Not a subscriber yet?

Join the weekly mybibleschool newsletter to get better at studying the Bible. It's completely free.

1 Kings 1:28-40 | Bible Study

Solomon's Rise to Power

David Chooses Solomon

A lot happens in 1 Kings 1.

David is a naive, old, dying monarch (1 Kings 1:1-4).

Adonijah, his oldest surviving son, seizes the opportunity to take the throne for himself (1 Kings 1:5-10).

Realizing they're desperate situation, Nathan and Bathsheba plot to make Solomon the king instead (1 Kings 1:11-27).

In 1 Kings 1:28-40, David chooses to make Solomon the king. Let's see how that unfolds.

Get the Passage of the Week

This weekly blog post encourages you to study the Bible one passage at a time. I send out emails on Mondays and Fridays with guided studies.

1 Kings 1:28-40 (ESV) with highlights

28 Then King David answered, “Call Bathsheba to me.” So she came into the king’s presence and stood before the king. 29 And the king swore, saying, “As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my soul out of every adversity, 30 as I swore to you by the Lord, the God of Israel, saying, ‘Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place,’ even so will I do this day.” 31 Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the ground and paid homage to the king and said, “May my lord King David live forever!”

32 King David said, “Call to me Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada.” So they came before the king. 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. 34 And let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet there anoint him king over Israel. Then blow the trumpet and say, ‘Long live King Solomon!’ 35 You shall then come up after him, and he shall come and sit on my throne, for he shall be king in my place. And I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and over Judah.” 36 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king, “Amen! May the Lord, the God of my lord the king, say so. 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.”

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 brought him to Gihon. 39 There Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the tent and anointed Solomon. Then they blew the trumpet, and all the people said, “Long live King Solomon!” 40 And all the people went up after him, playing on pipes, and rejoicing with great joy, so that the earth was split by their noise.

How Solomon Becomes King

Solomon becomes king over Israel and Judah by David’s decree. Notice that Solomon is not present, as far as we know, when David makes this decision. Instead, the decision is made in the presence of Bathsheba.

It's also important to notice that the men who perform the rituals to make Solomon the king do so at King David’s command. The ceremonial anointing of Solomon to be king is accompanied by a public celebration.

At no point in this process does Solomon do or say anything on his own.

Adonijah vs. Solomon

The contrast between Adonijah's attempt to take the throne and Solomon's rise to power is striking.

Adonijah	Solomon
Makes himself king (v. 5)	David makes Solomon king (v. 30)
Adonijah leads all the action (v. 5, 7, 9)	Solomon is completely passive in the process
Used horses and an entourage (v. 5)	Uses a donkey (v. 33)
Focuses on Judah (v. 9)	King of Israel and Judah (v. 35)

Notice the last point. Adonijah's attempt to become king is inherently divisive. He only recruits the royal officials from Judah. David emphasizes Solomon's rule over both Israel and Judah.

This point is easy to miss. The twelve tribes of Israel are united in the first generations of the monarchy. If you have read the rest of the book, however, you know that Israel and Judah will split and become two kingdoms.

The author and editors of Kings know this fact too well. These subtle notices in the first chapter are establishing the drama. Adonijah's reign could split the kingdom. In contrast, Solomon's rule is meant to keep the kingdom united.

A Few Final Thoughts

Solomon’s rise to power could hardly be more different from Adonijah’s attempt to take the throne.

Adonijah engineered everything. He selected the people who were around him. Also, he rejected particular figures who would not support him.

1 Kings 1:28-40 presents a completely different picture of Solomon’s rise to power. Solomon says nothing and only does whatever he is told. The passage focuses entirely on David’s authority and the ceremonial acts that make Solomon king.

We should be careful to remember the context when we study a specific passage in the Bible. As readers, we must remember the drama that unfolded in the first twenty-seven verses. David is an old, dying monarch. To this point in the story, his main characteristic is ignorance. He doesn’t know much.

It should surprise us, then, that David is suddenly back in command. We can interpret this in one of two ways:

First, David has snapped back into reality and is wisely ensuring the future of his dynasty.

Second, we could wonder whether David is really in charge at all. Is he just falling prey to the political moves of Bathsheba and Nathan?

Ultimately, this passage doesn’t give us enough details to make a decision about which way to interpret the situation. We will need to keep it in mind as we continue studying the book of Kings.