Chapter One

1–4. King David’s illness in old age. 5–10. Adonijah’s conspiracy. 11–31. The declaration of David’s will about the succession of Solomon. 32–40. Solomon’s accession to the kingdom, his anointing and triumphant procession. 41–53. Scattering of Adonijah’s party.

1 Kings 1:1. Now King David was old and advanced in years; they covered him with garments, but he could not keep warm. 1 Kings 1:2. So his servants said to him, Let them seek for our lord the king a young maiden, that she may attend the king and care for him, and lie in his bosom, so that the lord our king may keep warm. 1 Kings 1:3. And they sought for a beautiful maiden throughout all the territory of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunnamite, and brought her to the king. 1 Kings 1:4. The maiden was very beautiful, and she attended the king and served him; but the king did not know her. Verses 1–4, as then verses 5–10, form an introduction to the main narrative of chapter 1 — about Solomon’s accession to the kingdom: both the feebleness of David (v. 1–4) and Adonijah’s conspiracy (v. 5–10) can explain why Solomon occupied the throne even while David was alive. Verse 1 begins with the connecting conjunction “and” just as some other Old Testament books do (Leviticus, Numbers, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Chronicles, 2 Ezra, Ezekiel, Jonah), which does not necessarily indicate a connection of the content of the subsequent biblical book with the previous one, but in this case (1 Kgs 1-2) represents as it were an organic part of the 2nd book of Kingdoms, concluding the account of David’s reign therein. The age of David at the moment described in (1 Kgs 1-2), judging from (1 Kgs 2:11) cf. (2 Sam 5:4), was about seventy years. The illness and feebleness (marasmus senilis) of David at these not yet so advanced years are the consequence of the extraordinary labors and trials he endured in youth and maturity (an indication of David’s premature old age is already seen in (2 Sam 21:16-17)). The weakness of David explains also the lack of warmth in his organism, a drop in body temperature (Midrash explains David’s illness as a consequence of the appearance of an Angel (2 Sam 24:16-17). According to Clericus, the absence of warmth in David’s body arose “from excessive use of women”. Both are arbitrary conjectures). The remedy, recommended to David by his servants or physicians (Josephus, Jewish Antiquities, 7, 14, 3) — warming by the breath of a young maiden, strange to European concepts, was known in antiquity, for example, recommended by Galen (Method of Medicine, 8, 7): apparently, it was intended “by the presence of a person of the opposite sex to increase the resistance of the organism to external harmful influences and thus somewhat prolong life” (V. Nedzvetsky. Biblical Hygiene and Macrobiotics. Faith and Church, 1902, vol. I, p. 574; G. Popov. Biblical Data on Various Diseases. Kiev, 1904, p. 73). The mention of Abishag here is the more appropriate because later (1 Kgs 2:22) Adonijah tried to reach the throne through marriage with her. Abishag is called “the Shunnamite” (LXX: Sōnamitis, Vulgate: Sunamitis, Slavonic: “Sunnamite”), as is also the pious woman who gave shelter to the prophet Elisha (2 Kgs 4:12), — by the name of the city Shunem or Sonam (Hebrew: Schunem, LXX: Sounom or Sōnam) in the tribe of Issachar (Josh 19:18), opposite the hills of Gilboa (1 Sam 28:4), near Mount Carmel (2 Kgs 4:25); even in the time of Blessed Jerome “in the region of Sebastia, in Akrabattene, there was a village Sanim” (Onomastica, 897); now Sulam (Robinson, Palestina, III, 402; Guenin, Palestina, 112). The name of the bride in the book Song of Songs “Shulamite”, Hebrew: Schulamith, LXX: Sōnamitis (Song 7:1), is probably identical with the name “Shunnamite”. Abishag “attended” (schocheneth, LXX: thalpousа, Slavonic: “warming”) David, “served him” (v. 4), “lay upon his bosom” (v. 2) — she was indeed his wife (according to the Targum, merely a friend); however, she remained a virgin, which could especially attract Adonijah to her (1 Kgs 2:13-18).

