Commentary - 1 Kings 2:19-27

Bird's-eye view

In this passage, we witness the swift and decisive consolidation of Solomon's kingdom. What appears on the surface to be a simple domestic request is, in reality, a high-stakes political maneuver. Adonijah, having already made one failed attempt at the throne, tries a more subtle approach by seeking to marry Abishag the Shunammite, who was part of his father David's household. Solomon, gifted with divine wisdom, immediately perceives the treasonous intent behind the request. Taking possession of a king's concubine was tantamount to claiming the throne. Solomon's response is not personal vindictiveness but the necessary action of a king establishing righteous judgment at the outset of his reign. This section of Scripture demonstrates that true authority must deal decisively with threats. It also shows the outworking of God's long-standing purposes, as the removal of Abiathar the priest is a direct fulfillment of the prophecy against the house of Eli.

The events here are not just about palace intrigue; they are a lesson in the nature of true authority and the seriousness of sin. Solomon's actions, while harsh to our modern sensibilities, are rooted in his God-given responsibility to maintain order and justice. He is not acting as a private individual but as God's anointed ruler. Adonijah's ambition is a direct challenge to God's revealed will, and Solomon, as the instrument of that will, must act. The passage reminds us that God's kingdom is established not through sentimentality, but through righteousness and judgment. It is a sober reminder that rebellion against God's anointed has ultimate consequences.

Outline

Context In 1 Kings

This section follows directly on the heels of David's death and his final charge to Solomon. David had instructed Solomon to walk in the ways of the Lord and to deal justly with men like Joab and Shimei. Adonijah had already made a play for the throne while David was alive, a move that was thwarted by the quick actions of Nathan the prophet and Bathsheba. Solomon had mercifully spared Adonijah's life on the condition of his good behavior (1 Kings 1:52-53). Adonijah's request for Abishag is therefore not an isolated incident but the second strike. He is testing the limits of Solomon's authority. Solomon's response is the first major act of his independent reign, setting the tone for his entire rule. It establishes that he will be a king who executes justice without wavering. The removal of Abiathar also ties back to a much earlier prophecy from the time of Samuel, demonstrating that Solomon's actions are woven into the grand tapestry of God's redemptive plan.

Key Issues

Adonijah Put to Death

19 So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah. And the king arose to meet her, bowed before her, and sat on his throne; then he had a throne set for the king’s mother, and she sat on his right.

The scene is set with all the proper courtly decorum. Solomon shows his mother the highest honor. He rises, bows, and seats her at his right hand, the position of supreme honor and influence. This is not just familial affection; it is a public display of her status as the Queen Mother, the Gebirah. Adonijah was cunning to use her as his intermediary. He knew Solomon's deep respect for his mother and likely calculated that Solomon would not refuse her. But Adonijah's cunning is no match for Solomon's wisdom. The outward forms of respect and honor are observed, but they cannot mask the deadly substance of the request to come.

20 Then she said, “I am making one small request of you; do not turn me away.” And the king said to her, “Ask, my mother, for I will not turn you away.”

Bathsheba prefaces the request by minimizing it, calling it a "small request." Whether she was a naive pawn in Adonijah's scheme or a shrewd political operator setting him up is a matter of debate. Given her history and her role in securing the throne for Solomon, it is difficult to imagine her as entirely naive. She may have known exactly what she was doing, presenting the request in a way that would force Solomon's hand to expose Adonijah's treason once and for all. Solomon's reply is generous and open-ended. He gives his mother a blank check, promising not to refuse her. This sets the stage for the dramatic reversal. His promise is made based on his relationship with his mother, but his duty as king will soon override it.

21 So she said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as a wife.”

Here is the request, seemingly innocent. A young man wants to marry a beautiful young woman. What could be wrong with that? But in the context of the ancient Near Eastern monarchy, this was anything but innocent. Abishag had been David's companion in his last days. Though their relationship was not consummated, she was considered part of the royal household, a concubine of the king. To take a former king's concubine was a recognized way of laying claim to the throne. Absalom had done this very thing with David's concubines in a very public way to demonstrate his usurpation of power (2 Sam. 16:21-22). Adonijah is attempting the same thing, but through the back door.

