1 Kings 1:10 kjv
But Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, and the mighty men, and Solomon his brother, he called not.
1 Kings 1:10 nkjv
But he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the mighty men, or Solomon his brother.
1 Kings 1:10 niv
but he did not invite Nathan the prophet or Benaiah or the special guard or his brother Solomon.
1 Kings 1:10 esv
but he did not invite Nathan the prophet or Benaiah or the mighty men or Solomon his brother.
1 Kings 1:10 nlt
But he did not invite Nathan the prophet or Benaiah or the king's bodyguard or his brother Solomon.
1 Kings 1 10 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Kgs 1:5 | Now Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, “I will be king.”... | Adonijah's self-exaltation to be king |
| 1 Kgs 1:8 | But Zadok the priest, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and David's mighty men were not with Adonijah. | Mentions loyalists not with Adonijah |
| 1 Kgs 1:11-12 | Then Nathan said to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother, “Have you not heard that Adonijah... has begun to reign, and David our lord does not know it? Now therefore come, let me give you counsel..." | Nathan's quick action to inform Bathsheba |
| 1 Kgs 1:13 | “Go in at once to King David and say to him, ‘Did you not, my lord the king, swear to your servant, saying, “Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne?”’ | David's promise concerning Solomon |
| 1 Kgs 1:18 | And now, behold, Adonijah is king, and now my lord the king does not know it. | Nathan reiterates Adonijah's usurpation |
| 1 Kgs 1:32-35 | King David said, “Call to me Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada.” ...and Nathan the prophet anointed him king over Israel. | David's command for Solomon's anointing |
| 2 Sam 7:12-16 | When your days are fulfilled... I will raise up your offspring after you... he shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. | God's covenant with David concerning his royal line |
| 2 Sam 12:24-25 | Then David comforted Bathsheba his wife... She bore a son, and he called his name Solomon. And the LORD loved him... because of the LORD, he sent by Nathan the prophet, and he called his name Jedidiah. | Solomon's birth and divine naming |
| 1 Chr 22:9-10 | Behold, a son shall be born to you... Solomon shall be his name... He shall build a house for my name; he shall be my son, and I will be his father, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever. | David's prophecy of Solomon's succession |
| 1 Chr 28:5-6 | And of all my sons—for the LORD has given me many—he has chosen Solomon my son to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the LORD over Israel. He said to me, ‘Solomon your son shall build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father.' | David reiterates God's choice of Solomon |
| Ps 78:67-72 | He rejected the tent of Joseph; he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim, but he chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which he loved... He chose David his servant... | God's sovereignty in choosing leaders and tribes |
| Prov 21:1 | The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will. | God's ultimate control over kingship |
| Dan 2:21 | He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. | God's sovereignty over rulers and power |
| Rom 13:1 | Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. | All authority is from God |
| Heb 1:8 | But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom." | Christ's eternal throne (fulfillment of Davidic promise) |
| Lk 1:32-33 | He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end. | Messianic prophecy concerning Jesus's Davidic throne |
| 2 Sam 23:8 | These are the names of David’s mighty men... | The mention of David's loyal mighty men |
| 1 Kgs 2:25 | So King Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he struck Adonijah down, so that he died. | Benaiah executing Solomon's judgment |
| 1 Kgs 2:34 | So Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up and struck him down and put him to death. | Benaiah executing Joab's judgment |
| 1 Sam 16:12-13 | And the LORD said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers... | God's chosen king, even over older brothers |
| Matt 22:21 | They said to him, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” | Submission to established earthly authority, and God's |
1 Kings 1 verses
1 Kings 1 10 Meaning
This verse identifies the pivotal individuals whom Adonijah deliberately excluded from his self-proclamation feast and sacrifice. His actions, taken while King David was elderly and frail, reveal his clear intent to usurp the throne. By omitting Nathan the prophet, Benaiah (a commander of loyal forces), David's loyal "mighty men," and most importantly, Solomon, God's designated heir and Adonijah's brother, Adonijah highlighted his awareness of who stood against his illegitimate claim. Their absence underscored the conspiratorial nature of his gathering and his rejection of divine will and established authority.
1 Kings 1 10 Context
King David, though still reigning, was very old and frail, leading to a period of uncertainty regarding royal succession. This power vacuum provided an opportunity for Adonijah, David's fourth and oldest surviving son, to declare himself king, a move executed without the approval or knowledge of his father or God. Adonijah, imitating Absalom's earlier rebellion, solidified support through grand chariots and fifty outriders and invited key figures like Joab and Abiathar. However, 1 Kings 1:10 specifies who Adonijah conspicuously did not invite. This omission reveals Adonijah's calculated political maneuvering and his recognition that these specific individuals represented the forces loyal to David and, more importantly, to the divine plan for Solomon's succession. It sets the stage for Nathan and Bathsheba's immediate intervention to secure Solomon's rightful place on the throne.
