The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Kings — Section 45

to do with this request. It is not improb- uvii. 42; Exod. x. 8; and eapecially Nnm. able, on the contrary, that a passion for the uxii. 5; and see Gesen., Lex. s. v. n~, and beautiful Shunam.nite, perho.ps the fairest Ewald, Syntax, 295 b.J woman of her time, me.y have first given e. Ver. 22.-And king Solomon answered and powerful impulse to Adonijah's o.mbition sa1d unto his mother, And why dost thou (see on eh. i. 6). At the same time, he must ask Abishag the Bhunamm.ite for Adonljah 7 have had ulterior motives (see on ver. 22). [Professor Plumptre (Diet. Bib., art. " Solo- Ver. 18. - And Ba.thsheba said, Well mon ") eaye this " Darra.ti '70 is not a. little [there is no reason why the strict render- perplexing." He then specially remarks on ing "good," should not be presened here. the strangeness of Ba.theheba.'s interceding The A. V. follows the LXX. ica>..w,. Similarly for Adonijah, and also on Solomon's " flash- Luther, wohl; but Biihr, gut], I will speak ing into fiercest wrath" e.t her request. He for thee [LXX . .,.,pi 11oii] unto the king. expla.iDs the facts, however, by " Mr. Grove's Ver. 19.-Bathsheba therefore [lit., .And ingenious theory identifying Abishag with Bathsheba] went UD.to king [Heb. the king] lhe Shula.mite (Cant. vi. 13), the heroine of Solomon, to speak unto him for Adonljah. the SoDg of Songs." It is "the passion- And the king rose up to meet her, and bowed ate love of SolomoD for ' the fairest a.moDg himself unto her, [the LXX. reads, " and women' that has made Bathsheba, "hither- kissed" her (ica, icare,p0,.7111ev aim)v). _There to supreme, to fear e. rival influence, and to is not necessarily a pregnant construction, as join in any scheme for its removal." The Keil insists : "rose up and went down to king's vehement e.bruptDess is in like meet her." We get here a glimpse of the manner accounted for. He sees in the re- stateliness of Solomon's court] and eat quest at oDce an attempt to deprive him of down on his throne, and caused a seat the woman he loves and a plot to keep him [lit., throne, same word] to be set [most still in the tutelage of childhood. Of the probably the senants of Solomon placed ingennity of this theory no one can doubt, the seat for the queen mother, as the LXX. Dor yet that it may possibly represent the (ir•llr/ 0p6vo,) and most tJ:anslato!s. T_he actual facts. Bot it is not necesso.ry, nor reception was clearly a public one, if the m- does it help much to the explanation of the terview was private. But the orl:ginal is narrative. Bathshebe.'s intervention may simply, "and he set," &c., suggesting that easily be accounted for by (1) her desire to Solomon may ho.ve done it, as e. mark of ooncilie.te her son's most formidable rival; respect, with his own hands. He " rece_~ved (2) her feminine interest in e. love match ; his mother o.s i11':;l~" (oh. xv. 13). Bahr] and (3) her pride, which could not bnt be for tile mot.her of the kl.ng, and she sat on flo.ttered, on being assured that her influence his rlght hand. [The place of honour. Cf. with the king was eo great. Nor is it o.ny Psa. ex. 1 ; Matt. u. 21; uv. 33 ; Acts more difficult to o.ssign e. reo.son for Solo- vii. 66 ; Rom. viii. 34 ; Heb. i. 3 ; viii. 1, mon's sudden outburst of 11.Ilger. This re- &c. It was also the place of honour amongst quest is evidence to him of a. fresh pl?t Arabians (Keil), Greeks, and Romans, as o.gainet his throne, a plot so skilfully laid the very names evwvvµo,-an euphemism for that its o.bettors have been able to deceive ap111r,p6,-a.nd sinistra, show. his own mother, and ho.ve made her a. tool Ver. 20.-Then she said, I desire one sma.11 for its e.dvo.ncement. Surely this is qnite petition of thee. [So it seemed, no doubt, enough to account for Solomon's indigna- to her, in her inexpr.rience and iguoro.nce of tion. Aud the theory of a. love story ho.a Adonijah's reo.l motives. She thought she this disadvanto.ge, that the young king com- held the threo.ds of a love story in her hands, pletely ignores it in what follows, all his o.nd tho.t it would be a small thing for concern being about tho kingdom, o.nd not Solomon to make these ho.ndsome lovers one word being said a.bout the womo.n; and happy]: I pray thee, say me not nay. And aga.in-o.nd this is almost fatal-his mention the king said unto her, Ask on, my mother: of J oab and Abie.tho.r, e.nd his su bseqnent for I will ·.o.ot say thee nay. lThe readiness dealings with them, prove conclusi.ely-tho.t of the ki.ug to grant whatever-she asked proves he suspected a. conspiro.cy ago.inst his crown, tho.t the reasons which induced him to deny not e, scheme, in which these lo.tter conld her request must ho.ve been weighty; i.e., ho.ve had no interest, and therefore no po.rt, Adonijah's suit cannot have been devoid of to rob him of e. mistress] ask for him the politico.I consequences. kingdom also [Heb. and ask ,for hi-rn=o.nd (you will next) e.sk for him; or, Aye, ask Ver. 21.-And she said, Let Abishag the for him, &o. It wo.s quite nu.turn! that Shunammite be given to Adonljah t.hy Solomon should see in Adonijah's suit for brother to wife. [For the construction (n~ Abisha.g e.n indirect, but none the less real with o. nominative, or, as some think, ll:l'. or dangerous, attempt to compass his own used irnpersonally - man oebe), cf. Gen.: ·downflill. For ii wo.s one of the customs of  38 THE FIRST BOOK OF KINGS. [ CH. II. 12-l!o.