Commentary - 1 Kings 2:13-18

Bird's-eye view

In this brief but potent scene, we are witness to the final gasp of Adonijah’s ambition. Having failed in his initial power grab, he now attempts a more subtle, political maneuver. The request seems simple, almost sentimental on the surface, but it is freighted with treasonous intent. Adonijah, the passed-over son, tries to use Bathsheba, the king's mother, as an unwitting pawn in a game for the throne. This passage is a master class in the politics of a newly established kingdom, revealing the shrewdness of Solomon, the naivete of Bathsheba, and the foolishness of a man who will not accept God's sovereign decree. It is a stark reminder that the kingdom of God is established not by human scheming, but by divine appointment, and that challenges to God's anointed, however cleverly disguised, will be exposed and judged.

The interaction unfolds like a three-act play. First, Adonijah approaches Bathsheba with feigned peacefulness, attempting to disarm her. Second, he makes his case, mixing a bit of truth with a great deal of self-pity and manipulative revisionism, before making his seemingly innocent request for Abishag. Third, Bathsheba, perhaps moved by his apparent humility or simply failing to see the political ramifications, agrees to intercede on his behalf. The stage is thus set for a confrontation that will seal Adonijah's fate and further consolidate Solomon's God-given rule.

Outline

Context In 1 Kings

This episode must be understood in the immediate aftermath of Adonijah's failed coup in chapter one. While David was on his deathbed, Adonijah, his eldest living son, had gathered supporters and proclaimed himself king. The plot was only thwarted by the swift action of Nathan the prophet and Bathsheba, who reminded David of his promise to make Solomon king. David acted decisively, anointing Solomon, and Adonijah's support evaporated instantly. Solomon had granted Adonijah a provisional pardon, contingent on his good behavior (1 Kings 1:52). This request for Abishag is therefore Adonijah's first significant action since his pardon, and it is the test of his professed loyalty. The stakes are nothing less than the stability of the Davidic throne, which God Himself had established.

Adonijah's Folly

We must get our bearings. This is not a love story. Adonijah is not a heartsick suitor. This is raw, political calculation, and Adonijah is a fool for trying it. To request Abishag the Shunammite was tantamount to claiming a right to the throne. Abishag was the woman who had cared for David in his final days, becoming part of his harem, even if the union was not consummated. In the ancient Near East, the king's harem was his property, and to take one of his wives or concubines was to assert oneself as his successor. This is precisely what Absalom did with David's concubines on the roof of the palace (2 Sam. 16:21-22), a public act of claiming the throne. Adonijah's request, though made in private, is cut from the same treasonous cloth. He is testing the waters, probing for weakness in the new administration. Solomon, who was given wisdom from God, saw it for exactly what it was. Adonijah was a wicked man, and his wickedness found him out.

Clause-by-Clause Commentary

v. 13 Then Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. And she said, “Do you come peacefully?” And he said, “Peacefully.”

Adonijah does not go directly to Solomon, which is telling. He seeks out the queen mother, Bathsheba, hoping to use her influence as a back channel. His choice of intermediary is strategic; he likely assumes a mother's sympathy will make her more pliable than a rival brother. Bathsheba's immediate question, "Do you come peacefully?" shows that the political air is still thick with tension. She knows Adonijah is a man who recently tried to usurp her son's throne. His life was spared, but he is still a threat. His answer, "Peacefully," is a lie from the jump. He comes with words as smooth as butter, but war is in his heart. This is the way of conspirators. They do not announce their treason with a trumpet blast, but with a quiet, reasonable-sounding request.

v. 14-15 Then he said, “I have something to say to you.” And she said, “Speak.” So he said, “You know that the kingdom was mine and that all Israel expected me to be king; however, the kingdom has turned about and become my brother’s, for it was his from Yahweh.”

