In brief
Adonijah, son of King David and Haggith, was born in Hebron. When David was very old, he proclaimed himself king, although the king had sworn that Solomon would reign after him. Joab and the priest Abiathar backed him. David had Solomon anointed at Gihon, and a frightened Adonijah grabbed the horns of the altar. Solomon first spared him, then had him put to death after his request to marry Abishag. The lesson: no ambition overturns God's choice.
What does the name Adonijah mean?
The name Adonijah is generally linked to a Hebrew name meaning "my Lord is the LORD." The Bible gives no explanation of the name. It presents him as David's fourth son, born in Hebron to Haggith (2 Samuel 3:4).
The world of Adonijah
Adonijah belongs to the end of David's reign, around 970 BC by the usual reckoning. David reigned forty years, seven years and six months at Hebron and thirty-three years at Jerusalem (1 Kings 2:11). The king has grown very old: he is covered with blankets yet cannot keep warm, and the young Abishag of Shunem cares for him and serves him (1 Kings 1:1-4). The question of the succession remains open. The first sons born at Hebron are Amnon, Chileab (called Daniel in 1 Chronicles 3:1) and Absalom, then comes Adonijah (2 Samuel 3:2-4). Amnon has been killed on Absalom's order (2 Samuel 13:28-29), Absalom has died in his revolt (2 Samuel 18:14-15), and the Bible says nothing more of Chileab after his birth. Adonijah presents himself as the natural heir: he will say himself that the kingdom was his (1 Kings 2:15). But David had sworn to Bathsheba that Solomon would reign after him (1 Kings 1:13,17), and he will say that Yahweh chose Solomon from among all his sons (1 Chronicles 28:5). The account thus sets a son's desire against God's decision.
The story of Adonijah
Born at Hebron, David's fourth son
2 Samuel 3:2-5During the seven years and six months that David reigns at Hebron, six sons are born to him by six different mothers. The first is Amnon, the second Chileab, the third Absalom, the fourth Adonijah, son of Haggith, the fifth Shephatiah and the sixth Ithream. The Bible notes later that Adonijah was very handsome, that he was born after Absalom, and that his father had never asked him why he acted as he did (1 Kings 1:6). Nothing in this list foretells his deed, but it already shows that David's house has several sons, by different mothers, who might one day reign, which prepares the tensions of the story.
He proclaims himself king
1 Kings 1:5-10While David is old, Adonijah, carried away by pride, declares that he will be king. He provides himself with chariots, horsemen and fifty men to run before him. He confers with Joab and with the priest Abiathar, who take his side. The priest Zadok, Benaiah, the prophet Nathan, Shimei, Rei and David's mighty men are not with him. Adonijah slaughters sheep, oxen and fattened calves by the stone of Zoheleth, beside En Rogel, and invites his brothers, the king's sons, and all the men of Judah who serve the king. He does not invite Nathan, Benaiah, the mighty men or Solomon.
Nathan and Bathsheba warn David
1 Kings 1:11-27Nathan warns Bathsheba that Adonijah has become king without David's knowledge, and that her life and Solomon's are in danger. He advises her to go and remind the king of his oath: Solomon your son shall reign after me. Bathsheba enters the king's chamber, where Abishag is serving him, bows, and tells him that all Israel is watching him to learn who will sit on the throne. She adds that if nothing changes, she and her son will be treated as offenders. While she is still speaking, Nathan arrives, bows low and asks the king whether Adonijah reigns by his command, citing the feast and the cry of long live King Adonijah.
David renews his oath
1 Kings 1:28-40David summons Bathsheba and swears by Yahweh, who has redeemed him out of every adversity, that Solomon will reign in his place. He then calls Zadok, Nathan and Benaiah and orders them to set Solomon on the king's mule and bring him to Gihon, where they are to anoint him king over Israel. Benaiah answers Amen and prays that Yahweh be with Solomon as he has been with David. Zadok takes the horn of oil from the tent and anoints Solomon. They blow the trumpet, all the people cry long live King Solomon, and they go up after him playing flutes, with such rejoicing that the earth splits with their noise.
The interrupted feast
1 Kings 1:41-49Adonijah and his guests hear this noise just as they finish eating. Joab, hearing the sound of the trumpet, asks why the city is in an uproar. He is still speaking when Jonathan, son of the priest Abiathar, arrives, and Adonijah welcomes him as a worthy man bringing good news. Jonathan tells him that David has made Solomon king, that Zadok and Nathan anointed him at Gihon, and that Solomon has sat on the royal throne. He also reports the blessing of the king's servants and David's own words, blessing Yahweh for giving him a successor today. All of Adonijah's guests, seized with fear, rise and go their separate ways.
