1 Kings 1

Without objection, so ordered. It would seem.

Shunem—Sulam today—was a town in northern Israel, in the Jezreel Valley. It was roughly 60 miles (100 km) north of King David’s capital, Jerusalem.

David had already dealt with a son who launched a coup. Absalom died in a battle for the kingdom, even though David had given orders for his soldiers not to harm him (2 Samuel 18:14-15). David’s oldest son was Amnon, whom Absalom killed. So, Adonijah may have been the logical next son in line for the throne.

Long-haired Absalom was a looker, too (2 Samuel 14:25). The writer seems to be reminding readers about Absalom’s coup.

Benaiah was one of David’s famous leading soldiers and the commander of the royal bodyguards (2 Samuel 23:20-24).

It’s Zoheleth in Hebrew, a word that refers to crawling critters like snakes and worms.

It’s En-Rogel or Ein-Rogel in Hebrew and in many Bible translations. The spring is most often associated with a well that is near where the Kidron Valley meets the Hinnom Valley. It’s called Job’s Well, a site today known in Arabic as Bir Ayyub. In Bible times, it was a deep well, 125 feet (38 meters). Some scholars say this is probably not Rogel Spring because it’s a well and not a spring. Virgin’s Fountain is another contender. It’s a spring close to Jerusalem.

This is “The Bathsheba,” the former wife of a soldier with whom David had an affair and got her pregnant (2 Samuel 11:4). David later ordered her husband killed so he could marry her and hide his sin.

No exaggeration here. Kings were known to secure their right to the throne by executing the perceived competition. Solomon will later order Adonijah executed for that very reason (1 Kings 2:25).

Okay, this doesn’t sound kosher, some scholars say. It sounds like Nathan is making up a story for Bathsheba to use to convince David that he made a promise he never really made. If that’s right, Nathan is taking advantage of an old man’s failing memory—exploiting it to help God get the right man on the throne. Perhaps as though God should thank him. On the other hand, God may have given Nathan the idea. Solomon became a great king until he wasn’t (1 Kings 11:4).

Gihon Spring was at the base of the ridge where Jerusalem was located. This was a short mule ride down into the Kidron Valley where Adonijah was celebrating what he thought was his coronation party.

Pouring olive oil on people was an ancient Jewish tradition known as anointing. It was a way of showing people that they had a connection with God. A prophet named Samuel anointed young David as the future king of Israel. “Samuel poured the olive oil out of the horn and onto David’s head while his older brothers watched. The LORD’s Spirit poured into David and stayed with him for the rest of his life” (1 Samuel 16:13). Christians picked up that tradition and used it in a ritual that included praying for the sick and placing hands on them. “Do you have any sick people there? If so, ask the church leaders to pray over them and to anoint them with oil. Do this in the name of the Lord, invoking the Lord’s authority” (James 5:14).

The sacrificial altar at the first tent worship center included four corners, each shaped “like an animal horn” (Exodus 27:2). Archaeologists have uncovered many “horned altars” in Israel and Palestinian Territories. Bible writers never explained why altars were built with the corners turned up like animal horns. Perhaps the horns were a tribute to the livestock sacrificed on the altar. One more common guess is that the horns gave priests something to which they could tie the dead animal. This could help keep the sacrificed animal from rolling off the fire before it was burned. Psalm 118:27 seems to add credibility to that theory: “Go ahead and tie the festival sacrifice to the four corners of the altar.” Consider how it might feel for a worshiper to watch the sacrificed animal roll off the flaming altar before the animal had even caught fire. We might understand that the animal fell off because the burning wood pile shifted as wood disintegrated in the fire. But someone offering a sacrifice to seek forgiveness for sin might think God had just rejected the offering.