1 Kings 1:13

1Ki 1:13 Go and get thee in unto king David, and say unto him, Didst not thou, my lord, O king, swear unto thine handmaid, saying, Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne? why then doth Adonijah reign?

Ver. 13. Didst not thou swear … unto thine handmaid?] This was done, say the Rabbis, at that time when David comforted Bathsheba, and went in unto her, and lay with her. {2Sa 12:24} Lyra saith, that then it was revealed unto him, that this son of his by Bathsheba should reign after him: this was no small comfort to her.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

1Ki 1:13-15. Didst thou not, O king, swear unto thy handmaid? — We do not read anywhere else of this oath: but, no doubt, David had solemnly sworn to her that he would make her son his successor, knowing that God himself had designed him to that honour. And it is probable that Adonijah was not an entire stranger to what God had declared to Nathan and David on this subject: and if so, his crime was the greater in setting himself to oppose the decree of heaven. Indeed he acknowledges as much, 1Ki 2:15. The king was very old — And therefore, probably, could not see so as to discern who had entered the chamber till Abishag, who ministered unto him, informed him.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Verse 13. Go and get thee in unto King David] He knew that this woman had a sovereign influence over the king. If Bath-sheba was a source of pleasure to David, must she not also have been a source of pain to him? For could he ever forget the guilty manner in which he acquired her?

Didst not thou - swear] It is very likely that David made such an oath, and that was known only to Bath-sheba and Nathan. It is nowhere else mentioned.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(13) Didst not thou . . . swear.—Of this oath we have no mention elsewhere. It may have belonged to the time of Solomon’s birth (2Sa_12:24-25). In 1Ch_22:6-13, we find a designation of Solomon for succession, apparently earlier than this time—it being clearly understood (see 1Ki_1:20), according to Oriental custom, that such designation, without strict regard to priority of birth, lay in the prerogative of the reigning king.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

13. Didst not thou … swear unto thine handmaid] She uses terms of great humility, even though she be pleading the king’s former solemn promise. We have no record of the oath to which Bath-sheba alludes, but we may be sure that the king had imparted to her the promise which God had made to him that Solomon should be his successor in the kingdom.

The Hebrew particle כִּי, which is here and in 1Ki_1:30 translated ‘assuredly’, seems often not intended for anything more than a mark of quotation. Like the Greek ὄτι, when it stands before a direct quotation, it should be left in most cases untranslated. In 1Ki_11:22 it is rendered ‘but’, which would be better omitted.

shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne] The fuller phrase seems intended to imply that Solomon should be in all respects the equal of his father. The pronoun ‘he’ is emphatically expressed in the original as also in 1Ki_1:24; 1Ki_1:30; 1Ki_1:35. In each case the force is ‘he and no other.’

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Go and get thee in unto King David,.... That is, go into the chamber where the king lay, at once, without any ceremony:

and say unto him, didst not thou, my lord, O king, swear unto thine handmaid, saying, assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne? though no mention is elsewhere made of such an oath, there undoubtedly was one, of which Nathan had knowledge, either from David or Bathsheba, or from them both, or might be present himself at the making of it; for not only Bathsheba affirms it, Kg1 1:17; but David owns it and confirms it, Kg1 1:30;

why then doth Adonijah reign? surely it cannot be with the king's knowledge and consent, so manifestly contrary to his promise and oath.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Swear. This he did, either when he comforted her, after the death of her first-born; (2 Kings xii. 24.) or rather, when Solomon had received so glorious a name, and was declared the heir by Nathan, 2 Kings vii. 12., and 1 Paralipomenon xxii. 20., and xxviii. 5. Adonias acknowledges that God had made choice of his brother, chap. ii. 15. (Calmet)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Didst not thou swear, i.e. Thou didst swear; which David himself owneth, 1Ki 1:30, which probably he did to satisfy Bath-sheba’s doubts and fears about it, and to oblige himself to a compliance with the Divine will declared about it. See 1Ki 2:15; 1Ch 28:5. Thine handmaid; so she calleth herself, to testify her reverence and subjection to him, not only as her husband, but as her king.

He shall sit upon my throne; another expression of the same thing, to signify David’s sincerity and fervency in his swearing, which adds to his obligation.

Why then doth Adonijah reign? how comes this to pass? or why dost thou suffer it?

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

13. Didst not thou… swear — According to 1Ch_22:9, the Lord had foretold to David the birth and name and destiny of Solomon. Before his birth, then, this child of Bathsheba had been chosen of God to succeed David on the throne of Israel, and it is therefore but natural to suppose, though we find no express record of it, that in accordance with the Divine oracle, David had sworn to Bathsheba as is here stated.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Go and get thee in Hebrews come unto king David, and say unto him, Didst not thou, my lord, O king swear unto thine handmaid this oath of David"s to Bathsheba (see vers. 17, 30) is not elsewhere recorded, but it was evidently well known to Nathan, and probably, therefore, to others also saying, Assuredly Hebrews that, yKi, recitantis Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he emphatic shall sit upon my throne? why therefore doth Adonijah reign? And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches and honour Heb. glory; so that there shall not be any among the kings lure unto thee all thy days.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

General Information:

The prophet Nathan continues to speak to Bathsheba.

did you not swear to your servant ... throne?

The purpose of this question was to remind David of what he had promised Bathsheba. AT: "you swore to your servant ... throne." (See: Rhetorical Question)

to your servant

Bathsheba speaks to David as if she were someone else to show that she respects David. AT: "to me, your servant" (See: Pronouns)

he will sit on my throne

Sitting on the throne is a metonym for being king. AT: "he will be king just as I was" (See: Metonymy)

Why then is Adonijah reigning?

Bathsheba was to use a question so David would pay attention. AT: "So then, Adonijah should not be reigning." (See: Rhetorical Question)

confirm your words

"tell him that what you have said is true"

translationWords

oath

reign

throne

word

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.