Adonijah takes hold of the horns of the altar
1 Kings 1:50-53Adonijah is afraid of Solomon. He rises, goes away and takes hold of the horns of the altar. Solomon is told that he is asking the king to swear today that he will not put his servant to death with the sword. Solomon answers that if he proves to be a worthy man, not a hair of him will fall to the earth, but if wickedness is found in him, he will die. The king sends men who bring Adonijah down from the altar. Adonijah comes and bows down before King Solomon, who tells him to go to his house. The matter seems closed, but the grace granted to Adonijah remains tied to a condition: his future conduct.
The death of David, Solomon on the throne
1 Kings 2:1-12David nears death and gives his orders to Solomon: let him be strong, show himself a man, and keep the commandments of Yahweh by walking in his ways, so that he may prosper in all that he does. He reminds him of the promise made to his line, then of what Joab did to Abner and to Amasa. David sleeps with his fathers and is buried in the city of David. He reigned forty years, seven at Hebron and thirty-three at Jerusalem. Solomon sits on the throne of David his father, and his kingdom is firmly established. Adonijah does not appear in these verses, but it is under this new reign that he makes his last move.
The request made to Bathsheba
1 Kings 2:13-18Adonijah goes to Bathsheba, Solomon's mother. She asks whether he comes peaceably, and he says that he does. He then tells her that the kingdom was his and that all Israel looked to him as king, but that the kingdom has turned and has gone to his brother, because it was his from Yahweh. He then asks her not to refuse him one request: that she ask King Solomon, who will not refuse her, to give him Abishag the Shunammite as his wife. Bathsheba answers that she will speak for him to the king.
Solomon's answer
1 Kings 2:19-25Bathsheba goes to King Solomon, who rises to meet her, bows down to her and has her sit at his right hand. She says she has one small request: that Abishag the Shunammite be given as wife to Adonijah, the king's brother. Solomon answers by asking why she requests Abishag for Adonijah, and adds that she might as well ask the kingdom for him, for the priest Abiathar and for Joab. He swears by Yahweh, who has established him on the throne of David, that Adonijah will die this very day. He sends Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, who strikes Adonijah down, and Adonijah dies.
The fate of his supporters
1 Kings 2:26-35Solomon next tells the priest Abiathar to go to his fields at Anathoth: he deserves death, but the king spares him because he carried the ark before David and shared his sufferings. Solomon removes him from the priesthood, which fulfills the word Yahweh had spoken about the house of Eli at Shiloh. Joab, who had sided with Adonijah, flees to the altar and is struck down there on the king's order. Benaiah takes his place at the head of the army, and Zadok replaces Abiathar. Solomon's throne is thus made firm, while those who had followed Adonijah lose their offices or their lives.
Adonijah's family
- father
- David 2 Samuel 3:2-4
- mother
- Haggith 2 Samuel 3:4
- elder brother
- Amnon 2 Samuel 3:2
- brother
- Chileab, also called Daniel 1 Chronicles 3:1
- brother
- Absalom 2 Samuel 3:3
- brother
- Shephatiah 2 Samuel 3:4
- brother
- Ithream 2 Samuel 3:5
- brother
- Solomon 1 Kings 1:10
- Solomon's mother
- Bathsheba 1 Kings 1:11
What Adonijah teaches us
- An ambition that ignores God's word leads to failure: Adonijah proclaimed himself king although neither God nor David had chosen him.
- A father must know how to correct his children: the Bible notes that David had never rebuked Adonijah (1 Kings 1:6).
- God keeps his promises despite human scheming: the throne is established for Solomon, as the LORD had willed.
- The backing of the powerful offers no protection: Adonijah's guests scattered in terror as soon as Solomon was anointed.
Key verses
The text describes a man driven by pride, handsome in appearance, whom his father had never rebuked. It gives the key to his character and his downfall.
Adonijah himself admits that the kingdom turned around and that the LORD gave it to Solomon. He therefore knows where God's will lies, yet he keeps trying to obtain what is slipping away from him.
Solomon answers that asking for Abishag amounts to asking for the kingdom for Adonijah, for Abiathar and for Joab. He swears by the LORD, who established him on David's throne, that Adonijah will die that very day.