1 Kings 1 10 Word analysis
- But (
וְאֵת- və’ēt): This conjunction signifies a deliberate contrast, drawing attention to a crucial group of people not included, contrasting with the previous verse where Adonijah did include his allies.etis a direct object marker, indicating specific, important individuals. - Nathan the prophet (
נָתָן הַנָּבִיא- Natan hannāḇî): Nathan was a highly influential and trustworthy figure, divinely chosen to convey God's will to David, particularly concerning the Davidic covenant and the establishment of Solomon's kingdom (2 Sam 7). His exclusion indicates Adonijah's explicit disregard for God's declared choice of Solomon. - and Benaiah (
וּבְנָיָהוּ- ūḇənnāyāhû): Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, was a formidable military commander, chief of David's loyal bodyguards (the Cherethites and Pelethites). His allegiance was unequivocally to David, and later to Solomon. Adonijah's failure to invite him reveals his knowledge that Benaiah represented an immovable obstacle in the royal military apparatus loyal to the legitimate throne. - and the mighty men (
וְהַגִּבֹּרִים- wəhagGibôrîm): This refers to David's elite warriors, highly respected for their strength, bravery, and unwavering loyalty to David (e.g., 2 Sam 23). Their exclusion underscores Adonijah's awareness that David's core fighting force would not support his usurpation. These were the true guarantors of the existing king's power. - and Solomon his brother (
וְאֶת שְׁלֹמֹה אָחִיו- wə’et Šəlōmōh ’āḥîw): Solomon was the designated successor, chosen by God and promised by David (2 Sam 12:24-25; 1 Chr 22:9-10; 1 Chr 28:5-6). His direct omission is the central point of this list, highlighting Adonijah's direct rebellion against divine appointment and his own half-brother. The phrase "his brother" emphasizes the intimate familial betrayal. - he called not (
לֹא קָרָא- lō’ qārā’): This phrase indicates a deliberate and specific act of omission. Adonijah purposefully did not invite these individuals to his ceremonial feast and sacrifice, confirming the divisive and unauthorized nature of his self-proclamation. The verb qārā’ often implies summoning to a formal event or for a specific purpose.
1 Kings 1 10 Bonus section
- Parallel to Absalom: Adonijah's actions closely mirror those of his deceased elder brother Absalom, who also sought to usurp the throne through self-exaltation and by gathering a personal following while bypassing legitimate authority (2 Sam 15:1, 10-12). Both brothers acted while David was weak or perceived to be weak.
- The Nature of the Feast: The gathering Adonijah arranged was more than a mere social event; it was a religious feast with sacrifices, often serving as a covenant meal to legitimize authority and forge alliances. The deliberate omission of key figures underscores Adonijah's desire to form a new, separate covenant-community of support that excluded the loyal core.
- Implications of Omission: The absence of Nathan, Benaiah, and the mighty men not only signals their loyalty to David and Solomon but also signifies Adonijah's attempt to circumvent any religious or military challenges to his coup. His failure to win their allegiance rendered his claim fundamentally illegitimate in the eyes of the people and God.
- Strategic Revelation: The verse inadvertently serves to inform the audience (and in the narrative, Bathsheba and Nathan) precisely who were not on Adonijah's side, thereby signaling the strong remaining opposition to his move. This information immediately triggered the decisive counter-action by Nathan and Bathsheba.
1 Kings 1 10 Commentary
1 Kings 1:10 succinctly identifies the key players in David's court who represented legitimate authority and divine favor, highlighting their pointed exclusion from Adonijah's unauthorized coronation. By omitting Nathan, the voice of God; Benaiah and the mighty men, the strength of David's loyal military; and Solomon, the divinely appointed heir, Adonijah clearly demarcated his opposition to God's will and David's stated succession plan. This selective exclusion was a strategic blunder, betraying his lack of support from essential circles and inadvertently revealing the conspiracy. The individuals listed here immediately recognized the grave threat and subsequently acted swiftly and decisively to counter Adonijah's rebellion, affirming God's plan for Solomon. This verse functions as a concise summary of who represented the legitimate power structure versus Adonijah's rebellious faction, paving the way for the ensuing drama and resolution.