1 Kings 2:15 - Printer Friendly

ESV: He said, "You know that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel fully expected me to reign. However, the kingdom has turned about and become my brother 's, for it was his from the Lord.

NIV: "As you know," he said, "the kingdom was mine. All Israel looked to me as their king. But things changed, and the kingdom has gone to my brother; for it has come to him from the Lord.

NASB: So he said, 'You yourself know that the kingdom was mine and that all Israel intended for me to be king; however, the kingdom has turned around and become my brother’s, for it was his from the Lord.

CSB: "You know the kingship was mine," he said. "All Israel expected me to be king, but then the kingship was turned over to my brother, for the Lord gave it to him.

NLT: He replied, 'As you know, the kingdom was rightfully mine; all Israel wanted me to be the next king. But the tables were turned, and the kingdom went to my brother instead; for that is the way the Lord wanted it.

KJV: And he said, Thou knowest that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel set their faces on me, that I should reign: howbeit the kingdom is turned about, and is become my brother's: for it was his from the Lord.

NKJV: Then he said, “You know that the kingdom was mine, and all Israel had set their expectations on me, that I should reign. However, the kingdom has been turned over, and has become my brother’s; for it was his from the Lord.

It's often fascinating to hear different individual perspectives about the same events. David, Nathan, Bathsheba, and Solomon all viewed Adonijah's attempt to have himself declared king as a corrupt play for the throne of Israel. This was a crime worthy of death (1 Kings 1).

Now we hear Adonijah's view, biased though it might be. He was fully convinced he would be the next king over Israel, likely because he was the oldest of David's remaining eligible sons. Kingship often, though not always, passed to the oldest. In addition, Adonijah believed that most of Israel's people expected him to be king. He doesn't say so here, but even two of David's closest allies, Joab and Abiathar, the leader of the military and the keeper of the ark of the covenant, supported him (1 Kings 1:7). With no official declaration of whom the ailing David wanted to succeed him (1 Kings 1:1–4), why wouldn't Adonijah expect to be king?

That's the story he tells himself. Now, he at least claims to understand that the Lord wanted Solomon to be king. Whether or not Adonijah believed this is impossible to know.

Adonijah's goal is to take David's concubine Abishag as his wife (1 Kings 2:17). Though David never slept with her, it's still an act of dominance over David, and because Solomon inherits David's wives and concubines, Solomon. By saying he believes God planned for Solomon to be king, Adonijah may be trying to lower Solomon's defenses enough to secure Abishag for himself. But walking through the streets with King David's last concubine on his arm might also reignite the support of the people who wanted him to be king.

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.