Bible Strands
1 Kings 1:42
As he was speaking, suddenly Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest arrived. “Come in,” said Adonijah, “for you are a man of valor. You must be bringing good news.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Adonijah interrupts his own speech at a feast when Jonathan son of Abiathar the priest suddenly arrives, prompting Adonijah to invite him in and assume he brings news. The words — The text highlights וְהִנֵּה (ve./hi.Neh), meaning “and/there!”, to mark the abrupt arrival, alongside בָּא (Ba'), “he came,” which underscores the suddenness of the messenger’s entrance. The thread — This messenger follows the established role of Jonathan son of Abiathar in 2 Samuel 15:36 and 17:17, where he and Ahimaaz son of Zadok function as royal couriers between David’s court and external forces. Why it lands — The verse requires readers to recognize how political speculation operates in real time, as Adonijah immediately interprets a sudden arrival through the lens of his own expectations rather than waiting for the actual message.
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 while he yet spake, behold, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came: and Adonijah said unto him, Come in; for thou art a valiant man, and bringest good tidings.
Cross-references
- 2 Samuel 15:36 Indeed, their two sons, Ahimaaz son of Zadok and Jonathan son of Abiathar, are there with them. Send them to me with everything you hear.”
- 2 Samuel 17:17 Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying at En-rogel, where a servant girl would come and pass along information to them. They in turn would go and inform King David, for they dared not be seen entering the city.
- 2 Samuel 18:27 The watchman said, “The first man appears to me to be running like Ahimaaz son of Zadok.” “This is a good man,” said the king. “He comes with good news.”
- 2 Samuel 15:27 The king also said to Zadok the priest, “Are you not a seer? Return to the city in peace—you with your son Ahimaaz, and Abiathar with his son Jonathan.
- 1 Kings 22:18 Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he never prophesies good for me, but only bad?”
- 2 Kings 9:22 When Joram saw Jehu, he asked, “Have you come in peace, Jehu?” “How can there be peace,” he replied, “as long as the idolatry and witchcraft of your mother Jezebel abound?”
- Isaiah 57:21 “There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.”
- 1 Thessalonians 5:2 For you are fully aware that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.