1 Kings 01 - The Throne Received at Gihon

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This recording covers the former combined study 1 Kings 1-2 and predates this revision.

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At the end of 2 Samuel, David had built an altar after judgment; now 1 Kings opens beside the aging king, while a son tries to take the throne before receiving it. David can no longer hold the kingdom together by bodily strength, and Adonijah fills that vulnerability with chariots, runners, and a feast. The question is who will govern Israel, but the chapter also uncovers two ways of seeking authority: making oneself indispensable or receiving a responsibility under God. The Overview places this succession within the promise to David; chapter 2 will show the grave cost of securing the new reign.

Why This Passage Matters

Adonijah’s ambition grows where correction has been absent, while Nathan and Bathsheba protect the promised succession through truthful speech. The narrative joins God’s faithfulness to human responsibility. It gives neither a warrant for domineering leadership nor an excuse for silence when lives are at risk. The throne belongs within the Lord’s covenant, and every person near it must answer for what he or she does with that trust.

David’s weakness and Adonijah’s self-exaltation (1 Kings 1:1-10)

The verse numbers below are Brenton’s and match the NKJV in this chapter.

Brenton 1 Kings 1:1-10

¹ And king David was old and advanced in days, and they covered him with clothes, and he was not warmed. ² And his servants said, Let them seek for the king a young virgin, and she shall wait on the king, and cherish him, and lie with him, and my lord the king shall be warmed. ³ So they sought for a fair damsel out of all the coasts of Israel; and they found Abisag the Somanite, and they brought her to the king. ⁴ And the damsel was extremely beautiful, and she cherished the king, and ministered to him, but the king knew her not.

⁵ And Adonias the son of Aggith exalted himself, saying, I will be king; and he prepared for himself chariots and horses, and fifty men to run before him. ⁶ And his father never at any time checked him, saying, Why hast thou done thus? and he was also very handsome in appearance, and his mother bore him after Abessalom. ⁷ And he conferred with Joab the son of Saruia, and with Abiathar the priest, and they followed after Adonias. ⁸ But Sadoc the priest, and Banæas the son of Jodae, and Nathan the prophet, and Semei, and Resi, and the mighty men of David, did not follow Adonias. ⁹ And Adonias sacrificed sheep and calves and lambs by the stone of Zoelethi, which was near Rogel: and he called all his brethren, and all the adult men of Juda, servants of the king. ¹⁰ But Nathan the prophet, and Banæas, and the mighty men, and Solomon his brother, he did not call.

David’s weakness is part of Scripture’s truthfulness. The king who defeated Goliath cannot indefinitely carry the kingdom in his body. Abishag is brought to care for him; the narrator explicitly says that David did not know her sexually. That detail will matter when Adonijah asks to marry her in chapter 2. Here she belongs to a household whose future is uncertain, not to a romantic account of royal vigor.

Adonijah’s declaration, “I will be king,” reveals the governing desire before the preparations begin. His chariots and fifty runners repeat Absalom’s public programme in 2 Samuel 15:1. The spectacle makes a claim appear inevitable. Joab and Abiathar lend it military and priestly weight, while Nathan, Zadok, Benaiah, and Solomon are excluded. A claim built on self-exaltation cannot bear truthful witnesses.

David had never checked this son. The passage does not authorize humiliating children or treating every aspiration as rebellion. Loving correction helps a person discover that desire and entitlement are different. An adult can carry the same uncorrected expectation into a family, workplace, or Church responsibility: because I can organize support, the place must belong to me. Christ’s warning about self-exaltation in Luke 14:11 addresses that heart before it becomes a public disaster.

Nathan, Bathsheba, and the oath (1 Kings 1:11-27)

Brenton 1 Kings 1:11-27

¹¹ And Nathan spoke to Bersabee the mother of Solomon, saying, Hast thou not heard that Adonias the son of Aggith reigns, and our lord David knows it not? ¹² And now come, let me, I pray, give thee counsel, and thou shalt rescue thy life, and the life of thy son Solomon. ¹³ Haste, and go in to king David, and thou shalt speak to him, saying, Hast not thou, my lord, O king, sworn to thine handmaid, saying, Thy son Solomon shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne? why then does Adonias reign? ¹⁴ And behold, while thou art still speaking there with the king, I also will come in after thee, and will confirm thy words.