22 Then King Solomon answered and said to his mother, “And why are you asking Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for him also the kingdom, for he is my older brother, even for him, for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah!”

Solomon's wisdom cuts right through the pretense. He doesn't even hesitate. He immediately equates the request for Abishag with a request for the kingdom itself. This is not an overreaction; it is a precise and accurate political reading of the situation. He sees the coalition behind the request. Adonijah is not acting alone. Solomon names the other key players from Adonijah's previous coup attempt: Abiathar the priest and Joab the general. This wasn't just about a girl; it was about the throne. Adonijah, the older brother, still had allies who saw him as the rightful heir. Solomon recognizes that to grant this "small request" would be to signal weakness and invite a full-blown rebellion.

23 Then King Solomon swore by Yahweh, saying, “May God do so to me and more also, if Adonijah has not spoken this word against his own life.

Solomon's response is sealed with a solemn oath. An oath is a serious act of religious worship, calling upon God as a witness and judge. Solomon is not just making a political decision; he is making a judicial one, under God. He invokes a self-maledictory formula, calling God's judgment down upon himself if he fails to act. He frames Adonijah's request not as a political misstep, but as a capital crime. Adonijah has forfeited his life by this treacherous word. He had been shown mercy once, but he chose to squander it on further rebellion. The judgment is therefore just.

24 So now, as Yahweh lives, who has established me and set me on the throne of David my father and who has made me a house as He promised, surely Adonijah shall be put to death today.”

Solomon grounds his authority in the will and action of God. He did not seize the throne; Yahweh established him. He sits on the throne of his father David, the legitimate heir of the covenant promise. God had promised to make David a house (2 Sam. 7), and Solomon is the fulfillment of that promise. Because his kingship is from God, any attack on his throne is an attack on God's decree. This is the foundation of his right to rule and to judge. The sentence is therefore not only just, but divinely sanctioned. And it is to be carried out immediately: "today." A righteous king does not delay justice.

25 So King Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he fell upon him so that he died.

The sentence is executed swiftly by Benaiah, the captain of the guard and a man fiercely loyal to David and now to Solomon. The language is stark and unsentimental. Justice in the Old Testament is often swift and bloody, a reality that makes us uncomfortable. But it is a necessary reality in a world where evil must be dealt with decisively. Adonijah's ambition, if left unchecked, would have plunged the kingdom into civil war. His death, while tragic, secures the peace and stability of the kingdom God had established.

26 Then to Abiathar the priest the king said, “Go to Anathoth to your own field, for you deserve to die; but I will not put you to death at this time, because you carried the ark of Lord Yahweh before my father David, and because you were afflicted in everything with which my father was afflicted.”

Solomon now turns to the next conspirator, Abiathar. He pronounces him worthy of death for his treason, but tempers justice with mercy. He spares Abiathar's life for two reasons. First, because of Abiathar's past service in carrying the Ark of the Covenant. This was a sacred duty, and Solomon respects that. Second, because of Abiathar's personal loyalty and shared suffering with David during his years as a fugitive. Solomon honors the bonds of the past. He shows that a just king can also be merciful, weighing a man's whole life and not just his latest transgression. Abiathar is not executed, but he is stripped of his office and banished to his hometown. It is a political death, not a physical one.

27 So Solomon drove Abiathar away from being priest to Yahweh, in order to fulfill the word of Yahweh, which He had spoken concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.

The final verse of this section lifts the curtain to show God's sovereign hand at work behind the political machinations. Solomon's decision, motivated by prudence and a measure of mercy, is also the instrument God uses to fulfill a century-old prophecy. Back in 1 Samuel 2:30-35, God had pronounced judgment on the priestly house of Eli for the wickedness of his sons. Abiathar was the last of that line to hold the high priesthood. His removal from office brings that judgment to its final conclusion. This is a profound statement about divine providence. Human actors make choices for their own reasons, justice, politics, loyalty, but God orchestrates all these choices to bring about His own predetermined plan. Nothing happens by accident. The establishment of Solomon's throne and the purification of the priesthood are all part of one divine story, a story that ultimately points to the true King and High Priest, Jesus Christ.