I Kings 6, Solomon Builds a Temple

Solomon's kingdom is wealthy and prosperous. It is time to build a temple.

Throughout the Old Testament, whether in a tabernacle in The Wilderness, a tent at Shiloh during the time of Judges, or finally a solid structure now in Jerusalem, the temple was to indicate that YHWH resided physically among His special people, Israel.

I Kings 6:1-6, Time to build a temple

In the four hundred and eightieth year after the Israelites had come out of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, the second month, he began to build the temple of the LORD.

The temple that King Solomon built for the LORD was sixty cubits long, twenty wide and thirty high. The portico at the front of the main hall of the temple extended the width of the temple, that is twenty cubits, and projected ten cubits from the front of the temple.

He made narrow clerestory windows in the temple. Against the walls of the main hall and inner sanctuary he built a structure around the building, in which there were side rooms. 

The lowest floor was five cubits wide, the middle floor six cubits and the third floor seven. He made offset ledges around the outside of the temple so that nothing would be inserted into the temple walls.

The first verse gives a length of time since the exodus. There are a variety of questions raised by this. In addition to those questions, the Septuagint gives the time as 440 years. Regardless of those issues, there is enough external historical evidence to date the construction of the temple to about 970 BC.

For the measurements in this temple, recall that a cubit was probably about 1 1/2 feet (half a meter.) There were slight deviations in the length of the cubit during these ancient times, varying possibly from less than 17 inches to slightly more than 20 inches.

2 Chronicles 3:1 gives the location of the temple as on Mount Moriah. This is apparently the same place where, centuries before, Abraham had been told to sacrifice Isaac (Genesis 22:2.)

I Kings 6:7-10, Stone architecture, roof, anterooms

In building the temple, only blocks dressed at the quarry were used, and no hammer, chisel or any other iron tool was heard at the temple site while it was being built. 

The entrance to the lowest floor was on the south side of the temple; a stairway led up to the middle level and from there to the third.

So he built the temple and completed it, roofing it with beams and cedar planks.

And he built the side rooms all along the temple. The height of each was five cubits, and they were attached to the temple by beams of cedar.

For images of Solomon's temple, see this Wikipedia site.

The construction is done so that the the blocks were carefully prepared offsite; the sounds of tools were not heard at the temple site.

I Kings 6:11-13, Dynasty promise

The word of the LORD came to Solomon: "As for this temple you are building, if you follow my decrees, carry out my regulations and keep all my commands and obey them, I will fulfill through you the promise I gave to David your father. And I will live among the Israelites and will not abandon my people Israel."

The success of Solomon's dynasty relies on his commitment to YHWH. The promise of blessing for obedience (and curse for disobedience) is amplified in 2 Chronicles 7.

I Kings 6:14-20, Everything cedar...

So Solomon built the temple and completed it. He lined its interior walls with cedar boards, paneling them from the floor of the temple to the ceiling, and covered the floor of the temple with planks of pine.

He partitioned off twenty cubits at the rear of the temple with cedar boards from floor to ceiling to form within the temple an inner sanctuary, the Most Holy Place. The main hall in front of this room was forty cubits long. The inside of the temple was cedar, carved with gourds and open flowers. Everything was cedar; no stone was to be seen.

He prepared the inner sanctuary within the temple to set the ark of the covenant of the LORD there. The inner sanctuary was twenty cubits long, twenty wide and twenty high. He overlaid the inside with pure gold, and he also overlaid the altar of cedar.

Like the tabernacle in the wilderness, there is an emphasis on beauty and elegance.

I Kings 6:21-28, ... and pure gold

Solomon covered the inside of the temple with pure gold, and he extended gold chains across the front of the inner sanctuary, which was overlaid with gold. So he overlaid the whole interior with gold. He also overlaid with gold the altar that belonged to the inner sanctuary.

In the inner sanctuary he made a pair of cherubim of olive wood, each ten cubits high. One wing of the first cherub was five cubits long, and the other wing five cubits--ten cubits from wing tip to wing tip. The second cherub also measured ten cubits, for the two cherubim were identical in size and shape. The height of each cherub was ten cubits.

He placed the cherubim inside the innermost room of the temple, with their wings spread out. The wing of one cherub touched one wall, while the wing of the other touched the other wall, and their wings touched each other in the middle of the room. He overlaid the cherubim with gold.

In the Holy of Holy sat the cherubim, surround by ornate gold decorations. The cherubim are massive, fifteen feet in height, with wings spread out to fifteen feet in width, one wing of one cherub touching the temple wall on one side while a wing of the other cherub touched the opposite wall. A cherub was a massive, scary object, representing divine power, guarding the approach to God.

I Kings 6:29-35, Elegant carvings

On the walls all around the temple, in both the inner and outer rooms, he carved cherubim, palm trees and open flowers. He also covered the floors of both the inner and outer rooms of the temple with gold.

For the entrance of the inner sanctuary he made doors of olive wood with five-sided jambs. And on the two olive wood doors he carved cherubim, palm trees and open flowers, and overlaid the cherubim and palm trees with beaten gold.

