1 Kings 1:20

Contextual Overview

¹¹Then Nathan asked Bathsheba, Solomon's mother, "Have you not heard that Adonijah, the son of Haggith, has become king without our lord David's knowing it? ¹¹ Then Nathan asked Bathsheba, Solomon's mother, "Have you not heard that Adonijah, the son of Haggith, has become king, and our lord David knows nothing about it? ¹¹Then Nathan spoke to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, "Have you not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith has become king, and David our lord does not know it? ¹¹ Then Nathan spoke to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, "Have you not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith has become king, and David our lord does not know it? ¹¹ Wherfore Nathan spake vnto Bethsabe the mother of Solomon, saying: Hast thou not hearde that Adonia the sonne of Haggith doth raigne, and Dauid our lorde knoweth it not? ¹¹ And Nathan spoke to Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon, saying, Have you not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith reigns, and our lord David does not know? ¹¹ When Nathan heard about this, he went to Solomon's mother Bathsheba and asked her, "Have you heard what Haggith's son, Adonijah, is doing? He is making himself king. And our master, King David, knows nothing about it. ¹¹ Then Nathan said to Bathshe'ba the mother of Solomon, "Have you not heard that Adoni'jah the son of Haggith has become king and David our lord does not know it? ¹¹ Then Nathan spoke to Bath-sheba the mother of Solomon, saying, Haven't you heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith reigns, and David our lord doesn't know it? ¹¹ Wherefore Nathan spake vnto Bath-sheba the mother of Solomon, saying, Hast thou not heard that Adoniiah the son of Haggith doth reigne, and Dauid our lord knoweth it not?

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the eyes: 2 Chronicles 20:12, Psalms 25:15, Psalms 123:2, Zechariah 3:9

that thou: At this time the monarchy of Israel was unsettled; no man knew who was to succeed to the crown; and the minds of the people were as unsettled as the succession. It was neither hereditary nor elective: the king, as was anciently the case in most countries, named his successor; but in this instance, God had already assigned the throne to Solomon. 2 Samuel 23:2, 1 Chronicles 22:8-10, 1 Chronicles 28:5, 1 Chronicles 28:6, 1 Chronicles 28:10, 1 Chronicles 29:1

Cross-References

Genesis 1:7
So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so.

Genesis 1:7
So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so.

Genesis 1:7
So God made the expanse and separated the waters which were below the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so.

Genesis 1:7
God made the expanse, and separated the waters which were below the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so.

Genesis 1:7
And God made the firmament, and set the diuision betwene the waters which [were] vnder the firmament, and the waters that [were] aboue the firmament: and it was so.

Genesis 1:7
So God made the space and separated the water. Some of the water was above it, and some of the water was below it.

Genesis 1:7
And God made the firmament and separated the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament. And it was so.

Genesis 1:7
And God made the firmament, and departide the watris that weren vndur the firmament fro these watris that weren on the firmament; and it was don so.

Genesis 1:7
And God made the firmament; and diuided the waters, which were vnder the firmament, from the waters, which were aboue the firmament: and it was so.

Genesis 1:7
And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And thou, my lord, O king,.... As for thee, or what concerns thee, or is incumbent on thee, will appear from the expectations of the people:

the eyes of all Israel [are] upon thee, that thou shouldest tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him; this she said, to dissipate any fears that might possess his mind on hearing what Adonijah had done, that the people in general had assented to it, and encouraged him to it; whereas the body of the people were waiting to hear what was the will and determination of David: for they not only considered him as having a power to name a successor, as was afterwards done by Rehoboam, but as one that had the mind of God revealed to him who should be his successor, to which they should pay a regard.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Tell them who shall sit on the throne - Side by side with what may be called the natural right of hereditary succession, there existed in the old world, and especially in the East, a right, if not of absolutely designating a successor, yet at any rate of choosing one among several sons. Thus, Cyrus designated Cambyses; and Darius designated Xerxes; and a still more absolute right of nomination was exercised by some of the Roman emperors.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Kings 1:20. That thou shouldest tell - who shall sit on the throne — This was a monarchy neither hereditary nor elective; the king simply named his successor. This obtained less or more, anciently, in most countries.