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1 Kings2:13–27

The Execution of Adonijah

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1 Kings 2:13–27 — The Execution of Adonijah. Each verse below carries the full apparatus: the Berean Standard Bible, the vocalized original (tap any word), and a parsed breakdown of every term transcribed from the interlinear. Synthesized commentary, canonical threads, and the reading of Christ gather at the end, over the whole unit.

13

Now Adonijah son of Haggith went to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, and she asked, “Do you come in peace?” “Yes, in peace,” he replied.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

’ă·ḏō·nî·yā·hū ḇen- ḥag·gēṯ way·yā·ḇō ’el- baṯ- še·ḇa‘ ’êm- šə·lō·mōh wat·tō·mer bō·’e·ḵā hă·šā·lō·wm šā·lō·wm way·yō·mer

Word by word14 · parsed
אֲדֹנִיָּ֣הוּ’ă·ḏō·nî·yā·hūNow AdonijahH138
√ ʼĂdônîyâh — Adonijah, the name of three IsraelitesNounpropermasculine singular
ʼĂdônîyâh (H138) — Adonijah Strong's gives only “the name of three Israelites.” The unit's whole argument is a contest over who the ʼādôn, the lord, actually is: the man so named, or the LORD whose gift of the kingdom he has just conceded in v. 15.
בֶן־ḇen-sonH1121
√ bên — a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etcNounmasculine singular construct
חַגֵּ֗יתḥag·gēṯof HaggithH2294
√ Chaggîyth — Chaggith, a wife of DavidNounproperfeminine singular
Chaggîyth (H2294) — Haggith A rare proper name. The Verifier finds it shared with 2 Samuel 3:4 and 1 Chronicles 3:2, the two genealogies that place Adonijah as David's fourth son, born after Absalom. The narrator's shorthand for a claim by birth.
וַיָּבֹ֞אway·yā·ḇōwentH935
√ bôwʼ — to go or come (in a wide variety of applications)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
אֶל־’el-toH413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongPreposition
בַּת־baṯ-vvvH1339
√ Bath-Shebaʻ — Bath-Sheba, the mother of SolomonPreposition
שֶׁ֙בַע֙še·ḇa‘BathshebaH1339
√ Bath-Shebaʻ — Bath-Sheba, the mother of SolomonNounproperfeminine singular
Bath-Shebaʻ (H1339) — Bathsheba A rare lexeme (11 verses). She enters here as mother of Solomon, not as wife of David, which is exactly the office Ellicott and JFB say gives her weight.
אֵם־’êm-the motherH517
√ ʼêm — a mother (as the bond of the family)Nounfeminine singular construct
שְׁלֹמֹ֔הšə·lō·mōhof SolomonH8010
√ Shᵉlômôh — Shelomah, David's successorNounpropermasculine singular
וַתֹּ֖אמֶרwat·tō·merand she askedH559
√ ʼâmar — to say (used with great latitude)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person feminine singular
בֹּאֶ֑ךָbō·’e·ḵāDo you comeH935
√ bôwʼ — to go or come (in a wide variety of applications)VerbQalInfinitive constructsecond person masculine singular
הֲשָׁל֣וֹםhă·šā·lō·wmin peaceH7965
√ shâlôwm — safe, iArticleNounmasculine singular
shâlôwm (H7965) — safe, whole, peace The pivot of the scene and the lie at the heart of it. Cambridge hears in her question the same alarm as the elders of Bethlehem at Samuel's coming (1 Samuel 16:4); K&D cites the same verse. The petitioner answers with the word and then asks for the one thing that cannot be granted in peace.
שָׁלֽוֹם׃šā·lō·wmYes, in peaceH7965
√ shâlôwm — safe, iNounmasculine singular
shâlôwm (H7965) The bare repetition. In Hebrew an answer that simply echoes the question's key noun is assent; the reader who has 1 Kings 1:5 in view already knows the assent is false.
וַיֹּ֖אמֶרway·yō·merhe repliedH559
√ ʼâmar — to say (used with great latitude)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
14

Then he said, “I have something to tell you.” “Say it,” she answered.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

way·yō·mer lî dā·ḇār ’ê·lā·yiḵ dab·bêr wat·tō·mer

Word by word6 · parsed
וַיֹּ֕אמֶרway·yō·merThen he saidH559
√ ʼâmar — to say (used with great latitude)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
לִ֖יI
Prepositionfirst person common singular
דָּבָ֥רdā·ḇārhave something [to tell]H1697
√ dâbâr — a wordNounmasculine singular
dâbâr (H1697) — a word, a matter The hinge term of the unit. Adonijah has “a word”; Solomon swears that by “this word” he has spoken against his own life (v. 23); and the chapter closes on “the word of the LORD” fulfilled (v. 27). Three words, one noun, and only the last one stands.
אֵלָ֑יִךְ’ê·lā·yiḵyouH413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongPrepositionsecond person feminine singular
דַּבֵּֽר׃dab·bêrSay itH1696
√ dâbar — perhaps properly, to arrangeVerbPielImperativemasculine singular
dâbar (H1696) — to speak (Piel) The intensive stem, used here for Bathsheba's one-word permission and, at v. 24 and v. 27, for what God spoke. The narrator keeps the same verb on both sides of the plot.
וַתֹּ֖אמֶרwat·tō·mershe answeredH559
√ ʼâmar — to say (used with great latitude)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person feminine singular
15

“You know that the kingship was mine,” he said. “All Israel expected that I should reign, but the kingship has turned to my brother, for it has come to him from the LORD.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

’at yā·ḏa·‘at kî- ham·mə·lū·ḵāh lî hā·yə·ṯāh way·yō·mer ḵāl yiś·rā·’êl wə·‘ā·lay śā·mū pə·nê·hem lim·lōḵ ham·mə·lū·ḵāh wat·tis·sōḇ wat·tə·hî lə·’ā·ḥî kî hā·yə·ṯāh lōw Yah·weh

Word by word21 · parsed
אַ֤תְּ’atYouH859
√ ʼattâh — thou and thee, or (plural) ye and youPronounsecond person feminine singular
יָדַ֙עַתְּ֙yā·ḏa·‘atknowH3045
√ yâdaʻ — to know (properly, to ascertain by seeing)VerbQalPerfectsecond person feminine singular
yâdaʻ (H3045) — to know, to ascertain by seeing Second person feminine singular perfect: “thou knowest.” The flattery is grammatical. Ellicott reads the opening as craft, extolling her influence; the verb assumes she already agrees before she has heard anything.
כִּי־kî-thatH3588
√ kîy — (by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below)Conjunction
הַמְּלוּכָ֔הham·mə·lū·ḵāhthe kingshipH4410
√ mᵉlûwkâh — something ruled, iArticleNounfeminine singular
mᵉlûwkâh (H4410) — kingship, the fact of rule The abstract noun, not a place. It occurs three times in this unit (vv. 15, 15, 22) and nowhere else in it. K&D grants that the throne was his by right of primogeniture and denies that all Israel had set its eyes on him; the noun is real, the claim around it is inflated.
לִי֙vvv
Prepositionfirst person common singular
הָיְתָ֣הhā·yə·ṯāhwas mineH1961
√ hâyâh — to exist, iVerbQalPerfectthird person feminine singular
וַיֹּ֗אמֶרway·yō·merhe saidH559
√ ʼâmar — to say (used with great latitude)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
כָֽל־ḵālAllH3605
√ kôl — properly, the wholeNounmasculine singular construct
יִשְׂרָאֵ֛לyiś·rā·’êlIsraelH3478
√ Yisrâʼêl — Jisrael, a symbolical name of JacobNounpropermasculine singular
וְעָלַ֞יwə·‘ā·layexpectedH5921
√ ʻal — above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applicationsConjunctive wawPrepositionfirst person common singular
שָׂ֧מוּśā·mū. . .H7760
√ sûwm — to put (used in a great variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially, and elliptically)VerbQalPerfectthird person common plural
sûwm (H7760) — to put, to set With pânîym it is the idiom of resolve. Solomon will use the same verb at v. 19 when he sets a throne for his mother: what the people are said to have set on Adonijah, the king actually sets under her.
פְּנֵיהֶ֖םpə·nê·hem. . .H6440
√ pânîym — the face (as the part that turns)Nounmasculine plural constructthird person masculine plural
לִמְלֹ֑ךְlim·lōḵthat I should reignH4427
√ mâlak — to reignPreposition-lVerbQalInfinitive construct
הַמְּלוּכָה֙ham·mə·lū·ḵāhbut the kingshipH4410
√ mᵉlûwkâh — something ruled, iArticleNounfeminine singular
וַתִּסֹּ֤בwat·tis·sōḇhas turnedH5437
√ çâbab — to revolve, surround, or borderConjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person feminine singular
çâbab (H5437) — to revolve, surround, turn about A verb of circuit. Adonijah attributes the turn first to chance and only then, in the next breath, to YHWH. Cambridge notes he professes resignation to cloak his intentions; Pulpit says flatly that he plays the saint.
וַתְּהִ֣יwat·tə·hîH1961
√ hâyâh — to exist, iConjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person feminine singular
לְאָחִ֔יlə·’ā·ḥîto my brotherH251
√ ʼâch — a brother (used in the widest sense of literal relationship and metaphorical affinity or resemblance (like father))Preposition-lNounmasculine singular constructfirst person common singular
כִּ֥יforH3588
√ kîy — (by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below)Conjunction
הָ֥יְתָהhā·yə·ṯāhit has comeH1961
√ hâyâh — to exist, iVerbQalPerfectthird person feminine singular
לּֽוֹ׃lōwto him
Prepositionthird person masculine singular
מֵיְהוָ֖הYah·wehfrom the LORDH3068
√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodPreposition-mNounpropermasculine singular
Yᵉhôvâh (H3068) The divine name appears here for the first time in the unit, and on the lips of the man plotting against the choice it names. It will appear again only in Solomon's oath (vv. 23, 24) and in the fulfilment formula (v. 27), where it does the deciding.
16