In the same way he made four-sided jambs of olive wood for the entrance to the main hall. He also made two pine doors, each having two leaves that turned in sockets. He carved cherubim, palm trees and open flowers on them and overlaid them with gold hammered evenly over the carvings.

We have here more descriptions of the ornate and rich furnishings. And there are more cherubim.

I Kings 6:36-38, Seven years

And he built the inner courtyard of three courses of dressed stone and one course of trimmed cedar beams.

The foundation of the temple of the LORD was laid in the fourth year, in the month of Ziv.

In the eleventh year in the month of Bul, the eighth month, the temple was finished in all its details according to its specifications. He had spent seven years building it.

The description of Solomon's temple, here in 1 Kings 5-8, roughly parallels 2 Chronicles 3-6. The permanent temple is similar in many ways to the original desert tabernacle described in Exodus 35-40.

First published November 18, 2023, updated September 30, 2026

I Kings 5, Hiram, King of Tyre

The power and reputation of Solomon continue to grow.

1 Kings 5:1-6, Hiram of Tyre

When Hiram king of Tyre heard that Solomon had been anointed king to succeed his father David, he sent his envoys to Solomon, because he had always been on friendly terms with David.

Solomon sent back this message to Hiram: "You know that because of the wars waged against my father David from all sides, he could not build a temple for the Name of the LORD his God until the LORD put his enemies under his feet. But now the LORD my God has given me rest on every side, and there is no adversary or disaster.

"I intend, therefore, to build a temple for the Name of the LORD my God, as the LORD told my father David, when he said, `Your son whom I will put on the throne in your place will build the temple for my Name.'

"So give orders that cedars of Lebanon be cut for me. My men will work with yours, and I will pay you for your men whatever wages you set. You know that we have no one so skilled in felling timber as the Sidonians."

Solomon renews his father's alliance with Hiram, king of Tyre. In this renewal, he orders cedars of Lebanon for the upcoming temple. The cedars of Lebanon will be mentioned in Psalm 92:12 and Ezekiel 31:3, where they represent majesty and beauty.

1 Kings 5:7-11, Let me trade with you

When Hiram heard Solomon's message, he was greatly pleased and said, "Praise be to the LORD today, for he has given David a wise son to rule over this great nation."

So Hiram sent word to Solomon: "I have received the message you sent me and will do all you want in providing the cedar and pine logs. My men will haul them down from Lebanon to the sea, and I will float them in rafts by sea to the place you specify. There I will separate them and you can take them away. And you are to grant my wish by providing food for my royal household."

In this way Hiram kept Solomon supplied with all the cedar and pine logs he wanted, and Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand cors of wheat as food for his household, in addition to twenty thousand baths of pressed olive oil. Solomon continued to do this for Hiram year after year.

King Hiram's gifts, like the wealth of Solomon, is extensive. 2 Chronicles 2:16 will tell us that the logs were floated "as rafts by sea" down to Joppa where they were then hauled overland to Jerusalem. When the temple is rebuilt after the captivity in Babylon, cedar is again brought to Jerusalem in the same manner (Ezra 3:7.)

(NIV footnotes: Twenty thousand cors is about 125,000 bushels or about 4,400 kiloliters. But in verse 11 some manuscripts have, instead of twenty thousand baths", they have "twenty cors",)

1 Kings 5:12-18, Peaceful exchanges with Tyre

The LORD gave Solomon wisdom, just as he had promised him. There were peaceful relations between Hiram and Solomon, and the two of them made a treaty.

King Solomon conscripted laborers from all Israel--thirty thousand men. He sent them off to Lebanon in shifts of ten thousand a month, so that they spent one month in Lebanon and two months at home. Adoniram was in charge of the forced labor.

Solomon had seventy thousand carriers and eighty thousand stonecutters in the hills, as well as thirty-three hundred foremen who supervised the project and directed the workmen. At the king's command they removed from the quarry large blocks of quality stone to provide a foundation of dressed stone for the temple. The craftsmen of Solomon and Hiram and the men of Gebal cut and prepared the timber and stone for the building of the temple.

Solomon's collaboration with Tyre is useful and extensive. Solomon's diplomacy is a result of his unusual wisdom.

The "forced labor" here are workers needed to support the building projects. The men sent from Israel represent a corvée system, in which laborers work part of the year, rotating home for a time and then back to work. Most of the fulltime craftsmen were apparently sent by Hiram. In 2 Chronicles 2:17-18, we see that most of these workers were from Tyre. 

Gebal (modern day Byblos) was a port city on the Mediterranean about 75 miles north of Tyre. (In modern day Lebanon, the city of Beirut lies between Byblos and Tyre.) Below, thanks to Google Maps, are modern maps of the region: Lebanon with coastal cities Byblos, Beirut and Tyre are in the map at the top

 and, at the bottom, is a map of Israel and surrounding environs, with Lebanon in the north.

(NIV footnotes: Ancient manuscripts differ on the number of foremen: some say three hundred, other thirty-six hundred.)

First published November 15, 2023, updated September 29, 2026

I Kings 4, Each Under His Own Fig Tree

Solomon is gaining a reputation for wisdom. The power and wealth of his kingdom is summarized here.

