The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Kings — Section 10

intended here] but he gat no heat. [A Ver. 4.-And the da.msel was very fair common experience of the aged. David's [lit. ,fair to ezceeding] and cherished [ see on early hardships and later eorrowe and ver. 2] the king, a.nd ministered to hJm ; anxieties appear to have aged him pre- but the king knew her not. [This is men- maturely. Possibly he was also afflicted tioned to explain the history of chap. ii. with diBease. J 13-25. Had it been otherwise, Adonijo.h Ver. 2.-Wherefore [Heb. and] his ser- could never have presumed to seek her in vants [1tccording to Josephus (Antiq. vii. 14, marriage, and Bathsheba would never have 3), his physicians] said unto him, Let there promised her help in his suit. Suoh an be souf;ht [lit. as marg., "let them seek"] incestuous alliance would not only ho.ve for my lord the king [the singular pro- been contrary to the law (Levit. x-r;u. 8), nonn is used as representing the servant but abhorrent to all true Israeli,es (cf. who was spokesman for the rest} a youil.g 1 Cor. v. 1). In this fact, which the court virgin (mo.rg., "a damsel, a virgin." She knew, and which the nation at large did not must be young, to imps.rt heat, and a virgin, know-they could only suppose that such as befitted a l-ing. Though she was recom- a " search " for one so exceeding " fair " mended as a nurse, they would nature.J.ly meant the increase of the seraglio-Adoni- suppose she might be to.ken as a concubine] ja.h found his point d'a.ppui for a second and let her stand before the king [i.e., as attempt on the throne. The older expositors servant (ver. 4). Cf. eh. :xii. 6, 8; Gen. and some of the modern, notably Words- :tli. 46; Dan. i. 5; Deut. i. 38 (with Josh. worth, assume that Abishag was David's i. 1) 1 Kings x. 8. In the East, servants wife, in the sense of being lege.lly married still stand and wait their masters' plea- to him. (Corn. a Lap. discusses the question sure. Cf. 2 Kings v. 25], a.nd let her cberi'lll at considerable length, and with needless him [So also the LXX., icai ;rrra, avriw prnriency.) But this idea finds no support Ba>-1rouo-a. But Gesenius, al. " be a com- in Scripture, which represents her as simply panion to him"] a.nd let her lie in thy [or an attende.nt. It is idle to remark, conse- "his," LXX. aurov, Vo.lg. suo] bosom [the quently, that "the Jewish le.w allowed expression is generally, but not invariably polygamy" (Rawlinson). (see 1 Kings iii. 20; Ruth iv. 16) used de Ver.5.-ThenAdon.fjah [ ="Jehovah ismy complexu venereo] that my lord the king Lord." The fourth son of David, and now may get hea.t. [This close embrace of apparently the eldest surviving. It seems youth was an obvious way of imparting probable that Chileab, or Daniel (1 Chxon. animal heat to age (" Calor a corpore iii. 1), David's second eon, died in infancy. juvenili ac sano maxbne prodest senibus." For Amnon's death, see 2 Sam. xiii. 29; Grotius), and was the more favoured because for Absalom's, ibid. xviii. 14. He must now other and internal remedies were not then he.ve been between thirty-three and forty known. It is recognized by Galen, and is yea.re of age (having been born in Hebron)] said to have been prescribed by e. Jewish the son of Baggith [="Festive 11 (Gesen.) physician to the Emperor Frederick Bar- " the dancer" (Stanley)] exalted him- barossa (Bahr). It is stated by Roberts self, saying [to himself and his confederates), that it is still largely followed in the East. J I will be king. [It is not difficult to trace Ver. 3.-So [Heh. and] they sought (cf. this resolve to its sources. They were (1) Esth. ii. 2), for a fair [this word points to his seniority (eh. ii. 22). It is true there the same conclusion as " virgin" in ver. 2] was no " right of primogeniture II in the damsel throughout all the coasts [i.e., Hebrew monarchy. "The God-King had borders (costa=rib, side). An old writer reserved to Himself the choice of the earthly speaks of the " coasts and quarters of king" (Keil). David himself we.a not the heaven"] of Israel, and foUild Ab1shag eldest, but the youngest brother. At the [="Father of error." Names compounded same time primogeniture, ceteriB paribus, with .11.b, "father," were and a.re very com- would have, and as e. matter of fa.et had, mon in the East. We he.ve, e.g., Ab-salom considerable weight. The fi.rstborn had the in ver. 6, e.nd Abi-athar in ver. 7] & [Heh. birthright ; can we doubt he would expect the J Shunam.mJ.te [Shllilem, a town of the crown, and think it hard if he were Issa.char (Josh. ili. 18), now called S6ls.m, passed over? (see 2 Chron. x:xi. 3). (2) "a flourishing village encompassed by gar- His personal attractions. Adonije.h wonlcl dens" (Porter), and "in the midst of the think that his beauty e.nd stature (Josephus finest cornfields in the world'' (Grove), lies mentions the ls.tter) marked him out, o.s on the lower slope of " Little Hermon," similar gifts had done Saul (1 Sam. ix. 2), e.nd he.s before it the wide plain of Esdre.e- for the throne. (3) He we.a encouraged in lon. Another Shunam.mite appears in the his pretensions, if indeed they were not sacred history (2 Kings iv. 8)] a.n4 brouglrt suggested to him, by others, by J oab, for her to the king. example (see on ver. 7). (4) Possibly OH, I, 1-53.] THE FIRST BOOK OF RINGS: 8