1 Kings 1:5. Now Adonijah, the son of Haggith, exalted himself, saying, I will be king. And he acquired for himself chariots and horsemen and fifty men to run before him. 1 Kings 1:6. And his father had never displeased him at any time by asking, Why have you done so? He was also very handsome, and he was born next after Absalom. 1 Kings 1:7. And he conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest; and they supported Adonijah. 1 Kings 1:8. But Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the prophet Nathan, and Shimei, and Rei, and the mighty men of David were not with Adonijah. 1 Kings 1:9. And Adonijah sacrificed sheep and cattle and fatlings by the Stone of Zoheleth, which is beside the Spring of Rogel, and he invited all his brothers, the sons of the king, and all the men of Judah, the king’s servants; 1 Kings 1:10. But he did not invite the prophet Nathan, nor Benaiah, nor the mighty men, nor Solomon his brother. The name Adonijah in the LXX in some manuscripts is read as Ornias (for example, code 82 in Holmes), and Blessed Theodoret also read it this way: Adonijah’s name was identified with the name of Ornan the Jebusite (2 Sam 24:18). Adonijah was the fourth son of David (2 Sam 3:2-4; 1 Chr 3:1-2): Amnon, Daluiah (or in the Hebrew text Chileab), Absalom, Adonijah. After the death of Amnon (2 Sam 13:28-29) and Absalom (2 Sam 18:9-15), Adonijah was the eldest of David’s sons and could consider himself the rightful heir to the throne, and his beautiful appearance, considered very desirable and valuable an attribute of the bearer of royal power by the ancient Hebrews (1 Sam 9:2; 2 Sam 14:25), could dispose the people in his favor. Like Absalom (2 Sam 15:1), Adonijah acquires chariots, cavalry, and swift runners as attributes of royal power (1 Sam 8:11; Jer 17:25). And David did not have the firmness to curb the ambitious designs of this son. Meanwhile, although royal power in Israel even under the first king Saul showed a tendency toward heredity (1 Sam 23:17), there was no law that the eldest of the sons should inherit the father’s throne: the choice of a successor was considered the right of the reigning monarch (1 Kgs 1:17 and others); cf. (2 Chr 11:22). And David’s choice fell on Solomon, although he was only his eleventh son. If David’s military commander Joab and high priest Abiathar sided with Adonijah, this does not speak to the legitimacy of the latter’s claims: both these officials, once loyal companions of David (Joab: (2 Sam 2:13; 1 Chr 11:6 and others); Abiathar: (1 Sam 22:20; 2 Sam 8:17)) before his death betray him, apparently only from rivalry — of Joab with Benaiah (2 Sam 8:18; 1 Chr 11:22-23), and of Abiathar with Zadok (2 Sam 8:17; 1 Chr 24:3). The prophet Nathan, who had appeared several times during David’s reign as a mediator between the king and God (2 Sam 7:2-17), sided with Solomon, of course, not from partiality to the latter (he was close to Solomon and according to tradition was his tutor (2 Sam 12:25)) and not from offense toward Adonijah (1 Kgs 1:10-26), but because he knew God’s will concerning Solomon (2 Sam 7:12-13; 1 Chr 22:9-10). Shimei — not an enemy of David (2 Sam 16:5-13), executed later by Solomon (1 Kgs 2:46), but perhaps a person identical with Shime (1 Kgs 4:18). Rei (Hebrew: Rei, LXX: Rhēsei), according to some manuscripts, such as 82 and 108 in Holmes — in the general sense: Samaia and his associates who were mighty — like Shimei, probably one of the close courtiers of David (at Josephus, Jewish Antiquities, VII, 14 — Dabidou philos, a friend of David — a title reminiscent of Hushai’s title (2 Sam 15:37)); some (Graetz, Professor M. Guliaev) identify Rei with the priest Ira (2 Sam 20:26). “The mighty men of David” (Hebrew: gibborim asher le David; LXX: hoi dynatoi tou Dabid, Vulgate: robur exercitus D.) — David’s bodyguard, numbering 37 (2 Sam 23:8-39; 1 Chr 11:10-47), also called Cherethites and Pelethites (Hebrew: Kreti, Pleti), further on (1 Kgs 1:38), cf. (2 Sam 15:18; 1 Chr 18:17), their commander was Benaiah (2 Sam 8:18; 2 Sam 20:23). Following the example of Absalom (2 Sam 15:8-12), Adonijah arranges a feast for the conspirators (with a sacrifice — to give the deed a religious character) “by the Stone of Zoheleth, which is beside the Spring of Rogel” (Hebrew: im even (gaz) Zoheleth asher etzela Ein-Rogel, LXX: meta lithou tou Zōeleth hos ēn echomena tēs Rōgēl, Vulgate: juxta lapidem Zocheleth, qui erat vicinus fonti Rogel): the stone or rock Zoheleth (according to Eusebius and Blessed Jerome, Onomastica, 471, Zōeleth, Zoeteth) — by etymology — “creeping” stone or stone of “serpent” (perhaps this name has connection with the “Dragon’s Spring” (Neh 2:13), but, without doubt, it had no relation to the worship of the “bronze serpent” (2 Kgs 18:4), as some Western exegetes interpret it). The Spring of Rogel or Ein-Rogel (Josh 15:7), (Onomastik, 804) lay on the border of Judah and Benjamin tribes, belonging by division to the latter (cited sources), to the southeast of Jerusalem (2 Sam 17:17), in a beautiful fertile plain; according to Josephus (Jewish Antiquities, VII, 14, 4), “outside the city, by a stream, in the royal park” (en tō basilikō paradeisō). Now it is identified with the Spring of Bir-Ayub to the southeast of Jerusalem, at the junction of the valleys of Jehoshaphat and Hinnom (Robinson, Palestina, Bd. II (1841), 138 ff.).