So now I have just one request of you; do not deny me.” “State your request,” she told him.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

wə·‘at·tāh ’ā·nō·ḵî šō·’êl ’a·ḥaṯ šə·’ê·lāh mê·’it·tāḵ ’al- tā·ši·ḇî ’eṯ- pā·nāy dab·bêr wat·tō·mer ’ê·lāw

Word by word13 · parsed
וְעַתָּ֗הwə·‘at·tāhSo nowH6258
√ ʻattâh — at this time, whether adverb, conjunction or expletiveConjunctive wawAdverb
אָֽנֹכִי֙’ā·nō·ḵîIH595
√ ʼânôkîy — IPronounfirst person common singular
שֹׁאֵ֣לšō·’êl. . .H7592
√ shâʼal — to inquireVerbQalParticiplemasculine singular
shâʼal (H7592) — to inquire, to ask The verb and its noun shᵉʼêlâh (H7596) run through vv. 16, 20 and 22. Solomon's fury in v. 22 is built by hurling the same verb back: “why dost thou ask... ask for him the kingdom also.” The petition-word becomes the indictment-word.
אַחַת֙’a·ḥaṯhave just oneH259
√ ʼechâd — properly, united, iNumberfeminine singular
שְׁאֵלָ֤הšə·’ê·lāhrequestH7596
√ shᵉʼêlâh — a petitionNounfeminine singular
מֵֽאִתָּ֔ךְmê·’it·tāḵof youH854
√ ʼêth — properly, nearness (used only as a preposition or an adverb), nearPreposition-mDirect object markersecond person masculine singular
אַל־’al-do notH408
√ ʼal — not (the qualified negation, used as a deprecative)Adverb
תָּשִׁ֖בִיtā·ši·ḇîdenyH7725
√ shûwb — to turn back (hence, away) transitively or intransitively, literally or figuratively (not necessarily with the idea of return to the starting point)VerbHifilImperfectsecond person feminine singular
shûwb (H7725) — to turn back (Hifil, causative) The unit's quiet refrain: “turn not back my face” (v. 16), “turn not back my face” (v. 20), “I will not turn back thy face” (v. 20), “he will not turn back thy face” (v. 17). Four times a face is not turned back, and the one thing granted through all that courtesy is a death sentence.
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
פָּנָ֑יpā·nāymeH6440
√ pânîym — the face (as the part that turns)Nounmasculine plural constructfirst person common singular
pânîym (H6440) — the face, as the part that turns Strong's own gloss carries the image: the face is what turns. To turn back a petitioner's face is to send him away with it hidden. Barnes preserves the marginal literalism; Pulpit notes that in Hebrew face often simply stands for the person.
דַּבֵּֽר׃dab·bêrState [your request]H1696
√ dâbar — perhaps properly, to arrangeVerbPielImperativemasculine singular
וַתֹּ֥אמֶרwat·tō·mershe toldH559
√ ʼâmar — to say (used with great latitude)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person feminine singular
אֵלָ֖יו’ê·lāwhimH413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongPrepositionthird person masculine singular
17

Adonijah replied, “Please speak to King Solomon, since he will not turn you down. Let him give me Abishag the Shunammite as my wife.”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

way·yō·mer nā ’im·rî- ham·me·leḵ liš·lō·mōh kî lō- yā·šîḇ ’eṯ- pā·nā·yiḵ wə·yit·ten- lî ’eṯ- ’ă·ḇî·šaḡ haš·šū·nam·mîṯ lə·’iš·šāh

Word by word16 · parsed
וַיֹּ֗אמֶרway·yō·mer[Adonijah] repliedH559
√ ʼâmar — to say (used with great latitude)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
נָא֙PleaseH4994
√ nâʼ — 'I pray', 'now', or 'then'Interjection
Particle of entreaty nâʼ (H4994), softening the imperative.
אִמְרִי־’im·rî-speakH559
√ ʼâmar — to say (used with great latitude)VerbQalImperativefeminine singular
הַמֶּ֔לֶךְham·me·leḵto KingH4428
√ melek — a kingArticleNounmasculine singular
לִשְׁלֹמֹ֣הliš·lō·mōhSolomonH8010
√ Shᵉlômôh — Shelomah, David's successorPreposition-lNounpropermasculine singular
כִּ֥יsinceH3588
√ kîy — (by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below)Conjunction
לֹֽא־lō-he will notH3808
√ lôʼ — not (the simple or absAdverbNegative particle
יָשִׁ֖יבyā·šîḇturn you downH7725
√ shûwb — to turn back (hence, away) transitively or intransitively, literally or figuratively (not necessarily with the idea of return to the starting point)VerbHifilImperfectthird person masculine singular
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
פָּנָ֑יִךְpā·nā·yiḵH6440
√ pânîym — the face (as the part that turns)Nouncommon plural constructsecond person feminine singular
וְיִתֶּן־wə·yit·ten-Let him giveH5414
√ nâthan — to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etcConjunctive wawVerbQalConjunctive imperfectthird person masculine singular
לִ֛יme
Prepositionfirst person common singular
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
אֲבִישַׁ֥ג’ă·ḇî·šaḡAbishagH49
√ ʼĂbîyshag — Abishag, a concubine of DavidNounproperfeminine singular
ʼĂbîyshag (H49) — Abishag A rare lexeme, five verses in the whole canon, all of them in this succession narrative (1 Kings 1:3, 1:15, and here). She never speaks; two men decide what her body means politically.
הַשּׁוּנַמִּ֖יתhaš·šū·nam·mîṯthe ShunammiteH7767
√ Shûwnammîyth — a Shunammitess, or female inhabitant of ShunemArticleNounproperfeminine singular
Shûwnammîyth (H7767) — a Shunammitess Rare (eight verses). The other holder of this gentilic is the great woman of Shunem in Elisha's story (2 Kings 4), a different person entirely; the shared word is geography, not identity.
לְאִשָּֽׁה׃lə·’iš·šāhas my wifeH802
√ ʼishshâh — a womanPreposition-lNounfeminine singular
ʼishshâh (H802) — woman, wife The legal weight sits on this one preposition-plus-noun. Cambridge states the principle plainly: in the East the widows of the late king become the wives of his successor, so to seek such a marriage is to put forward a claim to the throne. Barnes, K&D, Poole and Gill all reach the same conclusion by way of 2 Samuel 3:7, 12:8 and 16:21.
18

“Very well,” Bathsheba replied. “I will speak to the king for you.”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

ṭō·wḇ baṯ- še·ḇa‘ wat·tō·mer ’ā·nō·ḵî ’ă·ḏab·bêr ’el- ham·me·leḵ ‘ā·le·ḵā

Word by word9 · parsed
ט֑וֹבṭō·wḇVery wellH2896
√ ṭôwb — good (as an adjective) in the widest senseAdjectivemasculine singular
ṭôwb (H2896) — good, in the widest sense One syllable of consent. Henry's whole moral of the chapter hangs on it: the request should never have been carried. The narrative does not blame her motive, only her sight.
בַּת־baṯ-vvvH1339
√ Bath-Shebaʻ — Bath-Sheba, the mother of SolomonPreposition
שֶׁ֖בַעše·ḇa‘BathshebaH1339
√ Bath-Shebaʻ — Bath-Sheba, the mother of SolomonNounproperfeminine singular
וַתֹּ֥אמֶרwat·tō·merrepliedH559
√ ʼâmar — to say (used with great latitude)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person feminine singular
אָנֹכִ֕י’ā·nō·ḵîIH595
√ ʼânôkîy — IPronounfirst person common singular
ʼânôkîy (H595) — I The emphatic pronoun, promising her own agency. She will repeat it at v. 20 (“I have just one small request”), and it is that repetition, her own voice now carrying his petition, that makes the plot work.
אֲדַבֵּ֥ר’ă·ḏab·bêrwill speakH1696
√ dâbar — perhaps properly, to arrangeVerbPielImperfectfirst person common singular
dâbar (H1696) — to speak (Piel imperfect) The same intensive stem she authorised in v. 14 and that God is said to have used in v. 24 and v. 27. Human speech and divine speech run on one verb through this unit, and only one of them creates what it says.
אֶל־’el-toH413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongPreposition
הַמֶּֽלֶךְ׃ham·me·leḵthe kingH4428
√ melek — a kingArticleNounmasculine singular
עָלֶ֖יךָ‘ā·le·ḵāfor youH5921
√ ʻal — above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applicationsPrepositionsecond person masculine singular
19

So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah. The king stood up to greet her, bowed to her, and sat down on his throne. Then the king had a throne brought for his mother, who sat down at his right hand.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

ḇaṯ- še·ḇa‘ wat·tā·ḇō ’el- ham·me·leḵ šə·lō·mōh lə·ḏab·ber- lōw ‘al- ’ă·ḏō·nî·yā·hū ham·me·leḵ way·yā·qām liq·rā·ṯāh way·yiš·ta·ḥū lāh way·yê·šeḇ ‘al- kis·’ōw kis·sê way·yā·śem ham·me·leḵ lə·’êm wat·tê·šeḇ lî·mî·nōw

