1 Kings 1:53 - Printer Friendly

ESV: So King Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and paid homage to King Solomon, and Solomon said to him, "Go to your house."

NIV: Then King Solomon sent men, and they brought him down from the altar. And Adonijah came and bowed down to King Solomon, and Solomon said, "Go to your home."

NASB: So King Solomon sent men, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and prostrated himself before King Solomon, and Solomon said to him, 'Go to your house.'

CSB: So King Solomon sent for him, and they took him down from the altar. He came and paid homage to King Solomon, and Solomon said to him, "Go to your home."

NLT: So King Solomon summoned Adonijah, and they brought him down from the altar. He came and bowed respectfully before King Solomon, who dismissed him, saying, 'Go on home.'

KJV: So king Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and bowed himself to king Solomon: and Solomon said unto him, Go to thine house.

NKJV: So King Solomon sent them to bring him down from the altar. And he came and fell down before King Solomon; and Solomon said to him, “Go to your house.”

David crowned Solomon king at the same time David's older son was throwing his own coronation celebration. When Adonijah hears his kingship is illegitimate, he runs to the tabernacle in Gibeon and grabs hold of the horns on the altar where the priests sacrifice for the sins and the thanks of the people. Messengers bring word to Solomon, and the new king sends word that Adonijah can come in peace (1 Kings 1:49–52).

In the mirrored description of Solomon's reign (1 Kings 1—11), the first level is complete: The kingdom is unified. David's son Adonijah tried to crown himself, but thanks to Bathsheba and Nathan, Solomon is rightly king. Adonijah swears allegiance to Solomon, and Solomon forgives him, possibly confining him to his home. But Solomon has a condition: Adonijah must gain control over his natural desires and continue to support Solomon as his king (1 Kings 1:50–52).

In the next level of the chiasm, Solomon must hold what he has (1 Kings 2:1–46). David counsels Solomon to strike hard, to dispatch the men who betrayed him and David. David specifically mentions his nephew and General Joab and Shimei, the Benjaminite who cursed David (1 Kings 2:5–9).

But after David dies, Solomon is forced to start with his own brother. Adonijah will ask Bathsheba to convince Solomon to give him Abishag, David's concubine (1 Kings 1:1–4), as his wife. Bathsheba is naïve and agrees. Solomon knows what the request means. To take a king's wives and concubines is to declare dominance over the king (2 Samuel 16:20–22). The first task Solomon gives to his new military commander, Benaiah, is to execute Adonijah (1 Kings 2:13–25).

First Kings 1:49–53 depicts Adonijah begging for his life. While Adonijah was declaring himself king, David crowned Solomon and sat him on the throne. Adonijah flees to the altar and asks Solomon to spare him. Solomon agrees if Adonijah promises to be "a worthy man." Unfortunately, he doesn't. Adonijah will attempt another power grab, and Solomon will have him executed (1 Kings 2:13–25).

First Kings 1 records Solomon's first anointing as king. David is weak. His fourth son, Adonijah, convinces Joab, Abiathar, and the officials of Judah to declare him king. Nathan the prophet and Bathsheba convince David to crown Solomon. With the help of Zadok the priest and Benaiah the royal guard commander, Solomon becomes king. His first act is to pardon his brother, although the truce doesn't last long. After David dies, Solomon must execute Adonijah for rebellion and Joab for murder, as well as banish Abiathar the priest (1 Kings 2:13–35).

First Kings 1 picks up the story of David's kingship several years after the events at the end of 2 Samuel. David has protected the kingdom, gathered supplies for the temple, and purchased the land (2 Samuel 24:18–25; 1 Chronicles 21:2–5; 29:1–9). It's time for Solomon to take over and build the temple. First, however, David must ensure Solomon is king and that the throne does not fall to Solomon's brother Adonijah. Once crowned, Solomon solidifies his hold by executing Adonijah, Joab, and David's nemesis, Shimei. He also banishes Abiathar, the priest who supported Adonijah. With Nathan, Benaiah, and Zadok beside him, Solomon is ready to rule (1 Kings 2).

This was originally the first half of a combined text. First Kings records the end of David's reign and the rule of Solomon. After this, the kingdom is split in two. The northern nation of Israel no longer submits to the king of the southern nation, called Judah. The prophet Elijah first appears in this book. The kings mostly fail to honor the Lord. They participate in idolatry and other sins. This will eventually result in their conquest and exile, as depicted throughout the books of Chronicles.