1 Kings 1:11. Then Nathan said to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother, “Have you heard that Adonijah, the son of Haggith, has become king, and our lord David does not know it? 1 Kings 1:12. Now therefore, come, let me give you counsel, that you may save your own life and the life of your son Solomon. By the cruel custom of antiquity, still preserved in the East, in all violent political upheavals the new king destroyed all relatives and members of the house of his predecessor or opponent (cf. Judg 9:5; 1 Kgs 15:29; 2 Kgs 10:6-13): this is confirmed by the subsequent fate of Adonijah (1 Kgs 2:24-25). In the event that Adonijah’s conspiracy succeeded, Solomon and his mother would face such danger, which the prophet Nathan considers it his duty to prevent. According to David’s words (1 Chr 22:5) Solomon at this time was “young and weak in strength”, and according to Solomon’s prayer upon his accession to the throne (1 Kgs 3:7) he was “a little child”; however, from the comparison of (1 Kgs 11:42) with (1 Kgs 14:21) it appears that upon his accession to the throne Solomon already had a one-year-old son, Rehoboam, consequently, Solomon was at that time at least 18 years old (According to Josephus, Jewish Antiquities, VIII, 7; 8—12 years).

1 Kings 1:13. “Go and get into the presence of King David and say to him, ‘Did you not, my lord, O king, swear to your servant, saying, “Surely Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he shall sit upon my throne”? Why then has Adonijah become king?’ 1 Kings 1:14. “Behold, while you are still talking there with the king, I also will come in and confirm what you have said. David’s sworn promise to Bathsheba to give the throne to Solomon is not recorded in the sacred biblical account; it can only be inferred with probability from the narratives in: (2 Sam 7:12-14); cf. (1 Chr 28:5-9). In any case, there is no need for the hypothesis (of Wellhausen, Stade, Benzinger, and others) that such a thought was not inspired in the aged David only now.

1 Kings 1:15. So Bathsheba went into the king in his chamber; and the king was very old, and Abishag the Shunnamite was serving the king; From his senile weakness and illness, David did not leave his bedroom (Hebrew: heder, LXX: tamion, Vulgate: cubiculum), where he receives both Bathsheba and Nathan in the presence of Abishag (cf. v. 1–4).