Word by word24 · parsed
בַת־ḇaṯ-vvvH1339
√ Bath-Shebaʻ — Bath-Sheba, the mother of SolomonPreposition
שֶׁ֙בַע֙še·ḇa‘So BathshebaH1339
√ Bath-Shebaʻ — Bath-Sheba, the mother of SolomonNounproperfeminine singular
וַתָּבֹ֤אwat·tā·ḇōwentH935
√ bôwʼ — to go or come (in a wide variety of applications)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person feminine singular
אֶל־’el-toH413
√ ʼêl — near, with or amongPreposition
הַמֶּ֣לֶךְham·me·leḵKingH4428
√ melek — a kingArticleNounmasculine singular
שְׁלֹמֹ֔הšə·lō·mōhSolomonH8010
√ Shᵉlômôh — Shelomah, David's successorNounpropermasculine singular
לְדַבֶּר־lə·ḏab·ber-to speakH1696
√ dâbar — perhaps properly, to arrangePreposition-lVerbPielInfinitive construct
ל֖וֹlōwto him
Prepositionthird person masculine singular
עַל־‘al-forH5921
√ ʻal — above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applicationsPreposition
אֲדֹנִיָּ֑הוּ’ă·ḏō·nî·yā·hūAdonijahH138
√ ʼĂdônîyâh — Adonijah, the name of three IsraelitesNounpropermasculine singular
הַמֶּ֨לֶךְham·me·leḵThe kingH4428
√ melek — a kingArticleNounmasculine singular
וַיָּקָם֩way·yā·qāmstood upH6965
√ qûwm — to rise (in various applications, literal, figurative, intensive and causative)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
qûwm (H6965) — to rise The narrative's protocol is exact and expensive: the king rises, goes out to meet her, prostrates, then sits. Benson draws the plain moral that elevation does not cancel the honour owed a parent.
לִקְרָאתָ֜הּliq·rā·ṯāhto greet herH7122
√ qârâʼ — to encounter, whether accidentally or in a hostile mannerPreposition-lVerbQalInfinitive constructthird person feminine singular
וַיִּשְׁתַּ֣חוּway·yiš·ta·ḥūbowedH7812
√ shâchâh — to depress, iConjunctive wawVerbHitpaelConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
shâchâh (H7812) — to bow down, prostrate (Hitpael) The worship-verb, used here of a son to his mother. The Verifier notes it shared with 1 Kings 1:16 and 1:31, where Bathsheba bowed to David. The posture has reversed within a single chapter: she who bowed is now bowed to.
לָ֗הּlāhto her
Prepositionthird person feminine singular
וַיֵּ֙שֶׁב֙way·yê·šeḇand sat downH3427
√ yâshab — properly, to sit down (specifically as judgeConjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
עַל־‘al-onH5921
√ ʻal — above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applicationsPreposition
כִּסְא֔וֹkis·’ōwhis throneH3678
√ kiççêʼ — properly, covered, iNounmasculine singular constructthird person masculine singular
kiççêʼ (H3678) — throne, properly “covered” Used twice in this verse. The doubling is the point Cambridge and Barnes both press: the queen mother's office (the gebirah, per Pulpit citing 1 Kings 15:13) is a throne of its own, and that is precisely the power Adonijah is trying to borrow.
כִּסֵּא֙kis·sêThen [the king] had a throneH3678
√ kiççêʼ — properly, covered, iNounmasculine singular
וַיָּ֤שֶׂםway·yā·śembroughtH7760
√ sûwm — to put (used in a great variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially, and elliptically)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
הַמֶּ֔לֶךְham·me·leḵfor [his]H4428
√ melek — a kingArticleNounmasculine singular
לְאֵ֣םlə·’êmmotherH517
√ ʼêm — a mother (as the bond of the family)Preposition-lNounfeminine singular construct
וַתֵּ֖שֶׁבwat·tê·šeḇ[who] sat downH3427
√ yâshab — properly, to sit down (specifically as judgeConjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person feminine singular
לִֽימִינֽוֹ׃lî·mî·nōwat his right handH3225
√ yâmîyn — the right hand or side (leg, eye) of a person or other object (as the stronger and more dexterous)Preposition-lNounfeminine singular constructthird person masculine singular
yâmîyn (H3225) — the right hand, the stronger side The seat of shared rule. Within the chapter it is honour; read canonically, it is the seat Psalm 110:1 gives to the Lord's anointed, which is why Pulpit's note piles up the New Testament references here. The unit's irony is that the one seated at the king's right hand is about to be used to carry a traitor's petition.
20

“I have just one small request of you,” she said. “Do not deny me.” “Make your request, my mother,” the king replied, “for I will not deny you.”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

’ā·nō·ḵî ’a·ḥaṯ qə·ṭan·nāh šə·’ê·lāh wat·tō·mer ’al- tā·šeḇ ’eṯ- pā·nāy šō·’e·leṯ mê·’it·tāḵ ’im·mî ham·me·leḵ ša·’ă·lî way·yō·mer- lāh kî lō- ’ā·šîḇ ’eṯ- pā·nā·yiḵ

Word by word21 · parsed
אָֽנֹכִי֙’ā·nō·ḵîIH595
√ ʼânôkîy — IPronounfirst person common singular
אַחַ֤ת’a·ḥaṯhave just oneH259
√ ʼechâd — properly, united, iNumberfeminine singular construct
קְטַנָּה֙qə·ṭan·nāhsmallH6996
√ qâṭân — abbreviated, iAdjectivefeminine singular
qâṭân (H6996) — small, abbreviated The single most consequential adjective in the unit. It is her own addition, not Adonijah's word, and it measures exactly how far the deception reached: she has weighed the request and found it light.
שְׁאֵלָ֨הšə·’ê·lāhrequest of youH7596
√ shᵉʼêlâh — a petitionNounfeminine singular
וַתֹּ֗אמֶרwat·tō·mershe saidH559
√ ʼâmar — to say (used with great latitude)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person feminine singular
אַל־’al-Do notH408
√ ʼal — not (the qualified negation, used as a deprecative)Adverb
תָּ֖שֶׁבtā·šeḇdenyH7725
√ shûwb — to turn back (hence, away) transitively or intransitively, literally or figuratively (not necessarily with the idea of return to the starting point)VerbHifilImperfect Jussivesecond person masculine singular
shûwb (H7725) — to turn back (Hifil jussive) Jussive, therefore deferential, from a queen mother enthroned at the king's right hand. Even from that seat she petitions rather than directs.
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
פָּנָ֑יpā·nāymeH6440
√ pânîym — the face (as the part that turns)Nounmasculine plural constructfirst person common singular
שֹׁאֶ֣לֶתšō·’e·leṯMake your requestH7592
√ shâʼal — to inquireVerbQalParticiplefeminine singular
מֵֽאִתָּ֔ךְmê·’it·tāḵ. . .H854
√ ʼêth — properly, nearness (used only as a preposition or an adverb), nearPreposition-mDirect object markersecond person masculine singular
אִמִּ֔י’im·mîmy motherH517
√ ʼêm — a mother (as the bond of the family)Nounfeminine singular constructfirst person common singular
ʼêm (H517) — mother, the bond of the family The word that gives her the throne of v. 19 and the promise of v. 20. When Solomon answers in v. 22 he addresses her as no relation at all, only “and why dost thou ask”; the kinship term drops out of his mouth at the moment the politics appears.
הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ham·me·leḵthe kingH4428
√ melek — a kingArticleNounmasculine singular
שַׁאֲלִ֣יša·’ă·lî. . .H7592
√ shâʼal — to inquireVerbQalImperativefeminine singular
וַיֹּֽאמֶר־way·yō·mer-repliedH559
√ ʼâmar — to say (used with great latitude)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
לָ֤הּlāh
Prepositionthird person feminine singular
כִּ֥יforH3588
√ kîy — (by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below)Conjunction
לֹֽא־lō-I will notH3808
√ lôʼ — not (the simple or absAdverbNegative particle
אָשִׁ֖יב’ā·šîḇdenyH7725
√ shûwb — to turn back (hence, away) transitively or intransitively, literally or figuratively (not necessarily with the idea of return to the starting point)VerbHifilImperfectfirst person common singular
shûwb (H7725), first person “I will not turn back thy face.” Gill and Cambridge both supply the unspoken condition: if it be lawful, if it be possible to grant. The narrative then tests whether an unconditioned royal promise could have survived at all.
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
פָּנָֽיִךְ׃pā·nā·yiḵyouH6440
√ pânîym — the face (as the part that turns)Nouncommon plural constructsecond person feminine singular
21

So Bathsheba said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to your brother Adonijah as his wife.”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

wat·tō·mer ’ă·ḇî·šaḡ haš·šu·nam·mîṯ yut·tan ’eṯ- ’ā·ḥî·ḵā la·’ă·ḏō·nî·yā·hū lə·’iš·šāh

Word by word8 · parsed
וַתֹּ֕אמֶרwat·tō·merSo [Bathsheba] saidH559
√ ʼâmar — to say (used with great latitude)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person feminine singular
אֲבִישַׁ֣ג’ă·ḇî·šaḡLet AbishagH49
√ ʼĂbîyshag — Abishag, a concubine of DavidNounproperfeminine singular
הַשֻּׁנַמִּ֑יתhaš·šu·nam·mîṯthe ShunammiteH7767
√ Shûwnammîyth — a Shunammitess, or female inhabitant of ShunemArticleNounproperfeminine singular
יֻתַּ֖ןyut·tanbe givenH5414
√ nâthan — to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etcVerbQalPassImperfectthird person masculine singular
nâthan (H5414) — to give (Qal passive) The agentless passive is the request's cleverest feature. It asks for a transfer while naming no one who must make it, so the king can say yes without noticing that he has alienated a claim on his father's house.
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
אָחִ֖יךָ’ā·ḥî·ḵāto your brotherH251
√ ʼâch — a brother (used in the widest sense of literal relationship and metaphorical affinity or resemblance (like father))Nounmasculine singular constructsecond person masculine singular
ʼâch (H251) — a brother, in the widest sense The word Adonijah used of Solomon in v. 15 (“my brother”), which Cambridge notes he deployed as if in friendship. Bathsheba now uses it back. In v. 22 Solomon will use it a third time, coupled with ha-gâdôwl mimmennî, “the greater than I,” and at that moment the kinship term turns into the ground of the death sentence.
לַאֲדֹנִיָּ֥הוּla·’ă·ḏō·nî·yā·hūAdonijahH138
√ ʼĂdônîyâh — Adonijah, the name of three IsraelitesPreposition-lNounpropermasculine singular
לְאִשָּֽׁה׃lə·’iš·šāhas his wifeH802
√ ʼishshâh — a womanPreposition-lNounfeminine singular
22

King Solomon answered his mother, “Why do you request Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Since he is my older brother, you might as well request the kingdom for him and for Abiathar the priest and for Joab son of Zeruiah!”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

ham·me·leḵ šə·lō·mōh way·yō·mer way·ya·‘an lə·’im·mōw wə·lā·māh ’at šō·’e·leṯ ’eṯ- ’ă·ḇî·šaḡ haš·šu·nam·mîṯ la·’ă·ḏō·nî·yā·hū kî hū hag·gā·ḏō·wl mim·men·nî wə·lōw ’ā·ḥî wə·ša·’ă·lî- ’eṯ- ham·mə·lū·ḵāh lōw ū·lə·’eḇ·yā·ṯār hak·kō·hên ū·lə·yō·w·’āḇ ben- ṣə·rū·yāh

