1:49 All of Adonijah’s guests panicked; 1 they jumped up and rushed off their separate ways. 1:50 Adonijah feared Solomon, so he got up and went and grabbed hold of the horns of the altar. 2 1:51 Solomon was told, “Look, Adonijah fears you; 3 see, he has taken hold of the horns of the altar, saying, ‘May King Solomon solemnly promise 4 me today that he will not kill his servant with the sword.’”
1 tn Or “were afraid, trembled.”
2 sn Grabbed hold of the horns of the altar. The “horns” of the altar were the horn-shaped projections on the four corners of the altar (see Exod 27:2). By going to the holy place and grabbing hold of the horns of the altar, Adonijah was seeking asylum from Solomon.
3 tn Heb “King Solomon.” The name and title have been replaced by the pronoun (“you”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
4 tn Or “swear an oath to.”