Adonijah

Biblical Record

Adonijah was the son born to David by Haggith at Hebron. He is listed as David's fourth son in 2 Samuel 3:4 and 1 Chronicles 3:2. His name is understood to mean "the LORD is my Lord" in Hebrew.

His story appears mainly in 1 Kings 1–2. When David grew old, Adonijah exalted himself, saying, "I will be king" (1 Kings 1:5), and he "prepared him chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him." Scripture records that he was born after Absalom, that he was "a very goodly man," and that his father had never rebuked him (1 Kings 1:6). The army commander Joab and the priest Abiathar supported him. By contrast, the priest Zadok, Benaiah, the prophet Nathan, and David's mighty men did not side with him.

When Adonijah held a feast near En-rogel and invited the king's sons and the men of Judah, Nathan and Bathsheba went to David and reminded him of his oath that Solomon would be king. David then had Solomon anointed king at Gihon. On hearing the news, Adonijah was afraid and caught hold of the horns of the altar; Solomon declared that he would be spared if he showed himself a worthy man (1 Kings 1:50–53).

After David's death, Adonijah asked, through Bathsheba, to be given as his wife Abishag the Shunammite, who had attended David in his last days. Solomon regarded the request as a bid for the throne and sent Benaiah to put him to death (1 Kings 2:13–25). Abiathar was subsequently banished to Anathoth, and Joab was also executed.

Other individuals bearing the same name include a Levite sent out to teach the people in the reign of Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 17:8) and a man who sealed the covenant in the time of Nehemiah (Nehemiah 10:16).

Significance in the Bible

Through the Adonijah episode, 1 Kings shows how David's throne passed to Solomon. The rivalry among the princes that unfolds in 2 Samuel—the episodes involving Amnon and Absalom—comes to its conclusion here. The New Testament does not mention Adonijah.

Interpretation and Issues

• The request for Abishag: A widely accepted interpretation holds that in the ancient Near East, taking possession of a former king's women was regarded as a claim to royal power. Absalom's lying with David's concubines (2 Samuel 16:21–22) is commonly cited in support of this view.
• Legitimacy of the succession: After the deaths of his older brothers, Adonijah was effectively the eldest surviving son, and he himself said that "all Israel set their faces on me, that I should reign" (1 Kings 2:15). Traditional interpretation gives weight to the texts indicating that God chose Solomon (2 Samuel 12:24–25; 1 Chronicles 22:9–10). Some critical scholars, noting that David's oath is not recorded in any earlier passage, regard the account as serving to legitimize Solomon's accession.
• Later traditions: Some identify Abishag with "the Shulamite" of the Song of Solomon, but the text does not state this directly.

In the Korean Church

In preaching, Adonijah is mainly treated as an example of "one who exalted himself," and his story is used to contrast human pride with the sovereignty of God. The verse noting that David never rebuked his son is also cited as a text for sermons on raising and disciplining children.