1 Kings 1:22-27

C. NATHAN'S TIMELY CONFIRMATION 1:22-27

TRANSLATION

(22) And behold, while she was yet speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet came. (23) And they told the king, saying, Behold Nathan the prophet. And he came before the king, and bowed to the king upon his face to the ground. (24) And Nathan said, My lord the king, you surely said, Adonijah shall reign after me, and shall sit upon my throne! (25) For today he has gone down, and slam oxen, failings, and sheep in abundance, and he has summoned all the sons of the king and the captains of the host, and Abiathar the priest; and behold they are eating and drinking before him, and they have said, Let King Adonijah live! (26) But me, me your servant, Zadok the priest, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada and Solomon your servant he has not summoned. (27) If my lord the king is responsible for this thing, (hen you have not informed your servants who shall sit upon the throne of my lord the king after him.

COMMENTS

As Bathsheba was finishing her emotional appeal to her husband, Nathan entered the palace complex (1 Kings 1:22) and was announced to the king. Entering David's bedchamber, Nathan bowed himself until he touched the ground (1 Kings 1:23). Frequently in the Assyrian monuments men are represented with their faces actually touching the earth before the feet of the king.

Nathan's speech before David was a psychological masterpiece. He began with a strong affirmation (not a question as in KJV) designed to elicit from David an equally strong disclaimer: You must have said, Adonijah shall reign after me and he shall sit upon my throne! (1 Kings 1:24). Nathan innocently assumed that Adonijah could not have done all that he had done without David's knowledge and sanction. Again the details of Adonijah's feast were rehearsed before the king with two details not heretofore mentioned: captains of the host, i.e., other high ranking military officers besides Joab, were in attendance; and they eat and drink before him and say, Let King Adonijah live! (1 Kings 1:25). Let the king live was the customary acclamation with which kings were greeted following their anointing or coronation (cf. 1 Kings 1:39; 1 Samuel 10:24; 2 Samuel 16:16 etc.).

To further indict Adonijah and make his aims crystal clear, Nathan mentioned those not invited to En-rogel. The names of David's closest and most trusted friendsNathan, Zadok and Benaiahas well as that of Solomon had been omitted from the guest list (1 Kings 1:26). If David was responsible for what was transpiring outside the walls of Jerusalem, the king had changed his plans regarding a successor without consulting with and confiding in Nathan his spiritual counselor (1 Kings 1:27). By this last statement (or question as rendered in KJV), Nathan was suggesting that the king should officially make his decision and order his successor to be crowned.