1 Kings 1:51

And it was told Solomon, saying, Behold, Adonijah feareth king Solomon: for, lo, he hath caught hold on the horns of the altar, saying, Let king Solomon swear unto me today that he will not slay his servant with the sword.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
told	וַיֻּגַּ֤ד vai.yu.Gad	H5046	properly · conjunction + verb, hophal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
Solomon	לִשְׁלֹמֹה֙ lish.lo.Moh	H8010	Shelomah · preposition + proper noun, a man's name
saying	לֵאמֹ֔ר le.Mor	H559	to say (used with great latitude) · preposition + verb, qal infinitive construct
Adonijah	אֲדֹ֣נִיָּ֔הוּ 'a.Do.ni.Ya.hu	H138	Adonijah · proper noun, a man's name
feareth	יָרֵ֖א ya.Re'	H3372	to fear · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
king	הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ ha.Me.lekh	H4428	a king · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
Solomon	שְׁלֹמֹ֑ה she.lo.Moh	H8010	Shelomah · proper noun, a man's name
hold	אָחַ֞ז 'a.Chaz	H270	to seize (often with the accessory idea of holding in p… · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
horns	בְּקַרְנ֤וֹת be.kar.Not	H7161	a horn (as projecting) · preposition + noun, common feminine plural construct
altar	הַמִּזְבֵּ֙חַ֙ ha.miz.Be.ach	H4196	an altar · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
saying	לֵאמֹ֔ר le.Mor	H559	to say (used with great latitude) · preposition + verb, qal infinitive construct
king	הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ ha.Me.lekh	H4428	a king · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
Solomon	שְׁלֹמֹ֔ה she.lo.Moh	H8010	Shelomah · proper noun, a man's name
swear	יִשָּֽׁבַֽע yi.sha.va'-	H7650	to seven oneself · verb, niphal imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
day	כַיּוֹם֙ khai.yOm	H3117	a day (as the warm hours) · preposition with the article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
slay	יָמִ֥ית ya.Mit	H4191	to die (literally or figuratively) · verb, hiphil imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
servant	עַבְדּ֖וֹ av.Do	H5650	a servant · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
sword	בֶּחָֽרֶב be.Cha.rev	H2719	drought · preposition with the article + noun, common feminine singular absolute

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Kings 1:41–end

We have here, I. The tidings of Solomon's inauguration brought to Adonijah and his party, in the midst of their jollity: They had made an end of eating, and, it should seem, it was a great while before they made an end, for all the affair of Solomon's anointing was ordered and finished while they were at dinner, glutting themselves. Thus those who serve not our Lord Christ, but oppose him, are commonly such as serve their own belly (Rom 16:18) and made a god of it, Phi 3:19. Their long feast intimates likewise that they were very secure and confident of their interest, else they would not have lost so much time. The old world and Sodom were eating and drinking, secure and sensual, when their…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Kings 1:50

ADONIJAH, FLEEING TO THE HORNS OF THE ALTAR, IS DISMISSED BY SOLOMON. (Kg1 1:50-53) Adonijah . . . went, and caught hold on the horns of the altar--most probably the altar of burnt offering which had been erected on Mount Zion, where Abiathar, one of his partisans, presided as high priest. The horns or projections at the four corners of the altar, to which the sacrifices were bound, and which were tipped with the blood of the victim, were symbols of grace and salvation to the sinner. Hence the altar was regarded as a sanctuary (Exo 21:14), but not to murderers, rebels, or deliberate perpetrators. Adonijah, having acted in opposition to the will of the reigning king, was guilty of rebellion,…

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Adam Clarke on 1 Kings 1:50

Adonijah feared - He knew he had usurped the kingdom, and had not his father's consent; and, as he finds now that Solomon is appointed by David, he knows well that the people will immediately respect that appointment, and that his case is hopeless; he therefore took sanctuary, and, fleeing to the tabernacle, laid hold on one of the horns of the altar, as if appealing to the protection of God against the violence of men. The altar was a privileged place, and it was deemed sacrilege to molest a man who had taken refuge there. See Kg1 2:28.

Dictionary and topics

Adonijah — My Lord is Jehovah. (1.) The fourth son of David (2 Sam. 3:4). After the death of his elder brothers, Amnon and Absalom, he became heir-apparent to the throne. But Solomon, a younger brother, was…
David — Beloved, the eighth and youngest son of Jesse, a citizen of Bethlehem. His father seems to have been a man in humble life. His mother’s name is not recorded. Some think she was the Nahash of 2 Sam.…
Jehoiada — Jehovah-known. (1.) The father of Benaiah, who was one of David’s chief warriors (2 Sam. 8:18; 20:23). (2.) The high priest at the time of Athaliah’s usurpation of the throne of Judah. He married…
Solomon — Peaceful, (Heb. Shelomoh), David’s second son by Bathsheba, i.e., the first after their legal marriage (2 Sam. 12). He was probably born about B.C. 1035 (1 Chr. 22:5; 29:1). He succeeded his father…
Zoheleth — The serpent-stone, a rocky plateau near the centre of the village of Siloam, and near the fountain of En-rogel, to which the women of the village resort for water (1 Kings 1:5-9). Here Adonijah…
Altars · Protection afforded by — Protection afforded by

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

1 Kings 1:51

Word by word — the Hebrew

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Kings 1:41–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Kings 1:50

Adam Clarke on 1 Kings 1:50

Dictionary and topics

1 Kings 1:51

Word by word — the Hebrew

Commentary

Matthew Henry on 1 Kings 1:41–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Kings 1:50

Adam Clarke on 1 Kings 1:50

Dictionary and topics

John Gill on 1 Kings 1:51

Keil & Delitzsch on 1 Kings 1:51-52

Tyndale Open Study Notes on 1 Kings 1:50-53

Rashi on 1 Kings 1:50