1 Kings 4:1-6, Solomon's administrators

So King Solomon ruled over all Israel. And these were his chief officials: 

        Azariah son of Zadok--the priest; 

        Elihoreph and Ahijah, sons of Shisha--secretaries; 

        Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud--recorder; 

        Benaiah son of Jehoiada--commander in chief; 

        Zadok and Abiathar--priests; 

        Azariah son of Nathan--in charge of the district officers; 

        Zabud son of Nathan--a priest and personal adviser to the king; 

        Ahishar--in charge of the palace; 

        Adoniram son of Abda--in charge of forced labor.

What does it mean to be in charge of "forced labor"? Presumably there were captured slaves who did construction work or poor native Israelites who offered themselves into slavery. The forced labor would have been necessary in the future construction of the temple, described in chapter six.

 

1 Kings 4:7-19, Twelve governors

Solomon also had twelve district governors over all Israel, who supplied provisions for the king and the royal household. Each one had to provide supplies for one month in the year. These are their names:    

        Ben-Hur--in the hill country of Ephraim; 

        Ben-Deker--in Makaz, Shaalbim, Beth Shemesh and Elon Bethhanan;  

        Ben-Hesed--in Arubboth (Socoh and all the land of Hepher were his); 

        Ben-Abinadab--in Naphoth Dor (he was married to Taphath daughter of Solomon); 

        Baana son of Ahilud--in Taanach and Megiddo, and in all of Beth Shan next to Zarethan below Jezreel, from Beth Shan to Abel Meholah across to Jokmeam;  

        Ben-Geber--in Ramoth Gilead (the settlements of Jair son of Manasseh in Gilead were his, as well as the district of Argob in Bashan and its sixty large walled cities with bronze gate bars); 

        Ahinadab son of Iddo--in Mahanaim;  

        Ahimaaz--in Naphtali (he had married Basemath daughter of Solomon); 

        Baana son of Hushai--in Asher and in Aloth; 

        Jehoshaphat son of Paruah--in Issachar;

        Shimei son of Ela--in Benjamin;  

        Geber son of Uri--in Gilead (the country of Sihon king of the Amorites and the country of Og king of Bashan). He was the only governor over the district.

We have a list of twelve governors for Israel, with additional remarks about their region, heritage or family connections. This summary probably gives an account of Solomon's leaders later in his reign; two of the governors (Ben-Abinadab and Ahimaaz) are sons-in-law of Solomon, married to his daughters.

The Hebrew word ben (בֵּן) means "son of" or "descendent of" and we see that word in five of the first six names in this list of governors.

1 Kings 4:20-24, Large kingdom

The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand on the seashore; they ate, they drank and they were happy. And Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. These countries brought tribute and were Solomon's subjects all his life.

Solomon's daily provisions were thirty cors of fine flour and sixty cors of meal, ten head of stall-fed cattle, twenty of pasture-fed cattle and a hundred sheep and goats, as well as deer, gazelles, roebucks and choice fowl.

For he ruled over all the kingdoms west of the River, from Tiphsah to Gaza, and had peace on all sides.

A glowing report of the kingdom is given here. The report is probably from late in Solomon's reign and  includes some vassal kingdoms that provide tribute.

(NIV footnotes: The River is the Euphrates. It is estimated that 30 cors was abut 185 bushels.)

1 Kings 4:25-28, Each man under his own vine

During Solomon's lifetime Judah and Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, lived in safety, each man under his own vine and fig tree. Solomon had four thousand stalls for chariot horses, and twelve thousand horses. 

The district officers, each in his month, supplied provisions for King Solomon and all who came to the king's table. They saw to it that nothing was lacking. They also brought to the proper place their quotas of barley and straw for the chariot horses and the other horses.

The reign of Solomon is described in glowing terms, emphasizing prosperity and satisfaction. The phrase, "each man under his own vine and fig tree" is to denote the ideal prosperity for a typical citizen of the ancient Near East. 

(NIV footnotes: some manuscripts give forty thousand stalls for chariot horses, instead of four thousand. The interpretation "twelve thousand horses" could instead be "twelve thousand charioteers".)

1 Kings 4:29-33, Growth of wisdom and knowledge

God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. Solomon's wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the men of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt.

He was wiser than any other man, including Ethan the Ezrahite--wiser than Heman, Calcol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations.

He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five.

He described plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also taught about animals and birds, reptiles and fish.

Men of all nations came to listen to Solomon's wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom.

The wealth and prosperity of Solomon's reign emphasizes the arts, proverbs and songs. It includes emphases on Solomon's wisdom and knowledge, including biology. It is possible that the poetic books of Job, Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes, and most of Proverbs date from this time. (I might add to that literature list the book of Ruth.)

Solomon is described as wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite and Heman, son of Mahol. Ethan is identified as the author of Psalm 89 and Heman as the author of Psalm 88.

First published November 15, 2023, updated September 28, 2026

Sibling Rivalry

At the beginning of the Bible, Cain kills his brother Abel (Genesis 4:8.) Even the first family had sibling conflict, anger ... and murder! Even the first family was dysfunctional -- I am not sure if that is encouraging to the rest of us, or not....