1 Kings 1:16. And Bathsheba bowed and did obeisance to the king. And the king said, “What is your wish? 1 Kings 1:17. She said to him, “My lord, you swore to your servant by the Lord your God, saying, ‘Surely Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he shall sit upon my throne. 1 Kings 1:18. “But now, behold, Adonijah has become king; and you, my lord the king, do not know it. 1 Kings 1:19. “He has sacrificed oxen, fatlings, and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the sons of the king, Abiathar the priest, and Joab the commander of the army; but Solomon your servant he has not invited. 1 Kings 1:20. “And now, my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are upon you, to tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him; 1 Kings 1:21. “Otherwise, when my lord the king sleeps with his fathers, I and my son Solomon will be counted as offenders. 1 Kings 1:22. While she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet came in. 1 Kings 1:23. And they told the king, saying, “Here is the prophet Nathan.” And he came in before the king and bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground. 1 Kings 1:24. And Nathan said, “My lord, O king, have you said, ‘Adonijah shall be king after me, and he shall sit upon my throne’? 1 Kings 1:25. “For he has gone down this day and has sacrificed oxen, fatlings, and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king’s sons, the commanders of the army, and Abiathar the priest; and behold, they are eating and drinking before him, and saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’ 1 Kings 1:26. “But me, your servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and your servant Solomon, he has not invited. 1 Kings 1:27. “Is this thing done by my lord the king, and you have not let your servants know who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him? The substance of the speeches of Bathsheba (v. 17–21) and Nathan (v. 24–26) is the same — an appeal for Solomon’s accession in fulfillment of David’s sworn promise to Bathsheba, against Adonijah’s intrigues. Only Bathsheba insistently points to the very fact of the oath (v. 17) and the danger awaiting her and Solomon herself if it is not fulfilled (v. 21), while the prophet Nathan reproaches the king for hiding his plans about the succession from him (v. 24, 27). In both speeches, it is noted that the designation of the successor to the throne depends entirely on the will of the king (v. 20, 27). Characteristic of the customs of the East is slavish obeisance before the king even by the queen wife (v. 16, 31), on a par with all subjects (even by prophets, v. 23); only the queen mother, apparently, not only did not show this honor to the king her son, but, on the contrary, received it from him (1 Kgs 2:19).

1 Kings 1:28. Then King David answered and said, “Call Bathsheba to me.” And she came into the king’s presence and stood before the king. 1 Kings 1:29. And the king swore, and said, “As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life from every adversity, 1 Kings 1:30. “as I swore to you by the Lord, the God of Israel, saying, ‘Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he shall sit upon my throne in my place,’ even so I will do this day. The swiftness and firmness of David’s decision about Solomon’s immediate accession reveals in him, despite physical weakness, strength of spirit, clarity of mind, and firmness of will. David’s oath is based on faith in Jehovah and His providence and represents praise and confession to Him.

1 Kings 1:31. Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the ground and did obeisance to the king, and said, “May my lord King David live forever! “May [the king] live forever!”: in addressing the king, this form of greeting was customary in the East, for example, among the Babylonians and Persians (cf. Dan 2:4).

1 Kings 1:32. And King David said, “Call for me Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada.” And they came before the king. 1 Kings 1:33. And the king said to them, “Take with you the servants of your lord, and have Solomon my son ride on my own mule, and bring him down to Gihon; 1 Kings 1:34. “and have Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there as king over Israel; and blow the trumpet, and say, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ 1 Kings 1:35. “Then bring him back, and let him sit upon my throne; for he shall be king in my place; and I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and over Judah. The king’s mule was an exclusive possession of the king (Esth 6:8) (among the Persians, the king had his own special horse), and the command to seat Solomon on David’s mule was a sign of the actual transfer of royal power from the latter to the former. The same is indicated by the solemn procession of Solomon to Gihon. Gihon, Hebrew: Gihon (see v. 38, 45; cf. Onomastica, 351), was placed by earlier researchers on the western side of Jerusalem: thus, Robinson (Palestina II, 164) saw traces of Gihon in the remains of two aqueducts southwest of Jerusalem (cf. A. S. Norova, Journey to the Holy Land, 1854, vol. III, part I, p. 320, 322; Professor M. S. Guliaev, Historical Books, Vatican sl. 3, p. 189). But already the Targum (cf. Isa 8:6) and Blessed Theodoret (question 2 on 3 Kings) identified Gihon with the Spring of Siloam, which lay, without question, on the southeast of Jerusalem; in (2 Chr 32:30) the eastern position of Gihon is presupposed relative to the city; and according to recent investigations, it is the Spring of the Holy Virgin Mary on the eastern slope of the temple hill (D. Schenkel, Bibel Lexicon, Bd. II, 463; E. Riehm, Handworterbuch d. biblisch. Alterthums, I (2A), p. 529). Although the latter location of Gihon apparently does not fully accord with the presumed remoteness of Gihon from the Stone of Zoheleth and Ein-Rogel in the narrative, it is very probable. In any case, the act of Solomon’s anointing as king (v. 34, 39, 44), which for him, as for Saul (1 Sam 10:1) and David (1 Sam 16:13), was a symbol of the bestowal of the Holy Spirit for the work of theocratic rule over the people of God, was to take place in a place of great concourse of people: this was especially required by the circumstances of the time — the need to quickly destroy Adonijah’s plan; the whole people needed to quickly learn of Solomon’s accession by the will of the aged David. And David expressly proclaims Solomon “ruler over Israel and Judah” (v. 35), having in mind the old enmity between Judah and Israel, that is, the tribe of Judah with Benjamin and the other ten; enmity which had recently made itself felt to David (2 Sam 19:41-43), and after Solomon’s death was resolved by the division of the Hebrew kingdom into two (1 Kgs 12:16-19).

