Adonijah (meaning “my lord is Yah”) was the fourth son of King David, born in Hebron of his wife Haggith. He is primarily known for his ambitious and ultimately failed attempt to usurp the throne of Israel from his younger brother, Solomon, as recounted in the opening chapters of the Book of the First Kings.
The Elder Brother Who Exalted Himself
Adonijah, after the death of his older brothers Amnon and Absalom, considered himself the natural heir to his father’s throne. Scripture notes his high regard for himself and David’s failure to restrain him in his youth.
- KJV Scripture Reference (1 Kings 1:5-6):“Then Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, I will be king: and he prepared him chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. And his father had not displeased him at any time in saying, Why hast thou done so? and he also was a very goodly man; and his mother bare him after Absalom.”
Taking advantage of King David’s old age and feebleness, Adonijah began his coup attempt by gathering powerful allies, including Joab, the captain of the host, and Abiathar the priest. He held a coronation feast and sacrifice by the stone of Zoheleth, near En-rogel, pointedly excluding those loyal to David’s chosen successor, Solomon.
The Divine Interruption and Pardon
When the prophet Nathan and Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother, learned of Adonijah’s self-proclamation, they quickly informed the ailing King David. David immediately moved to secure the divinely appointed succession.
- KJV Scripture Reference (1 Kings 1:30):“Even as I sware unto thee by the LORD God of Israel, saying, Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne in my stead; even so will I certainly do this day.”
Solomon was promptly anointed King at Gihon, and the sound of the celebrating people reached Adonijah’s feast, scattering his supporters. Adonijah, fearing for his life, fled and caught hold of the horns of the altar, seeking sanctuary. Solomon granted him a conditional pardon:
- KJV Scripture Reference (1 Kings 1:52):“And Solomon said, If he will shew himself a worthy man, there shall not an hair of him fall to the earth: but if wickedness shall be found in him, he shall die.”
The Final, Fatal Petition
After David’s death and Solomon’s official establishment on the throne, Adonijah made one final move that proved fatal. He approached Bathsheba and requested that she petition King Solomon to allow him to marry Abishag the Shunammite, the young woman who had ministered to King David in his last days.
Solomon immediately recognized this request as a renewed attempt to claim the throne, as possessing the deceased king’s concubine or attendant was an act that symbolized taking possession of the kingdom itself (similar to Absalom’s actions in 2 Samuel 16:21-22).
- KJV Scripture Reference (1 Kings 2:22-24):“And king Solomon answered and said unto his mother, And why dost thou ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? ask for him the kingdom also; for he is mine elder brother; even for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah. Then king Solomon sware by the LORD, saying, God do so to me, and more also, if Adonijah have not spoken this word against his own life. Now therefore, as the LORD liveth, which hath established me, and set me on the throne of David my father, and who hath made me an house, as he promised, Adonijah shall be put to death this day.”
King Solomon then ordered his execution, solidifying his reign and purging the threat of civil strife from the court. The story of Adonijah serves as a clear lesson on the futility of human ambition and self-will against the established, prophetic plan of the LORD.