Sibling rivalry and strife, although not always deadly, persist throughout the Old Testament. Jacob and Esau in Genesis, chapters 25 to 36, are another pair of brothers; their rivalry, with Jacob's cunning and deceit, almost come to blows at various times. Jacob then marries two sisters, Leah and Rachel, whose child-bearing fights propagate through their handmaids, leading to twelve sons through four mothers.

The twelve brothers (really four sets of brothers, with rivalries between half-brothers) escalates as Joseph boasts of his dreams, and reaches a climax in violence, where Joseph is thrown into a well, threatened with death and then sold into slavery. Later, the rivalry between their descendants, within the twelve tribes of Israel, is an undercurrent throughout all of the Old Testament history, bursting out into genuine civil war at numerous times.

Abimelech, in Judges 9:1-6, murders his half-brothers, in an attempt to rule the local region.

Even King David's home is no better. His son, Ammon, rapes Tamar, a daughter of David (and so a half-sister of Ammon.) In retaliation, Tamar's brother, Absalom, murders Ammon (2 Samuel 13) and then, when David refuses for to reconcile with Absalom, Absalom attempts a coup. He is eventually killed by David's general and nephew, Joab. (Playing parts in this civil war are cousins Absalom, Joab and Amasa.) All of the family strife in David's palace probably grows out of David's own deceit, with adultery followed by the murder of Uriah.

David's sons Solomon and Adonijah then fight for David's throne. Solomon eventually has his rival older brother killed. (1 Kings 2:22-25.)

Jehoram, in 2 Chronicles 21:1-4, kills his brothers in order to prevent any attempts on his throne.

Sometimes these siblings worked through their conflict. Esau and Jacob are reconciled (Genesis 33.) Rachel and Leah, despite their conflicts, seem to co-exists as wives of Jacob. (A Christianity Today article, by Dena Dyer, tackles Rachel, Leah and leadership rivalries.)

In other cases, the rivalry ends in murder. Usually the eventual death of the murderer is recorded. Abimelech is killed by a thrown millstone (Judges 9:52-54) and remembered for centuries for his foolishness in allowing a woman to kill him (even though the final blow was from an assistant.) Absalom is killed by Joab. Jehoram experiences a rather gruesome death (2 Chronicles 21:18-19.)

Much of the Old Testament serves as a history of ancient, dramatic events, and so sibling reconciliation seems to occur rarely, as conflict is more likely to influence a change in history. But we do, at least, have examples of sibling love and support. In addition to the eventual reconciliation of Jacob and Esau, we see brothers Moses and Aaron leading Israel out of Egypt. Even Absalom's murder of his half brother Ammon, is an act of support for Absalom's sister, Tamar, punishment for Ammon's rape.

As we continue in our study of the Old Testament, I will look for other examples of both family dysfunction and family health.

First published August 20, 2023, updated September 27, 2026

I Kings 3, A Request for Wisdom

Solomon has now secured the kingdom of Israel.

1 Kings 3:1-4, An alliance and some sacrifices

Solomon made an alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt and married his daughter. He brought her to the City of David until he finished building his palace and the temple of the LORD, and the wall around Jerusalem. The people, however, were still sacrificing at the high places, because a temple had not yet been built for the Name of the LORD.

Solomon showed his love for the LORD by walking according to the statutes of his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places. The king went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices, for that was the most important high place, and Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.
 

There are mixed messages here. Solomon sets up an alliance with Egypt by marrying the king's daughter and continues to offer sacrifices on the high places.  (To whom does he offer sacrifices?)

1 Kings 3:5-9, A dream

At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, "Ask for whatever you want me to give you."

Solomon answered, "You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day.

"Now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?"

At the sacrifice in Gibeon, YHWH appears to Solomon in a dream and offers to grant a request. Solomon asks for a discerning heart and an ability to distinguish right and wrong. Distinguishing right and wrong is a very difficult task at times! It is especially critical if one is to judge the people.

1 Kings 3:10-14, Wisdom granted

The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. So God said to him, "Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be.

"Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for--both riches and honor--so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. And if you walk in my ways and obey my statutes and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life."
 

Solomon will receive wisdom -- and in addition, riches and honor. But he is, of course, to keep close to the ways of YHWH.

The reign of Solomon will be a Golden Age of Israel, with a culture of knowledge, art and literature. We will get a summary of this age in the next chapter, in 1 Kings 4:29-34.

1 Kings 3:15, Awake

Then Solomon awoke--and he realized it had been a dream. He returned to Jerusalem, stood before the ark of the Lord's covenant and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then he gave a feast for all his court.

God's speech to Solomon is described now as occurring in a dream. 

The ark is now in Jerusalem, not Gibeon. Solomon returns to the ark and makes offerings and gives a feast.

This account then follows with an example of Solomon's wisdom.

1 Kings 3:16-22, Two women, two children

Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him.

One of them said, "My lord, this woman and I live in the same house. I had a baby while she was there with me. The third day after my child was born, this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there was no one in the house but the two of us.