Word by word27 · parsed
הַמֶּ֨לֶךְham·me·leḵKingH4428
√ melek — a kingArticleNounmasculine singular
שְׁלֹמֹ֜הšə·lō·mōhSolomonH8010
√ Shᵉlômôh — Shelomah, David's successorNounpropermasculine singular
וַיֹּ֣אמֶרway·yō·mer. . .H559
√ ʼâmar — to say (used with great latitude)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
וַיַּעַן֩way·ya·‘anansweredH6030
√ ʻânâh — properly, to eye or (generally) to heed, iConjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
ʻânâh (H6030) — properly, to eye or heed; to answer “Answered and said” is the formal Hebrew doubling for a weighty reply. Ellicott hears bitterness venting itself in irony here, not unlike the bursts of passion in David.
לְאִמּ֗וֹlə·’im·mōwhis motherH517
√ ʼêm — a mother (as the bond of the family)Preposition-lNounfeminine singular constructthird person masculine singular
וְלָמָה֩wə·lā·māhWhyH4100
√ mâh — properly, interrogative what? (including how? why? when?)Conjunctive wawInterrogative
אַ֨תְּ’atdo youH859
√ ʼattâh — thou and thee, or (plural) ye and youPronounsecond person feminine singular
שֹׁאֶ֜לֶתšō·’e·leṯrequestH7592
√ shâʼal — to inquireVerbQalParticiplefeminine singular
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
אֲבִישַׁ֤ג’ă·ḇî·šaḡAbishagH49
√ ʼĂbîyshag — Abishag, a concubine of DavidNounproperfeminine singular
הַשֻּׁנַמִּית֙haš·šu·nam·mîṯthe ShunammiteH7767
√ Shûwnammîyth — a Shunammitess, or female inhabitant of ShunemArticleNounproperfeminine singular
לַאֲדֹ֣נִיָּ֔הוּla·’ă·ḏō·nî·yā·hūfor AdonijahH138
√ ʼĂdônîyâh — Adonijah, the name of three IsraelitesPreposition-lNounpropermasculine singular
כִּ֛יSinceH3588
√ kîy — (by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below)Conjunction
ה֥וּאheH1931
√ hûwʼ — he (she or it)Pronounthird person masculine singular
הַגָּד֣וֹלhag·gā·ḏō·wlis my olderH1419
√ gâdôwl — great (in any sense)ArticleAdjectivemasculine singular
gâdôwl (H1419) — great, in any sense With min, comparative: elder. The clause is the only concession Solomon makes in the unit, and it is the one that makes execution necessary in his own logic. Poole reads it: he looks on the kingdom as his by birthright and the law of nations, and therefore may seek to cast me out as a usurper.
מִמֶּ֑נִּיmim·men·nî. . .H4480
√ min — properly, a part ofPrepositionfirst person common singular
וְלוֹ֙wə·lōw
Conjunctive wawPrepositionthird person masculine singular
אָחִ֖י’ā·ḥîbrotherH251
√ ʼâch — a brother (used in the widest sense of literal relationship and metaphorical affinity or resemblance (like father))Nounmasculine singular constructfirst person common singular
וְשַֽׁאֲלִי־wə·ša·’ă·lî-you might as well requestH7592
√ shâʼal — to inquireConjunctive wawVerbQalImperativefeminine singular
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
הַמְּלוּכָ֔הham·mə·lū·ḵāhthe kingdomH4410
√ mᵉlûwkâh — something ruled, iArticleNounfeminine singular
mᵉlûwkâh (H4410) — kingship Third and final occurrence, in an imperative of contempt. Barnes explains why one word can substitute for the other: public opinion so tied possession of the dead king's wives to the title that granting the request would have been the strongest encouragement to Adonijah's pretensions.
לוֹ֙lōwfor him
Prepositionthird person masculine singular
וּלְאֶבְיָתָ֣רū·lə·’eḇ·yā·ṯārand for AbiatharH54
√ ʼEbyâthâr — Ebjathar, an IsraeliteConjunctive waw, Preposition-lNounpropermasculine singular
ʼEbyâthâr (H54) — Abiathar Naming him here is the hinge of the whole chapter's second half. Cambridge notes that the two men named would have been Adonijah's chief ministers had he succeeded; Pulpit argues that this naming is almost fatal to the theory that the quarrel was about a woman, since neither Joab nor Abiathar would have had any interest in a love affair.
הַכֹּהֵ֔ןhak·kō·hênthe priestH3548
√ kôhên — literally one officiating, a priestArticleNounmasculine singular
וּלְיוֹאָ֖בū·lə·yō·w·’āḇand for JoabH3097
√ Yôwʼâb — Joab, the name of three IsraelitesConjunctive waw, Preposition-lNounpropermasculine singular
בֶּן־ben-sonH1121
√ bên — a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etcNounmasculine singular construct
צְרוּיָֽה׃פṣə·rū·yāhof ZeruiahH6870
√ Tsᵉrûwyâh — Tserujah, an IsraelitessNounpropermasculine singular
Tsᵉrûwyâh (H6870) — Zeruiah The last word of the Hebrew verse, and the point where Cambridge reports the Septuagint diverges, apparently reading a further word meaning “his friend.” See the apparatus.
23

Then King Solomon swore by the LORD: “May God punish me, and ever so severely, if Adonijah has not made this request at the expense of his life.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

ham·me·leḵ šə·lō·mōh way·yiš·šā·ḇa‘ Yah·weh lê·mōr ’ĕ·lō·hîm kōh ya·‘ă·śeh- lî wə·ḵōh yō·w·sîp̄ kî ’ă·ḏō·nî·yā·hū ’eṯ- dib·ber haz·zeh had·dā·ḇār ḇə·nap̄·šōw

Word by word18 · parsed
הַמֶּ֣לֶךְham·me·leḵThen KingH4428
√ melek — a kingArticleNounmasculine singular
שְׁלֹמֹ֔הšə·lō·mōhSolomonH8010
√ Shᵉlômôh — Shelomah, David's successorNounpropermasculine singular
וַיִּשָּׁבַע֙way·yiš·šā·ḇa‘sworeH7650
√ shâbaʻ — to seven oneself, iConjunctive wawVerbNifalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
shâbaʻ (H7650) — to swear, properly “to seven oneself” Nifal. Benson and Poole both note that Solomon swears here and again in v. 24, and say why: to bind himself irrevocably and to cut off all further intercession. The double oath is a man locking a door against his own mother.
בַּֽיהוָ֖הYah·wehby the LORDH3068
√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodPreposition-bNounpropermasculine singular
לֵאמֹ֑רlê·mōr. . .H559
√ ʼâmar — to say (used with great latitude)Preposition-lVerbQalInfinitive construct
אֱלֹהִים֙’ĕ·lō·hîmMay GodH430
√ ʼĕlôhîym — gods in the ordinary senseNounmasculine plural
כֹּ֣הkōhpunishH3541
√ kôh — properly, like this, iAdverb
kôh (H3541) — thus, like this Twice. The self-imprecation names no penalty, only a demonstrative. Ellicott lists the formula's other occurrences: Ruth 1:17, 1 Samuel 3:17, 14:44, 20:13, 25:22, 2 Samuel 11:14.
יַֽעֲשֶׂה־ya·‘ă·śeh-. . .H6213
√ ʻâsâh — to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest applicationVerbQalImperfectthird person masculine singular
לִּ֤יme
Prepositionfirst person common singular
וְכֹ֣הwə·ḵōhand ever soH3541
√ kôh — properly, like this, iConjunctive wawAdverb
יוֹסִ֔יףyō·w·sîp̄severelyH3254
√ yâçaph — to add or augment (often adverbial, to continue to do a thing)VerbHifilImperfectthird person masculine singular
כִּ֣יifH3588
√ kîy — (by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below)Conjunction
אֲדֹ֣נִיָּ֔הוּ’ă·ḏō·nî·yā·hūAdonijahH138
√ ʼĂdônîyâh — Adonijah, the name of three IsraelitesNounpropermasculine singular
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
דִּבֶּר֙dib·berhas not madeH1696
√ dâbar — perhaps properly, to arrangeVerbPielPerfectthird person masculine singular
הַזֶּֽה׃haz·zehthisH2088
√ zeh — the masculine demonstrative pronoun, this or thatArticlePronounmasculine singular
הַדָּבָ֖רhad·dā·ḇārrequestH1697
√ dâbâr — a wordArticleNounmasculine singular
dâbâr (H1697) — word Second of the unit's three load-bearing occurrences. The word he carried in v. 14 is now the word that condemns him; the third, in v. 27, is God's.
בְנַפְשׁ֔וֹḇə·nap̄·šōwat the expense of his lifeH5315
√ nephesh — properly, a breathing creature, iPreposition-bNounfeminine singular constructthird person masculine singular
nephesh (H5315) — breath, life, soul The word decides the verdict. Adonijah asked for a wife; Solomon rules that he has spoken against his own nephesh. Barnes recalls that the life was already forfeit and the pardon of 1 Kings 1:52 merely conditional.
24

And now, as surely as the LORD lives—the One who established me, who set me on the throne of my father David, and who founded for me a dynasty as He promised—surely Adonijah shall be put to death today!”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

wə·‘at·tāh Yah·weh ḥay- ’ă·šer hĕ·ḵî·na·nî way·yō·šī·ḇī·nī ‘al- kis·sê ’ā·ḇî dā·wiḏ ‘ā·śāh- lî ba·yiṯ ka·’ă·šer wa·’ă·šer dib·bêr kî ’ă·ḏō·nî·yā·hū yū·maṯ hay·yō·wm

