So King Solomon sent the order to Benaiah son of Jehoiada, who struck down Adonijah, and he died. So King Solomon sent the orderThis phrase marks a decisive action by Solomon, the newly established king of Israel. The Hebrew root for "sent" (שָׁלַח, shalach) implies a deliberate and authoritative dispatching of a command. Solomon's decision reflects his wisdom and understanding of the need to secure his throne, as Adonijah had previously attempted to usurp it. This action underscores the importance of divine order and the fulfillment of God's promise to David regarding Solomon's kingship. to Benaiah son of Jehoiada
Benaiah, a loyal and valiant warrior, is a key figure in Solomon's administration. His lineage, "son of Jehoiada," highlights his priestly heritage, as Jehoiada was a prominent priest. Benaiah's role as an executor of justice aligns with his reputation as a man of integrity and strength, trusted by both David and Solomon. His involvement signifies the merging of religious and royal authority, emphasizing the theocratic nature of Israel's monarchy. who struck down Adonijah
The phrase "struck down" (נָכָה, nakah) conveys a sense of judicial execution rather than mere murder. Adonijah's death was a legal and necessary act to prevent further rebellion and to uphold the stability of Solomon's reign. This action serves as a sobering reminder of the consequences of defying God's anointed king and the seriousness with which God views the preservation of His chosen leadership. and he died
The finality of Adonijah's death is captured in this phrase. It marks the end of a potential threat to Solomon's rule and the fulfillment of divine justice. In the broader biblical narrative, this moment reflects the theme of God's sovereignty and the establishment of His will through His chosen leaders. It also serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of ambition and the importance of aligning oneself with God's purposes. Persons / Places / Events 1. King SolomonThe son of David and Bathsheba, Solomon was the third king of Israel. Known for his wisdom, Solomon was tasked with establishing his kingdom and ensuring its stability after David's reign. 2. Benaiah son of JehoiadaA loyal and valiant warrior, Benaiah was one of David's mighty men and later became the commander of Solomon's army. He was instrumental in carrying out Solomon's orders to secure the throne. 3. AdonijahThe fourth son of King David, Adonijah attempted to usurp the throne before Solomon was officially anointed king. His actions led to his eventual execution by Solomon's command. 4. The Kingdom of IsraelAt this time, the kingdom was transitioning from David's rule to Solomon's. This period was marked by political intrigue and the consolidation of power. 5. The EventThe execution of Adonijah was a decisive action by Solomon to eliminate threats to his reign and establish his authority as the rightful king of Israel. Teaching Points The Importance of Righteous LeadershipSolomon's decisive action against Adonijah underscores the necessity of upholding justice and righteousness in leadership. Leaders must sometimes make difficult decisions to protect the integrity and stability of their governance. The Consequences of AmbitionAdonijah's ambition and attempt to seize power serve as a cautionary tale about the dangers of unchecked ambition and the importance of respecting God's ordained authority. The Role of Loyalty and ObedienceBenaiah's obedience to Solomon's command illustrates the value of loyalty and faithfulness in service. As followers of Christ, we are called to be loyal and obedient to God's commands. God's Sovereignty in Establishing AuthorityThe events surrounding Solomon's rise to power remind us of God's sovereignty in establishing and maintaining authority. We can trust that God is in control, even in times of political or personal uncertainty. Bible Study Questions 1. How does Solomon's action against Adonijah reflect the principles of justice and righteousness in leadership? Can you think of other biblical examples where leaders had to make difficult decisions for the greater good? 2. In what ways does Adonijah's account serve as a warning against the dangers of ambition and pride? How can we guard our hearts against similar pitfalls? 3. How does Benaiah's loyalty to Solomon inspire us to be faithful in our own roles and responsibilities? What are some practical ways we can demonstrate loyalty and obedience in our daily lives? 4. Reflect on a time when you had to make a difficult decision to uphold justice or righteousness. How did your faith influence your decision-making process? 5. How can we find comfort in God's sovereignty when faced with uncertainty or challenges in leadership, whether in our personal lives or in the world around us? What scriptures can we turn to for reassurance? Connections to Other Scriptures 1 Kings 1This chapter provides the background to Adonijah's initial attempt to claim the throne and the subsequent anointing of Solomon as king, setting the stage for the events in 1 Kings 2:25. 2 Samuel 7God's covenant with David, promising that his lineage would continue to rule, is fulfilled in Solomon's reign, highlighting the divine legitimacy of Solomon's kingship. Proverbs 16:12This verse speaks to the importance of righteousness in leadership, which can be connected to Solomon's actions to maintain justice and order in his kingdom. People Abiathar, Abishag, Abner, Absalom, Achish, Adonijah, Amasa, Anathoth, Barzillai, Bathsheba, Benaiah, David, Eli, Gera, Haggith, Jehoiada, Jether, Joab, Maacah, Maachah, Ner, Shimei, Solomon, Zadok, ZeruiahPlaces Anathoth, Bahurim, Gath, Hebron, Jerusalem, Jordan River, Kidron, Mahanaim, ShilohTopics Adonijah, Attack, Benaiah, Benai'ah, Death, Died, Dieth, Falleth, Fell, Jehoiada, Jehoi'ada, Orders, Solomon, StruckDictionary of Bible Themes 1 Kings 2:25 5040 murder 1 Kings 2:12-25 5119 Solomon, life of Library The Horns of the Altar
WE MUST tell you the story. Solomon was to be the king after David, but his elder brother, Adonijah, was preferred by Joab, the captain of the host, and by Abiathar, the priest; and, therefore, they got together, and tried to steal a march upon dying David, and set up Adonijah. They utterly failed in this; and when Solomn came to the throne Adonijah was afraid for his life, and fled to the horns of the altar at the tabernacle for shelter. Solomn permitted him to find sanctuary there, and forgave …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 31: 1885"He Ascended into Heaven:" Believe. "He Sitteth at the Right Hand of the Father...
