1 Kings 1:47 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Moreover, the king 's servants came to congratulate our lord King David, saying, ‘May your God make the name of Solomon more famous than yours, and make his throne greater than your throne.’ And the king bowed himself on the bed.

NIV: Also, the royal officials have come to congratulate our lord King David, saying, ‘May your God make Solomon’s name more famous than yours and his throne greater than yours!’ And the king bowed in worship on his bed

NASB: Moreover, the king’s servants came to bless our lord King David, saying, ‘May your God make the name of Solomon better than your name, and his throne greater than your throne!’ And the king bowed himself on the bed.

CSB: "The king’s servants have also gone to congratulate our lord King David, saying, ‘May your God make the name of Solomon more well known than your name, and may he make his throne greater than your throne.’ Then the king bowed in worship on his bed.

NLT: And all the royal officials have gone to King David and congratulated him, saying, ‘May your God make Solomon’s fame even greater than your own, and may Solomon’s reign be even greater than yours!’ Then the king bowed his head in worship as he lay in his bed,

KJV: And moreover the king's servants came 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 bowed himself upon the bed.

NKJV: And moreover the king’s servants have gone to bless our lord King David, saying, ‘May God make the name of Solomon better than your name, and may He make his throne greater than your throne.’ Then the king bowed himself on the bed.

Jonathan continues to report disastrous news to Adonijah and those who supported his self-proclaimed kingship. Not only did David find out about Adonijah's bold scheme, but he immediately made Solomon king before Adonijah's feast of celebration was completed. Solomon is publicly crowned, anointed, and sitting on the throne, and the people are celebrating in the streets of Jerusalem (1 Kings 1:43–46).

Now comes the detail that servants came to David in his bedchamber to congratulate him. This answers the question of how any kind of ceremony could have happened if David could not leave his bed. The answer was that David did not attend. Instead, his servants returned to report that it was successfully completed.

David's "servants" likely means to Nathan the prophet, Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the military leader, among others. The prayer of blessing Jonathan reports is remarkably similar to Benaiah's words after David first revealed his plan to make Solomon king: May God make Solomon's name more famous than yours and his throne greater than yours (1 Kings 1:36–37).

This is exactly what David hoped for. As he bowed in humility, he prayed, "Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who has granted someone to sit on my throne this day, my own eyes seeing it" (1 Kings 1:48).

First Kings 1:41–48 shows Adonijah's reaction when he learns he's failed to take the throne. He's the oldest surviving eligible son of an ailing king who had not officially named a successor. He knows that his father promised to appoint Solomon, but that hasn't happened. So Adonijah took matters into his own hands and arranged for his own coronation ceremony (1 Kings 1:1–10). As his guests feast, they hear a loud commotion in Jerusalem. Jonathan arrives and gives the news: David has installed Solomon as king. Adonijah's guests flee, and the would-be king runs to the tabernacle, hoping that Solomon will be forgiving (1 Kings 1:49–50).

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.