Word by word20 · parsed
וְעַתָּ֗הwə·‘at·tāhAnd nowH6258
√ ʻattâh — at this time, whether adverb, conjunction or expletiveConjunctive wawAdverb
יְהוָה֙Yah·wehas surely as the LORDH3068
√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodNounpropermasculine singular
חַי־ḥay-livesH2416
√ chay — aliveNounmasculine singular
אֲשֶׁ֣ר’ă·šerthe OneH834
√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative
הֱכִינַ֗נִיhĕ·ḵî·na·nîwho established meH3559
√ kûwn — properly, to be erect (iVerbHifilPerfectthird person masculine singularfirst person common singular
kûwn (H3559) — to be erect, to establish firmly (Hifil) The verb of foundations. Solomon grounds his right not in birth (which he has just conceded to Adonijah, v. 22) but in divine establishment, which is the same ground Adonijah himself named in v. 15, “it became his from the LORD.” Both men accept the premise; only one obeys it.
וַיּוֹשִׁיבִינִיway·yō·šī·ḇī·nīwho set meH3427
√ yâshab — properly, to sit down (specifically as judgeConjunctive wawVerbHifilConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singularfirst person common singular
עַל־‘al-onH5921
√ ʻal — above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applicationsPreposition
כִּסֵּא֙kis·sêthe throneH3678
√ kiççêʼ — properly, covered, iNounmasculine singular construct
אָבִ֔י’ā·ḇîof my fatherH1
√ ʼâb — father, in a literal and immediate, or figurative and remote applicationNounmasculine singular constructfirst person common singular
דָּוִ֣דdā·wiḏDavidH1732
√ Dâvid — David, the youngest son of JesseNounpropermasculine singular
עָֽשָׂה־‘ā·śāh-and who foundedH6213
√ ʻâsâh — to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest applicationVerbQalPerfectthird person masculine singular
לִ֛יfor me
Prepositionfirst person common singular
בַּ֖יִתba·yiṯa dynastyH1004
√ bayith — a house (in the greatest variation of applications, especially family, etcNounmasculine singular
bayith (H1004) — a house, in the greatest variation of applications Strong's own gloss admits the ambiguity the commentators are fighting over. The phrase reproduces 2 Samuel 7:11 (K&D says verbatim), which is where the word slides from building to family to dynasty; the same noun will close the unit in v. 27 as “the house of Eli,” a house unbuilt.
כַּאֲשֶׁ֣רka·’ă·šerH834
√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPreposition-kPronounrelative
וַאֲשֶׁ֧רwa·’ă·šerasH834
√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatConjunctive wawPronounrelative
דִּבֵּ֑רdib·bêrHe promisedH1696
√ dâbar — perhaps properly, to arrangeVerbPielPerfectthird person masculine singular
dâbar (H1696) — to speak (Piel perfect) “As He spoke.” The same Piel used of Adonijah's plotting speech in vv. 14, 16 and 23. Only here does the speaking produce what it says.
כִּ֣יsurelyH3588
√ kîy — (by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below)Conjunction
אֲדֹנִיָּֽהוּ׃’ă·ḏō·nî·yā·hūAdonijahH138
√ ʼĂdônîyâh — Adonijah, the name of three IsraelitesNounpropermasculine singular
יוּמַ֖תyū·maṯshall be put to deathH4191
√ mûwth — to die (literally or figuratively)VerbHofalImperfectthird person masculine singular
mûwth (H4191) — to die (Hofal) Passive causative, with hayyôwm, “today.” Poole: he knew delays were dangerous in matters of that nature.
הַיּ֔וֹםhay·yō·wmtodayH3117
√ yôwm — a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverb)ArticleNounmasculine singular
25

So King Solomon gave orders to Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he struck down Adonijah and he died.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

ham·me·leḵ šə·lō·mōh way·yiš·laḥ bə·yaḏ bə·nā·yā·hū ḇen- yə·hō·w·yā·ḏā‘ way·yip̄·ga‘- bōw way·yā·mōṯ

Word by word10 · parsed
הַמֶּ֣לֶךְham·me·leḵSo KingH4428
√ melek — a kingArticleNounmasculine singular
שְׁלֹמֹ֔הšə·lō·mōhSolomonH8010
√ Shᵉlômôh — Shelomah, David's successorNounpropermasculine singular
וַיִּשְׁלַח֙way·yiš·laḥgave ordersH7971
√ shâlach — to send away, for, or out (in a great variety of applications)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
shâlach (H7971) — to send away, for, or out The royal verb of this chapter's justice: the king does not go, he sends. The distance is part of the office, and part of what makes the commentators uneasy.
בְּיַ֖דbə·yaḏtoH3027
√ yâd — a hand (the open one (indicating power, means, direction, etcPreposition-bNounfeminine singular construct
בְּנָיָ֣הוּbə·nā·yā·hūBenaiahH1141
√ Bᵉnâyâh — Benajah, the name of twelve IsraelitesNounpropermasculine singular
בֶן־ḇen-sonH1121
√ bên — a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etcNounmasculine singular construct
יְהוֹיָדָ֑עyə·hō·w·yā·ḏā‘of JehoiadaH3077
√ Yᵉhôwyâdâʻ — Jehojada, the name of three IsraelitesNounpropermasculine singular
וַיִּפְגַּע־way·yip̄·ga‘-and he struck downH6293
√ pâgaʻ — to impinge, by accident or violence, or (figuratively) by importunityConjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
pâgaʻ (H6293) — to impinge, by accident, violence, or importunity The same root can mean to entreat or to fall upon. ⚙ That double range is not proof of anything, but it is worth noticing in a chapter where an importunate request and a violent death are the same event seen from two ends.
בּ֖וֹbōwAdonijah
Prepositionthird person masculine singular
וַיָּמֹֽת׃סway·yā·mōṯand he diedH4191
√ mûwth — to die (literally or figuratively)Conjunctive wawVerbQalConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
mûwth (H4191) — to die Qal, active, after the Hofal of v. 24. What was decreed impersonally happens personally. K&D defends the act as duty to God without regard to blood-relationship; Benson records that many readers still find it far from clear Solomon acted rightly, and that Scripture nowhere censures him.
26

Then the king said to Abiathar the priest, “Go back to your fields in Anathoth. Even though you deserve to die, I will not put you to death at this time, since you carried the ark of the Lord GOD before my father David, and you suffered through all that my father suffered.”

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

ham·me·leḵ ’ā·mar ū·lə·’eḇ·yā·ṯār hak·kō·hên lêḵ ‘al- śā·ḏe·ḵā ‘ă·nā·ṯōṯ kî ’îš ’āt·tāh mā·weṯ lō ’ă·mî·ṯe·ḵā haz·zeh ū·ḇay·yō·wm kî- nā·śā·ṯā ’eṯ- ’ă·rō·wn ’ă·ḏō·nāy Yah·weh lip̄·nê ’ā·ḇî wə·ḵî dā·wiḏ hiṯ·‘an·nî·ṯā bə·ḵōl ’ă·šer- ’ā·ḇî hiṯ·‘an·nāh

Word by word31 · parsed
הַמֶּ֗לֶךְham·me·leḵThen the kingH4428
√ melek — a kingArticleNounmasculine singular
אָמַ֣ר’ā·marsaidH559
√ ʼâmar — to say (used with great latitude)VerbQalPerfectthird person masculine singular
וּלְאֶבְיָתָ֨רū·lə·’eḇ·yā·ṯārto AbiatharH54
√ ʼEbyâthâr — Ebjathar, an IsraeliteConjunctive waw, Preposition-lNounpropermasculine singular
הַכֹּהֵ֜ןhak·kō·hênthe priestH3548
√ kôhên — literally one officiating, a priestArticleNounmasculine singular
לֵ֣ךְlêḵGo backH1980
√ hâlak — to walk (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively)VerbQalImperativemasculine singular
עַל־‘al-toH5921
√ ʻal — above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applicationsPreposition
שָׂדֶ֔יךָśā·ḏe·ḵāyour fieldsH7704
√ sâdeh — a field (as flat)Nounmasculine plural constructsecond person masculine singular
עֲנָתֹת֙‘ă·nā·ṯōṯin AnathothH6068
√ ʻĂnâthôwth — Anathoth, the name of two Israelites, also of a place in PalNounproperfeminine singular
ʻĂnâthôwth (H6068) — Anathoth A priests' city in Benjamin (Joshua 21:18), about an hour and a quarter north-northeast of Jerusalem per Cambridge citing Robinson, and, as Ellicott and Cambridge both note, the birthplace of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:1) and the site of the field Jeremiah later bought (Jeremiah 32:7). The deposed priest is sent to the place from which the next great word of the LORD will one day come.
כִּ֛יEven thoughH3588
√ kîy — (by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below)Conjunction
אִ֥ישׁ’îš. . .H376
√ ʼîysh — a man as an individual or a male personNounmasculine singular construct
אָ֑תָּה’āt·tāhyouH859
√ ʼattâh — thou and thee, or (plural) ye and youPronounsecond person masculine singular
מָ֖וֶתmā·weṯdeserve to dieH4194
√ mâveth — death (natural or violent)Nounmasculine singular
mâveth (H4194) — death, natural or violent In construct with ʼîysh: a man belonging to death. Cambridge and K&D both preserve the idiom; the LXX, per Pulpit, reads anēr thanatou, equivalent to “liable to death” in Matthew 26:66.
לֹ֣אI will notH3808
√ lôʼ — not (the simple or absAdverbNegative particle
אֲמִיתֶ֗ךָ’ă·mî·ṯe·ḵāput you to deathH4191
√ mûwth — to die (literally or figuratively)VerbHifilImperfectfirst person common singularsecond person masculine singular
הַזֶּ֜הhaz·zehat thisH2088
√ zeh — the masculine demonstrative pronoun, this or thatArticlePronounmasculine singular
וּבַיּ֨וֹםū·ḇay·yō·wmtimeH3117
√ yôwm — a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverb)Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, ArticleNounmasculine singular
כִּֽי־kî-sinceH3588
√ kîy — (by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below)Conjunction
נָשָׂ֜אתָnā·śā·ṯāyou carriedH5375
√ nâsâʼ — to lift, in a great variety of applications, literal and figurative, absolute and relativeVerbQalPerfectsecond person masculine singular
nâsâʼ (H5375) — to lift, to carry Perfect, second person. K&D answers Thenius's objection that a high priest did not personally carry the ark by noting that superintending its removal could well be called carrying it, and that the perfect nâśāʼṯâ rules out emending “ark” to “ephod.” The reference is to 1 Chronicles 15:11 and 2 Samuel 15:24-29.
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
אֲר֨וֹן’ă·rō·wnthe arkH727
√ ʼârôwn — a boxNouncommon singular construct
ʼârôwn (H727) — a box, the ark The one object in the unit that is not a throne, a crown or a woman. ⚙ It is the reason Abiathar lives. Henry draws the plain conclusion: those who show kindness to God's people have it remembered to their advantage.
אֲדֹנָ֤י’ă·ḏō·nāyof the LordH136
√ ʼĂdônây — the Lord (used as a proper name of God only)Nounpropermasculine singular
יְהֹוִה֙Yah·wehGODH3069
√ Yᵉhôvih — {YHWH}Nounpropermasculine singular
לִפְנֵי֙lip̄·nêbeforeH6440
√ pânîym — the face (as the part that turns)Preposition-lNouncommon plural construct
אָבִ֔י’ā·ḇîmy fatherH1
√ ʼâb — father, in a literal and immediate, or figurative and remote applicationNounmasculine singular constructfirst person common singular
וְכִ֣יwə·ḵî. . .H3588
√ kîy — (by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below)Conjunction
דָּוִ֣דdā·wiḏDavidH1732
√ Dâvid — David, the youngest son of JesseNounpropermasculine singular
הִתְעַנִּ֔יתָhiṯ·‘an·nî·ṯāand you sufferedH6031
√ ʻânâh — to depress literally or figuratively, transitive or intransitive (in various applications, as follows)VerbHitpaelPerfectsecond person masculine singular
ʻânâh (H6031) — to depress, to be afflicted (Hitpael) Used twice in one clause, of Abiathar and of David, so the verb itself performs the shared suffering it describes. Cambridge points to 1 Samuel 22:20 (the flight from Nob) and 2 Samuel 15:24; Poole says Solomon here mixes mercy with justice.
בְּכֹ֥לbə·ḵōlthrough allH3605
√ kôl — properly, the wholePreposition-bNounmasculine singular
אֲשֶֽׁר־’ă·šer-thatH834
√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative
אָבִֽי׃’ā·ḇîmy fatherH1
√ ʼâb — father, in a literal and immediate, or figurative and remote applicationNounmasculine singular constructfirst person common singular
הִתְעַנָּ֖הhiṯ·‘an·nāhsufferedH6031
√ ʻânâh — to depress literally or figuratively, transitive or intransitive (in various applications, as follows)VerbHitpaelPerfectthird person masculine singular
27