11. "He ascended into heaven:" believe. "He sitteth at the right hand of the Father:" believe. By sitting, understand dwelling: as [in Latin] we say of any person, "In that country he dwelt (sedit) three years." The Scripture also has that expression, that such an one dwelt (sedisse) in a city for such a time. [1791] Not meaning that he sat and never rose up? On this account the dwellings of men are called seats (sedes). [1792] Where people are seated (in this sense), are they always sitting? Is …
St. Augustine—On the Creeds Whether Curiosity Can be About Intellective Knowledge?
Objection 1: It would seem that curiosity cannot be about intellective knowledge. Because, according to the Philosopher (Ethic. ii, 6), there can be no mean and extremes in things which are essentially good. Now intellective knowledge is essentially good: because man's perfection would seem to consist in his intellect being reduced from potentiality to act, and this is done by the knowledge of truth. For Dionysius says (Div. Nom. iv) that "the good of the human soul is to be in accordance with reason," …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica Whether the Angels have Bodies Naturally United to Them?
Objection 1: It would seem that angels have bodies naturally united to them. For Origen says (Peri Archon i): "It is God's attribute alone---that is, it belongs to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, as a property of nature, that He is understood to exist without any material substance and without any companionship of corporeal addition." Bernard likewise says (Hom. vi. super Cant.): "Let us assign incorporeity to God alone even as we do immortality, whose nature alone, neither for its own sake …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica Whether the Natural Law Can be Changed?
Objection 1: It would seem that the natural law can be changed. Because on Ecclus. 17:9, "He gave them instructions, and the law of life," the gloss says: "He wished the law of the letter to be written, in order to correct the law of nature." But that which is corrected is changed. Therefore the natural law can be changed. Objection 2: Further, the slaying of the innocent, adultery, and theft are against the natural law. But we find these things changed by God: as when God commanded Abraham to slay …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica The Whole Heart
LET me give the principal passages in which the words "the whole heart," "all the heart," are used. A careful study of them will show how wholehearted love and service is what God has always asked, because He can, in the very nature of things, ask nothing less. The prayerful and believing acceptance of the words will waken the assurance that such wholehearted love and service is exactly the blessing the New Covenant was meant to make possible. That assurance will prepare us for turning to the Omnipotence …
Andrew Murray—The Two Covenants "The King Kissed Barzillai. " 2 Sam. xix. 39
And no wonder, for David could appreciate a real man when he saw him, and so does David's Lord. I.--LOYALTY IS PRECIOUS TO THE KING OF KINGS. In the days when the son of Jesse had but few friends, it was a precious thing to be treated in the style Barzillai and his neighbours entertained him (see 2 Sam. xvii. 27-29). They were rich farmers, and had land which brought forth with abundance, so were able to act with princely hospitality to the fugitive monarch. But plenty may live with avarice, and …
Thomas Champness—Broken Bread What Manner of Man Ought not to Come to Rule.
Wherefore let every one measure himself wisely, lest he venture to assume a place of rule, while in himself vice still reigns unto condemnation; lest one whom his own guilt depraves desire to become an intercessor for the faults of others. For on this account it is said to Moses by the supernal voice, Speak unto Aaron; Whosoever he be of thy seed throughout their generations that hath a blemish, he shall not offer loaves of bread to the Lord his God (Lev. xxi. 17). And it is also immediately subjoined; …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great Authorship of the Pentateuch.
The term Pentateuch is composed of the two Greek words, pente, five, and teuchos, which in later Alexandrine usage signified book. It denotes, therefore, the collection of five books; or, the five books of the law considered as a whole. 1. In our inquiries respecting the authorship of the Pentateuch, we begin with the undisputed fact that it existed in its present form in the days of Christ and his apostles, and had so existed from the time of Ezra. When the translators of the Greek version, …
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible Barzillai
BY REV. GEORGE MILLIGAN, M.A., D.D. "There is nothing," says Socrates to Cephalus in the Republic, "I like better than conversing with aged men. For I regard them as travellers who have gone a journey which I too may have to go, and of whom it is right to learn the character of the way, whether it is rugged or difficult, or smooth and easy" (p. 328 E.). It is to such an aged traveller that we are introduced in the person of Barzillai the Gileadite. And though he is one of the lesser-known characters …
George Milligan—Men of the Bible; Some Lesser-Known Fifth Sunday after Trinity Exhortation to the Fruits of Faith.
Text: 1 Peter 3, 8-15. 8 Finally, be ye all like-minded, compassionate, loving as brethren, tender-hearted, humble-minded: 9 not rendering evil for evil, or reviling for reviling; but contrariwise blessing; for hereunto were ye called, that ye should inherit a blessing. 10 For, He that would love life, And see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips that they speak no guile: 11 And let him turn away from evil, and do good; Let him seek peace, and pursue it. 12 For the eyes of …
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. III Kings
The book[1] of Kings is strikingly unlike any modern historical narrative. Its comparative brevity, its curious perspective, and-with some brilliant exceptions--its relative monotony, are obvious to the most cursory perusal, and to understand these things is, in large measure, to understand the book. It covers a period of no less than four centuries. Beginning with the death of David and the accession of Solomon (1 Kings i., ii.) it traverses his reign with considerable fulness (1 Kings iii.-xi.), …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links 1 Kings 2:25 NIV1 Kings 2:25 NLT1 Kings 2:25 ESV1 Kings 2:25 NASB1 Kings 2:25 KJV
1 Kings 2:25 Commentaries
Bible Hub |
