N OW king David was old, and + ſtricken in years 4, | and they covered him with clothes, but he gat n 0 heat b.
a Being in the end of his ſeventieth Year. 5 Which is not ſt range in a Perſon not only of ſo great an Age, but alſo who had b een exerciſcd with fo many hardthips- in War,and with ſuch tor- Tt 1enting cares, and fears, and ſorrows, for his own ſins L as divers of his Pſalms witneſs) and for the fins and miſeries of his Children a1 1d People. See Prov. 17. 22+ Beſides, this might be from the n;1ture of his Diſeaſe, or Bodily Diſtemper.
2 Wherefore his ſervants e faid unto him, F Let thiere be ſought for my LORD the king fa young virgin d, and let her ſtand before the king e, and let her + cheriſh him, and let her lie in thy boſom f, that my lord the king may get heat.
c His Phyſicians. 4 Whoſe natural Heat is freſh and wholeſom, and not impaired with bearing or breeding of Children. The ſame counſel doth Galen give for the cure ot ſome cold and dry Di-
not the ſame diſapointment and deſtruction which he brought up- on himſelf
6 And his father had not diſpleaſed him + at any + Heb. time p, in ſaying, Why haſt thou done fo q? And he from his alſo r was a very goodly man ; and bis mother bare him 49* after Abſalom /.
p This is noted as David's great error, and the occaſion of Ade- nijah's preſumption. . q, He neither reſtrained him from, nor re- proved him for his miſcarriages : which was a great fin againſt that plain Law, Levis. 19. 17. and ſeverely puniſhed in Ek, which David was not ignorant of, except Aadonijah's Errors were fmall or concealed from David. r This particle relates, either, Firſt; To Abſalom here following,who alſo 'vas a goodly Man. Or rather, Secondly, to What goes before, to fignifie that this was a ſecond ground of his confidence, becauſe his great comlineſs made him amiable in the People s Eyes, as his Fathers indulgence was the firſt ſi e. Next after Ab/alom was born of his Mother : See 2 Sam. Je 3, 4+ ; 7 Andf he conferred withJoab the ſon of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar the prieſt : and they + following + Heb Adonijah, heiped him 7. rey £ Either, becauſe they thought the right of the Crown: was his with Job, or rather, from ſecret grudges, becauſe they perceived themſelves + xg | neglected by David, and poilibly by Solomon too ; and from Carnal helped afs Policy, that they might ſecure and advance their own intereſt, :er Adoni= which they ſaw to be in manifeſt danger. jah.
8 But Zadok the prieſt, and Benaiah the ſon of
Jternpers. & 7. e. Miniſter unto him, or wait upon him, ( as this | IPhraie is oft uſed ) in his iickneſs, as eccaſion repuires, f As his Wife or Concubine . for that the was ſo, may appear by divers ar- . guments. Firſt, Otherwiſe this had þ-en a wicked counſel and } courſe ; which therefore neither his Sgrvants durſt have preſcribed, nor would David have uſed, eſpecially being now in a dying con- dition. And ſeing this was eatilyyprevented by his raking her fo r his Concubine, which then was eſteemed allowable ir is abſurd ro think that he wou!d not chuſe the ſafer way. Secondly, That ' p: ifſage, v. 4+ but the king knew her not. implies that the King might hi ive had carnal knowledge of her without fin or ſcandal. Thirdly, It appears from this Phraſe of lying in his boſym, which is every . w here in Scriprure 'mentioned as the priviledge of a Wife and - C oncubine, as Gen. 16, 5. Deut. 13. 6. 2 Sam. 12, $8. Mic. 7, 5, E ourthly, This made Adonijah's Crime in deſiring her to Wife, ſo | ts ainous in Solomon's account, becauſe he wiſely 1faw, that by Mar- r' jing the King's Wite he deſigned to revive his pretence to the K ingdom, at leaſt in caſe of Selomen's death ; which pretence had bt :en ridiculous, if.the had been only the King's handmaid.
3 So they ſought for a fair damſel g throughout all tt 1e coaſts of Iſrael ; and found Abiſhag a Shunamite 6, a1 1d brought her to the king.
g Whoſe beauty might engage his affeQtions,and refreſh his ſpi- Tf ts, and invite him to thoſe embraces which might communicate ſc me of her natural Heat to him,as was deſigned + Of the City Oo: | Shunem in Tſachar, Joſ- 19. 18. See 2 Kings 4: 8.
4 And the damſel was very fair, and cheriſhed che k .ing, and miniftred unto him: but the king knew her 1 10t z.
— # Which is mentioned to note the continuance and progrefs of the King's Malady,and the ground of Aonijah's Rebellion, and of his following requeſt, Chap. 2. 17 |
5 © Then &k Adonijjah the ſon of Haggith / exalted himſelf, ſaying, I will + be king = : and he prepared him chariots, and horſemen, and fifry men to run be- fore him o.
k Upon notice of the deſperatneſs of the King's Diſcaſe, and* the approach of his dearth. ! See 2 Sam. 3 m Entertained high thuughts and deligns. » As the right of the Kingdom is mine) v. 6. io I will now take poſſeſſion of it, leſt Solomon attempt” to deprive meof it. o As 4{alom had done upon the like occati-* On. 2 Sam 15. 1. ſuch ill uſe did he make of thar example, that he
| Jehoiada, and Nathan the prophet, and * Shemei and
; were not with Adonijah.
* I; 7 « His great and famous Commanders, and the Guards, and Sol- * 2 Sams ! diers under them. 23:8. +
: gel y, and called all his brethren the kings ſons z, and wels
Rei, and * the mighty men which belonged to David #, * Chap, |
9 And Adonijah ſlew ſheep and oxen, and fat cat- 2 lel x, by the ſtone of Zoheleth, which 3s by || Enro- || Or, ths:
all the men of Judah the kings ſervants 4.
x Partly, for a Sacrifice ; and partly, for Feaſts, that he might engage God to be on his fide, and draw a multitude of people afrer him. y Or, the fountain of Rogel, or, of the Fuller : a place nigh to Feruſalem. See Joſs 5: 7; and 18: 16: 2 Sam; 17:17. x Either, becauſe he knew they envied,and were diſcontented with Solomon, and therefore would favour him, or that he might engage them ſo ro do. 4 Except theſe here excepted, wv: 10.
10 But Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, and the