¹⁵ So Bersabee went in to the king into the chamber: and the king was very old, and Abisag the Somanite was ministering to the king. ¹⁶ And Bersabee bowed, and did obeisance to the king; and the king said, What is thy request? ¹⁷ And she said, My lord, thou didst swear by the Lord thy God to thine handmaid, saying, Thy son Solomon shall reign after me, and shall sit upon my throne. ¹⁸ And now, behold, Adonias reigns, and thou, my lord, O king, knowest it not. ¹⁹ And he has sacrificed calves and lambs and sheep in abundance, and has called all the king’s sons, and Abiathar the priest and Joab the commander-in-chief of the host; but Solomon thy servant he has not called. ²⁰ And thou, my lord, O king,—the eyes of all Israel are upon thee, to tell them who shall sit upon the throne of my lord the king after him. ²¹ And it shall come to pass, when my lord the king shall sleep with his fathers, that I and Solomon my son shall be offenders.

²² And behold, while she was yet talking with the king, Nathan the prophet came. And it was reported to the king, ²³ Behold, Nathan the prophet is here: and he came in to the king’s presence, and did obeisance to the king with his face to the ground. ²⁴ And Nathan said, My lord, O king, didst thou say, Adonias shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne? ²⁵ For he has gone down to-day, and has sacrificed calves and lambs and sheep in abundance, and has called all the king’s sons, and the chiefs of the army, and Abiathar the priest; and, behold, they are eating and drinking before him, and they said, Long live king Adonias. ²⁶ But he has not invited me thy servant, and Sadoc the priest, and Banæas the son of Jodae, and Solomon thy servant. ²⁷ Has this matter happened by the authority of my lord the king, and hast thou not made known to thy servant who shall sit upon the throne of my lord the king after him?

Nathan recognizes that the coronation feast threatens Bathsheba and Solomon as well as the succession. Their appeal is urgent because a rival household can be treated as an enemy once a throne has been taken. Bathsheba names both the oath and the danger; Nathan then asks David whether the arrangements were made by his authority. Each brings the responsible king back into the matter that others have decided around him.

Solomon’s place in the promise has already been prepared by 2 Samuel 12:24-25 and 1 Chronicles 22:9-10. Yet these passages do not make the people in this room unnecessary. God preserves the promised line through Nathan’s truthfulness, Bathsheba’s brave appeal, and David’s decision. This cooperation with grace is often called synergy: God’s initiative calls forth real human obedience.

Neither speaker gathers a counter-feast. They address the person who made the promise and can act upon it. In a family or institution, truthful courage can be quieter than a campaign and more costly than gossip. When harm is occurring, responsible speech seeks protection and a clear decision. Respect for authority includes reminding it of obligations it would rather postpone.

Solomon anointed at Gihon (1 Kings 1:28-40)

Brenton 1 Kings 1:28-40

²⁸ And king David answered and said, Call me Bersabee: and she came in before the king, and stood before him. ²⁹ And the king swore, and said, As the Lord lives who redeemed my soul out of all affliction, ³⁰ as I swore to thee by the Lord God of Israel, saying, Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne in my stead, so will I do this day. ³¹ And Bersabee bowed with her face to the ground, and did obeisance to the king, and said, Let my lord king David live for ever.

³² And king David said, Call me Sadoc the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Banæas the son of Jodae: and they came in before the king. ³³ And the king said to them, Take the servants of your lord with you, and mount my son Solomon upon my own mule, and bring him down to Gion. ³⁴ And there let Sadoc the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him to be king over Israel, and do ye sound the trumpet, and ye shall say, Let king Solomon live. ³⁵ And he shall sit upon my throne, and reign in my stead: and I have given charge that he should be for a prince over Israel and Juda. ³⁶ And Banæas the son of Jodae answered the king and said, So let it be: may the Lord God of my lord the king confirm it. ³⁷ As the Lord was with my lord the king, so let him be with Solomon, and let him exalt his throne beyond the throne of my lord king David.

³⁸ And Sadoc the priest went down, and Nathan the prophet, and Banæas son of Jodae, and the Cherethite, and the Phelethite, and they mounted Solomon upon the mule of king David, and led him away to Gion. ³⁹ And Sadoc the priest took the horn of oil out of the tabernacle, and anointed Solomon, and blew the trumpet; and all the people said, Let king Solomon live. ⁴⁰ And all the people went up after him, and they danced in choirs, and rejoiced with great joy, and the earth quaked with their voice.

David answers with an oath before the living Lord who has delivered him. The orders are concrete: his own servants, his own mule, the priest and prophet, the anointing, the trumpet, and Solomon’s return to sit upon the throne. Solomon receives a calling that Adonijah tried to stage. David’s mule is particularly important. The son rides with the king’s authorization, not with a self-appointed display of chariots.

At Gihon, the spring serving Jerusalem, oil touches Solomon, a trumpet sounds, and the city answers. The people’s joy makes the difference between the two feasts audible. Holy authority is public and accountable; its signs point beyond a private claim. Material signs do not replace faith, but Scripture does not treat God’s calling as an inward idea detached from the body and the worshipping people.

