Bible Strands
1 Kings 1:9
And Adonijah sacrificed sheep, oxen, and fattened calves near the stone of Zoheleth, which is next to En-rogel. He invited all his royal brothers and all the men of Judah who were servants of the king.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Adonijah stages a sacrificial feast near the stone of Zoheleth at En-rogel to publicly assert his claim to the throne. He specifically summons his royal brothers and the king’s military servants in Judah while deliberately excluding key royal officials.
The words — The Hebrew verb וַ/יִּזְבַּ֣ח (va/i.yiz.Bach) literally means “he sacrificed,” marking the ritual slaughter that legitimizes his political maneuver. The location הַ/זֹּחֶ֔לֶת (ha./zo.Che.let) identifies the precise stone marker where the ceremony takes place.
The thread — The text notes the proximity to En-rogel, a site previously used for covert communication by Jonathan and Ahimaaz (2 Samuel 17:17). The gathering mirrors Absalom’s invitation of the king’s sons at a sheepshearing event (2 Samuel 13:23).
Why it lands — The narrative records who Adonijah included and excluded to map the political fault lines of the succession crisis. A reader must observe how the deliberate omission of Nathan, Benaiah, and Solomon signals an impending conflict rather than a legitimate coronation.
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 Adonijah slew sheep and oxen and fat cattle by the stone of Zoheleth, which is by En–rogel, and called all his brethren the king’s sons, and all the men of Judah the king’s servants:
Cross-references
- 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.
- Joshua 15:7 Then the border went up to Debir from the Valley of Achor, turning north to Gilgal, which faces the Ascent of Adummim south of the ravine. It continued along the waters of En-shemesh and came out at En-rogel.
- 2 Samuel 13:23 Two years later, when Absalom’s sheepshearers were at Baal-hazor near Ephraim, he invited all the sons of the king.
- 2 Samuel 15:11 Two hundred men from Jerusalem accompanied Absalom. They had been invited as guests and they went along innocently, for they knew nothing about the matter.
- Proverbs 15:8 The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable to the LORD, but the prayer of the upright is His delight.