Bible verses to meditate on
Sermons about Adonijah
Frequently asked questions
Who was Adonijah in the Bible?
Adonijah was a son of King David, born in Hebron to Haggith. He was born after Absalom. When David became very old, he declared himself king and won the support of Joab and Abiathar, but Solomon was anointed in his place. Solomon had him put to death after his request to marry Abishag.
Why did Solomon put Adonijah to death?
Adonijah had already tried to reign without David's consent. After the king's death, he asked through Bathsheba for the hand of Abishag the Shunammite. Solomon saw in it a new claim to the kingship (1 Kings 2:22) and had Adonijah executed to secure his throne.
Where is Adonijah's story found in the Bible?
Adonijah is named among David's sons in 2 Samuel 3:4. His story is found in the first two chapters of 1 Kings: his attempt to seize the throne in 1 Kings 1, then his request for Abishag and his death in 1 Kings 2:13-25.
Was Adonijah David's eldest son?
No. The list of the sons born at Hebron puts Amnon first, Chileab second, Absalom third and Adonijah fourth (2 Samuel 3:2-4). Chronicles gives the same list, with the name Daniel for Chileab (1 Chronicles 3:1-2). When Adonijah proclaims himself king, Amnon and Absalom are dead (2 Samuel 13:28-29; 18:14-15), and the Bible says nothing more of Chileab after his birth. Adonijah in fact presents himself as the heir: he tells Bathsheba that the kingdom was his (1 Kings 2:15), and Solomon calls him his elder brother (1 Kings 2:22). But Solomon was born later, at Jerusalem, to Bathsheba (1 Chronicles 3:5), and it is he whom David names king by oath (1 Kings 1:30).
Did Adonijah have a right to the throne?
Adonijah believed so: he tells Bathsheba that the kingdom was his and that all Israel looked to him (1 Kings 2:15). But the text specifies that he had proclaimed himself king without David's knowledge (1 Kings 1:11), and that the king had sworn by Yahweh that Solomon would reign after him (1 Kings 1:13,30). David also explains, later, that Yahweh chose him from among all his father's house to be king, and that among all his sons he chose Solomon to sit on his throne (1 Chronicles 28:4-5). Adonijah admits it himself: the kingdom turned and went to his brother, because it was his from Yahweh (1 Kings 2:15). The account therefore insists on Yahweh's choice more than on birth order.
Who supported Adonijah, and who stayed loyal to David?
Adonijah confers with Joab, commander of the army, and with the priest Abiathar, who take his side (1 Kings 1:7). He also invites his brothers, the king's sons, except Solomon, and the men of Judah who serve the king (1 Kings 1:9-10). On David's side stay the priest Zadok, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the prophet Nathan, Shimei, Rei and David's mighty men (1 Kings 1:8). It is Zadok, Nathan and Benaiah, with the Cherethites and the Pelethites, who bring Solomon down to Gihon (1 Kings 1:38). The text does not say what Adonijah's guests thought: it says only that they were seized with fear and went their separate ways when they learned of Solomon's anointing (1 Kings 1:49).
Why was the request for Abishag so serious?
Abishag the Shunammite had been chosen to care for David in his old age, but the king did not know her intimately (1 Kings 1:3-4). Adonijah asks to marry her through Bathsheba. The Bible does not itself explain what was at stake in this move, but Solomon grasps its meaning at once: asking for Abishag amounts to asking for the kingdom for Adonijah, for Abiathar and for Joab (1 Kings 2:22). Other passages show that a king's wives carried political weight. Absalom goes in to his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel, on Ahithophel's advice, to show that he has made himself odious to David (2 Samuel 16:21-22). Ish-bosheth likewise reproaches Abner for going in to his father's concubine (2 Samuel 3:7). The scene should be read with these texts, without adding intentions the account does not give.
What does it mean to take hold of the horns of the altar?
To take hold of the horns of the altar is to seek refuge at the altar of Yahweh, as Adonijah does after Solomon's anointing, when he fears for his life (1 Kings 1:50-51). The law given through Moses provides a place of refuge for someone who has killed without lying in wait, but specifies that whoever acts with cunning to kill his neighbor will be taken even from the altar (Exodus 21:13-14). Adonijah asks Solomon to swear not to put him to death by the sword, and Solomon answers that his life will depend on his conduct (1 Kings 1:51-52). Joab will make the same gesture later, but without obtaining the same grace (1 Kings 2:28-34). The altar therefore offers recourse, but it does not replace uprightness, as Solomon himself tells Adonijah.