The mule and the city’s acclamation prepare a measured comparison with Christ’s entry into Jerusalem. Zechariah 9:9 and Matthew 21:1-10 present the coming King in humility. The resemblance is real, yet Jesus’ kingship reaches beyond David’s court: He enters toward His voluntary Passion and gives His life for others (Matthew 20:28). We follow that King by relinquishing the need to make obedience look like personal triumph.

Mercy at the altar (1 Kings 1:41-53)

Brenton 1 Kings 1:41-53

⁴¹ And Adonias and all his guests heard, and they had just left off eating: and Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, and said, What means the voice of the city in tumult? ⁴² While he was yet speaking, behold, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came in: and Adonias said, Come in, for thou art a mighty man, and thou comest to bring glad tidings. ⁴³ And Jonathan answered and said, Verily our lord king David has made Solomon king: ⁴⁴ and the king has sent with him Sadoc the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Banæas the son of Jodae, and the Cherethite, and the Phelethite, and they have mounted him on the king’s mule; ⁴⁵ and Sadoc the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him in Gion, and have gone up thence rejoicing, and the city resounded: this is the sound which ye have heard. ⁴⁶ And Solomon is seated upon the throne of the kingdom. ⁴⁷ And the servants of the king have gone in to bless our lord king David, saying, God make the name of Solomon better than thy name, and make his throne greater than thy throne; and the king worshipped upon his bed. ⁴⁸ Moreover thus said the king, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who has this day appointed one of my seed sitting on my throne, and my eyes see it.

⁴⁹ And all the guests of Adonias were dismayed, and every man went his way. ⁵⁰ And Adonias feared because of Solomon, and arose, and departed, and laid hold on the horns of the altar. ⁵¹ And it was reported to Solomon, saying, Behold, Adonias fears king Solomon, and holds the horns of the altar, saying, Let Solomon swear to me this day, that he will not slay his servant with the sword. ⁵² And Solomon said, If he should be a valiant man, there shall not a hair of his fall to the ground; but if evil be found in him, he shall die. ⁵³ And king Solomon sent, and they brought him away from the altar; and he went in and did obeisance to king Solomon: and Solomon said to him, Go to thy house.

Adonijah’s feast collapses when Jonathan reports what has happened in Jerusalem. The guests scatter; the prince who announced himself as king now asks Solomon to swear that he will not kill him. His grip on the altar’s horns is an appeal for protection at the place of sacrifice. Exodus 21:12-14, however, distinguishes refuge from immunity for deliberate murder. Sacred proximity cannot make wrongdoing disappear.

Solomon grants conditional mercy rather than ordering an immediate execution. Adonijah is brought before him and sent home. He has a life in which to demonstrate that the demand to reign has ended. Mercy creates room for repentance; it does not pronounce an unhealed intention harmless.

Christians must not turn this royal court into a warrant for punishing opponents. The altar of Christ is neither shelter for the powerful against accountability nor a tribunal for a Church that imitates executions. Victim and offender alike are summoned to truth, protection of the vulnerable, repentance, and healing. Coming to worship to escape consequences is different from coming with a heart ready to confess. Chapter 2 will test that distinction through Adonijah’s renewed request.

Gems from the Fathers 💎

St. Augustine reads the promise to David beyond Solomon’s enthronement. Building a house for God is part of that promise, but an everlasting kingdom cannot be exhausted by a king whose obedience will fail. He writes: “He who thinks this grand promise was fulfilled in Solomon greatly errs; for he attends to the saying, He shall build me a house, but he does not attend to the saying, His house shall be faithful, and his kingdom for evermore before me.”¹ This distinction preserves both the genuine gift received at Gihon and the hope directed toward Christ. The faithful succession is a sign, not the arrival of final peace (Luke 1:32-33).

The Church’s Voice in Worship ⛪

The current Coptic lectionary index lists no direct reading from 1 Kings 1. The Preparation of the holy Myron includes Solomon’s anointing in 1 Chronicles 29:20-25 and Psalm 45:6-9 (LXX 44:7-10).² Psalm 45 (LXX 44) is also prayed in the Agpeya’s Third Hour. The connection with this chapter is an inferred spiritual reading: anointing signifies a responsibility received from God, not greatness manufactured for oneself. Hebrews 1:9 applies the psalm’s anointing to the Son; John 3:34, Luke 4:18, and Acts 10:38 direct our attention to the Spirit upon Christ.