So Solomon banished Abiathar from the priesthood of the LORD and thus fulfilled the word that the LORD had spoken at Shiloh against the house of Eli.

Berean Standard Bible · CC0

Hebrew — tap a word ↓

šə·lō·mōh ’eṯ- way·ḡā·reš ’eḇ·yā·ṯār mih·yō·wṯ kō·hên Yah·weh lə·mal·lê ’eṯ- də·ḇar ’ă·šer Yah·weh dib·ber bə·ši·lōh ‘al- bêṯ ‘ê·lî

Word by word17 · parsed
שְׁלֹמֹה֙šə·lō·mōhSo SolomonH8010
√ Shᵉlômôh — Shelomah, David's successorNounpropermasculine singular
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
וַיְגָ֤רֶשׁway·ḡā·rešbanishedH1644
√ gârash — to drive out from a possessionConjunctive wawVerbPielConsecutive imperfectthird person masculine singular
gârash (H1644) — to drive out from a possession (Piel) Cambridge's identification of the verb with Genesis 3:24 is the sharpest observation in this verse's apparatus. A priest is expelled from the presence he existed to serve, and sent back to a field.
אֶבְיָתָ֔ר’eḇ·yā·ṯārAbiatharH54
√ ʼEbyâthâr — Ebjathar, an IsraeliteNounpropermasculine singular
מִהְי֥וֹתmih·yō·wṯfromH1961
√ hâyâh — to exist, iPreposition-mVerbQalInfinitive construct
כֹּהֵ֖ןkō·hênthe priesthoodH3548
√ kôhên — literally one officiating, a priestNounmasculine singular
לַֽיהוָ֑הYah·wehof the LORDH3068
√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodPreposition-lNounpropermasculine singular
לְמַלֵּא֙lə·mal·lêand thus fulfilledH4390
√ mâlêʼ — to fill or (intransitively) be full of, in a wide application (literally and figuratively)Preposition-lVerbPielInfinitive construct
mâlêʼ (H4390) — to fill, to be full Piel infinitive construct. The Hebrew image is of a vessel filled up rather than a prediction verified. Barnes cautions that we need not read this as Solomon's motive, and points to the overruling providence of God, comparing Matthew 1:22, 2:15 and 27:35.
אֶת־’eṯ-H853
√ ʼêth — properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)Direct object marker
דְּבַ֣רdə·ḇarthe wordH1697
√ dâbâr — a wordNounmasculine singular construct
dâbâr (H1697) — word The third and decisive occurrence. Two human words in this unit were spoken to get something and cost a man his life; this one was spoken roughly eighty years earlier and simply arrives.
אֲשֶׁ֥ר’ă·šerthatH834
√ ʼăsher — who, which, what, thatPronounrelative
יְהוָ֔הYah·wehthe LORDH3068
√ Yᵉhôvâh — Jehovah, Jewish national name of GodNounpropermasculine singular
דִּבֶּ֛רdib·berhad spokenH1696
√ dâbar — perhaps properly, to arrangeVerbPielPerfectthird person masculine singular
בְּשִׁלֹֽה׃פbə·ši·lōhat ShilohH7887
√ Shîylôh — Shiloh, a place in PalestinePreposition-bNounproperfeminine singular
עַל־‘al-againstH5921
√ ʻal — above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applicationsPreposition
בֵּ֥יתbêṯthe houseH1004
√ bayith — a house (in the greatest variation of applications, especially family, etcNounmasculine singular construct
bayith (H1004) — house The same noun Solomon claimed for himself in v. 24. One house is made, one house is ended, in four verses, and the same word carries both.
עֵלִ֖י‘ê·lîof EliH5941
√ ʻÊlîy — Eli, an Israelite highpriestNounpropermasculine singular
ʻÊlîy (H5941) — Eli The line runs, per Cambridge, Eli, Phinehas, Ahitub, Ahimelech, Abiathar, all of Ithamar; Zadok is of Eleazar (1 Chronicles 6:8). K&D notes nothing further is recorded of Abiathar's fate, and calls Ewald's inference that he fell by the sword a fiction.

The verse-by-verse work is done. What follows gathers the whole unit. All three layers below are machine-generated (⚙). Weigh them; they have no authority.

Grand Commentary — the unit, read whole

synthesis · verify

AI synthesis — woven from the public-domain voices above and the original text; generated and fallible.

i. Is it peace, thy coming? — 13-14

The unit opens on a verbless Hebrew question, הֲשָׁלוֹם בֹּאֶךָ, “Is it peace, thy coming?” and closes fourteen verses later on a man driven out and a man dead. Pulpit prints the Hebrew flatly and notes that Bathsheba was evidently surprised by the visit, since after 1 Kings 1 there would have been few dealings between them. Cambridge hears in her alarm the exact note of the elders of Bethlehem before Samuel (1 Samuel 16:4), and adds that her question is about the nation, not about herself; K&D cites the same verse for the same idiom. Geneva's marginal (h) is blunter still: she feared he would work treason. He answers with one word, שָׁלוֹם, and then asks for the one thing that could not be granted in peace. ⚙ The narrator has set the whole episode under a word whose Strong's gloss is “safe, whole” and will spend the chapter showing it hollow.

ii. The kingship that turned about — 15-18

Adonijah's speech is a small masterpiece and the commentators agree on its anatomy while disagreeing about his heart. K&D grants the premise, that the throne was his as eldest surviving son by right of primogeniture, and then says his claim that all Israel had set its eyes on him “went beyond the bounds of truth.” Ellicott reads the whole opening as craft, flattering Bathsheba by extolling her influence. Cambridge says he professes resignation in order the better to cloak his desires; Pulpit says he plays the saint. Gill notes the practical purpose, to move her compassion. The sentence they all circle is the last one: it became his from YHWH. Benson and Poole set out the two readings side by side, providence or appointment, and both conclude he says it only to disarm. ⚙ It is the most orthodox sentence anyone speaks in this unit, and it is spoken instrumentally. Then comes the request, dressed in the idiom of the turned-back face (shûwb + pânîym), which Barnes, Cambridge and Pulpit all gloss and about which Barnes and Pulpit openly disagree. Bathsheba answers with one adjective, טוֹב, “good.”

iii. Two thrones, and one small word — 19-22

Verse 19 is the most carefully choreographed sentence in the chapter: the king rises, goes out to meet her, prostrates himself (shâchâh, the worship-stem), sits, and sets a second throne. Cambridge presses the Hebrew: the word rendered “seat” is the same כִּסֵּא used of Solomon's own throne. Barnes calls it a proof of the high dignity of the queen mother; JFB describes the office as a state office with revenues and a court; Pulpit compares the Valide sultana and cites 1 Kings 15:13. Benson draws the domestic moral, that advancement does not cancel the honour owed a parent. Then Bathsheba adds one word of her own, קְטַנָּה, small, and Cambridge says those words confirm she had not realised the import of her errand. Solomon's answer detonates. Ellicott hears in it a bitterness venting itself in irony, “not unlike the bursts of passion in his father,” and conjectures with Plumptre that Abishag was the Shulamite already loved by the king. Pulpit examines that theory at length and rejects it, on the ground that Solomon's reply says nothing whatever about the woman and everything about the crown, and that his naming of Joab and Abiathar proves he suspected a conspiracy. Barnes, K&D and Cambridge supply the custom that makes the request lethal: the harem of a dead king passes to his successor, so to ask for Abishag is to ask for the throne. Geneva's gloss (l) puts it in one line.

