1 Kings 1:51

1:51 Solomon was told, “Look, Adonijah fears you; ¹  see, he has taken hold of the horns of the altar, saying, ‘May King Solomon solemnly promise ²  me today that he will not kill his servant with the sword.’”

1 Kings 2:28

2:28 When the news reached Joab (for Joab had supported ³  Adonijah, although he had not supported Absalom), he ⁴  ran to the tent of the Lord and grabbed hold of the horns of the altar. ⁵ 

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¹ tn Heb “King Solomon.” The name and title have been replaced by the pronoun (“you”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

² tn Or “swear an oath to.”

³ tn Heb “turned after” (also later in this verse).

⁴ tn Heb “Joab.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

⁵ 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, Joab was seeking asylum from Solomon.