1 Kings 1:42-48

1:42 As he was still speaking, Jonathan 1  son of Abiathar the priest arrived. Adonijah said, “Come in, for 2  an important man like you must be bringing good news.” 3  1:43 Jonathan replied 4  to Adonijah: “No! 5  Our master 6  King David has made Solomon king. 1:44 The king sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, the Kerethites, and the Pelethites and they put him on the king’s mule. 1:45 Then Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anointed 7  him king in Gihon. They went up from there rejoicing, and the city is in an uproar. That is the sound you hear. 1:46 Furthermore, Solomon has assumed the royal throne. 8  1:47 The king’s servants have even come to congratulate 9  our master 10  King David, saying, ‘May your God 11  make Solomon more famous than you and make him an even greater king than you!’ 12  Then the king leaned 13  on the bed 1:48 and said 14  this: ‘The Lord God of Israel is worthy of praise because 15  today he has placed a successor on my throne and allowed me to see it.’” 16 

1 tn The Hebrew text has “look” at this point. The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh), “look draws attention to Jonathan’s arrival and invites the audience to view the scene through the eyes of the participants.

2 tn Or “surely.”

3 tn Heb “you are a man of strength [or “ability”] and you bring a message [that is] good.” Another option is to understand the phrase אִישׁ חַיִל (’ish khayil) in the sense of “a worthy man,” that is “loyal.” See also 1 Kgs 1:52 and HALOT 311 s.v. חַיִל.

4 tn Heb “answered and said.”

5 tn For a similar use of אֲבָל (’aval), see Gen 17:19, where God rejects Abraham’s proposal and offers an alternative.

6 tn The plural form is used in the Hebrew text to indicate honor and authority.

7 tn I.e., designated by anointing with oil.

8 tn Heb “And also Solomon sits on the throne of the kingdom.”

9 tn Heb “to bless.”

10 tn The plural form is used in the Hebrew text to indicate honor and authority.

11 tc Many Hebrew mss agree with the Qere in reading simply “God.”

12 tn Heb “make the name of Solomon better than your name, and make his throne greater than your throne.” The term שֵׁם (shem, “name”) is used here of one’s fame and reputation.

13 tn Or “bowed down; worshiped.”

14 tn The Hebrew text reads, “and the king said.”

15 tn Or “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who….” In this blessing formula אֲשֶׁר (’asher, “who; because”) introduces the reason why the one being blessed deserves the honor.

16 tn Heb “and my eyes are seeing.”