The Palm Sunday Liturgy Gospel is John 12:12-19.³ Its acclamation of the King helps us hear the joy at Gihon in the light of Jesus’ entry, without confusing Solomon’s mule with the donkey in the Gospel. Psalm 72 (LXX 71) gives the royal hope its moral content: the king’s justice must reach the poor, and peace must be measured by their safety rather than the splendor of the procession.

Christological Reading

Jesus receives the throne of David and reigns without end (Luke 1:32-33). His authority is expressed in service and self-offering (Matthew 20:25-28), so the contrast with Adonijah reaches into Christian conduct. A title, a successful event, or applause cannot make an act faithful to Him.

Solomon’s oil points toward the anointed Son, but royal anointing and Christian chrismation are distinct. The Church receives the Holy Spirit in union with Christ, not a permission to dominate (Acts 2:38; 1 Corinthians 12:4-7). The Coptic Creed confesses: “Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and of the Virgin Mary, and became man.”⁴ His kingdom heals what rivalry divides, and His Cross makes peace by reconciling sinners to God (Colossians 1:20).

Glossary

• Adonias, Aggith: Adonijah and his mother Haggith.
• Bersabee: Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother. The similar spelling Bersabee elsewhere can also name Beersheba; context distinguishes them.
• Sadoc, Banæas, Jodae: Zadok, Benaiah, and Jehoiada.
• Gion: Gihon, the spring at Jerusalem where Solomon is anointed.
• Horns of the altar: Projections at the altar’s corners, grasped here in appeal for protection.
• Myron: Holy chrism, the consecrated oil used in the Church’s sacramental anointing.

Discussion Questions

1. Which choices reveal Adonijah’s desire to receive recognition without accountability?
2. How do Nathan and Bathsheba combine urgency, respect, and truthful courage?
3. Why does David’s own mule matter in the public recognition of Solomon?
4. What distinguishes mercy at the altar from using sacred things to avoid repentance?

Spiritual Fruit 🍇

Before pursuing a role, bring the desire plainly before God and seek counsel that is free to say no. Adonijah’s demand can hide inside a wish to be useful when recognition matters more than obedience. Ask whether you would still love the work if someone else received the place.

Nathan and Bathsheba teach truthful courage. If harm is occurring, refuse both gossip and silent resignation; speak carefully to someone who can bear responsibility. Where an authority is implicated or unsafe, seek another responsible avenue that protects those at risk.

Before confession or the Divine Liturgy, name one defended pattern, such as resentment, concealed pride, control, or an old grievance. Ask Christ for one concrete obedient act. The frightened man at the altar has been given tomorrow; the gift of another day is room to change.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of David, cleanse our desire for recognition. Give us courage to speak truth, humility to receive counsel, and hearts that seek conversion when we ask for mercy. Amen.

Teaching Notes

David and Adonijah (1 Kings 1:1-10)

• Ask: What reveals the difference between a calling received and a role staged for oneself?
• Emphasize: David’s weakness and Adonijah’s pride belong to the text; neither should be softened.
• Watch for: Using the passage to shame ambition rather than to purify it into service.
• Connect: Adonijah’s runners repeat Absalom’s programme in 2 Samuel 15:1.

Nathan and Bathsheba (1 Kings 1:11-27)

• Ask: Why do Nathan and Bathsheba speak to David rather than create a rival faction?
• Emphasize: Truthful speech seeks a responsible decision and the protection of lives.

Solomon at Gihon (1 Kings 1:28-40)

• Connect: The priest, prophet, king, and people together show that holy authority is accountable and public.
• Emphasize: David’s mule identifies the authorized heir; Matthew 21:1-10 illuminates the humble King without making the scenes identical.

Mercy at the altar (1 Kings 1:41-53)

• Ask: What is the difference between clinging to the altar for mercy and using religion to avoid repentance?
• Emphasize: The royal judgments are historical acts within Israel’s monarchy, not a Christian method for dealing with opponents.
• Watch for: Exodus 21:14 does not allow sanctuary to cancel accountability for deliberate killing.

Sources

Embedded Scripture is from Brenton’s English Septuagint (LXX). 1 Kings, eBible edition.

Footnotes

1. St. Augustine of Hippo, The City of God, XVII.8; translated by George Wilson in the edition edited by Marcus Dods, NPNF, first series, vol. 2. Text. ↩

2. Coptic Reader, Special / Consecrations / Oil / Myron / Preparation; Solomon’s anointing is also recorded in @andraws/lectionary-data 1.3.1; the psalm is printed in the rite. Coptic Reader. ↩

3. Coptic Reader, Palm Sunday, Readings / Liturgy / Psalm and Gospel, John 12:12-19. Coptic Reader. ↩

4. Coptic Reader, Creed. Coptic Reader. ↩