Why solomon killed adonijah

This is why Bathsheba asked if he came in peace—she knew he believed he had a rightful claim. But then he asked something that Bathsheba should have known was a deceit, i. If there was no problem with the marriage why did Adonijah not ask Solomon himself? He asked Bathsheba to ask for him because he was playing a high stakes game of political intrigue and he thought that by using Bathsheba he would perhaps be able to outwit Solomon and keep himself out of danger; perhaps he thought that Solomon would be weak enough to grant his request to his mother, when he knew he would not grant it directly to him—he was acting deceitfully.

Solomon realised what had happened, i. For Adonijah to marry Abishag was a way of claiming his right to the throne, and Solomon would have perceived, I think correctly, that he was up to no good and was intriguing to overthrow Solomon by talking possession of David's concubine and thereby trying to make himself look like the rightful heir.

Well, there you have it. Politics and politicians—what a lot! The symbols change but not the intrigue. Gift Certificates. Ligonier Ministries. Supporting Ligonier. Renewing Your Mind. Ligonier Connect. Reformation Study Bible. Reformation Bible College. Stay in Touch. The outcome shows the heart of Solomon and why he fell away from the Lord in his latter days. He became a law unto himself and a despot.

He is what the Lord warned against in Deuteronomy when the people demanded a king like the other nations. His reign was marked by I Kings Like Like.

Thank you for your comment. I believe that your views about Adonijah are not correct. Ask for him the kingdom as well! For he is my elder brother; ask not only for him but also for the priest Abiathar and for Joab son of Zeruiah! Note that Solomon also includes Abiathar and Joab in his diatribe. As for the In 1 Kings the number represents the amount of God Solomon received every year in taxes.

This amount came every year. In Revelation the number represents the number of a person who opposes Christ. The two things are completely different and to equate them is to introduce a false comparison to the two texts.

Claude I appreciate your explanation. Are you saying Adonijah mistakenly assumed she was a concubine? Do you understand what the significance was of pointing out that David had no relations with her?

Was there some significance? I am planning to write a post on Abishag in the coming weeks where I will address these issues in more detail. Let me briefly address your questions. If the Bible says that David did not know her sexually this means that she came either as a wife or concubine. The significance is that David was too old to continue as a king.

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Learn how your comment data is processed. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Email Address:. Sign me up! Claude Mariottini — Professor of Old Testament.