1 Kings 1:36. And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king and said, “Amen! May the Lord, the God of my lord the king, say so too! Benaiah’s response, expressing his and the people’s agreement with the king’s will, is transmitted in the Greek and Slavonic more according to the sense than literally: Genoito houtos pistōsai Kyrios, “let it be so: may the Lord God confirm this word.”

1 Kings 1:37. “As the Lord has been with my lord the king, even so may he be with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David! The good wish for Solomon’s greater glory compared with David (cf. v. 47) is based, in the opinion of Blessed Theodoret, on the fact that “no one who has tender paternal love envies his children, and that it is natural for fathers to desire to see their children in greater glory than what they themselves have” (question 3).

1 Kings 1:38. So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites, went down and had Solomon ride on King David’s mule, and took him to Gihon. “Cherethites and Pelethites”, Hebrew: Kreti and Pleti, LXX: Cherephí and Phelephí, Vulgate: Cerethi et Pelethi, at Josephus directly called sōmatophylakes, the bodyguards of the king: consequently, they formed David’s and Solomon’s guard. They are considered foreigners in Israel, namely Philistines, and the very Hebrew names are now brought into connection with the Hebrew names of the Philistines and the island of Crete (Hebrew: Pleshet and Kaftor), from which the Philistines emigrated according to the testimony of the Bible (Amos 9:7; Jer 47:4; cf. Deut 2:23). See Bertholet, Stellung der Israeliten zu den Fremden, 38 ff.; B. Stade, Geschichte des Volkes Israel, Bd. I (1887), 142 ff.

1 Kings 1:39. Then Zadok the priest took the horn of oil out of the tabernacle and anointed Solomon. And they blew the trumpet, and all the people said, “Long live King Solomon! The tabernacle, from which Zadok took the horn of oil, — not the tabernacle at Gibeon (2 Chr 1:3, cf. 1 Kgs 3:4) — Gibeon lay at a distance of 4 Roman miles from Jerusalem (Onomastik, 296), — but the tabernacle on Zion (see 2 Sam 6:17; 1 Chr 15:1). The sacred oil of the tabernacle was prepared in the special manner indicated in (Exod 30:22-32) and was used only for the consecration of the tabernacle, its furniture, and the sacred ministers; it was forbidden to anoint the bodies of ordinary laymen with it. The anointing of Solomon according to the biblical account (cf. v. 34) appears to be an essential, necessary moment in the inauguration of a Hebrew king — in virtue of the significance of the act of anointing Hebrew kings indicated (to v. 34): without this act a Hebrew king could not have been called “the anointed one” (Hebrew: mashiah Yehavah (2 Sam 2:4)) and in general be a theocratic king. It is therefore erroneous the opinion of some rabbis, (Grotius, Wiener), that only those kings were anointed who had no historical rights to the kingdom; David, in any case, considered Solomon to be his legitimate heir (which is why he swore an oath to Bathsheba about it, v. 13, 17). Solomon’s anointing was performed not only by the high priest Zadok (v. 39), but also by the prophet Nathan (v. 34), just as the anointing of Saul (1 Sam 10:1) and David (1 Sam 16:13) was performed by the prophet Samuel. Over David anointing was later repeated by the people (2 Sam 2:4). According to (1 Chr 29:22), anointing was later repeated over Solomon as well.