During the night this woman's son died because she lay on him. So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while I your servant was asleep. She put him by her breast and put her dead son by my breast.

The next morning, I got up to nurse my son--and he was dead! But when I looked at him closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn't the son I had borne."

The other woman said, "No! The living one is my son; the dead one is yours." 

But the first one insisted, "No! The dead one is yours; the living one is mine." And so they argued before the king.

The women are identified as prostitutes; this explains why they are both single, living together, with newborn children. Nothing further is said about their profession. 

The women bring an account that is only "she said"/"she said", with no witnesses. Each woman wants to be the mother of the living child. (Observe, once again, the strong ancient Near East emphasis on motherhood.) But one of the women is the true mother.

1 Kings 3:23-28, An example of wisdom

The king said, "This one says, `My son is alive and your son is dead,' while that one says, `No! Your son is dead and mine is alive.'" 

Then the king said, "Bring me a sword." So they brought a sword for the king.

He then gave an order: "Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other." 

The woman whose son was alive was filled with compassion for her son and said to the king, "Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don't kill him!" 

But the other said, "Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!" Then the king gave his ruling: "Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother."

When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice.

One woman is angry and wants to win at all costs. But the true mother reacts out of genuine love, willing to give up her child if only he is allowed to live. This famous response is given here as an example of Solomon's insight.

First published November 15, 2023, updated September 26, 2026

I Kings 2, Solomon Takes Charge

David, on his deathbed, has arranged for Solomon to be anointed king. This is a coregency that allows Solomon to act as king while David is still living. There will be other coregencies in the future line of kings of Israel and Judah.

1 Kings 2:1-4, "Follow YHWH"

When the time drew near for David to die, he gave a charge to Solomon his son. "I am about to go the way of all the earth," he said. "So be strong, show yourself a man, and observe what the LORD your God requires: Walk in his ways, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and requirements, as written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go, and that the LORD may keep his promise to me: `If your descendants watch how they live, and if they walk faithfully before me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.'

David admonishes Solomon to follow YHWH at all times, thus preserving an eternal line of descendants on the throne.

1 Kings 2:5-6, "Kill Joab"

"Now you yourself know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me--what he did to the two commanders of Israel's armies, Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether. He killed them, shedding their blood in peacetime as if in battle, and with that blood stained the belt around his waist and the sandals on his feet. Deal with him according to your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to the grave in peace.

Joab, whose violence has preserved David's kingdom -- but also killed a number of good men -- is not to continue living. Joab murdered Abner and Amasa in cold blood. (Joab also arranged the killing of Absalom but that is not mentioned, presumably because it occurred during warfare.)  Solomon is to make sure that this bloodstained murderer meets the penalty he has imposed on others, dying a bloody death. David's instructions about wisdom and allegiance to God do not include mercy for Joab!

1 Kings 2:7, Barzillai remembered

"But show kindness to the sons of Barzillai of Gilead and let them be among those who eat at your table. They stood by me when I fled from your brother Absalom.

Barzillai was an old man when David defeated Absalom. Barzillai may have now passed on but David wants his sons remembered.

1 Kings 2:8-9, Shimei remembered also

"And remember, you have with you Shimei son of Gera, the Benjamite from Bahurim, who called down bitter curses on me the day I went to Mahanaim. When he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the LORD: `I will not put you to death by the sword.' But now, do not consider him innocent. You are a man of wisdom; you will know what to do to him. Bring his gray head down to the grave in blood."
 

And Shimei, who cursed David as David fled Absalom (2 Samuel 16:5-13), is also to be killed. Shimei had sought reconciliation after David's victory and David had given it to him, temporarily. But upon David's death, Solomon is free to act.

David's last words mix vendetta with a legitimate concern that these powerful, but treacherous, men be removed.

1 Kings 2:10-11, Death of David

Then David rested with his fathers and was buried in the City of David. He had reigned forty years over Israel--seven years in Hebron and thirty-three in Jerusalem.

David "rests with his fathers", a euphemism for entering the grave.

Historians believe David's death occurred about 970 BC. (See this Wikipedia page on the Kings of Israel and Judah.) The scroll of Samuel (1 & 2 Samuel) then covers about a century (1070-970 BC) in the history of the young nation of Israel. We will now spend about nine chapters on the forty years of the kingdom of Solomon before hurrying through another century.

1 Kings 2:12-18, Adonijah's request

So Solomon sat on the throne of his father David, and his rule was firmly established.

Now Adonijah, the son of Haggith, went to Bathsheba, Solomon's mother. Bathsheba asked him, "Do you come peacefully?" 

He answered, "Yes, peacefully." Then he added, "I have something to say to you." 

"You may say it," she replied.

"As you know," he said, "the kingdom was mine. All Israel looked to me as their king. But things changed, and the kingdom has gone to my brother; for it has come to him from the LORD. Now I have one request to make of you. Do not refuse me." 

"You may make it," she said.

So he continued, "Please ask King Solomon--he will not refuse you--to give me Abishag the Shunammite as my wife.