Here is the foundation of his manipulation. He begins with a half-truth that is really a whole falsehood in its effect. "You know that the kingdom was mine." By what right? By right of being the eldest surviving son, which is a human custom, not a divine decree. He adds that "all Israel expected me to be king," which was likely true of his own faction, but he presents it as a national consensus. This is a subtle attempt to paint himself as the legitimate, popular choice who was unjustly deprived of his right. Then comes the pious-sounding concession: "however, the kingdom has turned about and become my brother's, for it was his from Yahweh." This is a masterstroke of disingenuousness. He mouths the correct theological formula, that Solomon's kingship is from the Lord, but the entire preceding statement was designed to undermine it. He is essentially saying, "Everyone knows it should have been mine, but I am piously submitting to this strange turn of events from God." He is playing the part of the noble, resigned loser, but it is all a setup for his request. He is trying to make Bathsheba feel that he has been wronged and is therefore owed something.

v. 16-17 So now, I am making one request of you; do not turn me away.” And she said to him, “Speak.” Then he said, “Please speak to Solomon the king, for he will not turn you away, that he may give me Abishag the Shunammite as a wife.”

Having laid his manipulative groundwork, he presents his "one request." The plea, "do not turn me away," is designed to put Bathsheba on the defensive, to make a refusal seem harsh. He then flatters her by suggesting Solomon would never refuse her, putting her in the position of a powerful intercessor. And then the request itself, which he presents as a simple matter of marriage. But as we have noted, it was nothing of the sort. Giving Adonijah the last woman to share David's bed would be seen by all as giving him a claim to David's throne. It would be a political statement of the highest order, signaling that Adonijah was still a power to be reckoned with, a king-in-waiting. He is asking for the keys to the kingdom under the guise of asking for a wife. It is a breathtakingly audacious move, cloaked in false humility.

v. 18 And Bathsheba said, “Very well; I will speak to the king for you.”

Bathsheba's response shows a startling lack of political acumen. She agrees. Why? Perhaps she was taken in by his performance of the pious, wronged brother. Perhaps she saw it as a harmless request that might help to pacify a potential rival and bring peace to the family. Perhaps she simply did not grasp the symbolic significance of Abishag. Whatever the reason, her agreement was a profound mistake. She fails to see the serpent in the grass. She agrees to carry a treasonous request to the king, her own son. This highlights the fact that even well-meaning people, even the mother of the king, can be used as instruments in the schemes of wicked men. It is a reminder that we are to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Bathsheba, in this moment, was all dove and no serpent.

Application

First, we see that God's sovereign will is not thwarted by human scheming. Adonijah believed the kingdom "was mine" by right of succession and popular opinion. But the kingdom was Solomon's "from Yahweh." Our plans, our ambitions, our sense of what is right and fair, must all be submitted to the revealed will of God. God raises up kings and he puts them down. His purposes will stand, regardless of our political maneuvering.

Second, this passage is a potent lesson on the nature of temptation and sin. Sin rarely presents itself in its true, ugly colors. It comes to us, as Adonijah came to Bathsheba, "peacefully." It makes a reasonable-sounding case, mixing truth and lies, flattering us, and appealing to our sympathies. Adonijah's request was a power play wrapped in a pity party. We must ask the Spirit for discernment to see past the surface of things, to identify the treason against King Jesus that lurks behind so many "harmless" requests and cultural trends.

Finally, we see the necessity of decisive justice in the establishment of a kingdom. Solomon's subsequent reaction, which we will see shortly, was not petty revenge. It was the necessary act of a king securing his throne against a traitor who would not repent. Adonijah was given a second chance and he used it to plot again. There is a time for mercy, and Solomon showed it. But there is also a time for judgment, and a righteous king does not shrink from it. In the kingdom of God, Christ has defeated His enemies, but the consolidation of His reign continues. He will put all enemies under His feet, and those who, like Adonijah, refuse to bow the knee to God's anointed King will find that their wicked schemes come to a swift and decisive end.