Bible Strands
1 Kings 1:18
But now, behold, Adonijah has become king, and you, my lord the king, do not know it.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Bathsheba addresses King David immediately after recalling his oath regarding Solomon, alerting him that Adonijah has already proclaimed himself king. (1 Kings 1:17-18)
The words — The Hebrew הִנֵּה (hi.Neh) operates as a sudden alert meaning "behold," while מָלָךְ (ma.Lakh) literally translates to "he has become king," marking the event as a completed political action rather than a future intention.
The thread — This warning structure reappears when Nathan delivers nearly identical phrasing in 1 Kings 1:24, and mirrors the usurpation pattern established in 2 Samuel 15:10.
Why it lands — The verse forces immediate verification of succession before a coronation feast solidifies the transition, demanding that sworn commitments be confronted before political reality hardens.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And now, behold, Adonijah reigneth; and now, my lord the king, thou knowest it not:
Cross-references
- 1 Kings 1:24 “My lord the king,” said Nathan, “did you say, ‘Adonijah will reign after me, and he will sit on my throne’?
- 2 Samuel 15:10 Then Absalom sent spies throughout the tribes of Israel with this message: “When you hear the sound of the horn, you are to say, ‘Absalom reigns in Hebron!’”
- 1 Kings 1:5 At that time Adonijah, David’s son by Haggith, began to exalt himself, saying, “I will be king!” And he acquired chariots and horsemen and fifty men to run ahead of him.
- 1 Kings 1:11 Then Nathan said to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, “Have you not heard that Adonijah son of Haggith has become king, and our lord David does not know it?
- 1 Kings 1:27 Has my lord the king let this happen without informing your servant who should sit on the throne after my lord the king?”
- Acts 3:17 And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders.