1 Kings 2:13 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. And she said, "Do you come peacefully?" He said, "Peacefully."

NIV: Now Adonijah, the son of Haggith, went to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother. Bathsheba asked him, "Do you come peacefully?" He answered, "Yes, peacefully."

NASB: Now Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. So she said, 'Do you come peacefully?' And he said, 'Peacefully.'

CSB: Now Adonijah son of Haggith came to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother. She asked, "Do you come peacefully?" "Peacefully," he replied,

NLT: One day Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith, came to see Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother. 'Have you come with peaceful intentions?' she asked him. 'Yes,' he said, 'I come in peace.

KJV: And Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. And she said, Comest thou peaceably? And he said, Peaceably.

NKJV: Now Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. So she said, “Do you come peaceably?” And he said, “Peaceably.”

Before David died, he had publicized his plan to make Solomon king after him. Another of his sons, Adonijah, had attempted to take the throne by simply declaring himself Israel's new king and it almost worked. With no word from an aging, frail David and the full support of Israel's military commander, a powerful priest, and all of David's other sons, Adonijah's claim to the kingship of Israel would have been hard to refute (1 Kings 1:7–10).

The attempt was thwarted when David learned of the plot from Bathsheba, Solomon's mother. Also involved was Nathan the prophet (1 Kings 1:15–27). David quickly mobilized those still loyal to him to publicly anoint Solomon king and place him on the throne while Adonijah was still celebrating his presumed coronation. Adonijah was forced to beg Solomon not to kill him for what amounted to a coup attempt. Solomon agreed on the condition that Adonijah would live as a "worthy man," not making any more plays for the throne (1 Kings 1:51–53).

Now, Adonijah is back. He approaches Bathsheba and asks to see her. She is wary: Do you come peacefully? It's a wise question. Bathsheba understood that Adonijah would have had her and Solomon quickly killed if he had succeeded in claiming the throne that day (1 Kings 1:21).

Haggith was David's fourth wife, and Adonijah was David's fourth son. David's first six sons were born when David was king of Judah in Hebron (1 Chronicles 3:1–4). Bathsheba was formerly the wife of David's warrior Uriah. After David took Bathsheba and murdered Uriah, Nathan confronted him with his horrible crimes (2 Samuel 11—12). The baby Bathsheba birthed died as God's punishment. David wholly repented, and it seems he grew fond of Bathsheba. They have four sons together, born in Jerusalem after David became king of Israel (1 Chronicles 3:5).

First Kings 2:13–25 records Solomon removing his rival. David has given Solomon a short list of men to be punished for crimes committed during David's reign (1 Kings 2:5–6, 8–9). Now that David's dead, Solomon wisely waits until these men insult him. He begins with someone his father didn't include: his brother. Solomon doesn't act because of Adonijah's attempt to be David's successor while David was still alive (1 Kings 1). He reacts to the attempt to gain dominance over Solomon, the king. Then, Solomon moves to Adonijah's advisors: the priest Abiathar and the general Joab.

In 1 Kings 2, Solomon establishes his kingdom. David tells Solomon to follow God and to deal justly with his officials. After David dies, Solomon executes his rival Adonijah and the murderer Joab. He sends the conspiring priest Abiathar to house arrest and deals with the Benjamite Shimei, who cursed David. Benaiah becomes the military commander, and Zadok the lead priest. Next, Solomon will offer his famous prayer for wisdom (1 Kings 3:6–9).

David's reign ends as his health begins to fail. Watchful rivals try to take advantage of this, attempting to install their preferred heir to the throne (1 Kings 1). This fails, and Solomon is crowned. In 1 Kings 2, Solomon begins the work of inheriting God's covenant with David. Before David dies, he advises Solomon on how to follow God, respond to conspirators, and build the temple (1 Chronicles 22:6–19; 28:9–21). David also throws a more formal coronation ceremony (1 Chronicles 29:22–25). After dealing with the men who would take his crown, Solomon asks God for wisdom; God promises to add honor and wealth (1 Kings 3:6–14).

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.