberate defiance of his father's wishes, he conspired to anoint himself as king. David discovered his son's scheme and crowned Solomon instead. Adonijah's supporters have fled, leaving him guilty and unprotected (1 Kings 1:1–49). He runs to the altar in the tabernacle in Gibeon and grabs hold of the horns. The "horns" aren't large bull horns; they're probably protuberances integrated in the corners of the bronze box (Exodus 27:2). Holding the horns is part of the Mosaic law that protects someone who killed a man accidentally:"Whoever strikes a man so that he dies shall be put to death. But if he did not lie in wait for him, but God let him fall into his hand, then I will appoint for you a place to which he may flee. But if a man willfully attacks another to kill him by cunning, you shall take him from my altar, that he may die."Adonijah didn't kill anyone. Still, the way he demanded an inheritance, similarly to the prodigal son, may imply that he wants his father dead. He's begging Solomon's forgiveness as if he didn't know David wanted his younger brother king. Yet Adonijah did know this, as evidenced by the fact Solomon was the only brother he didn't invite to his coronation (1 Kings 1:10).
Exodus 21:12–14
One of the reasons God won't allow David to build the temple is because David is a man of war, and God wants His temple to be a symbol of peace (1 Chronicles 28:3–6). Solomon shows that character, now. He sends word to Adonijah, "If he will show himself a worthy man, not one of his hairs shall fall to the earth, but if wickedness is found in him, he shall die" (1 Kings 1:52). Adonijah manages to accept Solomon's terms until David dies (1 Kings 2:10–25).