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

Adonijah has noticed the beautiful woman who had been attending David. Not only is she beautiful but she may represent now a symbol of power. Adonijah, in his desire for Abishag, may be asking too much. (See 2 Samuel 3:6-12, where Ish-bosheth loses his throne by getting angry about Abner sleeping with his father's concubine.) Adonijah does not help his case by whining that "the kingdom was mine." That comments suggests that Adonijah might still try to overthrow Solomon.

1 Kings 2:19-21, Bathsheba enters the throne room

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. "I have one small request to make of you," she said. "Do not refuse me." 

The king replied, "Make it, my mother; I will not refuse you."

So she said, "Let Abishag the Shunammite be given in marriage to your brother Adonijah."
 

When the queen mother enters the throne room, a throne is brought for her to sit on. She has a request and Solomon says that he won't refuse it. That seems to be a merely formal reply by the king, as he will indeed refuse this request!

1 Kings 2:22-25, Solomon's response

King Solomon answered his mother, "Why do you request Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? You might as well request the kingdom for him--after all, he is my older brother--yes, for him and for Abiathar the priest and Joab son of Zeruiah!"

Then King Solomon swore by the LORD: "May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if Adonijah does not pay with his life for this request! And now, as surely as the LORD lives--he who has established me securely on the throne of my father David and has founded a dynasty for me as he promised--Adonijah shall be put to death today!"

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

Adonijah's request for a member of David harem is viewed as an attempt to regain some power or royal prestige. From Solomon's viewpoint, this is a form of treachery. Solomon responds in anger and orders that Adonijah be executed. David's former bodyguard obeys and kills Adonijah.

1 Kings 2:26-27, Abiathar removed

To Abiathar the priest the king said, “Go back to your fields in Anathoth. You deserve to die, but I will not put you to death now, because you carried the ark of the Sovereign Lord before my father David and shared all my father’s hardships.” 

So Solomon removed Abiathar from the priesthood of the Lord, fulfilling the word the Lord had spoken at Shiloh about the house of Eli.

Abiathar, who had supported Adonijah, is not killed but exiled. He goes home to Anithoth, the future birthplace of the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:1.) 

The last sentence alludes to the prophecy in 1 Samuel 2:27-36.

1 Kings 2:28-34, Assassination of Joab

When the news reached Joab, who had conspired with Adonijah though not with Absalom, he fled to the tent of the Lord and took hold of the horns of the altar.

King Solomon was told that Joab had fled to the tent of the LORD and was beside the altar. Then Solomon ordered Benaiah son of Jehoiada, "Go, strike him down!"

So Benaiah entered the tent of the LORD and said to Joab, "The king says, `Come out!'" 

But he answered, "No, I will die here." 

Benaiah reported to the king, "This is how Joab answered me."

Then the king commanded Benaiah, "Do as he says. Strike him down and bury him, and so clear me and my father's house of the guilt of the innocent blood that Joab shed. The LORD will repay him for the blood he shed, because without the knowledge of my father David he attacked two men and killed them with the sword. Both of them--Abner son of Ner, commander of Israel's army, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of Judah's army--were better men and more upright than he. May the guilt of their blood rest on the head of Joab and his descendants forever. But on David and his descendants, his house and his throne, may there be the LORD's peace forever."

So Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up and struck down Joab and killed him, and he was buried on his own land in the desert.

Joab flees to the tent of God and, like earlier individuals, grabs "the horn of the altar", seeking sanctuary. However, ancient Mosaic Law allowed the execution of a murderer, even when they claimed sanctuary. Joab murdered Abner (2 Samuel 3:27) and Amasa (2 Samuel 20:9-10) in cold blood and so Solomon orders his death. (Joab also played a part in the killing of Absalom but that occurred during warfare and might not have been viewed as murder.)

1 Kings 2:35, Benaiah elevated

The king put Benaiah son of Jehoiada over the army in Joab's position and replaced Abiathar with Zadok the priest.

Benaiah, former bodyguard to David, is elevated to leader of Solomon's army.

1 Kings 2:36-40, House arrest

Then the king sent for Shimei and said to him, "Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and live there, but do not go anywhere else. The day you leave and cross the Kidron Valley, you can be sure you will die; your blood will be on your own head."

Shimei answered the king, "What you say is good. Your servant will do as my lord the king has said." And Shimei stayed in Jerusalem for a long time.

But three years later, two of Shimei's slaves ran off to Achish son of Maacah, king of Gath, and Shimei was told, "Your slaves are in Gath." At this, he saddled his donkey and went to Achish at Gath in search of his slaves. So Shimei went away and brought the slaves back from Gath.

One more of David's instructions is still to be carried out -- the assassination of Shimei. Solomon gives Shimei an opportunity for "house arrest" and Shimei agrees. But eventually, chasing runaway slaves, Shimei violates the agreement.

What does this passage tell us about slaves in Israel? Are we still following the decrees of Deuteronomy?

1 Kings 2:41-46, Execution of Shimei

When Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had returned, the king summoned Shimei and said to him, "Did I not make you swear by the LORD and warn you, `On the day you leave to go anywhere else, you can be sure you will die'? At that time you said to me, `What you say is good. I will obey.' Why then did you not keep your oath to the LORD and obey the command I gave you?"

