The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Kings — Section 46

Oriental monarchies that the harem of 11, cOflsilio f11entnt ille et Abiatha1·," &o. Keil sovereign descended to his successor. Thus well rema.l'ks that "the repetition of 1', the impostor Smerdis took possession of the answers entirely to the emotiono.l character ha.rem of Cambyses (Herod. iii. 68), while of the words." We can hardly believe, Darius in turn had some of the wives of howe,er, that in these converse.tions we Sir.erdis (iii. 88). And what is much more have the ipsissima verba of the spenkers to the •point, a similar custom obta.ined If so, how were they preser-ed and handed &II1ongst the Jews. David, for example, down to the author? Even a " court scribe" succeeded to the wfres, along with the king- would hardly catch every turn of expression. dom, of Saul (2 Sa.m. xii. 8). And we see And possibly this interview with Ba.thsheba from the case of Abner and Rizpah (Ibid. was private. It would almost seem, from iii. 8), and still more from that of Absalom the immediate mention of Joa.b and Abio.- (eh. xn. 22), that to "take possession of ~h9:1", a.s_if Solom_ou had received some prior the ha.rem wa.s the most decided a.et of mt1mat1on of this second conspiracy. Pos- so,ercignty" (Lord A. Hcr-ey, .Speak. Com. sibly his rer.iarkable penetration had di- on 2 Sam. xvi. 21). Now a.11 these instances vined that mischief was brewing from the were of too recent a. date, and ha.d attracted bee.ring of the three, who no doubt would far too much attention at the time, to have be narrowly watched. Or he may have made it possible for them to have escaped heard of frequent meetings on their part. either Solomon's or Adouijah's _observation. Anyhow, Adonija.h's suit is to him conclu- They manifest "such a close connection in sive proof of a. plot]. public opinion between the title to the Ver. 23.-Then king Solomon sware by crown and the possession of the deceased the Lord, saying, God do so to me, and more monarch's wives, that to have granted .A.do- :1150 [a. commo~ form of adjuration (~nth nijah'sreqnest would have beeu the strongest 1. 17; 1 Sam. xiv. 44; xx. 13; 2 So.m. rn. 9; encoun.gement to his pretensions" (Rawlin- xix. 13, &c.)= Gott soll mich foi·t und fort son in loco). It may be said that Abisha.g strafen. Bahr], if [or" tho.t." •:;, constantly had not really beeu the concnl.,ine of David (eh. i 4), which is true, e.nd which explains follows formnlm of swearing, a.s in all the what would otherwise have been the aston- passages just cited. Cf. the use of &r, in ishing impiety of Adonija.h (Lev. xviii 8, New Testnment. The order of the next ::n. 11 ; cL 1 Cor. v. 1), and the wonderful words in the Hebrew is noticeable] ag!l,lllst compl.a.isance of Ba.thsheba.. There is no his llfe spa.ke Adomja.h this word. [W':;lJ~, warrant for chargiug Adonijah (a.s is done " at the peril or cost of his life." Cf. 2 Sam. by a La.pide, Wordsworth, al.) with defy- xxiii. 17; Josh. xxiii._ 11.J ing the Dime law and seeking an inces- Ver. 2-1.-Now therefore [Ilcb. and now], tuous a.lli.n.nce, for the historian is careful a.s the Lord llveth, which hath established to represent Abishag a.e David's attendant, me, and set me [e. • has here crept into and not as his wile. But it is hardly prob- the text; obviously owing to the fa.et that able that the nation at large knew this. this same letter both precedes and follows] People genera.lly could only suppose that on the throne of David my father, and who this fair young girl, chosen out of all the hath made me an house [Keil and Words- thousands of Israel because of her beauty, worth understand by this expression, "ho.th had become t::I all intents and purposes one given me issue." "Solomon," says Keil, of the royal seraglio. It is almost a cer- "had already one son, viz., Rehobonm, about tainty, therefore, that Adonija.h's request a. year old (comp. xi. 4:! with xiv. 21, o.nd 2 concealed. a. plot for using Abishag a.e a. Chron. xii. 13)." But some doubt seems to stepping-stone to the throne, and Solomon attach to the "forty and one years" men- certainly is not to be blamed if he inter- tioned as the age of Rehoboam o.t his acces- preted it by the light of contemporaneous sion. Bahr says Solomon's "marriage did history, and by the usages of his time nnd not occur till nfterwards (iii. 1). And we country. He knew that his brother had find from l Kings xi. 38 ; 2 Sam. vii. 11, 27, ma.de one deliberate effort to supplant him, that to 'make,' or 'build an house,' means and therefore he could only conclude tha.t to found o. le.sting dyne.sty"] , as he promised this wa.s a second, though veiled, attempt [Heh. spake, i.e., at 2 Sam. vii. 11-13], to deprfre him of his kingdom]; even for Adon1Ja.h shall be put to death th1s day. him, and for Abla.thar the priest, and for Ver. 25.-And King Solomon sent by the Joab the son of Zeru1a.h. [The LXX. and hand [i.e., the instrumentality; not neces- other translators appear to have had e. eo.rily eigenhiindig, a.s Thenins. Cf. Exod. slightly different text before them. The LXX. iv. 13 ; 1 Sam. xvi. 20, Heb.; 1 Kings xii. 15; renders, mi ain,jj 'Aj3,a.9ap mi aimj 'Iwa/3, xiv. 18; Jer. xxxvii. 2 (" which he spake by the 1r. . .,-, >-; the Vulga.te, "et ha bet Abi.athar," hand of Jeremiah"), &c. The same expression &c. The Chald. pe.ra.phra.ses, '• nonne in ill found in ver. 46 of this chapterl of Benalah CB, ll, 12-25.] THE FIRST BOOK OF KINGS. 39