iv. The oath and the hand of Benaiah — 23-25

Solomon swears twice, and Benson and Poole both explain why: to bind himself irrevocably and to shut the door on further intercession. Ellicott identifies the formula (“God do so to me, and more also”) as the standing imprecation of Ruth 1:17 and 1 Samuel 14:44, probably accompanied by a gesture of destruction; Cambridge gives its literal Hebrew shape, “Thus shall God do to me, and thus shall He add.” The second oath grounds the sentence in the Davidic promise: K&D notes that made me a house reproduces 2 Samuel 7:11 verbatim, and Pulpit, following Bahr, argues the phrase means to found a lasting dynasty, while Cambridge dissents and takes “house” as possessions. Then Benaiah. Ellicott notes that the captain of the guard is the chief of the executioners and apparently carried out such sentences himself. On the justice of it the voices divide honestly: JFB finds no ground of censure, K&D says duty to God demanded it without regard to blood-relationship, Pulpit argues the second treason after clemency had to be answered, Henry moralises that ambitious spirits prepare death for themselves. Benson, having reported all of that, records the dissent anyway: many readers will think it far from clear that Solomon acted rightly, and yet, he adds, Scripture nowhere censures him for it. ⚙ We leave that tension exactly where Benson left it.

v. Shiloh comes due — 26-27

Abiathar is not killed, and every commentator notices why. Ellicott: it is not his priestly character that protects him but the remembrance of his long friendship to David in adversity. Poole, in the finest sentence in this unit's apparatus, says Solomon here mixes mercy with justice and teaches princes not to write injuries in marble and benefits in sand. K&D notes that “this day” deliberately limits the pardon, since Solomon could not foresee whether Abiathar would keep quiet. Cambridge gives the Hebrew of “worthy of death,” a man of death, and notes that the verb translated “thrust out” in v. 27 is the same used of Adam driven from Eden (Genesis 3:24). And then the narrator says something he has not said before: this fulfilled the word spoken at Shiloh against the house of Eli. Cambridge observes that this is the first place in the Old Testament where the phrase “to fulfil the word of the LORD” appears; Barnes and K&D both align it with the New Testament's hina plērōthē, and Ellicott, Barnes and Pulpit all agree it describes the effect of Solomon's act and not his motive. Poole alone thinks Solomon may have intended it too, and then adds: “So Divine vengeance, though sometimes it be slow, is always sure.”

Read under Sola Scriptura — this tool’s own fallible reading (⚙)

⚙ This is our own fallible reading, offered to be tested. The chapter is usually read as a question about Solomon: was he just? But the Hebrew keeps its finger on a different word. דָּבָר (dâbâr) appears three times and each time someone is trying to make a word do work in the world. Adonijah has “a word” for Bathsheba (v. 14). Solomon swears that by “this word” Adonijah has spoken against his own soul (v. 23). And the chapter ends with “the word of the LORD which He spoke at Shiloh” (v. 27), a word spoken roughly eighty years earlier to a priest who ignored it, arriving now, precisely on time, through the political calculation of a young king who was not consciously executing it at all. Ellicott, Barnes and Pulpit are careful to say Solomon's motive was not the prophecy; Barnes calls it overruling providence. That is the point. Every human speech in this unit is instrumental: flattery, a cloaked petition, a borrowed intercession, an oath sworn twice to stop further pleading. Only one word in the chapter creates what it says, and it is the one nobody in the room is thinking about. The narrative does not need Solomon to be blameless for that to be true, and it is notable, as Benson says, that Scripture neither praises nor censures him here. ⚙ We take the unit's claim to be modest and terrible: God's word outlasts the people who ignore it and the people who accidentally accomplish it.

Not Scripture, our own line: every word in this chapter is spoken to get something, except the one spoken at Shiloh, which simply comes true.

Canonical Threads — out to the whole of Scripture

cross-refs · verify

AI-generated connections. Each carries a verification badge with a recorded basis; contested links are flagged.

Abishag the Shunammite, carried over from chapter one verbal / quotation — confirmed

The petition only makes sense if the reader still has 1 Kings 1 open. אֲבִישַׁג (H49) occurs in just five verses of the whole canon, and הַשּׁוּנַמִּית (H7767) in eight. The Verifier scores 1 Kings 1:3 and 1:15 as the closest neighbours of this unit on exactly those two rare lexemes. Cambridge, K&D and Gill all lean on 1 Kings 1:4, that David “knew her not,” to explain how Bathsheba could think the request small; K&D answers that in the eyes of the people she passed as a concubine regardless. ⚙ The link is one of shared narrative vocabulary, not of citation: no one is quoting anyone.

1 Kings 1:3 · 1 Kings 1:15

basis: Verifier: shared rare Hebrew lexemes H49 ʼĂbîyshag (in 5 vv) and H7767 Shûwnammîyth (in 8 vv), plus H1339 Bath-Shebaʻ (in 11 vv) at 1 Kings 1:15. Rare shared vocabulary within one continuous narrative; no quotation is claimed.

Son of Haggith: the claim by birth structural / thematic — confirmed

The narrator names the mother twice in this unit (vv. 13, and by implication in Solomon's “he is my older brother,” v. 22). חַגֵּית (H2294) is rare, five verses, and the Verifier finds it shared with 2 Samuel 3:4 and 1 Chronicles 3:2, the two genealogies of David's sons born in Hebron, where Adonijah stands fourth, after Absalom. K&D grants that the throne belonged to him as eldest surviving son by right of primogeniture, and Poole and Cambridge say he made much of that right. ⚙ The genealogies do not argue anything; they simply supply the fact on which the whole claim rests, and the same rare name carries it across the books.

2 Samuel 3:4 · 1 Chronicles 3:2 · 1 Kings 1:5

basis: Verifier: shared Hebrew lexemes H2294 Chaggîyth (rare, in 5 vv) and H138 ʼĂdônîyâh (in 26 vv). Real verbal contact, but the relation is genealogical supply within a shared succession motif, so we tier it structural rather than claim a quotation.

The word spoken at Shiloh against the house of Eli verbal / quotation — confirmed

Verse 27 cites its own source: “the word that the LORD had spoken at Shiloh against the house of Eli.” Every commentator identifies it with 1 Samuel 2:30-36 and 3:11-14. Cambridge traces the line Eli, Phinehas, Ahitub, Ahimelech, Abiathar, all of Ithamar, and notes that Zadok is of Eleazar (1 Chronicles 6:8). Ellicott and K&D say the same. Cambridge also observes that this is the first passage in the Old Testament where the phrase “to fulfil the word of the LORD” occurs at all. ⚙ The basis here is not a lexeme count: the verse names its own antecedent, which is the strongest kind of internal citation a Hebrew narrative gives.

1 Samuel 2:31 · 1 Samuel 2:35 · 1 Samuel 3:12

basis: Explicit internal citation: 1 Kings 2:27 names the oracle it fulfils (“the word... spoken at Shiloh against the house of Eli”). No Verifier candidate was computed for this pair, so the recorded basis is the citation itself, not a shared-Strong's count; Ellicott, Barnes, JFB, Gill, Cambridge, Pulpit and K&D all identify it as 1 Samuel 2:30-36.

To ask for the harem is to ask for the throne structural / thematic — confirmed

Solomon's leap from a marriage request to “ask for him the kingdom also” is not paranoia; it is Israelite constitutional reasoning. Barnes states it as public opinion connecting the title to the crown with possession of the dead king's wives; K&D cites 2 Samuel 12:8 and 3:7-8 and the Persian parallel in Herodotus; Cambridge cites God's own word to David, “I gave thee thy master's wives into thy bosom”; Pulpit adds Abner and Rizpah and Absalom on the roof. Geneva's gloss (l) compresses the whole argument. ⚙ Note the honest gap: none of these verses shares a computed lexeme with our unit. The link is a legal and narrative custom attested by the named commentators, not a word-chain.

2 Samuel 3:7 · 2 Samuel 12:8 · 2 Samuel 16:21

basis: No Verifier-computed shared lexeme for these pairs; the recorded basis is the shared succession custom expressly documented at this unit by Barnes, K&D, Cambridge, Poole, Gill and Pulpit, each citing 2 Samuel 3:7 / 12:8 / 16:21.

“Is it peace?” as the question asked of an unexplained arrival structural / thematic — confirmed

Bathsheba's הֲשָׁלוֹם בֹּאֶךָ is the standard Hebrew challenge to a visitor whose purpose is unknown. K&D glosses it “comest thou with a peaceable intention?” and points to 1 Samuel 16:4, where the elders of Bethlehem tremble at Samuel's arrival; Cambridge independently makes the same comparison; Pulpit adds 2 Kings 4:26, 5:21, 9:22 and, on the New Testament side, Luke 10:5 and John 20:19-21. ⚙ The motif is real and the commentators are unanimous, but it is a shared formula of greeting, so we claim no more than that.

1 Samuel 16:4 · 2 Kings 9:22 · 2 Kings 4:26

basis: No Verifier candidate was computed for these pairs. Basis: the shared greeting formula built on H7965 shâlôwm, with 1 Samuel 16:4 cited at this verse by both K&D and Cambridge and the wider list supplied by Pulpit.

The seat at the right hand structural / thematic — confirmed

The queen mother's throne is set לִימִינוֹ, at the king's right hand (H3225). K&D calls this the Israelite place of honour and cites Psalm 110:1; Cambridge cites Psalm 45:9, “upon thy right hand did stand the queen”; Pulpit gathers Psalm 110:1, Matthew 20:21, Matthew 25:33, Acts 7:56, Romans 8:34, Hebrews 1:3 and Hebrews 8:1 at this verse. ⚙ Two honest limits. The Psalms are Hebrew and share the motif and probably the lexeme, but the Verifier computed no basis for the pair, so we do not assert a lexeme count. The New Testament references are Greek and cannot share a Strong's number with Hebrew yâmîyn at all; they belong here as a motif, never as a verbal link.

Psalm 110:1 · Psalm 45:9 · Hebrews 1:3

basis: No Verifier-computed basis for these pairs. Hebrew side: shared right-hand motif (H3225 yâmîyn), with Psalm 110:1 cited here by K&D and Psalm 45:9 by Cambridge. Hebrews 1:3 is cross-Testament (Greek to Hebrew), so no shared Strong's lexeme is possible and no verbal tier is claimed; it is listed as motif only, on Pulpit's own cross-reference at this verse.

