1 Kings 2:19 - Printer Friendly

ESV: So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him on behalf of Adonijah. And the king rose to meet her and bowed down to her. Then he sat on his throne and had a seat brought for the king 's mother, and she sat on his right.

NIV: When Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah, the king stood up to meet her, bowed down to her and sat down on his throne. He had a throne brought for the king’s mother, and she sat down at his right hand.

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

CSB: So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him about Adonijah. The king stood up to greet her, bowed to her, sat down on his throne, and had a throne placed for the king’s mother. So she sat down at his right hand.

NLT: So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak on Adonijah’s behalf. The king rose from his throne to meet her, and he bowed down before her. When he sat down on his throne again, the king ordered that a throne be brought for his mother, and she sat at his right hand.

KJV: Bathsheba therefore went unto king Solomon, to speak unto him for Adonijah. And the king rose up to meet her, and bowed himself unto her, and sat down on his throne, and caused a seat to be set for the king's mother; and she sat on his right hand.

NKJV: Bathsheba therefore went to King Solomon, to speak to him for Adonijah. And the king rose up to meet her and bowed down to her, and sat down on his throne and had a throne set for the king’s mother; so she sat at his right hand.

Two things become clear from the way Solomon greets Bathsheba when she comes to see him as he sits on the throne. First, the two are close, and he has great respect for her. He rises when she comes in and bows before her. Second, Bathsheba is not simply Solomon's mother. She is also seen as the Queen Mother of Israel. This may not have been an official position in the kingdom, but Solomon treats it as such. He has a seat brought for her and put in a place of honor at his right side. A Queen Mother had no actual power in government and could not become the ruler of the land, but the role was recognized in many kingdoms as one of great influence. This was especially true with a young king such as Solomon.

He respects her so much that when she reveals she has a request, he agrees without hearing it (1 Kings 2:20). Her request is on behalf of Adonijah, Solomon's half-brother, who tried to assume the kingship when David was old and weak. It was only because of Nathan's quick thinking and Bathsheba's plea that David learned what Adonijah was doing and made Solomon king (1 Kings 1).

Now that David is dead and Solomon is king, Adonijah wants to wed David's last concubine, the only one David never had sex with. Solomon's consideration disappears. Whether Bathsheba understands or not, Solomon knows his brother is trying to use the royal concubine as validation that he, not Solomon, should be king (1 Kings 2:21–22).

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.