The king also said to Shimei, "You know in your heart all the wrong you did to my father David. Now the LORD will repay you for your wrongdoing. But King Solomon will be blessed, and David's throne will remain secure before the LORD forever."

Then the king gave the order to Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck Shimei down and killed him. The kingdom was now firmly established in Solomon's hands.

Solomon has gotten rid of the last individual to oppose David. The chapter ends with a summary that Solomon now has firmly established rule in all Israel.

First published November 14, 2023, updated September 25, 2026

I Kings 1, Schemes for the Throne

David, the great king of Israel, is dying. Who will succeed him?

Scholars of the ancient Near East have enough information to provide dates for this time. David's death is around 971-970 BC.

1 Kings 1:1-4, Abishag, a young virgin

When King David was old and well advanced in years, he could not keep warm even when they put covers over him. So his servants said to him, "Let us look for a young virgin to attend the king and take care of him. She can lie beside him so that our lord the king may keep warm."

Then they searched throughout Israel for a beautiful girl and found Abishag, a Shunammite, and brought her to the king. The girl was very beautiful; she took care of the king and waited on him, but the king had no intimate relations with her.

An old wilderness remedy for hypothermia was to wrap up the ailing individual, nude, in a blanket with another naked individual. The rapid exchange of body heat would warm up the cold patient. Here the cold king is being wrapped up with a very beautiful young woman. The woman, Abishag, is to nurse the king and lie down with him to keep him warm, but David does not respond sexually.

David had many wives and concubines and still insisted on seducing Bathsheba. (He probably had at least 20 sons and numerous daughters; see this list of sons.) The fact that he is now not aroused by a beautiful young woman in bed with him is an indication of his severe debility.

(Of course, we have no idea of what Abishag thinks of this.)

1 Kings 1:5-7, Adonijah reaches for the throne

Now Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith, put himself forward and said, "I will be king." So he got chariots and horses ready, with fifty men to run ahead of him. (His father had never interfered with him by asking, "Why do you behave as you do?" He was also very handsome and was born next after Absalom.) Adonijah conferred with Joab son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest, and they gave him their support.

David's oldest sons were, in order of birth, Ammon, Daniel, Adonijah and Absalom (see 1 Chronicles 3: 1-3.)  Ammon raped Tamar and was killed by Absalom who was later killed by Joab. We never hear of Daniel -- did he die young? Adonijah is now the oldest surviving son of the king and according to the ancient Near East culture, would be the next king. Adonijah makes plans to take the crown.

Like Absalom, Adonijah is good looking. Like Absalom, Adonijah hires fifty men to run ahead of him, making himself look very important. And he seems to have the support of Joab and Abiathar. A parenthetical comment claims that he had been spoiled by David; his behavior had never been confronted.

1 Kings 1:8-10, Opposition to Adonijah

But Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei and Rei and David's special guard did not join Adonijah. Adonijah then sacrificed sheep, cattle and fattened calves at the Stone of Zoheleth near En Rogel. He invited all his brothers, the king's sons, and all the men of Judah who were royal officials, but he did not invite Nathan the prophet or Benaiah or the special guard or his brother Solomon.

In Adonijah's political dealing, he does not have the support of Nathan the prophet or some other important individuals. And he seems to know that, deliberately leaving them out of the loop.

In verse 8, the Hebrew is unclear. "Shemei and Rei" might mean "Shimei and his friends". The individual, Shimei, may be listed again in 1 Kings 4:18 as a later governor of Benjamin under  Solomon.

1 Kings 1: 11-14, Nathan takes action

Then Nathan asked Bathsheba, Solomon's mother, "Have you not heard that Adonijah, the son of Haggith, has become king without our lord David's knowing it? Now then, let me advise you how you can save your own life and the life of your son Solomon. Go in to King David and say to him, `My lord the king, did you not swear to me your servant: "Surely Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne"? Why then has Adonijah become king?' While you are still there talking to the king, I will come in and confirm what you have said."

Nathan has a counter scheme. In these power plays, failure can mean death, so Nathan warns Bathsheba that her life, and that of her son, are be at stake.

Bathsheba is to convince David that he had chosen Solomon to reign after him.

1 Kings 1: 15-21, Bathsheba makes a pitch

So Bathsheba went to see the aged king in his room, where Abishag the Shunammite was attending him. Bathsheba bowed low and knelt before the king. "What is it you want?" the king asked.

She said to him, "My lord, you yourself swore to me your servant by the LORD your God: `Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne.' But now Adonijah has become king, and you, my lord the king, do not know about it. He has sacrificed great numbers of cattle, fattened calves, and sheep, and has invited all the king's sons, Abiathar the priest and Joab the commander of the army, but he has not invited Solomon your servant.

"My lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, to learn from you who will sit on the throne of my lord the king after him. Otherwise, as soon as my lord the king is laid to rest with his fathers, I and my son Solomon will be treated as criminals."

Bathsheba, Solomon's mother, appeals to the king. In her pitch, she includes her concern for her safety.

1 Kings 1: 22-27, Nathan supports Bathsheba

While she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet arrived. And they told the king, "Nathan the prophet is here." So he went before the king and bowed with his face to the ground.