1 Kings 1:39. Then Zadok the priest took the horn of oil out of the tabernacle and anointed Solomon. And they blew the trumpet, and all the people said, “Long live King Solomon! 1 Kings 1:40. And all the people came up after Solomon, and the people piped with pipes, and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth was split by their noise. 1 Samuel 10:24. The people’s participation in Solomon’s elevation to king was expressed in their joyful cries “long live the king!” (cf. 1 Sam. 10:24; 2 Kgs 11:12; Matt 21:9) — the people apparently did not recognize Adonijah’s claims to the kingdom; then, in the triumphant procession of Solomon with the sound of the trumpet and the playing of flutes bakhaliim, Vulgate: canentium tibiis; LXX and Slavonic — of joy generally: echoreuan en chorois, “they danced in dances”); “the earth was split by the cries” of the people — a hyperbolic expression of the idea of universal rejoicing. 1 Kings 1:41. And Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they finished feasting; and when Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, “Why is the noise of the city in an uproar? 1 Kings 1:42. While he was still speaking, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came; and Adonijah said to him, “Come in, for you are a worthy man and bring good news. 1 Kings 1:43. Jonathan answered Adonijah, “Truly, our lord King David has made Solomon king; 1 Kings 1:44. “and the king has sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and they have had him ride on the king’s mule; 1 Kings 1:45. “and Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king at Gihon; and they have come up from there rejoicing, so that the city is in an uproar. This is the noise that you have heard. 1 Kings 1:46. Moreover, Solomon has taken his seat on the royal throne. 1 Kings 1:47. And moreover the king’s servants came to congratulate our lord King David, saying, “May God make the name of Solomon more famous than your name, and his throne greater than your throne.” And the king bowed himself upon his bed, 1 Kings 1:48. and said thus, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who has granted one of my offspring to sit on my throne this day, while my eyes see it! The trained ear of the experienced military commander Joab first of all catches the warlike sound of the trumpet (v. 41). Jonathan, who had previously appeared as a messenger in David’s service (2 Sam 15:36), could (v. 42) deliberately remain in the city and observe what was happening there; hence the accuracy of his report (v. 43–46). The bowing of the aged David on his bed (v. 47) fully recalls the similar bowing “on the head of his bed” or “on the top of his staff” (Gen 47:31) of the dying patriarch Jacob; this was an expression of David’s reverence, as was Jacob’s, toward God; and likewise David blesses Jehovah, the God of Israel, and not the electors of his son (v. 48); the clause “from my seed” placed in brackets is not in the Hebrew text and is only in the LXX: ek tou spermatos mou (Vulgate does not read these words), but is quite appropriate and could have stood in the original Hebrew. The adherents of Adonijah in panic fear scatter (v. 49). Similar fear, arising from the lack of consciousness of lawful rights to their claims, seizes Adonijah himself; conscious of himself as already a political criminal, he takes refuge in the tabernacle (Zion), (1 Kgs 3:15; 2 Sam 6:17) and seizes the horns of the altar (v. 50–51), as later — Joab (1 Kgs 2:28), where one could find refuge only as an involuntary slayer (Exod 21:12-14). The horns at the altar were an essential part (Amos 3:14; Lev 4:7), they seemed to express the idea of sacrificial purification. They could least of all be a remnant of the image of Jehovah as a calf (opinion of Stade and Nowack).

1 Kings 1:52. Then Solomon said, “If he proves to be a worthy man, not one of his hairs shall fall to the ground; but if wickedness is found in him, he shall die. 1 Kings 1:53. So King Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and bowed down to King Solomon; and Solomon said to him, “Go to your house. Solomon in Adonijah’s desperate measure sees a factual acknowledgment of his guilt and performs an act of conditional forgiveness of him, which without doubt produced a good impression on his subjects. * * * “Historical Books of the Old Testament. Translation from the Hebrew language with foot notes by Professor of the Kiev Theological Academy Mikhail Guliaev, Kiev, 1866, p. 186”