Adonijah Sets Himself Up as King

Now (A)Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, “I will be king.” (B)And he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. His father had never at any time displeased him by asking, “Why have you done thus and so?” He was also a very handsome man, (C)and he was born next after Absalom.

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וַאֲדֹנִיָּ֧ה בֶן־חַגִּ֛ית מִתְנַשֵּׂ֥א לֵאמֹ֖ר אֲנִ֣י אֶמְלֹ֑ךְ וַיַּ֣עַשׂ ל֗וֹ רֶ֚כֶב וּפָ֣רָשִׁ֔ים וַחֲמִשִּׁ֥ים אִ֖ישׁ רָצִ֥ים לְפָנָֽיו׃

וְלֹֽא־עֲצָב֨וֹ אָבִ֤יו מִיָּמָיו֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר מַדּ֖וּעַ כָּ֣כָה עָשִׂ֑יתָ וְגַם־ה֤וּא טֽוֹב־תֹּ֙אַר֙ מְאֹ֔ד וְאֹת֥וֹ יָלְדָ֖ה אַחֲרֵ֥י אַבְשָׁלֽוֹם׃

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Now Adonijah, son of David and Haggith,[a] was promoting himself,[b] boasting,[c] “I will be king!” He managed to acquire[d] chariots and horsemen, as well as fifty men to serve as his royal guard.[e] (Now his father had never corrected[f] him[g] by saying, “Why do you do such things?” He was also very handsome and had been born right after Absalom.[h])

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Kings 1:5 tn Heb “son of Haggith,” but since this formula usually designates the father (who in this case was David), the translation specifies that David was Adonijah’s father.sn Haggith was one of David’s wives (2 Sam 3:4; 2 Chr 3:2).
  2. 1 Kings 1:5 tn Heb “lifting himself up.”
  3. 1 Kings 1:5 tn Heb “saying.”
  4. 1 Kings 1:5 tn Or “he acquired for himself.”
  5. 1 Kings 1:5 tn Heb “to run ahead of him.”
  6. 1 Kings 1:6 tn Or “disciplined.”
  7. 1 Kings 1:6 tn Heb “did not correct him from his days.” The phrase “from his days” means “from his earliest days,” or “ever in his life.” See GKC 382 §119.w, n. 2.
  8. 1 Kings 1:6 tn Heb “and she gave birth to him after Absalom.” This does not imply they had the same mother; Absalom’s mother was Maacah, not Haggith (2 Sam 3:4).