Nathan said, "Have you, my lord the king, declared that Adonijah shall be king after you, and that he will sit on your throne? Today he has gone down and sacrificed great numbers of cattle, fattened calves, and sheep. He has invited all the king's sons, the commanders of the army and Abiathar the priest. Right now they are eating and drinking with him and saying, `Long live King Adonijah!'

"But me your servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and your servant Solomon he did not invite. Is this something my lord the king has done without letting his servants know who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?"

Nathan argues that Adonijah has gone behind the king's back. He asks a question to which he knows the answer: "Is Adonijah following your instructions?"

1 Kings 1: 28-31, David confirms Solomon

Then King David said, "Call in Bathsheba." 

So she came into the king's presence and stood before him. The king then took an oath: "As surely as the LORD lives, who has delivered me out of every trouble, I will surely carry out today what I swore to you by the LORD, the God of Israel: Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne in my place." 

Then Bathsheba bowed low with her face to the ground and, kneeling before the king, said, "May my lord King David live forever!"

Bathsheba gets the declaration she wants. Is this a continuation of an earlier plan? Or is the elderly David being tricked into believing that he had appointed Solomon previously? Following 1 Chronicles 22, this decision has been made for some time but not publicized. The naming, by YHWH, of Solomon as "beloved of God" (2 Samuel 12:24-25) might also indicate that Solomon is to be David's successor. It is revealing that Adonijah, in his scheming, does not include David nor some of David's leaders.

1 Kings 1: 32-37, Solomon on the royal mule

King David said, "Call in Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet and Benaiah son of Jehoiada." 

When they came before the king, he said to them: "Take your lord's servants with you and set Solomon my son on my own mule and take him down to Gihon. There have Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him king over Israel. Blow the trumpet and shout, `Long live King Solomon!' Then you are to go up with him, and he is to come and sit on my throne and reign in my place. I have appointed him ruler over Israel and Judah."

Benaiah son of Jehoiada answered the king, "Amen! May the LORD, the God of my lord the king, so declare it. As the LORD was with my lord the king, so may he be with Solomon to make his throne even greater than the throne of my lord King David!"

David tells Zadok, Nathan and Benaiah to install Solomon on the throne. (Benaiah is David's bodyguard; see 2 Samuel 23:20-23.)

1 Kings 1:38-40, Coronation of Solomon

So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the Kerethites and the Pelethites went down and put Solomon on King David's mule and escorted him to Gihon. Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the sacred tent and anointed Solomon. Then they sounded the trumpet and all the people shouted, "Long live King Solomon!"

And all the people went up after him, playing flutes and rejoicing greatly, so that the ground shook with the sound.

Solomon's supporters, along with longtime supporters of David, take Solomon through the streets of Jerusalem, riding on the royal mule, to the springs of Gihon. There Solomon is proudly (and loudly) anointed as king. This public spectacle, clearly supported by David's court, makes it clear that Solomon is the truly appointed kimng.

1 Kings 1:41-49, Adonijah hears

Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they were finishing their feast. On hearing the sound of the trumpet, Joab asked, "What's the meaning of all the noise in the city?"

Even as he was speaking, Jonathan son of Abiathar the priest arrived. Adonijah said, "Come in. A worthy man like you must be bringing good news."

"Not at all!" Jonathan answered. "Our lord King David has made Solomon king. The king has sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the Kerethites and the Pelethites, and they have put him on the king's mule, and Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king at Gihon. From there they have gone up cheering, and the city resounds with it. That's the noise you hear. Moreover, Solomon has taken his seat on the royal throne.

"Also, the royal officials have come to congratulate our lord King David, saying, `May your God make Solomon's name more famous than yours and his throne greater than yours!' And the king bowed in worship on his bed and said, `Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, who has allowed my eyes to see a successor on my throne today.'"

At this, all Adonijah's guests rose in alarm and dispersed.
 

The quick work of Solomon's supporters comes to Adonijah and Adonijah's guests, afraid of the obvious power behind King David, quickly disappear.

We have, for the second time, a statement that a "worthy man" must be bringing "good news." (David says that in 2 Samuel 18:27, as if all good people bring good news.) This times the "worthy man" says, "Sorry -- not good news at all!"

1 Kings 1:50-53, At the horns of the altar

But Adonijah, in fear of Solomon, went and took hold of the horns of the altar.

Then Solomon was told, "Adonijah is afraid of King Solomon and is clinging to the horns of the altar. He says, `Let King Solomon swear to me today that he will not put his servant to death with the sword.'"

Solomon replied, "If he shows himself to be a worthy man, not a hair of his head will fall to the ground; but if evil is found in him, he will die."

Then King Solomon sent men, and they brought him down from the altar. And Adonijah came and bowed down to King Solomon, and Solomon said, "Go to your home."

Adonijah, aware that his play for power is over, seeks a certain status of forgiveness, implied by clinging to the altar. Solomon accepts that for the moment. Adonijah is to be a "worthy man" if he wants to live.

Is this the end of the story of Adonijah? No....

First published November 13, 2023, updated September 24, 2026