The other Shunammite structural / thematic — confirmed

The Verifier's next strongest neighbours after chapter one are 2 Kings 4:12, 4:25 and 4:36, all carrying הַשּׁוּנַמִּית (H7767, eight verses total). ⚙ This is a real lexical contact and a false identification: the great woman of Shunem who hosts Elisha is not Abishag. We record the thread precisely because the shared rare word is the kind of evidence that can be misread as a link between persons. What it actually shows is that the gentilic is scarce enough to bind two unrelated narratives in a concordance and nothing more.

2 Kings 4:12 · 2 Kings 4:25

basis: Verifier: shared rare Hebrew lexeme H7767 Shûwnammîyth (in 8 vv). We deliberately decline the verbal tier the rarity would allow: the word is a gentilic applied to a different woman, so the contact is lexical geography, not quotation or shared reference.

Was Abishag the Shulamite of the Song? flagged — verify source

Ellicott, at v. 22, says Solomon's irony “gives some probability to the conjecture” that Abishag was the fair Shulamite of the Song of Songs, already loved by the young king; Pulpit reports the same theory from Plumptre and Mr. Grove at length and then rejects it, on the grounds that Solomon's reply concerns only the crown, never the woman, and that his naming of Joab and Abiathar shows he feared a conspiracy, in which those two could have had no interest if the quarrel were over a mistress. ⚙ We flag rather than adjudicate: the identification rests on a conjectural equation of Shûwnammîyth with Shulammite that the brief does not source, and two named commentaries in this same apparatus take opposite sides.

Song of Solomon 6:13 · 1 Kings 1:3

basis: Contested. Ellicott (on v. 22) entertains the Abishag / Shulamite identification; Pulpit (on v. 22) sets it out and rejects it as unnecessary and almost fatally at odds with Solomon's own words. No Verifier basis; the philological equation of H7767 Shûwnammîyth with the Song's Shulammite is not sourced in this brief. Verify before use.

Thrust out: the verb of expulsion structural / thematic — confirmed

Cambridge notes at v. 27 that וַיְגָרֶשׁ (H1644, gârash, Piel, “to drive out from a possession”) “is the same which is used (Genesis 3:24) of the driving out of Adam from Paradise.” ⚙ We record this as the commentary's own observation. The Verifier computed no basis for the pair, so the shared-lexeme claim here rests on Cambridge's identification of the root, not on a frequency count we can cite; the thematic weight, a priest driven from the presence he was ordained to serve, is ours.

Genesis 3:24

basis: No Verifier candidate computed. Basis: Cambridge, on 1 Kings 2:27, identifies the verb H1644 gârash as the same used at Genesis 3:24 of the expulsion from Eden. Shared root per a named commentator; motif-level link only, no quotation claimed.

“To fulfil the word”: a formula born here structural / thematic — confirmed

Cambridge observes that 1 Kings 2:27 is the first passage in the Old Testament where the phrase “to fulfil the word of the LORD” occurs. Three commentators independently connect the Hebrew infinitive לְמַלֵּא (H4390, mâlêʼ, “to fill full”) with the Greek formula of the Evangelists: K&D writes that it corresponds to the New Testament ἵνα πληρωθῇ; Pulpit, following Bahr, calls it “an addition of the narrator, not the intention of Solomon. It is the ἵνα πληρωθῇ of the New Testament”; Barnes compares Matthew 1:22, 2:15 and 27:35 and insists the reference is to overruling providence, not to Solomon's motive. ⚙ So the grammar of Matthew's fulfilment citations has an Old Testament ancestor, and the first thing that grammar is used to say is that a king's political calculation accomplished an oracle he was not thinking about.

Matthew 1:22 · Matthew 2:15

basis: Cross-Testament (Greek to Hebrew), so no shared Strong's lexeme is possible and no verbal tier is claimed. Basis: the fulfilment-formula equation is stated by three named commentators at this verse (K&D and Pulpit both equate the Hebrew infinitive H4390 with the New Testament hina plerothe; Barnes cites Matthew 1:22, 2:15, 27:35), and Cambridge records that the Hebrew phrase first appears here. No Verifier candidate was computed.

Christ in the Unittypology · verify

AI-generated reading; weigh it against the text.

The house that God builds ancient/widely-held

Solomon's second oath grounds his throne not in his own strength but in a promise: YHWH “established me, and set me on the throne of my father David, and made me a house, as He spoke.” K&D says the clause reproduces 2 Samuel 7:11 verbatim; Pulpit, following Bahr, says “to build an house” means to found a lasting dynasty and cites 1 Kings 11:38 with 2 Samuel 7:11, 27; Poole weighs both senses (posterity, or establishment in David's house) and prefers the second; Cambridge dissents and takes “house” as property, on the analogy of Esther 8:1. ⚙ The dissent is worth keeping, because the majority reading is the one that runs to the end of the canon: the house promised in 2 Samuel 7 is the promise Gabriel invokes over another son of David (“the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David... and of his kingdom there shall be no end,” Luke 1:32-33), and that Peter invokes at Pentecost (Acts 2:30). Solomon's dynasty is the first instalment of a word that outruns it. The irony of this chapter is sharp: the king pleads the eternal covenant in the same breath in which he orders his brother's death, and the covenant survives both of them.

2 Samuel 7:11 · Luke 1:32-33 · Acts 2:30

The throne at the right hand novel

⚙ This is our own figural reading and we mark it as such. Verse 19 sets a second כִּסֵּא beside the king's, at his right hand, for one who is his by flesh and whose access is total. Cambridge insists the word is the same as Solomon's own throne; K&D calls the right hand the Israelite place of honour and cites Psalm 110:1; Pulpit, on this very verse, lists Psalm 110:1, Matthew 20:21, Acts 7:56, Romans 8:34 and Hebrews 1:3. That the right hand of the throne is where the New Testament seats the risen Son is the ancient and universal Christian reading of Psalm 110. What is ours, and therefore novel, is the further step: that 1 Kings 2:19 shows the shape of that seat and its limit. The one enthroned there is honoured absolutely and can still be used, and the petition she carries turns out to be the death of the man it was meant to help. The Son at the right hand carries petitions too, and the difference is not the seat but the one seated: His intercession cannot be misinformed and cannot be turned to a petitioner's ruin.

Psalm 110:1 · Hebrews 1:3 · Romans 8:34

A faithful priest raised up novel

⚙ Also our own reading. Verse 27 ends a priestly line. Cambridge sets out the descent, Eli to Phinehas to Ahitub to Ahimelech to Abiathar, all of Ithamar, and notes that the Shiloh oracle promised not only a house cut off but “a faithful priest raised up in their stead”; K&D and Ellicott record that the office passed whole to Zadok of Eleazar's line. The immediate fulfilment named by every commentator here is Zadok, and we do not overstate it: the New Testament nowhere quotes 1 Samuel 2:35. But the logic the passage exposes is the logic Hebrews later presses, that a priesthood held by mortal, removable men is a priesthood that can be deposed by a king's word in an afternoon, and that what the promise finally requires is a priest who continues (Hebrews 7:23-25). Abiathar, spared because he carried the ark and shared David's afflictions, walks out to his fields at Anathoth. Even mercy could not keep him in the sanctuary.

1 Samuel 2:35 · Hebrews 7:23-25

Apparatus & Provenance

The biblical text is the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain (CC0). Hebrew/Greek text, transliteration, morphology and Strong’s are transcribed from the Berean interlinear (CC0) + Strong’s lexicons (PD); the literal renderings, divergence notes, word notes and all synthesis are this tool’s own work (⚙) — fallible; verify them.

Named voices, quoted verbatim from public-domain works:

  • Albert Barnes, Notes on the Bible (1834)
  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, (1880s)
  • Charles Ellicott, Commentary for English Readers (1878)
  • Geneva Study Bible, Marginal Notes (1599)
  • Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory (1871)
  • John Gill, Exposition of the Entire Bible (1746–63)
  • Joseph Benson, Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1810s)
  • Keil & Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1860s)
  • Matthew Henry, Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible (1706)
  • Matthew Poole, Annotations upon the Holy Bible (1685)
  • The Pulpit Commentary, Spence & Exell, eds. (1880s)

⚙ Honesty notes for this unit. Text. Two places carry acknowledged difficulty. At v. 24 the form וַיּוֹשִׁיבִינִי carries a medial yod that K&D calls a copyist's error and Pulpit likewise says “has here crept into the text”; our literal follows the sense, “and seated me.” At v. 22 Cambridge reports that the Septuagint reads “and he has Abiathar and Joab... as his friend,” apparently having read rēʻēhû after צְרוּיָה, and concludes, “Whether there was some word there which has fallen out or the version is the result of a misreading we cannot be sure. There is, without doubt, some awkwardness in the text as it now stands.” We have not resolved it. At v. 13 Pulpit notes the LXX adds “and he did obeisance to her,” probably imported from v. 19. Interlinear ordering. The Berean interlinear indices supplied in the brief follow the English clause order, not the Hebrew; our literal renderings restore Hebrew word order, so a note index and its position in the literal line will not always correspond. What is disputed. Whether Adonijah's request was a coup or a courtship: Pulpit argues real desire may have been involved, Ellicott entertains the Abishag/Shulamite identification, Barnes, K&D, Cambridge, Poole, Gill and Geneva all read it as a bid for the crown, and Benson records that many readers think Solomon's severity unjustified while noting Scripture nowhere censures him. Whether “made me a house” means posterity or dynasty: K&D and Poole (first sense) say posterity, citing Rehoboam's age; Pulpit and Bahr say dynasty; Cambridge says property. We have not adjudicated any of these. Threads. Only three of our threads rest on Verifier-computed bases (Abishag/Shunammite, Haggith, the second Shunammite). The rest rest on explicit internal citation (v. 27 naming Shiloh) or on cross-references supplied by named commentators, and each badge says which. No cross-Testament link in this unit is tiered verbal, because Greek and Hebrew cannot share a Strong's lexeme. Our own layer. The sola reading, the dâbâr chain running vv. 14, 23 and 27, the right-hand typology and the faithful-priest reading are ⚙ synthesis, fallible, and marked as such.

= human, public-domain source, quoted and named. = machine synthesis, to be verified. Flagged cross-references are left visible on purpose — the verifier working in the open. “Search the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.” (Acts 17:11)